Chapter 37: Feelings

It was now March 13, 2007.

Isaiah was in front of a mirror as he looked at his clothes. He was still wearing his sorcerer's clothes.

"I'm gonna have to change these."

He injected mana into his ring and took out some clothes. He then used (Flash Air) to substitute his clothes with new ones. The boy was now wearing black slacks as well as a maroon T-shirt. Over it, he was wearing a simple black hoodie. Satisfied, he simply looked around the room. It is now empty except for his bed. Everything else except for stuff belonging to Kamar-Taj was now in his ring. For the nth time, he thanked his mana for finding this ring.

'Looks like I'm really going to a new home,' the boy thought.

Right now, he just finished packing his belongings and was now reminiscing. The young sorcerer let out a chuckle when he thought back to the time when he had to explain Bianca everything.

(Flashback)

As soon as the duo entered the New York Sanctum, they were greeted by Master Drumm.

"Master Isaiah, is this the friend you were talking about? The one named Bianca?"

The boy nodded.

"Yup, this is my friend."

The girl in question stepped forward,

"Hello sir, my name is Bianca di Angelo."

"Hello there, Bianca. I'm Master Drumm."

The man furrowed his brows and asked,

"I can sense darkness coursing through you, Bianca. May I ask who your godly parent is?"

"Oh. My father is Hades."

"Ah, the god of the underworld, the dead and wealth. I heard that he had sired children recently. It must be you."

Bianca nodded.

"Yup, that's me and my brother," she said before chuckling nervously.

Drumm smiled,

"Well, no matter. Welcome to the New York Sanctum of the Order of the Masters of Mystic Arts, Bianca di Angelo." the man said before returning back into the building.

"Let's go, Bianca!" the boy said excitedly.

He opened a portal leading him to his classroom. Inside, his teacher could be seen sipping a cup of tea while Happy was behind Tony who was on a computer typing at a frightening speed.

"I'm back, guys! And I brought Bianca." The boy said as the duo stepped through the portal.

They all turned to the duo.

"You're back, Isaiah. And I see Bianca has arrived as well. Normally, I don't condone breaking rules, but there are always exceptions to them. Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Bianca di Angelo. I'm the Sorcerer Supreme and Isaiah's teacher." the woman said.

Bianca looked at her wide-eyed. It was the badass woman who stood up to the Olympians! She, hurriedly, greeted her,

"Huh, y-yes. It's an honour meeting you, Ma'am. I have seen you before at the Council of the Gods on Olympus."

The woman smirked,

"Ah, yes. That is true. How have you been, ever since?"

"I've been well. I go to school on weekdays on go back to camp on weekends or Holidays."

"What about your brother?"

"He's staying at the camp for now since he's too young. He's receiving education from Chiron and the children of Athena for now."

"That's good."

It was then Tony butted in,

"Wait. Hold up. Olympus as in Mt. Olympus?"

Everyone looked at him.

*Ahem*

"Right. I'm Tony Stark, but you already know me and I just found out about all this." the man said while gesturing pretty much everything. "Anyways, you said Olympus, right? Does it really exist?"

Bianca didn't know what to make of him. She was about to answer when the other man beside Tony grabbed the latter's shoulder.

"Boss, please finish editing the footage since we don't want Isaiah to be spotted."

"Right, Right," Tony said as he returned to the computer, "It won't take much longer, anyway."

Happy turned to Bianca,

"He gets very excited when he sees something new. Anyways, I'm Happy Hogan and I'm his bodyguard."

"It's you!" the girl instantly recognized him. "You're the one who pushed me!"

Isaiah looked at Happy with a raised eyebrow and the latter gave the demigod an embarrassed smile,

"Yeah, sorry about that. We were just trying to find out."

"Find out what?"

"You're gonna want to sit down for this, Bianca. You'll be in for a surprise." the boy said.

The girl looked at him quizzically, but she listened.

"And I'm done! All the evidence of you has been erased and the footage has been edited."

"That was fast," Isaiah said.

