"I want to start by approaching this weird connection you claim to have with him, and Pronab... I thought about it deeply last night, I think we have to talk to Angelus more about it but, perhaps your father left inside of you something else besides his blood." Elaine said as they were walking towards the gathering room, Caliope was listening closely as she followed a step behind. As soon as they arrived to the room, they sat in different chairs and quietly waited for Gabrielle and Angelus.

Amra closed his eyes as he stood next to the window, he focused on feeling the strings that tied him to the universe. In the silence of his own mind, he sensed each Angel's joy and tension around them in the city; he followed their moves and their thoughts. He pushed further and reached the borderline, the walls that were lifted in the past few days to physically limit them from the rest of the world, then moved further away. He felt the tension of his mind reaching so far yet contained so hardly. Once he was sure everything that far was safe he focused on the room he was in. The aura of energy in each person was different but reliable; they had their hearts in the task at hand, everyone was focused on helping and all were on the same side. As he finally felt he could let his own guard down, sighed and opened his eyes; Caliope met him with a smile and he put his arms around her. 'I love you'

She blushed slightly and leaned up to kiss him. 'I love you too... everything will be fine, I just know it will...'

Gabrielle walked into the room followed by Angelus; he greeted everyone's eyes briefly with a nod but remained on Caliope with a smile as he sat in a chair.

"Gabrielle, Angelus, thank you for joining us. I want to make clear this before we begin; we hold great power, but lack a lot of information... a key to unravel the mystery behind Gaius disappearance and how to end this war that has already escalated beyond anyone's dreams or nightmares. Your role will bring much light on those subjects Angelus, we don't take slightly either the fact you chose to be on our side as well." Elaine started without wasting a minute.

Angelus nodded at her and remained calm as she continued. "I will start by enlightening you about a few things. Gabrielle is my daughter, and she has been undercover working underground for years to gather as much information as she could. The more specific details of that, I am sure she will handle herself to you personally. Everyone in this room is to be trusted, so what you say to us will be highly guarded and it won't reach any other's ears. So please, let's begin if you are comfortable with this?" She finished as she sat on her chair looking straight on Angelus' eyes.

"Thank you, Lady Clark." He smiled at her and took a deep breath. "I gathered yesterday by your reactions that there is much you don't know; so please excuse me if I rush several things at once, I guess we will answer your questions in the process. To begin with the biggest question of all, no one even in the highest circles talk about Gaius' whereabouts; there has been whispers about this but to many, it is a mystery itself. A very useful mystery, since it gave them courage to act the way they had been... we had been..." he admitted as he lowered his eyes briefly. "I am a messenger, I was... so what I know is what Generals passed to other Generals and that included their admission of not knowing what happened to him. But there is also a key person missing, a bigger mystery into this story; someone who's absence or disappearance might had been passed as unnoticed or without importance until I pointed it out. A year before Gaius' disappearance I was tasked with delivering a package from the researchers to one of the higher Generals, but as he was in battle, my orders were to leave it in the hands of his second in command, Ignitious. He was eager to be left alone with it so I did, and as always, I rested a day before returning to my land. That very same day was the last day everyone saw Ignitious, and when I returned the next day, I was asked to report. This was new to me..." He stopped briefly as he saw confusion in their eyes and leaned on the chair as he continued. "I am a messenger; but not just any type of messenger. Due to my particularly unique ways of traveling and special gifts, my service is often asked. I have the privilege of being able to refuse some of them, no one, ever, asked me to report. This happens only when something went very bad. When I was asked to report, I was met by a room full of generals and they asked me details of what happened; I had nothing strange to report, I delivered the package as instructed, to whom I was pointed at in case of the absence of that General. When I was dismissed without explanations I got worried and decided to stay behind closed doors and heard their conversation. The package never got to the General's hands, and his second Ignitious had been missing ever since. Days later I found out everyone of the researchers was vanished, someone or something vanished them, and it had many on their guards as no one knew how or why. This was quickly forgotten when words spread of Gaius' absence. I tied the dots; whatever the researchers discovered ended up in the unprepared hands of Ignitious and he was behind of their deaths and Gaius' disappearance. Of course, no one paid attention to my words; to them I am the best at my job, but I am just that, a messenger." He finished with clear annoyance.

The room went silent for a moment, and the tension grew by the minute. Angelus began to grow uncomfortable with this and Caliope felt it as well. She looked for a sign of any word that would come out of any of them but everyone was completely immersed with their own thoughts.

She stood up and they locked their gaze on her. "Did they had any records of what were the researchers doing? did they do any kind of investigation at all?" Caliope asked at Angelus and he shook his head.

"As far as I know, they sealed their building and no one has entered there since." He replied.

"What ever they discovered must have been behind it. This guy, Ignitious, got a hold of something only he and the other General were expecting, or something that had to do with them, why else those researchers would send it to them? It must have been something powerful and dangerous, something that made probably Ignitious himself vanish the researchers so no one else could know. They did wrong in not taking your words serious Angelus, everything makes perfect sense." Caliope continued, exasperation in her eyes and tone of voice. "How could they be so blind?" She shook her head.

"Darling, you are receiving all this information in order and in a single statement, they had days and many events while getting all of these. It might be possible they were too caught up in many other things to see it so clearly as you and all of us are." Elaine explained to Caliope and she nodded in reply, sitting once more next to Amra.

"Explain to us what is special about your traveling ways, please..." Elaine continued as she looked kindly at Angelus, he in return smiled and pondered his words before replying.

