I didn't mean to throw up. But it is just too much.

Karim holds my hair back as Thoren pats my back holding out a bucket and tissues for me. I heave my breakfast.

I lie back as Martha places an ice pack on my forehead. Am grateful. I slightly shiver. My vision swims. Temi is screaming.

"What's wrong with her? I can feel her panic. I want to say am okay but I just tune her out. I just need to close my eyes for a moment.

"Her powers grow stronger. They consume her each day. And the Light's Touch inside her is affecting her negatively. We need to get it out."
Aunt Maeve swims in my vision.

"But how? None of us can touch it" Jake cries out desperately.

"We can't. For now let's....." Everything blurs out. I feel my body humming but I feel like lead. I fractionally open my eyes and all is a mess.

I see a lot of colors. Too hot, too bright but too cold too.

Everyone is sprawled on the floor from me unmoving.

It's like the house is subjected to radiation. Am sweating. So hot. Am faint. I want to throw up again. I make out sluggish words like bath, cold, run, now. Everything is hazy.

Then I fall into icy coldness. The coldness pierces my skin as I feel myself falling deeper but I welcome it. It feels divine against the heat.

A break from the heat. I sigh and close my eyes. Where is everyone? I momentarily frown as the exhaustion, coldness and calm envelope me. I drown.
******************************************************************************************

A loud clap wakes me up. I open my eyes and everything is mushy and dark.

I try to take in a deep breath and liquid fills my lungs. Burning and stinging my lungs shaking off the last of my drowsiness. Am suffocating. I see a small light above me and push towards it desperate for air.

I break the surface finally gulping for air and pull myself to the outline I can hazily make out.

Heavy cold drops splatter my skin. It's a violent downpour and am caught in it . What am I doing in a violent downpour? Thunder rumbles and thunder strikes behind me startling me.

I look at the jagged lightening connecting with the surface of the somewhat deep lake I was under. Why was I here? I double over retching water from my burning lungs as I shiver. Am so cold. Am shivering and my clothes are plastered to me like second skin.

I try to stand but the wind pushes against me as I struggle to take in my bearings. As I contemplate if I have enough energy to teleport home a hand comes into contact with me shoulder. I don't even think.

I just grab the hand and twist it throwing a punch to whoever or whatever is behind me. I hear a grunt but my fist meets strong resistance. I struggle at whoever or whatever is holding me. The downpour is so heavy I can just make out an outline of someone or something am not sure.

"Hey quit it, it's me." That voice. I stop trying to get away.

"Thoren?" I need to be sure.

"Yeah, it's me." He is shouting through the downpour but he still sounds like a radio with static interference. He gently pulls me to him. His hands put a protective barrier around me. He smells divine. I sigh.

Where is everyone? Why am I here?. He leans close to my ear. One hand around my waist and the other around my shoulders like he's trying to keep the raging wind and harsh rain away from me folding over me.

The lightening strikes the surface of the lake again. The thunder claps are so loud like the place is splitting into two. I shudder.

"Can you get us out of here?"
He whispers and I feel the heat tickling my ear. I can try that. I need answers.

I have no idea where we are here or why but I certainly know where I want to go and with my heightened powers am sure I can. I shake my head slightly against his chest. I put my arms around his waist and lean further in, well as much in as in allows.

I picture the house, the sitting room. Martha and her pixy form as she keeps everything in top order. I put more will and push, the warmth in there, the dry comfort. I meet a barrier. Damn those barriers.

I weave my urgency to be there greatly with my power. I picture the comfort and safety. My bedroom. I feel the telltale shift around us and the airy feeling. I push more, the smell of cakes and dry clothes. I feel a crack.

The rain starts to fade away and it's silent and still for a moment. I feel nothing. I open my eyes, I feel slightly tired. We are in the sitting room but the place feels empty, something is off here. Thoren let's go of me as he pulls me at arm's length staring at me intently.

"Are you okay?" His eyes are trailing my body looking for injuries. I shiver involuntarily, though not related to the cold but the way his black eyes are raking my body.

