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Callidora's POV

Our conversation had stopped, with neither of us saying anything before we reached the gardens of the Volturi castle. Filled to the brink with dazzling yellows and oranges, these gardens were not like the ones back in Olympus. These flowers would live, and then they would die. No magic would be keeping them in full bloom. Some are already dying, curling up sadly on the ground in a heap of mortality.

Lacking any magic, I suspected that humans or vampires tended to these plants, keeping them alive with their own hands. It didn't cross my mind that people would put so much effort into things without magic. Hell, vampires and humans had no ability to possess magic (although gifts are similar, however highly limited).

Where had my mate taken me? Well, currently I stood in front of a set of frosted doors, ready to open them myself. However, ready as I was, Marcus opened them up for me, leading me into a large greenhouse. It was not on the outside, per se, but it had the same feeling. I loved being connected to nature, something that my brothers and sisters loved.

"My dear, I present to you my favorite tree." I turned to the middle of the room. Standing smack in the darn middle of the room was an ancient purple Wisteria tree. My favorite... his favorite... "You look a little shocked, dear Callidora."

"They're my favorite type." Marcus let out an awkward laugh. "No, seriously, we have one back in Olympus that auntie Demeter tends to."

"Well, here it is," he waved his hands over to the tree. "Aro thinks it's royal, Caius thinks it's prissy."

"What's so prissy about a Wisteria tree?" I question, heading over to the beautiful tree.

"Caius thinks that the color purple is prissy. He has some odd opinions, my brother. Athenodora finds a way to slap it into him that the color is nice when she can, although most of her days are spent in the East Towers." I nod, curling up under the flowers that hung near my face. "They're very attractive in a setting like this."

"If he thinks that Wisteria is prissy, what flowers does he like?" Marcus hums, sitting down next to me. "He has to have a favorite flower."

"He's expressed little care for nature, but I believe he enjoys the Azaleas we grow. His mate insists on having them inside of their chambers at all times and I doubt he would hate a flower Athenodora adores." So he does like flowers. One type, at least. Perhaps that man has more of a heart than he leads on. Always looking so angry.

"If he likes flowers, he is redeemable," I say with confidence, bringing a fallen flower back to life. "What would life be without their beauty?"

"Simply a bit duller, my dear." I smile, connecting the flower back onto a stem so it could flourish again.

"What does Aro like when it comes to the gardens? He seems much more open to the idea of their beauty. I doubt he would run their name into the mud like his brother does."

Marcus let out a deep chuckle. "You'll find that Aro likes buttercups. He's a bit childish."

"Ah, but so am I," I said as my hand graced against the large tree trunk. "Does it ever get boring around here? Do trials last all day or will I get you to myself most of the day. I'm not good with sharing, something I get from my mother."

"You will get your fair share of time with me, my dear Callidora. I have not been known to attend every trial like Aro and Caius. To be honest, I haven't attended most of the trials that have taken place since-" he stopped himself, looking down at the ground, "That doesn't matter, though, just means that you have more time with me."

I took in his rushed words. Was the reason why he did not attend trial a sore subject? Marcus was a king, he clearly had duties to attend to. To not do those... I could never think of a time where my own father, the king of the gods, did not witness a trial. I suspected that the gods had far fewer trials, but we had them nonetheless. Mommy would be highly upset if Daddy didn't do his job.

"Don't force yourself to be around me if it means that you don't do your job as king." My mate frowned, taking a flower in his hands. Was this not obvious to anyone but me? "You have a title and need to do the things that go along with it. You are a king-"

"That doesn't matter to me." It was ridiculous. Who didn't care about being king? Kings had duties. He had duties to both his brothers and the rest of the vampire world. Aro, Caius, and the guard couldn't do everything themselves.

"Well if it doesn't matter to you then it will have to matter to me. You are a king and I am a goddess, we both have duties to attend to that are outside of our control. No more skipping trials, especially not to see me."

I wouldn't have any more of it. My mind was already made up on the matter. I didn't have the heart to make things harder for the vampire world, even if he was my mate. I wanted him, but not like this. I couldn't have him like this.

My mate seemed less than pleased. In fact, he looked a bit upset that I would ask him to simply do his job.

"I want to make time for you. Yeah, before it was because I didn't want to do it, but now I have a reason to! How is that a bad thing, Callidora? You should be happy that I want to spend more time with you, my mate." It really was ridiculous. I had just- UGH!

