Who: Artemis and Deucalion When: Thursday afternoon Where: Deucalion’s place What: Meeting Why: Deucalion learns he has a daughter Status: Complete Ratings: None
After that chat on the net, Artemis was beyond confused. Wasn’t Deucalion suppose to be dead? But yet he said he was brought back? It was all confusing. So after agreeing to talk with him in person, she made her way to the address he had given her. Luckily, Art was already in Everdale since it was the most private location for her to heal when she arrived. She was a bit nervous since this would be her father she was meeting in person. With a shake of her head, she pushed the thoughts out her head.
Once she found the cabin she would climb up the few steps and make her way to knock on his door. Her long black hair would be let loose over her young features. Marin always told her, once she learned who her parents were, that she had a mixture of their features. But she’d never had photos or anything to compare those claims.
So for now, she simply waited for Deucalion to come to the door. Her frame dressed casually. In a long sleeve black shirt and jeans. Since Art never really dressed fancy or anything.
**
The Alpha’s mind had been racing ever since he spoke with the girl on the net. In truth, a part of him still believed this to be some manner of jest or prank. However, there was no denying that he and Kali had had a brief tryst eighteen years ago. Of course, it had been that same night that Kali had killed her whole pack to join Deucalion and his Alpha Pack….still telling the young woman that, just didn’t seem right. The timeline fits well enough since Kali had been on the move back then, working to gather intel on hunter movements, while Deucalion focused on training and recruiting the twins to join his pack too.
Now though as he sat there in his living room, drink in hand, his thoughts swirled on. It was the sound of her heartbeat that first caught his notice, and when she moved to knock on his front door the old wolf was already moving to open it for her. Just seeing the young woman there, catching her scent...a scent so familiar yet strange; like Kali’s and his own...Deucalion found himself frozen for a moment as he just studied her intently.
“I...welcome, my dear. I’m glad you managed to find the cabin with ease...I know it’s a bit out of the way, yet that is truly part of its charm.” With a gesture, he took a half step back and allowed her access to his home. There were a thousand different questions racing through his mind, but after meeting her in the flesh, and catching her scent, Deucalion could not deny that she was his daughter. --
It didn’t take him long to come and answer the door. Once he stood across from her, Artemis came to stare up at him. Her hand brushing away black hair as she came to watch him move to the side as she came to make her way inside the cabin. Already she had her hands inside her pockets as she came to turn and face him for the moment.
“It’s fine, I was in the area.” She replied as she came to exhale deeply. Her shoulder was killing her, along with her stomach and calf. But Marin always told her, the pain was a state of mind and showing pain was a weakness she wouldn’t tolerate. So Art knew how to handle the pain, despite how much she was in.
“So…” She said unsure what to say to the man. “Is Kali here too, is this going to turn into some weird family reunion now?”
**
A hint of a frown formed on the man’s face as he scented blood, and that piercing gaze of his honed in on the way the young woman carried herself. From the scent of it, she was harboring fresh wounds and just the prospect of her being injured unsettled the Alpha. That, in and of itself, was strange since he had only quite literally just met her. Still, before saying a word Deucalion just slowly reached out and rested his hand on the side of her face. As he held her gaze the man took a deep breath and a second later black veins appeared along with her face and his hand...as he siphoned her pain into himself. At last, when it was done, a soft sigh escaped Deucalion and the old wolf pulled back his hand.
The question of Kali gave him pause, and that frown deepened a little when he spotted his kitten resting on the couch. “Sadly I have not seen her since...well since I buried her.” At a loss for what to do, or say, the Alpha moved slowly back to his seat pausing to pick up the tiny black tabby before sitting down at last. “I suppose you have all manner of questions, as do I...but perhaps we should start with an easy one. Have you eaten today?”
After hosting Kitty and Elena the other day, for their pack meeting, his fridge was still very well stocked. So offering to fix her something just seemed like the thing to do. “I know we’ve got quite an assortment of dishes here, but there is also bear steaks that I could grill up for you if that is something you’d prefer.” --
When he came towards her and placed his hand on her cheek she froze. Not sure what the man was doing. But as those black veins became visible and slowly the pain she was dealing with began to vanish, even if for a while. Once he let go and came to exhale she arched a brow. “What did you do?” She asked as she followed him as he moved to take a seat. Her frame coming to do the same across from him.
So, her mother really was dead. Nothing she could really do about it at this point. Once the kitten was placed back on his lap, she raised a brow. A kitten? Really? A light shrug of her shoulders given as she heard the mention of food. “Not really.” She answered honestly as she came to look around his place once more before looking at him.
“You live here alone?” She asked, wondering if anyone was going to walk out a room or something.
