Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter

The Unrelenting Frozen Seas: Symphony of Tempering

Chapter Twenty Eight: Wars End - Epilogue

Beta: ShadowofAxios

Rhode was still staring at the hearth at the center of the Hall of the Gods where Luke had met his fate when suddenly Aunt Hestia teleported to stand right beside her and began gently tugging her to the side.

"You might want to get out of the way, Rhode." The goddess of family urged even as she looked towards Percy. "You too, Percy. Come over here please. Grover, could you help Annabeth over too?"

"Of course, Lady Hestia." Grover said as he picked up a dazed looking and clearly injured Annabeth and walked over.

"Uh, okay, but why?" Percy said, looking bewildered as he too joined them.

Before Aunt Hestia could answer, the doors to the throne room of the gods swung open and the Olympian Twelve, Mum, Uncle Hades and Persephone rushed in dressed for and looking ready for battle. And upon finding none to be had, just stood there looking confused for a minute.

"The war is over," Aunt Hestia informed the gods. "Father and Luke Castellan are dead."

"Luke? Dead?" Hermes gasped as he stumbled forward, pushing past Athena and Hephaestus as he did so and earning himself glares that if he noticed, he ignored like a pro.

"Dead," Aunt Hestia repeated. "If it's any consolation, he died a hero. Though I am uncertain if that is enough to make up for his crimes. What do you think, Hades?"

"That is for the Judges to decide." The Lord of the Underworld declared with a shrug from his place to the rear of the godly formation.

"Uncle Hades-" Hermes began, only to be cut off by the aforementioned god of the dead as he raised a hand in a silencing gesture.

"I will offer him no favoritism, nor will I discriminate against him. Above all, the judgement of the dead must be fair." Uncle Hades said sternly. "But I am also not needlessly cruel. He, like all souls lost in this Titanomachy, will get priority in the queue to be judged. If I didn't, the backlog it would cause and the angry parents of perished Half-bloods hounding me would be an absolute pain to deal with. You will know his fate soon enough."

Hermes didn't look entirely satisfied. Rhode doubted he could be considering the situation. But he still managed a grateful nod. "Thank you, Uncle."

"Enough of your whining, Hermes!" Uncle Zeus said suddenly from where he, like the others of the Olympian Twelve including her Dad, had wandered over to their thrones and was examining it carefully. "And start fixing your throne like the rest of us are doing! You know the longer we leave them like this, the harder it is to fix and the greater chance of there being permanent harm to the aspects of Western Civilization under your domain!"

Hermes looked like he had been slapped but nodded and dragging his feet walked over to his throne. He began looking it over, but it was clear his heart wasn't in it. The half choked sobs he gave as he did so made that quite clear.

Rhode's heart went out to Luke's father and seeing no one was willing to offer him any comfort, she decided to walk over to him and do so.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hermes." Rhode said as she walked up behind him, her voice low as she felt her heart twist painfully even as it was strangely simultaneously filled with relief.

The god turned cold, angry eyes on her, tears rolling down his face.

"Save it! I don't want to hear it from you! You could have stopped this! You could have saved him if you tried!" The grief stricken god ranted.

Rhode stood her ground, feeling as if she should take it in a way. Maybe she could have saved Luke if things had gone differently, but…

"I lost my son because of you!" Hermes roared as suddenly his Caduceus appeared in his hands and he leveled it threateningly at Rhode, causing her blood to freeze in her veins.

"Control yourself, Hermes!" Mum barked from behind Rhode, having come to stand behind her without her noticing. "I understand you are grieving but I will not have you attack my daughter."

"Your daughter, Amphitrite!?" Hermes scoffed, though he thankfully did dismiss his Symbol of Power. "And what about my son!?"

"Enough, Hermes!" Dad thundered furiously as he strode up to her side, armor battered and face heavy with fatigue. That didn't stop him from joining Mum in glaring daggers at the messenger god. They were so agitated that the crab claws of Mum's circlet were snapping threateningly and Dad's eyes were filled with raw power that churned like a whirlpool. "Do not throw accusations around! You meddled with the boy, you are just as much to blame. If not more so!"

