AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, I tried to write this in Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus) style, in honor of Blood of Olympus (that I just finished reading). I won't give any spoilers away, for those of you who haven't read it, but there is one thing that I need to say: Uncle Rick, thank-you.
Morgan Byrne was not expecting to see her husband that morning. But when she went to the kitchen, he was there, sitting on the counter, smiling at her. It was a good thing she wasn't carrying the baby, just a plastic sippy cup that Morgan was going to refill before she woke up again.
Morgan stared, in shock, at her husband. The sippy cup hit the floor. It wasn't that she was upset with Seth for sitting on the counter or not helping with the baby; she could forgive him for that. There was only one thing that she could never forgive him for, one thing that caused him to be away for so long that he was unable help her take care of their daughter.
Seth Byrne passed away about a year ago, right after Cariad was born. He was serving in the military at the time. Before he left, she made him promise to come home. Now he was fulfilling that promise.
"Morgan," he said her name like she was a lost treasure, as if she had been the one who died.
"Seth," she couldn't find any other word to express her joy and confusion.
"How's the baby?" he asked.
"Sleeping," she responded, suddenly remembering why she came into the kitchen. She looked around for the sippy cup.
"Here, let me get that." He reached down, picked up the plastic sippy cup, and proceeded to fill it up for her. Morgan briefly wondered how he, as a ghost/figment of her imagination could interact with the physical world.
"Seth," she repeated. "How are you here?"
"Aren't you glad to see me?"
"Of course"
"All you need to know is that I'm here because I made a promise to you. I can't stay long, but I did come back for you, for both of you. I don't want to waste time explaining things." He laced his fingers into hers and continued, "I came back to say goodbye, Morgan, and to tell you I love you."
"Seth, you're my brave, handsome hero, and I love you too." She pulled him into an embrace. By this time, they were both crying.
"What did you name our child?" Seth asked.
"Her name is Cariad. It's Welsh for love."
"That's so sappy," he said jokingly. "Now when I say 'I love you, Cariad,' I'll sound ridiculous."
"What would you rather have called her?" The only answer Morgan got didn't come from Seth. Seth was gone.
"Transmission over." The voice sounded robotic, almost like when the computer pronounces words on google translate.
Sighing, and still confused, Morgan decided to take the sippy cup to her daughter. She tried to turn on the light to the nursery, but it did not work. The dark room was covered in a thin layer of ice. As Morgan walked over to the crib, the ice broke under her footsteps but didn't make a sound. There was no baby in the crib. Instead, Morgan found a naked, shivering girl curled up inside. The girl looked about 8 or 9. Very confused and worried about her daughter, Morgan asked the obvious question.
"Where is my baby?"
"Cold," the girl responded.
"Where is my baby?" Morgan repeated.
"So cold," she responded, as if that was the obvious answer to Morgan's question.
"Fine," Morgan gave in and got a warm blanked to wrap around the girl's shoulders. "If you had clothes, maybe you wouldn't be so cold."
"They are too small," she said, still shivering, though clearly warmer. It almost seemed as if she was the source of the ice.
"Where is my baby?" Morgan asked a third time. The girl looked at her for a long time before she spoke again.
"If you truly do not know, you are unfit to be a mother." At this point, Morgan was ready to strangle the kid.
"Tell me!" she screamed.
"I am here, mother. I have been here this whole time."
"You are not my child. My Cariad is only one year old."
"I grew," she said. "The fairies came and asked what I wanted. I told them I wanted to grow. I wanted to be as big as my mother, so that I could know and understand. I wanted to walk and talk and do all the things you do, mother. They would not let me grow that much, but I am satisfied with my current age."
"The ice," Morgan asked. "That was you?"
"It takes much energy to grow and defy time. Heat is energy, as is light and sound. I absorbed the available energy, yet I am still so tired."
After Cariad fell asleep once more, Morgan carried her daughter to a real bed and tucked her in. Her skin was still ice-cold.