It doesn't go unnoticed to his hawk dark eyes. He turns and exists the room before re-emerging manning towels, other clothes and shoes. He hands me the clothes and one towel then turns away from me probably to give me the privacy to dress up.

But I hear him taking off his sodden clothes and I blush. Is this like a one of those trust tests? As I fight the urge to peek, I peel off my jeans, underwear, t-shirt, sneakers and jacket and wear the jeans and sweat shirt he has handed me. I wear the socks too reveling in the comfort of my dry clothes.

"Should I turn around now?" He asks quietly behind me. I smile a bit.

"Am not naked anymore." I answer as I fold the wet clothes in a ball and dump them near the couch. I grab the towel and start wringing the water out of my heavy red tresses. He's wearing sweatpants and a white shirt too. Am guessing his are from the stash Karim gave them earlier. I sit down on the couch, I am exhausted but oddly energized.

He sits next to me and continues toweling himself too.
"Where's everyone? Where's my sister?"
I couldn't help but notice she's no where to be seen and I can't find her in my head.

"They went on a mission." He tosses the towel unceremoniously on the floor as he stands up heading to the kitchen. I toss mine aside and follow him.

"What happened?" I open one of the kitchen drawers with duct tape and pull out two rubber bands. I wound my hair into a ponytail then fold my hands on my chest crossing my feet giving him my best I need answers look.

"You passed out." He looks at me steadily.

"I know that. But why was in a lake in a violent freak downpour of a storm?" He fills the kettle with water from the stove and puts it on the stove.

He mimics my stance on the other end of the counter. He looks sexy.
"You went haywire. That power inside you almost levelled us out. Artemis and your Aunt portaled you to the lake. They said something about the water restoring the balance inside."

I only look at him. Clearly am getting out of hand.
"Your Aunt said only one person can help you." I don't want him to continue.

"What kind of mission did they leave for?"

"They went to get Demon's bane from Petrous and further check the situation at the council."

"When will they be back?"

"I have no idea."

I swallowed the bitter feeling waging its way in my throat. They were coming true. I can't breathe. I feel the panic rising.

"Hey breathe." He moves so fast. He places both his hands on my shoulders to steady me. I can't look at him. Am capable of hurting everyone else. Am destruction.

The ultimate sacrifice......
One should perish...
Am I going to die?

"Look at me" I couldn't.

"Damn it Athena look at me." My head snaps up and I meet steel black eyes. We stare at each other, gray and black. Complete contrast. Light and dark.

"Am a ticking disaster Thoren." He places his head against my forehead and closes his eyes, hands at his sides.

"To hell with the prophecies." He whispers his eyes still closed.

"But I might hurt you. Hurt all of you." I swallow a sob. This is bad. I take in a deep steady calming breath.

"I know you will not."

"But why? why do you have so much faith in me?"

"Because I believe in you. You give me hope."

"Your belief is refreshing." He takes in a deep breath. Despite myself I smile.

"Am your hope?"

"You are more that. You give me a light I have not had in so long. Faith and Hope that this might end for good."

"Why didn't you leave with them?"

"Simple. I wanted to wait for you to get okay. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you in such an unstable situation God knows where in a storm. Besides, enough of them went and my girlfriend needed me."

I grab his sweatshirt and push myself on my toes pulling him closer in the process pressing my lips to his. He doesn't miss a bit as he crushes me to the counter his hands sliding to my waist pulling me closer.

I yelp as he carries me placing me on the counter. I sigh as he deepens the kiss.

The realms are in chaos. My family is somewhere looking for a way to save me from whatever is inside me and am here in the kitchen making out with a hot darkling boy. My life isn't perfect but at least it has some ups despite all the downs.

A loud hiss startles us. The water has boiled. Thoren places his head against my chest.
"Let's take some hot chocolate while we wait."

He unwraps his hands from around my waist. He takes the kettle and looks sheepishly lost. He has no idea where anything is. I laugh.

