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CALLIDORA'S POINT OF VIEW

Magic thrummed through my veins as I saw him for the first time. Standing up tall, face far away from my own, there he was. My mate, the mate I longed for.

Brown hair and red eyes, he met my gaze with newfound passion. One of my hands found itself on his pale cheek, reveling in his skin's rigid nature. Sparks flew across my skin as he placed a large hand on my much smaller one. He touched me with such care, care I had only felt in-between silken bedsheets and loving parents. This was different, much different. Butterflies were fluttering around in my gut as he sighed.

A single ring on his finger. Not gold, not ornate like that of a wedding band. Single. He had noticed me, that was for certain. Was I good enough for a man like him? I was a goddess, but from what I had learned that would not get me in everyone's good graces.

Blood colored eyes, not so different from Jane and Alec. Vampire, my mate is a vampire. Vampires are inclined to mates, according to auntie Selene.

"Dear," he spoke in my native tongue, "I have waited so long for you."

I didn't know what to say. My cheeks blushed a light gold at his words, my heart fluttering in my chest. If this is love, love is awkward as Tartarus.

He moved his hand down, fingers brushing against my lips. A small noise came from within my chest, similar to that of a cat's purr. Blushing furiously, I took my hand away from his face, realizing just how embarrassed I was. My mate chuckled, taking my hands in his. He felt chilled. Not like ice, but much colder than I was used to. Mommy and Daddy always wanted me to be bundled up tight, warm as can be.

Washed up in my own mating bond snapping into place, I hadn't come to think of Jane and Alec, who were standing right behind me. Turning my head around, I saw that they had moved a few paces back, looking terrified.

"Master, we invited the goddess over-" my mate cut him off.

"You allowed her to be hurt? She is bleeding, you foolish child!" The anger in his voice, dangerous and authoritarian, shot through the room. "A goddess! No goddess should be bleeding in the middle of the damn corridor, Aleczander!"

The use of his full first name made the vampire shrink back, moving closer and closer to the wall.

"She said she was fine, Master-"

"No, Joanne," another use of a given name, "She is not fine. Nothing about her bleeding is fine."

"Please," I tried to placate my mate. In Greek, of course, I was barely fluent in English and my Italian needed work, "Don't be upset with her, it was my fault for not taking care of the wound. I should have fixed myself before coming into your castle. Jane and Alec have done their best."

"Blood," my mate mumbled in Greek, which seemed to be what we spoke to each other. His accent, once Italian, now made him sound just like any member of my family. Just as ancient sounding with how he spoke. "All of this blood..."

"I'm alright," I promised, holding his hand. I needed to distract him from his anger. Jane and Alec did not deserve to be at the receiving end of his fury right now. "I'm alright."

"What happened?" he asked, running a hand through my hair. "Who hurt you, my dear? I'll kill whoever dared lay a hand on-"

"They're already dead," I informed him. My mate was still displeased, wrapping his arms around me protectively. "Dead and burning in the church Jane and Alec helped me set on fire. The priests are all gone, so you will need to get some more if your people plan on going to mass."

My mate hummed and kissed the top of my head, making me blush again. My cheeks glowed a light yellow even in my mortal form. I found it odd that my blood did not change to being red, but I guess some things cannot be changed with magic. Stop making me blush. It's embarrassing. I just met you, I shouldn't be blushing like this!

A man with midnight hair and similar red eyes came into my view. His dishevelled hair stuck out at places. Those red eyes pinned down my mate, almost a silent scream in and of itself.

"Marcus you absolute idiot!" this man shouted in Italian, taking a few steps towards my mate and I. Marcus, that was my mate's name. Once he saw me, he took a bow, glaring at anyone in the room who did not do the same. "Your grace, I firmly apologize for my brother's actions. I beg you, do not kill him for this moment of great stupidity."

"I..." Trailing off a bit, I had to figure out how I would respond to that. This man had called my mate stupid, but it seemed like they were both on good terms. "I would never think of hurting my mate, vampire."

