the throne I didn't want. The throne I'd never imagined would be mine. Everyone could say that I had everything. A power to rule a worldwide race and an eternal life to live. Other than that, my father Lord Hades had told me that he'd shared some of his power, a little amount, to me when I'd been resurrected to this world to protect me. I could summon fire out of thin air, that was the real reason I could produce fire for the campfire that night and protect myself from being captured by the faction in the woods. That fire was straight from hell, one that I'd summoned unconsciously.

With everything I had, I should be grateful. Adrian had called me 'Super Queen' but I didn't feel super at all. Honestly, I felt so empty inside because he was not here. I felt so empty that it took everything in me to do a simple task like breathing. It felt like there was nothing in my chests but emptiness. The only proof that I still had a heart was because it was bleeding, constantly aching.

Forever seemed lonely without him. How could I live forever when I could hardly survive a day? The only thing that motivated me to open my eyes in the morning, forced me to eat my meals, and basically kept me going was the growing baby inside my womb. She was the only reason I lived. Without her, I'd rather die. Without her, there was no point for me to continue living this hollowed life.

I never knew that life could be so empty without someone. What Edna St. Vincent Millay said was right, 'where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.' She was goddamn right.

My gaze dropped on my hands resting on my lap. I focused my energy on one palm and summoned the fire from hell. These days I learned how to control them, it was difficult but I made some improvements. Putting more focus on the palm of my hand, I made the fire dancing like the dragon in Chinatown during the Chinese New Year Festival.

Knowing that I had this power, I couldn't help but feel a tremendous regret. I could've saved him if I'd stayed.

Why did I leave him there? Why didn't I stay? Why? Stupid Avery!

I shook my head, preventing those guilt and regret from growing bigger because I knew if I let them, they'd suffocate me, engulfing me in whole. Right now, I couldn't let that happen, not when I had a child with me whose life depended on me.

It's not your fault. I made you leave.

I took a deep calming breath as Vlad's voice replayed in my head.

It's fate and it's done. There's no point of regretting it now, Avy.

He was right. Just like always. There was no point in regretting what was done. I should focus on what was in front of me.

'Don't worry, love. You're strong. I know you can do this. Tell our child how much I love him. If he's a boy, tell him to be a gentleman, to always treat girls right. But if he's a girl, tell her that boys don't have cooties.'

I think it's better to tell her that they do.'

'Well, I trust you.' I remembered him smiling. The kind of smile that could always calm me down. 'I'll agree and second whatever you tell her.'

I smiled, remembering our last conversation. I'd replayed it more than a hundred times inside my head. Not because I was afraid I'd forget him, it was because I missed him terribly. I replayed the moments we'd spent together over and over again, engraving them all in my heart. Those were the ones keeping me warm at night.

Noises came from the big double doors twenty feet away from me. I clenched my palm, making the fire disappeared into thin air. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that I had people to rule, a responsibility to carry. My father had told me to be strong. He'd told me that Vlad would come back after several decades once he finished his cycle in the Underworld and that what motivated me to be better, to do this task seriously. I wanted to make my father and Vlad proud.

"Your Majesty, it's time," I heard Klas' voice on my left.

I faked a smile as I turned around to face him. "Of course. Bring them in."

Klas notified the guards who then brought two men in. These two were the ones who had killed him. Every vibe on my being told me to kill them too, but should I?

Can I kill someone because they killed my soulmate?

As Vlad's soulmate, the answer was yes. But as a Queen, it was a no.

I stood and walked until the two men were only at arm's length. Klas moved beside me, carrying a knife with Greek letters engraved on its blade and skull on top of the hilt. I took it, feeling the weight on my palm, I brought it closer to the guy whom I believed named Trevor. Instead of stabbing him to death, I carved his skin on his left chest where I could feel his heart beating underneath. Through the palm of my hand, the magic ran to the blade. He screamed and screamed yet I didn't stop until it was done.

He was drenched in sweat and I moved to the next guy, doing the same thing I'd done to Trevor. His scream brought tears streaming down my eyes. They weren't for them, they were for him. For my lost soulmate.

The knife dropped from my hand with a clang as the metal met the granite floor. My voice was cold and cruel when I said, "you both have been marked."

"Why didn't you kill us?" Trevor asked.