"This is for-" I couldn't take any more of it. I wasn't going to repeat myself over and over again for some guy, mate or not. If he wasn't going to listen to me, I wasn't going to talk to him anymore.

Standing up, I started to leave, getting away from Marcus. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere," my voice snapped with annoyance, "It doesn't matter, isn't that what you said?"

"Callidora you know I didn't mean it like that," he said, catching up to me, "Dear-"

"Don't you dare," I seethed, leaving the greenhouse. "You sound like my father."

"I do not sound like your father!" Marcus exclaimed, slamming the door behind him. "You don't have a clue how long I've waited for you! I've looked all over the world for my mate and now you're here. Don't you think we should spend any time together? Don't you want me?"

Trying to guilt me into not seeing the problem at hand, wow. Woe is him.

"Brushing off the problem isn't going to help!"

"I just want to be with you!"

"WELL THEN STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT FOR A SECOND AND GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ARSE!" I screamed, flicking his hand off of my shoulder when he tried to touch me. My head was wrapping around itself from pure anger running through my veins. What kind of man disrupts so much of his life for a woman? I didn't want that! I wanted attention, but not if it meant that the rest of his coven had to do more work to make sure that he could be with me. That wasn't right.

Not able to be near him, I left. Once I found myself inside of his room, I locked him out.

He didn't need to sleep, but I did.

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Sleep was not something that I got last night. My eyes were still stained with tears. I don't think I've ever cried so hard in my life. Even my after-birth headache couldn't compare to the sinking feeling in my chest. Nobody had tried to come after me when I went hurtling down the corridor into Marcus' room. By nature, some of them may have heard the fight. If they spoke Greek, they would have understood it.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I had yelled at my mate. I couldn't even manage a mate for a single day. How was I going to be with someone if I didn't know how to? Do people just walk blindly into relationships? We're mates.

Why does life have to be so complicated? Why are men so complicated? Am I the complicated one? I bet he thinks I'm the complicated one. By nature, I'm probably the complicated one of this bond. Why did I have to yell? That isn't very nice. I hate that. Damnit I hate myself right now.

I'm an idiot.

"Why do I do this to myself, clock?" I asked the object, knowing it couldn't respond. "Do you think I'm a piece of shit? I sure do. I'm a piece of shit."

The clock didn't answer. Go figures.

"I should call her," I said, annoyed that I would have to go to that extreme, "I have no clue what the hell I'm going to do. I'm such a shitty mate. Who gets mad because someone wants to spend time with you? This is stupid. Why am I not calling her right now? I'm wallowing in my own sorrows. Woe is me."

My sorrows over my mate were reasonable, but I suspected that once again I had found out yet another thing from my parents that showed up in my life. There was no doubt that Mommy and Daddy are difficult, stubborn, and oftentimes too prideful for their own good. All of us, the gods and goddesses (obviously), were this way. Even cousin Aphrodite had her own sense of pride, although hers was centered around her own physical beauty. She's vain, but she must be the best wingwoman the world has ever seen.

"Well, I really should be calling her now. Ugh! I hate this. I hate everything!" I screamed into my pillow once again, feeling the wet pillow hit my face. Who would imagine it? A goddess crying because she did something so terribly wrong and now needs to call someone else for help? No, never heard of her.

Throwing myself into my blankets, I reach for the charm bracelet Daddy had given me right before I left for Volterra. Looking for the little heart charm that was Aphrodite's symbol, I found it right next to brother Hermes and sister Hebe. Rubbing it hard enough that she would get the message, it was time to wait.

It was a longshot, my Aphrodite coming to my aide. If I was lucky enough, brother Hermes would come here instead to give me the message that she's busy. She's always a bit busy, isn't she? By nature, I just want someone here to hold my hand. I want Marcus. I want him so badly.

Oddly enough, my cousin appeared in the room within a minute, looking around the room frantically. Once she saw me, she sighed.

"What are you doing in here?" My cousin asked, looking me up and down. "Why have you been crying, Callidora? Who do I need to kill? Who dared make my little pretty thing go through emotional turmoil-?"

"Nobody made me cry, Aphrodite," my voice was low and harsh from. "Okay, that's a lie. I made me cry. You can kill me now and spare me from my pitiful existence."

