Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Cake or Something else

Camp Half-Blood

The following morning, Camp Half-Blood began surprisingly as normal as anyone could have expected. Percy had returned shortly after dawn accompanied by Poseidon, who left him near the entrance before returning to his own responsibilities. The demigod had barely taken a few steps when Annabeth spotted him walking toward Cabin Three with a small bag Sally had prepared for him, several blue cookies tucked safely inside.

The daughter of Athena closed the book she had been holding and watched him for a few seconds, almost immediately noticing how happy he looked. Ever since he had been claimed, Percy had gone from feeling bad to feeling even worse, so seeing that expression on his face now was a huge change.”So... did everything go well?” Annabeth asked, without needing to mention exactly what she meant.

Percy held her gaze for a few moments before nodding, wearing a far more relaxed smile. ”Yeah. My mom’s okay. Better than okay, actually. You should see the apartment she’s living in... it’s huge. Honestly, I almost didn’t want to come back. The only reason I did was because I knew Artemis would’ve dragged me back herself if I didn’t.”

Annabeth smiled at that as Percy lifted the small bag in his hand. ”She also gave me enough blue cookies to last a while. I’m officially the happiest guy alive,” the demigod said, literal starfish shining in his eyes.

”I’m happy for you, Percy, but you’d better not be late for training,” Annabeth replied, subtly pointing toward the training field where several of the Hunters were already preparing. Percy felt a chill run down his spine as he remembered just how angry Artemis could get whenever someone showed up late. He immediately picked up his pace. ”Yeah... I definitely don’t feel like testing my luck with Artemis and the Hunters.”

Annabeth watched him walk away with a small smile before reopening her book. She didn’t need to ask anything else, nor did she need to pry about Sally or Poseidon. Simply seeing the happiness on the black-haired boy’s face was enough to understand that, at least for now, Percy had regained an important part of his life. And, for some reason, that made the daughter of Athena feel happy as well.

New York

Sally Jackson stood in front of one of the large windows of her new apartment, gazing out over the city while holding a small offering tray in her hands. She had spent a good part of the morning visiting nearby shops, looking for everything she thought would be appropriate for an offering. Percy had explained the little he knew about Greek customs, although most of his knowledge came from watching the other demigods around Camp Half-Blood. Even though Sally already knew quite a bit about Greek mythology, she thought it was better to simply let her son talk and tell her everything he had experienced over the past few days.

Resting on the tray were several fresh fruits, a small piece of bread, honey, and a few white flowers Sally had chosen simply because they felt appropriate. It wasn’t an especially valuable offering, particularly considering the kind of wealth a god likely possessed, but she had never intended to impress Damon with anything expensive. She simply wanted to express her gratitude for everything he had done for both her and Percy.

Sally placed the tray on a small table beside the window and lit a candle before clasping her hands together somewhat awkwardly. Although she had studied Greek mythology, she had never been a particularly religious woman beyond being familiar with certain Biblical and Hindu traditions. Life had taught her to rely primarily on herself, and discovering that the gods actually existed had done little to improve her opinion of them.

However, Damon seemed different from most of the stories Percy had told her. ”Lord Damon,” Sally began after taking a few moments to gather her thoughts. ”I’m not entirely sure if this is the proper way to speak to you. Percy tried to explain a few things to me, but I think he’s still just as confused as I am about this entire world.” A small smile appeared on her face before she continued. ”Anyway... I wanted to thank you.”

Sally took a deep breath as she looked at the offering before her. ”Thank you for protecting my son when I couldn’t. Thank you for helping him find a place at Camp Half-Blood, and for making Poseidon realize that Percy needed far more than simply being claimed in front of everyone. I don’t know exactly what you said to him, but... at the very least, he finally seems aware of the damage he’s caused to both Percy’s life and mine.”

Her gaze slowly drifted toward the apartment that now belonged to her. There was still plenty left to do before she truly settled into her new life, but Sally couldn’t deny how much she appreciated the freedom she felt now.

”I also wanted to thank you for speaking with Hades, and for everything you did to give me a second chance. I know he probably made his own decisions, but Percy has told me enough about you to understand that none of this would’ve happened without your intervention.”

Sally gave a small bow before the table, choosing not to ask for any favors. ”I don’t have much to offer besides this, but I hope you’ll accept my gratitude. I got to see my son again yesterday... and to a mother, that’s worth more than anything else.”

