22 Secrets

I woke up a few hours later to find that Dream and Jade were still here with me I still had my head on Dream's lap and I had my feet on Jade. They both noticed that I has woken up, they both looked at me " Artemis are you feeling any better?" I slowly sat up, " Not really but thank you guys for staying with me you didn't have to do that." Dream looked at me with the softest eyes, " Artemis your our sister, our queen, and alpha we would do this over and over again if that's what it took to make you feel better." Then Jade turned toward me, " Matter of fact tomorrow tonight we are going out no if and or buts about it you need a day away you haven't had time to yourself since your mother passed, and it's starting to get to you we can all see it." I just smiled at these two, I never thought that I would find to woman that I could call my sisters ever but I am glad that it was these two. " Thank you guys but remember I am only sixteen I can't go into a bar yet." They just looked at me and laughed " Artemis, we can have fun without drinking, you will see. Now go see the boys in the office they have been worried about you." I hugged both of them, " Thank you girls really I appreciate it, and I love you both so very much."

I got up slowly and started heading to the office, what was I going to say to them, I had no clue what the hell to do. I seriously have to figure out who is controlling the Quils and who is trying to kill me. I walk into the office and all the boys were there, Zeus was the first to make it to me he gave me a big bear hug " How are you holding up squirt?" I just held on to him for a moment, " I am doing ok?" Then Genius came over, " Princess, are you ok?" I just nodded before going to sit down on the couch. I just looked at them: " Ok we have to figure out how is doing this. "Which means tonight I will go back to the spirit world to talk with mom Alcide you're coming with me and no arguing." " Then tomorrow Alcide will train with me more, but tomorrow night I am going out with Jade and Dream, after that depending on what mother says is if we will train with my magic. But Alcide I need you to try and remember where that place is at in the forest so we can go into the castle, if not we will have to go back down memory lane again." They all looked at me letting me, " Please don't worry but I just can't deal with anyone else getting hurt because of me it isn't right nor fair to anyone."

Genius walked over grabbing my hands, " Princess, we all know the risks, but we also all know how strong you are, never doubt your own strength and don't forget you have a whole pack behind you." I know he is right but how can I keep letting the people I love, the people that helped protect me get hurt the answer is I couldn't so I will find a way to protect everyone, one way or another. " Also Genius while I am contacting my mom tonight I need you and Zeus to look into the ways a mate's bond can be manipulated." They both looked at me, " Squirt, we can't leave you alone while you go there you know that." I just shook my head, " I won't be alone I have Daniel, and James to look after me if your more comfortable with more people being in here go get Dream and Jade and tell them to watch the door and have guards outside the window but this really isn't up for debate tonight boys." They both looked at one another knowing that I wasn't going to budge the both turned to leave but before Genius left he turned around, " Baby please be careful ok." I smiled at him, " Always babe, now go get that information please."

I wasn't trying to be bitch or pushy but I can't let anyone else get hurt it's not fair, but I think that they all understood my moodiness with what just happened to officer Jacob. I wonder if his wife got ahold of Zeus yet, god what was his wife going to do without him, I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to Genius. But before I could get too far into my head Daniel tapped me on my shoulder, " Artemis, look I know that you have had a hard day with what happened, but just know that we are all right here nobody is going anywhere ok so just breath for a moment to go throwing yourself into finding out who did this or you will fail before you even get started." I just looked at him Daniel has always been like an older brother to me and with each day since I found out who I truly was he has begun acting like it I don't know whether to be worried or happy. Having two older brothers might not be a good thing, but they are great at always looking out for me in their own ways.

I just smiled I couldn't really say much to that because I know that he was just looking out for me but he can't understand how I am feeling right now I am not sure that anyone can at the moment. I looked at Alcide, " I know your not really comfortable with this but I wouldn't ask you to go if it wasn't important, that and I think we can agree that it is probably not best to have Zeus go with me again.��� Alcide looked nervous he was fidgetting on the couch, " Artemis, I am just nervous I don't know what to say when I see your mother." I was shocked was that really what he was nervous about, " That's really what you're nervous about with everything going on?" He turned to look at me " Yes it is I haven't seen my sister in a very long time, I wasn't there to protect her or you, she must hate me." Now I can understand why he is so nervous I never thought about that before, it has been a very long time since he has seen my mom. I reached over and grabbed his hand " Uncle, it will all be ok don't forget you're not going to be alone, I will be there the whole time ok." He just nodded, I looked at Daniel and James, "Ok guys were going to do this so Daniel you already know the drill, James just follow Daniel's lead ok he knows what to do. I am trusting you both so don't let me down."