The room fell silent, nobody daring to say a word. Marcus, who had stayed by my side, held my hand firmly in his own.

"Do your jobs," was all Marcus muttered before he led me away from the chaos.

---

Purple and gold lined the walls of what seemed to be my mate's room. He had slipped me inside moments prior, not allowing any of his guards an explanation for my being there. Some chatter could be heard outside of the door, but I didn't pick up much of what they were saying, most of their conversations being in languages I did not understand.

My heart still pounded in my chest as my mate cleaned up my wound. It was healing nicely and didn't look like it would scar my porcelain skin. A towel in his hand, he lapped up the remaining blood, making sure the wound would heal properly.

"Are you alright?" He asks me, throwing the towel off to some unknown area of his room.

"I'm fine." He did not seem very convinced, looking at me with questioning eyes. I decided that changing the subject would be better than attempting to ease his anxieties about my physical health, "My name is Callidora."

"Marcus." I nodded, humming to myself as I checked out the rest of the room. Ancient, like the rest of the castle, and filled with small trinkets that looked like they hadn't been touched in centuries. "What happened? At the church?"

"I went in to kill some priests that D- my father told me to kill. One of them shot at me. Bounced right off, of course, but it did leave me slightly wounded." My mate winced, not wishing to hear about my injury. "It really wasn't that terrible, Marcus. Just a simple scratch that will heal shortly."

"That shouldn't have happened," Marcus insisted. "I should have been there to stop it. You are my mate, it is my duty to keep you safe. You shall never be shot at again, I swear to it. With me, you are safe, no matter what. I will do anything to keep you safe. Stay with me, my mate."

His little vow to me was... touching to say the least. Many vows had been made to me during the past few weeks, mostly from Hebe and Daddy (Mommy never made a vow before she knew she could keep it. It was a trait I admired), but his oath held its own air of certainty that even the Fates couldn't replicate. He held his own, but he was almost bowing down to me. This wasn't right, he's my mate, different from the other vampires. I didn't need an oath, but I guess it was nice to have one. It's the thought that counts.

Simply nodding, I looked away from his guilt-torn face. I remembered all of the people who were waiting for me to come back. Olympus, my home... He's a vampire who lives in Italy, not a god who I can take back home to meet my parents and family. He's probably worshipped them for centuries. Now, he's mated to one of us.

How confusing that must be.

"How am I going to tell them?" I mutter, letting out a sad laugh. "They're expecting me back in a month. I can't leave."

Marcus didn't say anything, simply sitting down on the bed. I sighed, knowing that this would be a tough call. This was my mate and I needed to be with him. Going back home would put everything that I ever wanted in danger. Ever since I had learned about mates I had longed for one of my own. Now that he was here, I realized that it would be difficult.

He's a vampire and I'm a goddess. We come from two different worlds. He's been here his whole immortal life and this is the first time I've been out of Olympus.

Things wouldn't be easy, but it had to work. I would make it work.

"You don't have to figure it all out right now," Marcus pointed out. "There is always time to explore and find out what you want to do. We know the gods, as they have come down before quite a few times to sort out things with us. I've met your parents, although I do not know whether or not they had a good impression of me from our few meetings."

"Mother will not be happy with me. She's quite overprotective." Marcus nodded and ran a hand down my back. Every little thing that he did sent my body alight, making my cheeks flare up with unmanageable blush. The light inside of this room made my flushed face noticeable, hitting an embarrassing angle.

"I have seen that, but I suspect that her own daughter's happiness will come before that protectiveness. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe, to have you be happy. My bond with you comes before any of my duties." I blinked a few times, not understanding what he meant. "You've found yourself an odd mate, my dear Callidora. My role in society is unlike any other."

"What do you do?" I ask.

