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 Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 5:46 pm
Ephesus was terrified. He was under the water in the fountain with Amarynthos on top of him. He could feel Amarynthos’s arms around him. Could feel the heat from the fire. Could feel the way it raised the temperature of the water around them. Even under the water, desperately holding his breath, there were tears in his eyes. He wanted to cry, but had to keep holding his breath.
What if this was it? What if they couldn’t get out of this situation? Was being in the fountain enough, or would the man that was on fire be able to just jump in after them?
Then the aura was gone.
In just the nick of time, because Ephesus couldn’t hold his breath any longer and had to push himself up to cough and gasp and choke on the water that got into his mouth and throat and--
“Mary,” he choked on a sob, immediately turning to get his arms around his boyfriend. Not to hug him or embrace him in relief, but because he could see where the fire had eaten away Amarynthos’s uniform, exposing his back and side which were now bloodied and raw with burns.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 5:56 pm
Amarynthos was pretty good at holding his breath. It wasn’t a skill he used often, it wasn’t like he needed to. During the summers, sometimes he’d just spend a lot of time in the pool and see how long it took him to run across the bottom.
None of it mattered right now because it felt like he’d breathed in some of the fire and his lungs burned.
Actually, a lot of things felt like they burned. His neck felt hot. His arm felt hot. His back felt hot.
Everything had been searing just a moment ago, but now everything felt–
Odd.
It was like his brain had stopped loading exactly how much pain he was in. Some part of his mind registered that he was hurt. Some part registered that there were two familiar energy signatures nearby, and that the bad one was gone.
He remembered to breathe while he was still under the water, so he wound up half choked under it.
And then everything hurt again. Maybe the water put out whatever fire was in his lungs, but it just awakened the fire everywhere else. It was probably good that there was already water on his face, or that he’d choked on the water. He could taste the chlorine. Could feel it on his back.
His eyes were wet from more than just fountain water and he was glad to have an excuse to hide it.
“I’m fine,” he blurted, even if his voice caught on the words as much as his coughing. “You don’t have to cry–unless–are you hurt?”
–Was that Agent coming back, did they need to get out of here now?
Oh, he was so tired. Michael could get them out, though.
His eyelids fluttered shut but he forced them open, even if the corners of his vision was rapidly darkening.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 6:12 pm
Ephesus knew Amarynthos wasn’t fine. He was worried about hurting him, even now, as he held him. His hands touched the burnt skin as lightly as possible, unable to put them anywhere else while still supporting him, and he could definitely feel the heat.
“Dad! Daddy!” Ephesus cried in desperation as he blinked through the tears that he could no longer hold back. He felt their familiar auras before he could actually see them, but he knew it was them. He knew he was taking a risk by calling for them, but what else was he supposed to do in his panicked state?
He needed his scepter. Needed to be able to use it to heal Amarynthos as quickly as possible. But he didn’t want to let him go. He was afraid if he released his hold on him, he’d fall back into the already reddened water.
“It’s okay, Mary. I’m okay. You’ll be okay,” he promised, pressing kisses to the side of Amarynthos’s face as he held him up from the water. Alastor was fast, but Sessrumnir was, too. He took off running towards the fountain the moment Faustite disappeared, and vaulted himself over the concrete edge and into the water to get to the boys.
“We’ll take them to Sessrumnir. We can’t stay here,” he said quickly to Alastor as he ripped off the cape from over his shoulder. With it, he wrapped it around Amarynthos to keep the elements off his injuries, and gave Ephesus a sympathetic look as he hoisted Amarynthos up into his arms to carry.
He touched him as gingerly as he could, but the faster they were out of the city and away from the Negaverse, the better.
And the better for the Negaverse too, because Sessrumnir could feel the electricity in his blood. Not fire. Not ice. Ephesus and Amarynthos had been targets for absolutely no reason, and it was unforgivable.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 6:19 pm
The realistic part of Amarynthos’ brain understood that Sessrumnir was just helping. Every other part wanted to push away from him and be put back down where it hurt less. He had to bite his lip to force his stomach to calm down; the effort of being lifted made him want to vomit.
