“Cronus is close, we should be able to see him at any moment now.”
“Can we sightsee?” Castiel muttered quietly under his breath as he was pulled along again with boundless excitement. Chester’s energy seem to never come to an end, much to Castiel’s envy. It must be nice, being able to run without constantly worrying about how your health might be affected later on. The place they were in, the Menagerie, was full of interesting things he had hardly ever seen in England. It was rare for the boy to go to some place like this in the first place, and he was intrigued by the many different creatures there were housed in this tent. Without letting go of Chester’s hand, he stared right at the bird, trying to look into its mind. His powers could be used to a certain extent on animals, not only restricted to humans, but Themis was really not in the mood to help him. She was constantly egging him to stop wasting time in his mind, much to his annoyance. I’m going to learn how to block you out one day. Castiel glared inwardly at the goddess inside him, before Chester spoke and snapped him out of his quiet glower at the voice inside his head.
“This place is freaking me out.” It is? Castiel turned to see Chester sneer right back at the animal, making him smile. Despite the close age of the two, Chester seemed like a genuinely interesting person. He was never allowed to run and play with the other children since he was small because of his weak health, and even as he matured the people he met were business partners of his father. This was the first time he had explored a circus with another child his age. This was… fun. They were technically searching for the vessel of an ancient titan, but he was enjoying the whole experience, going to a circus and making a new friend that could understand him. Yet, there was a small worry that nagged at the back of his mind. “Father will be worried.” The words escaped his lips in a soft, unheard sigh. His family was the only thing stopping him from giving up on the whole of humanity. They were his sole source of support, and he was worried about what his father would think if he had been in the circus grounds for too long. His parents were always rather paranoid about him ever since he was younger, especially after the incident with the robber. What if they came looking? Castiel fixed the white-haired Chester with a worried glance for a second. He might be strong, housing one of his own. Whose side was he on?
However, before he got the chance to speak, Castiel felt himself being pulled to the right once again, and for once he thought about pulling away. Cronus’s presence disturbed him. It was sheer power, and every step he took, it felt like he was going to be consumed with the pulls and tugs. Calm down, Castiel. Our brother isn’t as bad as you would expect.Castiel didn’t have time to argue with her this time, holding his breath as they passed through two exhibits. They stank of animal excrement, and as much as it was all fresh to him as well, it wasn’t too pleasant for his senses. “I’m not sure if you can feel it, but Cronus is right there.” Chester was pointing at a tent, and Castiel nodded, watching with rapt attention as he pressed his palm to the tent. To his amazement, the iron stake reacted to his touch. It lifted from the ground, opening a place in the fabric. “C’mon Cas.”
So that was his power? Castiel bent down with some apprehension, squeezing in after Chester quickly, standing next to him after he got up. The performer was right in front of them, making Chester look much like someone who has come face to face with their idol, an unmasked expression of amazement. That was when another man ran in, almost knocking right into the two of them.
"Sorry about - Ah, it's you two." He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly at the statement, taking a second to think about where he might have saw the teen before. It was… A magazine. That’s it. He was a model, wasn’t he? There were several magazines his father had given to him for the examination of what society reads for entertainment. It more or less helped him identify some of the more popular topics in society while he was still at home, but he did remember seeing the boy’s face on one of them. “Oh please, call me Adelaide, or Adele if you want. That old coot can hear you regardless.” Castiel turned back to the performer again as she spoke, Themis’s disgruntled voice in his head. Did she call big brother a old coot? The nerve. Themis grumbled at the woman’s attitude, and he could almost visualise her turning her mouth up into a pout. She can be extremely childish at times, and this time he chose to ignore her behaviour.
“My goodness you two really are cute, I could just eat you up.” And now she wants to EAT you? Run Castiel. Run for it while you have the chance. I can’t guarantee your safety since she had Cronos in her mind. He could hear Themis screaming rather frantically as he was pulled into a hug, trying to force him to pull away. It’s a metaphor, Themis. Be quiet. He hushed the goddess quickly, though it did make him break into a small smile. Those are the times he actually quite enjoyed Themis. Her quirk of taking things word for word has really spiced up his life by quite a great deal. She then patted him on the cheek affectionately, a gesture that he didn’t understand. It was the first time it was coming from a stranger, he was nearly embarrassed about being called adorable. It was a compliment, sure, but he was more mature for such an adjective to be used on describing him. Then, she did more mystifying things. The woman called out for them to apologise, yet she shushed anyone who tried to speak. Crowd control tactics? Castiel was rather puzzled by her behaviour, but he made sure to make a mental note of that to ask his father later.
“Well, isn’t obvious? We are all here for a reason, we should destroy this city.”
“We… We are?” Castiel asked with some hesitation, trying to assess if Chester was being serious. Unfortunately, the gaze that met his was a shockingly cold one. It was one that he had seen many times, enough to let him know that Chester was absolutely serious. Nothing was going to stop him, though that expression devoid of mercy was something Castiel wasn’t accustomed to seeing on a face as young as his. It chilled him to the bone, causing him to flinch involuntarily, letting go of his hand quickly.
Thankfully, the topic was changed, and as Chester introduced himself Castiel went next. “My name is Castiel Starr, and I am in possession of Themis. I’m thirteen.” He was just one year older than the boy next to him, and some annoyance made him wrinkle his nose at the concept of a person a full twelve months younger still taller than him, despite by a small portion.