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𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 . . .
    𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙾𝙶𝚄𝙴. ▏ it all started with a feather

𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨: mentions of character
deaths, slight mentions of war, mentions
of pregnancy, blood and gore
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As the sun sets and darkness descends, the forest becomes cloaked in an impenetrable veil of shadows. The gnarled branches of various ancient trees reach towards the sky like twisted figures, their silhouettes casting eerie shapes upon the forest floor. A thick mist hangs in the air, swirling and shifting with the slightest breeze. It obscures the path ahead, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that seems to blur the boundaries between reality and the realm of the supernatural. The forest that lays deep within the bayou is eerily silent, devoid of the usual sounds of nocturnal creatures. An oppressive stillness hangs heavy in the air, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant hoot of an owl.

The forest floor is carpeted with tangled undergrowth, thick with thorns and brambles that seem to grasp at the ankles of unwary travelers. The roots of ancient trees snake across the ground like skeletal fingers, tripping up those who dare to tread upon them. Faint whispers drift through the trees, carried on the night breeze like echoes from the past. They speak of forgotten secrets and lost souls, haunting the forest with their sorrowful lamentations.

CORDELIA DARE's bright eyes, eyes that are a mesmerizing shade of dark blue and reminiscent of the deepest depths of the ocean, stared out at the imposing forest that was before her all. She was so unfamiliar with this forest that laid deep within the bayou of New Orleans. Cordelia's feet mechanically began to carry her thoughts out of the dark green canopies and around the maze-like structure of tall trees. Cordelia's body felt this strange instinctive pull that just kept tugging her deeper within. The pull was all consuming and overpowering.

Cordelia's cerulean blue eyes flicker around the forest frantically as a sense of dread starts to fill her gut. She feels a surge of anxiety floods her stomach. The strange sensation makes her stomach lurch painfully. The strange sense of anxiety and overwhelming fear only seems to intensify. Although, it doesn't quite feel like her own. Sure, she  can feel all of the intense emotions burning beneath her skin and twisting at her stomach, but it wasn't quite as strong as her own gut reactions.

It felt like a ghost of someone else.

A sort of phantom feeling that wasn't truly there.

And that's the thing, Cordelia was finely in-tune with her demigod instincts and her feeling something like fear would be an instinct that her body would knew all too well because fear is what keeps her alive and far from begin killed by monsters. Cordelia felt mostly confused by this realization. She doesn't know what to do.

Cordelia's stomach lurched again, but this time it's more violent than before. She grunts in surprise as overwhelmingly painful feelings sweep over her body and causes her to drop her sliver flashlight on the forest floor out of surprise. She stumbles a little and has to pause to lean on a tree as she pants heavily. Suddenly, she can taste bile in the back of her mouth as the anxiety and fear becomes too overwhelming on her shot nerves. Cordelia just as suddenly leans forward as she pukes her guts out on the forest floor. She can hear a strange ringing in her ear that becomes loud and obnoxious. Her ears feel like their bleeding as she reaches to cover her ears. She let's out a low groan of pain as the sensation spikes and the lurching becomes too much for the daughter of the ocean titan.

The ringing in her ears sounds horrible, but the feeling of her skin feels even worse. Cordelia feels her bones stiffen as they start to ache beneath her taught pale skin. She drags her long red painted nails across her long arms as Cordelia desperately tries to sketch at an itch that isn't even there.

Cordelia forces herself to shallow thickly as she begrudgingly let's go of her skin and roughly pushed herself off the tree that she had been leaning on. The daughter of Oceanus reaches down for the flashlight that she had dropped in the heat of things before shining the bright light of her flashlight back down the forest path. 

Cordelia breaths heavily as she desperately tries to ride out the strange sensation that pools at her gut.

She knows that she has to keep moving.

She knows that she has no other choice.

Cordelia shines her light down the forest path. Her light catches the reflection of iridescent blue, green, and gold. Feathers. She knows that they are distinctively feathers belonging to a male peacock. Each feather gleams in the the flashlights bright light. The peacock's plumage is a dazzling display of colors as it shifts and moves further away from Cordelia.

