āIndeed! Iām glad we could meet again, Coeus. Itās been so long!ā The hug caught him off guard and despite himself Chester tensed as the boy wrapped his arms around him, even if it was only for a split second. Chester had spent the last two years by himself, and most twelve year olds wouldnāt have been capable of making it on their own, but most twelve year olds didnāt have an ancient being sharing a body with them. But being on his own meant he didnāt have a lot of intimate human interaction, no days where he would lay around and listen to another person ramble, or nights spent shoulder to shoulder watching a movie, and definitely not hugging.
When Chester took a step back he paused for a moment to let himself really look over the boy in front of him. The boy, Castiel, looked to be about the same age as him, and they were nearly the same size, Castiel maybe just a hair shorter than Chester. His hair had looked black under the low lighting of the big top, but now that they were outside there was just the slightest hint of blue as the light hit it. Chester wanted to think that it was weird, but considering his own stark white hair he wasnāt one to make comments about unusual hair colors. The eye patch was what still stood out the most, not many people ever sported those, even when they had eye injuries, most opted for glass eyes because they stood out less than an eye patch.
āBut of course! Shall we check the back of the tent?ā Chester blinked as his attention was brought back to Castiel, and he nodded his head, his eyes focused as he scanned the diminishing crowd around them, surely the performers couldnāt have left just yet. He closed his eyes and tried to focus, to try and feel the pull of his strongest brother. As he did it became apparent that there were more and his eyes shot open. He looked into Castielās one visible eye, shock made him suddenly breathless. āThere are even more of us here.ā
He didnāt know which direction to go, towards the clearly strong tug that was Cronus, or the slightly fainter one that was in the opposite direction. It wasnāt an easy decision to make, but he could feel Cronus very clearly in a distinct direction, if he lost the other one there was no guarantee he would find them again. The thought of losing his siblings directed his attention back to Castiel again, Themis was right in front of him now. His sister was with him in the moment.
āItās unbelievable that youāre standing here in front of me, that another one of us is here.ā Saying it out loud made his heartbeat increase, as if solidifying the fact his sister was standing in front of him. All of his nerves felt on end and he couldnāt fight the grin from growing over his lips, and with that action it felt like a lot of the weight he had been carrying was lifted with the presence of Themis standing right in front of him. āItās nice to know Iām not alone anymore.ā
He cleared his throat and looked away as his smile slowly faded, embarrassed, and he grabbed the boyās hand to lead him in the direction Cronus. His grip was tight and his pace was fast, but determined. The fainter presence was important, but it was gamble. He knew for a fact Cronus was there, it presence distinct and nearly overwhelming, but it was guaranteed. The fast pace he had set was bordering on a run, but he restrained himself. Cronus was by one of the bordering tents, not the main one. Coeus stirred inside him and Chester couldnāt discern whether it was his own heart or Coeusās that was pounding in his chest with each step he took towards Cronus.
Chesterās grip tightened around Castielās hand with nervousness and his lips pressed into a firm line as he kept his eyes focused in front of him. It was unreal what was happening, and he was more than anything scared he would wake up in that house alone with only the vague feeling of Coeus lingering with him.