"Enough! All of you!" Zeus demanded and Olympus rumbled at his declaration as he marched up to his divine son and put a hand on his shoulder firmly. His face somber as he continued in a low, comforting but firm tone. "I understand how you feel, Hermes. I really do. But enough has happened today. Let us focus on what needs to be done first. Then we can mourn, preferably with cooler heads."

"I second that opinion." Aunt Hestia said, even as she lightly held onto her hearth poker in a clear indication that she was open to violence should the need call for it.

"As much as I detest having to agree with Zeus of all people, I too agree with what he said." Uncle Hades echoed as well, very unsubtly planting the Sword of Hades in front of him and glaring at Hermes.

"Thank you, Hades." Zeus drolly retorted.

"Listen to them, Hermes." Apollo said as he came over and put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "You've made enough enemies in the last few minutes. Don't go around making more."

"I- But my son, Apollo." The messenger god sobbed as he hugged his brother. "My boy."

"I know, Bro, I know. Let it out." The sun god told him, holding him in a comforting embrace. As he did, he looked over Hermes' shoulder at Rhode, giving her an awkward smile.

Uncle Zeus sighed tiredly and turned to Apollo. "Is your throne-"

"It's a-okay Dad." The sun god replied. "I've got Hermes covered too. You can go back to fixing yours."

Uncle Zeus nodded and walked back over to his throne. Dad frowned, shooting Rhode a worried look but Mum put a reassuring hand on his arm and with a sigh of his own, he too walked back to his throne.

"Come with me, Rhode." Mum ordered kindly as she put an arm over Rhode's shoulders and guided her back towards where Percy and the others were clustered around where Uncle Hades and Persephone stood in a corner of the expansive hall across from them. "We best leave the Twelve to the repairs of their thrones."

Rhode just nodded. She'd caught what Uncle Zeus said earlier about how important doing that was so she understood where Mum was coming from. Distracting the Twelve from the important task was a bad idea.

They were halfway across the hall when suddenly Thalia and Su rushed through the doors.

At the sight of her wife, Rhode pulled free of her mother's light hold and marched up to Su, pulling her into a tight hug as soon as she was within reach.

The couple stood there, hugging each other for a minor eternity. Reassuring each other that they were both still alive and using the comforting presence of the other to unburden themselves, at least a little, of some of the tension that had built up during the course of the long battle.

"Can I go?" Rhode asked her Mum tiredly as she and Su finally pulled apart. She wanted to see her son, to hold him and rest after fighting for what felt like months all at once. While she hosted great endurance, especially thanks to Lord Thanatos' blessing, she was still mortal despite her divine blood and she was starting to feel utterly drained. "I-I want to see Theo. I need to see his face. I need to hold him."

Mum placed a hand on her cheek, pushing some blood and grime off with her thumb and looked at her with her kind and loving dark brown eyes. "Of course, dear. Just give me a moment-"

"Amphitrite, what are you doing? Rhode Evans must stay for the award ceremony." Uncle Zeus said, frowning towards the two as he finished fixing up his platinum throne.

Dad walked up to him, looking at him with an authoritative look. "As head of Rhode's house, I'll accept the reward on her behalf. As I am sure Demeter can do the same for Su. It has been a long battle, brother, let them have respite."

"Brother, I have a theme going here. She can leave once she gets it."

"You would keep mothers from their young son, especially when they have already been separated for months, husband?" Aunt Hera said with an irate frown.

Where Uncle Zeus seemed ready to challenge Mum and Dad, he lacked the same resolve to do the same in regards to his wife. Thus he quickly backpedaled. But he didn't do it happily.

"Fine, they may leave." He practically spat. "Rhode Evans, Su Li, I wish you both great things in the future, yada yada."

