Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: The calm before the storm.

Olympus

Only a day had passed since Amaterasu revealed to Damon that she was pregnant, and the news had already spread throughout practically all of Olympus. Rhea probably had quite a lot to do with that; the Titaness could barely contain her excitement, and Damon wouldn’t be surprised if a good portion of the Greek Pantheon was already hearing about it by now. It wasn’t something he was particularly concerned about. Sooner or later, everyone was going to find out anyway.

”I still can’t believe it...” Hestia commented with a huge smile as she held one of Amaterasu’s hands between her own. ”You and Damon are finally going to have a child. It’s simply magical.” The Goddess of the Hearth practically had stars in her eyes. Seeing her family grow like this, especially through her brother, filled her with a happiness that was difficult to hide. Hestia had complete faith that Damon would be a great father, and knowing him as well as she did, she had very little doubt about it.

”Hmph, I’m more surprised that we finally have good news to celebrate,” Demeter chimed in from one of the nearby seats. ”You know, whenever this family gets important news, it’s usually bad, uncertain, or ends up turning into some kind of problem.” There was a certain resignation in her tone, though the small smile on her face made it clear that she was also happy for her brother and Amaterasu.

”Give it time,” Damon replied from his seat. ”With our luck, someone could still show up trying to destroy Olympus before the end of the week.”

”Damon, don’t say that! You’re ruining the moment!” Rhea scolded, turning toward her son with narrowed eyes and an expression that made it clear she found absolutely nothing amusing about tempting fate.

The laughter that followed made Amaterasu shake her head in amusement. Damon’s family certainly was an unusual one. Thousands of years of problems, separations, and rather dysfunctional periods had made them far more direct and prone to harsh jokes than what she was accustomed to within the Shinto Pantheon. Her own deities tended to maintain a certain level of formality even among family, while the Greeks could go from discussing a war to making fun of one another within minutes. She couldn’t deny that they had their own particular charm; at the very least, being around them was rarely boring.

”Do you already know how long the development will take?” Demeter asked, leaning slightly toward Amaterasu. ”With two deities as parents, I suppose a normal pregnancy isn’t exactly a useful reference.”

Amaterasu shook her head. ”I could speed it up considerably if I wanted to, but I have no intention of doing that. I already told Damon. I want to go through the entire process naturally and watch the child grow like any other mother would.”

Hestia beamed, completely agreeing with Amaterasu. Going through the full process was part of what made it so special. ”Well said. There’s no reason to rush something like this just because you have the ability to.”

”Thank you, dear,” Amaterasu replied, touched by the warmth shown by the Goddess of the Hearth and Family.

Hera was also among those present and had already offered her congratulations to both of them in her own way. More than one person had expected some sort of complicated reaction from the Goddess of Marriage upon hearing the news, especially considering her history and relationship with Damon, but to everyone’s surprise, she had taken it far more sensibly than expected. No one had felt the need to mention that aloud, though Damon certainly appreciated it.

It wasn’t as if the idea of having children with Hera was entirely new to him. At one point, he had even wondered whether, had he never abandoned his pantheon all those centuries ago, his first divine child might have ended up being hers. It was an interesting possibility to think about, but not one he needed to dwell on at the moment. He and Hera had already spoken about having children eventually, so if it ever happened, that would be something for the future.

For now, the attention belonged to Amaterasu and the tiny life that had only just begun growing inside her.

”What are you thinking, Hera?” Aphrodite asked quietly, pulling the Goddess of Marriage out of her thoughts. The two were sitting slightly apart from the others, though they still had a perfect view of Amaterasu and Damon as they spoke with Hestia and Rhea.

Hera took a moment to answer. She didn’t seem upset or uncomfortable, merely thoughtful. ”I don’t know, Dite...” she murmured at last. ”There’s just something different between them now. I could always tell that they loved each other, that was never in question, but ever since we found out about the pregnancy...” Her eyes briefly moved toward Amaterasu, who was laughing at something Hestia had just said, before returning to Damon. ”The feeling coming from both of them is different.”

Aphrodite smiled as though the answer had been obvious from the start. ”Because it’s true love, dear.”

Hera slowly turned toward her before rolling her eyes. ”I know you’re the Goddess of Love, but seriously... I didn’t expect something that sappy to come from you.”