General goddess dramatics aside, I needed help and she was the best one to help me with this. One of my favorite goddesses and definitely my favorite cousin. Aphrodite always had my back. Most of the time I didn't really need anyone to have my back since I didn't think that any of my siblings or distant relatives had a problem with me yet, but I knew that if something really bad happened she would be here for me.

My cousin sighed once more and gave me a big hug. I whined and tried to push her away. Aphrodite mocked my whine and pulls me close, wrapping her arms around me and the blankets that kept me safe and warm/

"You're so dramatic, Callidora," she said. "What happened?"

"Stupid man, stupid me," I mumbled.

"Who is this stupid man, my little one? You said you would save yourself for your mate," I huffed, knowing what had to be said.

"He is my mate, Affie," I confessed, "and I just ruined it! In a day. No, in like, five hours."

Aphrodite blinked a few times before kissing my cheek. "Baby, you couldn't have ruined it. I'll ask you again, what happened?"

"I was being an idiot and started a fight. It was so stupid. Anyone who heard it would have thought it was stupid. I miss him. His lap was so nice to sit on, Affie. He let me sit in on the trial. I killed one of the vampires! Oh, how did it all go wrong?" My cousin laughed at my dramatic attitude before running a hand through my hair. "I should have been more understanding. Should have been less hard-headed."

"You're an outdoor, kind, head-strong woman, I doubt that you'll ever be able to change, immortals never do. Are you mated to one of the guards? I haven't been here in well over a millenia." I shook my head. "So, who is this special mate of yours, if not a guard?"

"One of the kings..." I trailed off, looking at the clock.

"They have mates-" she cut herself off, "Oh my nature it's the depressed one, isn't it? Your father thinks he's a bore, Callie. He's said to be so quiet and sad, how did you get paired up with him? Hebe says she's never seen him smile. Not once."

I blinked a few times. "I've seen him smile."

Marcus had been smiling the second he saw me. Once I looked up, I got to see his adorably handsome smile. I loved it. Don't get all mushy you hormonal idiot.

"You yelled at the sad one? Your poor sad mate. I'll go grab him so we can fix that," I shriek and pull her back into the bed. "Callidora, I'm the goddess of love, not the goddess of angst. I can't handle this. Listening to this is ridiculous. The dumbest of tragedies. If it were a book I would have to change it. The Fates cannot bring you two together only for you to not fix things."

Maybe I didn't get my dramatics from Daddy.

"Still, he probably hates me now-"

"Don't make me call you stupid, Callidora, but he's your mate. Even if he had reasons to hate you, his soul would crumble if he even thought of loathing his one true love. No matter what happens, he will always be there for you. How long have you been in here? All night? Did you lock him out?" I nodded, knowing the answers to all of her questions were yes. "Darling, he's probably just giving you some space. No hate in that. He must feel bad as well, knowing that you're upset."

"But-"

"No buts, I'm helping you two, whether you like it or not. You will be happily in love for the rest of eternity or you will be in the underworld with your sister and uncle until you accept my help."

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By nature, walking down the hall was awkward, especially since my cousin refused to stop holding my hand. She's family, but it still made me blush.

Some of the guards gasped and whispered to each other when they saw me getting dragged down the hall. A few of them were about to step in but then realized that Aphrodite was in fact a goddess. Her scent is potent enough to be able to identify her from a mile away.

Our little walk, or jog if you accounted for just how fast Aphrodite was walking, took us into the library I had read inside the night before. Inside, my mate was lying down on one of the many couches, staring at the ceiling.

"You!" Aphrodite shouted, making Marcus snap his head towards her, "We are fixing this right now whether you like it or not! Get your butt off that couch-"

"Aphrodite-"

"Off that couch-"

"Aphrodite-"

"I'm trying to help you, woman!" My face was a light yellow from embarrassment, to which my cousin laughed. "You know I'm the goddess of love, darling, have some faith in me. Marcus Volturi, my little goddess' mate, you better know that I've heard some odd things about you and most of it has to do with being a sad old man. Don't be a sad old man and love my cousin."

