I Don't Own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians!
A Father's Love– Chapter 14
"Are you sure about this, Dite?" It was troubling to see the goddess' hands play around with the navigation screen and the steering wheel. "I can drive the two of you to the mall; it really is no trouble at all."
Aphrodite smiled at her lover, "Just relax, honey. The mall is ten minutes away from here and I'm pretty sure I can get us there safely." As angry or violent were the New Yorkers on the road, the Goddess of Love was sure that she could manage to survive. With a wink, she continued, "And if it really comes to it, I will charm the entire city until I get to the mall." He leaned down at her whisper and smiled at her wink, "Don't worry, I'll keep our little girl safe."
"Alright, but can you please text me when you get to the mall?"
"Daddy!" cried little Lacy in the back, "Stop worrying so much! Dite can get us there!"
The mother laughed, "Yeah, sweetie. This is a girl's day – no boys allowed." She kissed him softly on the lips, "We'll be back in a few hours."
Naruto sighed in defeat and nodded, "Okay, have fun. I love the both of you."
With another wink, Aphrodite pulled out of the driveway, the car looking surprisingly steady. It may have been a few decades since she had driven a car, but it was nothing an immortal goddess couldn't handle. With a deft hand on the wheel and Barbie Girl playing loudly in the car, she headed off to the mall. Her baby girl wanted a new dress for Christmas Dinner, and Aphrodite was determined to get Lacy the best dress possible.
The father of two stepped back as the car drove out of sight, turning on his heel to face his home. He still felt a little sore after spending the entire night with Aphrodite, but the smile just couldn't leave his face. It was the best night of his life. After hearing Aphrodite's voice singing such beautiful lyrics that were laced with her love, he wanted nothing more than to make love to her. He wanted to show her his love over and over again until all the muscles and bones in his body gave out – and by the gods above, he satisfied her.
"Did they leave already?"
The smile on his face grew, "Yeah, they went shopping."
Athena, in her infinite glory, smiled as she leaned against the front door. She made the modern house look unworthy in her pure white chiton laced with golden thread. Her silky black tresses were tied into a loose ponytail that fell over her right shoulder, and it made his heart flutter with delight.
Walking up to one of two women he loved, he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Athena."
Lightly tracing his jawline, the Goddess leaned closer to him. "Merry Kronia, Naruto – get it right." Their lips met in the most intimate and delicate of touches, and Athena felt her love's arms encircle her waist and pull her close. She had missed him dearly; even during the Council Meeting, she wanted nothing more than to kiss and hold him.
Gently sliding his warm hand from her slender neck, Naruto cupped Athena's soft cheek, "Yes, Ms. Olympia." Nibbling playfully at her lower lip, the blond smiled into the kiss.
"I've missed you, Naruto." Sighing as she melted into his arms, the goddess snuggled deeper into his chest. "These meetings always take so long and I'm always stressed out about them. You wouldn't believe how many problems the others have in their domains."
Chuckling, Naruto led the mother of his eldest daughter into the house. He could tell that she was still tired, so he quickly sat her down at the dining room table, pouring her a hot cup of French Roast. It was no mystery that Athena was extremely busy with her duties as an Olympian. He had seen her prepare for her Council Meetings before – simultaneously working on over fifty papers and proposals while showing Annabeth how to solve some of her math homework – and it was ridiculously complicated. It was no wonder that she was the Goddess of Wisdom.
"If I hear anymore of Ares' whining about not enough war around the world, I would have sewn his mouth shut." Athena sipped on her coffee after Naruto stirred in her usual bag of sugar and cream. "And it's as if we don't already have enough Eastern Culture around us nowadays; Apollo won't be happy until we all learn Chinese or Japanese in school." Naruto gave her a smile – she looked really cute when complaining. "Oh…I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining to you."
"Hey, I happen to be a great listener." Standing behind her chair, Naruto rubbed Athena's shoulders as he leaned close to her ear. "Come on, tell me more about your day," he finished with a kiss to her earlobe.
"No, enough with the useless things." Athena reached for his hand and looked up at him lovingly, "Let's talk about tonight." The goddess' smile grew as Naruto knelt in front of her and encircled her arms around his neck, pulling him close. "Tonight is the night."