"Allow me." I jump down from the counter and make my way around him taking all the necessary ingredients. In ten minutes we emerge from the kitchen back to the sitting room.

Thoren holding two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and I holding a platter with four muffins and a pack of chocolate chip, oats and strawberry cookies.

We settle onto the couch and eat silently. After we have polished off everything we lie back in the couch. I hear a distant rubble of thunder. My thoughts drift listlessly. His arm on my waist and the other pillowing my head. My small frame settled against him. I drift into troubled nothingness to the sound of his heartbeats.

...............................................................................................................................................................

I groan. It's a bit cold. There's a disturbance.

"Hey wake up." I open one eye. Thoren looks disheveled.

"You should stop waking me up like this."
I smile slurring my words. He just pulls me up to sitting position and starts putting sneakers on my stockinged feet. Something is amiss.

"What's wrong?" And I get my answer as Temi, Jake and the rest following closely behind runs into the sitting room. I stand up fully awake now and they envelope in a hug.

"Where were you? How did it go? What happened?" I have so many questions.

"We'll talk later but now we have to leave now." She hands me my sheathed sword. I notice she's nursing a few cuts.

Martha and Eric come in shouldering a groaning Petrous and a darkling boy who is half Asian follows behind with bloody spike aluminum and crystal tonfas on both his hands.

He has a nasty cut on the forehead. He looks about eighteen. Karim and Emmeline flank Aunt Maeve following closely.

For the first time she's wearing cargo trousers, a white shirt and a leather jacket with boots. Such a change from her royalty and regal dresses that the Fae seem to never get out of, she looks practical. And hot.

"Why is he here?" The pain of my wounds is still fresh in memory coupled with my sister's beating and Jake's near death.

"We had to bring him along, the situation is worse than we imagined." Temi shrugs.

"But Temi he's the villain here." My sister turns to me.

"Sadly in this story he is not. He is a victim too in this context."

"How bad could the situation possibly be for you to bring him to our last safe house. What if he rattles us out?"

"Demons have gotten into the pocket realm. It's infested and there's no council anymore Thea. They are all dead."
Jake intervenes placing a hand on my shoulder to calm me.

"I thought they couldn't get past the gates without certain death?"

"Or so we thought too dear. But evidently they found a way around it and they took a more advanced approach, Infiltration."
Aunt Maeve interjects.

My heart plummets as bile rises in my throat. That means everyone is in danger. All those kids and families in there are going to die, all the beings.

"Unless we find that Goddess and seal the chasm in the Arena." Temi looks sternly at me. She knows am freaking out and it's damn true.

"Here take these. We haven't much time left" Martha thrusts a black bag pack into my hands. I take it and swing it on my back. It's suprisingly light.

Jake and Temi take the two Eric offers them with grim faces.
"Karim, Emmeline hurry follow me." They disappear with Martha.

Eric has moves to Petrous and started bandaging him up with speed. The Asian boy looks at me uneasily. He looks familiar.

"He's from the house back in the pocket realm." I jump a little as Thoren startles me. Has he been there the whole time. He has a jacket on and sneakers. His sword strapped to his back looking very ready to depart. When did he dress up?

Aunt Maeve moves to us. "I have to leave. Preparations need to be done."

I can't believe her.
"Are you ditching us?" She can't just leave us.

"No am not Athena. I need you to understand. A war is coming, a big war and plans have to be made, Alliances have to be formed." I hate the word war. I bite my lip to hold my tears as the anger ebbs away replaced with sadness.

"But what shall we do without you?" She smiles at me.

"You have already accomplished so much without me. You have all you need inside you."
I hug her. This woman is all we have left of our mother. I don't want anything to happen to her.

"Now listen carefully. I already filled Temi in and gave her the ingredients." She pulls out a purple vial from her pants and hands it to me. Demon's bane.

"Inverie is where you have to go. All of you. Find the old shack by the river, the lady already awaits you."

"But what if we get lost or something?" I grip at excuses.

"Martha and Eric are going to be with you at all times."I can tell she's getting frustrated. "Promise me you will all be careful."

