Chapter Text
“I take it that you’re enjoying the recent changes over the past decade?”
Ikaros was ready to scream. The ancient phoenix slowly turned in hopes that it was merely his wife’s sister who was playing a cruel trick. After all, the primordial witch had a penchant for committing acts of petty trickery on her fellow immortals. But, alas, the figure standing behind was none other than Elijah Mikaelson – one of the elder so-called ‘Originals,’ but to Ikaris, the thousand-year-old vampire was nothing more than a mere infant. A being as ancient as himself had no patience for those who deluded themselves as ‘top dog,’ especially those whose species’ existence went only so far as a single millennium.
“My answer remains the same, Elijah,” Ikaris stated with the same tone of finality he had given the ancient vrykolakas since his family’s resurrection and assimilation into modern society. “Besides, my eldest boy is already considered an adult and enrolled in one of the finest higher education establishments, and my daughter is nearly at that stage of her life. There’s no use in enrolling them in that sham you call an institution.” Elijah opened his mouth to speak, and Ikaros narrowed his eyes to glower at the man. “And I will not separate my youngest from Sephia. This world has changed too much for him, and he will remain by our side until he is ready.”
“I see…” The original sighed in disappointment before straightening himself. “While I wish this visit’s purpose were for such a reason, I’m afraid that’s not why I’m here,” Elijah reached inside his overcoat (one that likely cost an exuberant waste of currency judging by the design label) and pulled out a single photograph before extending it to him. “Given your respectable age, I gathered you might have some inkling of whom this creature’s identity may be.”
Ikaros scoffed and turned away to walk in the opposite direction. “If you wanted an identity check, might I suggest you bother someone else? I thought your family had witches specifically for this particular sort of headache.”
“Oh, dozens have tried their luck – but none have found anything concrete, only bits and hints that don’t add up,” Elijah flashed to the elder being’s front. “Please, I insist.”
Ikaros could feel his temper rising. “There are other creatures as ancient as I that your family can reach out to. Leave me and my family be.”
“Female of East Asian descent, appears to be around five foot eight inches in height, and her age yet to be determined. Neither witch, werewolf, nor vampire,” Elijah continued to prattle before placing the damned print in Ikaros’ hand. “Found subduing what was described to be a dragon before very rudely assaulting my niece and her fellow peers. Hope attempted to subdue the suspect but was nearly desiccated from her merely grasping her neck in a single hand. The suspect was placed in a cell beneath the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted and refuses to answer any questions.”
“So, she’s a siphoner,” Ikaros didn’t even bother to look at the young woman before setting it aflame and letting the ashes fall to his feet. He already knew who the vampire was speaking of. “You fail to mention how this involves your disturbing my peace.”
Elijah’s tone turned somber as his expression turned gray and stormy. “We’ve performed tests, but the individual holds no signs of magical or supernatural descent. It’s as if her abilities were granted to her by a higher being of supreme strength and prowess.” He stepped closer. “And only by those once praised as ‘gods,’ might I add.”
“And I suppose I am at the top of the little list of creatures who exceed such attributes belonging to your line?” Ikaros raised a brow. “Grown senile, have you?
“We’ve already sent Kol to Lady Hekaet –…”
“She prefers to be called Kaetlyn now,” Ikaros interrupted, thinking back to all the times the wicked woman had thrown him to the Artic circle whenever he referred to her by her original name. “And let me guess? He tried to beg for a taste, and Druig fed him to the wolves in their compound. The little miscreant always did try his very best to woo her into his bed.”
“Far from it – she merely laughed and advised we get our answers from you.”
“ἄρατε, Ἑκάτη (Damn you, Hekate),” the old god cursed. He swiped his hand over his tired face. Of course – of course, that devil woman sent them his way. Well, might as well get this over with – the sooner Ikaros tells him, the sooner Elijah can get the hell off his wife’s land. Sephia gets very cross with intruders invading their sanctuary. “Her name’s Mara Drake, and you’re right on two parts: she’s no siphoner, nor was she born with any magic in her blood.” Lazuli blue met with dark umber. “You’re not allowed to harm her.”