"In a way, my walls turn me invisible... I move in this realm yet I am not here."

"But we saw you." Elaine interrupted.

"You saw me... because of her..." He pointed at Caliope with a grin. "Her presence, her essence worked as an anchor of some sort, to this realm... my basic shield remained strong, I was still safe inside of it, but I was no longer invisible... My guess is, her connection to him made it impossible. Or what is inside her and protects her, made it that way." He shrugged as he chuckled.

"Amazing... so I am being protected in many ways. I can sleep with that." Caliope added as she began to chuckle as well.

"It could very well be either of those options, you are right Angelus. Thank you, it does make us feel better as well about you transpassing our lines." Elaine added with a smile. "What can you tell us more?"

"Well, besides Gaius' disappearance and my powers, she is the biggest mystery either of our worlds have seen. Her father, to whom I had the pleasure to work with before, was one of the most valuable assets on our side. She has it in her, I can feel it, I can sense it... she has the bloodline that ties her with the dark Angels." He again nodded.

"What can you tell us about that? About what you know, what you've seen." Elaine encouraged him to continue.

"Her father was one of the most important and influential people on the dark side; he was feared in battle I know, but I met him several times as he requested my services often, and he was a very intelligent one. There was calculated moves and thoughts into every order he gave, perhaps that was the very same reason he was so effective. He was one of our good ones."

Caliope smiled as she heard the words that described her father, she felt pride surge through her. "I understand he was on the bad side, or well, for him, his side. But I feel some kind of relief hearing you say those things about him Angelus, thank you." She admitted.

"Relief for what? because he was a dark Angel and you are paired with a light one? That is one thing I never understood completely but neither let it bother me much; there is nothing wrong on being dark or light, I think it is in our natures and our ways of being. It is how we do the things we do and what we do in particular, what really matters." He said to her as he looked into her eyes.

"I agree, I guess I am just now finally accepting all of this. I wish I could have met him..." Caliope sighed.

"You just need to remember him, he was with you before he died, he and your mother both were very sad, but he knew there was a chance he might not survive the last battle ahead of him. I was appointed to take the message of you and your mother delivering you to a monk, and he made you disappear." He told her and she widened her eyes.

"So I... at some point... did lived with both of them?" She asked still surprised.

"Yes you were, he actually had retired from battle until he was called to stand with his people. To fight. Also another message I had to deliver." He admitted this with sadness. "I saw he didn't want to leave you and your mother, but he had no choice, we don't get to chose if either we stay or join a fight, we are forced to give our last breath for the cause."

"That is sad to hear, truly. I am sorry it ended that way. He was a great contendant, the one we feared the most." Elaine said with a string of pain in her voice. "But I am glad there was love there, and happy to hear she shared some of that love with them, even if shortly. I am also more convinced that when you parted from his side, he probably poured in you some of his powers, Caly... this might explain why he didn't endure enough the battle, why he succumbed to the final death, yet you survived all odds and are here being both feared and wanted."

"I want to know about the ones who met before you left their side, and the plans they were making." Amra interrupted Elaine as he looked at Angelus with a stone cold glare.

There was silence in the room, and Angelus caught his thoughts in order before he finally responded, seen no one objected Amra's question. "I was asked to deliver a message to the current highest in command, General Alexander. It was from Rome's outpost, a box locked inside another box, and the message was simple: 'When the time comes, open it inside the mind of the chosen one'. The General was not happy neither sad about this, he seemed actually... unaffected by it. But to me, it didn't mean good. After that he was called to a meeting and I was asked to remain there for another message when the meeting ended. I was in the next room, I heard about the suggestion of one of the elders to kidnap the Asterias and that way we would make a trade, all of the Asterias in exchange for Caliope. Force all Angels and Half Bloods to turn against her. That drew the line for me, as soon as I was told I wasn't needed, I left. I wondered for a while why was I so upset... It bothered me and I felt frustrated. I wandered many places until I landed here, I was caught up with the surprise that I was here... in her room, watching her sleep. The rest, is known by all of you." He finished and silence, again, took over.

"And then, there is a connection you feel with her, explain that to us." Amra finally spoke, his jaw tensed, he didn't even know why but anything about Caliope that he didn't understand felt threatening.

"I wanted to start this meeting by approaching that subject itself, but the conversation took a different course; either way, here we are, and now more than before, I want to hear that connection as well." Elaine pushed on the subject more.

Angelus looked at Caliope, a smile on his face. He wasn't worried about it, but he was aware he had to explain more. "To be honest, I was very confused at first. But I think I understand a bit more of it now. Don't get me wrong, I still am not sure of what it is exactly, but her father was a leader, someone who inspired confidence, trust, hope. I think he brings the same reactions in those who she meets now more than ever, since her awakening. She is a leader, she is inspiring, and that is what leads them to go to the extreme in order to get her. I don't want to be a part of their plans, I want to prevent the catastrophe they want to unleash. That is why I am here now, my loyalty to his father, and her personality itself, both convinced me to stay and help."

Elaine nodded, she stood up and walked to the special panel next to the wide screen on the wall; she hit a few keys and seconds after, she gave the order. "We are in lockdown, everyone should gather in the safe Havens near their location and bring with them their Asterias; there is an imminent threat to their safety. I repeat, from now on, we are in lockdown. Everyone, and I mean Every single one, should be in the safe Havens in less than 5 hours with their Asterias. Wait there for future instructions." She pressed another button and ended the communication, turning around with a sigh as she looked at those present in the room. "It is time to plan our offensive. We had enough of playing it safe."