Chapter 11 - Introductions

                                    

                                          
As if on cue, Jack appeared next to him. "I'm back," he announced, "and I have our backup." Jamison was holding his arm tightly and had his eyes squeezed shut. He quickly opened them and scanned the room. He saw me and ran towards me. 
"Dad!" he shouted, tackling me in a hug. 
My urge to smite the mortal quickly dissipated as I knelt to hug him back. I was not going to smite someone in front of my son. "Hey, Bambi," I greeted with a warm smile. 
"Why are you mad at the raccoon?" he asked, pulling out of the hug to look at me. 
"He said a lot of very mean things about someone who is a lot like Uncle Luke," I explained gently. "She was manipulated into doing some bad things, but she is trying to be better, like Uncle Luke did." 
His face scrunched up in confusion. "Why is he being mean?" 
I sighed and touched my forehead to his. "He is hurt, Jamison. Sometimes, when people are hurt, they say mean things." 
Jamison scanned Rocket for injuries but found none. "He doesn't look hurt," he said stubbornly. 
I smiled sadly. "Remember how you felt when Theo disappeared? It doesn't hurt like a cut or a bruise, does it? But it still hurt, right here," I said softly, tapping his chest. He nodded as tears welled up in his eyes. "That's the kind of hurt Rocket is feeling right now. Because his friends disappeared too, just like Theo." 
Jamison looked at Rocket with newfound empathy. Without any warning, he rushed to him and gave him a gentle hug. He stiffened at first, but soon melted into the embrace. I smiled fondly at my son. He was so sweet and caring. 
When he pulled away from Rocket, he looked around the room and saw that all the mortals had similar expressions. He gave each of them a big hug, making them smile slightly. When he was done, he came back over to me. "He's not so mean," Jamison said. "He just needed a hug. Everyone needs a hug every once in a while." 
I smiled again. "You're right, Jamie. Sometimes a hug is just what someone needs. Now, why don't you ask Uncle Ethan to take you exploring to see what this planet has for food, yeah? I'm sure you two could find a candy shop somewhere near here." 
His eyes lit up at the prospect of candy and he looked at Ethan pleadingly. Ethan smiled and nodded, understanding that I needed to deal with the mortals without Jamison there. "Why not? Come on, Bud. Let's go find some candy." He took Jamison's hand and led him out of the room.  
As soon as they were out of earshot, I turned to Nico. "Nico, Jamison was not supposed to ever come to this hellhole of a planet," I said with a glare. "However," my gaze softened, "I suppose I must thank you for finding a way to calm me down before the situation got out of hand." 
He only nodded in response. 
"Okay, backtrack!" Rocket said. "What did you mean when you said we didn't have the power to wield the stone. I mean, we were able to use it without dying." 
I scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you weren't alone. Frank saw the courage and selflessness you five showed and decided to interfere before you all died. He protected you from the destructive power of the stone and gave you the strength to harness it for a short period of time." 
Frank smiled shyly as the whole team turned to him, which caused the mortals to do so as well. When he saw Hazel staring at him with a disappointed frown, he ducked his head. "They had true courage and faith in each other, Haze. I kind of had to lend protection and aid to them; it's in the job description. I protect those who uphold my domain." 
She sighed. "I understand. Just, next time, tell me so I can prepare for it. My tapestry was all messed up because they didn't die when they were supposed to."