They had given Helios their answer - they wanted to stay in Ebony, with their siblings. The knowledge that their aunt was dying had induced the others to go say... goodbye. But Hephaestus could not. To him, his mother had been Olympus. She had been the one he had longed to live up to. It felt... wrong, with Natalya and Helios and Pantheon. He didn't want to go there and feel that strangeness, that feeling of loneliness surrounded by wolves who should have felt like family... not even to say goodbye. His goodbyes had been made when Katja had taken them and only his mother had made any attempt to fight for them - and even she had disappeared again. Helios and Natalya had gone off and made their own pack, with their own children, and Virgil's children had grown apart. No, he could not bring himself to face that. He would rather remember Olympus as it had been, not the shadow it was now. His distracted mind registered the distance closing between him and Ebony's border and he stopped, eyeing the invisible line thoughtfully. He had never truly been part of Ebony and... it seemed wrong somehow to just walk back in as though he had been. So he slowly lowered his haunches to the ground and sent out his deep, rumbling howl, questing for his adopted brother's presence. Kassander would want to know what they had decided, and Hephaestus would request to join - if Kassander wanted him there after all the trouble they'd caused Ebony just by being there. ""

OOC: Any of the Xanilovs, or any of the Olympus kids who decide not to go back to Pantheon to visit are welcome to post here if they want.

White-tipped ears pricked and Kassander leaped to his feet at the rolling howl that reached his ears. He'd not heard Phaes howl since they were but children, but only the heavy-set youngling could have a voice like that. He'd been waiting for what felt like ages for word from his siblings about what they had decided to do. He'd worried they wouldn't be allowed to send word to him. Yet at least one of his siblings had made the return trip. What about the others? Hurrying through the territories, he came upon the heavier, golden boy. "Hephaestus, I'm glad to see you back safely." But further words stuck in his throat - was Hephaestus here to stay? Where were the other three? Gaia at least he had thought would have come back, since Solo was still here... ""

Kassander was quick to answer his call and greet him, but even Hephaestus could not fail to see the questioning in his gaze as he swept the area around them. An area distinctly empty of Hephastus' siblings. "They went to say goodbye to our family," he assured the other male gravely. He didn't try to explain to him why he was not there with them, and Kassander didn't ask. "Kassander, I would like ask you... if I may join Ebony, and the Xanilov family." It wasn't that he wanted to abandon his family... it was just that his family no longer existed, not the way it was. It had changed, become something it had never been meant to be, and Hephaestus didn't have the heart to try to change with it. He believed in Kassander's vision for Ebony. He believed that the Xanilovs would, in time, draw back together into something stronger despite the adversity and struggle they had faced. He did not have the same faith in the Olympus family, not anymore. He had made this decision after Helios' appearance in Ebony - after his mother's disappearance. Natalya's sickness, Helios falling apart... that had only solidified it. ""

Nemesis had also chosen not to go to Pantheon, although he'd made his decision much later than his brother. Because of that, he followed far behind Hephaestus undetected. His reasons for not going were his own and he didn't care to share them. Honestly, he felt like his reasons didn't matter anyway. The Olympians who chose to carry on some semblance of the Olympus ways had their own lives to tend to and Nemesis was certain he didn't belong in them. Reaching his brothers, Nemesis came up to stand at Heph's side, gently brushing his shoulder against the other's hip as he passed to alert his brother to his presence. Nem had caught the tail end of their conversation. He was intrigued by his brother's request to take the Xanilov name and while doing the same didn't appeal to him, joining Ebony did. "If I may, I'd like to join Ebony too. I don't think I could make Pantheon my home." ""

It was not what he'd expected Hephaestus to say. Kass blinked, sat down and stared intently at Hephaestus. What had brought this on? Was Hephaestus forsaking his family name completely, or just wanting to be seen as officially one of the siblings? Well, Kass' first instinct was to say yes immediately and without reservation, but how would this effect Hephaestus? And for that matter, Nemesis, Gaia, and Andi? And speaking of... Nemesis appeared as he considered the implications of what Hephaestus wanted and repeated Hephaestus' request to join Ebony - though not his request to join the Xanilovs to Kassander's relief. He wouldn't deny Phaes' request but at the same time it felt like a scary prospect. Like he was acting as head of the family rather than just the alpha of the family pack and that was... big. "I would be more than happy to have you both in Ebony," he said, prevaricating a bit about Hephaestus joining the family. He really preferred to think about that a bit more... He stood aside in a gesture of invitation to cross the border - as full members of the pack now for the first time. "You guys should think about what you might want to do in the pack and let me know ok? I should get to work now that I'm up and about. Phaes..." he hesitated. "I need to talk to Sindi and Sigmarr and the others before I say yes for sure. It's not really my decision to make alone." Hesitating, he glanced back at them before a smile slowly lit up his features. "Welcome to Ebony guys. I'm glad you're home." With that he bounded off back into the territory. ""