“She managed to track down a mythical beast and seal enough of its energy until it could not maintain its true form before my niece arrived,” Elijah’s somber expression turned grave. “And then proceeded to force the youngest member of my family into submission through a beating that resulted in her upper torso almost completely paralyzed.”
“Maybe that niece of yours lacks training.”
“She also somehow managed to take on several advanced full-body attack spells unscathed.”
“Like I said…”
“This…Mara Drake…” Elijah spat out her name like acid, clearly unamused by how unserious the ancient creature was acting. “She’s dangerous and a liability to our world.”
“Both true – doesn’t matter. It’s nothing you and your family have never dealt with before.” Ikaros shrugged, bored out of his mind. He wondered if it would be considered terribly rude of him if he simply incinerated the tiresome creature before him so he could quickly return to bed with his beloved wife. “Mara’ll talk when she wants to talk, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. She’ll just break out when she gets too bored.”
“You seem quite confident in her ability. I hadn’t realized that you had grown so cavalier to the idea of your kind being exposed,” Elijah quipped. “Because from this little stunt alone, my family had to compel over thirty humans’ memories to forget the incident. Or were all those talks of peace and settling a hoax to quell Niklaus’ desire to vanquish you?”
Ikaros barked a laugh and shook his head. The mutt? Vanquishing him? A joke if he ever heard one. “The day anyone from your infantile family could come toe-to-toe with me will be the day this plane of existence was destined to end.”
“Lord Ikaros…” Elijah began, his face nothing but dour and unamused. “If you have any information regarding the girl’s weaknesses, you are morally obliged to tell them to me. If nothing else, then to preserve the peace our respective species have maintained for the past several centuries.”
Ikaros raised a brow. “The peace where I let the world evolve in terms of natural selection while you and your family throw a tantrum every time someone forgets your names? That the sort of peace you're referring to?”
“Why are you so intent on protecting this girl?” Elijah huffed, the act resembling more of a petulant adolescent who huffs and puffs when things don’t go his way. “Surely someone as yourself can see that–”
“She’s fucking Laurie – that’s why,” Ikaros snapped, temper broiling beneath the surface as he struggled to keep his flames at bay. “That mutant temptress seduced my eldest boy, and now he’s in love with her.” He tiredly let out a deep sigh and tried to rub the migraine away behind his eyes. “And damn the gods, she’s in love with him…”
To say Elijah was caught off guard by the news was an understatement, to say the least. While he had only met Laurus centuries ago, when he was still a child during the rise of the Byzantine Empire, the boy was far too gentle and kindhearted. He was a sweet child adored by his parents as their eldest progeny who resembled his ancient commander of a father but had the sweetness and temperament of his mother. Beautiful, beautiful Sephia – even now, after centuries, her beauty astounds him. For the boy to fall for such a violently tempestuous individual…no, it wasn’t possible. Surely, there must be something else at play here…
“Try to be less transparent, Elijah – it’s insulting.” Ikaros could practically hear the overwhelming onslaught of questions and thoughts screaming in the Original vampire’s mind. “Fucking Kaet – just wait till I get my hands on the little witch…”
Elijah blinked owlishly for a few moments, completely at a loss for words for once. “Do you suspect…a spell to be at play…? Perhaps an infatuation poultice to lower the boy’s inhibitions and quell his senses?”
“Have you forgotten his teacher?” Ikaros rhetorically asked. Even before Laurus’ prolonged slumber, he had trained with the Mother of Magic and Monsters herself. “My boy’s magical prowess and shielding capabilities far exceeded any modern witch, including your eldest sister and her little protégé perversion you claim as a niece. The possibility of him being tricked in such a manner is unfeasible.”
“Perhaps your son’s infatuation may be due to…a lack of female interaction…” Elijah cautiously suggested, not wanting to risk offending the aged celestial further. “Young Laurus is an intelligent young fellow. I’m certain that–”
“Won’t work – Sephia and Aggie already bonded with the mutant hellion, and Kaet confirmed that they are, indeed, mates.” Elijah had never seen the man before him look so exhausted. It was as if the idea of him gaining such a creature as the one they were discussing as a daughter-in-law etched his soul in agony.