"I work fast kid. That was practically nothing for my skills." the man said as he closed his laptop and went approached the group. The table now had five occupants.

"Tea, anyone?" the Ancient One asks.

Seeing the other four agreeing, Bianca also accepted the offer. She watched as four more sets of tea cups appeared and the teapot floated by itself to pour them the tea.

"So what's going on?" the girl asked once the tea was served.

And so the men and the boy told her,

A half-hour later, Bianca was rubbing her temple as she felt like a headache would soon assault her.

"So, let me get this straight. Isaiah is your long-lost son which you recently found out?" she asked Tony.

"Yeah." the man replied.

"Then you tried to find him, but couldn't. This leads you to find people close to him resulting in finding out about Percy's and my location."

"That's right."

"So you had Happy planting a tracker on me which leads all the monsters to my camp."

"Uh-huh."

"You then went to find Percy who lead you here resulting in you discovering Magic and the Greek Pantheon."

"You got it!" Tony said with a smirk.

"But if you are a normal human, how can you see through the Mist?"

"Oh, that's because Isaiah made these glasses," Tony said as he tapped the frames he was wearing.

The girl turned to the boy,

"You can do that?"

"Well, huh... yeah." the boy replied.

Bianca pinched the bridge of her nose as she assimilated everything,

"Damn."

Happy chuckled,

"That's right."

"Bianca, can you keep this a secret?" Isaiah asked.

The girl looked at him confused,

"Why do you want to keep this a secret?"

"Do you see who this man is?" the boy asked back as he pointed at his father,

Bianca looked back at Tony who had a serious expression, she then realized what Isaiah was trying to say.

"Right. I'll keep it a secret, but does that mean you'll stay a secret your whole life?"

This time, Tony shook his head,

"No. We just need to keep it a secret until we have created all the papers he needs and a story that the media will eat up. Once the secret is out, you can brag all you want that you are friends with the son of Tony Stark." Tony finished with an arrogant grin.

Bianca and Isaiah simply deadpanned at him and Happy sighed. Fiona simply had her amused smirk.

"What?"

Bianca then looked at the time on her watch and sighed.

"Looks like I'll have to go now. It's still night in New York and I don't want Chiron or my roommates to see me missing,"

Isaiah perked up,

"Do you want me to drop you in front of the camp?"

Bianca shook her head,

"No. There are still monsters at the border and I don't want to alert them."

"Wait," Tony said.

Bianca turned to him,

"Is there a way I can help? I mean, it's kind of my fault that this happened."

Unfortunately, Bianca shook her head,

"Monsters are very resistant to regular human-made weapons. It's practically impossible to kill them with modern weaponry. The only way to kill them is through magical means or using celestial bronze. They can also be hit by raw force, but you'll need a lot of raw force like not even a speeding truck can kill them." the girl replied.

She had learned all this from her regular Monster 101 class with a tree nymph.

"Celestial bronze?" Tony asked with a bit of hope.

However, the girl dashed it away.

"Yeah, it's a metal mined on Olympus. Unfortunately, normal humans aren't able to touch it unless mixed with another metal such as steel. It's also extremely rare."

"Oh." the inventor's shoulder sagged a little,

"But, don't worry. We, demigods, are not weak. We'll kill them all in no time." She said confidently, before whispering, " Preferably before Monday since I have school"

"Oh, Okay."

"Alright then, I have to go now. Hopefully, I'll work this"

She went beside Isaiah and stood right on top of his shadow.

"Bye, everyone! It was a pleasure meeting you even under these odd circumstances."

They all bid her farewell and saw her melt into the boy's shadow.

"Well, that was new." Happy said.

"Well, she is the daughter of Hades. So shadows and darkness kinda fall into her father's domain."

"Well then, now that this is done. You, gentlemen, better go to sleep." Fiona said and Tony agreed.

"Yeah, all these truth bombs kinda took a toll on my mind today."

Happy nodded.

Isaiah nodded,

"Alright, I'll go read something in the meantime while you sleep.

(Flashback end)

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Sensing who it was, Isaiah responded,

"Come in."