"I'm one of the three kings of the vampire world." I should have known. Damn me and my awful memory when it comes to names. Marcus, one of the kings of the Volturi. "That makes you a queen, my dear mate. One of three, I hate to say, although I believe you will get on well with Sulpicia and Athenodora. They do not have much to do other than play around in the East Towers."

"They stay in towers?" It seemed preposterous, having queens in towers. Something out of a grimm fairytale with an unusual happy ending. "What sort of a queen would allow her husband to keep her locked up in a tower. I'll have you know that I am an outdoor child and will never be locked into a cage. It would be the death of me."

"Child?" he sounded worried.

"Well, I've only been alive for a month, but in that month I have learned a lot and have aged about six years. I was born four months early," now he looked terrified, "It's alright. I'm physically and mentally capable of making decisions for myself. Besides, I should be aging a bit more tomorrow. I'm still your-"

"That is not what I was worried about, dear," he said quickly before composing himself. "Four months? Nobody has ever been born that early and survived. Not even humans can pull off that sort of thing, and some have been known to have made it through treacherous birthings."

"Mother said that it was terrible, but then again most of her births have been. According to Eileithyia, she's had some trouble before, but all of my siblings are relatively normal. All came out at the right time, at least." My mate nodded before standing up.

"You must be hungry, dear. We have someone here who knows how to make Ambrosia. Immortal half-bloods are useful sometimes," I laughed, standing up as well. "Life inside of the castle is relatively normal, but there are some trials that are supposed to happen tonight. If you are to come with me to see the trial you must stay with me at all times. The criminals we deal with are volatile and could harm you if not for their king standing in the way."

"Are you always going to keep me with you?" he nodded. I chuckled, sneaking up behind him to wrap my arms around his waist. "That sounds nice."

"It does, doesn't it? Little queen."

---

For whatever reason, Marcus insisted on me sitting on his lap during this trial. His reasoning was that there would be no other safe place for me to stay, but I think he just wanted me to sit on him. That was up to interpretation, I guess.

I wasn't going to lie, his lap was comfortable. More than comfortable, it was just perfect. I guess it was true that mates were perfect for you in every way, because his lap was amazing for my butt.

The first man who came in looked very angry at everyone he came into contact with. He took one sniff of the air and instantly calmed himself. That's right, don't be rude.

"Ah, yes, Otis," Aro crooned, looking down at the man being carried in by Jane and Alec, who were smiling away. "Lovely time to be feeding inside of our walls."

"I didn't know that you still had the North side," he tried to defend himself, "Everyone said you were leaving that area open."

"How stupid do you have to be to think that I would leave an area open?" Aro questioned, looking down at the man. "I mean, come on, is that the best excuse you have today? I would have thought that you could come up with something elaborate, knowing your enhanced trait of deceit."

This man, who was about five foot eight with auburn hair, had almost zero sense in the world when it came to addressing people. Not only had he barely acknowledged my existence (I knew he knew what I was by that look in my eye), but he rolled his eyes when he looked my way. That was an offense. Imagine rolling your eyes at a goddess.

Getting up from my seat, I watch Marcus tense up, almost grabbing me to bring me back down to him. I gave him a smile and walked right up to the criminal. I didn't have a care in the world as I waited for him to address me. He would be here for a long time if he didn't, because he wouldn't be leaving or dying until I made sure he showed some respect.

We stayed there, with me staring him down for a while. It took him ten minutes to address me. "Who the hell are you?" Bad move.

It was Marcus who spoke up, his soul brothers (who I had earlier learned are named Aro and Caius) staying quiet for the time being, "Your queen, so show some respect."

"Queen," he almost spit the word as he met my gaze again, "I thought you kept those protected. I guess you don't care about this one."

Before Marcus could say anything his head was on the floor. I didn't need to waste my time with this idiot. Rolling close to the front, his terrified expression stained the marble floors. "Jane, Alec, clean that up for everyone, would you? I'll send a message to my uncle. This guy has a serious attitude problem. I bet sissy Persephone would show him what a queen can do when she's mad."