Hera.

Cordelia knows just knows this creature...this peacock...was sent by Hera or was Hera. She honestly couldn't be too sure.

The gods are just weird. And crazy.

Cordelia knew this fact all too well. She had been a head figure in many wars of their wars and done many godly given quests with her close friend, Percy Jackson. The same son of Poseidon, whom the daughter of Oceanus thought of as a brother, had his life played with by Hera before. As did Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter and Juno's own campion. And now, for whatever reason, Cordelia seemed to be Hera's latest little play thing; much to Cordelia's dismay and confusion.

Hera was the only reason she was even in New Orleans.

Cordelia, at first, had thought that she had come to New Orleans to connect to her past and her heritage. She thought that she was going to connect to her life that was left untold to even herself. A life that could have been, if not for tragedy. But, at the core, she was going to have a chance to connect with the mother she never got to met or know as she had died during when she was still mere infant; even if it was only through visiting the spots her birth mother had favored and staying at the large family home that her mother once proudly owned, but now it sat empty in Cordelia's own name.

"Where are you even leading me?" Questioned Cordelia softly as she tilted her head at the seemingly rowdy peacock. The creature that was not remotely native to Louisiana seemed on edge, disorderly, and just generally impatient.

Cordelia passes towering cypress trees with their distinctive knees rise from the murky waters, their moss-draped branches creating a canopy of leaves. Her eyes shift to her left as she stares down at the water that the trees root themselves in.

Cordelia could just sense the water. She could sense the many meandering waterways that wound their way through the bayou, forming a network of twisting channels and hidden coves. Her blue eyes stared down at the dark, tea-colored waters that was alive with the movement of aquatic creatures – from alligators and turtles to fish and snakes. Cordelia smiled a little to herself as she sees the murky water ripple with more movement. Seeing such a vast water source helps ease the demigod, even if for just a fleeting moment.

The daughter of Oceanus felt her white shoes hit the mossy, leaf-filled, and twig-riddled forest floor with a loud crunch. She felt oddly hyper aware of her surroundings. It was so strangely different than how Cordelia normally felt with the world around her. Sure, she was a demigod with normal demigod heightened sense, but this somehow felt unusual. It felt like her heightened sense were somehow turned all way up to the max.

She trudged deeper and deeper into the dark and eerie forest.

The atmosphere is somber, the shadows deepening as the first ominous rumblings of thunder echo through the trees, like the distant growls of an awakening beast. Suddenly, the sky above crackles with electricity, jagged streaks of lightning illuminating the heavens with an otherworldly brilliance. Each flash casts stark shadows that twist and contort, creating sinister shapes that seem to lurk just beyond the edge of visibility.

The first fat raindrops begin to fall, splattering against the leaves with a hollow, drumming sound that echoes through the forest like a funeral dirge. As the rain intensifies, it transforms the forest into a murky, sodden labyrinth, obscuring paths and landmarks in a veil of watery obscurity.

Cordelia shivered as icy cold rain hits her pale skin. She is able to control water and could stop the rain from hitting her, but she somehow instinctively knew that she shouldn't. She somehow just knew that she would need the rain.

The smell of earthy petrichor, and a subtle mineral scent, filled her nose as the rain begun to really fall harder and splatter against the dirt in heavy raindrops.

The storm rages on, relentless and unyielding, as if nature itself has been unleashed in a fury of primal rage. With each crash of thunder and each flash of lightning, the forest seems to shrink back in fear, cowering beneath the wrath of the tempest that envelops it. In the heart of the forest, surrounded by the oppressive darkness and the relentless downpour, there is a sense of isolation and vulnerability, as if the very trees themselves are closing in, trapping unwary travelers within their grasp.

Cordelia frowned as she suddenly heard the faint sound of yelling and the distinctive sound of a woman screaming. She felt concern consume her as she heard the woman's desperate pleas for help. She swear that she could almost recognize the female voice, but she was still too far away to really tell.