“But why allow it? Why not simply erase the girl’s memory and be done with it?” Elijah inquired, still lost in the lack of logic. While Ikaros’ son might see it as a betrayal, he’d never go against his father…unless… “You trust her…”
“…I suppose I do…to a marginal extent…”
“Why?”
“Because as infatuated my son might be with her,” the low timbre of Ikaros’ voice hung with great reluctance. “Mara is as obsessed, if not more so, with him…”
Elijah wanted to ask another inquiry, hoping to use the god’s ire against the child to his advantage, when he was interrupted by the chime of Ikaros’ cellular mobile device. After taking a moment to read over the notification, Elijah saw the sullen frown shift to a wolfish grin. “Speaking of mates…mine is missing my company. I’m afraid you’ve overstayed your welcome, Elijah. But not to worry, I’ll help see you out.”
“No, wait–” the vampire protested, but it was too late. Before he knew it, Ikaros firmly clasped his hand on Elijah’s shoulder, and his body was engulfed in a blaze of white flames. Elijah found himself promptly transported back to the front entrance of the Salvatore School. He looked down, frantic but relieved to see not a speck of ash on his body. He always did hate it when that irksome man used that particular trick.
“You’re back!” he turned to see Kol leaning against one of the entrance columns before sauntering over with a flask the elder brother assumed to be filled with some type of top-shelf bourbon and O+. “So pale, ‘Lijah – here, a swing of this should do the trick…”
Elijah preferred to drink his stronger spirits in vintage crystal, but he wasn’t feeling particularly picky. He twisted the cap off the flask before draining its contents. He truly did hate that spell.
“Let me guess, you failed.” Kol jutted his lower lip in a satirical pout, full-on mocking his elder brother. The sharp inhale from Elijah, while a clear sign for his enemies to run far, far away, only incensed Kol’s desire to ruffle his oh-so-noble brother’s feathers further. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, the younger Original tutted at his brother’s failure. “That’s what you get for trying to stick your nose into matters…!” he chided in a singsong tune.
“Not only was that a waste of a trip, but I was informed of a rather disturbing piece of information,” Elijah calmly informed his present family member, angrily flicking his handkerchief out of his breast pocket to dab the corners of his mouth. “The girl is his son’s mate and so warrants her place in his family and, therefore, his protection.”
While Elijah expected this bothersome piece of information to dismay Kol, preferably even distress him, his younger brother only looked…surprisingly blithe – one might say even… placible. The older vampire squinted and stared at his brother with accusatory daggers. “You already knew, didn’t you…?”
“What? Oh, that morsel of knowledge that our prisoner just so happens to be very conveniently mated to one of the most powerful species of the ancient world? Yeah, Kaet happened to share that little tidbit.”
“And you didn’t think it was wise to share this information before I traveled halfway across the world?”
“Kaet thought it might be funny to let you figure it out on your own, and I have to say,” Kol put a hand on Elijah’s shoulder. “I’m inclined to agree. Not that it’s a surprise, really. She was always my favorite teacher for a reason…”
“Oh, and I’m sure you previously being hopelessly infatuated with her since your first daggering had nothing to do with it?”
Kol put his hands up in defense. “I, on the other hand, thought you might be privy to seeing the countryside, maybe see an old flame or two? Or a centuries-old unrequited infatuation?” His grin widened to showcase both rows of teeth. “The old fire bird still upset for having a thing toward his wife, eh, brother?”
“Kol…” Elijah closed his eyes and tried to quell his ire when his younger brother swung his arm over his shoulder.
“Sephia, Sephia – who would’ve thought such a delicious-looking nymph had so much power?” Kol swiped the flask, still firmly grasped in Elijah’s hand, into his coat pocket. “Certainly not you, though I suppose that’s what you get when you don’t look past the surface. Even going so far as to try to court the lady despite her being a married woman! But, not to worry, your pitiful attempts of seduction were a source of amusement to us all…”
Quickly changing the subject before he snapped his baby brother’s neck, Elijah asked about Mara. “Has Niklaus made any progress with the prisoner? Assuming, of course, you’ve informed him?”
