Percy POV

I couldn't believe that this was happening right now. I positioned myself between Thalia's legs. Her pants were off, and I guess that I was delivering a baby today.

Leo was a few feet away and trying not to throw up.

Thalia was leaning against my backpack and a tree. Her breathing was heavy, and her contractions were only about 30 seconds apart. Annabeth was holding Thalia's hand and coaching her through the process.

That left me to catch the baby, and I was close to shitting my pants.

I assisted with birthing a baby before. However, I didn't do that much of it. I just held the woman's legs steady as the lead lifeguard caught the baby. It was disgusting (of course), but the actual life was beautiful.

Thalia was crowning already. She was dilated, and the baby was ready.

I had no clue if the baby was positioned right or anything. However, none of us knew much about birthing. We were assuming that natural birth was the way to go.

"Seaweed Brain, are you ready?" Annabeth asked firmly.

"I, uh, yeah, I'm ready," I expressed anxiously. Sweat beaded my forehead, and I parted Thalia's legs wider. My hands were shaking. I probably didn't sound too confident since Thalia panicked.

"Is the baby okay?" Thalia asked frantically.

"Yes, Thalia. She's okay. I can feel the top of her head right now, and it's time to push," I acknowledged.

Yup, I could feel baby Sally. And, I could feel a bunch of other things: blood, fluids, tissues, etc. It was very disgusting, and I wanted to vomit. But, I held it together. However, I knew that I definitely couldn't be a doctor.

Leo moved closer to hand me a knife. She poured some hand sanitizer over the blade and placed it on an extra shirt next to me.

His eyes widened as he gazed at Thalia's entrance.

"Oh my god. That shouldn't happen. I mean that cannot fit in that. Ugh," Leo shouted as he rushed away again.

"Thank you, Leo," I exclaimed angrily. He was not the best person to have around.

"Thalia, don't listen to him. On the next contraction, you're going to start pushing," Annabeth commanded. "You can do this, Thals because you've been waiting for so long."

"Annabeth, Percy, I'm scared," Thalia whispered.

Thalia was one of the strongest people I know. However, there was a certain vulnerability and emotion that came with becoming a mother. "Thalia, you're gonna be a great mother. Almost no one feels ready, but the baby's not waiting any longer," I expressed.

Suddenly, Thalia's scream pierced through the woods. All right, IT'S GO TIME.

I focused my attention on the baby. I reached forward and felt around the baby's head to make sure that everything was clear, and it looked good.

I mean, it didn't look good. It was freaking gross, but we were ready.

Thalia's continued to breathe and shout as she pushed. At first, nothing really happened. It took a lot of effort for Thalia to continue.

My hands were filled with sanitizer, fluids, and blood. They were slimy as the baby's head rested against my right hand.

All right, come on baby

"Come on, Thalia, one more push. The baby's here," I said firmly. Annabeth continued to command Thalia to breathe and push.

My arms started to cramp from the uncomfortable position. However, I didn't dare pull back. The baby was practically in my hands.

Thalia groaned with another push. This time, Thalia's muscles pushed the baby forward.

Cries erupted through the woods as I caught the baby's head. One more contraction pushed the rest of the baby out into my hands. Gods, she was so small, but she was beautiful.

Her cries reverberated loudly and healthily in the air.

"Percy, the baby, how's my baby?" Thalai asked weakly. I was busy cleaning baby Sally to answer her.

"PERCY," she shouted.

"Hey, Thalia, do you hear the crying? That's your baby," I said firmly. "That's your baby."

My right hand clutched the still-crying baby as my other hand cleaned the fluids and blood off the baby's body. She looked even cuter once her face was clean.

Then I grabbed the knife, but I set it back down.

There was no way that I could cut the umbilical cord by myself. Annabeth was still busy soothing Thalia, who was crying with joy and shock. Thalia continued to push the remaining fluid and placenta out, and I had to move slightly away to keep the baby safe.

"Leo, get your ass over here. I need you," I shouted.

Leo rushed over, and his eyes glazed over the baby. His frantic eyes softened as he stared at the life that was just born. "Wow," he whispered.

"Leo, I need you to cut the umbilical cord," I said firmly.

I held the baby close to my chest. Blood and fluids were staining my shirt, but I didn't care. The baby stopped crying and leaned into my body warmth. She was asleep already. Leo crouched next to me and nodded. He took the knife and positioned it several inches upstream of the baby's belly button.

One swift motion was enough to severe the chord. Perfect.

I leaned back and sat on my butt. I secured the baby in both arms and continued to wrap my large shirt around her body. Her eyes opened a few times. She had electric blue eyes just like her mother. Just like Jason.

I simply studied the baby's eyes for several seconds. They were so pure. She was so pure in this (otherwise) hellish world.

