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ꜱᴀɪɴᴛ ᴍᴀʀᴄᴜꜱ ᴅᴀʏ

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March 19, 2006

Callidora's POV

My life has never been very simple. Even when inside of Olympus, my daily life and tasks had some weird complications. Like when I tried to come down for dinner, I found myself wanting to fly instead of walk. These sorts of things carried into life in Italy. When it came to flying, I liked to fly everywhere. Marcus found it cute but more often than not it would freak the royal guard out so much that they avoided me when I flew.

There's something about being up in the air that's so appealing. Just having the wind rushing through your hair as you let the air guide you is amazing, but now that I had gotten control of my flight it was so much better. No longer did I stumble, although one could argue that I never stumbled in the first place, but gracefully flew through the air.

Now, I was flying everywhere. At the moment I had just flown into the castle, much to Marcus' dismay. He wanted me to stay on the ground today since it was his day.

Saint Marcus day, what a holiday. The Volturi had influenced an entire holiday. When I was told I wasn't sure that they were telling me the truth. I mean, an entire day just for Marcus? I would give him every day of the year, but that was to be expected as his mate.

"On the ground please," Marcus begged of me, wanting me close to him at all times now that I had gotten pregnant, "Oh, also, we have a trial right now. Actually, would the Cullen boy count as a trial? Doesn't matter, I still wouldn't want to be late. You know how Aro gets when we roam around outside for too long."

"It's so sunny out today," I giggled, pressing my heels to the ground, "Aro can wait for just another minute, can't he? I've barely been able to see you all day!"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," I pouted, knowing that if Marcus said so I would have to listen to him. "Sweetie, we can go out later tonight, when it won't be so bright and dangerous. Aro doesn't like it when we go out during the festivals, especially on Saint Marcus Day."

"But it's your day, Marcus." Even if he nodded, I knew I wasn't getting anywhere with him. I shut up, knowing that maybe, just maybe, if I was able to get through this trial I could sneak out with him later on that afternoon. Marcus is funny like that, breaking the rules after I ask him to. "Affie says that I'll be getting my letter on what I'll be the goddess of either today or tomorrow. If you want, you can come up to Olympus for the ceremony..."

"I would love to, darling," Marcus took my hand, leading me into the throne room. Aro and Caius were waiting with a few guards. Aphrodite was stationed at the door, as she has become somewhat of an honorary guard. Alec also has to make sure that she's guarded at all times, so having her near him is a must. "What is on the agenda for the day, Aro?"

"Seems like we have a visitor," Marcus raised an eyebrow, "Supposedly asking to see us for extermination. You know how those ones go."

"An immortal wishes to die? Who?"

"Felix says it's Carlisle's boy," I had heard about that man before. Good friend of Aro's and leader of a coven in America. "This could expose all of them, you know that. Their diet."

That little bit about some sort of diet set me off. What diet? Vampires drink human blood. It's basic knowledge. For the sacrifices to uncle Hades, of course, they don't have that venom telling them to kill for no reason. Do they not kill as often as the Volturi? If so, why has Aro not done something about it? He is the most inclined to listen to my uncle the first time.

My mate did not say much, simply leading me to sit down on his lap while he sat on his golden throne. I pondered all of the ideas of what this diet could possibly be before the man was supposed to arrive.

To not obey the will and command of whom you owe your soul is treason, plain and simple. From what Aro and Marcus had described to me, all vampires were informed of the existence of the gods, although perhaps some of them did not believe. To those who did not believe, where did they think that vampires came from? It is a curse, obviously, but one that comes with great rewards.

A man entered the throne room with two guards behind him. His auburn hair stood out to me as both ridiculously groomed and terribly matched with his shirt. If he were one of my brothers, I would be inclined to physically slap some sense into his choice of apparel. Although, one thing stood out more than anything.

Eyes. Golden eyes. Similar to the color of my blood, but tinted with autumns orange. It suited him, but radiated something I had never felt before.

Betrayal, anger, and hopelessness. Emotion, but solemn and selfish. Why did he look selfish? I had never met him, this comparison to a selfish deed should not come up when gazing into his golden eyes.

He had the wrong color eyes for a vampire.

I stood up, ready to question this man, but within an instant Marcus held me back down on his lap, running a hand down my arm as if to tell me to calm down. I listened, not wanting any more drama for the day. I would get through this and would question him after, or right before his demise if Aro willed it so.

"You are here today," Aro started, his lips pursed into a line, "Why?"

