Oh My Demi-god
I stared at Kerr with a new appreciation, and a smidgen of fear.
"A demi-god? As in half ancient god, half human?"
Bob cocked his head to the side and gave me a patronizing look. "Is there any other kind, Harry?"
I glared. "Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be." He glanced to Kerr again. "I've only met one and that was a long time ago, but it's the same aura, the same scent of ozone, the same vibration." He paused and looked at me. "You can't feel it?"
I wanted to strangle the ghost right about now, but when I let my guard down and actually observed the boy I started to sense that there was something different about him. My living room did now smell like there had been a thunderstorm and now that I thought about it, those little hairs on the back of my neck were still standing up.
"Humph." I crossed my arms. "So who is your father?"
Kerr shrugged. "I don't know. I never met him."
Molly rolled her eyes. "Okay, so who lured you away from your sister and why do you need help and what exactly have you been doing and what do you know about your sister's little problem?"
I watched Kerr squirm and then he looked at me and back to Molly.
"Friends, people are trying to kill me and I don't know what you mean about my sister."
I sighed and wiped a weary hand over my weary face. "Do these so called friends have names?"
Kerr shifted so he could see me without straining his neck. "They're brother and sister, twins actually and they are both good friends. They've always been there for me and helped me."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Names, do they have names?" I was a bit frustrated.
"Farra and Frey, why?"
"Names are important and have power and besides I like having something to call people by."
Molly snickered, only to stop the moment I glared at her.
"Are these the same friends that got you started doing black magic? Are they wizards?"
Kerr didn't squirm, but he did give me a look to indicate I was insane, which I wouldn't completely deny.
I took a step toward the couch. "Do they do magic? Are they human even?" I spoke the words slowly, as if I was talking to someone who wasn't a native English speaker.
Molly's snickered again, but I didn't stop her. I mean, what was wrong with this kid anyway?
Kerr shrugged. "I think they're human, at least they look like they are and yes they do magic." He winced and touched his face. "Do you have any aspirin or something?"
Molly grabbed her bag from beside the couch before I could answer him.
"I have some Midol." She sorted through the bag.
It was my turn to try not to snicker as she pulled the small bottle from the tattered messenger bag and tossed it into the kid's lap. He picked it up and thumbed off the cap and, in a style I appreciated, drank down, what was most likely, half the bottle.
He winced, swallowed, winced and then pulled a half-pained-half-disgusted face before sticking out his tongue and then swallowing again. I gave the kid points for not whining and took a little pity on him by getting him a glass of water.
He drank and nodded at me.
"Thanks." He fiddled with the glass. "So what do you mean there is something wrong with my sister anyway?"
I eyed the kid suspiciously. "You know, that spell you whammied on her."
He shook his head and held up his hand. "I didn't spell anyone. I don't know shit about that. The things I do just happen and I know I didn't do anything to her."
Molly shifted her gaze from Kerr to me and back to Kerr. "She said you manipulated her thoughts." Her voice was quiet and I could hear guilt, but I doubt Kerr picked up on it. I knew about Molly's past and her own dabbling in people's brains.
Kerr's eyes lit up and he nodded. "Yeah, that I can do, but it's not a spell or anything. I just will the person to change their mind, add a little suggestion and they'll do it."
I cleared my throat. Obviously, the kid had no clue what casting a spell was or how dangerous what he did was to himself and others. "Look kid, willing something to happen is magic. It's a spell. Just because you don't wave a magic wand and say abracadabra doesn't mean it's not."
Kerr frowned. "But no one had to teach me. I never have to really focus. It's like I just think and it's done. It's like breathing." He took another sip from the glass. "Farra and Frey, do magic. They light candles and speak in some language I don't know. They draw pentagrams and use crystals and herbs. Witch, wizard, warlock? I don't know, but they're all about the spells. When I want something I just make it happen." He glanced at his hands and then set the empty glass on the trunk in front of him.
Bob drifted closer and then looked at me as his finger tapped his lip. "It would make sense Harry. If the boy is a demi-god, he'd have little use for spellwork. He'd have natural magic, much like the Fae." He shrugged. "There's little reason to call up energy when you are the source."
Okay, so maybe the kid didn't put the mystical smack down on his sister, but from what he said about the pentagrams, it looked like it was his Bobbsey twin friends and if it wasn't they were a good place to start anyway.
"So, you didn't reverse your sister's power?" I watched the kid carefully.
He paled. I mean he was red-headed pale anyway, but I watched the blood all but drain out of the kid's bruises. He shivered and then shook his head slowly.
"N.." He cleared his throat. "No, I didn't and what do you mean reversed?"
I wiped a hand over my face and shrugged. "Well, I was hoping you knew, but it seems that instead of healing she drains power from the people she touches. Basically, she's Rogue from the X-men." I raised an eyebrow. "And you really don't have any idea how that happened?"
His head shook slowly side to side and his tongue fingered the slice in his lip. "I know it wasn't me."
"She said you messed with her head about going to a bar. When she realized what you'd done, she was afraid for you, gave you a choice, you ran, she went to check on you and boom, there was a pentagram one minute, she was on the floor the next. When she woke up, pentagram gone and when she went to heal, she ended up killing a man, almost killing a kid and well, now she thinks you were the one who did it."
"Oh my god."
Kerr looked up at me and there was genuine fear in his eyes. Not that I'm a little scared kind of fear, but plain old, hardcore terror. I watched him struggle to keep a hold of his emotions. He did a pretty good job of it too. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then exhaled.
"I can't believe they'd do it."
So, maybe it wasn't as good a job as I thought because I could hear the panic in his voice now.
He shook his head. "I can't believe they did it, they promised they wouldn't, even said they couldn't, but that bitch must have been lying to me." His fists clenched and his eyes found mine. "What else? What else have they done?"
There was a crackle in the air. Something like thunder or lightening, but not quite and the hair on my arm stood up on end. I could hear and smell and hell, even see the power swirling around the kid on my couch.
Mouse moved steadily backward. He wasn't growling, but I could see the wariness in his eyes. He wrapped his big jaws around Molly's wrist and tugged.
She didn't need to be told twice and she backed up with the dog, which gave Kerr a good four to five feet of space.
"Kerr, nothing else. No one else was hurt." I wasn't really sure that was true, but the kid was starting to Hulk out in my living room. "Take a breath Kerr and let's talk about it."
There was a rumble and the boy's eyes flashed green and then just as suddenly as it started, it was over.
I let out the breath I just realized I'd been holding and looked to Bob. "What the hell was that?"
Bob's eyes slowly found mine. "That was power, barely controlled and pushed back down. He's strong Harry. Stronger than even he realizes and when he does, I hope he's on our side."
NOTE: Just a quick thanks to anyone still reading. I know this should have been finished a long, long time ago, but life keeps getting in my way. Anyway if you liked it, reviews are always appreciated, but not required. If you didn't like it, well again you can tell me if you want, but it would be better to just not read anymore. If you have constructive criticism, that is always acceptable. Thanks again!