"Go! Go to her!" Cordelia heard a soft female voice whisper in the back of her mind. The voice that was in her mind was undoubtedly Hera's. So, the daughter of Oceanus shouldn't have been surprised when shined her flashlight back on the spot the peacock had been, only to see that it was now long gone.

Cordelia headed Hera's words and rushed towards the female grunting and screaming. She ran as fast as her feet would carry her.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see when she got to the source of the screaming and the crying, but what laid before her was certainly not what she was expecting in the slightest. Cordelia was met by the sight of Hayley Marshall, a girl she had a causal hooked up with in her first few weeks of begin in New Orleans, as she fought of men who were obviously trying to kill her.

From the darkness, Hayley's bright yellow glowing eyes peered out, reflecting the dim light in a haunting display of power. She growled something feral and animalistic as she finished letting into one of the men attacking her. She bore her teeth at Cordelia.

"Hayley watch out!" Yelled Cordelia in warning as her demigod instincts begun to take over as she moved to help fend off the few remaining men. The redheaded demigod reached for one of her sliver hair clips and hurled it in the direction of the man that was trying to get the jump,on Hayley. As the clip flew through the air, it shifted forms and suddenly took the form of a sliver dagger. It the man square in the neck. Dark red blood began to gush out of the deep wound that the knife made in his neck. The man made a strangled sound as he merely stumbled backwards and away from Hayley in panic. The man uselessly reached for the wound as if it would stop the inevitable. The daughter of Oceanus quickly pulled out her other hair clip and threw it at the man.

As the man feel dead to the ground, Cordelia raised her hands to the side of her face, which caused her knives to reappear in her hands. Her shiny silver knives were covered in thick and dark human blood, but Cordelia tried to not let it phase her all too much. If Hera wanted her here, than it was her fate was to help kill these human men, whom she naturally assumed had to be bad people.

"Behind you!" Growled Hayley in warning as she lunged at different man that was silently trying to approach the shewolf. Cordelia whirled around to see a man trying to get the jump on her as well. The redheaded demigod flickered her wrists as she commanded the rain water that was all around them. The freash rain water that was on the forest floor quickly moved and came together. It formed a two watery hands that moved to grab the man's ankles. It roughly yanked him down to the ground. The man's body body slammed to the ground as he was overpowered. The water than moved to form shackled around his hands and feet to keep him in place as Cordelia moved to bury her two sliver daggers deep within his chest. Cordelia pierced his body with ferocious ferocity and power. Blood splattered onto her hands and face as she roughly yanked her daggers out before thrusting back into his chest just for good measure. Cordelia's blue eyes shifted like kaleidoscope of varying colors of the seven seas as she studied the blood the covered her pale skin. Her intense gaze seemed to reflect the same moods as the ever-changing moods of the sea.

She glanced behind herself to see a different man trying to approach her. The redheaded demigod quickly threw one of her daggers at a different man. She moved back to her feet as she moved into the thick of it. She stabbed a different guy in the neck before roughly yanking her dagger out of his throat and kicking his feet out from underneath him. Cordelia quickly moved to brutally grab a fist full of his hair as she held his head up before moved to properly slitting his throat open. Blood spatter onto her shoes and her hand as she slit him open like a fish. Cordelia merely pushed his body away from her own body as she summoned both her daggers back to her hands.

Cordelia glanced behind her to see Hayley had taken care of what Cordelia thought was the last guy. Hayley panted heavily as she stood up from where she had been crouching. Her eyes were still glowing a powerful yellow. She still had feral look on her, but her feature's softened as she met Cordelia's graze.

"Shit!" Yelped Cordelia as she noticed a man behind Hayley as the shewolf went to move towards the redheaded demigod. But, before Cordelia could do anything, a pair of hand's appeared on the man's neck before his neck was suddenly snapped.

