As Rio stepped out of his room, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Artemis and Amelia standing there. A mixture of surprise and worry washed over him, wondering if they had heard anything, he asked the system, but it was useless.
'Fuck' .
He quickly composed himself, attempting to hide any traces of his recent emotional turmoil. With a smile that he hoped conveyed calmness, he greeted them, "Mother, Amelia, is everything alright?"
Amelia was looking at Rio worriedly, while Artemis's face had a blank expression. Rio looked at Artemis, trying to see any hint if she heard anything or not, but couldn't understand anything.
Rio's heart raced as he observed the blank expression on her face. The uncertainty of whether she had heard anything or not gnawed at his mind, fueling his anxiety. He glanced at Amelia, hoping to find some clue or reassurance in her innocent eyes, but she seemed oblivious to his internal turmoil.
Summoning his courage, Rio spoke up, his voice tinged with concern. "Mother, what are you doing here?"
Artemis blinked, her gaze shifting towards Rio, as if registering his presence for the first time. Her brows furrowed slightly, hinting at a faint trace of confusion. "Ohh, We just came to see how you were doing. Amy said that you were acting weird, and suddenly ran away from her. Is everything okay?"
Rio's worry intensified at the lack of a clear answer, and that cross question. He bit his lower lip, trying to find the right words to convey his answer without revealing anything. "I... I just remembered I forgot something in my room. I was tired from awakening, so I came out in a hurry. It wasn't anything serious."
Artemis's expression softened, her concern evident as she reached out to place a comforting hand on Rio's shoulder. "You should be careful, and rest early today. Your body might feel weird for some time, don't worry, it will adjust. If something else is bothering you, you can come to me, okay."
Rio's tension eased slightly after hearing Artemis's words, her touch providing a sense of reassurance. He nodded, a mixture of relief and lingering unease swirling within him. "Thank you, Mother. I'm fine now, so don't worry about me."
Rio looked at Amelia, who was looking at him worriedly, and her gaze met his, she shyly hid behind Artemis.
'Is she angry at me?' Rio thought as he watched Amelia looking at him with hesitation and then looking sideways again. 'No, more like worried that I'm angry at her.'
He realized that his earlier actions might have caused her to question herself, thinking that he was angry with her in some way.
His heart swelled with affection as he watched her, finding her innocent and adorable. He wanted nothing more than to reassure her, to let her know that she was the most important person to him right now. The revelation that Amelia and Ria were one and the same had brought a flood of emotions, making him appreciate their bond even more. He wanted nothing less than to just hold her tight and keep her safe this time.
With a gentle smile, Rio approached Amelia, extending his hand towards her. "Amy, come here," he said softly, his voice filled with warmth.
Amelia hesitated for a moment before slowly stepping forward, her eyes still reflecting her uncertainty.
"I'm not angry at you, okay. Don't ever think that." He crouched down and affectionately nudged her nose, eliciting a giggle from the young girl. "How can I ever get angry at my cute little Lia."
"Liar, then why did you run? You didn't even take my gift." Amelia said as she tried acting serious, but with her stature it just made her look even more cute.
"That's cause your brother prepared a gift for you, and wanted to be first to give it, you wanna see what it is?"
Amelia's eyes widened in surprise, and then her face lit up with a bright smile, she nodded her head in a hurry while moving her hand in front of him.
"Well, since your lazy brother was sleeping till now, he didn't wrap it for you. But it's a very special gift, okay."
Amelia's eyes lit up with excitement as she saw Rio taking out something from his pockets. She eagerly waved her hands, indicating her anticipation to receive the gift.
Amelia looked towards her mother who too was also waiting for what gift Rio was talking about. She coughed lightly, and when her mother looked towards her, she just started acting proud, her eyebrows were going higher, face looking 45° sideways, trying to act like the whistling monk Rebecca told her about. Artemis looked at her for some seconds, and then with a displeased expression, looked away. Amelia who with a side eye watched it, had her smile brighten by 2 more points.
The happiness she felt now wasn't for the gift, but the fact that her brother wasn't angry at her, and was acting like normal again.
Though she didn't mention it to her mother, she had noticed how Rio had started to act strange around her, and ignored her sometimes. All this time she thought it was because she did something wrong and made him angry. This was why she even prepared a gift for him, she wanted to give it to him after his awakening and apologize, but someone put her to sleep.
She glared at her mother when she remembered what Myra told her, she was going to complain about it to her father when she found Rio at the balcony, and decided to give him the gift first. But to her surprise Rio didn't even take it, and left her there. That's why she went to Artemis and brought her here.
But all her worries were gone now, she could see it, in his smile, he was still her same loving brother, who doted on her lovingly, and it was a gift enough for her.
But since her brother already prepared another gift, it would be a waste not to take it. It was definitely not because she remembered how her brother cheated all her money by giving her a teddy Bear.
Though her brain spoke volumes of her thoughts, her outside expressions remained kid-like. Her acting cute was just the act she had for her family. Since they liked her, for their happiness she could do it. Plus acting cute brings gifts, and every girl loves them.
While Rio and Amelia engaged in their talks, Artemis's gentle expression vanished, and her eyes took a darker turn. She scanned his whole room again, her eyes searching for any sign of someone whom her son was talking to. Yet, her gaze found nothing out of the ordinary, leaving her feeling perplexed and apprehensive.
But instead of calming her nerves, this made her more worried, as this meant, he wasn't talking to someone here. 'Is this some God who's watching him? Or someone who already made the deal? Why is he not saying anything?' Various thoughts crossed her mind in a single moment.
At one point she wanted to ask Rio everything, but she also noticed he had no intention of telling her anything, his nervousness when he saw her before was enough proof.
She closed her eyes and said in her mind 'Do you see someone?'
[A lot of them actually, your son's getting quite famous now.] A ghastly male voice came in her mind, it belonged to her chosen God, someone whom she chose to be an avatar of. Phonoi - the Greek God of spirits and of killings.
'Why, he's just a kid.'
[A kid who got Nyx's blessing. She doesn't choose people like others do, something must be special about your son. And that's what they're all curious about.]
'Did you see someone from the strays, or evil side?'
[He's Nyx's follower, no one with half a brain would want to mess with her. So you're worrying for nothing.]
'Then what about his words, he said as if… '
[It could be anything, maybe he made some deal with those cockroaches, and saw something, or maybe he's just a kid thinking nonsense.]
The words of her God weren't enough to calm the nervous thoughts of her heart. She thought again about what she heard from outside just moments ago. Though not clear, Rio's voice did reach her senses when she focused on it. His words played in her ears again, making her further confused -'my little sister, and this time you would be able to live your life however you want. I'd make sure of it.'
As much as she wanted to respect Rio's privacy, and give him his freedom, this wasn't something she could ignore, her children were her whole life, and the words he spoke were concerning both of them.
But looking at how happy he looked now, how they both smiled and chatted together, she didn't want to ruin his mood just because of her suspicions, 'Today's special for him, his awakening, I can't ruin it for him.' So she pushed her own worries aside for his son's happiness, and decided to talk to him later.
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A/N - She heard it guys. What now? What excuse will work on her, waiting online… ..
—-***ohh and if someone's wondering the talks he has with the system couldn't be heard by anyone. Unless he shouts it in their face lol.
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