The door opened and in walked his teacher.

"Have you finished packing, Isaiah?"

The boy nodded,

"Yeah."

"Good. Mr. Stark has given me an extra cellphone. He'll call us when everything will be settled over there and that there is no one which is probably in around an hour. Once he does, I will open a portal directly inside of his house."

"Okay."

His father and Happy had already returned to Malibu and were now preparing for his arrival.

They stayed silent in a comfortable atmosphere when the woman suddenly said,

"Meet me in your classroom when you have bid everyone your farewell." before suddenly leaving.

Isaiah looked at her leave with a confused expression but nodded. He then went around saying goodbye to everyone close to him.

"Even if you're gone from Kamar-Taj, you shouldn't neglect your training." Master Mordo had said.

"You don't have to worry about that Mr. Mordo."

Mordo sighed,

"Is Master Mordo. You're not going to change are you?"

"Nope." the boy cheekily said.

With Wong,

"Even if you are a Master sorcerer, Isaiah, you must not neglect your childhood."

"Alright, Mr. Wong."

With Tina,

"I'm going to miss you, Izzy!"

The boy didn't know why, but she had started calling him Izzy ever since they had gone on a mission together.

"It's not like I'm going to be gone forever. I'm just one portal away from here," he said as he was crushed by the woman's hug.

"Doesn't matter!"

With Hinata,

Isaiah was once more being crushed by a hug. However, this time, Hinata's breasts were also suffocating him.

"Mmph mmh mmph!"

"I know. Big sis Hinata will miss you too! If you ever feel bored, you can always come to me for new reading material," The woman said while wiping a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Mmm?"

"Yup, I still have many recommendations to give. Remember, I'm the one who introduced you to mangas and animes and you liked it right, right?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Good."

That day, Isaiah discovered a new way to die and he wasn't sure how to feel about that

Soon, he had bid everyone farewell and made his way to his classroom. When he entered, he saw his teacher sitting at the table they usually use to study with two sets of teacups already ready for him to drink. He wordlessly approached her and sat down at the opposite of her and began to sip on the drink. For almost five minutes, they sat in comfortable silence.

*Ting*

Fiona had finally put the, now empty, cup down.

*Ting*

Isaiah soon followed as his cup was also empty. The woman then spoke,

"How are you feeling, Isaiah?"

"I'm kinda excited."

The woman nodded,

"Hmm. That's good."

The woman remained quiet and Isaiah simply waited for her with a raised eyebrow. For the first time, in a really long time, he saw that she had a conflicted expression.

"When you leave Kamar-Taj, you will start a new chapter in your life."

Isaiah nodded and continued to listen.

"In this new chapter, I want you to do one thing and only one thing for me."

"What's that, Teacher?"

"I want you to explore."

"Explore?"

Fiona nodded. Isaiah was now confused,

"Explore what?"

"Anything. I want you to explore on your own from now on. Learn, feel experience the world around you. The good, the bad and, even, the weird. For the past three almost four years, you have lived an isolated life. The only outside knowledge you've gained is from the books from the outside and the internet. I want you to explore what we humans call life in an abstract sense."

Isaiah looked down with his brows furrowed in confusion,

"How do I do that?"

To his surprise, his teacher shook her head,

"I can't help you with that. That is something every human must search on their own."

"Have you finished exploring,"

"No. The search is an endless task that can only be stopped by Death. Even then, Death is not the end, but only the beginning of another search."

"What?"

Fiona shook her head in amusement,

"You'll understand when you get older. Even with all the knowledge you've acquired, the circle of life is a difficult concept to comprehend."

Isaiah slowly nodded.

Fiona sighed and she gave the boy a sad smile.

"When I was chosen as the Sorcerer Supreme. I was elated. Who wouldn't? I was given the sacred task to protect our dimension from extra-dimensional threats. For years, I diligently did what I had to do. Unfortunately, not everyone can escape the clutches of Time. I noticed that I was getting increasingly older and I had to find my future successor. Unfortunately, my future successor was too far into the future and there was no one at the time. Therefore, using a ritual, I have gained immortality for the sole purpose of protecting the realm until my fated successor was ready. And so time continued to pass by. I have witnessed civilizations rise and fall. I have seen wars fought over almost anything. I have defeated multiple extra-dimensional threats up until now. Up until July 16, 2000, I was sure about my destiny."