He was far from full strength, but he held onto Sessrumnir with as much force as he could muster. He was trembling in his arms but the effort of it kept him focused.
“It probably looks worse than it is,” he suggested. “Like a nosebleed.”
He couldn’t tell what was blood or water running down his back. Probably water.
Alastor needed no explanation or justification, and just as soon as Sessrumnir had Amarynthos in his arms, he’d gathered up Ephesus all the same. He’d seen blood, he smelled singed fabric and flesh. He didn’t know what injuries extended from Amarynthos to Ephesus. “I’ve got you, we’re here.”
He held Ephesus in one hand and hooked his arm around Sessrumnir’s. They would go to the springs, now, before anyone could arrive with backup. Before Amarynthos needed more help than they could give.
He trusted Sessrumnir with all things medical, and if they were at the springs then he could at least assess the damage and determine if it was something he could tend to or if he needed to make his way to the hospital. He didn’t ask if the boy was okay; Ephesus was probably so focused on Amarynthos right now that he wasn’t even paying attention to himself, anyway.
Alastor didn’t think he needed to tell Sessrumnir that he was ready; he was sure he could just feel it.
The faster they got out of here, the better. For all of them.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 6:34 pm
Ephesus tried not to sob. He was so tired. His lungs ached from swallowing water. His head throbbed from where it was cut and bruised, and everything felt so hot.
He was grateful to Devyn. He doubted that he would have been able to stand up, anyway. So he wrapped his arms around Devyn’s neck and cried against his shoulder. The water in the fountain looked so red. Ephesus knew that Amarynthos would try to tough it out, but he knew he must have been hurt really badly.
The sooner they got to Jupiter, the sooner Ephesus would be able to use his magic. Getting to Jupiter -- to Sessrumnir -- was not a problem. Sessrumnir waited for Devyn to hold onto his arm before focusing on leaving Earth.
The problem Sessrumnir was concerned about was treating Amarynthos’s injuries.
The hot springs had healing properties, but no one needed more heat right now.
Maybe it was his starseed answering his concern, or maybe he remembered it when he explored before, but instead of the hot springs and the large pools of steaming water that was his usual go-to for bruises and cuts and broken bones, they arrived in a relatively large sized room, rather than the caverns below.
There were bookshelves that lined one of the walls, closest to the door, and the other wall had several large windows of frosted glass, likely reinforced against the storms. There was a bed on one side, and a table clearly meant for operating on the other.
But more importantly, there was a pool under the windows, large enough for a few grown adults to lounge in. Water flowed from one side through a small channel and then out the other, so it was constantly circulating. And there was no build up of algae or mold, meaning it was definitely not safe to drink, but also was likely the water from the springs. The lack of steam suggested it had been cooled significantly by the time it reached that room.
“Sorry, Ellie… I know it hurts, but it’ll probably be easier if you power down,” he suggested. That way they could get him out of his shirt he’d been wearing, rather than trying to remove any fabric that had been melted to him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 6:42 pm
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Amarynthos answered. He knew he was more resilient while powered up, but…
He trusted Michael. His movements felt slow and his thoughts felt slower, but he knew Michael wouldn't have done or said anything that wasn’t in his best interest. As the seconds ticked on it felt more and more like he was losing himself to a dream.
His nails were digging into Michael; he couldn't help it. He didn’t want to let go. He hurt.
He rested his head on his shoulder and thought it would have been so easy to just let himself rest. Just for a moment. But he knew that would make them all worry more, just…
In a whisper–or, a raspy little attempt at one–he murmured, “I’m really tired, Michael.”
He didn’t even know if he could focus enough to power down, but…
He’d try. He’d always try.
When his ruined uniform slipped away it was replaced with comfortable, casual summer clothes. If they got ruined, too, it wouldn’t have been any horrible loss. The effort took more out of Elliot than he had to give though, and his grip lessened just slightly.