"Have to say, I'm impressed." Noted the blonde female as she pushed the man's dead body to the ground with ease. She frowned a little as she noticed the redheaded demigod. She went to move towards Cordelia, but Hayley growled sharply and lowly at the blonde. Hayley moved to stand protectively in front of Cordelia, which seemingly confused and surprised both the blonde girl and Cordelia.

"How'd you find me?" Hayley questioned the girl calmly, which gave Cordelia the distinct notion that she at least knew and seemed friendly enough with the girl. "Oh, Cordelia, this is Rebekah. She's Klaus's sister." Hayley explained briefly as she look backs at the redhead that she was standing in front of. The daughter of Oceanus nodded in a silent and rather awkward acknowledgement. She supposed their was no proper way to greet the sister of the guy who you had a small handful of causal hook ups with.

Cordelia carefully spun her daggers in both of her hands so that they'd transform back to their little harmless hair clip forms. Despite changing their forms, they still were covered in blood; she supposed godly forging could only do so much magic. Grimacing, she tucked the sliver sea shell shaped hair clips into the back pockets of her long white pleated skirt.

"You're text got me half way, than vamp hearing got me the rest of the way." Rebekah explained causally. The blonde gave Cordelia a little suspicious and mean side eye before glancing back at the bodies at the ground. "Who are these guys."

"Witches. Warlocks. Whatever." Explained Hayley with a displeased look. Before they could get a chance to talk more, Cordelia peered over their shoulders as she noticed more men with flashlights in the distance heading toward them at a fast past.

"There're more of them!" She yelped.

"Run!" The blonde yelled urgently. The brunette shewolf reluctantly heeded the blonde vampire's warning. The brunette's girl grabbed Cordelia's hand and pulled her with her as she ran away from the approaching men. Hayley paused for a mere fleeting second as she heard a cry of surprise from Rebekah. Her head quickly turning back in the blonde vampire's direction just to see her get hit by a second arrow.

Hayley's beautiful emerald green eyes were filled with dread and worry as she watched the blonde fall to the ground. Her eyes quickly dart around restlessly, unable to settle on any one focal point as her mind races with troubling possibilities. Her expression was haunted; it was haunted by the specter of what might be, consumed by the uncertainty of an painful and uncertain future that lay before them now. Hayley gripped Cordelia's hand tighter as the shewolf turned to start running deeper into the forest again.

"Hayley, please, let go of my hand! I can do something to help! Really! I can! Please! You just let me go of me, so that I can help us." Pleaded Cordelia as she looked at the brunette with worry, but the shewolf just growled in a feral manner.

"No," she said sharply as she started to tug them away. Hayley's eyes were glowing yellow again as breathing became heavy. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she struggle to regulate her breathing in the face of mounting panic. "I won't have my mate getting hurt. I won't let them hurt you or the baby." She growled protectively. Cordelia blinked owlishly as she tried to absorb the information that was just presented to her, but she couldn't. Her demigod hardwired brain was too focus on keeping her and Hayley alive. It was too focused on the threats that was charging behind them.

Suddenly, Hayley let out a loud pained cry. Cordelia's eyes went wide with fear and surprise as an arrow hit the brunette. Hayley stumbled forward and let go of the daughter of Oceanus's hand in the process. Hayley turned towards Cordelia as she let out a small pained whimper. The red-haired girl whimpered as the phantom pain of the arrow began to spread through her veins and settle in her bones. Hayley's body jerked unnaturally as a second arrow hit her in the chest. Hayley's eyes slammed close out of pain as she plummeted to the soft earthly ground.

Cordelia, in all her pain and torrent of emotions, never felt more connected to the water that was all around her. She never felt more connected to the sun. She never felt more connected to her mother's and her own demigod heritage. Cordelia never truly felt more in tune to her demigod instincts.

She never felt more powerful than now.

She knew, somehow, that her powers were reacting to the strong emotions.

Much like an ocean storm gathers strength in the distance, her anger begins as a whisper, a slight disturbance in the air that grows steadily stronger with each passing moment. Like faint distant thunder rolling ominously across the horizon, Cordelia's anger echoes through her thoughts, a low rumble of discontent that reverberates through her being. With each wave of anger that crashes against the shores of her consciousness, she feels a surge of frustration and helplessness, the relentless assault wearing away at her resolve.

