Page 76 of Detonation
They taught me that it was okay to stand out because my life was my own and I shouldn't try to live it by anyone else's standards.
Gaia squeezes her hand back. "I know. "
"Xander, please lay on the bed next to Zaria and hold her hand."
My father does as Gaia asks and I feel a new presence at my back. I whirl but find no one there.
"Hypnos, please come assist now.”
Hypnos.The same person from my dream that stayed hidden.
A silhouette on the wall draws my attention, the shadow of a large frame with wings, before he emerges. His complexion is a stunning pale blue, his long white hair in a loose braid. His milky white eyes seem to meet mine for a second before he looks towards the bed, tucking his white wings in as he walks towards my parents.
He speaks with a softness to his voice that makes me instantly at ease. “I am going to put you to sleep now and while you are asleep, I will pull the memories. There will be no pain.”
My parents squeeze each other's hands and nod, closing their eyes.
Hypnos hovers his hand over their faces, sparkling blue dust sprinkling onto their faces. They snore lightly and he leans in, tapping a finger to each of their foreheads and lifting it up, a swirling trail of energy rising up until he blows on it. It fades in the wind.
He looks to Gaia. “It has been done.”
She hums and looks at my parents, a longing on her face before she sighs and moves her gaze away. Reaching into her body, she draws something out, opening her hand to reveal an orb of vibrant teal, the size of a marble, pulsing in her hand. Even as I am right now, I can feel it.
Even as she looks excited, there’s a dejection to her aura. "This child will be my own but she will never know. I will never be able to have a connection with her for her own safety. I hope she grows into herself and her powers without living in fear of those that would wish to see her harmed."
Hypnos walks to Gaia and grips her shoulder. “You have chosen worthy parents for her. Under their guidance, she will be a formidable opponent one day.”
Smiling her gratitude at Hypnos, Gaia walks over to Zaria, her hand hovering over my mother’s stomach as she allows the white glow to pass through to her womb, gently placing the orb into her.
Gaia takes a deep breath as iridescent tears fall down her cheeks as she removes her hand from my mother’s person, resting it lightly on top of my mother’s stomach where I’m already growing, safe in her womb. "I do not know you but I love you already, Little One. I will be here for you as much as I can without drawing attention. I will always watch over you."
“We will protect her from afar, Gaia,” Hypnos promises. “She won’t ever be alone in this.”
His wings pop out and he disappears in a cloud of smoke as Gaia lingers. She rises to standing, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and turns away from my parents. With her eyes closed, she fades out with a smile on her face.
My vision fades and I open my eyes to the white room, disoriented as the lightheadedness clears. Gaia stands in front of me, hands still clasped with mine, a hint of fear in her eyes.
Does she think I’m going to reject her?
Am I?
She’s been helping me in the ways that she could without putting me in further danger, even as I acted like I knew all of the answers. But why is she telling me this now?
I voice my inner thoughts, “I wish you would have told me sooner so that we could’ve avoided so much pain. I wish you would’ve found a way to speak up and warn me about Anshar being in Ash’s body. I will heal and, one day, it won’t hurt so badly, but the scars will remain.”
She nods. “I know. I don’t know how to be a mother, despite being called Mother Nature. I make mistakes, even as a goddess. The one thing I have always made sure of though is that you were always surrounded by parents and your mates who filled your life with joy and love…” Squeezing my hands, she blinks her tears away. “I may not have been able to stop the bad moments from happening but I made sure you had the people you needed by your side to survive them. You will never be alone.”
Hesitating for a moment before I brush past my insecurities, I drop her hands and step into her, wrapping my arms around her as I hug her lightly. I breathe in the floral scent of the blooms in her hair and my energy pulsates within my core.
For a moment, I fearshe’sgoing to reject me because she’s frozen still. As I start to pull back, she crushes me to her, cradling the back of my head in her hand, breathing in deep. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long, my child.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hale
Raven rushes from the table, following her brother outside, leaving Leo and myself exchanging confused looks. Standing from my stool, I shrug at him. "Might as well go see what's going on."
"We’re not done with this conversation. How do we convince her to help us?" he asks as we walk towards the commotion past the dining hall doors.
