4 Months later.
The man in black pushed the door to the nursery open, and slid inside. Despite his wide frame and rough demeanor, his thick soled combat boots made barely a squeak on the tile floor as he walked down row after row of babies.
Most were asleep, one or two were fussing and mewling in that babish way that just got under his skin, but he didn't have eyes for them. He marched through the ward, light reflecting lightly off the skin peeking through his short dark hair. His hands went into the pockets of his jacket as he walked, his eyes roving from name to name on the end of the babies' incubating cribs. He found the one he was looking for and stood over it, his sunglasses covered eyes peering down into the cradle. It was a far sight nicer than what they had had in his day, though back in his day several children would've been happy not to be thrown to the wolves covered in honey. Even the smallest improvements would've seemed huge in comparison to that.
The lump of flesh inside the crib grumbled to itself, swaddled in a blue blanket with a little blue beanie, only his pinched little red face sticking out. The man grimaced. He didn't like babies, they always seemed so…unfinished to him. The pale mass of pink flesh and barely opened eyes had yet to give way to the muscular, powerful men and women who could crush skulls under their boot, or put a bullet through the heart of the poor dumb fool standing in their way. Still, he made this pilgrimage at least once a year to look down at these little mewling things to gauge their worth. A good number of them were disappointments, some grew into real surprises, but he hadn't made this particular type of trip in at least 2 centuries.
"Excuse me sir, but you can't be in-!" The nurse was silenced with one look from him, the fiery glow from behind his shades visible even from that distance.
"There a problem?" Ares asked in a low growl.
"N-n-no sir! No problem!" Squeaked the nurse, standing stiff as a board.
"Good. Why don't you be a doll and give me and the kid some space?" He asked in such a way that made it clear he wasn't giving her the option of declining. Without another word she turned and hurried off to the other end of the nursery, leaving him alone with the little boy in the crib. The kid had actually opened his eyes, awoken by the sound of Ares' gruff voice. Ares looked down at him, staring through the tinted plastic of his sunglasses. His mind flashed back to nearly three decades before, when he was staring down at this boy's mother in the same way he was looking down at him now. She had been crying up a storm, angry little fists flailing, face pinched and red, she had even gotten so worked up she had needed a diaper change by the end of things.
This child by contrast was calm, staring up at Ares with a strange look that Ares rarely saw on an infant, that of determination mixed with healthy amounts of confusion, and irritation. Those last two were of no big surprise, he had only been in the world for about eight hours by Ares' reckoning, everything was a confusing mess to him at that moment, and there was no doubt that the god of war was interrupting a nap that was sorely needed after the trial of birth. The determination, however, was not something that Ares saw that often, not even with his own kids at that age. It was a look that said 'Either you let me sleep or I'm going to knock out your teeth and then go back to sleep'. Ares liked it immediately.
A small smile tugged at the edge of Ares's lips, the surprise thrill of grandparenthood flooding him like a burst water line. He reached in and brought a careful finger up to the boy's chest. The boy's little hand reached out and grabbed a hold of the digit, squeezing it tighter than Ares would've thought and bringing it up to his mouth. The boy began to gum on Ares's fingertip with the same determination as a starving dog with a bone, trying to get anything from the proffered appendage despite the lack of teeth on his part.
"Yeah…you're a good kid." Ares mused "Tough as nails. Runs in your family." He looked down at the little medical bracelet attached to the boy's wrist.
"McDonnell, Edward." Ares read aloud, "Not the name I would've picked."
"Not the name Jazz would've picked either. I had to really work to talk her out of Leonidas." Ares turned to find Melody standing in the doorway, a small smirk on her face.
"Had a feeling you'd show up." She said with a chuckle "You big softy."
Ares let out a small chuckle of his own. Not many could get away with calling him a softy, but if there was anyone who could it would be Melody. He pulled his hands out of the crib, giving little Eddy one more brush of the head. He was so little, so fragile…Ares hated it so much. In a few quick strides he fell into line next to Melody, barely an inch difference in their height.
"Did you check to see if he's got a good future?" Melody teased.
"You know that's not how I do things." Ares grunted, letting Melody lead him to a small sitting area. He was more of a here and now sort of god, the future was for deities like Apollo to worry about. But that didn't mean he hadn't been checking.
