Oracion's POV

Ever since we came through that mirror something's been bothering me...I stare around at the tracing black lines that seemingly flow into a source. Trailing it from the surrounding plant life, water and even myself. Pathing with a mind of it's own as it swerves and curves to its destination...Percy.

"We can't come with you, I'm sorry" Athena repeats herself, holding herself back but still clearly on the verge of tears.

"B-but why!?" I stare at the boy who's on his knees, eyes shamelessly filled with tears as he begs for the answers. "What do your eyes have to do with any of this!?" He calls out in anger which I partially cannot blame him for.

"I'm afraid that's how it is Percy, these two have became the new generation that's to lead the Underworld. While they will soon return to you...I'm afraid at the moment they need to reside here." Anubis swaps out with Chris, reluctantly informing the boy.

He waits for a response but nothing, the previous hollow white aura that seeped out of Percy when I first met him. Now tainted with strands of black, slowly rising and twisting with his own. He's taking in the life around him without even realising it...he's returning.

"What about Adam!?" He questions Athena

"He'll understand Percy, I'm sorry. This isn't permanent either! I'll come back." She tries to convince him but it appears as if she fails to even convince herself with the statement

"We don't have the time to be staying here and chatting about inevitable events, let's move on" I tap the bag that contains the mirror, putting it in-between my armour and extending a hand to the collapsed Percy.

"You. Will. Wait" His aura spikes in response to me

"Excuse me?"

"Do I need to repeat myself? Who are you to-" He catches himself, visibly holding his tongue between his teeth. He pauses for a moment before standing up and glancing down at the bracelet around his wrist. His alarmed gaze giving away his emotions for anyone to read, he's scared. The bracelet that was once whole, now chipped and cracked like an aged stone pathway.

"We need to go" He regrettably whispers out

"Percy, I promise you I'll be there for you. As will Chris" She forces a smile, hugging him once again before retracting a few feet back

"The Underworld has remained in an unstable state for quite sometime, I appreciate you allowing them to stay here and retain order for the time being. I can feel the lost souls wandering into hallways that they shouldn't be in...beings extending their hands into places that would normally be unreachable to them" Anubis smiles at him, but he remains emotionless to the comment. His green eyes tracing his body before awkwardly clearing his throat, "It appears Persephone has left us a means to leave this time" He points towards the wide open plant with a spiralling haze within it unlike the one we entered through.

-

"Tell Adam that I miss him!" She calls out, no longer trying to hold her tears back. Embracing her loose emotions for what they are for the time being. Watching him take his steps through the void as he waves goodbye to them, an action of sadness but not one that's accompanied by the correct expression.

'Please don't harm him...he's trying his best' She communicates to me, Percy being the only one unable to hear thoughts making him the anomaly in the room once again. 'I can't promise anything' I respond back although clearly not the response that she wanted to hear. Taking my first step into the portal I look back once more, glancing back at Anubis' form and Athena's body projecting my own memories...Atlanta.

-

Adam's POV

I felt it, the strike of electricity that once connected us. He's coming back to me. I sit up at an alarming pace, scaring the others but Ignore them. Flashing my eyes around for any possible place that he could return from. My restless gaze stopping once I hear the shift in the surroundings followed by the cracking of a tree that slowly begins to split itself down the middle.

"Adam wait!" Yasmine and Thomas stand on guard while I run up to the opening, hearing Clio laugh under her breath at my actions but already understanding my behaviour.

Upon hearing the whispering wind I knew the portal opened, "PERCY!" I call out, blindly reaching my arms around him for a hug only to envelope a figure several times bigger than my mate that I know. "This isn't Percy I'm hugging is it..."

"No, it is not" Aeon calmly responds, continuing to walk forward despite me holding him as if I'm nothing but a branch stuck on his shoe.

"PERCY!" I yell out once again pre-emptively reaching out my arms to embrace my mate. The sparks that I'm familiar with now shooting through my skin in response to me. Leaning down to his neck and breathing in his scent I immediately notice something...he doesn't smell like himself. "What's wrong?" I ask him in confusion as he hasn't hugged me back.

"Athena" He silently speaks, my worst fears suddenly beaming through my head.

"What do you mean Athena!? Is she okay!?" I'm gonna need you to explain a bit Percy please" I kneel down to his height to look him in the eyes, the previous reflectiveness gone from them and instead replaced with a cold glare. "That isn't the only thing is it?" I ask although already knowing the answer.

"I-" He begins, only to be interrupted by me shoving him behind me. My protective instinct taking over as all my senses scream "Danger".

"Adam?" Thomas and Yasmine ask me in confusion, but I wait and focus on the entrance of the opening that they came from. The hairs on my skin standing up in anticipation of what's to follow my mate.

"I came to get-" I punch the first thing I see, a glimmer of a sand like pelt was enough for me to confirm. "And that was for?" He laughs to himself at my attempt of harming him, looking down at me with light green eyes that scan my body. "We haven't actually met, I'm Chris" He smirks at me.

"But weren't you..."

"Essentially unconscious the entire time we met? Yeah I was, but I could still hear. And from what I hear, you're this one's mate" I stare at his towering figure now leading down to pat Percy on the head before heading off towards Cliodhna. "I hope you're taking care of him, or we're gonna have problems" He jokingly winks at me but I do admittingly feel threatened by his presence. The image of his human appearance flashing in my head as it's now replaced by this overwhelming sense of power.