Naruto's face flared red, "I-It is?"
"Yes, I think we're ready." Athena held onto Naruto's hands tenderly, "I've waited a while, and what better time to do it than Kronia?" Lightly pecking his lips, she continued, "I've waited a long time for this, and I want it to happen."
"A-Are you sure?" stammered the man, "Are you sure you're ready for it?"
The goddess smiled radiantly, "Of course I am." Naruto's heart fluttered – Athena looked absolutely divine. "Naruto, I love you. I want us to be a proper family, and there is no better way to become one than this."
"Is Aphrodite okay with this?"
"This was her idea." Naruto nearly choked, "Annabeth and Lacy have grown close to us and I'm sure they'd be happy to know the truth. Honestly, I cannot wait for Annabeth to call me mom."
The blond stared at the goddess. "Mom?"
Athena stared at her love, "Yeah, for her to call me her mother."
"T-That's what you were talking about?"
"Yes, what did you think I was-" The blood rushing to Naruto's face was all Athena needed to figure out what he was thinking – and golden ichor rushed to her own cheeks. "Y-You think I was talking about s-s-se…about having se-?"
"NO!" Naruto blasted to his feet and backed away, "I knew what you were talking about! And yeah! I think the girls are ready to know; I'm sure they'll love you so much!" He darted his eyes away from the burning goddess and shook his head frantically, "I-I-I'm going to get changed. Annie is meeting her teacher at school for some winter homework thing!"
Athena nodded and didn't look up until she heard Naruto's frantic running upstairs. 'He…he wants to…" She buried her golden face into her hands, 'What in Hades should I do?!'
"Oh, you look so cute!"
Lacy grinned at her favorite lady as she bounced on her new pink winter boots, looking adorable dressed in a pair of black and white leggings and simple pink t-shirt, all warmly wrapped under a puffy white winter jacket.
"Thank you, Dite!"
Aphrodite couldn't help but hug her baby girl close and smother her face with kisses. She could see so much of herself in Lacy, but even more of Naruto. The girl's blue eyes sparkled just like her father's would whenever she saw the goddess, and it made Aphrodite love her even more. Best of all, Lacy had the same smile as Naruto – that bright and warm grin that just melted Aphrodite's heart.
"Well that was easy!" chirped the goddess, "We got you two new outfits and an adorable new dress in under one hour." Aphrodite winked at her baby girl and smiled at her giggle, "I'm sure your daddy will be impressed!" Lacy laughed and nodded, "Okay, let's get us some milkshakes and head home!"
"No, not yet!" exclaimed the girl as she pulled on Dite's sleeve.
Aphrodite raised a delicate brow, "What is it? Did we forget something?"
The girl's smile turned sheepish. "Well, there is still something I need to buy." Lacy happily reached into her small Hello Kitty backpack and pulled out a stack of money, "But I need to buy it with my own money." Lacy started to pull her favorite lady along to the store she needed to go to.
The Goddess of Love sighed with a soft smile, "Sweetie, I can buy it for you," she said as she followed her daughter through the mall.
The girl shyly shook her head, "No, it's okay. I really want to buy it myself; I saved my allowance from daddy so I can buy it myself."
"What is it you're buying?"
"Daddy's Christmas present!" Aphrodite was taken aback for a second, "My present for Annie, Thena and for you are all ready, but I want to buy this one for daddy." The girl was practically skipping when she pulled the Goddess into the store. "There it is!" Aphrodite's heart melted when she saw her daughter point to a blue neck-tie on showcase with I Love You, Daddy sewn on it with golden threads. "Thank goodness no one bought it!"
Aphrodite knelt down to her excited little girl and kissed her forehead, "You really love your daddy, don't you?"
Lacy's grin look exactly like her father's. "Yep, daddy is the best!" She looked up at the tie and her smiled grew, "He doesn't wear ties often, but I know he loves them."
"Hello," greeted one of the salesmen in the store, "How can I be of help today?"
Lacy pointed at the tie, "Can I please buy that tie?"