Alastor didn’t power down. He freed Sessrumnir from his grip and was already hurrying around the room, rushing to get supplies and clear out a space for Sessrumnir. He might have moved faster if he put Ephesus down, but he didn’t.
He held him close to his chest with only one hand, and hastened to do everything he could to make this easier for all of them.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 6:52 pm
Sessrumnir knew it would be more difficult to stay awake without the extra boost from being a Knight, but he didn’t want to risk infection if they couldn’t clean the wound properly.
He didn’t flinch to otherwise react to Amarynthos digging his nails into him. If there was any bit of comfort Sessrumnir could offer, he was willing to give it to him
In many ways, Elliot was as much his son as Atticus was. Maybe more so, given how long he’d known him. He’d been in Elliot’s life since before he was completely potty trained, and Elliot and his parents were some of the very few reasons why Michael held on as long as he did. As long as it took to get himself to a better place in his life.
Twelve years ago, he would have been fine with disappearing. It wasn’t as though his presence would have mattered to anyone. Maybe they would miss him because that was what family did, but it wasn’t as though he hadn’t been gone for so long while he was in the Navy, anyway.
But then he begrudgingly started working at Azure. And met the Reids. Peter moved in with him. Suddenly, abandoning everyone was much more difficult.
“You can rest soon. Let’s just get you cleaned up first, okay? Atticus is going to worry if you don’t talk him through everything,” he said quietly, only loud enough for Elliot to hear. He still had the cape around him, and he didn’t care that he got wet, himself, when he stepped into the pool to find the most comfortable spot.
The water was, as he suspected, much cooler than the springs, but still lukewarm. It would be good enough to help cool down the burns.
“I’m going to put you back into the water. It’s going to hurt for a little bit, but once the water starts working, and Atticus can use his magic, you’ll feel much better, okay?” he promised as he lowered himself down into the water, still holding Elliot in his arms so he could help him get used to the water and not shock his body even more. He would have to get him out of his shirt, but he would worry about that in a bit.
It was good that Alastor was clearing out things, because once Elliot had rested a bit, he would need to see about bandaging up his back and side and letting him rest. Ephesus knew he needed to use his magic, but he didn’t want to crowd Elliot and Sessrumnir until they were ready for him. And he was still too shaken from what happened to want to let go of Alastor.
He held on tightly as Alastor rushed around, and he scrubbed at his eyes to try and see better. He couldn’t breathe very well because his nose was all stopped up, but he didn’t care about that.
What he did care about was noticing how red his hands were. From holding Amarynthos up in the fountain, his hands and arms -- and now Alastor’s uniform -- had been stained red.
“I can help,” he blubbered desperately against Alastor’s shoulder, his voice barely there but he was trying. “I can-- I can help.” He had to. Amarynthos protected him! The least he could do was offer some healing!
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:08 pm
Realistically, Elliot knew the water was cool. It just didn’t feel that way on his back. It felt like fresh fire, or lava. The fabric of his shirt stuck immediately and he drew in a shuddery, pained breath.
Hurting for a bit was an understatement, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut and bury his face against Michael’s shoulder to try and control the pain.
But Atticus would be upset if he wasn’t awake to talk him through everything…
He sucked in another shuddery breath. It felt like he was breathing in smoke.
“Is Atticus okay?” he asked. He knew he slurred a little bit. He was trying to do too much at once. Staying awake was so hard when he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and it felt as though he’d just run a few miles without any breaks. Even just breathing was a struggle–he was either fighting to breath at all, or fighting to stop from breathing too quickly.
He needed enough oxygen to keep himself awake, but not so much that he made himself dizzy and passed out anyway.
In the distance, he could sort of hear Alastor and Ephesus talking, even if he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“I know,” Alastor reassured softly, taking a moment to smooth down Ephesus’ back. “And you’re going to. Very soon. Michael is going to get him ready. But, you’re going to be very important, Atticus. You’re going to help him a lot. While he’s getting Elliot ready, I need you to try and do something for me first, okay? Are you hurt at all? I need you to stop and focus and think about it, okay?”
