LightReader

Chapter 200 - DA : Chapter 200: Consequences II

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.

...

It was maddening and he knew he'd been tense and broody the last few days when alone. Nyx would be pulling at his ears again if she'd seen him before dragging him out to a no-holds spar, just to get him to open up. The memory of Nyx pouncing at him, her pike-like daggers in hand and a grin that could scare the Terrors themselves, made him snort. Another low sigh escaped him as he felt some of the tension seep off his shoulders, the feel of Zoe's hand tightening on his arm in her show of support helping him in just the right way.

"It's been a long week," he murmured, seeing her nod just to the side of his view.

Neither said anything else as they walked, simply enjoying their own silence in the background to Cloelia's playing. They stopped near his Viewing Tree, the Weeping Willow-esque tree drawing his attention for a bit as Cloelia paused in her playing to examine the frozen lake near it. He always did enjoy watching people's reactions to the waterfall feeding into it with no apparent beginning.

However, it didn't take long for the playing to resume as the cubs ran off with Cloelia in hot pursuit. However, it wouldn't last too long as Percy felt the pull on his bond to Hestia. 'Dinner's ready then,' he mused as he let out a sharp, New Yorker whistle. The sight of Cloelia and the cubs stopping to look at him, all in a near synch turning their heads to the side actually made Zoe giggle enough to warrant hiding it in his shoulder.

A miracle then.

"Cloelia, time to go," he called, smirking at the whining of both godling and cubs in chorus. "Come on, you'll need to wash up first."

Cloelia pouted but came anyways. But just before she got to him, she turned around and bodily picked up the pure white cub from before. Said cub was not small by any means, going close to a German shepherd's size, so seeing—her, he confirmed with a quick glance thanks to the way Cloelia was holding her—being mostly pulled off the ground save her tail in the relatively tiny godling's arms made him chuckle hard.

"Can I keep her?" the heterochromatic eyed child pleaded, trying to look as adorable as possible.

And said cub was also making the puppy face, whining at him. The other cubs were whining too, but more along the lines of upset they weren't picked. The same thing happened when Raven first picked out her own personal wolf companion out of them.

"Hmm, I don't know," he said with a shrug, looking at Zoe so he wouldn't immediately cave to Cloelia's look.

His mental guardian was all too amused at this, smiling in her own playful way as she waited to see how long Percy would last. Never long, his wives and concubines knew it well and Raven learned that even faster.

"Please?" Cloelia continued, drawing his eyes.

He regretted it right away, seeing the watery gaze and almost trembling lips. Sighing as dramatically as possible, he looked at her in—hopefully—a stern way.

"Fine," he said, suppressing a smile at her small cheer. "But … she's your responsibility. And just because she's far more intelligent that most wolves ever get doesn't always make that easier," he warned, getting a quick nod from the child but she really wasn't paying attention to him anymore, muttering possible names to herself.

"Oh Percy," Zoe snickered, doing nothing to hide just how entertained she was. "What ever will you do with all these girls pulling you by the heartstrings?"

"Like you have a problem with that," he shot back with mock heat.

"Of course, all you males need female guidance and sooner they learn that the better," the titaness continued airily.

Only to yelp when he poked her side in just the right spot. He grinned in victory at her pout before he moved along, picking up Cloelia and resting a hand on the cub's neck before the shadow responded to his will. He let them fall through just like when they arrived. The moment the soft soil and grass of Hestia's mindscape touched their feet, he set Cloelia back down and let go of the cub.

Percy turned to see that Athena was already outside waiting for them, washed and dressed in a light chiton much like Hestia liked wearing, her eyes shifting from him and Cloelia to the wolf curiously sniffing around at her feet.

"Mom, look!" Cloelia squealed as she raced up to Athena, the cub on her heels. "I got a new wolf puppy!"

"That's a puppy?" he caught the goddess mutter in mild disbelief before she turned curious eyes on him.

He smiled and shrugged as he walked along calmly, letting Cloelia's eager babbling about what she'd done for the last hour distract the former Olympian. Percy walked around the pair, sharing another glance with the goddess before he walked in. The smell of warm beef stew and fresh bread filled his nose and got an eager rumble out of him as he set his eyes on his wives.

Both had changed as well, Hestia in a cream chiton while Rhea was in a snug shirt and shorts.

Considering he hadn't gotten the chance earlier, he swept up behind Hestia and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close the moment she set down the plate of bread rolls. She squealed as he kissed the back of her neck before squirming to turn in his grip. Now facing him, she happily returned his kiss, her arms coming to wrap around his neck.

"Mmm, I missed that," she murmured after pulling back just enough to let them look properly at each other.

"I gave you a morning kiss today," he pointed out, hands settling on her hips.

"That was more than a day ago for me in here," she retorted.

"Then I'll be sure to give you extra to make up," he added, pecking her on the lips all the while.

"Oh, no worries, I'll just finish setting up all by myself," Rhea pipped up, the playfulness not being missed by either deity.

Percy smiled as he released Hestia and moved to get the large pot of stew. He didn't miss the chance to pinch Rhea's rear as he passed her, what with her bent over and setting up the bowls on the table. The eyes she shot him were promising but he set that aside for now as he grabbed the large pot filled of steaming stew and brought it to the table. By the time he set it down, the trio were joined by Athena and Cloelia, the godling still excitedly telling Athena about everything she saw in Percy's mindscape as the cub followed.

"Really? You're giving them out like candy at this rate," Hestia commented the moment she saw the cub.

"Jealous?" he asked teasingly as he held her chair out for her.

She snorted but smiled anyways as she sat, and Percy went around doing the same for Rhea.

"Maybe I should start keeping lions and tigers in my mindscape and see how they do with my blessing," the queen mused out loud.

"Don't you still have all those mammoths in there?" Hestia pointed out, getting a curious look from Athena as Percy also held her chair.

"Mammoths?" the goddess asked, getting an all too eager grin from Rhea as the primordial happily went into detail about her creation project.

All the while, Percy helped Cloelia into a booster seat, setting her beside her mother. The godling had calmed down now that everyone was together, but not as shy as she had been when Percy and Rhea first arrived. Once he took his seat, Rhea quieted down as they all held hands out. Even if they were deities themselves, saying a quick grace in Lady Chaos' name was never amiss.

Once down, Hestia set out to spooning generous portions of stew for everyone, Cloelia first. Percy glanced down to see Cloelia's as of yet unnamed cub sitting patiently beside her seat. With a snap of his fingers, a bowl of dried deer strips and Kibble was in front of her. The cub dove in with gusto, much like Cloelia the moment Athena gave her a spoon after warning her the stew was hot.

An unnecessary warning given Cloelia's new temperature tolerances though.

Percy shared a smile with the mildly exasperated Athena, the goddess looking far more relaxed and bright-eyed than she had the last time she saw her.

"I guess wolfing it down comes from you now, right?" the goddess asked, trying to look stern but Percy could see her lips curling up at the edges.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, but honestly couldn't even try to look repentant.

Athena rolled her eyes at that but finally let her smile show as the goddess snapped her fingers, a cutesy bib appearing on Cloelia, not that the godling seemed to notice given how she was eating.

Hestia's cooking did that to people..

...

if you want to support me or just to read ahead of the public release, you can join my p@treon :

p atreon/Moonhorse

More Chapters