Aphrodite watched as her daughter jumped to take the tie from the salesman and giggled to herself. She had never taken one of her children shopping before – usually she would just conjure outfits that would look best of them – but she was really enjoying their mother and daughter time together. Lacy was so innocent and carefree, and she really reminded the Goddess of herself eons ago.
After paying for the first time in her life, the girl was hopping up and down in excitement, "I remember one time I saw daddy trying to put on a tie for a PTA meeting, but it took him a long time because he forgot how to tie a tie."
The Goddess smiled fondly as she held her little girl in her arms, "Really?"
Lacy nodded, "Yep, Daddy said that my mommy used to be the one who would tie all his ties for him, so he didn't have to learn." A frown looked wrong on such an innocent girl, "Daddy looked a little sad when he said that, and I don't want him to be sad." Aphrodite bit her lip and said nothing. "But I learned how to tie a tie! So I'm going to buy daddy this tie and I'm going to tie it for him!" Lacy squealed in excitement, "Do you think he'll like it, Dite?"
"He'll love it, sweetie." The Goddess hugged her daughter close to hide her tears and kissed her soft blonde hair. Hearing her baby's giggles, Aphrodite could only hug her tighter and kiss her hair. "Oh, you're the best daughter anyone could ask for."
The cold winter wind did nothing to help Athena's heated cheeks. Her usual sharp and intimidating grey eyes seemed confused and dazed, so much so that she had already passed several red lights. Speeding by in a freshly conjured black Rolls Royce Dawn with the top down, the Goddess absentmindedly weaved the Mist around her person, sighing to herself as her mind pondered about Naruto.
'Should I talk to someone?' The Goddess listed who she could speak with in her head, 'Artemis would be no help – she'd probably get angry. Aunt Hestia would feel incredibly awkward and Hera wouldn't be someone I want knowing about this. Athena bit her lip, 'I'm down to either Grandma Rhea or Aphrodite…but I don't know how the latter would react."
Unknown to all but herself, Athena had been thinking about the physical aspect of her relationship with Naruto. Sure, she had kissed him countless times – so much so that she no longer felt nervous about it – and had cuddled up with him during the nights, but nothing intimate ever happened under the neck. And no matter how many times she accidentally felt Naruto's enthusiasm brush against her in the mornings, she shivered at the thought of actually seeing or touching it. Just Naruto mentioning sex made her confused – and made her conjure a car to pick up Annabeth herself.
Pulling into the school parking lot, the Goddess swiftly parked her car and headed toward the school, but the sudden ringing of her phone halted her – mainly because of the name on the caller ID.
"H-Hello."
There was some fumbling on the other line, "Hey, Athena." Regardless of the situation, Naruto's voice made the goddess feel better. "H-Have you arrived?"
"Yes, I'm walking into the school now." She was a feeling a little angry that her cheeks were getting heated again – she knew they were gold.
"Listen," started Naruto, "I was stupid to think what I did this morning." Athena wanted to interrupt, but he continued, "I knew from the beginning that you're a Virgin Goddess. I-I'm so sorry, Athena. I promise I won't think like that anymo-"
"Naruto."
Just like in university, Naruto's mouth clamped shut at her voice. "Y-Yes."
Circling around in the snow, Athena's cheeks glowed gold. "Please, I can't talk about this over the phone." Before Naruto could apologize, she spoke up, "I'm really not angry at you – not at all. In fact…I've been thinking about this a lot lately and we can talk about it later tonight." The goddess bit her lip, "Just, just not now, okay?"
"Yes, sure I understand."
Athena smiled, "You know I love you, Naruto."
"I love you, too."
"We'll talk more tonight – I promise." With that, the call ended.
Athena couldn't help but imagine Naruto's expression at that moment, wondering if he was nervous or maybe even angry. But in the end, she merely shook her head and walked into the school, knowing that seeing her beloved daughter would ease her mind.
For Aphrodite and her children, no winter would ever be cold enough to not have ice cream, so before they made their way home, they decided to pay a visit to Sweet Victory, Lacy's favorite ice cream parlor. On the small table for two sat a foot-tall chalice that supported another foot on ice cream. From vanilla to strawberry, the gigantic sundae resembled a sugar waterfall, and it made the mother and daughter drool with glee.
