Soothsayer

If someone told Colin he would be babysitting kids two eons ago, he would have laughed at their faces. Yet here he was doing something he had never done.

Taking care of kids that were not his.

He was behind the wooden area of The Belle with Claude, Nicole, and his father's greyhound, Fall. Watching the kids play made Colin smile. No wonder his father had fallen for these small beings. They were full of life and innocence.

However, his father must have done something, because he could sense a difference between them and normal human children. There was a hum in their aura that sets them apart.

A hum that could only be sensed by Lugh's bloodline.

Colin looked around the place where they were. It was protected by his father's mark as his Aunt Jane.

The lengths they have done to protect three humans were baffling. He needed a sit down with his father to clear things up. A force had compelled him to reach out to the woman who his father thought was his.

His soul mate.

It was rare for immortal beings like them to find their soulmate. More often than not, they are forced to watch them wither and die.

"Cute, right?"

He gave a side glance to see the god of thunder beside him. He was supposed to be at the front desk. So, why was he here?

"They are," Colin replied. A small smile appeared on his lips. It was rare for him to smile these days. Ever since...

He shook his head. No, he would not be remembering. He had vowed to himself and his father that he would not visit it. It was time to move on.

There was a sudden shout from Claude that made the adults run to the children's side. Both immortals stopped and cursed at the Fates.

Nicole was levitating a few inches from the ground and had this ethereal glow about her. A glow that a few people had.

A glow of a soothsayer.

Fall, who was as fearless as they come, was whining and was looking at Nicole with worried eyes. The implication of that glow may be one of the reasons why his father and Jane have gone to such lengths.

Thor and Colin could only stare at Nicole. It felt that the trance lasted for years, but in reality it was only a couple of minutes. The moment the glow died, Colin caught Nicole and Fall rested his head on the little girl's belly.

Claude was silent but the way he was holding on to Thor's hand betrayed what he truly felt. The god of thunder gave the young boy's hand a small reassuring squeeze.

The little boy looked up and said, "This is the third time this has happened this month."

Thor had this sinking feeling that the levitating episode wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. He looked at his best friend's son, and he must have come to the same conclusion.

"No wonder your aunt made sure they are protected," Thor said, speaking in Spanish so that Claude would not be able to understand. "Nicole being a soothsayer is a big game changer."

Colin sighed. The gentle way he brushed the stray hair from Nicole's forehead made Thor remember this young man's past.

"Aunt Jane made sure that her ability would not start. Something must have happened to trigger it," Colin replied. Nicole was sleeping soundly in his arms. Uncaring if Fall's head was resting on her tummy. "I still need to speak to my father about what is really happening..."

"We died," Claude blurted in Spanish.

Both men looked at Julie's eldest son. They knew that the only language the child knew was his native language and English. For him to speak perfect Spanish at his age was...unbelievable.

"What do you mean 'we died?'' asked Colin. The sinking feeling that he felt began to grow. For his father to do the unthinkable...

"Me and Nicole are supposed to be dead," Claude said, still speaking in Spanish. "We drowned in the lake..." he was unable to complete his sentence because Colin cursed.

"Cú Chulainn," warned Thor. "Clam down."

"Clam down? Do you have any idea what my father had done?!" His voice contained a rage that he had never felt before. For his father to do this...

"I know," Thor quietly replied. "I know, I was present when that treaty was made. I know. But tell me, Son of Lugh, if you were in his place, the very moment they lost their lives, and you knew that their mother was yours, what would you have done?" The question hung unanswered in the air.

A part of Colin wanted to be mad at these children. They have put his father's life at Death's Doorstep. If the others knew...

Another part though, knew that he would be doing the same thing. He was after all, his father's son.

"Please, don't kill him, I love my Uncle Duncan..."

The muttered words of Nicole broke Colin. She may not understand the words, but the way she said it carried a heavy weight.

"Will uncle die?" Claude broke in.

Thor and Colin looked at the boy, tears were streaming down Claude's face. For him to understand the language of the gods he too, possesses something worth protecting.

Thor crouched so that his and Claude's eyes were leveled. He could see the fear that Nicole's words had invoked, so he gently asked, "Do you believe in your sister's words?"

Claude nodded, he wiped his tears with the back of his hand and said, "Nicole's words always come true. We never tell mom. I.."

Both men finally understood why Claude looked like he was carrying a huge weight on his shoulder. At a young age he took responsibility for hiding what his younger sister could do.

"Have you ever told your mother about it?" asked Colin.

"No. But we told mom where we wanted to live when she asked us," Claude said.

"What did she say?" Thor inquired.

"She asked why. Then Nicole started telling her about living in the coach house and the woods. Then she even told mommy about a man," Claude answered. "Mommy just smiled. Then when we saw the coach house, Nicole said, 'see' mommy just hugged her."

"Lad, we have been speaking in Nordic," Thor commented, "how can you understand us?"

Claude averted his eyes and whispered, "I am not supposed to say."

Before Colin could reassure Claude, he felt another god from a different pantheon enter the barrier his aunt had made. Thor's Mjölnir suddenly appeared and he stood in front of Colin and Claude.

With extreme caution, Colin stood up and made sure that Julie's eldest was behind him. And stood beside the god of thunder. He stiffed when he saw which god broke or entered the barrier.

"Hello, Cú Chulainn. I would like to speak to the boy behind you. We don't want any fights, right?"

"Fujin."