**
The kitten was annoyed for a moment, having just nodded off in a comfortable spot, yet when the man’s fingers started to brush through her fur Kali settled down at last. The question of what he had done actually caught the Alpha by surprise; since he had expected the young woman to understand...after all Artemis was a born wolf, and she had been raised by an Emissary. Still, after considering it for a moment Deucalion simply shrugged his broad shoulders before speaking up. “A wolf can take the pain of others. It’s just one of the many gifts at our disposal, and since I could smell those injuries of yours...well I couldn’t resist offering you a respite from the agony.”
When she declined the offer of food the Alpha just nodded once more and sighed again as he tried to figure out what to do. This whole thing was so very odd, and the wolf was trying to navigate this mess. It wasn’t every day that someone discovered they had a child, that had apparently been hidden from them since birth...and having her arrive here in Preya, that was almost equally as strange. Luckily when she inquired about others it gave the Alpha something to focus on.
“No, it’s just myself here. I had a guest staying for a bit, but sadly she...well-vanished sounds a bit ominous, yet apparently, this place sent her and a few others home.” After a moment Deucalion’s frown lifted, and with renewed interest, he gazed at her again. “What if you, my dear? Where are you staying?” -- “This place sends people back?” Well, that was unsettling, to say the least. The last thing Art wanted was to go back because it meant being found by Monroe. That was not something she was looking forward to do anytime soon. “Me? Nowhere really.” She replied with a light shrug of her shoulders for the moment. “I just got here maybe a day or two ago so… Haven’t really found a place.” She added as she came to look around once more.
His place was huge, nice and away from people. That was something Art thought of doing, which is why she came to Everdale when arriving. “I saw there were others from Beacon Hills here…. Is there a woman named Monroe here?” Depending on his answer would determine what Art would do next at this point.
**
At her question of people being sent back, all the man could do was a shrug. “That is what I’ve heard, though the specifics of it still elude me right now. So you have no place to rest?” A look of concern was seen spreading across the man’s face, and without hesitation, Deucalion nodded to himself as he made up his mind. “Well, that simply won’t do. I have more than enough space here, and the guest room is at your disposal should you wish to make use of it. Additionally, I keep the place and pantry well stocked, so you’re welcome to help yourself to whatever you find here.” He didn’t know the young woman at all, yet the Demon Wolf wasn’t going to turn away his own child.
“Indeed there are a few from Beacon Hills here; Two other Alphas, and a few others as well.” At the mention of Monroe’s name, his eyes flashed bright red, and a low rumbling growl was heard for the briefest of moments as Deucalion’s anger bubbled up. However just as quickly as it came that rage parted too. “Apologies, my dear….no she is not here, and were she to show up I’d rip her limb from limb. After all, that woman is to blame for a considerable amount of pain and suffering.” -- “Not if I get to her first.” Is all Art would saw as she watched his anger slowly build up and soon vanish all the same. “She’s the one who killed the pack I was staying within Russia and the one who shot me.” She informed him as she came to growl lowly under her breathe just thinking about it.
Once she was calmed she would nod to his offer in the room. “Sure, the forest is great and everything but a bed would be amazing.” She informed him as she came to look at the kitten once more. “What’s its name?” She asked finally since she grew overly curious for no reason on the small animal.
“What are the others like, I talked to someone named Stiles earlier but that was it from Beacon Hills.”
**
A touch of pride, and also sorrow, was seen in his eyes when Artemis spoke of being shot by Monroe. Oh Deucalion had been working hard to find his way back to the path of peace, yet for Monroe, he’d make an exception...for the woman who had his shot, and now his daughter too...that would be one brutal death for sure. “Well you have no need to fear her here, and should she arrive my pack will keep you safe, my dear.”
A single nod was his only initial reply, having found the forest quite peaceful himself but also understanding the allure of a hot shower and clean sheets. “Well the room is all yours, and should you have need of anything else...anything at all, simply let me know and I shall do what I can to provide it for you.” When Artemis asked about the kitten’s name the Alpha winced ever so slightly before simply speaking up at last. “Her name is Kali...I named her after your mothers because both had a love of using their claws.”
“Hmm? Oh, the boy is...talkative. Still, he’s a human, but also part of a pack. You’ll be fine around him I suppose, and he’s trustworthy. As far as the others; well the two Alphas are Gideon Hale and Scott McCall. Both are good men, though Scott is quite young and is trying to find his footing. Gideon’s two children are here as well as his brother in law Peter...that one you may wish to avoid. And lastly, we have the rest of Scott’s pack; made up of a hunter, and a banshee.” --
“That’s an odd pack.” Is all Artemis said about that matter? “Plus, I heard about the Hales and McCall,” She said as she came to look at the kitten and hear her name. “Yeah Marin told me she didn’t wear shoes. Which is kinda gross.” She replied with another shrug of her shoulders. “Is the hunter the Argent family?” She asked with a kinked up brow.