After teaching her daughter to eat from the top, Aphrodite bit into an incredibly sweet strawberry laced with some vanilla ice cream. "Oh my goodness, this is so good!" With one spoon in each hand, Lacy's cheeks looked like those of a squirrel. The girl's eyes sparkled like diamonds as she mumbled something to her favorite person. "Don't eat so quickly; you'll get a brain freeze, sweetie." Aphrodite wiped her daughter's mouth clean with a napkin and pulled her closer to her side. "And remember to chew; you don't want to choke on a strawberry or a cherry stem."
Lacy finally had enough room to speak, "Yummy!"
"Don't tell daddy about this," whispered Aphrodite with a smirk. "You know how he gets when I let you eat too much sugar."
The girl pecked Aphrodite on the cheek, "I love you, Dite."
"I love you, too, sweetie." The goddess sighed softly and combed her fingers through Lacy's hair more affectionately than she had to any of her children. "I love you so much."
In the eons Aphrodite had lived through, she never believed in regret – living in the moment was her motto. Like her domain, she wanted to roam free in the sky; never would she ever land on the ground and take root. But now looking down at her baby daughter, the gem that was created by her love for Naruto, Aphrodite felt regret. Why didn't she act sooner? Why couldn't she have been there when Lacy was a baby? She wanted to see her darling little princess learn to crawl, learn to walk, to watch her giggle in joy or even cry for attention. She wanted to be there when Lacy learned how to walk. She wanted to be the one who would her baby would walk to, to be the one who would make her daughter's eyes sparkle. She wanted to hear her baby call her mommy.
"You know, I had a dream like this a few days ago!" chirped Lacy happily, breaking Aphrodite from her thoughts. "I was in a restaurant and there was this big bowl of ice cream! It had all the flavors – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, peanut butter, mint – and it was covered in candy!" Almost unaware, Aphrodite wiped away some tears. "I still remember that the vanilla was really good, but you liked the chocolate more."
Kissing her soft hair, the goddess asked, "I was there too?"
"Yep!" replied the girl loudly as she dug into the cold treat, "It was just like right now; it was the two of us!"
"That sounds fun," she replied with a shaky voice.
"It's always fun when I'm with you, Dite!" The girl was too focused on her ice cream to notice Aphrodite's tears. "I've always wanted someone like you!" The goddess could no longer reply. "I love daddy and Annie, but you're different – we're so alike! We like the same candies, we like the same ice cream, and you are really good at matching clothes! Daddy can never match my clothes the way you do!"
With a snap of her fingers, Aphrodite's red and puffy eyes vanished, but her voice was still shuddering. "You…you really are like me."
Lacy slowed her eating and looked a little shy, "You know, I have never met my mommy, but I always imagine us doing stuff like this." If possible, Aphrodite felt her heat stricken even more. "Daddy has only mentioned my mommy a few times, but she sounds like a really cool person. She loves ice cream and candy; she was the one who really made daddy want to keep his candy store." Lacy giggled, "Daddy said that my mommy used to eat so much candy at the store that he almost ran out of things to sell!" The girl fidgeted a little, "You…You really are exactly how I imagined my mommy, Dite." Not looking up at the lady, Lacy blushed and looked embarrassed, "D-Do…Do you think I can call you mommy?"
No amount of godly power could have stopped Aphrodite's tears. Feeling her heart break in two, the goddess wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her close. The amount of shame, guilt and anger filled her entire being and she shakily held Lacy close to her chest. Brushing her tears away, she whispered, "Call me mommy…" Slowly, with her heart aching more than she had ever experienced, Aphrodite pulled away from the hug and stared into Lacy's confused eyes. "Never call me anything else, okay?" The tears were never ending, "Lacy," she sobbed, "I'm not your stepmother or anything like that." Aphrodite had never cried so hard in her life, "I…I am your real mother."
Silently, Lacy's eyes widened.
"Y-You never have to ask permission to call me mommy." Each sob was more painful than the last, "I am your mommy."
"W-What?"
