There pair settled after a bit, their attention now falling to him and the silent godling in his arms. The goddesses shared another look, something passing between them that even Percy couldn't decipher before Hestia spoke up.
"Well, I guess I'll get started on dinner then."
"Dinner?" Percy muttered before looking around and really noticed that it was somewhat darkening. He hadn't really noticed before that the time was relatively late in the mindscape when he and Rhea had entered. "Need any help?" Percy asked after a moment as Rhea gave Cloelia the lion plushie back.
"Just entertain her while I cook," was the swift reply as Hestia made her way to the cabin as well.
"Yeah, we'll call you both when its ready," Rhea added as she followed Hestia.
That left Percy and Cloelia alone for likely another hour or so. Hestia could just think a meal into existence, but his wife enjoyed taking the time to actually make something when she could. Still, glancing down at the quiet godling in his arms, he was met with a set of curious eyes. 'What to do, what to do,' he mused before one idea came to mind.
"Say Cloelia, you know where we are, right?" he asked, just to see how much Cloelia understood.
"Umm… in Hestia's mind?" she stated, not sounding too sure.
"Just about," he replied in a nod. "So, want to see mine?" he asked after a moment.
That got him a set of very curious eyes, making him chuckle. How many times had he seen those types of eyes when visiting Athena's cabin over the summers?
"… Can we?" she asked, a hopeful hint coming through.
His answer was an eager smile as he willed the shadows to them. Normally this would be impossible within the mind and absolute domain of a primordial, but given their marriage, Percy and his wives had some special exceptions to those restraints. Cloelia yelped lightly as the shadows coiled around them as a cold mist gathered before the sensation of falling came for just a moment. For those few seconds, an all-encompassing silence surrounded them. Then, in a slight rush of cold air, they arrived.
Cloelia gasped as she looked around, shivering for a moment.
Percy didn't worry though, as she quickly adjusted subconsciously as she looked around wildly, trying to take everything in with wide eyes.
"It's so pretty," she murmured, her eyes locked to one of the white rose bushes dotting the landscape.
A twinkle of mischief came to his eyes as he looked at the world around him before he willed a change. In moments, the snowflake leaves of the trees and the white, crystalline roses started to glow in shades of light blue and violet. The sky lightened with countless blinking specks of light, his own personal nebula of color swirling about. Even the obsidian trees gained a sort of inner glow, making their dark bodies contrast that much more.
And Cloelia desperately tried to take it all in, looking around as quickly as she could.
He smiled in amusement as he started walking, the muffled sound of his feet meeting the purest snow and the gentle breeze passing through the otherwise empty forest echoing around them. They weren't alone for long though, as shadows stirred, and figures emerged.
Thanks to her link to him, she could sense it, her eyes darting around as wolves of various sizes going from no bigger than a beagle to wolves big enough to match ponies. Most of them had dark fur, as did most beings and creatures touched by his blessing, but plenty broke from that norm. Also, many had marks and patterns in their fur, glowing with an almost reflective light to the forest around them. Funnily enough, all of them were essentially cubs to young adults, curious and eager to meet the new presence.
None of his immortal pack emerged though.
Those stayed seamlessly merged to the darkness, watching from a respectful distance, appraising the newest cub in the ranks. They knew their presence was too strong, too fierce to properly be comfortable for her and meet just yet. Percy gave an appreciative nod that they noticed and returned in their own ways. With his attention returned to Cloelia, he watched as she looked at all the wolves circling about. Several of the smaller ones came close, sniffing all the while as they took her in.
She tensed at first, clinging harder to him but after enough approaches and nothing happening to her, she started to relax. A gasp and then giggle came as one particularly bold cub jumped up against Percy's leg and sniffed at her foot before licking it. More got encouraged to approach as soon Cloelia was giggling, feet halfhearted kicking at the ticklish sensation of wet noses.
"I think they want to play with you," Percy said, getting Cloelia attention.
"Can I?" she asked shyly, but no less eager, and as some of them could in fact understand, many of the cubs started yipping and whining too.
"Sure," he answered, happily setting her down and gently taking the plushie from her.
