by Amber Lynn
“I don’t understand why this happened. I’m just thankful you still have this little one. If you’d been there, all could have been lost.”
Apollo stood up and put his hand on Artemis’ stomach. I doubted she found it very comforting. If it was truly me growing in there, I didn’t have a lot of time before she was going to somehow bury me in the ground.
“I don’t want to second guess and think about what could’ve been. I have to start thinking about the future. I visited your oracle and she’s told me what needs to be done to ensure my child lives.”
She took Apollo’s arm off her stomach and walked over to one of the other graves. It looked like it was probably the second biggest one. She quickly bent down and put her hand on the dirt, activating similar flowers. Instead of white, they were a light blue.
Artemis walked around and decorated each grave with different colors. The three remaining graves ended up pink, yellow and red. If the setting wasn’t morose, I would’ve marveled in the beauty.
“I knew she’d have an answer for you. Is there some kind of spell we can use to make sure they can’t kill her? There’s got to be a way to make the baby more of a goddess than demigoddess.”
Artemis looked over and a small smile crossed her face before disappearing. She shook her head and made her way to Apollo.
“The only way to save her is to make sure she isn’t born until after the threat against her is gone. The oracle told me I had to put my daughter into an egg and bury her deep in the ground. I decided this was probably the best place for her, with her father watching over her.”
“That’s just for today, right? I let you have time to bury everyone like you requested, but the next step was to go after the wolves and get retribution. I don’t know if we can kill them all, but we’ll get the ones who killed Charis and the kids.”
The sad smile hinted on Artemis’ face again. “As long as we’re alive, she will never be safe. The only way to protect her is to make sure she’s born in a different time. I will have my retribution, but it won’t bring back my family, and it won’t make things safe for this little one.”
Before Apollo could argue, an egg appeared in her hand. Like almost everything else I’d seen outside of the forest, it was gold. For as large as her stomach was, there was no way that baby was going to fit in the ostrich size egg.
“Wait, don’t do anything drastic just yet. Maybe Pythia can come up with another solution.”
“You haven’t had children yet, Apollo. You don’t understand the bond that instantly comes when they’re born. I would do anything to save this baby, and I’ve been told what that anything is.”
“You’re certain? What if there’s another way?”
Apollo seemed to be scanning his brain for an idea, but he wasn’t offering any solutions. Since Pythia was his oracle, there was a chance she’d see his sister again. I had a feeling she wasn’t someone you forced to repeat the same thing more than once.
“It’s going to be okay. Even if we found something we thought protected her now, there’s no assurance that it really would. They’re a strong enemy to have, and I’m sure the retribution I have in mind will just make them mad.”
She pressed the egg to her stomach. I couldn’t see anything happening, but when she moved the egg again, her stomach was noticeably smaller.
“It’s not like they’re gods, Artemis. We can beat them and you can raise your daughter.”
“They aren’t gods, but they were made by a daughter of two titans. Do you know how much power it takes to do that? Some of the first Olympians have that power, but it’s very rare. That kind of magic passes to the cursed, even when the user doesn’t mean it to. I’m not saying the wolves can wield mother’s magic, but they have power of their own. There’s no way we will ever get rid of all of them.”
“Then how do you know when to allow the egg to hatch? She can’t stay in there until the rest of the planet dies.”
“No, but centuries will pass before it’s time. Until that day, the wolves will no longer know what love is. They will forget that it ever existed and only find wolf partners, so they can procreate and share their newfound hatred for humans. They took my human from me, so in order to protect those of my husband’s kind, the wolves will find humans repulsive.”
“That’s a lot of curses to make. Do you need any help making sure it all comes true?”
Apollo didn’t question her course of action. Apollo was sympathetic, but the sorrow he felt wasn’t what I expected from Artemis’ twin. I expected them to be a little more connected.
“No, it’s something I’d like to do myself. Why don’t you get back to dealing with your satyr issue? He can’t continue working his charms on the humans. They aren’t meant to mate with a satyr. After he’s killed four of them, you’d think he’d figure that out.”
“I know. I haven’t decided what to do. Since you have a way with animals, and he’s part animal, I was hoping you’d be able to get through to him. Clearly that didn’t work.”
“He tried to get me in bed. Instead of being home to protect my family, I was off trying to explain to a satyr why he didn’t get to see me naked.”
“I cannot say I’m sorry enough for that. I’ll go deal with him and let you get back to your task. I know you’re going to want to be alone, but you shouldn’t be right now. Especially if you’re going to do something to aggravate them.”
“Don’t worry. Today is not the day that was designated for my death.”
Apollo walked over to his sister and quickly kissed her on her cheek. Artemis didn’t move to watch him run off into the woods. Her focus was solely on the egg she held in her right hand.
“There are so many things I wish I could tell you. Who’s going to teach you to shoot a bow or talk to animals? I don’t know what the world will be like when you’re born, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to thrive.”
