Ember Soul

The Son of Artemis

Son. The word hit Ali like a truck. She almost stumbled backwards, but used Tyler to steady herself. The twins had a brother... she had a brother. She stared at the shimmering blue room, gaze transfixed on the blurry figure inside - her brother.

"How?" Tyler's question pierced Ali's stunned hurricane of thoughts, drawing her back to the present.

Orion walked over to the crudely carved doorway, pressing his hand gently against the transparent blue barrier. It hissed on contact with his skin, sizzling until he finally pulled away, clenching and unclenching his freshly burned fingers. "I'm afraid I don't know." He stared at his hand. "I solicited the help of Hecate. She owed me a favor. I'm not sure how to undo it."

"I guess that's where I come in." Owen spoke up. He met Orion's gaze. "I'm a son of Hecate. I should be able to reverse whatever spell my mother cast... but I have to know exactly what she did."

Orion nodded, repressing the hope on his eyes. "She didn't tell me the details, but she said the forcefield would keep everything that was not there when it was formed out and freeze time inside." He glanced at his son. "I wanted him to live long enough to see his sisters again.

Owen stared at the blue barrier, narrowing his eyes and stepping closer. "I have a few ideas." He reached out. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and a purple shimmer formed around his hand.

As the two magical fields touched, a blinding white flash filled the room. Ali shielded her eyes and dropped to her knees as an invisible shockwave blasted them backwards.

When the world refocused, Owen was lying on his back in front of the forcefield staring at the ceiling.

"Owen!" Aubrey rushed over and helped him sit up.

"Definitely not that one." He said, his voice strained.

"How do you know?" Tyler asked as Ali helped Lizzy to her feet.

Owen accepted Aubrey's hand and let her pull him to his feet. "If the shield around my hand is the same as this one, it should be able to pass right through it." He massaged his shoulder. "This could take a while."

"You gonna be okay?" Aubrey checked.

Owen examined the blue shield and nodded. "Yeah, but you might want to get comfortable. There are a surprising amount of spells that can freeze time."

Orion gestured to the oversized furniture. "Please, have a seat."

They made their way to the seating area. Orion claimed one of the chairs, sinking into it as if it were where he spent most of his days. Ali and Tyler fit comfortable on another chair and Aubrey and Lizzy claimed a spot on the floor covered by a Hellhound-skin rug.

After an awkward silence, Ali finally built up the courage to ask. "What's he like... my brother?"

Orion drew a long breath, shifting in his well-worn chair. "His name is Weylyn. It means Son of the wolf." He chuckled. "He's... very thoughtful, cautious. He never did anything without a reason and not until he'd considered every possible danger." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "He loved to go hunting with his mother." A sadness crept into his voice. "That's when he attacked."

"Who?" Tyler took Ali's hand again.

Orion clutched his armrests with a white knuckled grip. "Zeus. Or one of his lackeys at least. Artemis never told me exactly." He stiffened. "All I know is she returned from the forest with our son bleeding out in her arms." The chair creaked beneath his clenched fists. "That's when we knew we had to hide them."

"Gah!" Owen jumped back from the forcefield, shaking his hand to soothe the pain. "Not that one."

"How's it going back there?" Tyler asked over his shoulder.

Owen clenched his fist experimentally. "Getting there. Almost made it through that time." He rubbed feeling back into his palm. "Holy Hera, this is complex." He met Lizzy's gaze. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

Lizzy cut him off. "Curse my mom all you want. She's a cruel, arrogant brat."

"Well, that doesn't sound very 'Christian' of you." Aubrey noted.

Lizzy stared at her lap. "Being Christian doesn't mean I'm perfect. It just means I believe in something... and I'm trying. That's more than some people can say."

No one said anything for a minute.

Owen laughed, breaking the silence. "Got it!" He stood with his arm shoved halfway into the blue barrier, a big grin on his face.

"Good job!" Aubrey jumped up with the others and raced over.

"So, you can undo it?" Ali met his gaze hopefully.

A purple shield covered his arm he pressed it into the forcefield. He furrowed his brow. "You might want to cover your eyes."

Ali squeezed her eyes shut just in time to protect herself from the bright blue flash that exploded through the room, but things were still blurry when she opened them. When her vision finally recovered, she saw Orion kneeling in the middle of the room, hugging a boy with dark curly hair.

Pulling back, the giant cupped the boy's face in his hands, making the scrawny boy look tiny. Tears finally escaped Orion's eyes.

"Papa?" The boys confused voice petrified Ali. "What's wrong?"

Unable to answer, Orion simply pulled Weylyn into another tight hug.

"What happened, Papa?" His words were muffled by the embrace.

The giant pulled away, wiping the tears from his face. "Too much."

The boys roving green eyes landed on Ali and the others. "Who are they?"

Ali couldn't breathe. She just stared at the boy, taking in every detail. She could see the twins in his face. He looked about 14.

Orion sighed, pushing himself to his feet. "They... are a very long story." He put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Let's find you a seat."

A/N:
Welp... behold the son of Artemis. (He's the one in the header pic.)
-Cheshire