"Thalia, you have a beautiful baby girl," I whispered.

I moved closer to Thalia and Annabeth, who seemed eager to see the baby. Thalia's eyes glazed over her daughter in joy before she reached out. Annabeth helped her sit up slightly before I gently placed the baby into Thalia's arms.

I leaned back as soon as the baby was safe in her mother's arms. I stood up and took a few deep breaths. The sunlight washed over my face in comfort.

That was a whirlwind, but it worked out in the end.

Baby Sally was born, and she was completely healthy. Annabeth and Leo were gazing at the baby while sitting next to Thalia. An extra shirt was covering Thalia's legs. She seemed fine too, thank goodness.

"Thank you, Percy. It's nice that you're the first to hold the baby," Thalia whispered. I simply nodded while smiling gratefully. I was honored.

We rested for over an hour. Thalia had already fed the baby as Leo and I turned away. After that, I took the baby as Annabeth helped Thalia get cleaned up and dressed.

I gently rocked the baby as Leo and I talked about what just happened.

"That was freaking crazy, dude," Leo expressed wildly.

"Yeah, but it was good," I whispered. I smiled as the baby's eyes opened once again before closing immediately. Baby Sally must be a very light sleeper.

The baby's eyes were beautiful, especially in the sunlight. The sparks of lights in the blue eyes were very unique and rare.

A few minutes passed by. Leo and I both understood that the girls would need a long time. They were at the creek about 40 yards away. However, a small hill in the landscape blocked their view from ours. It seemed okay, though.

In the past day, there was no sign of Elysium.

"Wait, Percy, do you hear that?" Leo whispered. Suddenly, a van burst through the woods and stopped in front of us.

We were in too much shock to even hide or run. Leo grabbed the gun that had been in my backpack. Annabeth had the other gun. My hold tightened on the baby.

Six guards surrounded us immediately, and Zeus also stepped out of the van. He was in his signature all white.

His gaze scanned the baby first before falling on me and Leo.

Leo was aiming the fun at Zeus, but we were heavily outnumbered. The six guards were all armed and ready to fire.

"Lower your weapon, boy," Zeus exclaimed boldly. "Lower it."

Leo didn't have any choice as he lowered his arm. I gulped in fear as my thumb rubbed the baby's head softly. This really couldn't be happening now. It was so intense.

"Please, let us go," I said firmly. "We have a newborn here. You must understand what that means. Please show mercy."

The guards stayed firm, and obviously, I couldn't see their faces. However, Zeus's gaze shifted towards the baby. His eyes seemed to soften (barely), but I saw it.

My eyes locked on Zeus's. He seemed genuinely conflicted, which was surprising considering how horrible they were. But then, I saw it.

Zeus's eyes also had sparks of light in a blue hue,

Another puzzle piece fell into place.

"You don't want to do this to your own daughter," I said firmly. "I have no clue why you would bring your kids into this sick game, but you don't want to kill them. You can't."

Leo stared at me in shock, but he didn't say anything. He was following my lead, which was the right thing to do.

"You don't know what you're talking about, boy," Zeus spat.

"You freaking brought your kids into hell. They could've died in there, but they survived. Even your granddaughter survived. Please stop this and let us be," I expressed.

Zeus paused. His eyes narrowed on the baby once more. I wasn't sure if my words were having an effect, but I was simply trying to buy time. I was smarter than to surrender into Elysium's grasp once again.

"I brought them back because I wanted them in front of my eyes," Zeus said boldly.

"It looked more like you wanted to kill them, but you can make up for it, Zeus. You've lost the chance to be a father, but you may redeem yourself by letting us go. You can redeem yourself by giving Jason and Thalia a chance to be a family."

I looked at the baby to emphasize my point. Leo nodded in agreement.

I was confident that Zeus was going to shoot us anyway. I was honestly waiting for the bullets to crack my skull. But, they didn't.

Instead, Zeus ordered the guards to lower their weapons.

He stepped forward confidently and paused a few feet in front of me. he reached forward, but I immediately retracted. He didn't deserve to touch this baby.

"If you're caught by Ares or Hera, you will not have the same mercy that I am giving you," Zeus said boldly. He didn't look at me anymore.

The guards and Zeus filed into the black van and drove off. They left just as quickly as they came in, which left me and Leo in shock. Leo turned to me for an explanation.

"Leo, don't mention this to anyone. Not yet, okay?" I said firmly.

"Yeah, all right, Aquaman. I want answers, but it's not the time. Besides, Jason and Thalai deserve to know what happened before I do," Leo expressed.

I watched in the direction that Zeus disappeared. I was still astonished that my words actually convinced him to leave. We got lucky. Then, I turned back to baby Sally.

This little baby just saved our lives.

I love her already, and I couldn't wait to be the best uncle ever.

...