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 Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:02 pm
There were more people there than Amarynthos had expected, and because he and Ephesus had promised to stay out of the way and listen to instructions, they’d done their best to hang back. They’d been safe, they’d stayed close to Ganymede.
Except, Alastor was getting ready to leave. Sessrumnir was going with him.
It didn’t matter if they’d been assured that this was going to be fine, that things were going to be safe, of course Amarynthos worried. He didn’t like the idea that everyone was staying here and they were leaving.
He wanted to tell them to take an army with them, just to be safe, but…
He told himself that they knew what they were doing. He trusted them. He knew they were capable.
Amarynthos just worried. Just cared.
He held onto Ephesus’ hand as he had for much of the night, and as soon as he saw the other two breaking away, he tugged Ephesus with him. “Come on,” he insisted. For Amarynthos’ sake as much as Ephesus’, he tugged him forward.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk before, and he’d still been a bit shaken about what they’d seen on the screen. There had been too many people around back then and he hadn’t wanted to put anyone on the spot, but they were running out of time before Michael and Devyn left.
So he wanted to make sure that they were really okay.
…And make sure Ephesus got another chance to get a good hug before he had to say goodbye again.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:12 pm
He’d tried being good. He’d tried not to cry, but how could he not when everything Devyn had to deal with was so heartbreaking? Somehow, Ephesus managed to only cry for a little while. He clung tightly to Amarynthos and focused on Lucasta’s soft fur at his ankles, took several deep breaths over and over, and forced himself to push everything back.
He was okay. He would cry later, but for now, he was doing his best to be brave. And he had no idea how he was supposed to accomplish that.
Ephesus wondered if Amarynthos could tell that he’d been inching closer towards breaking again, knowing that Devyn and Michael would be going off on their own, when he pulled him along with him to see them off. Sessrumnir hadn’t planned on leaving without at least checking on the boys one last time, which meant when the boys sought them out, it saved some time.
“Hey, you two okay?” he asked, reaching out to gently ruffle Amarynthos’ hair, and reaching over to smooth some of Ephesus’ hair down. “We’ll be back soon,” he promised, because what else was he supposed to do to reassure them?
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:24 pm
“We’re okay,” Amarynthos answered, with a bit too much chipperness. He was putting on airs, at the very least to try and reassure Ephesus that he really did think things were going to be okay. Because, it was true! They were going to be!
He repeated it in his head a few times, just to make sure he believed it, too.
“We just wanted to tell you the usual, you know. We love you, we believe in you, we’re proud of you.”
“Oh, we were just going to come over and do the same,” Alastor answered, and while Sessrumnir ruffled Ephesus’ hair, Alastor had a hug to make up for. “Come here, Effie. Are you holding up alright? I know it’s a little scary here.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:29 pm
Ephesus appreciated Amarynthos more than he could say. He was always so kind and thoughtful, and always seemed to know how to help settle him down.
He was doing his best not to be upset at the thought of Alastor and Sessrumnir putting themselves into more danger, so he had to squeeze his eyes shut as he quickly took the last few steps over to Alastor so he could wrap his arms around his waist and bury his face against his chest. Sessrumnir wasn’t going to let Amarynthos get away without a hug, so while Alastor hugged Ephesus, Sessrumnir wrapped his arm around Mary to give him a squeeze.
“Things might get a little crazy, but we’ll be back before you know it. Stay close to Ganymede and Valhalla. They’ll take care of you if things get tricky,” he said as he rubbed Amarynthos’ back.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:37 pm
Alastor returned the embrace easily, and knelt just slightly so he could give him a good hug. “You’re doing really well, Effie. I’m sorry about earlier. But I’m okay. Sessrumnir’s going with me. We’re a good team, Effie. Like you and Mary. You’ve got people here to take care of you. You’ll be fine, too. And after we get this all cleared up, I can give you a real tour. If you’d like.”