"Cliodhna, I'm gonna be taking her. Thanks for guarding them."  He reaches down and picks up Athena's body and gently places her in his arms.

"It was a pleasure, until we meet again. Although I do seek the story as to how you came to that heritage someday." She waves to him, eyeing his form down with curiosity while pointing towards her own eyes to reference his. 

"Oh and Yasmine, the blood inside you. I see it's taken it's effect" He smiles at her

"What do you mean?"

"You've always had enough of my own blood inside you to become the Beta, but you yourself didn't accept it. Something changed...I'm proud of you" His blacked out eyes making his green pupil stand out more as it scans her, Yasmine's own grey now reflecting back in admiration of him.

"Thank you!" She cheers to him, subtle tears falling but not ones of sadness

Taking a moment to observe the new beta I flick my head back and forth to regain my senses, "Where are you going with her!?" I place a hand on his arm to stop him from passing me

"Your sister is the new Queen of the Underworld"

"What!?"

"And I'm the new King" He smiles to himself, slightly brushing past me before placing his foot into the portal. "Nice meeting you. Brother in law." His deep voice laughs as the entrance closes on itself without having answered any of my questions.

"I'll explain it to you since you seem to be conflicted. Your sister has a mate now and you won't be seeing her for sometime" Cliodhna explains with no emotion to her tone, the confusion only evolves into a headache as it makes itself home in my brain

"HUH!?" I blurt out before noticing a lack of body weight leaning against me, staring around and noticing Percy walking up to his body.

"I feel you" He whispers out, reaching his hand into his own chest and falling into his flesh body. Silently waving his arms back and forth as if testing a new weapon out.

"Now that we've gotten your precious mate back and what not. Can we head out?" Yasmine impatiently asks, wandering over to Percy and high fiving him along with Thomas as they all unite for the first time in what feels like centuries. Chris' earlier mockery of me seemed to of broken him out of his mild negative mood.

"How about we use this mirror right now and test your theory?" Aeon reaches into his bag, tilting the shining object down and in front of Percy.

"Wait what does this thing even do? Did we get told this beforehand or...?" Thomas calls out amidst the pause

"It's a prison used to hold anything the user desires, revealing the truth of something or someone. And then trapping that version of themselves into itself." Clio explains, "But you guys don't believe it's that simple...do you?"

"What do you mean?" Percy tilts his head in curiosity

"You. Don't know." She covers her mouth in shock which only alarms us further

"Go ahead and explain then!" I exclaim

"Fenrir...needs to be out." She silences the group. A bolt of static seemingly bouncing between all of us as we equally stare at her with a gobsmacked look.

"He needs...to be out. Don't you think that would of been an important detail that you just happened to leave out?"

"Well I assumed it made sense, how else is Fenrir meant to stare into it?" She circles around us, admiring the flowery environment still

"He's meant. To come out." I hear Percy croak out, a visible shudder running through his body which makes me jump to him.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry!" I coo to him, burying his head into my chest. I lift my head to catch Aeon staring intently at Percy but not directly, his eyes instead bouncing around the rough area of his body as if staring at something else entirely.

"Sorry to cut your reunion short, but shouldn't we be meeting Alex at the Moonlit Sky pack?" Thomas cuts in

"Yeah you're right, I believe I recognise this cursed zone. It's actually within walking distance. But there's a human village in between us and the pack." The words making Percy shudder once again, possibly in memory of something but I continue smothering him.

"Why don't we just take the current again?" Yasmine asks while tapping the floor

"It's best you do not abuse them unless needed, if it's within reasonable distance I believe you should cross it yourselves. You've gotten lucky not to be swallowed up by them all up until this point, be happy that you've remained that lucky" Cliodhna warns

"And what exactly happens if...we do abuse it?"

She looks hesitant to speak but does so anyway, "I'm not too sure myself, but I've seen people...disappear into it"

"Oh Cliodhna!" Percy's muffled voice comes out as he presses away from my chest, reaching down into his pocket and taking out an orb.

"You found it!?" Clio speeds over to him, handling the orb into her own hands. "I truly am indebted to you, I wish you the best for your remaining time in this world" She comments, making Percy shift uncomfortably at her sincere lack of empathy.

"No no, you've done a lot for us. Thank you!" He cheers out, shyly creeping back into my arms as if not trying to acknowledge his love for me in front of everyone

"I'm not sure if we'll be seeing each other again, but if we do...let it be known that it'll be as a friend this time" Her fanged smile gleams before she waves, taking a handful of fruit from a nearby tree and audibly moaning at the flavour. "I do believe we're going separate paths from here, good luck to you all." She gently glides down the green covered path we came down, "Does she forget she can fly or...?" I accidentally think out loud but honestly beg for someone to answer me.

"I...don't know" Aeon coughs out, "So onto the village?"

"Onto the village" The rest of us cheer in sarcastic unison. Humans...we love them. Grabbing Percy's hand and snatching a kiss from him while he's stuck daydreaming once again. "I missed you" He murmurs out while nudging himself into my back, making my body release a content grumble in response. "As you should!" I spin him around, locking my arm on his head as we continue to walk. "Now continue being an arm rest, you're absolutely the perfect height for it!". Earning his displeasured groan but he doesn't challenge it...he knows best not to.