Tears of frustration stream down her cheeks like torrential rain, each drop a silent testament to the storm raging within her, washing away the facade of calm and composure she tries so hard to maintain. Cordelia's anger rises and falls in violent swells that are not too dissimilar to swells of the violent ocean. They both are unpredictable and uncontrollable. But, her swells of heavy emotions threatening to overwhelm her fragile sense of self and drag her under into the unrecoverable depths of total despair.

It all became too much for the daughter of Oceanus. She let out a loud horrifying scream as she pushed the water away from herself. Her emotions and powers acting like the waves of an ocean storm crashing wildly and dangerously against the shoreline. Large overpowering waves that crashed against the large rocky shoreline, leaving behind scars and wreckage in its wake as proof of the storm. It was just like how the ocean haphazardly throws it's raw and untamed chaos and danger about without care.

Cordelia panted heavy as her eyes glowed a vibrant sea green and her hands manipulated the water that was all around them. She screamed miserably again and let out all her powers be unleashed. She let it take whatever form it needed to. Cordelia's powers moved on instincts alone. Cordelia's vision began to blur as the pain and exhaustion became too much for her mortal body to be able to handle all at once. She let out a final scream and final wave of power before crumpling to the ground. She felt the mist move to cover her body in a sort of protective sheen; it was like the gods were protecting her from the harm that would seek to break her till there was nothing left of her.

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𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝. . . 
𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙾𝙶𝚄𝙴. ▏ it all started with a feather

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"Wow! You abandoned your quest for power to help out your family!" Grumbled Rebekah Mikaelson in a annoyed sarcastic tone as she narrowed her brown eyes sharply at the sight of her brother, Klaus Mikaelson. "Having an off day, brother?" Questioned Rebekah in a bitchy tone. The hybrid just looked at his sister flatly before glancing at the state of the home that they both were currently standing in. The home, which was used as sort of remote hospital location. was in total shambles with multiple medical supplies and dead bodies alike littered the floor. The windows were broken and front door left wide open.

"Who took them, Rebekah?" Questioned Klaus calmly.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Questioned Klaus as his anger and frustration began to build at a monumental spreed. "And who killed their attackers?"

"I don't know! I had an arrow in my heart. If it wasn't Hayley who killed them, then–" the blonde vampire begins to explain, but is cut off by wolves howling in the distance. Klaus looks back at his sister and raises his eyebrows.

"Lovely. Maybe her cousins will know where she is." States Rebekah sarcastically, which got her a warning glare from Klaus. The vampire werewolf hybrid followed his sister outside of the home. As they exit the building, they see both could see Hayley and Cordelia stumbling toward them. Hayley's clothes looked tattered and dirty, while Cordelia had colorful makeup streaming down her face and clothes absolutely soaked to the bone in rain water. Hayley looks dazed and exhausted, while Cordelia looked purely sleepy and almost like she was merely sleeping walking. The two Mikaelsons ran towards them.

"Hayley! Cordelia? What happened? Tell me what happened."

"I can't remember." Hayley said groggily.

"Too tired to explain things." Grumbled Cordelia with frown. The redheaded demigod limbs tremble uncontrollably. Her muscles tense and quiver with nervous and tired energy. Despite being physically present, her gaze seemed distant and unfocused, lost in the depths of her own thoughts. "Need sleep. Sleep would help my brain. My adhd is making it so hard to focus or recall anything." Babbled Cordelia as she covered her face with her hands.

"Cordelia," Klaus starts, but the redhead is already making a displeased face and shoving him away from herself. Her nose was scrunched up in minor annoyance.

