Daughter of the Sky, Son of the Earth

Chapter Twenty-three

Fire

"He's been out for a long time,” she said for what felt like the hundredth time in the day.

"Uh-huh," I responded nonchalantly as I kept my eyes fixed on a journal I had found in the kitchen. We still didn’t know where we were or what this place was, but something about it felt familiar.

"He's still covered in stone," she noted and from the corner of my eyes, I saw her watching Mason’s still body on the couch.

"I can see that," I said without turning to look at her.

"How long will his transformation last?"

"I don't know,” I said with a sigh, frustration was starting to appear in my mind.

"Do you think he'll take longer or shorter than you to wake up?"

I let out a heavier sigh and raised my arms above me in irritation. Alex had been like this ever since Mason had stopped moving, but she had reached a new level. Or maybe it was just me. I was still on edge from everything that had happened, maybe that was what was making me feel so irritable.

Mason had been engulfed in a cocoon of stone and since then, everything had stopped outside and, but Alex's questions were the only sound in the small cabin and they were beginning to get on my nerves. I was too tense and tired right now to have any patience.

I could not say I hadn't been scared because I had as Mason transformed. I had never been in an earthquake until today and I hated every minute of it, especially in this house, which looked as if it were going to fall apart any minute now. The last thing I wanted was to die under a pile of old wood from a house.

But as soon as every inch of Mason's body was covered, the earthquake had intensified and then... it was gone.

It had taken me a couple of minutes to regain my composure and when I did, the first thing I did was rush to find the restroom to throw up.

It had taken a while for the dizziness to vanish, and I tried to take things slow. I didn't know what had happened when I had fainted.

I did have an idea though. I was using my powers to subside Mason's pain, that must have been the reason why I felt so exhausted and snappy now. Using my powers on him had drained me. Truthfully, I hadn't known if it'd work or not since I could control fire, not pain. But my instincts had taken over and it appeared I could take the pain away. I would have to ask Mason what he had felt once he woke up.

I sighed and pursed my lips together. It was a conversation I had wanted to have before his transformation. I wanted to have everything explained to him. For one, to ease his confusion and fear as he transformed. And two, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Partly because we didn't know anything about this place we were in. But the main reason was I wanted to find Andrew and make sure he was alright. It had been days since I felt his pain, but the memory was still vividly plating in my mind.

"What are you thinking?" Alex asked after a moment.

The two of us were sitting at the dining room table, playing with our canned food. We only sat there and stared at Mason in silence. It was past dawn now and I felt exhausted, but I couldn't close my eyes without feeling anxious to see what was going on. I wanted to be the first person Mason saw when he woke up. A little voice in the back of my mind told me I had to.

"I'm thinking about everything that has happened. It's been... a rush. It feels like everything is happening too fast, too intensely," I responded after a moment of silence.

Alex nodded her head and pushed her breakfast in front of her. I could see the disgust on her face as she ate from a can once again.

"I know the feeling and I also don't think that's good for anyone. Overthinking stuff, I mean. You're thinking way ahead," she said with a shrug.

I didn't respond as I kept my eyes glued to Mason.

Alex let out a sigh of defeat and nodded her head. "I think you should rest. I'll take it from here. If something changes, I'll let you know. But try to sleep," she said as she looked into my eyes.

Considering her proposal, I knew I could not stay like this, feeling exhausted. If a monster were about to attack us, I knew I would not be as fast as before.

"Fine, but only a couple of hours. You need to rest too. And I'm not taking no for an answer," I said as I got up from the wooden chair.

Alex smiled and nodded her head. "I'm not going to argue with you. I am tired, but you look much worse than me. Go ahead," she said as she pointed to the couch in front of us.

Without another word, I walked towards the dusty couch and laid down. It was surprisingly comfortable and smooth under my touch.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I was gone.

it didn't take long for my body to relax and drift off to sleep.

I thought I would struggle, trying to convince my body that it was okay to relax, but I didn't have to.

As I slept, I dreamt I was floating midair with many images circling around me. I looked at each one and saw a strange, older-looking guy in each one of them. He looked serious but when he smiled, his face illuminated the room.

He was handsome with his dirty-blond hair and his high cheekbones. He had a beard, but it wasn't thick. It was just big enough to see but small enough to keep it well-maintained. He had deep hazel eyes that seemed to change color in each image.

He was strong and he irradiated a claiming aura around him.

I had never seen this person before but something about him seemed familiar.

