Chapter 12: Chapter 12 – Athena’s Bane
POV- Penelope
Sitting slumped on a row of dusty cushioned chairs waiting for an assembly was not how I wanted to start the day. Any day really. And though the last one had been promising, with combat magic being introduced, I had a bad feeling about this one. Stirred from my thoughts by Dominic sitting in the row behind me, the perfect Hope, his cuckquean girlfriend beside him. Not that I could blame her, I wanted in on what they have going after all. Something I would have laughed at a few weeks ago, before burning whoever suggested it.
There was something about him that made the idea desirable. Even dating wasn't something I had been looking for since getting dropped by Josie, but here we are, me crushing on a dude in a weird-ass relationship, craving to get in. "Hey Penelope," they both said politely. 'Even that was weird. Before he arrived, Hope was a distant loner, yet here she is being actively friendly. Maybe she just needed a shag?' Waving briefly, I turn back to the podium, both turning to spot Dr Saltzman and a cop, and hiding my face from the twins, lest they get upset with me and Dom. 'Holy fuck, he's hooked me in just with some kissing, what is wrong with me? A week and I care about his wellbeing. I'd even had a moment of panic when I heard he was covered in blood, but relaxed hearing he had the same healing as the vamps did.'
"Okay, Students! Due to the recent influx of monsters, the sheriff and I have decided we need to take some drastic action. Please give him your full attention." The two of them explained that two human girls from the Mystic Falls High School had gone missing, including the annoying blonde girl from the football game, Dana, who flirted with Dom after the match. "Now I'll need a few of you to volunteer to go to Mystic Falls High, the guise of an exchange program, building the relationship between the two schools. Now, I give you permission to compel them, to collect evidence that may be used in locator spells, because any information we can get, will make all the difference in getting these girls home safe." The attention whore, Liz went to get up, but then was pulled back down by Josie.
"You can barely stand after what happened yesterday, and on top of that, neither of us slept. So sit your ass down and shut it," she hissed. I had never seen Josie be so outspoken, and I loved it. Whatever Dom had done to them, I couldn't care anymore. She had been happy, and was more confident than I've ever seen her. Kaleb stood, offering to go, followed by the baby boy MG, who was looking at Kaleb strangely, like he was going to keep a watch on the other vamp.
"I'll go," Dom called, and Hope jumped up to volunteer too. 'Wow, she is absolutely under thumb. I never thought I'd get to see her so…whipped. I'd seen them bantering and teasing each other in the halls and in class, but she was so different since he came.
"Anyone else," Dr S calls, and I chuckle, imagining the poor shmucks going to a school of humans. A hand on the elbow I was leaning on, and I feel the air rush over my skin. "Penelope, wonderful." Turning to the laughing devil who was desperately trying not to make a sound, his hands wrapped around his sleek stomach, I swear to make him regret it. 'Maybe I'll give him a temporary tattoo. Property of Penelope. Yeah, seems fair.' His amused eyes were almost luminous today, though I wasn't sure if it was due to the sunlight reflecting off them. 'I guess we're a pretty powerful team regardless. We'll find her in no time and come back before lunch…hopefully.' I'd heard rumours about public school cafeterias and wasn't desperate to try it for myself.
POV- Hope
I'd never gotten to go to a normal school, and while I had hesitated in volunteering, I was glad Dom had offered, as it meant we could go together. Looking at the exhausted state of Lizzie and Josie, there was no way they could have come, and I'm once again thankful for my recovery speed.
Arriving at the school, I had to remind Dom about his horns and tail before we pulled up in the carpark, as there was no way they wouldn't draw attention. Not that he wouldn't anyway. He was a walking talking embodiment of lust and desire, and he looked every bit the part. His looks had even improved somehow since we first met, now a little taller and a little more sculpted. His eyes, however, were dreamy, ironically. A cobalt blue that glowed faintly, though people often attributed it to a trick of the light. I knew I was pretty, but his smooth, flawless skin and winning grin made me feel lucky to have him, and in ways I was.