"He's a strong kid. I think he's going to do some amazing things if he's raised right." Ares confessed.
"Nothing to worry about there. He's got a strong mom. She'll put him on the right path." Melody slipped a hand into his. "She gets that from you."
"We both know that's a lie!" Ares snorted "The only thing she got from me was anger issues and a dislike for authority. You're the one who raised her right."
He squeezed her hand with a surprising gentleness. Had the other gods been able to see him at that moment they would've been surprised by the wistful expression on his face…well all except Aphrodite. Not only had she seen the look herself before, she had always made it a point to watch Ares's interactions with mortals. Melody and Ares had always been one of her favorite ships. They were just so sweet together!
"How is she, by the way?" Ares asked.
"That girl!" Melody groaned with a shake of her head. "She's already trying to get out of bed to head home! As if she hadn't just pushed a whole person out of her! I had to point out that Sean needed medical attention anyway, so she might as well wait until they discharge him so the three of them can go home together."
"What happened to him?" Ares asked.
"He was in the delivery room with her. He was trying to comfort her by holding her hand and she ended up breaking three of his fingers and dislocating his left wrist." Melody explained.
"That's my girl!" Ares laughed. "How long did he stay after she snapped them?"
"Long enough to hold Eddy, if that's what you're asking. He got to hold him for about twenty minutes with the good arm and then the doctors finally talked him into getting his hand treated." Ares gave his ultimate sign of approval, a small snort and a nod of his head. It was more than Ares had really expected of Sean, he was not only impressed, but proud that Jazz had picked a good one…or that her grip was strong enough to keep him from running. Either way, he was proud.
Melody let out a little sigh and leaned against the god of war. He could feel the slight shift in her mood, the change as something dark floated its way into her mind.
"You okay?" He asked gruffly, really the only way he knew how to ask after someone's feelings.
"It's just… I missed so much of Jazz's childhood because of mom. All the fights, the trouble she'd get in, the schools, Camp…It feels like every time I turned around I found out I missed something else. I'm just glad I didn't have to miss this one too." Melody explains. Ares fought back a savage smile. Now was neither the time nor the place to tell Melody about her mother's final journey, not that there was ever a good time to tell someone of that particular trip. Usually it was either Thanatos or Hermes's job to escort the souls of the dead to Charon's boat, but on certain special occasions Ares volunteered for it. He had personally escorted the hateful old woman all the way to the river, paid her fare for her, and stood there as a witness to her trial in front of the judges. Maybe one day he'd tell her that her witch of a mother was currently serving time in the Fields of Punishment, but that wouldn't be on the day of their grandson's birth.
"Yeah, you kinda messed up the whole normal childhood thing." Ares confirmed "But it wasn't like she was going to have a normal life anyway. You did keep her safe, though and only monsters with a death wish go after Demigods her age. I don't think you'll miss anything else."
"Mmm…" Melody hummed, unconvinced.
"...You're a great mom, and you'll make a great grandma." Ares said, giving her hand a squeeze. It was really hard for him to be encouraging like this…
"Ugh!" Melody groaned playfully "Don't call me grandma! You're making me feel old!"
"There's nothing wrong with that!" Ares laughed, giving Melody a side armed squeeze. "Being old means you're a survivor, and that's hot as hell!"
Melody blushed, but she couldn't help but giggle. He might've been an idiot, he might be a brute, but for the time being he was her idiot and brute. She sighed and leaned against the God of War.
"I love you." Melody said with a smile. Ares shifted uncomfortably. Those three little words…that struck him right between the ribs. He felt the need to confess rising like bile in his throat. Not to his parents, not to the council…to this mortal who he loved. He could feel the lump in his back pocket and the cold metal pen pressed up against his leg. It'd be so easy to tell her…then he'd be able to get this stupid weight of guilt off his chest!
"I…" As Ares began to speak, cold dread flooded his mind and a voice whispered in his ear.
"Don't you say a word! We're so close! The transportation is being arranged at this very moment!" It hissed. "If you say anything, your chance to fight, the glory, all of it will be gone, and every single one of your children…and grandchildren, will suffer. I will make sure of it! Stay the course!"
Ares fought a smile back onto his face, despite the burning rage those words had sparked. He squeezed Melody back.
"I love you too…"