Wolf cubs could get rather rowdy and the plushie might not survive long. With her feet now in the snow, Cloelia marveled about, stepping around experimentally before a cub got her attention. A playful tug at her shirt and challenging bark from a startling white furred cub was all it took for the godling to understand in a way she probably wouldn't even realize yet. It didn't matter of how in the moment, because Cloelia understood enough to start chasing.
Percy chuckled to himself as he watched his newest daughter run off, playing a game somewhat like tag with the cubs. Some of the larger ones stayed near him, looking for his attention more which he was happy to provide. A hand lazily trailed through the thick fur of one close to his left as he slowly followed. The peals of childish laughter and happy barking felt like a balm to the soul as he simply took it in, a small smile on his face as he watched.
He didn't even bother trying to track the time, knowing Hestia or Rhea would get him once dinner was ready.
He laughed when Cloelia squealed as she slipped into a small dune of snow, cubs of all sizes joining into the dogpile. He hummed with a sort of pride as he watched her race along with the cubs, moving through the obsidian trees as if she were born to do it. He gave an approving clap as she wrestled with some of the larger cubs, her godly constitution seeing her to the top, most of the time.
"Well someone's having fun," a soft voice mused beside him, her presence having just appeared beside him.
He smiled as he looked at Zoe, the former titaness just about leaning against his side, petting some of the wolves that came closer upon noticing her presence.
"I know Hestia's trying her best but there's only so much a set books and coloring can entertain a child while Athena trains, so I thought, why not let her meet the young of the packs," he said, all the while offering an arm.
Zoe smiled indulgently as she wrapped her arm in his and let him lead them on as they followed the trail of playing cubs.
"This is doing you some good to, you know," she commented after a bit, getting a sigh form him.
He knew that look he was getting from her, could feel it even without taking his eyes off Cloelia. She learned it from Nyx after all. To 'fill her honorary big sister role' better had been the reasoning given. He could only nod, knowing she had a point without even needing to say it. He'd been tensed and stressed over the last few days. He'd suspected, even predicted that Pontus had some ins that the Olympians weren't aware of, but he'd hoped that the old primordial would keep all cards close to the chest and try to gather power while Percy and co handled their war.
His attacks on Ogygia and the Zhang household had been far more overt though. Then Annabeth's death hadn't made it any better. For all the anger he'd held for her along with mostly disappointment, he'd never wanted to kill her. For all the pain of knowing she cheated and then hid it, he didn't feel compelled to kill her, at least, not after a while. He'd been furious and might have initially in the first years, but Nyx had helped him simmer down.
The last thing he'd wanted was to act like an Olympian and use scorned love as a justification for murder. He knew Annabeth hadn't been malicious in what happened, even if she'd never truly come clean to him about it. Cowardly and tending to a mauled pride when out of sight, but ultimately a victim of the manipulation of the gods all the same.
That didn't clear her of any culpability for her own actions though.
The more cynical, jaded part of him would often muse that her shamed, faltering marriage to Apollo had already been her dues. Still, once the war had started up, she'd have to choose her side as much as any other. If she refused any offers to get out of the way or go peacefully, then he wouldn't have hesitated to cut her down, but only if it needed to be done.
Hell, a part of him, as small as it had been, had hoped against everything that she'd step back from the war and survive it. That even if he could never truly bring himself to trust her or himself around her, that she'd live on in peace and that would have been enough for him.
But no; it seemed even casting off their mortality still left them with that touch of tragedy and sacrifice.
Still, she'd gone down swinging to save her daughter, and Percy could only respect her for that. As much as it hurt and he mourned that last, near traitorous part of him that had wanted her dying off, he could also feel a weight leaving him.
Only … then came the responsibility with Cloelia.
It wasn't something he'd ever expected to deal with, but then again, that was his life story in a nutshell. He didn't regret it though, and just watching his little cub run around like that, free and happy, made his chest warm.
And yet, another curve ball with Raven's situation was thrown at him barely an hour after he'd adopted the godling. And now, as if a cruel joke, Raven was saddled with a responsibility that she hadn't been ready for either.
...
if you want to support me or just to read ahead of the public release, you can join my p@treon :
p atreon/Moonhorse