"I wish to be destroyed," he said simply, looking down at the ground. My huff set him off, his golden eyes now piercing into me. Taking a sniff of the air, he almost took a step back. "What is-"

"Your queen," Marcus said quickly, cutting the vampire boy off, "My mate and your queen. Now, you wish to die, Edward Cullen?"

My mate was known to be near silent during trial. The rest of the vampire world thought he was either mute or incredibly introverted. Speaking in full sentences is not and has not been his cup of tea.

This Edward Cullen gave Marcus a freaked out look and did take a step back. Those stupidly golden eyes... I hated them. They were ugly, fake looking. Fools gold at best. This man... He could not be on whatever diet made him have these auralic eyes. Uncle Hades would agree with me, as the god of wealth he must know how terrible these things look. He wants his vampires having red eyes, a sign of power and bloodlust.

Edward Cullen just looks greedy.

"Eyes," I said with confidence, "What makes you have that color? Everyone else here besides me and my cousin has lovely blood red eyes."

He sneered out, "I would never kill to get that color. I eat animals, not humans."

His confession made me want to rip off his head right then and there. Marcus held me close to his chest, looking over at Aro for some help. This man was out here, defying the will of his soul master. Not only that, he was doing it with pride, making this so much worse.

Not making sacrifices, those fundamental things that were supposed to be done by all vampires, is a sign of disrespect. The gods do not tolerate any sign of disobedience, especially when it comes out as such blatant disrespect for the immortality we allow to exist. Humanity is not supposed to have such power, but my uncle allowed vampires to live. He allows it, he holds their souls as his own servants. This boy dares question his will?

I don't tolerate disrespect. I may not know my uncle very well, but I hold him as another member of my eternal family. I love my family and do not allow anyone to disrespect them or what they stand for. I would be a crappy niece if I did.

"My dear, don't kill him," Marcus pleaded with me, kissing my cheek, "I promise, I can explain them to you-"

No explanation would be able to combat my fury, that much is for certain. My cheeks flared with golden, fiery blood. Knuckles cracked as I got ready to show this stupid boy who makes the rules around here. Most certainly not him. He would learn to obey the will of the gods or he would die a traitor to his blood oath.

"You might just get what you want today, Cullen boy," Caius said quickly, turning his head to the floor.

"Carlisle will be upset if we kill his sired child-" I was sick and tired of hearing about this Carlisle. He will have to mourn this idiotic child later because there is no way he's getting out of here unscathed.

"Disrespect," I started, my tone low and pulsing with anger, "will not be tolerated by me or any of my family up in Olympus and in the Underworld. Do I make myself clear?"

The two kings nodded, sitting down and keeping themselves quiet. I wouldn't tolerate any of this, even from Aro and Caius. While they are kings, I am a goddess, meaning I have authority over them. This is unlike anything I have seen before. They just allowed this to happen? He knew, didn't he? He knew that people were skipping sacrifices and cheating the system and he never brought them to justice!

Even in my anger, I knew that something like this could have another cause. Perhaps he did not know about our existence. I had to play my cards right or I would sound like a tyrant. "Do you know who your soul belongs to, Edward Cullen?"

"I do not have a soul," he said pitifully, "Vampires don't have souls."

"Wrong. Vampires have very real souls and they belong to my uncle Hades. You're supposed to be making blood sacrifices to him at least once a week for the rest of eternity. If you don't do that with this new knowledge you will die. By my hand or his, it doesn't matter. Such blatant disregard for the rules of your immortality will not go unnoticed, child, and you will be placed on a watchlist," His eyes turned angry as mine, flicking to a darker, almost amberlike shade of gold. "Kill humans or die, child, that is the choice you will make soon."

"That isn't okay! You have no right to say that if I don't drink human blood I will die! I won't die! I've been on animal blood for decades and nothing has happened!" Edward shouted. Damn, he really does want to die today. Imagine being so cocky so as to insult a goddess who is also your immortal queen. "There are no gods, only one god. One true and immortal god."

Right, Ares had convinced a majority of the world that we're not real and that there is one god. Monotheists, really? Like everything could possibly be done by one god, let alone a male one.

"I am a goddess," he shook his head in response, "All of this disrespect should have me ripping off your head and feeding it to Cerberus but honestly I am way too tired to do that. Aro, how long should I give him?"

"My call, your grace?" I nodded. "Alright, since this is a new idea for the young Mr. Cullen, I would say by the end of the year he must be fully on human blood. Tell Carlisle when you get back that he must be on the diet. I tried to shield him for centuries, but I will not risk my livelihood any longer. I hope you can forgive me, Callidora, I tried to tell Carlisle about you but he stayed true to his Christian upbringing."