"Remind me to never mess with her," Caius whispered to Aro, "She could kill all of us too."

I rolled my eyes at his theatrics and came back to sit on my mate, running a few fingers through his slightly curly brown hair. "You look so nice right there. Just stay like that. You're so handsome."

Cousin Aphrodite wouldn't let me leave without flirting skills. Of course, I didn't think I would need to use my tactics this early on in my life, but now was perfect. I mean, he was perfect right there. According to my cousin, one of the best things to give a man was compliments. Apparently, they don't get lots of them so when a pretty girl compliments them it's more likely to get their attention.

"Thank you, dear." I smiled at his flustered expression.

"You're welcome, Marcus," I giggled before flipping my hair, ready to leave the throne room. It was getting boring, that room. "Are you going to show me around or will Jane and Alec do it for you?"

The twins giggled from where they were next to the fireplace. Alec threw Otis' head into the flames, allowing him to be sent down to uncle and sissy.

"I'll show you around." Bingo. "It's still light out, but I know somewhere nice to take you once the sun sets. Hey, wait for me!"

Marcus sped over to me as I left the room, carefully closing the door behind us. I laughed at his confused expression. He really was the cutest little thing I had ever seen. I didn't know if I was doing anything right, but he seemed to be having a good time.

Holding his hand, we walked down the corridor. We were quiet, but I could hear guards whispering questions to each other. I didn't care, they could say whatever they wanted about me. I'm a goddess, why would their opinions matter to me? Nature, Aphrodite really is rubbing off on me...

"Callidora," I turned to face my mate, who had stopped me in front of the door to the outside, "We can't go outside right now. It's still light out, remember?"

"Vampires," I mutter. Marcus laughed and nodded, directing me away from the door. "Where can we go? I want to see things and I'm not an indoor person. I mean, what are mates even supposed to do? I didn't think this far."

"There are many things to do, my dear," I gave him a questioning look before looking out one of the windows. I really did like to be outside. The inside didn't like me. Okay, I did like to be inside. I could stand indoors when I got to be in my warm and comfy bed. "I spend most of my days in our library."

"Books?" I almost sigh out the question. "I like books but I like grass more."

"I promise we can go out once the sun goes down." I rolled my eyes but nodded. "What indoor activities do you like?"

"To be honest, I don't know. Hebe and Artemis always run around with me. Most of my day is spent either studying with Selene or playing around with my older siblings. Not anything that vampires can do," Marcus raises an eyebrow. "I like to fly."

"You can fly?" He sounded shocked.

"It's really fun! I learned how to last week. They think I got it from Daddy," I blushed as I used the name that I used for my father. "I know how to fly around the house. Things are different in Olympus, so I don't know what to do here."

"Never knew goddesses could fly," he muttered, opening up a set of old doors. "Until the sun sets, we can read. This library is over two thousand years old, so please don't ruin our history books because I wrote those by hand and I don't want to do it again."

---

It wasn't the way I planned to spend my day, but Marcus made sure that I was fully able to be entertained on the inside. The castle had quite a few history books written by Marcus, although I could see a few written by other members of the Volturi. The others were mostly written by Aro, but one in particular stood out.

A book on Werewolves found itself into my needy hands after I finished up the last book on the history between vampires and the gods (one that I knew some things about, but never enough for my liking).

Κτήνη της Σελήνης, or Beasts of the Moon in English, was the title of this huge textbook. Written by Caius Volturi, one of the Volturi's three kings and perhaps the most volatile out of the three according to my mate. Written in ancient greek script, I could fully understand what this was saying without having to translate in my head.

The Children of the Moon are beasts to which the vampire race has feared since the dawn of their creation. Both born of the same mother and different fathers, the cousin species have always loathed each other, oftentimes going out of their way to attack the other. If left to their own devices, a Child of the Moon could destroy entire civilizations, as seen with the fall of the Romans when half of the electorate were Children of the Moon. The vampire Julius Caesar did not hate them, but that did not matter to his fellow Senators.