”How rude.” Aphrodite placed a hand over her chest in mock offense. ”I have a reputation, yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize something real when it’s right in front of me.”

Hera let out a soft, melodic laugh. She had children of her own, several of them, and loved each of them in her own way. Yet she couldn’t remember ever feeling anything quite like this during her own pregnancies. Not that sense of calm, that shared excitement, or that almost warm feeling that seemed to surround Damon and Amaterasu whenever the baby came up in conversation. Perhaps the circumstances had simply been far too different. Her marriage to Zeus had never exactly been an example of stability, and many of her children had come during periods when their relationship was already defined by arguments, resentment, and distrust.

Aphrodite glanced at her from the corner of her eye before turning her attention back toward Damon. ”Believe me, I know exactly what you mean. I’ve wanted something like that for a very long time too.”

Hera immediately picked up on the change in her tone and followed the direction of her eyes. Aphrodite was looking directly at Damon. It wasn’t exactly difficult to understand what she meant, especially for someone who had known the Goddess of Love for thousands of years. Hera raised an eyebrow slightly but chose not to comment. If Aphrodite ever wanted to talk about it, she would do so on her own terms.

Before the conversation could continue, Medusa approached carrying two small cups of golden nectar. ”I thought you might want something to drink,” she commented as she placed both cups on the table in front of them.

Aphrodite lowered her gaze toward the cups as a mischievous smile began spreading across her face. ”Oh, well, look who decided to show up. The famous Medusa.”

Medusa froze for a moment. ”...Uhh, Lady Aphrodite, what do you mean by that?” the purple-haired woman asked, trying to remain as respectful as possible while doing her best not to jump to conclusions.

Hera, knowing her friend far too well, already knew exactly where the conversation was headed. She raised the cup to her lips and deliberately hid the smile threatening to appear.

Aphrodite rested an elbow on the table and propped her face against one hand as she looked Medusa up and down. ”Of course. Your name has been on quite a few lips around Olympus lately, and I must say, for a very good reason.”

Medusa shifted uncomfortably beneath the goddess’s scrutiny, seriously debating whether she should stay where she was or simply turn around and spare herself whatever was probably coming next. ”Uhh, I...”

”You don’t have to be nervous, Medusa. Aphrodite is just talking nonsense,” Hera reassured her as she took another small sip of nectar.

”Don’t be such a spoilsport, Hera. Hmph.” Aphrodite let out a dramatic sigh before looking back toward Medusa. ”I only wanted to know how Damon has been treating you.”

Medusa blinked once. ”Well... good. Lord Damon is a very kind person.”

”Hmm.” The Goddess of Love smiled even wider. She didn’t need Medusa to explain anything at all. Love, desire, attraction, lust... those emotions came as naturally to her as breathing, and at that very moment, she could feel them pouring from Medusa toward Damon in amounts that were rather difficult to ignore. ”In fact, I’d say our dear king has been treating you very well.”

A faint blush began spreading across Medusa’s cheeks, but fortunately for her, Hera had finally had enough and decided to take pity on the poor maiden.

”Leave her alone already, Dite.”

Aphrodite burst into laughter while partially covering her nose and mouth with one hand. ”I haven’t even asked anything interesting yet, but fine, fine. My sincerest apologies, dear Medusa,” the Goddess of Love said before finally taking her cup of nectar and raising it toward the purple-haired woman in an imaginary toast.

Hera slowly shook her head at the scene, clearly accustomed to this kind of behavior from her friend.

Medusa released a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding, something that didn’t escape Aphrodite’s notice. ”Thank you, Lady Aphrodite.”

”Yeah...” Aphrodite replied quietly before quickly regaining her energy. ”By the way, why don’t you join us?” she asked, gesturing toward the open space nearby with her cup. ”You don’t have to stand around like you’re working all the time.”

Medusa blinked, slightly surprised by the invitation. ”With you?”

”Of course.” Aphrodite tilted her head slightly as she looked her over again, though this time without the same teasing edge as before. ”You’re pleasant, polite, and on top of that, you’re really pretty. I don’t understand how Grayfia still hasn’t brought you along to one of our gatherings.”

Hera raised an eyebrow. ”Are you recruiting people for our gatherings now?”

”Someone has to,” the Goddess of Love replied with a shrug. ”Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and I get together from time to time. Grayfia joins us whenever she isn’t busy, so I don’t see why you couldn’t come too.”