"I-I'm so sorry, sweetie." An extremely powerful layer of Mist covered the mother and daughter by the Love Goddess' command. "I am your real mommy! And…And I love you so much!" With all her love, Aphrodite kissed Lacy's forehead. "I love you. I love you. I love you."
Tears started to flow from Lacy's eyes, "Y-You are?"
Aphrodite nodded as sincere as she could, "Yes. Naruto is your father and I am your mother. We're both your real parents. You're my flesh and blood." Gently pressing her forehead against her daughter's, she continued, "I carried you for nine months, and I sang to you every night. I was the one who named you, Lacy."
Lacy's small shoulders shook as she timidly whispered, "I…I've always wanted to meet you."
"I'm so sorry," uttered Aphrodite in anguish, "I never should have left! I should have stayed with you and spent every day with you! I should have seen your first steps, heard your first words!" Her hands shaking, she cupped Lacy's rosy cheeks, "Y-You should have known about me."
A good few minutes passed before the little girl planted a small kiss on Aphrodite's nose, "M…M-Mommy." Aphrodite sobbed and pulled her little baby closer, "Mommy." Lacy wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her as strong as she could, "Mommy!"
Feeling Lacy shake in her arms, Aphrodite sobbed harder and could only hug her tighter. Never in her long life had the goddess felt such powerful maternal love. Never had she claimed one of her demigod children in person, nor had she held one of her children so close. Never had she had such a…personal relationship with any of her children – not even Eros. 'I finally understand. I understand, Rhea, Hera. I understand.' Aphrodite kissed the top of Lacy's head, "I love you so much, my little princess."
The little girl pulled back a little before looking up at her mother with teary blue eyes, "I-I love you, too, mommy."
Neither mother nor daughter could have wished more a better Christmas present.
It had been quite a while since Athena had stepped into an elementary school, but it was quite nice to see the childish innocence of it compared to her usual universities. Alongside the small lockers were hundreds of finger paintings, crayon drawings and sugar-cube models made by the students. The Goddess of Wisdom couldn't help but smile at the young minds at work. Though in the back of Athena's mind, she was proud of the fact that her daughter would undoubted out do every single other person in the school.
Some muttering behind a closed door tore into Athena's thoughts, and hooked her attention once she noticed that it was Annabeth's classroom.
"Okay, I've had enough of you!" Hearing someone yell, Athena glanced into the room through the small glass panel on the door, her grey eyes searching for her daughter.
Inside the classroom, a very similar pair of grey eyes glared heatedly at a middle aged lady. "But I'm right. Mrs. Beck! The construction of the Eiffel Tower started in 1887, not 1889! How can you mark my answer as wrong when it's clearly your mistake?!" For a nine year old girl, Annabeth was exceedingly vigorous. "Not to mention how you just decided to skip over some of the most important parts of the history behind the building."
"I am the teacher, young lady, and you cannot speak to me this way!" Mrs. Beck gritted her teeth, and slammed her carefully manicured hands onto her desk. "It's bad enough that you constantly point out mistakes during class, but it is far more disrespectful to demand marks from you teacher!"
"It is not my fault that you make so many mistakes!" The young demigoddess crossed her arms, "You are supposed to teach us facts, not mistakes. If you spend more time reading the syllabus and less time fixing your hair or trimming your nails, then I probably won't find so many mistakes!" Annabeth stood from her chair and looked down on her teacher, "How dare you act so high and mighty when you fail at the fundamental task of being a teacher?! You ramble on with your mistakes and call them facts. What happens if no one catches them and all your students go on thinking that everything you say is true?!"
"Lower your voice, Annabeth! I will not tell you again!"
"You cannot tell me what I can or cannot do!" With a glare that made Athena proud, the girl stood strong. "You don't deserve my respect and you do not deserve to be a teacher!"
"How dare you?!"
"Ms. Hess is so much better than you." Annabeth sighed and shook her head with confidence someone her age shouldn't have. "She actually cares about the wellbeing of her students and would never willy-nilly teach a class like you do." The girl scoffed, "I can honestly say that I can teach this class better than you."
"Shut up, you brat!" Beck stood up and towered over her student, "You may not have a mother, but I'm sure you father has taught you some manners!"