"Thank you, Lord Zeus." Rhode replied with a respectful bow regardless, with Su echoing her a second later.

Not only because she didn't want to insult her Uncle and earn his divine displeasure but also because she was genuinely feeling familial to the gods at the moment. Maybe it was because they had done their part in the battle? Something that they couldn't have been said to have done other times when their help was needed. Or maybe it was because she had seen how human Hermes' grief and Uncle Zeus and Apollo's response to it was? Whatever the reason, she honestly didn't want to ruin the sense of family, fleeting though it surely was, by being disrespectful and triggering her Uncle.

Mum wasn't feeling anywhere as generous towards the King of Olympus though and rolled her eyes even as she grabbed Rhode and Su's shoulders softly and the three of them teleported away in a sphere of energy that popped out of existence like a soap bubble.

Seconds later, Rhode found herself once more standing in Camp Half-Blood, where Lady Ariadne was waiting for them with Theo in her arms. The daughter of Poseidon couldn't help but smile as she rushed over to her baby and pulled him into her arms, feeling that everything would be okay.

"Time to go home, Theo." Su told their son from right behind her as she looked over Rhode's shoulder at their sleepy toddler.

Yes, it was time to head home. Far past time.

Two days after the end of the Battle of Manhattan, one of which Rhode and Su had spent almost the whole day in bed, the couple were in Theo's nursery in their Atlantean apartments watching their son sleep. Atlantis had been attacked when her Dad left to face Typhon, leaving much of its suburbs badly damaged by Oceanus. Thankfully, it was being repaired by Oceanus' forces now as per his punishment for siding with Kronos. There were a few other clauses, but Rhode hadn't been privy to them.

"So Rhode, have you had time to look over the various rewards that Lord Zeus and the other Olympian Twelve gave out?" Su asked quietly as they walked out of the nursery and headed out to their sitting room where they could talk without disturbing their son. "I read about it in the Atlantean Times this morning."

"While you were giving Theo his morning feeding?" Rhode asked with a frown as she scratched her head trying to figure out when Su had the time to do that when they'd been together the whole day.

"Helel held it for me." Su answered with a shrug as the both of them sat down around their coffee table and smiled in thanks at Estella as she poured them cups of tea.

"I see." Rhode said with an understanding nod. "And yeah, Dad chatted about it to me when he visited to check in on us after he got back from the Council meeting. Added in his opinions on what will likely happen long term with the more important boons too. Lord Zeus was feeling super generous. Then again, we did get rid of granddad."

"Oh? When I crashed?" Su asked as she sipped from her tea. "And it's really unfair that you could stay up and play with Theo because of Lord Thanatos' blessing."

"Yeah, that was one damned good blessing." Rhode agreed. "But back to the rewards. Did you hear that Percy rejected the Council's offer of godhood?"

Though she would admit, Percy declining godhood would have some consequences for him in the future. The gods would not look kindly at such a snub. Percy had basically said he didn't need to be a god to an entire pantheon. Still, his request would endear him to many of the minor gods.

"In exchange for his request, I think nothing less would have been enough to get the Twelve to agree." Su offered with a thoughtful hum. "Giving every minor god a Cabin of their own at Camp and the release of the more peaceful Titans that have been imprisoned since the First Titanomachy? Those were huge asks."

Rhode had to agree. Even Uncle Hades, perhaps the one god that Uncle Zeus was most unwilling to grant a Cabin in Camp, was getting his own. His Cabin was the first one to be built even! As it was, his son Nico was already working with Annabeth on the design. And releasing the peaceful Titans imprisoned since the First Titanomachy!? That was tantamount to the gods admitting that they had been wrong to imprison them in the first place or at least for as long as they had. Getting them to do that was almost impossible! So calling it "huge asks" was a massive understatement!

"But it needed to be done." Rhode said with a sigh. "If the gods actually follow through, it would get rid of a lot of the reasons that turned so many Half-bloods and minor gods against Olympus this time around."