He glanced at Sessrumnir and Elliot and tried to assess what he could without giving Ephesus the chance to worry.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:23 pm
As Elliot tried to fight back the pain, Sessrumnir could feel the agony. Maybe not in that instant, but he could remember what it was like. The burns, the smell, the heat that radiated from his body. Feeling as though everything was melting.
His heart ached for Elliot. This wasn’t something anyone should ever have to deal with, especially so young. And Elliot was such a good kid.
Sessrumnir couldn’t comfort Elliot as he would have liked to. He couldn’t smooth a hand down his back or hold him close. He didn’t want to hurt him more.
“Atticus is okay,” he promised, carefully peeling away his cape once Elliot had been mostly submerged into the shallow pool. The bottom was carved in a way that someone could easily lounge without having to worry about sliding under the water, at least. Not that they would be leaving Elliot in the water on his own.
“You’re going to be okay, too. It sucks, but you’ll get through this. Maybe after you start feeling better I’ll tell you how I got my burns, if you wanted to hear. Ah, no, it wasn’t a motorcycle accident,” he confessed. It was his go-to response whenever his scars had been brought up. He didn’t want to talk about them because no one would really understand. But after all of this…? Maybe Elliot would take comfort in knowing that he could relate in this experience with someone else. Of course, he was going to keep his stories tame. He wasn’t trying to traumatize anyone further. Ephesus sniffled and tried to catch his breath between sobs. Was he hurt at all? He didn’t think so. He-- oh… well, he supposed he did have one injury.
“Elliot kept me from getting burned,” he hiccuped as he tried to keep his words coherent as he sucked in another breath. “But…”
He reached up to carefully brush his still wet hair from his forehead. There was definitely a bruise forming along his temple and side of his face, and it was swollen around the gash, but most of the blood had been washed away when he’d been pushed under the water. It seemed as though he was lucky in that it only bled a lot at the beginning, and then stopped once under the water.
“It was a rock he threw… that General,” he sobbed again, not knowing why they were attacked, or why the Negaverse wanted Knights and Senshi dead.
“We didn’t do anything,” he promised, his eyes filling with tears again as he looked up at Alastor. “We were just walking. He came out saying we were ignoring him and asking about… someone. He didn’t say who, but thought we did something to them. I don’t know what we did. We didn’t do anything,” he repeated with another quiet sob as he laid his head along Alastor’s shoulder again.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:34 pm
The pool felt wrong. It wasn’t the shape he thought it was, and he couldn’t figure out how to hold himself. Even in the water, he wasn’t sure that he could. He didn’t let go of Michael. He knew Michael wouldn't let go of him.
“I knew you were too cool to get into a motorcycle accident,” he mumbled. The wetness in his eyes had gotten worse, and he didn’t have the mental strength or willpower to determine if it was because of the pain or because of the effort from forcing himself to stay awake.
He wanted to sleep so badly. Instead, he focused on maintaining his breath. One in, one out. The same measure.
He listened for Ephesus just to make sure he really was still right there.
“Atticus, you’re such a good boy. I know you didn’t do anything,” Alastor reassured. With his free hand, he stroked the side of Ephesus’ face–the side without swelling or bruising. “That man is very dangerous. People like that don’t need a reason to lash out. Sometimes they just try to make problems so they can lash out at people. You did a good job.”
He stopped moving so quickly, and though there were a few more things he could have done, Sessrumnir wasn’t rushing to get Elliot out of the pool so he decided he could take a moment with Atticus. He sat down so he could free his hands, mindful to make sure Ephesus could sit comfortably. He held him close and wrapped both arms around him. “We’ll get you patched up, too.”