“Gerard is the reason I ran away from Beacon Hills without a word to Marin, he had found me.” She stated with another growl from her lips. She wasn’t too much of a fan of hunters and it showed. But Artemis was also still young.
***
“Oh quite odd indeed, yet they’ve done well for themselves and I count their pack as an ally. In truth, I took a page from their book and went as far as bringing a non-wolf into my pack as well.” The man’s thoughts drifted to Elena for a moment, yet when Artemis mentioned Kali’s feet a warm chuckle escaped him. “It was strange, I’ll grant you that, but she had few would rival her in combat so perhaps that ‘grossness’ could be overlooked.” Another soft sigh escaped his lips at her other question and with a slight nod the Demon Wolf spoke up once more. “Indeed, Allison Argent...she’s a new arrival as well, yet an ally of sorts to...well to our kind I suppose. Both she and her father were staunch supporters of McCall, and so I will protect and aid her however I can.”
Gerard’s name had that anger seeping back in for a moment, yet even as the Alpha took a calm breath his glowing red eyes remained. “From what I have heard Gerard is now dead, so you have nothing to worry about with him either.” -- “Good, I hope they ripped him to shreds.” Is all she would say as she came to exhale for the moment. When he mentioned his pack and having a non-werewolf she arched a brow once more. “Oh, and what is it?” She asked since she wasn’t sure if it was a male or female he was talking about for the moment. “So no more pure werewolf packs here?” She asked since she wasn’t sure how things worked here with the three Alphas for the moment. “And you’re all allied together?” She asked another question as she thought once more. So far it just seemed like one huge pack broken up into three Alphas which was fine by her. The more the better.
**
Her sentiment was one that Deucalion shared as well, and a part of him was sad that he hadn’t been there to witness the demise of Gerard Argent. “Indeed, I hope so as well.” That arch of her brow brought on a soft chuckle and with a smile that Alpha spoke up again. “Her name is Elena, and she is a vampire. You’ll be meeting her sooner or later, especially if you are going to stay here since she stops by from time to time. Truth be told the Demon Wolf had no clue what to make of his relationship with Elena; both of them had an attraction to one another, and the kisses shared at the shop the other day still lingered in his mind.
“Oh, I suppose Hale’s pack would count as such since they are all born wolves. However, I’m not sure if Derek has agreed to join Gideon again, or if they are still talking it over. We are allied together though. Gideon is an old friend that I’ve known and trusted for decades. Scott is...well this version of the young man has no memory of the times I’ve aided him, but a few of his pack do, so we are slowly working back to a place where he can trust me.” --
Art came to listen and look at the way Deucalion talked about Elena. “You like her, don’t you?” She asked since his heart rate had changed and so did the tone in his voice when he mentioned her. Artemis couldn’t really say anything about this since he was a grown man and could do what he wanted.
“I haven’t talked to Scott yet, not sure what I could say to help besides being your kid you had no idea you had.” She said with a light shrug of her shoulders as she came to exhale and think for the moment. “Would you be mad if I said I don’t really want to be part of your pack? The memory of losing the one I was in is still fresh.”
**
That question wasn’t hard to answer since Deucalion knew what the answer was. No, the hard part was sorting out how to act around Elena since he had no real experience with social entanglements. “Indeed. I’m quite fond of her, and I believe she is fond of me as well. We’ve enjoyed each other’s company a few times since I arrived here, and with her joining the pack...well I suspect that I will have the pleasure of seeing her a bit more frequently too.” That smile of his warmed even more as he thought of the first evening he shared with Elena, and it took a moment for the man to regain his composure.
“I’m sure you will see or speak with the young man sooner or later, yet there is no need for you to try and do anything. Sadly my past...there’s a considerable amount of blood on my hands, my dear. And it’s hard to change, harder to change the minds and hearts of others too.” At her question the Alpha just shook his head slowly, offering a soft yet genuine smile as well, before quietly speaking up. “No I would not be mad, Artemis. You are free to make your own decisions, yet know that you’ll always have a place in my pack should you wish it.” -- She came to nod her head as she came to exhale and come to a stand. “Well. I better shower and crash. All this information is making my head hurt.” She replied slightly as she came to yawn and give him a slight smile.
“Which way to my new room?” She asked since she hadn’t explored the house, she’ll be sure to do so in the morning.
**
With a nod, the Alpha carefully stood up, gently keeping his hold on the now sleeping kitten, before gesturing with a hand. “I will show you to the guest room, and I believe Malia still has a few clothes here as well, should you require a change.” He considered offering Artemis a tour but decided that it could wait till later. Presently he simply escorted her to the stairs and led the way to the guest room.
“You have your own bathroom just down the hall, and help yourself to anything in the fridge or pantry as well, should you grow hungry.” --