“Ah, yes – see, about that,” Kol’s grin was far too broad to be any good. “My former teacher thought of a rather brilliant plan she shared with me – one I think would be quite fruitful.”
Gods of old, this day was to be the cause of Elijah’s hair finally graying. Nothing the old goddess came up with could be easy, judging by Kol’s gleeful expression. “What now?”
»»———-◬———-««
“Absolutely not!” Klaus roared while furiously pacing across Caroline’s office. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. First Kol, now Elijah, he supposes that should soon expect his sisters to join them in the cycle of madness? Were all his family members cursed to lose all sense of logic and preservation? Well, they can forget about it. “I will hear no more of this.”
“Klaus, would you just…calm down?!” Caroline rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s dramatics. It was bad enough that he broke the coffee table, but if he continued screaming like a crazed psycho – it was going to echo past the silencing barrier Bonnie put up. “Let’s hear them out.”
“Oh, my apologies, love – how very rude of me! Yes, let’s talk and discuss the villain who dared lay her hands on my daughter, who remains paralyzed as we speak! I thought we could discuss her punishment, perhaps tearing out her limbs and stringing her innards into a knit blanket. But – silly me, I suppose we should reward such an act by admitting her to your school!” The Original hybrid stubbornly shook his head. “No, no – I won’t. I refuse.”
Kol rolled his eyes – figures that, once again, his overdramatic wanker of a brother used his natural gift of selective hearing. “Only if she can heal Hope that my teacher believes the little hellion could possibly attend.” He turned to Caroline with a sympathetic pout. “Poor thing seems to be rather isolated.”
Klaus flashed before Kol with a glower so dark and stormy that had it been to anyone other than his family; they would’ve ruined their trousers. “That poor thing attempted to desiccate my daughter, your niece, before beating her to a damn near coma!” He turned to Caroline. “Contact the Bennett witch – tell her she can resume her honeymoon with the Augustine vampire after she revives Hope. And where the bloody hell is Freya?!”
“Oh my god, enough!” Having had enough of her immortal hybrid’s bitchiness – however justified it was – Caroline shot up from her seat and pulled Klaus away from Kol’s face. “Seriously?! Do you really think screaming commands right now is going to anyone, much less Hope?” She faced Kol, much calmer but just as cautious and skeptical. “And no offense, Kol – but even if this teacher of yours is as good as you claim–”
“Claim…?” The younger Mikaelson interrupted with a fully affronted and offended look on his face. “Listen, darling – I know you think you’ve had your fair share of evil masterminds of the mythical variety, but you should know by now that my word is as good as gold!”
“Debatable.”
“Kaetlyn is far more than an exquisitely gorgeous goddess of times long forgotten,” Kol persisted, far too eager to sing praises for the very happily married deity. “She could so far be titled as the creator of magic and a physical manifestation of the arcane. If she stands by the miscreant troglodyte, then I’m more than happy to take her word for it.”
“You always did follow after the woman,” Klaus interjected, still upset and raring for a fight. “Like a little pet desperate for attention from its master. You put too much faith in your old mentor – gods know how out of touch she’s been in the past several centuries. Perhaps the old, aged hag isn’t as omnipotent and all-knowing as you would expect…”
“You’re forgetting it was her spell that saved Hope from the Hollow in the first place,” Kol pointed out, enjoying the enraged look on his brother’s face for reminding him of the goddess’ generosity. Not only that but in doing so, Kol was reminding his brother that neither Klaus nor Elijah would remain alive had it not been for her involvement. “Having said that, I think it’s safe to say we take her word for it.”
“Let’s say you’re right,” Caroline gracefully intervened, saving Kol from what was likely a silver dagger threat. “Did she mention anything on why none of the healing spells have worked? Why is she so insistent that this person, specifically, be the one to heal Hope? As headmistress, I can’t admit her unless I can rule out that she won’t pose a threat to the other students, not to mention I need to talk it over with Ric.”
