Meanwhile, after Caijoonyung had already gone home and fallen asleep, Persephane was summoned to go to Melophilio and Topificetus’ castle to speak with the demigods, so they could question her and get a much better picture and understanding of what is going on between the two of them. Persephane walked out of her home where she lived alone, and looked out at her surroundings, seeing all the villagers' homes barely illuminated by the lamp posts that were scattered around the streets; seeing that most of the houses were dark showed that every one of the villagers was asleep. Which makes sense given how late in the evening it was. She looked up at the night sky, which was covered in stars and with the full moon shining brighter than any star there, which added to the illumination of the land region. She closed her eyes and raised her head towards the sky then took a deep breath of the crisp night air and filled her lungs with the smell of pine coming from the forest behind her home. There was also the faintest lingering smell of dinner cooked and the fires that had been put out which were coming from the houses of the villagers off in the distance. 

After filling up her senses, she looked around her to make sure that there was no one awake and walking about, and then she shape-shifted into the most beautiful shiny silver-colored wolf that was bigger than any actual wolf living there. There were striking blue patterns all over her body, the blue color glowed almost neon blue with a simmering effect like bioluminescence. That glittery effect moved like water in a stream and would shift on its own accord. Her eyes had a dazzling winter green hue that gave the impression that they were bright glowing gems, that glistened in the moonlight. After taking another deep breath, she let it out in a huff, then sprinted faster than most could keep track of. Within minutes, she was already at the castle of the demigods.  

As she made her ascent up the large, wide, stone steps; she did a seamless shift back to her original form. As the fur receded, it made way to a loose flowy garment that was similar in design to peplos or chiton and was semi-sheer but not seen through. The material was an elegant white color, that would shimmer in tandem with her movements, which was tied to her body with ornate golden bands wrapped around her wrists, ankles, and neck. Her hair flowed out of her head at the end of her transformation, billowing out behind her in a combination of loose curls and intricate braids that fell to just above her bottom. The color was an ombre mix of purples and blues with the tips of her hair a type of sea green color. By the time she reached the castle doors, her transformation was completely done. The guards standing outside of the doors promptly opened them while giving a low bow in respect. The castle guards did not escort Persephane inside, because they knew who she was and already knew where to find them. As Persephane entered the castle she could sense their auras and the magic emanating from them which she used to locate them. 

Persephane knocked on the door to the room where all the demigods were waiting for her. All of them directed their intense gazes at her as she entered the room. Their intense gazes made her flinch slightly because of how imposing their presence could be, but it didn’t bother her much considering that they were family. She was only slightly concerned about why she was being summoned to the castle this late at night since no one told her what it was for. Although she didn’t think that it was anything bad, she couldn’t entirely rule that possibility out. It’s been a long time since her aunts and uncles called for her, and it is even more rare for them to call for her at this time of night. Not knowing the reason why she was summoned in the first place was causing her to have a bit of anxiety. Looking at the demigods, who were her aunts and uncles, suddenly gave her thoughts that she might have done something wrong or done something to offend them in some way. Or worse yet, offending the gods in the ethereal realm, who were her parents. However, she held her own, back straight, chin up, and eyes forward with a sense of beauty and grace. 

Her aunt, Jupcaeris, stood up and greeted her with a hug and a smile, and ushered her to sit down on the soft, decorative, and firm cushioned love seat that was against the back wall. They all took turns greeting her and offering her refreshments to help her relax and not fret over the meeting. Reluctantly, she accepted a cup of tea that her uncle Ventus had offered her. Persephane blew on it to cool it down before taking a sip, and the aroma reached her nose which she breathed in deeply. It had a light floral scent as well as a small hint of something sweet, like an apple. After her first sip, she lowered the teacup down, looked up at everyone in the room, and then asked them why they summoned her so late at night. 

# 

“Persephane, we know that you must be worried and anxious about why we have summoned you here. Haha. Your emotions are written all over your face. We know that you’re worried, but you don’t need to be. You don’t need to be so stiff and formal with us, I mean we are family after all. Trust me, you have nothing to be afraid of. Please go ahead, try some refreshments, and relax Persephane,” Melophilio said. 

# 

She started to relax her body and released a tension in her body she didn’t even realize was there. Persephane let out a little sigh of relief. She must have gotten tense when she was having thoughts about what they were going to discuss. Persephane knew that they were not going to talk about anything bad, but she still wasn’t able to completely shake off that voice in her head that was giving her doubts. 

# 

“Thank you all for the refreshments. The tea tasted exquisite. So, since we are dropping formalities, am I to assume that this meeting will be informal?" Persephane said to everyone in the room, not addressing anyone in particular. 

Topificetus answered her question, “Yes you are correct in your assumption. This is indeed an informal summons. We simply need to ask you a few questions regarding a small matter. So, do not worry so much; you are not in trouble. Just so you are aware, the questions we are going to ask are personal, but we do need you to answer them truthfully and not to hide anything from us. Let me reiterate, you are not in any trouble. The information that we will gather from the answers you give us will help us solve a matter that has been puzzling us. Will you answer us truthfully and honestly?” 

“Of course, Auntie Topificetus, I will answer all your questions to the best of my abilities. So, what is it that is puzzling you all, and how can I help?” 