"It'd be too easy." I didn't fake my smile this time as my heart thumping loudly. Anger fueled my vengeance. "If I kill you, you'll reborn again. Your souls have been marked. Once you die, you'll never come back. You'll not be able to have a child, none of your family will. Your bloodline dies with you." I took a step back before they managed to grab me. "You can tell that to your mother Hera. Tell her that Stavros will not back down. We won't let any of you trample on us. Not anymore. Tell her that just like Phoenix, we will reborn from our ashes."

I flicked my fingers and the guards took them away. They were screaming and crying yet I didn't bother to look. This was my reign. I had lost everything because of a stupid god upstairs who fell in love with a mortal didn't have the guts to tell his wife that he no longer loved her.

It was a good thing that the gods couldn't meddle with humans' lives so Hera couldn't touch me. Obviously, I couldn't touch her either. Even with my power, she was too strong for me. But there was nothing she could do with her descendants. Zeus told me not to kill her bloodline, saying that we needed to preserve the natural balance, but he didn't say anything about killing everyone but one.

After all, Hera started this first, she made all of this happened. She'd ordered her descendants to kill almost everyone in my bloodline in the Great Massacre. It was her fault. She'd done it first.

Now it was my turn.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Kristen for the hundredth time that evening. Since I didn't have anyone to live with me in the palace, Kristen, Diego, Adrian, and Renata had moved in to keep me company. I appreciated their gestures, I really did, but they nearly drove me insane with their 'are you okay?' and 'are you sure?' questions.

They did it because they cared, I knew that. But being asked whether I was okay or not made me take a closer look at myself and found that I was not okay. Then my brain would analyze why I wasn't okay which could only result in me crying, self-hating, feeling guilty, or all the three combined.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." I gave her what I hoped was a convincing smile.

Kris frowned. Her brows formed straight lines on her smooth forehead. "I can sleep with you tonight."

I shook my head. "No, no. Please go to Camille and Diego. I know they're waiting for you."

Camille Garcia was Diego and Kris' daughter. Two months after they'd tied the knot, they found out that she was pregnant. Kris had been terrified, she wasn't sure she was ready to be a mother, yet right now, looking at her and Camille, I knew her fear was for nothing.

She'd chosen me to be her daughter's godmother, even named her after my name Camila, which I'd never used anymore since I declared my name as Avery Sienna Stavros. Although if you asked little Camille, she wouldn't say that her name came from the Queen, instead she'd say her mom named her after that lady who dressed like an angel in The Originals. Kids these days.

"Are you sure?" asked Kristen one more time.

I nodded. "Yes."

Kristen pulled me into an embrace, hugging me for a brief moment before letting me go. "Good night, my Queen," she teased in which I replied with an eye roll.

Once I was alone in my bedchamber, I moved towards the sofa at the corner and sat. It was a tiring day yet my body wasn't completely worn out so I picked up the book on the table and opened the last page I'd been on.

"Hmm, what name rhymes with Kristen?" I mused to myself as my eyes skimmed through countless baby names on the book. "Kirsten? Well, that's too obvious. I can't let my best friend's head bigger than her ass." I chuckled. "Maybe Kaidence? Kamdeen? Does that rhyme?"

"How about Kearson?" said a deep, familiar male voice. My head snapped in disbelief as my eyes took in the lean muscular figure standing a few feet away from me.

I gasped. "Oh my. I can't believe this."

He smiled as he moved closer. "Which one, you can't believe I'm here or you can't believe I'm so good with baby names?"

"Both!" I stood and wrapped my arms around him. It had been a while since the last I'd seen him. "Dionysus!" Pulling away, I looked up, shaking my head. "Why are you here? Not that I mind but I know how busy you are."

"I miss this place." His hand motioned his surrounding. "Is the Head of CG place still unoccupied?"

"Why?" I chuckled. "Do you want to work for me?"

"I wish. It's easier than working for my dad." He rolled his eyes.

"Uh-huh. Your dad is an asshole."

Dionysus shook his head, looking jealous. "Only you could say that and not having your ass hit by the lightning."

"Do you want some tea or something? I could ring a bell," I offered.

That wiped the smile off his face as it turned serious. "No. I have something important that I have to tell you."

Putting my hands over my stomach, something I'd done a lot recently whenever I was scared or concerned, I bobbed my head.

"I think I might've accidentally found a way to resurrect Vladimir," said Dionysus, igniting all my prayers and hopes.