“There’s no need to speak it over with Saltzman,” Klaus insisted. “Because that thing will not attend this school – least of all with our daughters! And the idea of you encouraging the notion is an affront to their safety!”
“Hey!” she protested, turning her body and walking over to jab her perfectly manicured finger into his chest. “Don’t even think of going there, Mr. Megalomanic!”
“My, my…! How exciting!”
Everyone in the room turned their heads, and only one showed how ecstatic they were by the newcomer’s appearance.
With arms spread wide and a smile to rival the sun he could no longer feel, Kol happily greeted the figure who graced his day with her presence. “Kaet!” In a few strides, he reached her and courteously greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. His mirthful shined with youth. “Couldn’t keep away from me, could you? Finally taking up on my offer?”
“A millennium of rejection and still as delusional as ever.”
Caroline watched as the woman cheekily pushed her fingers against Kol’s chest. To say she was transfixed was an understatement. Granted, it was hard to imagine her despite all of Kol’s fanatic ramblings of the infamous deity. But seeing her now…it was clear why he was so obsessed with her. For as long as she’s gotten to know the younger Mikaleson brother, Kol was always someone who kept close to witches, covens, and anything dangerous related to magic. An opportunist to the extreme, he believed in the concept of high risk and high reward at its core. The woman before her was a perfect example. Caroline was sure that even if she were still human, she could feel the overwhelming power and energy coming off her and hitting the Forbes woman like a tsunami. It didn’t help that all that primordial magic was wrapped in a drop-dead gorgeous woman with legs for days and a willowy, slender frame that Caroline knew most women would pay big bucks to achieve in all sorts of cosmetic surgery.
And her face! What kind of god decided it was fair for someone to be so effervescently pretty? And for her body to be covered in witchy rune tattoos that don’t look cringey to boot?! Seriously?! What about this being the Hekate she wrote a report about in the eighth grade, as opposed to the typical green-skinned witch she imagined seemed real?!
“I actually prefer Kaetlyn nowadays,” the ancient goddess quipped, shifting her attention from her old student to who she gathered to be one of the newest members of the Mikaelson family. She walked over and grabbed Caroline’s hands in hers in excitement. “And you must be Caroline! Kol’s told me all about you during his visit. It’s so hard to believe that someone as lacking and bleak as Niklaus could convince someone as beautiful and impressive as you to be his wife!”
Caroline’s pink cheeks flushed into a pretty red. Why was she blushing? She was eternally seventeen – she knew she was attractive! Klaus made sure to remind her every night…But it wasn’t like she heard compliments like these from anyone prettier than him!
…Wait, did she say ‘wife’?”
“Oh! Oh, no, no, no! You heard it wrong – I’m…I’m not Klaus’ wife,” Caroline corrected, not noticing how the pout her undead boyfriend had was shifting into a snarl. Instead, she stuck her hand out to formally greet Heka–…Kaetlyn. “My name is Caroline Forbes. I’m the Headmistress and founder of the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted. It’s an honor to meet someone so respected and pivotal in our community.”
Kaetlyn grabbed Caroline’s hand and shook it. “Believe me, my dear. The honor’s all mine. You’ve been quite the hot topic in my home for a while now.”
“Really?” Caroline’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I am?”
“Of course!” Kaet confirmed, her dark, almond-shaped eyes shining with sincerity. “Not just anyone has the idea of establishing a school to help the children of our world properly integrate themselves into modern society with humans. I can personally attest to the statement that putting vampires, werewolves, and witches in one building is no small feat.” She stepped back to give Caroline some air after seeing the baby vampire, who was slightly overwhelmed by the proximity. “Which is precisely why I wanted to come here today!”
Klaus rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Unless it’s to heal my daughter after your ingrate of an employee, you can see yourse–MMPHH…!”