Penelope had decided to use the opportunity to relax with us, which I didn't have much of a problem with as she would scare off most of the annoying pests and spellwork was often better powered by two witches than one. The plan was simple, the three of us would collect a list of people the vamps needed to compel by using Dom's empathy reading, targeting those feeling great guilt, grief and fear, while Penelope, Dom and I looked for evidence and stuff to use for a locator spell. The three of us moved together, reaching a history class on the medieval period. 'If only they knew just how little of their history went as they think.' Dom paid almost no attention to the class, and while our hands were together, his eyes scanned the room, noting the physical features and names of the students he marked.
"Do you reckon something happened to them, or they just stayed out for a day hungover?" Penelope asked leaning into my ear.
"Probably not, but as Professor Saltzman said, it won't hurt to be careful."
"Teacher's pet," she semi-whispers, fully aware that I can still hear her. Instead of responding with words I look at Dom's hand holding mine, drawing her gaze to it as well. I don't even need Dom's empathy reading to see her envy as she turns away, focusing on the teacher as if nothing happened. The next few classes went the same, with Dom passing a list to MG in the hallway between classes so that they could investigate. During the lunch break, I ducked off, leaving to go see how MG and Kaleb had gone on their own investigation while Dom and Penelope raided lockers. Finding them at the back of the school, we share our collective information. And by that, I mean zip. We were groaning about the lack of information everyone had when a rustle from the forest grabbed our attention, our trio ready for an altercation.
"Help," a soft voice made out, and Dana staggered out of the tree line, weakened and pale. Pulling her to a bench seat, MG spots a bite mark on her neck, not like a vampire's but large-holed and blacked, as if her body was rotting as a result.
"Can your boyfriend do that?" Kaleb asked, and immediately regretted it as I backhand him across the face, dropping him to the floor. "OWW! Damn, I was just askin' Hope. What about that other guy, Landon? We don't even know what he is, and we know he was involved with that knife. What if he's a creature like them?" I almost laugh at the idea of Landon being a murderous creature. He's too soft for any of that, and far too awkward to approach a girl, let alone Dana, monster or not.
"Doubt it." MG had a weird look as he watched Kaleb, "We tested him and he is lower than even the average human, let alone a big fanged monster." The three of us weren't quiet since Dana was unconscious, unable to maintain the effort to keep awake, and our own investigation of her body was interrupted by Penelope and Dominic who came running from the school.
POV- Dom
After Hope left to go talk to the vamps, Penelope and I planned to go rummaging for an item for a locator spell, though that was difficult as being unseen or unnoticed was practically impossible, a small group of bleach blonde and still pasty pale girls, decorated like clowns flocked to me now that Hope wasn't with me. "Can you skanks fuck off?" Penelope took charge in a way I couldn't without causing a huge issue, clinging to my arm and glaring at the nutjobs. "Being pretty sucks, right?"
"True, and thanks Pen. Without you, I would have been stuck with them unless I used my powers."
"You could give me something to show your gratitude," she said with a smirk, and the temptation was strong.
"I might have, had you not tried to provoke Hope in first class."
"You heard that?"
"I do have enhanced hearing as well, it's just not quite as good." She opened the door with a short chant and a twist of her long fingers, while I distracted the girl next to it, using my empathy reading as a lie detector to question her about Dana, learning nothing but Dana was a bitch, used too much perfume, and the girl's phone number.
"Come on Romeo, we should get you to Juliet before you start adding to your relationship." 'Pfft, as if I'd add anyone from this school of poor quality and bland normality.' Making our way down the hall, I spot a colour I'd seen before but made no sense. An exhausting, debilitating hunger, coming from a jock-type in a letterman jacket.
