Fallen Out Of Grace

14.

With the storm still causing havoc on the island, Keon looks out into the rain getting a memory of his father and him, the only memory he has of them together that comes in small bits.

A distant memory

Apollo is writing as baby Keon is playing with his ink he forgot to put up as he was lost in the poetry he was creating.

"Son," Apollo looks down at his ink covered son laughing, "Give me that," Taking the jar away, Keon looks to his father innocently.

"Now, what are we going to do with you?" Apollo chuckles as he picks baby Keon up, taking him to bathe until Hecate walks in angry.

"Those damn heathens know nothing of nothing!" Hecate yells out slamming her fist into the marble chair handle.

Apollo holds Keon close, looking at her with concern,"What happened?" But before she answers, she sees Keon filthy with black ink.

"What did you do? Bathe him in your dingy pen supply?"

Apollo shakes his head, "He was just playing around and made a little mess, it's no big problem."

Hecate scoffs, "My son doesn't need to be around all this lighthearted mess. He needs to be with me. Why can't you see that?"

Apollo bounces Keon up and down as he gets scared of his mother's tone.

"Can you stop being uptight and actually be here with us instead of trying to be the devil himself?"

Hecate chuckles at Apollo's comment and waves him off not caring of what else he might want to bring up.

"You're just lucky I even gave you a child. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have a son."

Apollo sighs, "Keon is a blessing either way."

Hecate hisses at the word "blessing" and glares heavily at Apollo.

"Stop saying those horrid words around my child. You're going to pollute his mind."

Baby Keon snuggles into his dad's shoulder and covers his left ear from the bickering his mother was doing by herself.

Present time

Nysa falls asleep in Fisher's arms against the cave wall as Dov lays her head on Brooks' shoulder. Keon sits still deep in thought, not wanting to lose the only small remembrance of his father. Putting his hand out, he lets the rain hit his palm then bounce off onto the cave floor. He sits there for about ten minutes before time stops, letting him know his mom is there with him. "Not in the mood to talk," Keon says, crossing his arms against his chest as he keeps his back to the cave wall. Hecate walks over, crouching, aggressively makes Keon look at her as she says, "Graveling in memories isn't what you're made for, so snap out of it before they get curious as to why you're so in your head." Keon moves his moms hand, ignoring her commands.

"What if I'm so much more than what you make me out to be? I have your gifts, but I also have mixed beliefs."

Hecate strikes Keon's face being reminded of Apollo and his God talk, taking her resentment out on her own son.

"You will not sink down to that despicable nonsense, do I make myself clear?"

Keon scoffs rubbing his face with his jaw clenched saying, "I'm not a damn punching bag you can just lash out on. I'm not a kid mother."

Hecate stands looking down at Keon saying, "You really want to know how it is to be a man?" Grabbing hold of his earlobe, Hecate brings Keon to the underworld as all souls, undead and creatures of the night roam so freely.

"Try to be in my shoes and see if you can even live up to the title of being a man," Hecate says with air quotations. 

Like throwing a lamb to lions, Hecate tosses Keon to the darkness, showing no mercy as they grab onto him moaning in pain and grumbling as they beg for forgiveness and another chance to be back in the land of the breathing.

"Please—" They all squealed in unison, having Keon's ears ring with such intensity.

Hecate sits back watching her son crumble under the pressure, crossing her legs in her chair as she teaches him a lesson only she deemed as reasonable, when in fact it was just her pride getting in the way.

On the island, time goes back to normal as Keon's body lays still, almost in a sleep state making it seem as if that was all he was doing, sleeping.

The rain slows down, the clouds part and the sun releases a high beam of light upon the cave entrance.

Dov yawns while stretching, waking Brooks as he was trying to get comfortable since his neck was stiff.

"Man, having your block head on my shoulder strained my neck as it hung to the side," Brooks says, yawning too.

Dov laughs low then looks at Nysa and Fisher, "They look cute like that, don't they?"

Brooks looks at them both and shrugs, "I'm not getting involved. Keon has a thing for her even if he lies to himself about it. I'm not making myself a top priority on his hit list so I'm keeping my mouth shut."

Dov gets the fruit bags, deciding to make juice to boost her energy.

"Keon has been bitchy a lot lately," Opening the bag, Dov takes out a pineapple and coconut.

Brooks shrugs, "Maybe he's battling his cold barrier from falling as the warmth she brings," Brooks motions to Nysa, "to his cold heart that we love unconditionally."

Dov laughs more, "The Grinch that stole Christmas is getting a heart three times the one he has, what a sight to see."

Brooks now laughs while taking a piece of pineapple Dov passed to him.

Still asleep on Fisher, Nysa fidgets in her sleep as her dreams become more and more vivid as she sees a woman that looks like her but older.

A voice sounds out the woman's mouth but before she could hear what she had said, Nysa's body overheats having Fisher wake with his own skin producing small droplets of sweat then steam like marks where Nysa was laying on his arm.