Chapter 110:

Lucinda POV:

I was still holding tight to Apollo when we arrived back in our realm, I had waited so long to be able to actually see him and for him to actually know who I am. I knew Pythia was struggling with us taking him but it was the best option to keep them all safe. "Are you ever going to put him down?" Athea laughed walking up to me with little Ari in her arms. "Depends, are you ever going to put her down?" I giggled. "It has been ages since we have been able to spend time with children and these children come from us." Athea said as she tapped her little nose making Ari giggle. "Thea!" William screamed as he ran towards us with his sister right behind him. "What are you two doing?" Athea asked. "Playing hide and seek with Artemis." Ashlee replied. 

The more I looked at the twins the more I realized how much of a perfect blend they are. They don't favor Alley of Stephen but somehow look identical to them. I looked around to see that Adam was holding Jessie and was walking towards us. "Lucinda, may I have a word?" Adam asked. His emotions were all over the place, he was scared for Pythia and his stress levels were through the roof. I already knew what he wanted to talk to me about. He wanted to be able to see the fight as it was happening and I understood why. Not only was his daughter the main target but his sons, brother, sister, nephew and son in law were also targets. I knew he didn't like sitting here with us but he made the choice to cast that spell to ensure Pythia would live no matter what. 

There were so many different futures that it was hard to figure out which one it would be. The more confident she became the clearer her future became. "What is it Adam?" I asked. "I want to be able to see the fight. I need to know my family is safe." Adam said. There was a tone in his voice that almost sounded like sadness. "Adam, I know you are worried about them but they will be fine okay? I can let you see as long as you are close to Athea and I. '' I replied softly. "I just- Is she.. They will be okay right? My kids? They will be okay right?" Adam asked. His voice trembled and I could see the tears in his eyes. I put my hand on his arm, "They will be fine Adam I promise. They will have injuries but that is normal for them. Take a deep breath and relax okay? These children and people need us to be strong for them." I replied. "Lucinda, it's almost time." Athea called out. 

Adam and I walked back to the group and sat next to Athea with all the kids. I closed my eyes and allowed my sight to be transferred to Pythia and the others so that they could see everyone was well taken care of and for them not to worry about them. They needed to focus on what was coming. I could feel Pythias calmness upon seeing what I was seeing. The kids that were playing with each other in the field and our baby wolves were sitting next to us and the other adults helping some of the kids eat. I could feel all of them relax a little more. "Thank you for doing that. It has helped." Delilahs voice rang out in my head making me smile. "No need to thank me. It is what they needed." I replied easily. I watched as Pythia and her group rushed around to get in to their spots. I admired the way Pythia looked, she looked like a true warrior ready to take on anything right in this moment.

I could see Bartholomew, he was still in his human form and his thoughts consisted nothing less of Pythia, he wondered if she really looked like he was told, if she was as strong and he was told. If I didn't know him I would think that he actually cared for her but those deep hidden thoughts could never be hidden from me. He wanted to take her away and force her to carry their children but he needed to know if she was strong enough and matched his power. If he deemed her not fit she would kill her slowly. He was good at masking those deeper thoughts but I had spent centuries learning his tricks. He stayed hidden in the tree line and he wanted to know where everyone was. It didn't cross his mind that they were all hiding because he could not see the maze that was set up. "Please watch over us." Pythias voice softly rang out in my head, there was an edge to it because she knew the time was now or never. "We will always be with you." I replied calmly and softly. I knew she needed reassurance and I was happy to give that to her.      

They were just along the tree line and for a brief moment Bartholomew was impressed with the two shields that were set up. He wondered just how powerful she was to set something like this up. What amazed me was he never considered the others that helped. In his mind they were weak and could not pull this off the way she could when in reality it was the work of Stephen and Alleys shield. I could see everyone watching their every move when two of those beasts emerged from the shadows. Pythia made herself visible. Delilah was next to her along with the others. I listened to Pythia and Bartholomew went back and forth and a smile came to my face listening to Pythias words to him. She knew she had to make him mad so that he would focus only on her. 

His thoughts were all over the place. He was angered that she spoke to him like that but deep in his mind she was proving to him that she was indeed strong. His eyes raked over her body and he liked what he had seen, I backed off his thoughts when they started to become nasty. "I have sent spirit to her, to strengthen her." Athena said. "I thought I felt the change within her thank you." I replied. "She is very witty, she must get that from you." Athea laughed. "I haven't even had the time to teach her how to be witty; she must come by it naturally." I giggled. "Well maybe after all of this you could join them there for a while." Athea said. I turned to look at her and she had a soft smile on her face. I knew they look all too well, she has thought about this for a while. "Don't try digging into my thoughts. You know you can't." Athea said, narrowing her eyes at me. 

I laughed at her response, I have tried getting into her head but it has never worked. "You need me here though." I said. "I will be just fine, if you want to go and spend some time with them. Just think about it. She knows who you are and let's face it. Could you spend the rest of their lives here and not with them?" Athea asked. She has a point. I looked down at Apollo who smiled up at me. I don't think I could. I have spent eons alone with Delilah watching over them when I wanted nothing more than to be able to be with them as any family should. "I'll think about it. For now I want to make sure they survive this fight." I replied, focusing my attention back on the group. The fight had already started and I watched as Pythia was thrown off of Rex, Adam tensed up beside me when she landed on her back. 

This was hard to see but we all knew she would get back up and she did. She wanted to help Rex but she continued to run until Bartholomew was in his trap. His thoughts went into a frenzy, he was impressed that she hid everything so well but was furious that she was putting up such a fight to go with him. He was torn on whether he was able to get her so easily now that he knew who and what she was surrounded by. His eyes scanned around to see Jasper was shifting back and forth and he finally realized that he was her brother and was gifted. That angered him, he wasn't expecting that she would have any family. Jasper was about to be his main target but Bartholomew knew he needed to separate her from the others so he sent his beasts to do his bidding like he has always done. Jasper was in the middle of his own fight when he saw one running straight at Pythia and even though he tried to warn her it was too late and she was hit hard. 