Aro was a loyal friend, I knew that much, but to allow for something like this? I didn't expect my day to start or end on such a serious note, but this whole blood situation was important. How many vampires were on the wrong diet? Did they know that they aren't allowed to have animal blood unless it's an emergency?

As much as I knew the Volturi fought for freedom and free will, there are things that cannot be allowed. "This diet is illegal by order of the queen. Everyone must be off of it by the end of the year lest they face the wrath of Olympus and the Underworld. I'll have you know, Cullen, that I do not give second chances very often. If I find you disrespecting the gods again, I will make sure that you are tortured by Jane for the next millenia."

"You can't-"

"I can and I will! This is not a matter of personal preference! I am responsible for these things now as queen of the vampire world. The fact that I am giving you a chance to correct your wrongdoings is a blessing, you fool!" A few of the guards snickered. I heard my cousin start to giggle, holding her mate's hand. "Your request for extermination has been denied. If you have a problem with that ruling, you can appeal at a higher court, preferably Hades' court. That would require some heavy prayers, as he is a busy man. No, you aren't dying on my watch, so don't do something rash. Today is the festival, stay out of the sun."

"You will kill me-"

"Not without cause," my mate butted in, "Leave us be, Edward Cullen, and go eat a human outside of the borders. They taste delicious for a reason."

Edward Cullen left the throne room with no further debate, almost sulking and dragging his way out. Men like him pissed me off. Something about the way he chose his words reeked of manipulation and disrespect. I couldn't put my finger on what made me hate him, but I knew that he would become a problem if he didn't get over himself.

Humans taste euphoric to vampires for a reason. It helps them ease into feeding. Humans crave good food, it makes sense that a vampire would as well. Vampires eat humans and have for over five thousand years. It's the way of the world.

All of this rukus had made me hungry myself. "Marcus, do you know where the human servants put the ambrosia?"

"Oh, it should be just inside of the fridge, dear, we can go get some in a few minutes." I smiled as my mate kissed my flushed cheek.

Wrapping my arms around him, I finally got to feel his own warmth that came with the removal of the curse. He was the first vampire to ever have his soul become free, meaning that he no longer held the temperature of the underworld on his pale skin. He would not thirst for blood and his eyes would soon turn back to their original color.

Having him have such warm skin, it was a change I did not expect. Warm toned skin would never come, him being immortally pale, but that little bit of heat coming from him helped me sleep at night. Just being near him helped me sleep at night. The pillow he gave to me did get me through terribly cold nights without him, but his tall figure wrapped around me was comforting on another level.

"Father," it was Jane's voice coming from down the hall. Since my acute senses were starting to come in, hearing her was no longer an issue. "Father, there's a human and the Cullen boy now."

"I should have checked him," Aro cursed himself, standing up from his throne. I rolled my eyes, knowing that I would have to see the stupid boy for the second time today. "What else is my gift good for? I'm such an idiot."

"You did what you thought was best, brother," Marcus calmed his friend, sighing. "A human inside of the castle could prove to be a problem. It is feeding day for everyone else and most of the Volturi is on edge because of the festival outside. You know how the guards get with all of the vampire haters. Stupid boy, bringing in a human. Why did he have to break the law? Younger vampires make our lives so much harder..."

"They do this at least once a century, you know that," Caius reminds my mate, looking dismal himself. None of us liked trial, it was a boring part of being rulers. Unfortunately for everyone else in the castle, we had no choice in the matter. It would be so much easier if people just followed the laws. Why can't we have one day where someone isn't committing a crime or being accused of one? Even in Olympus we get days off.

"And we meet again," I muttered under my breath, looking to where a human, Edward, and an unknown vampire female were, "Let the trial commence. What is the crime, Jane?"

"Exposing a human. They were together," she hissed. Looks like she isn't in a good mood today. Probably just the stress of the festival. "The human stopped Cullen from exposing himself to the rest of the humans in red."

"This is a serious crime, Cullen," I snapped. This was exactly what he wanted, right? He wanted death, so he tried to do something that would get us to kill him. Right manipulative bastard, that's what he is. If I had any sense I would just send him down to the Underworld and give uncle Hades an idea of what I want done to him. "You make our lives so much harder, Edward, and for what? This human, boring and imperfect-"

"Don't speak about her like that!" He snapped at me. I furrowed my brows. "Bella is perfect to me."

"Is she your mate?" I asked with curiosity. If she were his mate, I would think my words void in his eyes. If not, she's just another human girl and not worth his time.