"But at what cost?" Su asked with a frown. "I don't imagine that the request made Percy popular with the Council."

"No it didn't," Rhode confirmed. "It pissed most of them off something serious since it basically spelled out all the ways the gods had screwed up and contributed to the resentment that let the Titans amass the huge army that they had in the first place. Add that to how him rejecting godhood rankled more than one of the Twelve? Dad is pretty sure Percy is on quite a few shitlists now."

"Think they'll curse him?" Su asked warily.

"Curse the Hero of Olympus?" Rhode asked, even as she shook her head. "No. That'll be political suicide. It'll give their enemies an excuse to move against them. But if they find a chance in the future…"

"So warn Percy to be careful?"

"Yeah," Rhode agreed with a wary sigh, slouching in her seat. "More than usual anyways. I just hope he listens."

"Oh, he'll listen. It's getting him to take the warning to heart that's the difficult part."

Rhode winced. Su had hit the nail on the head. Like her Dad was so fond of saying, "the sea does not like to be restrained." As a result, all his kids suffered from a rebellious streak a mile wide. Percy was no different and whilst he respected her and Su enough to listen to their warnings, getting him to actually believe them and act in accordance to them would be no easy feat if it was possible at all.

"Onto happier things. At least Bethy is getting her dream job." Rhode said, a smile spreading across her face at what her little sister had achieved. She felt so proud of her. She was finally getting the chance to build the grand monuments of her dreams thanks to being awarded the right, at the suggestion of her mother Athena, to oversee the remodeling of Olympus as its new architect in the wake of the Crooked One's rampage through the city.

"I heard the gods are still dropping off suggestions for her to consider." Su giggled into her hand at the thought.

Yeah, that certainly sounded like the gods.

"She's not the only one getting suggestions," Rhode replied with an amused grin. "Grover is too. Apparently now that he's been appointed by Lord Dionysus as a member of the Council of Cloven Elders and a new Lord of the Wild, nature spirits have been dropping suggestions to him about how to improve the running of things."

"Poor Grover," Su said with a giggle. "He must hate all that stuffy bureaucratic stuff."

"Probably."

"Think Tyson will too?"

At the mention of her Cyclopean little brother, a big smile spread across Rhode's face. "I dunno but I doubt it. He does a lot of paperwork for his tinkering already. Approvals and requisitions for supplies and whatnot. Even if he does have trouble with it, I'm sure Dad will get him some help."

"Yeah, he would." Su agreed. "Who would've thought? Tyson, the General of the Cyclopes?"

"I know right!?" Rhode exclaimed, her grin growing even more broad. "I'm really proud of him."

"Well, he did lead the charge against Typhon that helped set up the Storm Giant's defeat."

The daughter of Poseidon winced, scowling at her wife. "Ugh, don't remind me! I had to scold him for being such a daft idiot for that stunt! Ugh, these brothers of mine. I'm going to go grey by thirty, Su."

"Well, while you would certainly be a smoking silver vixen, you already have some grey, love." Her darling wife teased with a titter.

Rhode huffed at the dig to her lock of grey. Stupid sky!

"And what did he ask for again? A big stick?" Su giggled more and Rhode felt the need to defend Tyson.

"He broke his club, it's not his fault he would want a new one." Rhode sniped back with a pout. Still, the idea of Uncle Zeus having to find the grandest of all 'sticks' for her Cyclops brother was hilarious.

"Must have been awkward for Lord Zeus," Su said with an amused grin. "Though I imagine what happened between him and Thalia was worse."

"The Times reported on it?" Rhode gasped, shocked that the Atlantean Times would dare report on what Dad had told her was the comical back and forth that had taken place between Rhode's sister and her father with the former not wanting anything and the latter offering one extravagant reward after another.