Medusa hesitated for a moment. She hadn’t expected a conversation that had begun with Aphrodite practically interrogating her about Damon to end like this. ”Well... if you truly don’t mind.”

”Mind?” Aphrodite let out a small laugh. ”Dear, if we’ve managed to put up with Hera for thousands of years, we can put up with anyone, believe me,” the Goddess of Love teased shamelessly.

Hera narrowed her eyes at her, her expression hardening as she straightened her back. ”Be careful what you say, Dite.”

”See? This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Aphrodite replied, extending one hand toward Hera as though she had just proven her point in the most obvious way possible. ”Anyway, I’ll keep it in mind. The next time we do something, you’re coming with us.”

A small smile appeared on Medusa’s face. She liked the idea more than she had expected. Having a few friends to spend time with every now and then certainly wouldn’t hurt. Grayfia wasn’t bad company by any means, but there were days when the silver-haired woman could walk right past her without offering more than a small nod, as reserved and emotionally flat as she could become whenever she was focused on her responsibilities. ”You have my sincerest thanks, Lady Aphrodite.”

”Just Aphrodite is fine when we’re not doing anything formal,” the goddess replied naturally. ”And if Grayfia asks, tell her I’m the one who invited you. That way she can’t pretend she forgot.”

From the other side of the room, Grayfia turned her head slightly as though she had somehow sensed that her name had just been mentioned. Her eyes met Aphrodite’s for a moment, and the Goddess of Love raised her cup toward her with an innocent smile that, coming from her, fooled absolutely no one. Grayfia held her gaze for a moment before calmly returning to whatever she had been doing, prompting Hera to let out a quiet laugh.

The conversation probably would have continued for quite some time if none other than the God of the Underworld himself hadn’t made an appearance. Hades stepped through the doors with his usual serious expression, dressed in his dark clothing as his eyes briefly swept across the room. It didn’t take him long to realize that practically the entire family was gathered there, or at least the part of it he actually considered family.

”I see I walked into the middle of a celebration,” the God of the Underworld commented as he approached them.

”You’re late, brother. As always,” Damon replied from his seat.

”I’d say that’s more your specialty. After all, I wasn’t the one who took several thousand years to return to his own pantheon,” Hades replied, the faintest curve appearing at the corner of his lips, knowing full well that he had caught his brother red-handed.

Damon scratched the back of his neck, looking somewhat embarrassed. ”Yeah... I suppose you’ve got me there.” Amaterasu let out a small laugh as Hades approached close enough to incline his head slightly toward her. ”Congratulations, Amaterasu.”

”Thank you, Hades.”

The god then turned back toward Damon. For a moment neither of them said anything, but Damon knew his brother well and quickly understood that his visit wasn’t solely because of the pregnancy. Hades didn’t look alarmed, though the seriousness with which he had arrived was enough to catch Damon’s attention.

”What happened?”

The question caused some of the nearby conversations to quiet down. Hades exhaled slowly through his nose before answering. ”You need to see it for yourself.”

At once, Damon’s relaxed expression vanished. ”Tartarus?”

Hades gave a single nod. ”I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but there are more spirits, more monsters, and far more activity than there should normally be. We can still contain it for now, but if it keeps increasing...” He paused briefly, his tone growing more serious. ”I’m afraid it could eventually become a problem for the mortal world.”

The joy that had filled the room only moments earlier began to fade as several of those present turned their attention toward the two brothers. Amaterasu fixed her eyes on Damon without saying anything. She didn’t need to ask what he was going to do; she knew her man perfectly well.

Damon remained seated for a moment, let out a sigh, and then stood. ”I suppose my comment about someone trying to destroy Olympus before the end of the week was a bad idea.”

Rhea pointed at him at once. ”I told you! It’s fate!”

Several laughs managed to ease the tension a little, though Damon had already begun walking toward Hades. Before leaving, he turned toward Amaterasu, who gave him a calm look. ”Go. I’ll be fine.”

Damon looked at all the women gathered around her before raising an eyebrow. ”Yeah, I think you’ll survive without me for a few hours.”

With that, Damon followed Hades toward the exit while the celebration behind him slowly began to regain its energy. However, as he left the temple, a single question began circling through the redhead’s mind.

What the hell did the Primordials want from him now?