Jake and Temi mutter silent promises. She hugs us all for like a minute.

"I love you. See you soon."
And she disappears into a portal leaving us clutching at the space where she has been. Be careful is what I wanted to tell her.

"What the hell is Inverie?" A voice rings out. I turn around and the Asian boy is standing a few feet away with Thoren. Now they move to us.

Karim and Emmeline return shouldering bag packs too. Martha moves to Petrous and Eric. I itch to stab the guy or maybe beating him to pulp is better.

"Inverie is a small town in UK Shen, it's in Scotland and might I say the remotest location I have ever seen. Aunt Maeve took me there last year during one of her Fae nature checks." Jake pipes up.

We all just stare at him. None of us has probably heard of Inverie ever before today. He grins and continues noting our lack of knowledge loving the spotlight.
"On the Knoydart Peninsula lies this little countryside village, it's not even on maps, a town in West Scotland. There population is of about 120 people more or less. I love the place"

That's indeed a small community. "Makes sense that the person we seek is hiding there."
Thoren interjects thoughtfully.

"Aside from the Old Forge pub and hotel, Inverie has just two shops and a Post Office. The nearest doctor's surgery is in Mallaig, and the closest hospital lies in Fort William, some 26 miles away." Jake continues filling us in. Apparently hanging out with Aunt Maeve is historically and geographically advantageous.

"So basically we are taking a trip to the wilderness?" I can't help but wonder.

"Technically yes but those guys don't even have a fast food restaurant but I remember it was so cold there, beautiful but cold." Jake shudders involuntarily at the memory.

I look at my clothes. I guess they'll do. Martha breaks into the circle we have unconsciously formed and hands me a jumper. I take my bag off wear it and strap the bag on again. She's the only one afraid I'll catch a cold apparently.

"You had silver hair the last time I saw you." The half Asian boy Jake called Shen muses.

He has a cross back strap where his Tonfas are now resting barely visible from his back except for the silver glow they are casting in the lights.

"Well as you can clearly see a lot has happened the last time anybody saw me......" I purposely trail off.

"Shen. Shen Lin Ying but just call me Shen." He extends his hands. His black eyes twinkle when he smiles. I have a feeling I might like Shen.

"Nice to officially meet you just Shen." I give him a small smile.

"How can you possibly flirt at a time like this?" Jake dramatically sighs.

"In front of your boyfriend." Thoren feigns a hurt look.

"You have a boyfriend?" He withdraws his hand. Now all eyes are on me. I catch Temi's eye as she snickers. She loves a good show. I blush as Jake torments me. Karim furrows his brow as he stares at Thoren, I cant tell if he wants to punch him or strangle him, maybe both.

"We weren't flirting." Shen's hard voice rings out his sole gaze fixed on Temi. She flushes red. Oh my. I smell a mystery. I grin at her as she sends me a warning glare.

A loud bang rouses me. All around we tense listening.
"It can't be. No one can get through the shield." Martha gasps as she automatically reaches for her whip. Everything slows down for me.

Temi holds Jake's hand as she creates a portal, swirling bluish black mist. Something about this situation feels familiar. I don't know why am frozen but everything is happening so fast I wouldn't be able to catch up if I reacted.

Martha and Eric are shouting something I can't hear. My head is ringing. I feel like am in a different reality and the only thing I can hear is my breath. This is familiar. I get a sense of Deja Vu.

A black mass opens up above us shooting dark sharp tendrils at us. Martha smacks them with her electric whip. The mass is huge, and menacing up close.

Eric raises a shield. The tendrils smack into it, the sound is like cracking glass. They are so sharp. I see the body and a face I know well.
Laden. The source.

He is smiling so sinisterly with a smug expression. Petrous is trying to back Eric. Strong arms wrap around my waist.

I don't struggle against them, am too dazed. A tendril breaks through and stabs Martha's shoulder, her whip falls.

Her shrill cry and Laden's sinister laughter follow me as darkness swallows us, the portal closing before me as Martha falls to her knees graciously smiling at me.