Chapter Fifteen.

"DAAAAAAAAAD!" Kris yelled when he entered the house. "WE'RE HOOOOOOOME!"

Cam glared at his friend, his hands over his ears.

"It's been three years!" Cam exclaimed after lowering his hands, and Kris giggled. "You still do that?"

"It's fun," Kris slugged him on the arm. "Come on, let's go find Dad. He's probably doing something weird."

"I'm right here," Michael said from the couch, and Kris giggled as his father stood and looked at Cam. "Hello, Ambrosius."

"Hi, Mr. Kendall," Cam suddenly felt shy and half-hid behind his friend.

"Before you run upstairs to play video games with Kris," Michael said. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a few minutes."

"About me running away?" Cam asked.

"Yes," Mr. Kendall said. "I'm not mad at you, Ambrosius. I heard about what the kids in your past homes and that one in particular were going through. I can understand what was probably going through your head. Kris, why don't you head upstairs and get something ready?"

Kris nodded, then made his way upstairs as Michael sat back down and gestured for Cam to do so. The teen hesitated, then took a seat on the recliner. He always felt safe around Mr. Kendall, and even now, in a time where he was stressed, jumpy, and scared of being kidnapped at every turn, there was just something comforting there. Even with the voices having gone completely silent, though he could sense they were musing over something.

"You ran away," Michael said. "Because you were tired of being mistreated, underfed, and abused, right?"

Cam nodded. He'd barely been allowed to hang out with Kris, and those were among the few times he'd ever eaten a full meal before he'd run away. And after, up until he started living with Greyson and Blake in the hotel.

"I'm sorry you felt you had to do that," Michael told him. "Perhaps if I'd told you something, you wouldn't have run away and toughed it out just a little bit longer. It was meant to be a surprise."

"Told me something?" Cam asked. "A surprise?"

"Yes," Michael nodded, then took a deep breath. "Ambrosius, when you ran away, I was in the middle of petitioning the courts for custody of you. I was talking with DCFS about it, and there was a court date a few days after you ran away for the hearing on whether or not I'd become your legal guardian. That was when we were going to inform you that I was trying. It had hurt me to see you in the situation you were, and you were good friends with Kris, even if barely able to hang out."

"You-" Cam felt tears welling up in his eyes. "You wanted me?"

"I still do," Michael nodded. "Because you ran away, the proceedings were put on hold. If you want, though, I can petition again. I moved down here for work, and Kris surprised me with the news that he'd found you here, Ambrosius. You'll still be able to hang out with your new friends and everything, if I get custody of you. I'll-"

He cut off as Cam lunged at him with surprising speed. Michael nearly reacted with force out of instinct, only to catch Cam's thoughts at the last moment. He was happy. Happy and sobbing as he wrapped his arms around him.

Michael rubbed Cam's back, aware that the boy was, for the first time ever, feeling wanted by someone other than a friend. For the first time ever, Cam knew that there was an adult out there who wanted to be his father and family. And it was someone Cam knew had genuine interest in him, someone he knew actually did want him.

"I'm sorry I ruined things," Cam cried into Michael. "You were the only adult who was nice back then, and I just didn't… I couldn't take it anymore, and I just wanted to get away! If I'd known-if I'd known, I'd have tried to stay! I missed you and Kris, Mr. Kendall! I'm so sorry I made you worry and ruined things! I'd love to be-to live with you!"

Cam sniffled as he pulled away from the man, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"But you can't be my father," Cam sniffled again. "Sorry, Mr. Kendall."

"Why not?" Michael asked. "All I need to do is-"

"Because you're my brother," Cam answered. "You, um… would probably just be my guardian, right? Since you're my brother?"

"Brother?" Michael asked. "What are you-"

"Kris told me that Dad sent you here to look for your half-brother," Cam projected into his mind, then giggled when Michael's eyes widened. "We're half-brothers, apparently! And I like you way more than I like my mom's side of the family. They're evil."

"Ambrosius?" Michael said. "There are a lot of questions I have, and some things to say, but… you shouldn't call them evil."

"Ever heard of the Thorntons?"

Michael thought back to the previous night's mission from his father, and he quickly realized what his son's friend – his brother – was saying.

"Your mother's a Thornton?" He asked.

"Yeah," Cam nodded. "See? They're evil. Can I go play with Kris now?"

"Have you spoken with our father yet?" Michael asked.

"All the time," Cam groaned. "He keeps kidnapping me for his parties."

Michael laughed at his brother's exasperation.

"He did that to me a lot when I was younger, too," Michael told him. "Has he given you anything?"

"This?" Cam pulled a necklace out from under his hoodie.

Not the amulet that concealed his divinity, but the protective charm his father had given him. A red stone hanging from a pink chain, it was forged of the pure essence of Ulrima and shielded the wearer against any non-beneficial magic from any angelic or divine source.

God, angel, demigod, and nephilim – it didn't matter which they were. If their magic would not benefit Cam, the stone would dispel it when it attempted to touch him.

Michael nodded, pulling out a similar necklace from beneath his shirt and showing it to Cam.

"So you're a demigod, right?" Cam asked. "Does that mean you chose to look the age you do?"

"I did," Michael nodded. "If I wanted, I could return to my natural appearance, which is around nineteen years of age."

"Okay," Cam said. "So how old are you really?"

"A little more than nine hundred," Michael chuckled at the boy's widening eyes. "Haven't met many older than me, have you? Outside of our father's parties, anyway."

"I've met Adam Leosvar, Alexander Leosvar, and my dog, who's way older than the world we're on."

It was Cam's turn to laugh as Michael's eyes widened.

"Imma go play with Kris!" Cam quickly bolted out of the living room and up the stairs.