"Hey dude, are you alright?" I ask, holding Penelope back with a hand. The guy turns, but doesn't speak. 'There's something wrong with him but I can't tell what. As I take another step towards him he goes to grab me with surprising speed, and I react, punching him in the face, controlling the power at the last second to humanish levels.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Penelope cries out and I agree. His face was stuck on my hand, and underneath the partially torn face was a head like a spider. I'd never let anyone know this, but I'd had nightmares about spiders ever since one of my foster parents locked me in a garden shed when I was a kid, and I got bitten, sending me to the hospital. A primal instinct came out of me as I jumped further from his grasp, shoving him away as I did.
A blazing heat tore through my hands and an unnaturally coloured black flame flew over the fallen creature, raising the temperature but not lighting anything on fire. The flames sputtered and the creature scrambled to its feet at that moment, releasing a high-pitched screech before darting into a side classroom with supernatural speed and bursting through a window. "Hellfire. Not that I can control it. Fan-fuckin-tastic. We need to go tell the others."
As we reach the group I sensed at the back of the school, running to tell them, I realise I still have the guy's skin on the back of my hand, unburnt as the flame shot from the inside of my palm. "Yuck I have that guy's face on me." Dropping it onto the corner of the bench, Penelope fills in the others as to the disgusting spider monster creature, while Kaleb mentions that the awful-looking Dana had stumbled out of the forest.
"Spider monster. Spider monster. Arachne!" MG shouted, having recognised the creature we were facing. Looking at the other's confused faces he continues, a large humanoid spider that has enhanced abilities and feeds on people. I read it in a comic book but it fits right?"
"Arachne is an ancient Greek myth MG, not recent. A weaver challenged the goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, and performed better than her, so Athena in her jealousy and rage, made Arachne into a creature of weaving, the first spider. The myth isn't important really, but if it is like the myth that thing could potentially control other spiders, just saying." The others shivered at my words, the image both gross and terrifying.
Dana began to writhe in pain, and no matter how calm I tried to make her, the pain was growing, and her body began to deflate, as if her bones and internal organs were being turned into soup. "I think it's the same as the comic, because it even dissolves its prey the same way, turning a large prey into something it can eat despite the poorly designed teeth. We should then assume that the webbing will be supernaturally strong and sticky."
"That only helps if we know where it is," Kaleb groaned.
I pick up the gross bit of skin, "Would this work for a locator spell?"
~~~
Shockingly, the spider had returned to the Salvatore school, specifically the old mill where I had first met Penelope. It now looked like someone had decorated for Halloween early, draping it in inch-thick webbing that sent shivers through me. "Holy shit that's disturbing," MG let out, equally as grossed out as me.
"So do we just burn it?" Penelope asked.
"Yes, but what if someone's in the webbing trapped? We should make sure no one's in there first." Hope had a point, unfortunately.
"Well, I'm fireproof if you decide to burn it," I offered not really liking the other alternatives.
"Or you could use that black flame of yours to burn it," Penelope added, reminding me of the new power I was too disturbed to pay attention to.
"Black flame? Like-" MG began excitedly
"Hellfire." I managed a small flame, drawing on the blazing heat I felt earlier. There now wasn't any excuse as to why I shouldn't go in there, and with a shiver I walked in, sensing the hungry beast on the upstairs platform to the right. 'At least it can't surprise attack me.'
The Arachne was chittering, its spider head and legs free, though the chest and body were still in the jock-styled meat suit. I saw it tugging a thick cocoon-looking thing from the side, and I begged it wasn't an egg sac. Avoiding the thickly webbed ladder, I flap once and jump, lifting myself high enough to land on the second level without touching the webbed ladder or roof, tucking the wings again. The Arachne was unfurling the webbing around whatever was trapped inside, and the brief glimpse of a face ruined my initial plan to just burn the whole damn building down with it in it. "Guys, there's someone trapped in the webbing!" Kaleb and MG dash inside, slowing only so they don't get stuck.