She moved closer to the grave covered in white flowers. I felt a part of her hesitate before she fell down to her knees and placed the egg on the ground.
“I’m not going to be able to raise you, but I will provide you with the name your father wanted to call you. It’s a little ironic that it means hidden, maybe your father had a little bit of magic he kept hidden from me. Your father was really a man of mystery trapped in what he liked to call a simple man’s body.
“Not long after I was sure you existed, he told me we should call you Velia. I laughed and asked him what kind of name that was. I thought he’d made it up, but he claimed that he thought it was going to fit you. There are so many stories that I want to spend the afternoon sharing with you. You wouldn’t hear a single one of them, though, so let’s get this over with.”
She chanted a few words and I watched as the egg sank into the ground. My trip had taught me a lot, and in order to make sure my mother’s efforts weren’t in vain, I needed to get back and make sure the wolves in my house weren’t in the process of killing me.
I focused in on my room with a new hatred kindling in my stomach. It was because of the werewolves that my life had been so screwed up. They had taken everything from me.
I closed my eyes and reopened them to find myself back in my room. No one had moved from their spots. I didn’t want Jack behind me, so I kept the power I’d opened up to take my little trip and transported to make sure none of them could hurt me.
Nikki moved and looked like she was going to say something, but I stopped her.
“I want you to take your family and get out of my house. I’m sure you know exactly what I just saw, and the mood I’m currently in isn’t safe for your children.”
“You heard Selina before you left. Things are different now. And something interrupted you from seeing everything. I have a feeling that outside force is also driving your emotions.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be around today to even consider that. People like you killed my family and took the life I was supposed to have away from me.”
“There were mistakes mad
e by both sides over the years.”
Nikki wanted me to see things her way. She tried to work some kind of calmness through the room, but I countered any effect it had on me.
“I warned you before everything was revealed that things don’t go well when my powers aren’t in check. If you don’t want me to burn this house down, you need to leave now. Emotional situations aren’t my strong suit.”
“I can see you aren’t ready to talk. We’ll leave, but eventually there are things that need to be said. Selina, let’s go gather the rest of our family and give her some time.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t see everything you needed to. When you calm down, try to go back again. You didn’t see the whole story.”
Selina took her mom’s hand after she spoke and led her away. Jack hadn’t spoken or moved from his spot. I waited for him to follow after his sister and niece.
We stood there silent, even after we heard the sound of a vehicle start and pull away.
“Are you going to make me push you out of my house?”
“I’m trying to convince myself things will be okay if I leave. I understand things didn’t go the way I hoped they would, but that doesn’t change the connection between us, or the fact that I love you. Even if you feel wronged for something you saw in the past, there is something between us now.”
“There is no us, Jack. I don’t know what your game is, but it’s over.”
“Follow Selina’s advice. Look again, because you clearly didn’t see what she thought you were going to. She told me we end up together, Kennedy. She’s never been wrong before. I don’t know what changed about me having kids, but those kids were yours. I know it.”
Jack moved quickly so I didn’t expect his lips landing on mine. I felt the instant spark, but my mood was not ripe for kissing. To prove to him there would never be anything between us, I lifted my hands up and sent a blast of power straight to his stomach.
He flew backwards, but caught himself before he hit the wall outside of my bedroom. There was a look of determination in his eyes as he ran to the stairs. I listened as his steps hammered down the stairs and out the door.
He wasn’t going to disappear easily, but I wasn’t planning on closeting my power either. If he wanted to push me, he’d figure out exactly what he’d awaken.
Chapter Fourteen
Before I considered how things in my life had changed, I had to deal with Abbie. Nikki had hinted that she’d been in harm’s way, and I wanted to know for sure what had happened.
I took a deep breath and walked out of my room and down the steps. I’d never really complained about how many stairs there were, and after climbing the golden ones to and from the oracle, I could never complain about stairs again.
When I rounded the corner after the last one, I saw Abbie standing in the living room staring at me. She looked a little worried, and the worry could’ve explained the crow’s feet Nikki had mentioned. They were clearly visible on her face and I thought I saw a small brown circle forming that hadn’t been there before.
I supposed it could be considered an age spot, but Abbie was young enough that she shouldn’t have wrinkles or spots for decades. Something had definitely changed overnight.
“What did they do to you?” she asked as I got closer.
I paused my progress as she took a step back. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when Abbie was scared of me. I worked so hard to keep who I really was from her.
“They didn’t do anything. This is why I don’t do magic very often. There was a time when I never turned it off, and eventually bad things happened when I got out of control.”
“But you don’t feel like a witch anymore. They had to do something. You’ve always felt like one of us.”
We both remained still as I thought about ways to explain things. I’d always thought of myself as a witch, because that was what people called me. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that I was something more.
