Now... in a review for the previous chapter, Louisville-Guitarist pointed out that the ending was a little rushed. To be honest, the silence that occurred right after Liam's demand was supposed to be a long one where Zeus would think about it, but it was our fault for not making clear. The same reader (and thank you for that by the way) also pointed out that Zeus would never ever forgive those two and all and he also would never apologize. Like we said in the reply, both Zeus's try to apologize and that he actually did as Liam requested was to show that even the Gods have a more "humane" side. After being around their kids and communicating with them, it made them all a little soft if you want and that's what we wanted to show. Sorry if it didn't come across that way. And also thank you for pointing these things out, so we can explain not only to you, but everyone else as well. Don't know how many of you thought of all that above, but we wanted to clear these things out.

After this long introduction, I'll just type the chapter. :)

Chapter 28: All's fair in war and love

Liam's POV

Once we were out of the throne room, Melanie took my hand in hers as we walked back to Cloud. At first I started playing with her fingers, but at some point, I felt like being playful, so I lifted her up and threw her over my shoulder always walking towards Cloud.

"You're so childish sometimes." She said, but didn't make any move to stop me or make me put her down. She just let me have my own way until I finally let her down grabbing onto her hand once again.

"Part of my charm. Now, do you want to properly meet my Pegasus?" I asked bringing our intertwined hand behind my neck and brought them apart so that only hers alone stayed there.

"Sure..." She said and grabbed onto some of my hair. "...But you'll have to translate." She continued bringing her other hand up to mimic the one resting on the back of my scalp.

"Why? He can understand you perfectly." I said and leaned down a bit, but not entirely reaching her mouth. I gave her that chance.

"You know what I mean goof." She said and instead of reaching up to kiss me, she pulled my head down crashing my lips to hers. It may only have been a few days since we last kissed that way, but we both had missed it and it showed in the way our lips moved against each other. But before it got too heated, Cloud nudged us.

"Not in public, guys." He thought and I chuckled with my lips still attached to Melanie's. He nudged us again, a little bit harder this time causing us to break apart, but rest our foreheads against each other's.

"What's he saying?" She asked looking into my eyes. The love and adoration hers held surprised me, but I was sure mine were mirroring hers.

"That we shouldn't do that in public." I said as she instantly dropped her hands from my neck and turned to face Cloud.

"Then you should get us back at camp quickly." She said pushing back against me making my breath catch up in my throat and Cloud took a step back startled.

"I like her..." Cloud said nodding retaking that step but this time forward. "Of course, I'll take you back as fast as possible." He thought again taking a bow. "Please translate smart-ass."

"What's he saying?" Melanie asked again and stroked his mane giggling.

"That he likes you and I believe his words were: Of course he'll take us back as fast as possible." I answered wrapping my arms around her waist tight. "But we have to go to Amy first, don't we?"

"We do..." She trailed off and evidently didn't like that idea so much after all. "So what's your story?" She asked pointing between me and Cloud.

"Just get on and you can tell her on the way. I'm not able to do so after all, so I might as well shut up." He said giving me "permission" to tell my own girlfriend about me and him. He turned to the side and let us get on his back. When I had a good grip on her waist and was sure she was steady, I began telling our story after also saying to Cloud to take it slow since we'd have to go to Amy first.

"Well, I don't know what they've told you already, but..." I began but...

"Nobody has said anything." She cut me off.

"Okay. It all played out on my fifth and mom's 28th birthday in Olympus. A private party held by the Gods. Everyone apart from the usual two. It wasn't anything much since they know mom, so it was just them, us and our friends. At some point Abby, Owen and I while playing around, we went in the Gardens. It was just us 'cause, you see, Ben, Alex, Amanda and Mike were already asleep since they were too young or whatever." I said chuckling.

"Parents..." She said giggling and shaking her head.