I stared unblinkingly at one image in front of me and my eyes widened when I saw a woman walk up to him and hit him playfully.

Instantly, my face paled when I saw who it was. It was undeniable, we looked so much alike. The person, or rather Goddess, standing next to the man was my mother, Artemis.

I had never seen her as clearly as I did in those images. We looked so alike, but I looked like a child next to her. She looked like a powerful, independent woman. Her gray eyes gleamed with knowledge and excitement and her courage seemed to seep out of her in waves.

I watched as Artemis and the strange man fooled around and for a minute, I wondered if this was my father.

But something inside of me told me that wasn't the case. He wasn't my father; I was sure of it. But I also had a feeling we were related somehow.

Suddenly, my eyes widened as I remembered the story about Artemis and... Apollo. This was my mother's twin brother. They looked nothing alike and that was what threw me off course. But the way they looked at each other and teased each other, it was obvious they were fond of one another, but not in a romantic way.

But why was I seeing this? What was the purpose? I sighed and shook my head, maybe my mother was telling me to go find Apollo. Maybe he had something important to tell us. He was known for being the bearer of bad news, or at least, his oracle was the one that foresaw all of the prophecies.

I didn’t know, but where could you find a God that kept on moving around just as much as your own mother? I was beginning to think it was hereditary, that need to keep on moving to different places. It was as if they could not stay still in one place for longer than a couple of days or else something would happen.

I knew because I had searched for my mother in Andrew's compass long before our mission had been revealed to us. I had considered going after her but every time I made up my mind of asking Barbara for permission, Artemis would move, and she'd suddenly be on the other side of the world. That's why I hadn't gone looking. If she wanted to find me, I knew she could. She was the Goddess of the hunt, after all. I didn’t have to go after her.

But what did Apollo have to do with anything? He wasn't here and I had never met him before.

Before I could think much more of it, the images vanished, and I felt myself waking up.

A moment later, I was stirring in my sleep as I moved groggily and stretched my arms over my head.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Alex sitting at the table, reading a book.

I looked out the window and noticed the sun was past its highest point, which meant I had slept for hours.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," Alex said without taking her eyes off the book. She looked very intrigued by what she was reading.

"What time is it?" I asked, my voice sounded surprisingly hoarse.

"It's past three, or at least that was when I last checked which was a couple of moments before you woke up," she replied as she got to her feet and looked at me.

"I think I'm going to take a quick nap too. Nothing changed, Mason is still a stone sculpture and there haven't been any more earthquakes," she said with a faint smile and I nodded.

I got up from the couch as I let Alex have it. She smiled at me as we changed seats and I looked at the book she had been reading. It had no title.

Slowly, I opened the leather cover and my eyes widened when I recognized Barbara's handwriting on the pages. My heart seemed to stop as I choked back a sob. I hadn't thought about Barbara in days. I had been so busy and alert finding Mason that I didn't let grief reach my thoughts. But now, as I stared back at Barbara's handwriting, I could not help it.

A cold shiver ran through me as I scanned the pages and realized it was a journal. I didn't know how or why Alex had this and I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Shaking my head, I put the book down and got to my feet. I needed some fresh air and the day looked cloudy and cool. Just the perfect weather for someone who hated the sun like me.

I stepped out onto the porch as I watched the landscapes in front of me. This cabin had everything from a forest to one side, a garden in the front, and it was practically surrounded by a long grass field. It was a calm scenery, and a smile reached my lips as I sat down on the stairs and let it soothe me.

Suddenly, my eyes landed on a big tree in front of the cabin. I was sure that tree hadn't been there when Alex and I had woken up. I would have remembered it.

But as I looked up at it, it looked like a fifty-year-old tree. No tree could grow so much in a couple of hours. So how come I hadn't seen it when we came in?

Shaking my head, I decided not to think too much about it. It wouldn't matter once Mason woke up and we were able to leave.

I lost track of time as the breeze flew past me, making my hair dance like the long grass and trees. I smiled, thinking I could get used to this peacefulness. And I closed my eyes, letting myself enjoy the feeling.

Suddenly, a bright blue light shone through my eyelids and I quickly opened them. My eyes widened when I saw a small blue orb of light floating in front of me.

Hesitantly, I tried to reach it but the orb quickly dodged my hand. Mesmerized, I watched as the mysterious object moved into the house.

Quickly, I got to my feet and followed after it. It didn't seem harmful, but I thought it was trying to tell me something.