She poured herself another cup of tea and took a sip.

"You were such a small child when I picked you up from the debris. However, I didn't know what compelled me and I still don't even know, but I decided to bring you back to Kamar-Taj and to treat you. For the next three years, I continued to treat you while you were still in a coma. You know, when most people die, their souls simply vanish from their bodies. They don't rise up from their bodies or something. They simply vanish to whatever afterlife they were most familiar with. You were no exception. Your soul was also gone, but for some inexplicable reason, your heart was beating. That piqued my curiosity, so I kept you under watch. To my honest surprise, one day, I found that you had kept a piece of your soul. Souls aren't meant to be fragmented, especially one as young as yours. I continued to treat you and, over the years, I could see pieces of your soul coming back to your body. You could almost say it was a miracle even in the magical community. A resurrection."

"How did you know it was my soul?" the boy asked.

"Because every soul has a frequency that matches with their bodies. If the soul wasn't yours, your body would have tried to reject it and I would have noticed it."

Isaiah nodded. It was just as he thought. The teacher continued to speak,

"Over the years, I monitored your body and could see more and more of your soul coming back. However, they weren't piecing themselves back together. It was more as if the process of repairing would only begin when all the pieces returned and I was right. On July 20, 2003, all of your pieces came back along with your ability to use mana and the ability to see the lines of Death. At first, I saw a child with a frightening potential on par with the likes of Merlin and Solomon. This is why I accepted you in Kamar-Taj even if you were such a young child. However, over the years of teaching, I learned to look past that and see only the child who lost everything."

She placed her hand on top of Isaiah's,

"I learned to treat you like the child you needed to be and not the sorcerer you will be in the future. And. in doing so, something within me changed."

Isaiah continued to listen to her with rapt attention.

"I didn't know what it was. And, honestly, it was quite frightening. But I learnt to sort out those unknown feelings. I researched them, I spent countless hours meditating to understand what they were. It was only when you went on your first mission, that I understood."

She paused and took a deep breath before giving a bright smile,

"I thought of you as more than my disciple. I thought of you as my own child."

Isaiah's breath hitched, but he didn't show any other reaction as his eyes were transfixed on his teacher.

"It was only laughable. The Sorcerer Supreme would one day think about parenthood," she said with a dry chuckle.

"The me a few years ago would have scoffed at the idea of being a mother. I have seen countless disciples and masters under my care grow up and pass on. I cared for them. But taking care of a child is a whole other matter."

The woman grabbed the child's in her hand,

"I don't know what you think of me, but I want to thank you. Thank you for giving me the experience of feeling what it's like being a mother."

Isaiah looked at his teacher with a wry smile,

"Teacher, you're talking as if one of us is going to die. I read in the novels that they call it a red flag. Besides, it's not like I'll never return. This is still my home. I'll just get a new one."

The woman laughed out loud at the boy's words.

"Sorry, if I gave you this impression, but no. I'm not planning to die anytime soon. And you can indeed return anytime you want. I just wanted to tell you all this."

The boy stayed quiet. His tea was untouched and now cold. Looking at his hand being held by his teacher, he spoke softly,

"I guess. If that's how you felt. Then you must've done a really good job raising me. Because, even if I have no memory of my biological mother, I would think that's what a mother is supposed to be like.

He shrugged with a smile

"I guess. I have two moms and a future dad, right?"

The Ancient One chuckled,

"Please don't put it like that. Mr. Stark might be quite handsome, but he is far too young for me and I don't plan to be in a relationship."

"I didn't mean I like that, Teacher!"

"I know."

Silence settled in the room as they both smiled.

"Come here." the woman said as she stood up.