"Nope." Su said with a shake of her head. "But I know Thalia and she wouldn't have wanted the magical pouch that produced an unending supply of drachma she got. That she did… Well, I can only imagine she did so only after arguing with her father for a while and settling for the first halfway reasonable reward he tried to lump her with. And that can't have been anything but amusing."

"If Dad is to be believed, it was."

"Though, I wonder about the reward. Infinite drachma? I imagine Lord Zeus justified it as being ammo for her railgun technique, but…"

"Yeah, apparently Uncle Hades was especially annoyed with that. Dad said he was complaining about how providing a mortal with access to infinite wealth would lead to inflation. Sadly, the rest of the Council was too tired by that point to argue with Zeus over a 'minor' issue." Rhode said with a shake of her head, but still managed a smirk. "Though Thalia did manage to make some impressions with her Oaths."

"I bet she did. Swearing on the River Styx to only use the coins for her railgun and for emergencies must have endeared her to some of the Council. And agreeing to repay any drachma to the pouch she didn't use for her railgun? Inspired. I can just imagine Uncle Hades being especially gloaty to Uncle Zeus, in his own silent way, about his daughter having more sense than he did." Su said as she crossed her legs provocatively, giving Rhode a sly look as she did.

The green eyed girl just shook her head at her wife being all sultry and pressed ahead with the conversation. "And what about Bianca? What did you think about her reward?"

"Bianca asked for help gaining new Hunters, right? That's to be expected. They lost a lot of them during the war. Same with her asking for their fallen to be fast passed to Elysium for their sacrifice. I bet she got that okay in an instant."

"Uncle Hades is generous to his kids." Rhode agreed, probably because he liked getting thanked. According to Dad, Bianca had been quite surprised and enthusiastic in her thanks in response to her father's generosity. "I'm more surprised that the Council okayed her request for help recruiting new Hunters to replace the numbers they had lost during the war."

"They were probably worried about pissing off Artemis if they refused. She can be a bit…"

"Divine in attitude, yes." Rhode said, summarising Artemis as politely as she could and prompting the two of them to giggle.

"Still the Council aren't all like that," Su said with a grin. "They did end up rewarding our college age and older friends."

"Well, they had to." Rhode replied with a shrug. "They were either retired or never been Campers in the first place. They hadn't been expected to fight for Olympus but they had and so their contribution needed some kind of special recognition."

"Yeah," Su agreed, turning somber as she probably thought about some of the rewards that their friends had asked for. "Fergus and Atlanta asking for all the Campers and the spirits that gave everything they could for the gods to be memorialized and the gods using Lee as a template for said memorial… I have no words."

"Yeah, Dad said the Council knew who they were mainly talking about remembering. So they shaped the constellation like Lee. Throwing knives with fluttering sneakers across the heavens. That guy would have hammed it up." Rhode sighed, leaning her head back as a part of her just felt hollow knowing that Lee was gone. True they had gone their separate ways, but to each of the Hogwarts Trio, they were only an I.M. or Floo call away. To think that Lee wouldn't be there anymore… It was a loss that weighed heavily on her.

One that brought tears to her eyes even as she continued. "I'm just happy that he'll be remembered. That he'll serve as the symbol for all those who had fought and died for Olympus for as long as it stands."

"Em, Gaige and Penny certainly got the best deal on a personal level I think." Su offered with a somewhat forced laugh, trying to lift the mood. "I mean, what did they expect when they claimed they were perfectly happy with what they had after the reward Fergus and Atalanta received?"

"Still, Lord Hephestus making a proclamation certainly stirred things up. People all say he doesn't know a damned thing about dealing with other people. That he spends too much time with machines. But he proved everyone wrong. It certainly surprised everyone in the meeting according to Dad."

"It certainly surprised me when I read about it." Su agreed. "And Lady Aphrodite danced right after him, tossing in her own support for giving Emily and Gaige a boon because of course she did."

"It was a good reward." Rhode opined. "A new house to replace their apartment in California they lost to the Myrmidons? It must've been a relief to them. You know how they have been scrambling to find a new place to live ever since."