Olympus — Damon’s Temple

At that same moment, Damon was inside one of the main kitchens of his palace, watching as Grayfia carefully removed a baking tray from the oven. The kitchen was far larger than necessary, originally built to prepare the enormous banquets the Greek gods had always been accustomed to hosting.

This morning, however, the only ones present were the King of Olympus and the Lucifuge, who had finally kept her promise to prepare one of the desserts she used to enjoy baking long before becoming a maid.

Grayfia wore her new Greek maid uniform, entirely white with delicate golden accents, though she had tied a simple apron over it to keep it clean. Her long silver hair was gathered neatly behind her back, safely away from the ingredients, as she carefully inspected each preparation with obvious concentration.

Meanwhile, Damon sat casually beside the marble counter, watching her work while discreetly stealing some of the fruit she had left off to the side. ”Lord Damon,” Grayfia said without even turning around. ”That is the fourth strawberry you’ve taken.” Damon froze with another strawberry only inches from his mouth before raising an eyebrow. ”Oh? You’re actually keeping count?”

”There is no need to keep count,” the Lucifuge replied with complete seriousness. ”I arranged them symmetrically. There is now an obvious gap on the tray.”

Silence filled the kitchen for a few seconds.

A small bead of sweat appeared on the back of Damon’s neck. ”That’s a very professional way of saying you are, in fact, counting them,” he replied before eating the strawberry anyway. Grayfia closed her eyes briefly, though she didn’t appear genuinely annoyed.

”Besides, I need to make sure the ingredients remain in good condition. Consider it a royal inspection.” Damon responded with an amused smile.

”Of course,” the Lucifuge replied without the slightest change in her expression. ”I’m sure three additional inspections will also be necessary before I’m finished.” Damon let out a small laugh as Grayfia returned her attention to the batter.

Unlike the previous days, it was obvious that the woman was completely relaxed. She remained as serious and meticulous as always, but at the very least, she spoke much more naturally. Occasionally, she even answered without thinking too much about her words, something she would hardly have done just a few days earlier.

For his part, Damon was perfectly fine with that. After all, he had no intention of turning the Lucifuge into a machine that lived only to carry out orders. Quite the opposite—he intended for Grayfia to enjoy a normal life again... although, if he were being completely honest with himself, he also had other intentions regarding the silver-haired woman.

Grayfia began spreading a thin layer of cream over one of the cakes before carefully observing the result. ”It’s been a long time since I last made this recipe. The last time, I used a different blend of fruits, although the final result ended up being too sweet for my taste.”

Damon tilted his head slightly. ”Okay... what the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you going to throw the cake away or something?”

Grayfia shook her head without taking her eyes off the dessert. ”It means this recipe can still be improved. It is still far from perfect.”

”Grayfia, I haven’t even tasted the cake yet, and you’re already thinking about changing the entire recipe without even knowing whether I’ll like it.”

The Lucifuge finally looked up at him. ”It isn’t about replacing it or throwing it away. It’s about improving the result next time. It can always be made better.”

Damon raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. Even inside a kitchen, Grayfia’s almost obsessive perfectionism continued to manifest itself completely naturally. Simply watching her look at a cake was enough to understand that she would never serve a dish until she was convinced it had achieved exactly the result she was aiming for.

Before Damon could respond, the large kitchen doors opened and two figures entered together.

Hera and Aphrodite had spent a good part of the morning looking for Damon after failing to find him either in the throne room or in his office. When they asked about him, Athena had barely paid them any attention, simply saying that Damon had gone to take care of something with Grayfia before immediately returning to her documents.

Hera was the first to stop when she saw the scene before her, clearly not expecting it. The Goddess of Marriage wore her long black hair perfectly arranged beneath an elegant golden tiara and was dressed in a purple gown embroidered with patterns matching the color of her crown.

Beside her, Aphrodite wore a light white dress that covered her voluptuous figure without hiding it completely. Her long golden hair flowed freely over her shoulders while her bright green eyes wandered curiously around the kitchen.

The two of them watched Grayfia working at the counter before Aphrodite smiled in satisfaction. ”I told you he wouldn’t be in his office.”

