Iced Hephaestus

Crumbling Firewood

Red Son let out a pained scream as he was thrown against the rough walls of the fortress.

"SON!" Princess Iron Fan's yell echoed through the cavern as her hands flew to cover her mouth in fear and shock. She stumbled back before turning to her possessed husband and shakily unleashing a piercing wind and knocking him off his feet.

"WRETCHED WITCH!" He yelled as he lost his footing. The princess darted over to her son in a flash. Red Son leaned against the crater in the wall, his body now tattered and bloody from the aftermath of his father's merciless punch.

His eyes were fluttering shut. His breath was light and hoarse.

Iron Fan felt the unfamiliar bubbling of tears in her eyes.

Her heart ached to see her son teetering on the line between life and death. She pulled him close, embracing her son for the first time in centuries. His mouth was bobbing open and shut, trying to get a word out but he only choked on his blood and spit.

"It's gonna be okay, baby, I promise." The princess muttered to her son. For the first time in her life, Princess Iron Fan let her tears shamelessly roll down her cheeks as she pressed a kiss to the top of her son's head.

Iron Fan could still faintly hear the eerie whispers in the Bull King's head. His feet stuttered as he was paralyzed by the voices for a few seconds. The princess carefully pulled away from her fading son. Small spurts of blood exploded from his mouth as he forced himself to speak, "I'm sorry... I..

I love you."

"I love you too..." The princess choked out beyond her overflowing tears. She hesitated before finally standing up from her place on the rocky floor. Leaving her son. Not knowing whether he would... never mind, she didn't want to think about that.

With a heavy heart. She charged at her husband.

_______

The battle had been going on for hours.

Red Son's vision had been flicking in and out. The last he could recall was hearing his parents grunting and yelling, then he was suddenly quickly carried away by a yellow-orange figure. Then his eyes finally

Shut.

__________

He woke up with an unimaginable pain in his body.

"AAAGH!" he yelled immediately, he was unable to move a muscle. Too overwhelmed with the pain to do anything but scream. A few seconds after his yells, doctors came into the room and injected him in a rushed frenzy.

An intense wave of relief washed over Red Son upon the mysterious injection.

He let out a long sigh before his eyes shot open. His eyes darted around the room, at the various doctors, the clean counters, and most importantly, the excessive amounts of tubes and casts attached to his body.

"W-What happened?! Who the hell are you people!?" he screeched, waving his hands to shoo off the doctors. His brows were furrowed suspiciously, looking around at the clean white walls and countertops. He was in a hospital no doubt about it.

But why..?

What had happened?

Red Son couldn't remember.

It was like there was a hole in his head, the last thing he could remember was his mother... saying she loved him..? He was sure that didn't happen though. Were his parents as hurt as he was right now? Maybe even more. Oh buddha, please let his parents be okay.

The gears grinding in his head came to a temporary stop as he saw a blurry green figure and a blurry yellow-orange figure zoom past the windows of his room. He furrowed his brows and sat up slightly, fully ignoring the doctors who were eerily whispering to each other.