"Yeah. Well, as I was saying, we went in the Gardens and started running around until we stumbled upon this little fella. He was a newborn Pegasus and it was obvious. At least to me. The other two wouldn't go anywhere near him because they were afraid, but I wasn't. My grandfather came looking for us sometime later and found me fooling around with Cloud. I had already given him his name, so upon seeing how close him and I were, my granddad decided to give him to me as an additional, unexpected birthday present." She decided to cut me off again.

"Additional?" She asked confused.

"Yes. My actual birthday present that day from my grandparents was my sword. My shield was also given to me by my uncle that day. But the point is that ever since that day and up until I left for college, Cloud and I have been inseparable." I finished the story patting Cloud's mane again.

"We've been through quite a lot, haven't we?" He asked trying to look back.

"We have. I never thanked you for saving me, did I?" I asked.

"You didn't, but I'm sure you'd do the same for me, smart-ass." He answered and kind of chuckled.

"I would. In fact I already have. Remember that time with the Empusa in the Central Park?" I asked as Melanie kissed my cheek.

"I remember. She had scared the crap out of me." He said shivering at the memory. In that moment, we reached camp and Cloud landed right in front of the infirmary. Melanie and I got off and he flew away, probably to the lake to drink some water.

"So you two are close...?" She questioned.

"Yap. We're really close." I answered.

"But I've been closer to you..." She said and let her finger graze my crotch before walking away to the infirmary. I stood there for a few seconds taking deep breaths to compose myself before following after her. Inside, I found my parents, aunts, uncles and friends all smiling.

"She's awake..." It was meant to be a question, but it came out as a statement.

"She is, LJ." My mother said as dad held her close.

"Can I...?" I couldn't find the words to finished my own sentence. My eyes were filled with tears, some of which managed to escape.

"Yes, you can. She's been asking for you ever since she woke up, Liam." My grandfather said smiling as a tear ran down his cheek.

"Come on, baby..." Melanie said grabbing onto my hand excitedly and I could see how her eyes were filled with threatening tears like mine. I let her drag me into the room where my aunt was sitting up in the only bed around, playing with David who was smiling and giggling at his mother's tickling touches. When we stepped into the room, John and Amy looked up and seeing it was us, Amy smiled while John's face darkened. I couldn't blame him for hating me. I may be Amy's nephew and all, but I had almost taken away the life of the woman he loved, married and was the mother of his child.

"Don't just stand there. Come here." Amy said motioning us forward. Melanie left my hand fall to my side and ran in my aunt's arms, also careful not to hurt her nor David. On the other hand, I stayed still. I couldn't move from my spot. John's death glare kept me at place.

"What are YOU doing here?" he asked never averting his eye from me.

"John!" Amy said with Melanie still in her arms. "How many times do I have to tell you it wasn't Liam's fault?"

"It was, Amy." I said looking down.

"Annabeth..." My aunt called for mom and she appeared in the room standing next to me in a second.

"Yes, Amy?" She asked rubbing my shoulders.

"Could you take David out of here for a few minutes?" Amy asked and my mom immediately went for him.

"Sure. Just tell me when you want him back." She said and kissed my cheek before leaving with my cousin in her arms.

"Now.." She trailed off turning her gaze back to us.

"See? He agrees with me." Her husband said glaring harder.

"Johnathan Wright and Liam Kai Jackson, my injury was MY FAULT! If I hadn't been too stubborn and overprotective to go help Liam when I knew he'd be fine, none of that would happen. Stop this right this instant!" She yelled at us and we both cowered back in fear. She was scary...

"But..." We both said looking at her.

"No freaking buts. I'll deal with you later." She said to John and turned to Melanie, who was still in her arms. I never knew they were so close. "Mel, mind taking my husband outside so I can talk to my nephew?"

"Sure..." My girlfriend said getting up. "Come on John." She said over her shoulder going for the exit.

"Sweetie, it wasn't a suggestion. GO!" Amy ordered her husband with her eyebrows raised. He huffed and walked out after Melanie. "Now, you. Get your butt here right now." She told me patting a space on her bed and I couldn't help but obey.