Using his empathy, he quickly located Kris in a room with a couch, a coffee table, and a gaming center set up. His friend was sitting on the couch, a controller in one hand and another sitting beside him.

"Finally!" Kris exclaimed. "We're gonna slaughter hordes of zombies, okay?"

"Sure!" Cam grabbed the controller and plopped himself onto the couch. "Did you know?"

"Know what?" Kris asked.

"That your dad was trying to get custody of me when I ran away."

Kris gave Cam a stunned look, which told the demigod all he needed to know. It was kept a secret from his friend, too, even after he'd run away.

"Yeah," Cam said. "That's what your dad wanted to talk to me about."

"Did you tell him?" Kris asked.

"Yep!" Cam grinned. "He was pretty shocked. Then I told him that just because he's nine hundred years old, didn't mean he was the oldest non-god I'd met!"

Kris giggled at that, then pulled up the menu for the game and set the battle difficulty.

"Come on," Kris said. "This is the third game in that series we used to play. Let's see who can rack up more kills!"

When Michael came up two hours later to inform the boys he'd ordered pizza, he found Cam sleeping peacefully on the couch, his head on a pillow that Kris had provided for him, a blanket tossed over him. Kris himself was sitting on the floor, continuing to kill zombies in the game, a set of headphones on his head to keep the sound from the game from waking Cam.

"Shh," Kris immediately put a finger to his lips as he looked at his father. "Don't be noisy, Ambro passed out, and he's been having a hard time sleeping lately. He really needs the sleep."

Michael nodded, then tapped his ears. Kris slipped the headphones back a little.

"I ordered pizza," Michael informed him. "Estimated delivery time is around forty-five minutes. How long ago did he fall asleep?"

"Around an hour and a half ago," Kris answered, glancing at Cam. "I'm surprised he hasn't launched into nightmares, Eden mentioned they had to ward his room 'cause about five minutes into sleep, he'd get nightmares so bad he'd start using a sort of mind wave in his sleep."

"A familiar, comforting environment can do wonders," Michael informed his son. "Even though we're in a new home, we were Ambrosius's grounding for two years. It was around us that he felt comfortable. The fact that he's comfortable to sleep quickly and easily here even the first time he's here after reuniting with us after three years, Kris, it shows how much he trusts us."

Kris wasn't too sure about that, but accepted his father's explanation. Cam did trust them, and he did feel comfortable around them.

"Let him rest until the pizza arrives," Michael told his son. "Then wake him up gently, okay? He'll need to eat, and to sleep tonight, too."

"But he's-"

"Kris," Michael used a stern tone. "Do it, okay?"

"Okay," Kris sighed, then fixed his headphones and resumed playing as his father left.

Nearly an hour later, he heard the doorbell ring, and turned to wake Cam, who was yawning as he sat up.

"I fell asleep?" Cam asked, and Kris laughed, before grabbing the pillow and smacking Cam in the face with it. "Hey!"

Cam tackled Kris, and the two wrestled for a few minutes until Michael hollered for them to quiet down and come downstairs for dinner.

"I smell pizza!" Cam exclaimed, taking off out of the room.

"Hey, wait up!" Kris scrambled to his feet, chasing after his friend.

Damn, I forgot how fast Cam could be, he thought to himself, then froze halfway down the steps in realization. He's a demigod! I forgot about his speed until now, but that definitely explains it! Dad always said demigods were fast!

When Kris reached the kitchen, Cam was already piling a plate high with the meat lover's pizza and hot wings, already chewing on something.

"Save some for the rest of us!"

"No!" Cam said without opening his mouth, and Kris rolled his eyes.

Same old Ambrosius, Michael thought as he watched the two boys.

Cam loved pizza and was often stuffing himself by the time Kris had reached the kitchen when they had it before he'd run away.

"Let's watch something together while we eat," Michael told them. "You can head back upstairs after you're both finished."

Cam said something through his mouth, and Michael gave him a look that said to not talk with his mouth full.

"Sweet! Do you have any juice?"

Michael snorted at the boy's creative way of getting around that.

"Alright, smartass," he said. "We have apple juice, orange juice, and grape juice."

"Orange!"

Michael walked over to the fridge as Kris stared in confusion.

"What about you, Kris?"

"Can I have soda?"

"Not on school nights."

"Pleeeeeeease?"

"Not on school nights."

"Fiiiiiiiine," Kris said. "I'll have a beer."

"You don't drink beer," Michael rolled his eyes as he pulled the orange juice out. "Orange juice alright?"

"Suuuuuuure," Kris faked a groan. "I suppose that'll do."

"Or you can do water," Michael told him.

"Does it come with free-ow!"

Cam giggled as he bolted to the couch, and Kris grabbed his plate and chased after him.

"Come here, you brat!" Kris said.

"No wrestling until after dinner!"

"But he-"

"That goes for both of you!"

Cam giggled, then shoved a wing into his mouth.

"You know there are bones on there, right?" Kris asked as he sat beside Cam.

"Yep!" Cam responded. "Eden taught me a cool trick!"

"You can talk telepathically?" Kris jumped up in surprise, causing Cam and Michael to laugh.

"I thought I already told you?" Cam responded as he chewed. "Hold on a sec, Kris. Gonna show you this awesome trick."

Cam chewed for a few more seconds, then pushed with his tongue, a bone, completely clean of meat, passing between his lips. He grabbed it and set it on his plate, then evicted more bones from his mouth.

"Ta-da!" He said. "Eden taught me how to suck off all the meat from the bones! Gotta be able to pop the whole wing into your mouth, though, or it doesn't work."

"Eden is officially weird," Kris told Cam.

"Eden is a badass," Cam responded. "He can afford to be weird. And literally, too. He's a millionaire. That's awesome! Now hurry up and finish eating, I wanna go back to killing zombies and catching up on everything that's happened since I ran away!"