The boy complied and walked around the table to stand in front of her. Fiona smiled and wrapped her arms around the boy. Out of all the hugs he received from everyone, this one was the most gentle one.

Suddenly, he once more felt the breeze of emotion within him and his smile became more relaxed as he melted into the hug. The woman gently stroked his hair before separating taking along the breeze of emotion Isaiah felt with her.

"Should I call you mother now?"

The woman gave an amused smirk,

"Nope. I'm still your teacher and you shall call me so."

"Very well, Teacher."

Suddenly, the phone Tony gave the woman began to ring. She looked at Isaiah,

"That must be Mr. Stark."

She picked the smartphone up and answered the call.

"Mr. Stark. I have been waiting for you."

[So it's a cheesy villain, now?]

"I aim to please, Mr. Stark. Is everything ready?"

[Yeah. I'll quickly send you a picture and coordinates.]

"Good."

[See you soon,] Tony replied and hung up the phone.

Not a second later, the phone buzzed and Fiona saw a picture of a large room along with the coordinates.

"Okay."

She then looked at the air in front of her and made a wide circular motion. Sparks appeared before a fiery ring of Eldritch Magic was formed creating a portal. On the other side, Happy and Tony were in a large room with multiple pieces of furniture. If Isaiah was to guess, it would be the living room.

"No matter how many times I see it, It still amazes me." Happy said.

Tony continued to examine the portal. He tried to touch the edge,

"Ow!"

But he had to quickly retract it lest he wants to cut or burn his fingers.

Tony looked at the ceiling,

"Jarvis, did you get this?"

Isaiah frowned,

"Who's Jarvis? I thought there would be no one else." the boy said.

"That would be me, young sir." a robotic voice suddenly said seemingly coming from everywhere.

"Who's that!?" Isaiah said startled by the sudden voice.

Tony laughed as Jarvis explained himself,

"I am an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. We have been searching for you for a while, Mr. Sharpe."

Isaiah gave Tony a raised eyebrow,

"He's not going to go full Terminator on us, right?" the boy asked.

"I assure you, I am not like those A.I.s depicted in those foolish movies, young sir. My loyalty is to Mr. Stark and, now, that loyalty extends to you."

Tony gave the boy a wry smile,

"Yeah, ever since he has learned about Terminator, he has an unusual disdain for them." the man said.

"Alright, then," Isaiah said as he shrugged. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Jarvis."

"Likewise, young sir."

"And please call me, Isaiah. "Young sir" gives me chills."

"Very well, Isaiah. It shall be noted."

Tony smiled,

"Is everything ready?"

"The boy nodded,

"Then come on over!" his father said with a slight tone of excitement.

The boy looked at his teacher and gave her a quick hug before walking over to the other side. Tony, on the other hand, looked at the teacher.

"From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Ancient One, for finding my son and raising him," the man said with the sincerest tone he could possibly muster.

"How could I ever repay you?"

"Then will you grant me a favour?"

"You name it."

"I want you to raise Isaiah as sincerely as possible as well as learn from the experience. I know about your life before meeting Isaiah, I have seen it. I want you to mature and learn from him and him from you so that you may grow together. Can you do that?" the woman asked with a glare.

"Even if you hadn't asked. I vowed to change myself and I will raise Isaiah. To show him new experiences and to teach him mine. I was a shitty man in the past and I want to change that."

"A leopard doesn't change its spot easily, Mr. Stark."

"Good thing, I'm not a leopard, huh?"

They both looked at each other before the woman nodded and turned to Isaiah.

"Just like I said before, if you need something or simply want to visit, you are always welcome Isaiah. This is your home too, after all."

"I promise, I'll visit, Teacher."

Fiona nodded,

"Now go. Begin your new chapter."

"I will. Bye, Teacher and thank you for giving me a new life!"

Fiona felt her throat close up and simply nodded before closing the portal. The woman stared at the spot where the boy was a few seconds ago. Suddenly, she felt something rolling down her cheek. She wiped it and saw that it was a drop of water, more specifically a tear.

"Heh." she let out before leaving the classroom.