A rock to the head was better than any of the other things Faustite could have done, so it was a small miracle even if he was going to have to make sure he hadn’t gotten a concussion or something.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 6:18 am
As long as Elliot seemed like he didn’t want to be let go, Sessrumnir had no intention of putting him down. He was careful about his injuries. He held him as gently as he could, putting pressure on the parts of Elliot’s back and arm that weren’t as injured, although he knew it was painful no matter what.
“You’re doing good, Ellie. Let’s make sure you’re healed up a bit and then you can rest. I know you’re tired,” he said, if only to just talk to him and make sure he was coherent.
Elliot seemed as though he was breathing okay, and aside from the pain and blood loss from the burns, he didn’t seem like he was in critical condition. They would obviously keep an eye on him, but once he was healed a little, there was no reason why they couldn’t let him rest.
“What hurts the worst? Your back? Your arm? Did you swallow a lot of water?” He knew they’d been in the fountain, and that probably saved them both from being completely scorched. Ephesus was grateful for everything Alastor did for him. Once he was sitting comfortably in Alastor’s lap, he buried his face against his chest, and held onto him tightly.
He wanted to go help Elliot immediately, but he knew that if he tried doing anything right then, he might not have been able to focus properly, and then his magic would have been wasted. It was definitely good that Alastor was making him take a moment to calm down.
“Will Elliot be okay?” he asked with another sob, muffled against Alastor’s chest. He knew Elliot had so many things he planned on doing during the school year. He had track and baseball. What if he was in too much pain to do that?
“I’m sorry. I froze when we were attacked. I could have done more than what I did. I feel like I let Elliot down. He got hurt because he was protecting me,” he sniffled, trying not to cry harder again.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 7:09 am
“I don’t remember,” Elliot answered after a moment. Honestly, most of it was a blur. He could have pieced it together if he’d put enough energy into it, but it felt like trying to put together a dream that was already slipping away. “It all hurts the same.”
He wasn’t sure where one pain ended and the other began. “What looks the worst?”
Elliot sort of didn’t want to know, not until he was already starting to heal, but there was a morbid curiosity in all of it. He’d been hurt before, but not like this so he didn’t know what to expect.
Alastor glanced over the top of Ephesus’ head to watch Sessrumnir. He couldn’t hear what he was saying to Elliot but he was doing his best to read his lips–or, at least, his expression.
“He’ll be okay,” Alastor promised, kissing Ephesus’ temple. “Don’t beat yourself up. I’m sure he did exactly what he wanted to do, and he’d have done the same no matter what else happened. You two did a very good job. He got hurt because someone attacked you, don’t try to trick yourself into finding ways to take blame or feel bad. I bet he knew that you’d be able to focus better on healing if you weren’t in pain, hm? You two are a team. I bet he has absolute faith in your ability to heal him up, Effie. And we’re at Sessrumnir, you know how good this place is for healing, too.”
He spoke in a soft, soothing voice, and ran his hand gently down his back continuously. If Ephesus needed to cry, that was okay. Alastor wouldn’t have minded if he wore himself out a bit now so he could be sure he’d rest.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 7:38 am
Sessrumnir made something of a noncommittal sound when asked what looked worst, but if Elliot caught his expression, he was clear that he was teasing. It probably wasn’t the best time to tease, but things could have been so much worse. They were lucky.
He took a hand from the water so he could brush back some of Elliot’s bangs and wipe some of the blood that had gotten smeared onto his forehead. There was a lot of blood, but thankfully the water did a good job with circulating it out. Hopefully there wouldn’t be enough to freak Atticus out.
“You still have all of your hair it seems,” he hummed, very lightly ruffling it as he held Elliot in the water. He didn’t want him to have to make the effort to do anything. “I’m proud of you. And Atticus. You were both very brave and I don’t think Atticus got burned at all,” he shared, glancing up to meet Alastor’s eye and make sure everything was okay on his side of things. Ephesus chewed on his lip. He wanted to cry more. But he also wanted to make sure Elliot was okay. Alastor was right. They were a team, and Elliot was counting on him to heal him up.
