Chapter 10

The car turned on with a jump and I gripped the wheel. Whoever did this will pay. It was 3 minutes to Raiden's house. I knew the moment i stepped out of my car, the normalness would be gone forever. I was a fool to think I could be fine. Nothing is fine. Raiden ran out of his door to my car.

"What happened?" "M-my mom is gone. She just...faded away. Said that the Weaverax was killing her." His face darkened. "We have to jump now. The portal will close in 2 minutes." I climbed out of the car and he took my hand. "Ready?" But before i responded my head started to spin and i landed on the grass on my hands and knees.

The temperature severely changed and became even hotter than california which is saying something. I felt like I was about to throw up all of my insides. And then the wave hit and I think I did throw up all of my insides. Then i looked up and saw the massive white quartz castle directly in front of me. The sun shone bright which reflected on the red flapping flags on each tower. Dazian took my arm to help me up and my mouth was gaping open.

"T-This is all....yours?" "Well my fathers but soon to be mine." He said smiling shyly. We walked closer to it and the guards at the front bowed low. The sounds of my sneakers on the white marble echoed through the massive throne room and luckily nobody was there to hear. There were three massive thrones made of gold and red jewels which shone from the sun reflecting off of stained glass. He brought me to a huge room with light grey and teal sheets, my favorite colors, which was the size of my entire apartment.

"I will let you clean up and change." "Why change?" "Because people around here don't exactly dress like people from Cali." He said laughing. The door shut and I went to the bathroom which was the size of two of my rooms. The shower was quick and then i stepped into the wardrobe which was bigger than the bathroom. Dresses of every color hung in a line. I looked for anything other than a dress but found no luck. I heard a knock on the door and freaked because i was still in my towel.

"My lady its just your maid. I'm here to help you change." A voice said from behind the door. "H-Help me change?" I have never had anyone see me standing bare naked. Except that one time Cal accidentally opened the door without knocking and I screamed. Not even my mother sees me naked.

"Uhhh i can change alone." "Sorry my lady but you will surely need help getting into the dress." "Ummm come in?" A short lady with tied up red hair came in. She bowed which made the uncomfortable-ness rise up ten levels. "Would you like help picking the dress?" "Do you have pants?" "Pants?" "uhh ya. Pants." "You are meeting with his majesty in the throne room. Proper attire is emphasised." "Ummm ok?" I took out a dress from the rack which was more like a gown but looked the simplest.

The next part was probably the most awkward moment of my life. You see the princesses being dressed in tv shows but they never explain how awkward it is. The corset was tight and the blue fabric was soft on my skin. It was a navy shade of silk with gold edges and flowers. She even tied up my hair into some kind of braid crown.

And when I looked at the mirror I screamed. No, I literally screamed. Not because of the clothing but because of my ears. They had pointed tips like some kind of fairy or elf from the movies. I think i would have passed out right there if Raiden didn't walk in. I rubbed a finger on my newly pointed ears and he laughed. His ears had little points on the tips too.

"W-What the actual hell?" "You are a Draxin Mer. Its...well a type of Fae."

"What? Fae? Thats only in books."

"Not in this world." I looked at myself and examined the definess of my face that wasn't there before. I traced a cheekbone which I never had and Raiden put a hand on mine. I looked at him and I clearly wasn't the only one that changed. If his face was hot before, it is godly now. His black hair gleamed over his pointed ears and grey eyes shone bright. And i couldn't just ignore the gold crown like band resting on his head on top of his brow.

"You look wonderful." He said still holding my hand. His hand was rough like he has been lifting weights but most likely here lifting a sword.

"This is a fairy tale. But more like a nightmare fairy tale. Raiden i need to find Cal." "And we will" He stroked the top of my hand. "I promise we will. But we need my father's assistance with infiltrating the house. I felt butterflies run all through my body when he continued drawing small circles on my hand with his finger.

"Raiden-" But my breath caught in my throat. "Raiden why are you helping me? W-We just met." "i know." Was all he said. "Seriously. Why go through all of this trouble?" "B-because it feels like i have known you forever." I looked into his eyes and he gave a weak smile. He looped my hand in his arm. "Shall we?" I nodded.

We went back down a stairwell to the base of the throne room. But it wasn't empty this time. The man sitting on the throne was intimidating with his heavy golden crown and black hair as dark as Raidens. The woman beside him had bright blond hair done in curls. The king wore a suit similar to Raiden's in a medieval looking fashion and the queen's red gown was bright and vibrant. We went in front of them and Raiden bowed and I did exactly what he did.

"Mother. Father. We seek your assistance." His voice sounded even more accented than before if that was even possible. Part of me thinks he toned it down in front of me on purpose. "And this is lady Mercury i'm assuming?" The queen said. "Mer. Just Mer." I said quietly but loud enough for them to hear. The queen raised her eyebrows but then smiled. But the smile wasn't friendly but the 'your going to regret that' kind of smile. Great first impressions.

"Well lady Mer. We have heard alot about you." The king said. "Yes father. And in favor of her assistance, we need yours. A boy has been taken by the Auguan court from the mortal world. I need permission to infiltrate." "The Auguan court is one of our greatest allies. It will take time to get permission to get inside."

"Then why get permission?" I blurted. "All due respect but this is my brother. I promise I won't get you all in trouble. Just let me go there and take him back." It was like all of a sudden my balsy-ness grew along with my new ears.

"Mer it doesn't work like that. This court, all courts, are heavily guarded and you cant just walk in there-" "We will seek permission and news shall come back in a weeks time." The kind said interrupting his son. We walked out of the throne room bowing and went to my room.

"A week! Raiden, I can't wait a week! Cal could be being....tortured!" "Mer this place isn't like the mortal world. Things take time-" "He doesn't have time!" I said throwing my arms up in the air. "There is a barrier around every court. They know every trace that passes through." "but not mine. I have never passed through so they wont be able to trace me right?"

"You cant just go in alone-"

"Yes i can." "Mer you'll be dead before you even see your brother." "No i wont. Because they can't kill me. They need me." "So your saying you want to get captured?"

"Yes. I'll go in and be ready. Then i'll get to Cal and we will get out together." "Mer once your in there is not getting out." "T-Then i'll trade myself for him." He took my wrist.

"No." I frowned and tried pulling away but his grip was too strong. "Mer im not letting you get taken. And you have passed through before. They will recognize you."

"When huh? How could i possibly have passed through before?" He stifled a growl and let go of my wrist. "You will wait Mer. Wait until we can get through. It's the only way." I took a deep breath, so frustrated I thought I would scream.

"So what do you expect me to do now?" "Get some sleep." I realized i have been awake for a full 48 hours. "Mer promise me you wont do anything." I just stared into his ocean grey eyes. He put a hand to my face. His hand was warm against my cool cheek.

"Mer." "Ok. Fine ok." He dragged a finger down my face which sent chills through my body. His face was inches from mine. "Thank you." He whispered in my ear. Then his warmth left along with him leaving my room. So i undid my beautifully braided hair and stared at my golden brown eyes. Even my eyes were lighter. Specks of gold in my cornea. I put a finger on my ear again. I wonder if Cal has pointed ears. If he freaked out too. Or if he even looked at a mirror.

If he is being held somewhere, like the place he described in his dreams. I laid down on the silk sheets and guilt coursed through me. I needed to get him back. I promised Raiden I wouldn't do anything but I have always been bad at promises.