Annabeth balled her fists, "What did you say?"
"Mind your manners, girl. We do not raise our voice like that and we do not disrespect teachers or anybody with higher standings." She sneered down at Annabeth and shook her head with disdain, "I expected a lack of femininity from a girl with no mother, but I didn't expect you to be so rude and arrogant."
"My mom has nothing to do with this!" cried Annabeth with small tears welling in her eyes.
Smirking at the girl's tears, Beck crossed her arms. "Mom? How can you call someone you've never met with such affection?"
"You better shut up!"
"Such horrid manners." The teacher shook her head, obviously condescending. "I should have you talk with the councilor after the holidays; you obviously need some therapy. Don't worry, I'm sure we can flush out whatever problems you have – motherless children typically have the same problems."
"I said shut up!" Annabeth hated the fact that some of her tears started falling down to her cheeks.
But suddenly, the door opened and both the student and teacher fell silent. Soft clinking of heels on the hardwood floor made Annabeth look over, and the girl was surprised to see Thena standing by the door. Seeing her favorite lady's soft grey eyes looking at her, Annabeth instantly felt safer. The girl didn't know when, but before she knew it, she had ran into Thena's arms and was crying into her warm embrace.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" asked the teacher with a polite tone, "We are having a private conversation."
The instant Athena's eyes locked with Beck's, the teacher froze. "I am Annabeth's mother," the goddess temporarily ignored the slight jolt from Annabeth when she heard. "And I don't like the way you speak to my daughter." Beck's entire body was shaking, as if she was trying very hard to move but couldn't, and her eyes were widened in shock. "So I would prefer if you never spoke again."
Much to the teacher's horror, unfathomable amounts of pain shot through her lips as they were sewn together by an invisible thread – painfully slowly. No matter how hard to tried to move or cry for help, she couldn't move an inch or utter a whimper. Her tears flowed freely as her mouth was sewn completely shut, and she hook in horror as the goddess pointed a finger at her.
"In fact, I would rather you not see my daughter ever again." Beck could never describe it, but she would rather die than to feel her eyes burn to ashes in an instant. "And if you can please leave, I would like to have a chat with my daughter." Feeling her bones burn was the last sensation the teacher felt before she was a pile of ash. Reminding herself to call in a favor from her Uncle Hades later, Athena wrapped her arms around Annabeth and pulled her closer.
"T-Thena…"
"Don't worry, Annabeth. That woman is gone and you will never see her again, I promise." Seeing her daughter's tears made the Goddess of Warfare want to torture the woman more, but she was sure her uncle or Melinoe could no better than her in the Fields of Punishment. "Everything is okay now."
Slowly pulling back and wiping her tears, Annabeth looked up at the beautiful lady. "W-Why did you say that you're my mother?"
Calmly kneeling down to her daughter's height, Athena kissed Annabeth's forehead. "That is because you are my daughter, Annabeth." Smiling despite the shock of the girl, the goddess continued, "I am so sorry that I have to tell you this under such circumstances, but this is the truth. I am your mother, your real mother."
Staring into grey eyes that were identical to hers, Annabeth held back a sob. "My…M-My mother?"
"A part of you has always known, hasn't it?" Athena held onto the girl's shoulders, "You've wondered if there was something more."
Annabeth nodded as her tears flowed again. "Yes, I have."
Athena's façade was starting to crack and her eyes became misty. "I'm so proud to have a daughter like you, Annabeth." The goddess sniffed and blinked some tears away. "I love you." Gently brushing the tears from Annabeth's cheeks, Athena pulled her daughter into a warm hug, whispering in her ear, "I love you so much."
Shaking as her emotions made no room for her usual reasoning, Annabeth could only utter one word. "Mama…"
The End!
I am so sorry for the long wait! But it was hard to balance a full-time job, friends and family, and still write. Thankfully, my summer internship has ended and I'm back in University. Now I will have much more free time to write and you can expect to see much more of my updates! Or maybe even a new story ;)
This is chapter 14, and I hope you all enjoyed it.
PLEASE LEAVE ME A GOOD REVIEW! ITS BEEN A LONG TIME AND I'M GETTING WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS! XDXD