"I'm fine. It's not my first rodeo. I have fought things that are way worse than a couple of stupid warlocks, witches and dudes with crossbows." The redheaded girl grumbled quietly as she tried to merely wave off Klaus's looks of concern and worry. Klaus and Rebekah share a quick silent thoughtful look at that. Something about that didn't bode well with them. It left more questions than answers about the strange redhead. It also left Klaus feeling immensely worried for the girl. "I'm totally fine. It's honestly Hayley you should really look over. I wasn't able to look her over yet. I don't think I have the energy to do anything if she is injured." Admitted Cordelia with small yawn.

Klaus just nods in agreement and anxiously moves to examine the shewolf for any open wounds. Klaus blinked in surprise as he stared at Hayley.

"You've completely healed. There's not a scratch on you."

"One of the perks of being a werewolf, remember?"

"No, not that fast." Klaus retorts. Rebekah moves towards the brunette and wraps an arm around her protectively.

"Leave her alone!" Grumbled Rebekah annoyedly as she half heartedly glared her brother brown. "It's the baby. The vampire blood-- Klaus's vampire blood-- in your system. It can heal any wound." The blonde vampire explained to the shewolf. Klaus turns and stares at his sister incredulously. "Your own child healed you." Rebekah finished.

Klaus smiles at the thought as Rebekah turns the subject back to Hayley and Cordelia. "How did you escape? You were outnumbered, unarmed? Those men were ripped to shreds and just looked like they were hit with some kind of powerful force!"

"It's a very long story." Stated Cordelia as she dragged her hand down her face. She grimaced as she felt the grim and dried blood on her skin. "I need a hot shower." Cordelia complained as she further examined the dried blood that was on her skin and also now cover her once very colorful shirt. "And new set of clothes. Man! I really liked this shirt too and now it's ruined!" Whined the redhead.

Hayley reached out and grab her hand to try and confront the girl. Cordelia instinctively moved closer to the brunette shewolf as she pouted a little. Hayley rested her head on the redhead's shoulder. Hayley let out a silent content sigh as she held the girl's hand again and rested her other free hand on her stomach as she watched Klaus pace about. His features were riddled with anger and frustration. Cordelia couldn't help but wonder why Hayley seemed so reactive with her upset emotions, but unfazed by Klaus's anger and worried filled emotions. She supposed the shewolf must felt similar emotions or was too out of it to really focus on multiple things.

Honestly, Cordelia had no clue what to think about the whole situation she found herself now in. She went from simply following a goddess into a forest to fighting bad guys to the death to now apparently dealing with supernatural drama. Her day was simply weird to say the least.

"The witches were supposed to protect you and the baby!" Klaus starts to rant angrily as he points to Hayley. "And than they bring Cory into this mess! And hurt her! When I get my hands on Sophie Deveraux-"

"It wasn't Sophie. It was Agnes." Hayley corrects Klaus.

"Fine! Agnes, Sophie, it's all the same to me! I'll slaughter the lot of them!"

"These witches just better hope my brother doesn't get ahold of what happened. He'd be a total menace to deal with, especially if drags Chase or Grace or Di Angelo into the mix." The redhead mumbled under her breath as shook her head at the thought. The daughter of Oceanus didn't want to think about how feral the son of Poseidon would be if he knew someone tried to actively kill her, much less Hayley who was apparently very pregnant.

Cordelia didn't even dare think about what her adopted sister would be like if she knew. Cordelia knew that Rachel would go to the extremes if she heard what happened; although, Cordelia briefly though that maybe the oracle already did know it was going to happen as Rachel had been the one to suggest to her to get fresh air.

"Not if Elijah gets there first." Rebekah retorts causally.

"Elijah? Did you find him?" Hayley questioned.

"Who the hell Elijah?"

"Our brother." Klaus elaborated.

"He's been in touch, and he has a plan. All he asks is that we take care of you." Rebekah explains.

"Hey, so... can we go home now? I'd really like to sleep for a few days..." Hayley questions as she looks at them. Klaus nods with a smile. When Hayley goes to walk, her knees buckle as she stumbles forward, and starts to fall, but before anyone can react Klaus just zooms over to catch her before she hits the ground and scoops her up into a bridal-carry in his arms.

"Ooh, I've got you, love. I've got you."