“Can I help him now?” he asked as he looked up at Alastor, pleading with his eyes. “My magic won’t last very long, but I think I want to sit with him. Do you know if Percy kept anything for burns here?” he wondered, glancing around the room. It seemed like some kind of medical bay, but he didn’t know what had managed to survive a thousand years.
Determined to help, Ephesus gave Alastor another tight squeeze and a kiss on his cheek before climbing back to his feet. He hesitated, not knowing if it was okay, but he was getting restless from being away from Elliot for so long.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 8:00 am
“Oh, good. My parents would be really upset if I looked too silly,” Elliot mumbled. He was just talking to talk, Michael just wanted him to stay awake anyway. He didn’t know how he should respond to Michael being proud of him, he was just doing his best.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get out of there. We tried. He just got there really fast. I don’t know what he was so upset about. He said he was looking for someone but he wouldn’t tell us anything about it so we couldn’t help. But I’m glad you showed up.”
He had to take a few pauses, and there were a few clear breaks where he had to suck in a breath or wait for a new wave of pain to pass, but he was determined to stay awake.
…He was just going to sleep really well as soon as he had approval to do so.
Alastor caught Sessrumnir’s gaze briefly and flashed a quick smile, and when he let Ephesus get up and offered him the same warm smile–as kind and supportive as he could manage. Did Percy keep things here? Of course. But that was a long time ago, and he wasn’t sure if anything would even still be good now.
Thankfully, he had his own supplies, and Michael had made sure he had a very good first aid kit.
“I’ll get everything out and ready. Michael will get him bandaged up soon, you’ll probably need to use your magic before then. Go on, you can sit with him. It’s okay.”
He knew Ephesus would worry about it unless Alastor said as much, so he nodded to his son, and then again to Sessrumnir to make sure he was comfortable handling everything.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 10:10 am
“Don’t be sorry, it wasn’t your fault. I thought I was being paranoid when I sent that message, but I’m glad I was.” He felt that way often. Not knowing if he was overreacting or if he had a legitimate concern. Sometimes Devyn would have to just hold his hand and help him calm down, but now he was worried about being more paranoid than before.
“We got lucky that he left when he did. He might actually have serious concerns about being caught in the rain,” he theorized. Because instead of using his General King abilities, which Sessrumnir knew he had, given his presence at the bank incident, he chose to get out of the rain. Even if it was just an illusion.
He hadn’t fought a General King. Not without the numbers it took to take down Apatite. But even with that, there were so many who died to make that happen.
Whatever Faustite had been going on about didn’t matter. He was a dangerous threat that needed to be dealt with. How, he wasn’t sure yet. Ephesus wanted nothing more than to run over to Elliot’s side and throw his arms around him and cry on him. Oh, but he wouldn’t do that. He knew he had to be gentle because he was hurt and in a lot of pain. He was going to heal him up, though. Oh, and he didn’t want to slip on the floor.
“Hey,” he managed without his voice wobbling too much as he approached the pool where Sessrumnir was holding Elliot in the water. There was still pink flowing through the light current, but it wasn’t as red as the fountain had been.
His boots were already soaked, and Sessrumnir had climbed in fully clothed, so hopefully he wasn’t doing anything wrong when he stepped into the pool as well. He had his scepter in hand, but glanced anxiously up at Sessrumnir to see if he was okay to use his magic now or not. He didn’t want to make things worse for Elliot. Sessrumnir looked up at Ephesus when he joined them and offered him a smile similar to Alastor’s. He’d wanted to make sure the wounds had a chance to cool down before more healing magic worked on closing them up, but he was also eager to get Elliot bandaged up and as comfortable as possible.
“Sorry, Ellie. I’m going to try and get your shirt off. Would you be upset if I cut it?” he asked, because that would be the easiest way. “Otherwise I can try to work it up over your head and arm. Effie is going to use his magic and I want to keep an eye on any areas we need to pay more attention to.”
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