My mate didn't say anything, his jaw dropping as Aphrodite told it how it was. "I have no clue what happened or what got said, but you two are destined to be together. My cousin is one of the best people in our family, which isn't saying much because most of us suck but that doesn't matter. I am not going to watch you two be sad and have my baby cousin cry over this because she deserves so much better than that. Whatever feelings were hurt better toughen themselves up because I know for a fact that my cousin has a sharp tongue when she needs it."

She took in a deep breath before finishing, "Both of you apologize and make up."

A wave of silence fell through the room. I noticed my cousin getting annoyed, to which she huffed and left the library. We were left there, alone and awkward.

By nature, I had messed up so badly that Marcus didn't even have anything to say. We were standing there for a while, completely quiet. Nature, it was terrible. I hated this silence. Before it was comforting, now it's haunting.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, not looking at me, "I didn't mean to upset you by abandoning my duties."

"No, no, I was absolutely terrible to you-"

"Please, you had a right-"

"I had no right-"

"I shouldn't-"

"I shouldn't-"

We looked at each other, our eyes meeting. "I'm not upset with you at all, Callidora. I was worried that you had run off into m-our room. It... I was worried that you would leave. To have you leave... after everything I don't think I could bear it. I won't say I'm a very good mate, because I'm just not. Damaged goods-"

"Don't you dare call yourself damaged goods," I snapped. "That's awful and completely untrue. You wanted to fit your entire schedule to be able to see me more. That can't possibly be damaged goods. Goddesses don't get paired up with damaged goods."

It may have been my own pride, but I couldn't ever think that an immortal could be paired with something that wasn't near-perfection. Mates are supposed to be perfect for each other, which means that they also are just as good as each other. Marcus was more than worthy, from what I had already seen and experienced. I wished that he could see it for himself.

"I am afraid it's the truth, my dear. I am probably the most damaged goods you'll ever see. I do not deserve someone as good as you." I shook my head, unable to think that about my own mate. I had high standards and he had already met them. "Do you not think that they called me the lazy one for a reason?"

"Lazy? Just because you don't do your job doesn't mean that you're lazy. Not always, at least."

Marcus sighed. "Aro and Caius do the paperwork, the diplomacy, and everything else. They have for the past two thousand years. I just sit around on a throne and follow their lead. It's boring, but I've not been in a good place for a while."

"I haven't been happy in a long time, my dear," he admits, "Not in the slightest. I've spent more time being a depressed vampire than I've been a happy one."

"Did you not want to be a vampire?" He shook his head.

"The man who turned me is unknown, but I never hated the life of a vampire. In fact, I loved it for the first millenia. My brothers, my..." Marcus grimaced. "I should tell you. You deserve to know something like that."

"You can tell me anything, okay? I'm not going to judge you." My mate's frown cut into my heart.

"I was married, before... She was murdered. Children of the Moon. It was when Caius got attacked. She was with him on a mission and sacrificed herself in order to save him," he confessed, looking down at the ground in front of me. "I never got over it, not completely. I don't love her the way I once did, but her loss cut deep. Our entire coven mourned for centuries. Some of our older members still mourn her death. She had begged me to come with her, but I was too busy to think that a Child of the Moon attack was imminent. We were at war with the wolves and the Romanians. It was an attack that we should have suspected, as the wolves would have done anything to hurt us.

"Caius has never been the same. He blames himself. Aro... my wife was his sister. Their wives, their mates, went into the East Towers that night and have only come out on rare occasions after that. Everyone is scared that something like that could happen again. She was not my mate, but she was my wife, and it was my duty to protect her. I failed. For two thousand years I've been inside the castle, moping around and failing everyone. Most of our guards don't remember a time where I smiled, or laughed, or did much of anything. The rest of the vampire world don't know why my brothers keep me around or allow me to retain my titles."

It was a lot to take in. He was old, of course he had been married before. I would be stupid to think that my mate wouldn't have been with others. It didn't make me jealous, I was just worried about how guilty he felt for something that wasn't his fault.

"That isn't your fault-"

"She didn't have any training with wolves. Caius is the best, but I'm a close second. If I had been there, she would be alive. Lord, she didn't last a day after the bite," my mate's voice trembled with upset, "You wouldn't want me-"

"I do want you, Marcus," I cut him off, embracing him, "I just need you to want me."

"I'll always want you, Callidora. No matter what."

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Marcus and I had stayed in that library for some time, simply resting on one of the couches, I was tired, but it was still light out. Then again, I hadn't gotten adequate sleep the night before, meaning that my body still needed a bit more in order to feel normal again.