Oftentimes they roam in mated pairs, but rarely they will form what is known as a Pack. These Packs have a single Alpha. The mate of the Alpha is called the Luna. She is most sacred to Children of the Moon, as are her children with the Alpha, who will lead if or when their father dies.

Children of the Moon have hunted humans since their birth, surviving off of the flesh (but not blood, which they find to be an abhorrent part of their diet) of humanity. They too have singers, preferences, and social traditions similar to that of their cousins. Some find that they are like opposites, with Children of the Moon cowering under the Moon and vampires hiding away from the sun.

It is a myth that Children of the Moon are stronger under the moonlight. In fact, they are far weaker. This myth likely circulated for protection against vampires, their natural rivals, who gain strength during the nighttime hours. Under the moon they are bound to a form that can be easily killed by a vampire. With skin not as durable as that of a vampire's, they have no means of protection against a vampire's strong jaw or strength.

You can kill a Child of the Moon by means of Monkshood extract on a silver blade. The Volturi have a ready supply, as do the Romanians and the Egyptians. A vampire should never be without one, as a Child of the Moon could attack at any time. Monkshood lowers their heart rate so immensely that it causes total organ failure.

During nighttime hours Children of the Moon shift into semi-wolf creatures with little understanding of who or what they are. This is when they will hunt and feed off of humans, often in droves due to their lessened mental capacities. Their eyes may turn a different color, often glowing. Their claws are laced with toxins that will either turn or kill a human. Unlike vampire venom, a Child of the Moon's venom is not guaranteed to turn its victim, with the vast majority dying before finishing their transformation.

This true form of theirs is weak. Even with abnormal strength, they are usually defenseless against a worthy vampire. This is why most Children of the Moon are brought into rare Packs where they hunt and kill together.

Even if they eat flesh, they cannot consume the flesh of a vampire. If a vampire is injected with their toxins, they must consume blood laced with monkshood within a week or face death. No vampire has been recorded to have survived past a week of poisoning, with the longest recorded time being the seventh hour of the sixth day after injection. This vampire was over a thousand years old and is rumored to have been named Enro.

Children of the Moon are dangerous to all vampires and should be avoided at all costs As they will kill without mercy.

Putting the book down, I take in the information I had been given. Children of the Moon sound awful. I believe that auntie Selene told me about them once. Their souls belong to her. To be honest, she didn't sound like she liked them either.

"Ah, yes, the history of Werewolves," Marcus tutted, looking over my shoulder. "My brother sure does have nice handwriting. You've barely read any of the English ones, my dear. I am afraid that most of our recent history has been written in the foul language."

"I have a hard time reading English," I admit. "I don't like it at all. Too many weird rules and words that mean different things based on the context. I much prefer Greek."

"At least many of the roots are based in Greek," he pointed out before putting down the book he had been reading. "Look at the sky, my dear, it is finally dark out. You won't need to worry about any Children of the Moon, as Caius killed most of them off in a fit of anger many moons ago."

"What could they have possibly done to make him want to kill an entire species?"

Marcus sighed before telling me the story, "When Caius was turned, he woke up terrified. There were a group of wolves around and they cornered him. With his strength, he was able to get away. That was where his hatred stemmed from. Then, about two thousand years back, he was almost killed by a pack of Alphas. They are the rarest and I'm surprised that he even survived. I had known him for so long that I decided that we had to do something. Aro and Caius agreed, so we hunted them to near extinction. It's for the best. They are a risk to our way of life in the shadows."

"Do you still find them?" Marcus nodded.

"Oftentimes we find a roaming pair. It doesn't happen very often, perhaps once every century or two, but it happens." It was my turn to nod. Placing the book somewhere that one of the many mortal librarians could find it, I got out of my seat. "If you wish to see the gardens, I can take you there. I suspect that most of the guards will be on patrol at this hour."

"That would be nice."

---