"Amy, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to..." I apologized but she cut me off.

"I know you never wanted to hurt me, Liam, and it's not your fault I got injured. With how dark it was in there, you couldn't have know where Erebus and I were standing since he didn't move us an inch. You also couldn't have known where the sword would end up, so stop beating yourself about it. Tartarus and Erebus weren't being fair, but then again, we were in the middle of a war and you now that all's fair in a war. Now, I can understand your guilt about hurting Ares, but with me you couldn't have known." She said all the time caressing my cheek. "Can you please let it go?"

"Are you okay?" I asked looking down.

"I'm fine. Apollo healed all my wounds while I was still in a coma. But now I'm up and there is nothing wrong with me." She answered.

"You still think I'm not at fault?" I asked looking up a little.

"I still do." She answered.

"It won't be easy to let the fact that I almost killed my aunt go..." I trailed off.

"You didn't though, and I'm sure Melanie will help with getting over it." She said winking. "Just go, LJ. Spend some time with your girlfriend. Just be careful this time." She said giggling.

"I can't believe you're enjoying this." I said shaking my head.

"Hey! It's not my fault you got her pregnant, is it?" she asked.

"What if I don't think of it as a fault?" I asked too low not wanting her to hear it, but she did.

"It was intentional?" She asked as her eyes went wide.

"No, it wasn't. We were always careful." I said sticking my tongue out at her like a five-year-old.

"Then how come she was pregnant, smart-ass?" She asked. She was the only person that would make me talk about that pregnancy without feeling so bad about the outcome and Zeus's actions. We've always talked about everything, good or bad, and I never felt depressed about anything wrong. She had a way to make everything seem so simple and trivial. This wasn't any different.

"I don't know..." I trailed off. I hadn't really thought about it with everything that had happened until that moment.

"Okay, how about you get out of here now, so I can have my men come in again?" She suggested batting her eyelashes at me.

"It could have worked without the eye-thing, you know." I said getting up.

"I know, but felt like doing it anyway." She said smiling. "Go, you goof." She said and I moved to the door. "Oh and tell John to bring David and his ass over her right now. I have a few words to tell him." I chuckled as I walked out of the room only to find John glaring at me with my cousin in his arms and the rest of them smiling at me.

"She wants to talk to you." I told him and he went inside without looking at me for longer than a split second. Mom then ran into my arms.

"How are you, LJ?" She asked checking up on me.

"I'm fine mom. After the swim I was fine. Not a scratch." I said taking a spin around myself to show her I was telling the truth. "Now would you mind if Melanie and I left?" I asked extending my hand for Melanie to grab on and she did.

"Where to?" Mom asked stepping back and letting Melanie replace her in my arms.

"Let the kids do as they please Wise girl. They're not five anymore." My dad said and winked at me. I mouthed a "thanks" before walking out of there. We inertwined our fingers and started walking. Our destination unknown.

"Where do you wanna go?" She asked me playing with our fingers.

"It doesn't matter. I just wanna be with you." I said and fully meant it.

"How about we go to my room?" She suggested.

"Aren't your siblings supposed to be at the cabin? Don't you think they'll bother us?" I asked confused and stopped us.

"If you checked the time, you'd see that they're probably at the pavilion. It's lunch time." She said reaching up to wrap her arms around my neck and pulled me down like she had done on Olympus. This time it wasn't as heated, but we were still interrupted.

"I suggest you take that to a bedroom." Aphrodite yelled from the door to the infirmary. Melanie pulled back and started rubbing my scalp.

"How about we listen to the Gods this time?" She said as I stole another kiss.

"When have we never?" I asked rubbing my nose against her own.

"Right..." She trailed off and pulled back turning invisible.

"That's unfair! I want to be able to see you!" I yelled in the air and pouted.

"All's fair in war and love, baby." She said and ran towards Nyx's cabin. How did I know? She left a trail of sand behind her.

Not a good title for the chapter, but we couldn't think of anything better. Hope you liked it :)

Catherine & Tony P.