The creature turns towards me, the disgustingly creepy mandibles clicking, frustrated at being interrupted during its feast. "Guys, I'll distract the ugly thing and you drag the girl out, Is that cool? Cool." Grabbing a small lamp that remained unwebbed, I wig it at the spider's head, making sure that it follows me. 'I don't know how effective or spreadable my flames are and accidentally cooking two vamps and a human snack wrap doesn't sound like a good way to boost my social status.' The grotesque creature scuttled at me, forcing me to jump back off the ledge. Apparently, this spider was not just a climber, but a jumper, as the humanish arachnid followed me out of the old mill and into the open grassy area outside, avoiding the two witches. Penelope summoned a blast of flame that singed the hair on its body and launched it into the ground. The spider rose again, though one of its legs was shiny from the skin melting, and was obviously hurting, as the spider was leaning on the other side. I flung a small batch of void black flame, which the Arachne spotted and dove out of the way, far more concerned about the black flame than the natural flame. 'How does it know what the flame is? Has it seen Hellfire before? Where?'
I unfurl my wings and lift a few feet into the air, close enough to keep its attention, but just out of reach. I hear Kaleb call out that the girl was out, though the boys were still bent over with their hands holding onto the webbing for some reason. This was costly, as the spider had a long-ranged attack, and a thick strand of webbing trapped one of my wings closed against my legs. Landing on the grass, I release the blackened flame over my body, not only keeping the spider away, but burning off the webbing. Hope and Penelope joined hands, which I learnt helped with connecting their energies or whatever, and with a long chant bound the spider in tight restraints made from the earth beneath it. The Arachne struggled and writhed against its cage, but I was almost too glad to watch the thing burn. Blasting a short plume of Hellfire into the creature's cage, the Arachne burst into flame. No smoke or singed hair smells seeped from the body, but the spider screeched in agony, despite the physical body's seeming immunity, as if the creature's soul itself was being incinerated. After a dozen seconds of torturous pain, the spider collapsed, a hollow and lifeless husk. Hope grabbed a long stick and poked it but the body didn't move.
"Hey, now that thing's dead, we're still stuck," MG called out, and between our relief that the thing was well and truly dead and the hilarity of the situation, I couldn't help but laugh at them. Penelope was equally amused, mocking the 'super strong vampires', while Hope moved over to help free them, though a small smile flashed briefly.
I spent the next few minutes testing my flames, which could burn as much, or as little as I wanted, even when positioned next to flammable materials. 'I wonder if it works underwater?' The webbing was removed with a wave of my hand and I couldn't help but wonder if this euphoria was how the witches felt with all their power.
"Hi, Dr Saltzman, we found the girl," Hope's voice came out. "She's unconscious but uninjured. We also found Dana, but her insides were turned into soup and she liquified. Both the living girl and the monster's remains are next to the old mill if you wanted to bring the sheriff. Yes, we tracked the monster. It came from here. It was a, one sec. MG, what was it?"
"Arachne."
"Arachne. Basically, a giant 7-8 foot humanoid spider that could inhabit the skin of those it ate. Yes, we'll wait here…except Kaleb, who just left."
The compulsion was far simpler than MG had made it out to be, and the girl was taken by the Sheriff, leaving us and Alaric with a dead monster corpse.
"What killed it? I can't see any fatal wounds, and it isn't a mess of gore so witchcraft wasn't involved." I show him the hellfire and demonstrate the targeting flame, which made it usable even while training or inside buildings. "Why isn't it charred then?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you. I can guess, but that's all it would be." 'The idea of burning souls within is something I should keep unspoken except from Hope. She's told me about some of the horrible people her family has had to deal with, and the possibility I could incinerate otherwise immortal beings should be kept on the down low.' "I feel gross after being near that thing, so I'm going." Looking at Hope's drifting gaze I grab her wrist and pull her into me, "Aaannd you're covered in black goo, so you're coming with." Alaric held what could only be described as a Dad face, as we walked off, Hope flustered by my openness while just as eager for the shower. 'Should I get my shower and bath enlarged?'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone