infatuated ↠ isaac lahey

8.2

"What is that?" Gerard asks.

"A Celtic five-fold knot. It's a Druid symbol." Chris replies. "The air's different in here. Do you feel it? I think I know what this place is."

"Is that blood?" Gerard asks as they kneel down, looking a red splatter on a tree root.

"Sacrificial blood. We're in a Nemeton. It's a sacred meeting place. Ancient Celtic Druids would usually choose a large, older tree in a grove, represent the center of the world. There's a belief that cutting or harming the tree in any way would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages." Chris says as he points the flashlight he's holding in different directions.

"What sort of problems?" Gerard asks. "Fires, plagues, strife. Death and destruction of all kinds."

"How does he know all about Celtic symbols and Druids?" Allison asks her grandfather.

"Know the enemy, Allison." Gerard says. "The older wolves had a relationship with the Druids. They called them emissaries."

"Like my boss, Deaton." Scott says.

Gerard gets up as Allison and Scott's eyes watch him, "Do you know the myth of Lycaon?"

Scott and Allison get up, walking with him to a table. "I know it's where we get the word lycanthropy."

"According to myth, some Greek citizens believed they owned their lives more to Prometheus than to the gods of Olympus. And some followers even took names to honor the Titans instead of the gods. Like Deucalion." Gerard says.

"The son of Prometheus. Lycaon didn't just refuse to honor the gods. He challenged them." Gerard says, turning the book sideways. "He invited Zeus to a banquet and then tried to serve him the flesh of a human being. Angered, Zeus blew the place apart with lightning bolts and then punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves. The part that's lesser known is how Lycaon sought out the Druids to help turn him back to human."

"Why Druids?" Scott asks as Gerard looks over at him. "The belief that was the ancient Druids knew how to shape-shift. They couldn't make Lycaon and his sons human again, but they did teach them how to shift back and forth. And so the Druids became important advisors to the packs."

✠

"They keep us connected to humanity. But they're a secret even in the pack. Sometimes only the Alpha knows who the emissary is." Cora says, her hands on the table as she leans her weight on it; facing Stiles, who's sitting on the other side of her.

"Derek and I had no idea about Deaton." Cora says. "Or his sister, Morell."

"She's an emissary, too?" Zoey asks. "For the Alpha pack." Peter nods. "Our guidance counselor? I- Why the hell don't you people tell me any of this stuff, huh?" Stiles asks. "I shared some really intimate details with her."

"And did she give you good advice?" Cora asks. "Actually, yeah." Stiles nods as Zoey lets out a giggle. "That's what they do. That's what Deaton used to do for Talia."

"While I admire your willingness to extend an olive branch, I have to tell you, it might not be welcome." Deaton says.

"And I'm not sure that Gerard is the one to accept it." Talia says and walks towards Deucalion and Deaton. "It's true. The Argents have a matriarchal leadership."