Untouchable Fruit

Information and Fear

Briana's POV

  We all sit around the living room, my hand clasped in Art's as we wait for her to start explaining. My cheeks are still flushed from the feeling of her arms wrapped around my body so tightly as she whispered her sweet name for me.

    I cross my legs tightly attempting to ease the quiet ache that yearns for Artemis' touch. I shake my head slightly, trying to clear my fuzzy head before Art turns towards me. Her hand squeezes mine and I see the worry fill her eyes, unable to sheiks them from me even if I know she wishes she could.

   When she starts to speak, she continues facing me, as if she couldn't bare to face her friends with the news. "Last night, when I was asleep, the Master Spirit Faerie Ciara visited me. She called to me and I Spirit Walked with her throughout the secret passageways through the castle." She pauses, her lips screwing shut along with her eyes, clear pain and anger stretched across her features making my own heart squeeze in agony.

    She takes a breath before continuing, the air around us still and silent in the face of Art's truth. "When we were Walking, she explained to me why I've been having this bad feeling in my stomach since I've gotten here. There are Daemons in our Court." She says, a sob breaking her words. Ana and Percy gasp, their fear and confusion written playing across their face.

"Daemons in our castle?" Ana whispers, her words unable to raise above a whisper in her shock.

Art nods but it takes a few moments before she's able to get the words out. "I did some research when I woke up this morning. There are Daemons called the Forsaken that have done such callous acts that they are sentenced to only live in shadow, giving up the right to their physical body and sunlight. These shadows usually stay within the Daemon realm since they don't have much of a sun, but, if someone got ahold of an ancient relic, they would then have the power to control the forsaken. Ciara told me that those Daemons were taking over peoples bodies and acting as if they are who they possess. My guess is that whoever is in control of this nightmare made a deal that in exchange for help in whatever plan they have, they can keep the bodies they're in."

Art slowly explains the situation and my blood slowly starts to turn cold the longer she goes on. Half of castle could be possessed and we wouldn't even be able to tell.

.....Except, we were.

My eyes go wide as I turn my head towards Artemis, tears pooling in my eyes as I try to form the question in my head, knowing the answer, but still having to ask all the same. "Chelsea... is that why she didn't seem right?" Any voice is barely a whisper, tears spilling down my cheeks as I think about a evil disgusting Daemon in my Cousin, forcing down her will until it becomes their own.

Bile rises in my throat and I run to the hallway bathroom to throat up, the panicked breaths of Ana being heard all the way from here.

As I slide to the ground, leaning myself back onto the wall beside the toilet after I flush, I pull my legs up to my chest, my body shaking as scenarios race through my head.

What if the castle gets taken over? What if they try to come after Artemis? The Crown? What are they planning? Who is behind this? Is Chelsea okay? Is this my fault?

My head spins with unanswered questions, the possible answers to them all making my stomach churn again causing me to throw up the last of what's in my system, my body shaking from the force of my fear. I flush the toilet again and do my best to rinse my mouth out and splash my face before slowly heading back to the living room where a pissed of Percy and a shocked Ana are sitting.

I hear the voices of Art and my brother and I turn my head to see them standing in front of the fireplace talking.

"I may not be the Queen, but I'm sure there are some Allies that I could call in that would be willing to help. I could call the Faerie Generals up to arms, and have them assist me in taking back the castle." She starts, but Alex shakes his head with a deep frown.

"Art that's not going to work. If someone in the Castle is causing this, then we don't know how far up this goes. Your troops could already be compromised." Alex tells her firmly, his status as Beta helping keep him steady when the rest of us are barely keeping it together. "Do you have any other allies that aren't Faerie based?" He asks her and her crestfallen expression says it all.

"The only Species that Faeries haven't looked down on enough to gain even just a mutual respect would be the Angels. They would probably look down on us rather than help us win this battle. The Archangels only go into war for things they find of importance." She say's miserably and I'm once again reminded of how stuck up and bitchy my people can be.

We all sit there in silence for a while, nothing else to say or do other than try to come up with some sort of idea or plan that can help solve this situation.

At this point I think we would take anything.

"What if I told you we could get your kingdom back?" Alex says and I almost want to wilt from relief from the words I've been praying to hear.

"How would we do that, we don't even know what's going on?!" Artemis snaps, her piercing gold eyes staring glimmering daggers at my brother but he shrugs it off, which I greatly appreciate.

"Let me make a few calls okay?" He says and Art nods, though her eyes are suspicious as she does so. I watch as her shoulders seem to relax if only for a moment. For the next hour Alex in on the phone and while he is, we sit and wait for whatever miracle he can grant us.

✨✨✨✨

Three hours later the house is full of people of different species and backgrounds, my eyes almost building out of my head as I look around at the sea of both familiar and unfamiliar faces.

As soon as they walk through the door though, my attention is immediately on Ares and Thomas as they walk in with grim looks. I frown and make my way towards them, stopping them in their tracks.

"Will someone explain to me what's going on?" I ask them, tired of trying to be heard by people I don't want to talk to.

Ares smiles, an aluminum bat swinging up out of what looks like no where to sling onto his shoulder. "I heard someone called in the calvary."

~~~~~~~~~~~
Omg guys you are going to love what I do in the next chapters. It's going to be a trip down memory lane as characters and people you don't even remember gather to help Art and Bri out.

Thoughts?

Comments?

QOTD: Whats your biggest phobia?