He didn’t want to force them to be here. He was trying to give them something good to focus on.
He wanted something good to focus on.
Amarynthos returned Sessrumnir’s hug, glad that he didn’t have to put up a fuss for it; he pressed his cheek to Michael’s chest and watched as Alastor hugged Ephesus.
“I know,” he sighed, voice somewhat muffled. “I doubt you can go fast enough for me not to notice. Is there anything else we can do while we’re here? We’re going to be safe. But. Are you sure you guys don’t need a snack or something? Do you have your flashlights? First aid? How long do we wait before we sent out a search party for you?”
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:43 pm
“I’m sorry, too,” he whispered, trying not to let his eyes fill with tears again. “It wasn’t fair,” he sniffled a little but continued to hold on tight. He already suspected that the Chaos was going to try to do the same thing to everyone. To try and get under their skin and into their hearts.
He wanted to tell Alastor that it had just been Chaos trying to hurt him. That it wasn’t actually Percy. But he couldn’t get the words to form in his mouth. Not without running the risk of crying again.
But he did his best to distract himself, and pulled back just a little so he could reach up and touch some of the light that shimmered from Alastor’s hair.
“Is this from the Core?” he asked, gently holding up some of Devyn’s hair where the light had splattered across. “You look really cool.” Which probably was the least important thing he could have said, but he was already emotionally drained. “I promise we have plenty of snacks. My first aid kit is fully stocked and I made sure Alastor stocked his as well,” he promised Amarynthos as he gave him another squeeze.
“We have flashlights, too. Several. And I have Princess, so we’ll be fine. Don’t send anyone out for us, because then they might get lost.” And then they would have to rescue people from getting lost in the forest.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 8:56 pm
Alastor was quiet for a moment. He smoothed Ephesus’ hair like it might ease his own nerves. He didn’t know if it worked, but he pretended. At the very least, for Ephesus’ sake. He didn’t want to think about Effie being sorry for him, he didn’t need to be. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t think he wanted to think about things being unfair.
He didn’t have the strength to process most of what happened. He felt brittle inside, like he was waiting for something to snap. Willpower held him together, and the promises he’d made to see this through to the end–and be okay.
“Oh, thank you. My Core has never done this before. But it’s quite attractive, I think. It’ll be hard for Michael and I to lose sight of each other. I bet it’ll keep us out of trouble.”
Amarynthos seemed a bit doubtful, but that was only because he was trying to find something to worry about. Michael was the most capable person he knew. He was strong and clever and powerful and reliable and good.
He knew he shouldn’t worry. Alastor and Sessrumnir were both strong. Both skilled. They both knew how to fight, and they were both going to take care of each other. He’d been camping with Michael, he knew how skilled he was.
…But he also knew how easy it was for Devyn to get lost. But this was his home! He should know it! …Well. It had been a while since he’d been here, apparently. Outside of the Hall. It might have changed.
“Well. How long should we wait before we start to get worried?” he protested quietly. “I don’t want you out there forever. If you get hurt and need help, just.” He exhaled abruptly and squeezed him. “We’ll be good. We won’t run out there to try and find you. I just want to know that there is a plan. I don’t want you to be stuck out there and hurt and not have anyone coming for you.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 9:01 pm
Ephesus chewed a bit anxiously on his lip. He couldn’t read how Alastor was feeling, and he didn’t like that he didn’t know if he was going to be okay or not.
Which was pretty silly to think. Physically he seemed to be okay, but emotionally…? How was he going to get over everything the Chaos had already put him through?
With help from them, of course. It was the only way. And Ephesus knew that something horrible couldn’t be rushed to get over. It didn’t work like that. There were still things he struggled with. But he was doing better, thanks to his new family.
Gently, Ephesus pulled back enough so he could lift his hands to place on each of Alastor’s cheeks so he could look at him.