Caroline stood shocked as she watched Klaus’ mouth being wrapped by whips of shadows before they proceeded to encase the rest of his body, save the rest of his face, and dangle his body upside down in the air as he struggled to free himself. She looked around to see if anyone else was as shocked as her, but to no one’s surprise, she saw that Elijah looked utterly bored by the display while Kol looked downright gleeful with his phone out, taking a video of his brother dangling like mistletoe. Klaus, on the other hand, looked furious. His eyes bled yellow as she saw him try to summon his strength to break free, but it looked like his struggling only made the bindings tighter. Caroline looked down and saw the shadows were linked to Kaetlyn, but the expression on her face looked so calm and relaxed that she wondered how much power the woman had to perform such a profound display of magic…
“Honestly, children can be so tedious when they become greedy.” The goddess drew her finger in a ‘come here’ motion, and the shadows followed her command by bringing Klaus before her and even lowering him to her face level. Katelyn gave a catlike grin to the wiggling hybrid. “Now, now, Niklaus – you know you’ve brought this onto yourself…How many times must I teach you that you’ll get more flies with honey than vinegar when asking for a favor…? Gods above, humans weren’t kidding when they said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or, well, in your case, can’t teach an old puppy new tricks.”
She turned back in Caroline’s direction, leaving behind Klaus to struggle. “I thought that you might not have particularly liked my original offer. But given the circumstances, I don’t think dismissing it so callously would be wise.”
Keep calm. “What goal are you trying to achieve?”
“Before we get to that…” Kaet laughed. She took Caroline’s hands in hers again and flashed her a smile that surely brought many people to their knees. “I want to make a deal.”
»»———-◬———-««
“How do your powers work?”
“Orange – what’s your favorite Pokémon type?”
“How were you able to locate the dragon?”
“Cream cheese – you’ve ever seen “Liz and the Blue Bird” before? It’s a movie from Kyoto Animation.”
“What spell did you use on Hope, and how do you reverse it?”
“Do you think it’s possible to substitute matcha powder with finely ground green tea leaves? I tried it once and couldn’t taste any of the green tea flavor after mixing it with white chocolate.”
“What can you tell us about the spell you put on Hope?”
“Yeah, yeah – hey, what’s your credit score?”
Ric put his head against the table and let out a long, tired sigh. He was going out of his mind. Two hours had passed since he brought the girl – Mara Drake, according to Kol Mikaelson – in, and he still wasn’t getting any closer to learning how to help Hope. Every question he threw at her, she either didn’t bother to answer or asked something completely random. It didn’t matter what intimidation tactic he threw at her; she’d just give him a bored look and yawn at his face. At some point, he grew so tired of her bullcrap and asked Caroline to let Klaus shoot his shot at the interrogation, only for the suspect to sign the Original Hybrid that his butt was too flat!
Alaric took a deep breath. It’s okay – he could do this. He was an adult, and she was just a kid. More importantly, he was an educator. So, as aggravatingly infuriating as the suspect was acting, she would not be getting the better of him. Ric would be calm, controlled, and he–
*Click* *Clack* *Creeeaaak* *Clang*
Ric Saltzman’s eyes shot open and paled when he saw that Mara was no longer sitting across from him. In a panic, he looked around to see if she could escape out the little window the witches spelled to block. But then he turned around and saw her…outside the cell?! And she was locking him in?!
He flung out of his chair and gripped the iron bars. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Mara pulled out the key and twirled the key ring on her finger. “Well, you took so long in your damn nap that I got hungry! So, I used the keys I swiped from you earlier to get myself outta here.”
Ric couldn’t believe this was happening. “What’re you…what do you mean ‘swiped earlier’?!”
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “Well, Jesus, man – you had so many openings! I couldn’t not take it!” Tucking the keys in the back pocket of her jeans, Mara stretched her arms above her head, and Ric heard a few of her bones crack and pop. “Anyway, I’m gonna borrow your kitchen real quick. What’re you feeling? Pasta, soup, sandwich? I’m gonna make pasta.”
Alaric dumbfoundedly watched as Mara walked down the dark corridor. A single thought rang through his head…
Did…did that really just happen?!