However the reason for his surprise was not just because of what Ares said.
[Brat you must calm down. I really don't like it, but given the situation I put down my pride away to cast a divination technique. Your mother's not dead yet, the ashes here are from another person.]
With this, he could feel himself at ease. If she is not dead, then at least there is hope of rescuing her. Suddenly, Rick heard sounds of steps as his father reached the second floor. He could not recognize his own father at moment, since he was a child Rick always knew his father was an amazing explorer even while being just a ordinary. Not really ordinary as his physical strength was bigger than most Elemental Masters, but he still was a common man without elemental powers. Yet the man in front of him had intense blue light coming out of his eyes the moment he saw the ashes on the floor.
By a wave of his hand a golden trident appeared before him. The pressure he emitted was a few times bigger than the one Rick had bursting out of him moments ago.
"Ares, who did this." The man asked in a cold voice. Each movement of his carried immense power to the point he could not believe this man was his father.
"I'm sorry Neptune. Who could have thought they would attack her, they must have discovered who she really is.... Ahh, if she still had her power..."Ares mourned. He truly felt sad about what happened.
Neptune! His father was Neptune from the six divine! From the six members he only met four, Artemis, Ares, Athena and Hermes. The other two were Neptune and Hecate. Wait, if his father is Neptune, then his mother is...
Turning his eyes away from Ares, he observed the room before his eyes stopped at Rick's figure. He showed a light smile then said: "Son."
Hearing his father's voice he stepped back in surprise, "Do you recognize me?!"
"How could I not?"He petted Artemis head as she cried, "It must have been hard on you too my child."
"Dad. Sob, sob... Mother's..." Weeping away her tears she stuttered in her words.
"I know. Ares, tell me where they are. It is time for me to exercise for the first time in years."
"She is not dead." The moment he said these words, his father, Artemis, Ares and everyone else in the room stared at him. "I'm saying the truth, take the ashes for a test. I'm sure she is alive, they must be thinking we would go crazy the moment she is found dead, so we would go after the killer who might just be bait for their trap. My mother was taken by then, if the killers let anyone else notice them while no one could see when they arrived at the house, it means they are experts."
Then he stared straight into his father's eyes and said. "Tell me dad, if it is a expert that could infiltrate this house under the guardians watch and kill two people, would they have left such a huge mess on the place and run away while leaving the chance for us to track them?"
His father saw the light as his dark expression cleared. "You are right! Ares take the ashes for the test, they won't think we would give up on them and test on the ashes. Let's go to the headquarters."
The light in his eyes vanished and the trident could not be seen. He had returned from Neptune to being the father he knew.
"Dad, can you explain what Ares meant by Artemis is my sister?" Artemis and Ares looked at each other before leaving with the sample they took from the ashes leaving just Rick and his Father alone.
His father coughed a few times. "Ohh, I forgot to tell you. Sixteen, no. Seventeen years ago, me and your mother returned with two children. A friend of mine I met on the Fire god territory was escaping from the people of the church, the reason for that is because of a child he had in his arms. We met by accident on his escape and he gave the child to us saying he won't be able to survive."
"Are you saying I am the child?"
"Let me finish. With the child with us we headed toward separate sides, yet we've been met a fire beast with a power only inferior to the beast gods. We managed to escape, but your mother was deprived of her powers. There was no other way, I did it because her power had started to consume her. Then we saw a gigantic explosion of black fire, those flames washed away everything, it was when the fire was about to hit us when a gentle energy protected us from harm. I could have protected myself at the time, however, your mother and the child could not. Luckily we had the energy's help. When we recovered, a thin baby was lying on the ground, crying out loud."
He thought for a while, then asked: "Which of the two am I?"
From the way the story was told he could not see which of the two babies he was. From the looks of it, one was him and the other was Artemis, but he could not tell if she was the first or second baby.
However, his father gave him a simple answer. "I don't know."
"What?!"
"I don't know. When we reached Eden, your mother and I decided to create new identities to protect you. I used a previous one I made for a mission and your mother made a new one, we registered as husband and wife while the guardians took care of one child while the other was raised by us. And to make sure no one else knows the truth, we wiped our memories so we don't know which of the two are you."