Familia ✧ MILES MORALES ❨o.h.❩

18 - The Sun God

THE FIRST THING LUNA DID WHEN SHE GOT HOME WAS COLLAPSE ON HER BED, FLOPPING DOWN ON HER BACK WITH A LOUD SIGH. She had never expected her day to go the way it did, and if she was being honest, she was exhausted. But she was also happy, which was good considering how depressed she had been for the past three weeks.

After laying down for several minutes, Luna got up and went to the living room, noticing for the first time how quiet the house was. It was dark in the room, appearing to be empty, but there was a note by the couch. So Luna walked over to it and picked it up, reading from Jazmín's elegant handwriting, "Rubi's at another sleepover. Make sure to pick her up tomorrow. Mateo and I are going to the shop with Mama and Papa. Had some business to take care of. See you in the morning (and don't stay up too late, get your ass in bed). -Jaz"

Luna smiled to herself at the last part of her sister's message, then crumpled up the note before going back to her room and changing into a tank top and sweats. Then, she jumped onto her bed and curled up under the blankets, sighing in relief as she closed her eyes and prepared to get some rest.

Get up.

Luna 's eyes opened at the sound of the strange voice, and she lifted her head, looking around. She didn't see anyone, so she just assumed she had started to dream and tried to go back to sleep.

You're not dreaming, you lazy human. Get up.

Luna shot into an upright position, now on full alert as she grabbed the knife she kept under her bedside table and held it out. Her eyes roamed around the dark room anxiously, but she didn't see anyone. So who the hell had spoken?

I did. Now get up!

"Who's there?!" Luna called out, her voice beginning to shake. "You better not try anything!"

God, why are all humans so ignorant...

"I'm serious!" Luna shouted. "Show yourself, now!"

Can't you see me?

Luna's head whipped back and forth. "See who?! What's going on?!"

Fine, fine...

Suddenly a small ball of orange light flickered into life across from Luna's bed. It was pale at first, but soon began to glow brighter as something began to form around it. A torso appeared, followed by legs and limbs, then a head. Two bright glowing orange eyes appeared in the head, and then armor began to spread out over the newly formed body. And when it had finished forming, Luna was so shocked that she couldn't move.

It was a man, but unlike any man she'd ever seen in her life. He was at least eight feet tall, broad-shouldered and bare chested. He wore traditional Aztec warrior clothing, including a cape, a beaded collar, golden armbands, and a headpiece that looked like a sun. The shield on his left arm looked very similar to the Aztec sun stone, and the flat barbed weapon in his hand had glowing orange circles that seemed to depict the phases of a solar eclipse. His lower torso and biceps had paint on them that were as blue as the ocean, and the whole top half of his face was painted with a similar blue color, with the bottom half having jet black detailing. But perhaps the most shocking thing about him (other than his size) was his glowing orange eyes, and the glowing orange sphere in his chest. With the cracks all around the indentation the sphere was in, it looked as if it had been shoved into his chest right where his heart would be. And the sphere itself looked exactly like a miniature sun, glowing with molten heat.

"Oh my god," Luna said, finally managing to speak as she scrambled backwards in her bed. "God, please don't hurt me, I swear I-"

"Silence, girl," the man snapped. "I'm not here to harm you."