Hera didn’t even take her eyes off Damon. ”Don’t be ridiculous, Aphrodite. You said he’d probably be training.”

Damon blinked upon seeing the two goddesses walk in, though he quickly regained his composure. Calmly gesturing toward the kitchen, he spoke. ”Good morning. As you can see, I’m busy attending to a matter of great importance for Olympus.”

Hera slowly crossed her arms as her eyes traveled over the ingredients and the cake Grayfia had just finished covering with cream. ”A matter of great importance?”

Damon nodded with complete seriousness. ”Grayfia promised me dessert. According to her, it’ll help me recover my energy so I can continue ruling Olympus.”

Hera simply gave him a long, completely expressionless look.

”...”

Damon returned her gaze with the exact same seriousness.

Aphrodite finally burst into laughter, unable to hold it back. ”We searched the throne room, your office, and two temples looking for you because we wanted to talk about the increase in marriages throughout the world...” she said between soft laughs. ”...and it turns out the King of Olympus was hiding here waiting for cake.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. ”Who said I was hiding?”

Both goddesses looked at him. ”Besides...” he continued with complete calm, ”if the two of you had used your heads a little, you could’ve simply searched for my divine presence. It would’ve taken you less than a minute to find me.”

Aphrodite’s mouth opened slightly.

Hera remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. ”...I suppose you have a point.” A small smile finally appeared on the queen’s face.

Grayfia gave the two goddesses a small bow. ”Lady Hera. Lady Aphrodite. The cake will be ready shortly. If you wish, I can also prepare some tea to accompany it.”

Aphrodite immediately walked over to the table to inspect the dessert. Her eyes wandered over the decoration with obvious curiosity before stopping on the small bowl that still contained some of the cream used to frost the cake. ”That looks far too good to refuse. I didn’t know you baked.”

”It was one of my hobbies before I devoted myself entirely to my duties as a maid.”

Hera carefully examined the decoration before nodding in approval. ”The presentation is quite elegant. I supervised countless banquets over the years. Even many of the palace nymphs would pale in comparison to you in a kitchen.”

Grayfia inclined her head slightly, appreciating the compliment. ”Thank you.”

While Hera and Grayfia continued looking over the cake and discussing some details of its decoration, Aphrodite discreetly reached a finger toward the bowl that still contained some of the remaining cream. She took a small amount with complete naturalness and, without the slightest trace of embarrassment, slowly brought it to her lips.

Her emerald-green eyes immediately searched for Damon.

The Goddess of Love gave him a wink as she slowly ran the tip of her tongue over the small amount of cream left on her fingertip. Then, she slowly slipped her finger into her mouth, deliberately savoring the remaining cream. The gesture lasted only a couple of seconds, but the message was perfectly clear.

It was enough to make Damon raise a slight eyebrow. The god simply shook his head as a faint smile appeared on his face.

This woman... really enjoyed testing him.

Damon held her gaze for only a brief moment, just long enough for Aphrodite to understand that he had perfectly caught the provocation. However, the slight smile on the god’s face also seemed to silently ask her whether she truly believed something that simple would be enough to make him lose his composure.

A faint blush appeared on Aphrodite’s cheeks before she looked away for barely a second. When she looked back at him, a mischievous smile once again formed on her lips, refusing to accept the small defeat.

Fortunately for the two of them, neither Hera nor Grayfia seemed to notice the brief exchange. Both remained focused on the cake and their conversation about its decoration.

Aphrodite then picked up one of the small piping bags used for decorating and held it between her fingers while attentively observing the cake. ”It doesn’t seem that difficult.”

Hera slowly turned toward her. ”Aphrodite, you don’t know how to bake.”

”I never said I did.” Aphrodite smiled to the side without taking her eyes off Grayfia. ”I said it doesn’t seem that difficult to make.”

”Hmph. Coming from you, I’m not so sure,” Hera dismissed jokingly.

Aphrodite slowly set the piping bag back down on the table. Before answering, she cast Damon another brief glance, maintaining that same mischievous smile.

”I could learn... if that’s what you want.”

For a moment, the sentence seemed to refer only to baking. However, Damon understood perfectly what Aphrodite had just said. Hera and Grayfia, completely unaware of the double meaning behind her words, simply continued with what they were doing, paying little attention to the Goddess of Love.

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