I was lucky to have someone like Marcus.

Our bodies stayed close together, and while he wasn't very warm (an effect of being a vampire) he had his own ways of comforting me. He ran his fingers through my long white hair, careful and delicate in his touches. His entire being brought me a certain level of comfort, even when I was clearly overtired and anxious for what was to come next.

I myself had to think of what I was going to do about my role in Olympus and now the vampire world. Since Marcus is a king, my being his mate makes me a queen, a title I had only ever associated with my mommy. That title... it would either be my greatest gift or my worst downfall.

Being a queen required a certain level of diplomacy, a skill that I did not know and am not certain I can gain on my own. Yes, I had learned how to deal with humans and vampires since those were the two species I would come into contact with the most on Earth, but the idea that I would be dealing with vampires on a daily basis came back to haunt me. Jane, Alec, and Marcus were the only three vampires I currently felt comfortable being near on a daily basis. Although Aro and Caius seemed to have good intentions, I could not trust them just yet.

The 'witch twins', Jane and Alec Volturi, had shown me respect when they met me for the first time. Perhaps it was the fact that they were the very first vampires I met, but I felt a deeper connection to them. They didn't seem like guards or kings to me, just people.

Another thing that being a queen would require is actually being here in Volterra. I'm a goddess, which means I have other places to be. Then again, those responsibilities that came with my species could change with my new title as queen, but the chances that I could be here 100% of the time are slim.

How would I be getting my food? I doubt that the vampires understand how to make proper ambrosia. Technically I could survive for a while off of human food, but I would weaken over time. I couldn't allow myself to become weak like that.

I was running out of time. Not only was I hungry, annoyed, hormonal, and tired, but I also would have to deal with Aphrodite running around this place for at least a few more hours. She never left once she found something to do, and I suspected that she had found something very interesting in the castle. A bunch of unmated guards, perhaps?

"Hi..." I heard from the other side of the library. Marcus cocked his head only to see Alec looking over at Aphrodite, who had seemingly snuck her way back into the library without us noticing.

"You have got to be kidding me," Marcus whispered, looking between Aphrodite and Alec, "Oh my gods I can't believe it."

"You're pretty," Alec deadpanned, looking the goddess up and down.

"C'mere," Aphrodite rushed over to Alec, wrapping her arms around the taller teenager. "You're so handsome. You're so perfect. I haven't ever seen such perfection."

"What in Tartarus," I looked between the two, who were embracing each other. Okay I'm so confused right now. "Marcus, what the nature are they doing? Why are they- Are they friends or something?"

"You innocent soul," Marcus wrapped part of his cloak around my head. "The bond indicates that young Alec and Aphrodite are mates."

No... No way. Mates between a goddess and a vampire. I was the first of this pairing! Only a few gods and goddesses have ever found their mates. Two in the span of twenty-four hours? Okay, now the Fates are being funny. What in the name of nature do they have planned for all of us now? Let me guess, war. Probably war. It's always war. Who's next, brother Apollo? Or maybe Ares? Perhaps sister Hebe will find her mate in the Volturi, it would make things easier.

Thinking over what happened, I realized that if Aphrodite and I were both mated to vampires, it would make my case for staying in Volterra far easier. Daddy wouldn't dare to deny two goddesses passage to their mates, it would go against ancient laws protecting mating bonds.

"I never thought I would find you-" Alec sniffed the air and his eyes widened, "You're a goddess?"

"In the flesh," my cousin blushed furiously as her mate ran a hand down her brown hair. "Please, call me Aphrodite. Or whatever you want to call me, handsome."

If Alec were human, he would be blushing, I'm sure of it.

"You really are the most beautiful being in existence." I saw my cousin visibly swooning, even kissing his cheek. "I can show you around. I'm a guard, but I have a few hours off. My sister will be happy to hear that we have another goddess, and that I've found you, my dear mate. I think you two will have fun being friends."

"A sister?" Alec nodded. "What is she like?"

"She's a bit possessive, but she means well." My cousin frowned. "Don't think badly of her for it, please, she and I have just been through a lot together. We're just twins, don't worry, dear."

"Cousin's also possessive," I muttered.

"Shush! Be quiet and cute with your own mate while my dear Alec shows me around."

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