The silence that followed after Castor's statent was heavy, thick with possibility.
Penelope finally broke it, reflecting back to their earlier discussion. "So I shouldn't tell him anything at all?" she asked, seeking affirmation.. and a little bit of hope.
Castor's shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. "It's your choice. I can't stop you. But if you do... be prepared for the consequences."
Penelope let out a short laugh, though it lacked humor. "You're trying to scare , aren't you? Telling it's my choice, but slipping warnings into every sentence so I'll hesitate. That's clever, old man. I'll give you that."
Castor's lips twitched into the faintest smile. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm simply speaking from experience." His voice deepened. "But know this... the universe will always balance what is tipped. And if you force her hand, she will demand a sacrifice. Sothing... or soone."
Penelope froze, her breath catching. "You an like Cara?" she whispered.
Castor's breath hitched. For the first ti, his voice cracked. "I... I should have let her go the first ti. Let her be free of the pain. But I didn't. I dragged her back to us, and it only caused her more suffering. I thought I was saving her by turning her... but I was wrong. She was ant to die in that coma. My interference.. my arrogance, disrupted the balance. And the universe punished . It punished us." His amber eyes glistened with buried sorrow. "Cara, Katherine, Wesley... they all paid the price. Because I couldn't let fate run its course. I was never ant to cheat destiny.. but I did. And that cost my family."
Penelope's expression softened, her own heart twisting. "...Did it, though? Kate's still here. So is Callisto. So are Cyllene's children. You might have lost one mber... but the rest remain."
Castor gave a hollow chuckle. "Callisto is galaxies away, furious with for deserting the war. One of Cyllene's children watches with suspicion. The other... doesn't even know I exist. And when he does.. he will co to despise ." He hesitated, his voice lowering. "And Katherine... you know I never really raised her as a father should."
Penelope gave him a wry smile. "You raised her into a weapon, yes. An unstoppable, cold-hearted fighter. But at least you were there. You didn't abandon her. That makes you a father in ways that matter most. And for the record... Kate doesn't hate you. She doesn't even bla you for what happened to Cara. She's just angry you didn't tell her about it sooner."
Castor chuckled bitterly. "I know my daughter. She doesn't fear consequences. She doesn't count costs. She would have supported in turning her mother, no matter the price." he sighed, his voice etched with regret. "Which is why I didn't tell her about it then. So that when it backfired, she wouldn't bla herself."
"I thought I was protecting her, but now I know... she isn't the type that needs protection. She never was." he added with a chuckle. "She's the type that people need protection from. Because I am certain she will do whatever it takes to achieve what she believes is right"
Then he glanced at Penelope knowingly. "And it's why I also know... this whole party was her plan. All of it. Just to et the boy."
Penelope sighed in defeat, a small smile tugging at her lips. "...So you knew."
"Of course I knew." His voice carried a quiet certainty. "Why else would she host a masquerade on Earth.. his ho, where they would be hidden behind masks?" His gaze lingered on Penelope. "Your task was to ensure he ca tonight. And you did. But that wasn't your only task, was it?"
Penelope's lips curved into a sly smirk. "...No. It wasn't."
Castor's amber eyes glead. "She also asked you to distract . Keep out here while she speaks with him. And that is exactly what you're doing. Right?"
Penelope laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Yes, it is. But if you already knew all this, why still go ahead with her request? Afterall, you could have just declined when she asked to have a party here on Alpha."
"Why would I stop it?" Castor said softly. "I am an oracle. I see what is fated, but I cannot change it, neither can I tell the outco."
His gaze returned to the moon. "I knew of Katherine's plan before she even thought of it. But I didn't have the right, or frankly, the power to alter it. All I could do... was let it unfold."
Penelope studied him for a long mont, her expression softening with sympathy. "...It must be hard. To know tragedies before they happen. To see the pain coming and be powerless to stop it."
Castor's voice dipped lower, carrying both weariness and resignation. "It is. And sotis I question the sanity of it. To know but not act, to witness but not intervene... it feels like cruelty. As if I were cursed to be only but a spectator while fate plays out. And I mustn't interfere, no matter how it burns. That is sothing I have learnt.. the hard way."
Penelope sighed. Her gaze lowered, her voice bitter. "Is that why you didn't interfere with Cyllene's death... or the abduction of her daughter?"
"Yes." Castor's answer was firm and final. "Even though I could have prevented it... I didn't. Because stopping it would have only delayed the inevitable. And when it returned, it would have been worse." His jaw tightened. "If I had stopped the events of that night... perhaps in two years, Cyllene and both her children would have died."
Penelope shook her head, her voice thick. "...So trying to stop fate only makes it crueler."
"Indeed," Castor murmured. "Which is why I didn't prevent this party from happening. If I did, Katherine would eventually find a way to communicate with the boy. So it's pointless and risky to even try."
Silence lingered between them, heavy with things unsaid.
Then Penelope chuckled faintly, breaking the tension. "Yes, cause knowing Kate, if tonight failed, she'd have found another way to speak with Jayden. She's as stubborn as a fly."
Castor's lips curled into the faintest smile. "I believe she learnt that from you."
Penelope burst into laughter, genuine and lodic. "Please. I only taught her how to fight. Her stubborn streak? That's Cyllene's fault." she smirked at the mory. "Those two had a bond I could never quite untangle."
Penelope and Castor chuckled as nostalgia kicked in, replaying mories of the past in their minds.
There was another mont of silence between them until Penelope spoke again, her voice as soft as a whisper. "...But in the end... Kate turned out okay, didn't she?"
Castor's gaze flickered back to the moon, and for the first ti that night, his expression was free of burden. "Yes... I suppose she did."
And with that, both of them stood there, watching the moon and admiring its presence, while waiting for the two werewolves back inside the hall to finish their discussion.
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