Gareth's family came for dinner, wanting to make sure we all ate.
Travis had gone to stay with Declan, forcing Dad to come home to rest and eat and shower.
Dad and Papa were like empty shells of people. They tried to be there for the twins.
Echo did her best to make up the difference, but was truly grateful when the Valdez clan came in with a feast of comfort foods.
Echo knew Rory and Ana were aware that the situation was bad, but she could also tell that Rory was trying to stay positive to keep Ana from breaking down.
The week was difficult, especially once Dad and Papa told the twins what was going on with Declan.
School was torture, especially since she now had a target on her. She tried to avoid her tormentors, but that just seemed to bring about more tormentors. Nolan had switched his private lesson time so that he could sit with her at lunch, and that helped her feel a little better, until it put a target on him as well. She had told the principal when Ross got at her again, but with all of these new tormentors…
Before and after school, Gareth and Nolan stuck to her like glue. Mrs. Jackson gave her and her sisters and Gareth a ride home now.
But it wasn't until Saturday, when Echo woke up and went out that she realized how bad things must have been.
Cassie and Reyna were sitting on the couch, both looking worried and talking in hushed tones.
Echo stood there for a moment, realizing their husbands and kids must have been in the backyard. "What's happened?" She asked in a small voice.
They both looked over, surprised.
Calypso came in from the kitchen, "Echo, there's some breakfast in the kitchen." She said softly.
She looked at all of them, "What's going on?"
Calypso glanced at the other two, then put an arm around her, "Your fathers are in their room. You should go talk to them."
Echo looked up at Calypso, then turned back and went to her fathers room, knocking.
Papa answered, looking exhausted, "Hey Echo. Come on in."
Dad opened his arms for her, holding her. He looked half-asleep.
Papa sat down beside them and took Echo's hand. "Declan woke up."
Her gaze snapped to her Papa, "What? When?"
"Earlier this morning, about three. He was conscious, then he fell back unconscious, but he's responsive this time." Papa told her, squeezing her hand.
She didn't understand why everyone was here. "So…what's wrong?"
Dad took a deep breath, let it out shakily, "Declan is living on borrowed time. He isn't going to last much longer."
Echo felt her heart drop to her stomach. "How long?"
"A couple days, at most." Papa said, playing with the skull ring. "According to the doctors…and Chiron…Declan should have died over a year ago."
"I don't understand."
Dad squeezed her, "Um…all of the healing I've been doing for him, the…favors I've called in from my father, the nectar and ambrosia we've given him—they just forestalled the inevitable."
She remembered her Dad telling her about the Giant war. How the roman, Octavian, had died. How some deaths couldn't be prevented.
"There has to be something else we can do." She whimpered.
Papa kissed her head, "I'm sorry, Echo. We've tried everything we could, and…some things we shouldn't have."
Dad shook his head, "You shouldn't have."
"The only thing left for us to do…is s-say goodbye." Papa continued gently. "I'm sorry, Echo. Really."
Dad was crying, but obviously trying not to.
Echo took a deep breath through her nose, "Do the twins know?"
Dad shook his head, "No, not yet. I think Aurora has suspected."
Papa leaned on Echo and Dad, "They'll know something is wrong when they see everyone here."
Echo pulled away, "I'll talk to Rory. She should know before Ana."
"Echo, you don't have to tell her—"
"Yes, I do. Because it would break her to see either of you crying right now, and you can't stop. I'll talk to her. Then we'll have a plan for talking to Ana." She wiped at her eyes.
Her fathers were quiet, not saying anything.
She looked back at them, and saw the pain and sadness on their faces as they looked at her. Like what she just said was more depressing than losing their son.
She hesitated, a little frightened, "Daddy? Papa?"
Papa shook his head, "You shouldn't have to do that. You don't need to do that."
"Rory made me promise that I wouldn't let her see you two cry, not like this. Not when she needs to be able to support her twin." Echo's voice rose in volume as she grew more distressed. "Don't make me break my promise just because you're concerned about me. Yes, I'm upset. But I can tell her. Just…let me tell her."
Dad slowly nodded.
Papa tore his gaze away from her and hid his face in Dad's shoulder, "You need to rest, Will. You're exhausted."
She went towards the door.
"So are you, Nico."
"I'll be fine, sunshine. I better be ready to tell Ana."
Echo closed the door softly and grabbed a box of tissues from the bathroom, tossing it in on her bed. She then went to the twins room, sneaking in and quietly waking Rory.
Rory followed her, half-asleep, back to her room and sat on the bed, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on, Echo?"
Echo told her.
At the end, Rory slowly nodded, "I didn't think he would wake up."
Echo was holding her hand, "You knew he was dying, just like Papa knew and didn't want to accept it."
Rory nodded again, "I've had a bad feeling for a while now. Ana's going to be crushed, though. I've had to tell her that everything would be fine." Her voice trembled slightly.
Echo hugged her little sister, "Papa's waiting to tell her until I tell him you're okay."
Aurora took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm okay. I mean, not that I'm okay with him dying. I'm devastated. But…I can hold her up."
Echo nodded as well, "I understand."
"Echo? How are you so calm?"
Echo pulled away, shrugging slightly, "You needed me."
Rory nodded, then fixed her rich blue eyes on Echo's, "Promise me you won't bottle this in."
Echo nodded, laughing slightly, "Oh, honey, I'm going out there, I'm finding my best friend and I'm probably going to cry for a good four hours." She quickly wiped at her eyes.