"And the bonuses attached are pretty incredible too. I mean, yes, being next to the Junkyard of the Gods and being forced to manage it probably isn't fun but being given leave, within reason, to recycle whatever they can salvage from the yard in exchange? Gaige and Penny must've loved it."

"That the house would magically conform to her every desire and have a divinely perfect kitchen complete with a staff of Aurae? That's gotta have made Emily happy. It will do wonders for her planned catering business."

"True. Though, I was really surprised by what Maud and Sue asked for." Su said with a sip of her tea. "Asking for Soteria to be restored to full godhood again? They really befriended her pretty fast."

Rhode nodded and Su continued. "Though it's a bummer that the Council can't restore her with their power. I dunno if I believe that. I mean if all it takes is her domain and name needing to be fanned, couldn't they do that? Though I guess them offering their support for the Soteria Sanctuaries Network of animal sanctuaries will help with that. And on another note, are they really sticking with that naming scheme?"

"Hey, if it works, it works." Rhode replied, pouting at her wife. She found it to be a good name. "The more they set up, the more Soteria's name spreads. And with the gods and the nature spirits chipping in, it's only a matter of time before she's restored. Especially with Grover on the case and acting as the SSN's rep on the Council of Cloven Elders. You know how dedicated he is to any mission he takes up."

Su could only nod at that, likely recalling Grover's devotion to locate Pan. A devotion that had ultimately led to his success where generations of Satyrs before him had failed.

"Lord Hermes must've gotten out of his funk by then. Or at least remembered he had more kids than just Luke." Su said, frowning mightily.

Rhode's wife had been particularly upset at the messenger god for his attitude at the Council. Especially after Rhode had told her about him threatening her with his Symbol of Power. Though a good chunk of her anger also stemmed from what was blindingly obvious to everyone but Hermes himself: that by obsessing over Luke, he was essentially ignoring all his loyal sons and daughters that had fought against the Titans and their sacrifices.

"It was too little, too late in my opinion but him asking for the Lillies' efforts to turn their home into a sanctuary for Half-bloods to be recognised and rewarded was a good thing."

"At least he remembered in the end. Not all the gods do." Rhode reminded her. "Though when they do… Well, you can't say the other gods don't jump on it. Thanks to that the SSN is going to be granted the status of satellite facilities of Camp Half-Blood and get divine blessings for protection."

"That is honestly amazing. Just think of all the lives they'll be able to save by offering traveling Half-bloods safe havens."

"If they find them." Rhode pointed out with a frown. "Might have to get word of mouth around or something, hm."

"And of course, by the time we left Camp, they finally got a new Oracle." Su huffed with a roll of her eyes. "We spent years having to deal with that old mummy and only when we leave do they get a proper one? Talk about unfair."

"I'm pretty sure the Fates don't care about things like being fair." Rhode said with a shrug. "They do like their contrived conveniences though. Seriously! Having that clear sighted mortal, Rachel, that Percy kept running into on Quests be the new Pythia? I dunno if that's them trying to do foreshadowing or just being lazy."

"I'll gamble on it being a little of both." Su said with a chuckle.

"Probably." Rhode said with a nod. "Though whatever the case, I'm just glad, thank Gram Gram, that we don't have to deal with the old mummy anymore."

"Oh, that reminds me. We should go visit her in the next week or so. I could try to contact Mother and you could get your Father to come with us? I know they might be busy, but I think Gram Gram would be really happy to see them." Su suggested with a tiny smile.

"Yeah, I'll try to talk him into it, but no promises." Rhode said noncommittally. It was a fine idea but sadly it might not work out given her Dad and mother-in-law's divine scheduling.

"At least she's coming to the wedding." Su said, smiling so brightly that Rhode felt all warm and fuzzy at the sight alone. Though the feeling was tempered by the mere thought of the wedding.

