Artemis Child

Artemis Child Ch24

Hephaestus disappeared with the sound of crackling flames fading as he left. Toni was next to me now, but leaning over the burnt bed. He was looking at Gena, checking her condition.

    Soon he looked up with a grim expression on his face. "She doesn't have long, the other soul is really powerful." He said to me. "How do you know that?" I asked with worry cracking my voice. He pointed to his eyes, "My dad's gift, seeing the hurt. But I haven't learned how to heal people yet." He said and looked sad.

    'He must have seen his mother's cancer slowly killing her. He couldn't do anything to help, that must have been hard.' I thought to myself. "Cory." I heard my name get called from the same place Hephaestus showed up at.

   Looking over I saw someone that made my feelings go haywire. She wore a cloak, white clothes and a quiver on her back. She was my mother, and she was not someone I wanted to see.

   "You. Why am I here? Why do I exist? Why didn't you help my family when they needed you? Why..." I was questioning her, but she cut me off. "Cory, my child. I know you hate the life that I have first made, but it wasn't all my fault for your birth." She said calmly and removed her hood. "The night I met your father was the night I felt the most alive. More alive then all centuries I have been on this earth. I found someone who saw my ways, but never knew of me." She said, and waited for me to say a remark. When I didn't, she continued her story.

    "So I wanted to meet him in person, which was a night that I do not regret. After seeing your father give an honorable death to a blood thirst animal, I knew he was the one person that I was willing to lose my immortality for even though that's not what happened. But I never new that I would basically have a child after that night."

   She smiled after saying this, and continued. "I lead them out of the forest, and in return they bought me a drink. Multiple drinks actually, and I guess your father is better at keeping down alcohol. I and another blessed a woman with my honor for the night. You father loved me and he wished it had been I but you were not born of my womb, fore I don't have one. But my blood runs through your veins more than anyone ever will." I cut her off because the pale skin on her face was now a light pink. "Ok ok I get it, no more." I said raising my hand to stop her. "Still, I don't get why I wasn't killed after being created." I said in a small breath. "Gaia, shielded your family from my senses. And your father hadn't gone hunting since you were born. That's also why I could not help you. I had seen you only a few times during your years, your father never understood my duty to my archers, to this world. After I left one night for another year, I never saw you again my baby boy." Was her response to all my questions.

   Realizing that I was being to hard on her, with so little information I apologized. "Mom, I'm sorry." I said and cringed cause I never used mom in a sentence, unless to talk bad about her. "Wait, isn't your father, and the other gods pissed about my birth?" I asked her.

   "No your soul lets off my energy or at times that of a wolf, so they don't know of your existence. And the necklace was to make sure that it wouldn't be known after your 18th birthday." She answered and pointed at my necklace. "Only my brother, Apollo and another knows of your birth. Along with Dionysus, considering the fact that you and him met already." She added at the end of her statement. She never specified the other it was like she didn't want to say. But she had no real idea from the alcohol who the other was.

    Toni looked up from Gena, and starred at Artemis. "Wait, if Apollo knows, why hasn't he said anything?" He asked her. "In due time." She said with no details being mentioned. "I. I wanted to see the kind of man you were becoming. You're so much like your father. I can't believe I'm sad to say I don't see any of me in you. Only the other." She said looking down to the floor.

   "I am sorry, but I must go. I have no more time to talk." Was all she said before disappearing infront of us.