Rory smiled, then got up, "I'm not looking at Papa if he's been crying."
"He has been."
She nodded and went toward her bedroom.
Echo went back to her fathers room.
Papa opened the door before she could knock, "Your dad's asleep." He kissed her forehead, hugging her tightly for a brief moment. "Rory?"
"She took it well. She's waiting for you to tell Ana."
He nodded, kissed her cheek, and went to tell her other little sister.
Echo went back out to where the mothers were sitting on the couch, looking worried and sad. She hesitated, then went into the kitchen.
Gareth was in there, coloring with Riley, Maggie, Valerie, Adrien and Meave.
Riley looked back at her, his eyes big and sad, "Echo?"
Gareth turned, then set Maggie on the bench and came over to her, hugging her and murmuring in Spanish.
Echo his her face in his shirt, trying to resist the tears, but also wanting to let the tears overtake her. Declan wasn't dead yet. There was time for mourning later.
Gareth pulled back, pushing her hair from her face, "Are you hungry?" He asked softly.
Echo wasn't sure. So she shook her head.
Riley had hopped over, catching her wrist, "Echo, I'm sorry."
Echo pulled him into a tight hug, "Don't be." She felt the tears start seeping out. He was going to be the only brother she had soon.
The house phone rang and she let go of Riley to grab it.
"Solace residence." She answered.
"Echo? It's Leo, I need to talk to your Papa."
"Okay, just a second, he's telling Ana right now."
"Ay caramba, okay, um, have him call me when he's done."
"Are you at the hospital?" She asked, hugging herself with her free arm.
"Sí, alondra."
"Is…does…" She couldn't think of the right words for what she wanted to know. "Nevermind. I'll have him call you back."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye." She hung up, then went to the fridge and got herself a glass of juice. She needed to try something.
James came in from the backyard, and caught the glass that slipped from her shaking hand, "Steady on," He said, then saw it was her, "Oh, sorry, I just…"
She shook her head, "It's fine, James, thanks for catching it. I don't think I could have handled it breaking."
He nodded, carefully handing it back to her. He carefully retreated to the living room.
Echo smiled a bit and shook her head, he was such a weird kid. But then again, his parents were a little odd. She loved Aunt Cassie and Malcolm, but they were weird. Papa called them old-fashioned, and said that they were brainy people. Echo still wanted to know what went on in James head. The only glimpses she tended to get were when he said things like he did at the part over a week ago, now. Other than that, he was one of those puzzles that should be considered silent, but very detrimental to one's health. She had seen him fight, and he was quick and smart, and ruthless if his siblings were with him.
"Echo!"
She jumped and stopped pouring, biting back the curse that she wanted to throw out there so badly. Orange juice was everywhere.
Gareth started cleaning it up with paper towels, "That was like, the third time I called your name."
"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts." She grabbed paper towels and started helping.
He just nodded, understanding, then glanced around and muttered mess dissipated and all we had to do was throw out the paper towels.
Echo felt the corner of her mouth turn up, "Thanks."
He flashed her a grin, then took her paper towels and tossed them in the trash along with his.
A wail echoed through the house.
Echo shuddered and hugged herself.
Cassie came back into the kitchen with James to check on the kids, "Everything alright, don't worry." She said in a soothing voice, getting the youngest back to coloring and then coming over and putting a protective arm around Echo. "Have you eaten?"
Echo shook her head, resting her head on her aunt Cassie's shoulder briefly, then pulling away and grabbing her orange juice.
Cassie nodded approval at the glass of juice, then poked her head in the backyard before heading back to the living room. She was Anastasia's godmother, Echo knew it was hurting her to be able to do nothing at this point.
Reyna was Echo's godmother, Calypso was Aurora's, and Aunt Hazel Declan's. Her fathers had put off choosing godparents until Echo was about seven. She could remember her Papa gently explaining that they gave us godparents in case something happened to them. Had said that Declan was the youngest, so he would need their Aunt Hazel and Uncle Frank. Anastasia would do best with Aunt Cassie and Uncle Malcolm because Aunt Cassie was good at feelings and Ana had those in abundance. Aurora would go to the Valdez's house, because she would need their warmth and love. And Echo would go to Reyna or Travis, because both would make sure that she got training and was loved and cared for, but they would also make sure she saw her siblings and that there were times when she would be able to get together with her siblings.
She knew that Jason was Declan's godfather, but that it was agreed that if anything had happened Declan would go to Hazel first.
She couldn't remember if Leo was Rory's godfather, but she was willing to bet he was. She was also pretty sure that Ana had two godfathers, but she couldn't remember who they were.
Ana flew in and wrapped her arms around Echo's waist, making her spill the orange juice from the glass.
The younger girl sobbed into her shoulder, begging her to fix it and make it all better.
Echo's eyes widened, and she couldn't even hug her sister back.
The adults, Papa, and Rory all came in.
Echo couldn't even get herself to wrap her arms around her sister. She couldn't respond. She was frozen, horrified, full of despair, regret, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness. She didn't know what Ana thought she could do about it, she couldn't even heal paper cuts. Tears filled her eyes.
Aunt Cassie came over and gently pried Ana off, making soft hushing noises and murmuring words to try and comfort her, telling her it couldn't be helped. She held the weeping girl in her arms.
Papa pulled Echo into his arms. She felt hollow, but he was warm, and it seemed to try to fill that hollow feeling with comfort. She buried her face in him.