I looked back at Alcide grabbing his hand, " Ok uncle I just need you to lay back and relax clear your head this is going to be new but don't be scared remember I am right here with you." He squeezed my hand before laying his head back on the couch and I followed suit waiting till I found mother's tree in my head, I focused on that tree. That is when I saw the white flash and I knew we had entered the spirit world, I turned to see Alcide standing right next to me holding my hand looking around. " Artemis, this is amazing, I never knew you could do something like this." I just smiled, " Well neither did I but look at me now." We both started laughing, I looked at him, " Are you ready?" He just looked at the tree for a moment, " Ready as I ever will be." We both started walking toward the tree, the closer we got the clearer it became, I took him with me to sit under the tree this time I knew I would be here for a little bit. " Mom, it's me Artemis, I brought your brother with me this time could you please come out we really need to talk." We waited for a few minutes before she came walking from behind the tree, she looked at me: " Artemis I told you it's not safe for you to becoming here."

I just shook my head, " Yes mom you did but I wouldn't have to keep coming back if you would just tell me the truth and quit hiding everything from me, I have a pack to look after and people to protect." She just looked at me with sorrow in her eyes, " I know that Artemis, but there are some things you are not ready to know yet." That made me angry but before I could speak again Alcide spoke " Hi, sister I know I haven't seen you in a while but I want to apologize for not being here for you." She just looked at him with a look I couldn't quite describe, " Brother you have nothing to apologize for, I am the one that sent you off." Alcide just hung his head, " But I should have stayed I knew what kind of danger you guys were in and I still chose to leave." She walked over to him placing her hand under his chin, " Alcide, you never had a choice because I never gave you one!" He just looked at her confused, " It was my choice to leave I could have told you no but I didn't." She kissed him on top of his head, " No little brother you never did the reason you can't remember everything clearly is because I wiped your memory." We both looked at her in shock, " Sister, what do you mean?"

My mom backed away so she could look at us both, " Alcide I had to wipe a lot of your memories so that they could not use them to get back Artemis." My uncle just sat there in shock, I could understand why all this time he thought he abandoned us but come to find out mother wiped his memories his only sister. I looked at mom shaking my head, " All these people have gotten hurt because of me, yet you keep telling me that I am not ready for everything, well I wasn't ready to lose you, and now I have lost officer Jacob, so please tell me again that I am not ready to hear everything." She looked at me with shock and sorrow on her face, " What do you mean Jacob is dead?" I was starting to become frustrated, " Exactly what I said mother he is dead he was tortured for a long time before they killed him, they left him in the forest for months before we found him." She just hung her head, " Artemis I am truly sorry but he knew what he was getting hisself into, he would have did it all over again given the chance." How could she say that, like his life had no meaning, " Mom, we came here for two things ok, I need to train my magic, and Alcide can't remember the secret entrance into the castle we know it is in a forest somewhere but we don't know where." Again she seemed shocked, " Artemis, how do you know of that entrance?"

"Well mom since you haven't been honest or been trying to help me I had to go into Alcide's mind to try and find some of the answers but surprise surprise those have been messed up to." She paced back and forth for a moment before looking at us once again, " Artemis, I didn't wipe those memories or mix them up your grandmother did for all of our sake." I just looked at her then to Alcide who's mouth fell open at this point, " Mom messed with my head too, how could you guys do that did you not trust me." I could hear the sadness in his voice as he spoke, it hurt me to hear how upset he was but we were here for something else, " So mom are you going to answer me or keep dancing around the question?" She just let out this big breath, " Dear Moon Goddess, why did you have to make her so damn stubborn, she acts just like her father." Alcide finally laughed when he heard her say that, but you could still see he was upset, he turned toward my mom, " That is one thing we can agree on." I looked at each of them, " Hey that isn't fair because I don't even remember my dad." I could see the pained look in my mom's eyes when I said that but it was true.