"Oh yeah, I don't think we're getting much say in it." Rhode said as she rested her face in her hands in frustration. Aunt Hera was certainly going all in with the whole wedding idea. Full force in fact.

And with Mum and Demeter hopping onto the chariot to plan the most spectacular victory wedding by the next month - They wanted a summer wedding -, Rhode was honestly worried about the whole thing being insane. Mum was over the moon at least. Though hopefully she'd keep her euphoria in check enough to keep Aunt Hera and Demeter from going too overboard, because the two of them had definitely forgotten the meaning of restraint.

"I think Mum and Aunt Demeter are still arguing over whether it should be a seaside wedding or a flower field wedding." The daughter of Poseidon said, a touch uneasy over the two mothers clashing over the venue. "Hopefully Aunt Hera can make them both happy."

"At least it's still better than Mother's first idea to have the wedding on Olympus and broadcast Live on Hephaestus TV." Su offered half-heartedly.

"Or Aunt Hera's suggestion for us to have it over Mount St. Helen's to symbolically mock Typhon."

They both winced at that particular idea.

"We really aren't going to have a say, will we?" Su said as they both thought about all the insane suggestions their wedding's organisers had thrown about.

"Against three goddesses? Nope."

"At least we get some say on the dresses. Read the portfolios in the morning?" The daughter of Demeter weakly suggested.

"Over breakfast, yes." Rhode said with a nod. "And the perfect honeymoon we get out of it is a good reason to put up with all this hassle."

"An all expenses paid, blessed round the world trip for us and Theo." Su said, blushing atomic red at just the mention about the trip, which was no surprise.

Her mother, Demeter, had apparently been the most excited about it, happily declaring at the Council meeting where the reward was decided upon that she hoped that by the time they got back from the trip she'd have at least two new grandbabies to spoil. Something that she knew the goddess of agriculture had communicated to her daughter. If there was one thing to be said about her mother-in-law, it was that she was very upfront with her expectations in regards to them producing grandchildren for her to spoil.

To change the topic - Because as fetching as Su looked blushing like that it couldn't be healthy to have so much blood rushing to her head to create that effect for long. - Rhode cleared her throat, getting her wife's attention. "We didn't just get our honeymoon covered in the reward. You did read further, right?"

"Didn't need to," Su said, her blush fading and replaced by that happy grin she had whenever she got going talking about her plants. It was a really adorable look that did wonders showing off her dimples. "The shipment of legendary plants they promised me arrived this morning. Seeds of the Lotophagi's lotus tree that I can use to grow flowers that can create time dilation or confusion effects. A clipping of a sister tree of the Golden Apples from the Garden of the Hesperides which according to the notes that came with it will produce silver apples which are essentially a budget version of Ambrosia or Nectar. And some bark samples from their sacred trees whose sturdiness I can duplicate to make all my plants more durable. It's all incredible! I can't wait to experiment with them."

Rhode smiled at Su's gushing, something that her wife noticed and caused her to defensively add. "Don't look at me like that. You got a private reward too, Rhode!"

"True," Rhode allowed. "Though if Dad is to be believed, I almost didn't."

"That's only because the gods had such a hard time coming up with something you didn't already have. You can't deny that you have most things a half-blood would want already." Su said with a roll of her eyes even as Rhode had the good grace to blush at the truth behind her wife's observation. "And they did come up with something in the end."

"You're exaggerating." She defended half-heartedly. "The real reason the gods had so much trouble is because that jerk Hermes was trying to sabotage the whole thing so I didn't get rewarded at all. And that just opened the door for others like Artemis to jump on the hate wagon. Really, what's with her? Voting against me just out of spite for my choices? What gives?"

"It's just typical Artemis, you know her reputation." Su offered comfortingly. "I'm sure no one really paid her any mind. She votes against anything that rewards romantic love or the results thereof, like children."

Which was true and honestly pretty ironic of a goddess of childbirth but then again, if things were left up to the goddess of the hunt all babies would be abandoned to nature after birth. It was a relief that she had as little influence as she did.