Angered flowed through me as she hit the ground and I knew she was hurt worse than she let on, "Sister, be calm. Look" Athea whispered. I watched as Rex came from the side and didn't hesitate on his attack, his mate was hurt and that beast was going to pay the ultimate price. "How are things going inside the maze?" I asked quickly. "Things are going rather good for now, Alley and Rose merged and Ambrosia is wielding her siphon that we forged for her many years ago." Athea replied. I took my attention to see what was happening and she was right, Ambrosia had her siphon and was slicing through anything it could. She looked strong and powerful. "Alley looks somewhat terrifying like that." I said. "That is the point. Seeing her like that makes them hesitate, they make mistakes long enough for the others to handle them." Athea replied. "Another round of beasts are about to emerge, Ember needs to warn them." I said quickly. They were all doing very well and with this second round we needed to make sure they were warned before they were hit.

**Athea POV:**

Watching this fight was one of the hardest things we have had to do. Knowing that they are struggling and we couldn't help was as close to torture as we have ever gotten. Lucinda was on edge every time Pythia was hit and Adam was filled with worry, he hated that he couldn't be there but it was better that he was here with us. "How are things going?" Beth asked as she rubbed her little belly. "Jasper is fine along with the others, would you like to see?" I asked. "I don't know if I could. I am worried sick." Beth replied. "I will return." I said, patting Lucinda on her shoulder. She was so focused on the fight that I wasn't sure if she even heard me. I stood to my feet and placed my hand on Beths back and pulled her away a few steps. "I know something is bothering you so why don't you tell me." I said, smiling at her. "I heard Lucinda say another round was coming. Are they going to be overwhelmed?" Beth asked. "No, they are almost done inside the maze, but we all knew they had a large number." I replied. 

Beth played with her fingers, "What about Jasper? Is he hurt?" She asked. "He will have some cuts and bruises but he will be fine. He is fighting harder because he knows that he has to come home to you and this little one." I said, rubbing her belly. "I just worry about all of them, and I wish I could have been there to help." Beth replied, there was a sadness to her voice. "I know but we needed you here with us to help us with the children." I replied. "I want to see, I need to see that he is okay, that they are all okay." Beth said as she took a deep breath. I placed my hands on the side of her head and let the images of the fight fly across her mind so that she could see what we were seeing. Her eyes filled with tears when the images of Jasper came into view. I stopped them when Lucinda said another round was coming. "You see? They are doing very well." I whispered. 

Beth looked up at me, "What was Ambrosia holding?" She asked. "That is a special weapon that was forged for her. I will let her tell you." I replied gently. I heard the children giggling behind me and I turned to look at them, "We need to keep them busy to pass the time." I said. Beth instantly straightened up and wiped her eyes, she walked around me with a smile on her face. I turned and watched as she gathered all the children around her and when she pulled her bag closer to her, she pulled out books and let the kids decide which one she was going to read to them. I knew they needed to rest because their sleep was disrupted when we brought them here. I started laying out all the sleeping bags that Lucinda and I had made and started lining them up.

"Would you like some help?" Angie asked gently. I turned to see her and Brent were standing behind me. "I would love some help thank you." I said with a smile. They both relaxed and started picking up sleeping bags. "How are you two adjusting?" I asked. "Everyone has been so nice to us. We would like to stay with them." Brent replied. "Then you shall. They are all very understanding. I'm proud of who they have become." I said. "Is it true that Alley is your descendant?" Angie asked, making me smile. "Yes, it is." I replied. "We heard so many different things that we didn't know what to really believe." Angie said. "You will learn who they really are in time but there is something I want to do for the two of you. Lucinda, please come here." I said, gaining Lucindas attention. 

Brent and Angie looked between us and I knew they weren't sure what was about to happen but this was something we had planned on doing. "Don't be alarmed, we know you two have been forced to do something that is hurting you and we are here to fix that." I said. "We looked into your lives and saw that you both wanted a fresh start and you both deserve that." Lucinda said. "You're going to make our wolves normal?" Brent asked. "Correct, Pythia has been trying to figure it out but she has a lot going on at once." I replied. "Will it hurt?" Angie asked. "Not at all. Just relax and close your eyes." Lucinda said gently. They both took a deep breath and relaxed their bodies before they closed their eyes. I stepped in front of Angie while Lucinda stepped in front of Brent. Together we placed our hands on the side of their heads. 

I closed my eyes and tapped into her mind to find her wolf. She was curled up in the farthest part of her mind and I could see the pain she was in. She looked up when she saw me and I could see it in her eyes that she was barely hanging on. "Oh my beautiful, you will hurt no longer." I whispered and allowed all the elements to infuse together and reach out to her. I wrapped her up and let the elements flow through her, I wiped out all of the darkness that was tying her down and I watched as she started to break free slowly before she was finally on her feet. I walked over to her and ran my fingers through her fur, "You will heal in time. Rest." I said as I bent down and kissed her snout. When I was finished I pulled out of her thoughts and brought my attention back to Angie. Tears were rolling down her face. "Now the two of you need to rest. It will take a little time to heal but you no longer have to be in pain or worry." I said looking between them. 

We started gathering the children up to lay them down so that they could rest. Once we got them to sleep we sat back down on our bench and turned our focus to the fight, the second round of beasts had made their appearance but the most important thing was that Bartholomew was still stuck in his trap and that was were he needed to stay until they regained the upper hand.