the same dream over and over for these past few days. I felt that it was trying to tell me something. That man, Vladimir, was trying to tell me something of importance. Sure, he was such a forceful man as he kept on telling me to come with him wherever that might be, but the desperation laced with frustration in his voice always tickled my mind.

Somehow, I had no control over my own dream as I kept muttering the same thing though my mind wanted to say something else. I tried to will the question I'd been meaning to ask him yet nothing changed, I always did and said the same exact things just like the first time I had this dream. It was quite annoying considering it was my dream yet I had no power over it.

Another letter has arrived today from one of my dad's brothers: Lord of The Sea, Poseidon. He reminded dad that it was time to let me go, to let me be reborn again. Dad asked me if I wanted to go, which of course I answered with an obvious no.

I loved being here, surrounded by people that I loved. And I hated being on earth where I had to suffer from being hunted like an animal, murdered many times, and treated worse than scum. I'd like to stay here a tad longer before I had to go through all those again.

As I rested my head on the pillow that night, I knew the same dream would be played just like any other night. I let out a sigh and surrendered to my fate as I closed my eyes and fell into deep somber.

He stood there as always, watching my every move before he dared to walk towards me. In seconds, he stood at me from his lofty height. I waited for my mouth to open and tell him to go away but nothing came out. Unlike any other day, this dream wasn't scripted.

Raising one hand, I slowly caressed his dark stubble chin, shocking the both of us. A sharp intake of his breath told me he wasn't expecting this; like I was he was expecting me to turn him adrift, tell him to go away.

The emptiness in his eyes slowly drifted away, replaced by something else. He leaned in closer, intruding on my personal space, and yet I didn't mind; I didn't mind at all.

In fact, when he closed the gap between our mouths and brushed his lips lightly over mine, I let him. He probably saw the green light as in split seconds, his arms were wrapped around my body and the caress of his lips turned into a kiss. One with hunger and desperation that it almost felt like he was trying to awaken something inside of me.

One moment I felt nothing and the next I felt everything. Everywhere he touched burst into flame and I could see myself gasping for more. When his lips finally left mine and I opened my eyes, it was all crystal clear of who I was and who he was. We were soulmates, meant to be together for eternity.

The smile on my lips washed the worry off his face away forever. "Vladimir." Didn't matter if his name was Icarus, Alessandro, Tiberius, or Vladimir; he was my other half and that was all that mattered.

* * *

within the black clouds, and white cracks crumbled the night sky a second before thunder boomed. I could feel it through the hardwood beneath my two bare feet. I tried to stay perfectly still but knowing that I wasn't the type of person who could hide my true discomfort and fake a smile, I failed to do so.

My father knew something was bugging me. He gently put his hand over mine and asked, "is something amiss, my dear?"

Another flash of lightning lit the room and I bit my lip, trying to force slow and even breaths. I could never lie to my father (which was probably the reason why I was such a bad liar on earth) so I decided to come clean.

"Papa, I remembered things from my life as Avery Montgomery." I swallowed convulsively. "So many questions were answered once I regained my memory but there is one question that was left unanswered."

He smiled fondly. "It's about Adrian, isn't it?" As always, he knew exactly what was on my mind even without having a soulmate bond. Perhaps what others said was right, parents always knew what was on their children's minds.

I nodded. "I don't understand why I was able to read his mind yet he couldn't read mine."

"It's because he wasn't your soulmate," he answered, his expression remaining unchanged. "Vladimir was your soulmate." He tilted his head to the right and added, "still is, I assume, since you're still attached to him."

My cheeks felt hot. Since I regained my memory yesterday, Vladimir was practically in my mind twenty-four seven.

"His soul, Vladimir's, is your other half. However, his body isn't."

I frowned. "What?"

"The soul was supposed to be inside Adrian's body, that was the reason why you were so attracted to him. It was nearly impossible for you to resist him, wasn't it?"

Again, I nodded while implicitly hoping he'd continue.

"When your other half was reincarnated, the body wasn't ready although the soul was, just like what happened with your previous life as Isabelle Stavros more than two hundred years ago." He flicked his hand and two glasses of wine appeared on the table. "You were able to read both Icarus Christoulakis and Jonathon Chance but only Icarus was able to read your mind."

My father grabbed one glass and took a drink. I followed him and did the same, knowing fully well that I'd need something stronger to help me get through this.

"You were promised to marry Icarus but you ran away with Jonathon one week before the wedding. You were going to be punished for the betrayal that you'd done but I'd saved you." He took another sip and let out a deep sigh. "I had a small fight with Zeus because of that." A sardonic smile appeared on his face. "He told me not to mess with the Children of the Moon but you were the only one left. I've lost all my children and I couldn't risk losing you."

The more he talked, the more confused I became. "How did it happen? How could a body and a soul be separated by time?"

"It was a curse." He stood and began to pace around the room. "Are you aware of what I did to Persephone?"

"Yes." I nodded. After all, I'd learned Greek myth in high school. "It was said that you kidnapped her."

"That's true." My father chuckled. "It was love at first sight. I had to have her." For a split second, he looked like a teenage boy in love, not the Lord of the Underworld. "Some people wrote that Zeus had given me the permission and it was true. He had," his expression turned sour and I knew something bad happened, "until he took back his promise. He told me that I was a monster, that she was my niece and I wasn't supposed to fall for her."

"But Zeus himself—"

"Yes," my father interrupted, "he married Hera and had a child with Demeter." He smirked as he added, "although I didn't object to the latter since it was the reason my lovely wife was born."

"So did you tell him that he was being a hypocritical asshole?" I asked annoyedly.

My father laughed. "Your spirit as Avery Montgomery still lives deep inside of you. I like that." He moved closer to me and patted my shoulder. "And yes, my dear, I told him exactly that and that was why he made a curse. A curse that my children will be attracted to more than one person, that their hearts yearn for someone while their bodies want to be in someone else's arms."

"It was all because of me." He hung his head. "It was to prove to me that the body wants what it wants, just like his body wanted Hera and Demeter regardless of the fact that they were his sisters. He also wants to punish me for wanting my own niece."

"Papa, I'm so sorry." I hugged him tightly and felt tears running down my cheeks.

"No, don't be."

I pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. They were as wet as mine. "He has proven it so many times until now. You, my dear, have finally ended the cycle, for you have chosen Vladimir and not Adrian. You've resisted the urge to indulge yourself in Adrian's arms, you've chosen your heart over your body. You've proven him wrong. You're the living proof that what your heart really feels was stronger than what your body wants."