" Artemis, the forest that you saw is a long way away from the castle we had to make it that way just in case someone tried to follow us, we made different paths that lead to different areas. The path we took was a very long way to get you safe before coming to the United States, the forest you saw was Cann Wood in Plymouth, England." She stopped a moment before continuing, " As for a trainer for you magic there is only one person that can help you now that I am not of the living world, and that is your grandmother." My mouth fell open with Alcide's, " Wait what grandma is dead how the hell can she help us." I was waiting for a response but Alcide couldn't wait, " Serena, mother is dead why would you say that." She just looked at us, " Mom isn't dead, she can't die that is her curse, she has just stayed hidden because of the lie we had to tell." This family had way too many secrets, " Well mom where can I find grandmother if she is still alive?" She is in Plymouth, England she stayed to guard the entrance to the castle, she knows where the entrance is and the one that can train your magic." I just looked at her how can this woman whom I love lie so much, " Mom you need to tell me everything I can't protect anyone or myself if I don't know everything, don't you think you owe me, Zeus, and Alcide that much."

She squatted down so that we were eye level, " Artemis, there is one thing that I can promise you right now if you complete your training with your grandmother come back here before going into that entrance and I will tell you everything that you want to know. I promise you that, and when you come back bring everyone that you trust and I will tell everyone the truth but I will not risk your safety no matter what." I just looked at her, " Mom I can only bring one person at a time, not six!" She just smirked, " Artemis, darling you just don't understand how powerful you truly do you?" I shook my head no because I honestly don't I know nothing about this life because she sheltered me from it. She walked over kissed me on my forehead and Alcide on his cheek, " Go find your grandmother Artemis, then you will understand after all your just like her in more ways than one my dear, Alcide look after my baby girl, and Artemis I meant what I said, I promise you if you train with grandmother and come back here before going into that entrance I will tell you everything I know. But now you need to go I can no longer keep the darkness at bay." I looked around after she said that and I could see the darkness starting to close in, I stood up dragging my uncle with me, I pictured a door and one popped up right next to us, ok that is weird that has never happened before. I opened it dragging my uncle through it with me when I opened my eyes I realized I was back in the office I turned to look to make sure Alcide made it back and he was sitting up.

I looked at him placing my hand on his shoulder, " Uncle are you ok?" He just looked at me with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face which made no sense, he wrapped his arms around me embracing me, " Artemis, thank you for allowing me to go with you that is truly amazing, but I think I am going to go lay down and let everything sink in for a while but don't worry I will be here in the morning ok." I just nodded I knew he needed time hell I needed time to process all that, mom was actually kind of honest about something for once since she passed. I looked at Daniel and he was just standing there he didn't say anything he just stood there, " Um Daniel is everything ok?" He sat down beside me, " Artemis when you went in there this time you glowed." I started laughing surely he had to be playing a trick on me, I looked to James who's face looked shocked, " Artemis, he is serious you were glowing it was weird are you ok?" I stopped laughing " Wait are you serious?" Daniel grabbed my shoulder forcing me to look at him, " Artemis, I am dead serious you were glowing like you were a lighting bug except it was purple, it was weird as hell because that didn't happen the last time." I could see that they were both being serious, " I am fine guys I promise go get some rest ok I appreciate you watching over me, tell the girls to head to bed to I am about to go to bed myself I'll fill everyone in tomorrow ok."

Without another word they left the room, I am glad that they don't argue with me as much as Genius, and Zeus do speaking of which I should find out where they are, " Zeus, Genius where are you guys?" I stood up stretching for a few minutes when I heard Genius " Hey princess, we are in the library did everything go ok?" I just chuckled, " Well I found out a lot from mom this time but I will fill everyone in on what was said in the morning, you boys finish up tonight, Zeus go lay down with Dream and Genius I expect you to come upstairs I am exhausted and would love cuddles tonight please." I started cleaning up the office while I waited on a reply, first it was Zeus, " Eww sister, I don't need to hear that but I am heading to bed now Genius is cleaning up then he will be there." I just started laughing, but I went to the door shutting the light off before leaving, I closed the door behind me heading to bed. I really was exhausted but I guess with each time I do this I am not as exhausted so I guess that is a good thing. I walked up the stairs, and opened my bedroom door, I took my shoes off and stripped down till I was completely naked, then I went and laid on the bed. Man, this bed is really soft why hadn't I noticed that before, I didn't realize that I said that out loud because the next thing I knew I heard laughing behind be I rolled over and it was Genius, " Really princess, you're just now noticing how soft our bed is?" I threw the pillow at him, naturally, he caught it, he walked over to the bed laying his naked ass right next to me," Come here princess, it's time for you to get some rest we can talk more tomorrow." He pulled me onto his chest wrapping his arms around me, once my head was on his chest and I heard his heartbeat I immediately relaxed. Now I could feel how tired I truly was because my eyes became heavy, then I drifted to sleep with the love of my life's arms around me.