"True, but you calling my reward a private one is off the mark, Su. I mean it isn't even aimed at me. It's for Theo."

"Yes, but a blessing from the entirety of Olympus for him to have a long and happy life? Something that as a mother was perhaps the greatest gift you could receive? I think that's a perfect reward for you, no?"

"You're Theo's mother too. Isn't that right, Mama?" Rhode reminded her wife. "Doesn't that mean it's a reward for you too?"

"Never said it wasn't." Su said with a cheeky grin.

Rhode chuckled at that, though it shifted to a yawn halfway through.

"Alright, I'm shot. You?"

"I'm pretty tired."

"Then I declare this pretty couple is going to bed. It's been a long day, wife of mine."

Su smirked at her, coyishly twirling a piece of her hair. "Oh? Might I get a reward from my loving wife for being by her side throughout this whole war? Maybe by starting to work on the football team worth of grandchildren that Mother wants us to give her?"

Rhode rolled her eyes and with a pull, her wife squealed in surprise as she found herself in her lap where she proceeded to reward her with a passionate kiss. One that Su very eagerly returned. Her new asexuality meant she didn't get as much out of the kiss as her wife probably did, but the joy of bringing pleasure to her wife was more than enough for her. Honestly, it was overwhelming enough as it was. She couldn't even fathom how Su could think straight if it felt even better for her.

Once they broke apart, the child of the seas nuzzled Su's neck and whispered huskily. "Of course you can. You can have your way with me tonight. In any way you want."

"Even dress you up in that little french maid outfit I bought?" Su asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively with pink cheeks.

"I did say anything." Rhode reiterated with a smile.

With a downright perverted smile, Su wrapped herself around Rhode's arm and began dragging her out of the sitting room and towards their bedroom, passing their dining room along the way where Rhode caught a glimpse of but not acknowledging Pandora's Pithos that sat pride of place on the mantle of the fireplace in the room.

"Oh~! I have so many things I want to try." Su said with a downright perverse giggle. "You spoil me, Rhode."

This wife of mine...

"Isn't that a wife's duty?" Rhode asked with a grin as they stepped into their bedroom and Su had Helel shut the door behind them. They had the baby monitor set up, so a little privacy wouldn't get in the way of them hearing Theo if he needed them.

"Yes, it is." Su said with another perverse giggle. "So, why don't you do your duty, Sweetie, and strip!"

"As my wife commands~" Rhode said with a smile as she obeyed.

Thus passed one of the most passionate nights of the couple's lives.

Done and done! Thanks to Nameless and Axios as always!

And we did it! Wow! After so long... It feels like it has been forever! Book 3 of The Unrelenting Frozen Seas is done! It's been practically a decade since I started fanfics, I think most of the Heroine verse is going into nearly 8 years? Wow. It's nuts folks. Thank you all for the fantastic support and to Nameless for being the best co-writer a guy could ask for. Now, onto the good stuff!

Nameless: It's been a pleasure E4E! And yes, this has been a long time coming. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with us along the way and those who have hopped aboard along the way as well. All the help we've received over the years and just knowing that we've entertained some people has been a great motivator to keep going. Hopefully, we'll keep being able to entertain everyone as we finish off the series with the HOO arcs.

The blessings were actually pretty tough to come up with for some of the folks. I mean, in canon, the OG cast got most of it, but there were plenty of other players that were just overlooked. So we expanded upon it and really played up the good and the bad of the gods with it. Hope you all liked it.

Nameless: And we also left things ambiguous as to whether what was covered in the conversation was the limit of the rewards. After all, Rhode and Su only stopped talking so they could go work on making Theo some siblings, not because they covered everything. Right? Well, we covered the important rewards anyways. The rest would be for more minor parties like say the Party Ponies, etc. People who deserved a reward but were either not important enough to Rhode and Su or the story for us to bother coming up with a reward for them. XP

You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!