Melophilio turned towards Persephane and looked her in the eyes and said, “Dearest niece of mine, there is something we need to make sure of; first, do you recall what the sole purpose of your birth was? Do you remember what your parents told you about your destiny?” 

Persephane tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face as she replied, “Yes Uncle Melophilio, I remember what my parents told me about my sole purpose in life. I am the supreme being. My mission is to save all Centuri and protect everyone from the threat that is coming our way.” 

“Good. I’m glad to hear that you know what your mission is. With that being said, I want to let you know that your parents have tasked us with keeping an eye on you while you are living here on Centuri. As per their request, we have had our people keep tabs on your whereabouts and all your activities. On occasion when we were not busy with our duties, we would blend in with the crowds that were milling about in the town square and we would also use our powers to disguise ourselves whenever we followed you to your training and school lessons,” Ventus told her. 

# 

Persephane looked like an animal that had just been spotted by a predator as she sat there, unmoving, and not blinking, with a stunned look on her face while she tried to process this sudden revelation. Persephane had absolutely no idea that her parents asked them to spy on her. A few thoughts ran through her head like, did they not trust her enough to carry out her mission on her own or were they worried that something would make her lose her focus and distract her from her duties? The look on her face told everyone what she was thinking and what she was feeling since she tends to wear her heart on her sleeve. The demigods looked at each other and realized that Persephane had most likely misunderstood the situation and what they were trying to get across to her. It just dawned on Ventus that this happened because they were vague in their discussion with Persephane and needed to clear up this misunderstanding. 

# 

With a soft look in his eyes and a gentle smile on his face, Ventus looked at Persephane, cleared his throat, and said, “Niece of mine, your face betrays you. I can see all your thoughts, clear as day, going across your eyes. Let me clear up any misunderstandings that you might have regarding your parents’ request to watch over you. Please understand that your parents love you to their very core. You are their most prized treasure. As such, parents will always worry about the well-being of their child, especially when they live so far away from home, it's all part of the duty of being a parent. They care about you and just want to make sure that you are doing well and are safe. This is typical parent behavior. That said, the Darkness is fast approaching, and it’s only making them that much more cautious and anxious. Since you are the savior, we must ensure that nothing interferes with or prevents you from carrying out your mission. Should anything happen to you or cause you to give up on your mission altogether it will certainly spell disaster not just for Centuri, but for everyone in the ethereal realm as well. This is why your parents, and us included, are going to such lengths to make sure none of that happens. I do hope that this explanation has cleared up some of your concerns.” 

# 

Persephane looked at Ventus, smiled, and nodded. After hearing their explanation and their reasoning behind it all, Persephane was able to stop over-thinking the situation and understand what her family was trying to do for her. A sense of relief and ease washed over her and calmed down any remaining anxiety that she had.  

# 

She took a deep breath in and let it out, then looked at everyone once again and asked, “Alright, I completely understand what it is you are trying to tell me about my parents. Thank you for making it clear about their intentions. I do appreciate that. So, with that now cleared up, may I ask then what is the second thing that you wanted to discuss?” 

“The second thing that we needed to discuss with you is actually the reason why we called you here tonight. As your Uncle Ventus stated, it is our responsibility to ensure that no harm comes to you or prevents you from being able to carry out your duties as our savior. That’s why this matter is important and needs to be discussed urgently. According to your parents’ observations, coupled with our own investigations, we noticed that there has been a certain Commander from the land region who has been seen hanging around you quite frequently. Let me reiterate, that you are not in trouble, but we need to know what is the nature of your relationship with him. We would like to know how long the two of you have been seeing each other. Is this a work-related relationship, a friend relationship, or is it something else?” Melophilio asked her. 

# 

Persephane wasn’t sure how to answer this line of questioning. Does she tell them everything or does she keep some of it private from them? Not knowing what they would do with this knowledge made her nervousness and anxiety flare back up. Her hands started to get cold and clammy, her heart rate went up, and even her breathing slightly increased. With their gazes fixed on her coupled with her nervousness, it made her uncomfortable, causing her to fidget in her seat. Persephane felt that it would be best to tell them everything and not keep secrets from them. This way she avoids them finding out later that she had lied to them or kept secrets from them, which she felt would only make things worse for not just herself but for Caijoonyung too. She hopes that the answers she gives them will not cause problems for Commander Caijooyung later or have this backfire on her. 

# 

“Since all of you have been keeping a close eye on me, there’s no point in trying to hide or deny the fact that I indeed have been spending copious amounts of time with the Commander. In answer to your first question, the nature of our relationship, from my point of view, is not so much a relationship between colleagues, but closer to a relationship of friends. Most of the time when we are together, we just talk about day-to-day topics. Sometimes we talk about work, sometimes we talk about our training, and other times we just share about things that we didn’t know before,” Persephane told them. 

“Alright, since you say that you all are in a friendly and work type of relationship, what kinds of things do the two of you talk about? Does he know about what your mission is or what your purpose in coming to Centuri is?” asked Melophilio. 

“W-w-well, like I said, we talk mostly about work-related topics and training and school. I tell him what I'm working on at work and he tells me what he is doing that day at the military post. Our talks are very casual. Caijoonyung will also tell me about the training exercises he is putting his men through and just everyday life as the Commander of the land region,” she replied. 

Archipeltis raised an eyebrow at her when he noticed that she stammered when answering and questioned her, “Persephane is there something that you are not telling us because you are scared?”