“The reason the wolves were here today was because they wanted me to know what I was. I’m not exactly sure why they thought it was important after the things I saw, but it is what it is. I am a direct descendent of the goddess Artemis, and evidently I get my powers from her.”
Witches believed in various goddesses, but they didn’t tend to be the Olympian versions of gods. Gaia was a big power in Abbie’s world, so there was a small tie, and I hoped that was enough for Abbie to believe me.
“How direct are we talking? Greek gods aren’t walking down the street with us today, are they? That’d be cool if they were, but at the same time it’d be a little scary. You read about them more than I do, so you know how crazy things can be with them.”
I shook my head and moved forward a couple steps. She didn’t flinch, so I continued on so I could sit down in the recliner. I thought about sitting on the couch, but I could smell Jack as it was, and I didn’t want to set anything on fire. It physically hurt me to send him away, but I had to protect myself.
“As far as I know they aren’t. According to what I saw today, Artemis is my mother. There was a threat against our family, so she made plans to ensure I was born only after the threat was over.”
Wolves were still around, so I wasn’t sure how well her plans had worked out. They hadn’t made any direct threats, but I was dealing with the reincarnation of the first ones, so I assumed they were just as big of threats.
“And what do the wolves have to do with any of this?”
I cocked my head to the side and wondered why Abbie hadn’t questioned my claim. There were tons of questions spinning through her head, so I hoped it would eventually come out. I needed to talk through whether it was really possible Artemis could be my mother.
There was a chance the wolves had somehow fed the visions to me. I’d felt in control, but Selina had powers I’d never found in another person, and I had no idea the extent of them.
“I don’t know what their motive is in the here and now, but they were the threat Artemis was trying to protect me from. They killed the rest of my family.”
Abbie’s jaw dropped a little. “Those exact wolves, or their ancestors? I know this isn’t going to sound good right now, but there’s no way Jack would harm a hair on your head, or let someone else try.”
“Just yesterday you told me wolves were the scum of the earth and I shouldn’t stand in the same room as them. Now you’re going to side with them?”
My anger flared up, but I hurried to get it under control. Abbie didn’t know how dangerous it was to ensure things didn’t upset me that moment. I was surprised the house had remained intact while I’d been on my little vision quest.
“I am most definitely not on their side. I’m just telling you what I see. That man is not acting when he claims to be in love with you. Use that information however you want. The room is starting to heat up, and I’m assuming that’s you getting agitated, so let’s talk about something else. You’re sure Artemis is your mother?”
It was good she could sense the danger. I needed to learn to keep things in check. I couldn’t live my life not knowing the dangers around me and my powers needed to be on and at their best to keep my radar up.
“There’s a part of me that wonders if the wolves fed me what I saw, but they would’ve stripped out the part when they killed my family. I felt Artemis’ pain like it was directly connected to me and she looked exactly like me. It would explain a lot about why I am the way I am.
“You’ve only known me for a few years. Before we met, there were times I didn’t hide my powers like I have been. I let them control me and thinking about it now, those weren’t witch’s powers. I’ve never met someone who claimed to be a witch that felt anything like I do.”
“This,” she said pointing at me, “is not a witch. I’ve never felt a goddess, but right now, I believe it’s possible that they exist.”
“Yeah, I suppose it explains why hikers found me in a forest and no one knows where I came from. I’m a little surprised doctors
haven’t found anything wrong with me. Of course I probably only went to the doctor for shots and stuff as a kid.”
“Why have you been hiding what you are? I know we haven’t known each other forever, but knowing I’m in the presence of a goddess would’ve been nice to know.”
Since she was still standing, and I didn’t feel like talking up to her, I directed my hand towards the couch to tell her to sit. It took her a second, but she walked over and sat on the side closest to me.
“First, I’m not a goddess. My father was apparently human, so that would make me a demigoddess. I can only imagine what being a full goddess would be like. Second, we need to talk about you for a little bit. What happened after you left the library last night?”
Abbie’s eyes, which had been glued to me since I’d walked down the stairs, darted off to the fireplace. Her small amount of power immediately went to shield her from me. I hadn’t bothered trying to read her, but feeling her lock up annoyed me.
“What do you mean? I went home and got to bed early so I could come over and check how your night had gone.”
“You do know that even when I didn’t let my power open up, I could tell when you lied. Your nose might as well have just grown three inches.”
“There’s nothing really to talk about. I do have a social life, even if you’ve lived like a nun since I’ve known you. You took someone home with you, so it’s not like you can really complain if I did the same thing.”
“Bringing Jack into my home was a mistake, one that won’t happen again. I didn’t sleep with him, though. Why would you sleep with the Viking? He was clearly dangerous, and you even dragged me away from the conversation I was having with him.”
“I’m older than you and thought when he turned on the charm I could handle it. It’s not every day a person can say they played around with an incubus and lived to tell about it.”