"The Replacement Luna..."

Next...

Glare:

I was surrounded by silence. Several marble statues lay in ruins around me. An altar of pure Saphire glowed under the glow of the full moon.

The moon was captured at the center of an opening in the dome-like ceiling above the sparkling cavern, its reflection made the pond nearby seem eerily lit by a silver glow coming from within the pond's embrace. Remus lay sleeping next to me as I sat quietly on a cold rock, far from the water's caress.

"Your father loved this place. Which is why he shrouded it with a powerful incantation, to keep it hidden from prying eyes." My mother said as she came through a flaming portal. She approached me slowly, trying to gauge my emotions. I remained silent, unblinking, lost in thought. "You do know that your sister did not plan this. She is as much a victim of circumstance here as you are, Glare." 

"Quick to defend her as usual, mother." I grumbled as Remus lifted his head to glare at mother.

"You were your father's favorite. Try as hard as I might to show no favoritism, I believe I have failed miserably. I may defend her from time to time, but we both know who I hold dearer." She said, finally standing beside me.

"All the men in the world who are willing to fall to their knees for her, and she still had to pick him."

"She did not pick anyone. The moon goddess was the one that decided for them."

"That's great then! They can go ride into the sunset together and start their happily ever after." I mumbled.

"Sarcasm does not suit you Glare."

"Then what does mother? Who does?" I felt a tear escape my left eye, as I saw the smiling face of Atlas once more in my mind's eye.

"Your turn will come Glare. The moon Goddess does not forget anyone. There's someone out there destined for you too."

"Of course. Sure. That's fine." I sighed, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Oh, dear child. Life isn't over yet! It's best you found out as early as now, than later when it would be harder for you to let go." 

"There's nothing to let go. He and I were not together. Well not formally that is." I shook my head.

"You know there's a spell to ease..."

"No mother. I'll manage. I can do this on my own."

"I have no doubt. Genevieve told me you conjured up a portal without waving a hand. That you merely thought of it, and it appeared as you wanted it to. Your sister was only able to conjure a portal after she ascended on her eighteenth birthday. You haven't ascended yet. You haven't reached the height of your powers, but as early as now you're showing signs of advanced mastery of the craft."

"My twenty-first birthday is in a couple of months. Probably why I'm finding it easier to use my magic."

"Having familiarized yourself with the Tome of Lament before giving it to the Oracle of Thetis may have helped as well."

"Perhaps. But there's something I wanted to ask you, mother." I turned to look directly into her eyes. "What's a Penumbra?"

"When the fifty daughters of the moon goddess were married to other demigods, their magical powers were unused, and so they never reached their full potential as demigods and muses. These same powers and abilities grew as it got handed down from generation to generation. The Penumbra only comes from the pure bloodline of the moon goddess. It is a Penumbra's role to take the place of a Luna who fell ill, or died before the Alpha to whom she was matched with has accomplished his role as destined by the goddess herself."

"Why have I not heard of this before?"

"Because a Penumbra is an oddity. One that was never meant to come into being but has. As a Penumbra, one has the power to control the tides of the sea much like how the moon influences high tide and low tide. A penumbra has the ability to project emotions and control people by making them feel things that he or she wants them to. An Alpha has the ability to heal from a fatal wound within minutes, a Penumbra does so within mere seconds. A Penumbra is clairvoyant and can accurately see both into the distant future as well as the muddled past. A Penumbra's strength gives him or her the ability to carry fifty tons, that's twice the weight an Alpha can carry. An Alpha moves with the speed of sound... a Penumbra uses the speed of light. On top of all these, a Penumbra does not need spells to conjure magic, it is enough for a Penumbra to think it... and it becomes a reality."

"So, were there a lot of Penumbras in the past?" I asked, somehow sensing that the answer was a no.

"Your great great great grandmother was a Penumbra. She took the place of the Luna who was killed in the war against Germany in WW1. The pack she joined was the pack where a French Prime Minister belonged to. She was the reason why said Prime Minister remained safe and unhurt until the war was over."

"What was her name?"

"Funny, did you not memorize our family tree when your father asked you to?" She had her left brow raised.

"We have so many ancestors listed there, how am I supposed to know which one's which?"

"Excuses." She admonished me, then continued. "Her name was Eloise Benoit. Before her there was only one other Penumbra. We all know her as Maria of Brabant. She was the second and last wife of the Welf emperor Otto IV."

"So there hasn't been a Penumbra since then?"

"Not until now. That's where you come in Glare... you are the next Penumbra."