"It doesn't matter-" I cut him off with a snarl. "No, she isn't my mate, but I love her just-"

"To compare the love of a mate to any relationship is both disrespectful and incomparable," Caius hissed at the younger vampire. I knew just how much he loved Athenodora. That man could talk about her for centuries on end and never be able to fully express all of his love. Marcus and I could do the same, just as Aro and Sulpicia could with each other.

These two didn't look like perfect matches. Their outfits, their vibe, it clashed. This Bella girl is too bland and uninteresting, with barely any emotion when she looks at me. Edward had emotion, but Bella didn't. She felt shallow, just like the girl standing next to her. I couldn't sense any mating pull between these golden eyed people, but they would be a better match than Bella and Edward. I... they don't even look together? There is barely any positivity around the two of them, just basic primal lust. Can my cousin feel this right now?

"They are not mates, therefore this exposure is not justified," Affie said, walking up to the vampires. Alec hissed, rushing over to her side. "Hush, my mate, I'm fine. They aren't stupid enough to hurt me."

"Don't kill him!" Bella shouted, "Kill me! Kill me instead! Just don't hurt him!"

I scoffed at her self-sacrifice. "He's the one who wants to die. Why take that away from him now that he's given us a reason to take away his immortality and send him down to Hades?"

"Hades-?"
"They believe in the greek gods, Bella," Edward explained to her, almost scoffing at the mere mention of my family, "They think that vampires have to drink from humans in order to make pay to Hades, the god of the underworld."

"It's not some ideology, Cullen, it's the truth," I was getting tired of him playing me off as just some crazy bitch. I'm a bitch, but I am a goddess and not crazy. Perhaps a little deviant, but not crazy, never crazy. "Pay tribute or die, that's how it works. Now, since you seem to have a flair for mischief and rule breaking, I'll cut you a deal. You do what you're supposed to do and you get to live with this little human."

"She can't stay human for much longer, my dear, it is too big of a risk," Marcus reminded me. He changed his words to Greek to make sure that they couldn't understand us, "If I got you pregnant, he could get her pregnant as well. We don't know the extent of the curse or how it works on vampire-human mingling. This could be the worst exposure in the history of vampires."

"Do you think it could kill her?" I asked in Greek. Marcus nodded. I switched back to dreaded English, "We can give you a few months, but she must be changed quickly. Start cutting off contact with any mortal relatives. If she is to join your coven, the same warnings I gave you will apply to her as well. Since I don't like repeating myself, I'll have you give this human girl the breakdown of what I said earlier on your way out. Stay out of the sun and don't break any more laws. Any questions?"

"You have a heartbeat," the golden-eyed girl noted.

"That's because I am a goddess, you failure of a vampire," the girl gasped at my insult. I was not in a good mood and just wanted some time for Marcus and I to cuddle. That would cheer me up. I hate trials. I hate this. "Eat your humans and be at peace with the nature of your conditional immortality that can be taken away at any point in time. I'll be off. Darling."

Marcus chuckled, taking my hand as I stood up.

"Oh, well, they'll be off. Time for dinner!"

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The rest of my day was spent giving Marcus chaste kisses and snuggles under our favorite Wisteria tree. Things were starting to make sense inside of the castle. I could find the ambrosia on my own now. Although having Marcus feed me like a young child was entertaining to say the least.

Nuzzling myself into Marcus' side, I feel a slight push at my belly. My mate seemed to notice it as well, smirking as I pressed my hand to my womb. "Looks like they're getting active, my dear."

"I'm not even showing yet," I said quietly, watching as my stomach moves around. It was creepy, being able to see that kind of motion. If I knew any better I would think this came out of a horror movie rather than real life. "You two are being weird."

"Weird?" Marcus laughed, pulling me up on his lap, "My Callidora, the children are just excited to see you. I can't wait. When they pop out, I bet they'll be perfect, just like you."

My face turned a light yellow at his comment. He knew how to get me going, and how to make me blush. "Stop it, you! Ugh, you make me blush all the time and it gets so annoying! You're the perfect one, not me."

"How can I be perfect? Have you not seen my imperfections?" I shook my head, knowing that whatever he was about to say would be both random and ridiculous. "I can't design anything and I am the worst planner you'll ever meet. Aro has deemed me so, the bastard."

"Harsh words for your brother today," he smirked again, kissing the side of my head, "You're so random, you know that? The most random man I've ever met. I don't think there's anyone else on this planet that can match you in randomness. First the interior design, now party planning and general design. It's like you can't see your own perfection and have to make things up in order to prove a point. Newsflash, you're perfect. In every way."

"I am not perfect."

"You are perfect to me and my opinion is the only one that matters because I love you."

"Who's the random one now?"

"Still you."

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