“You are loved and needed, and you know that Percy is always with you,” he said quietly. They’d talked about it before. How maybe Percy wasn’t gone. He was there as long as he was in memories, in stories, in the results of his actions he took while alive, such as his artwork and things he did to help others.
Maybe it was in poor taste to say that to Alastor after he’d just witnessed Chaos making a mockery of his late husband, but Ephesus didn’t think Percy would want Devyn to let Chaos find a way into his heart, just because he looked and sounded like Percy. “We’ll send a message if we need help,” Sessrumnir promised, trying to keep his attention on Amarynthos and not be worried about how Alastor was doing. He’d been shaken ever since dealing with the Chaos at the Core, but Sessrumnir was trying to both give him some time, and to not draw attention to the fact that Devyn was probably not doing very well.
“You’ll know we’re successful once the Chaos is gone. And we’ll message once we’re on our way back, too,” he promised, squeezing Amarynthos back. “Just keep an eye on Effie and stay out of trouble, okay? You don’t have to sit around and do nothing, but try to stay out of the way. I know you will,” he clarified, not wanting him to think they didn’t trust the two. It was just stressful all around.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 9:08 pm
Alastor blinked when Ephesus put his hands on his cheeks, but the boy had his full attention. He kept his eyes focused on Effie’s, and–
Felt a bit dizzy from it all, if he were being honest. He hadn’t known what Ephesus was going to say, but his heart had already seized before any of the words had tumbled out.
For a moment, he didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe.
Thoughts escaped his mind. He knew Ephesus meant well, even if he’d forgotten how to respond. He knew Michael was next to him. He couldn’t afford to get distracted for too long, or to sink into the depths of his mind. They needed him. He’d just worried if he stood there, unresponsive, for too long.
He forced himself to nod, but his eyes slipped off to the side briefly when he needed a second to compose himself.
“...Thank you, Ephesus.” He pulled him close again, and hoped he could distract him with another hug. “...I don’t know how bad it’s going to get here. But I need you to be strong for me. If it gets too bad, take Amarynthos and leave. Go somewhere quiet where you can focus, and go somewhere safe. We can regroup back on Earth. If…”
He sucked in a slow, careful breath before he continued, “You encounter anything like that–any Chaos that takes the form of someone you care about–you ignore it. Don’t let it into your heart, Effie. Don’t ever let go of Amarynthos’ hand if that’s what it takes, but don’t let it trick you, okay? Don’t let it hurt you. I need you to be okay.”
Though Amarythos couldn’t hear what the other two were saying, he kept his eyes on them. He didn’t let go of Sessrumnir for a long moment, and when he did it was with great reluctance.
“All right,” the boy finally relented. “We’ll be good, we’ll be careful. We promised, we’re not going to do anything that would make you worry. Just. I’ll be waiting for that message, Sessrumnir. Be safe, okay? You’re really important to me. I can’t imagine living any sort of life without you in it, and. Well, when this is all over, I just really hope. I don’t know. Effie and I just have a lot of plans, and all of them include you two, so. Come back safe.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2022 9:14 pm
“I love you, Dad. I’ll stay with Mary. We’ll be okay,” Ephesus promised as he squeezed Alastor tightly, and then drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He scrubbed at his eyes just in case they were getting leaky, and moved over to give Sessrumnir a hug as well.
“Be safe, please,” he sniffled, and then took a step back so he could take hold of Amarynthos’ hand with both of his own. He was trying not to cry again, but knowing that Alastor and Sessrumnir were going to walk into danger to face the source of the Chaos, well… how could he not be worried? Sessrumnir ruffled Amarynthos’ hair once more, and then hugged Ephesus when he came over for a hug.
And with that, he took a step closer to Alastor, and placed a hand gently on his uninjured shoulder. Having him power down and back up was enough to hide any damage to his outfit, and he’d patched him up as good as possible in the time that they had, but that didn’t mean he could start getting careless.
“We’ll be back soon. Stay safe, too.”
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