Astro had only ever required about three or four hours of sleep to be able to function properly. Honestly he didn't really need that much. If could go two or three days before he actually got tired enough to require the usual full eight hours. But he always figured better safe than sorry. He didn't want to be caught on an off day and end up regretting it.
So he spent the other hours of the night working on his hobbies. Making sure his garden was well taken care off, taking Sear on a late night flight, practicing with his guitar. It was a pretty normal night until a certain unwanted guest showed up.
"What do you want?"
Hera sighed as he stood before the young Titan. This visit had honestly been long overdue, but there just wasn't any putting it off any longer. She couldn't come when he was with his sister of the Vanguard. She wasn't keen on being seen by any mortals, let alone her grandchildren and his friends.
And while Nia was one of the exceptions to the rules because of her heritage… well, she was worried the girl wasn't quite going to be able to be discreet enough about all of this. "I'm guessing your father told you about our little meeting?" she asked. "So you already know who I am then?"
"What do you want?" Astro repeated as he kept strumming his guitar.
She narrowed her eyes. As the newest Hera, she'd had pretty much no experience dealing with Titans. But from what the other deities told her, they were all stubborn and difficult to handle. "I'm here to talk to you about your interaction with your friends."
Astro scoffed. "I'm not a god. There's no rule saying I can't interact with mortals."
"I know that," she said holding her hand up. "And I'm not expecting you to stop interacting with them. But given who you are and what you're capable of, I just think that we need to take some precautions. Your sister is one thing. She's from Oberon's family, so she's out of my jurisdiction. But you-"
"Are NOT a god," Astro said, finally bothering to look up at her. "Which means I don't have to answer you. I don't know what it is you're so worried about, and honestly I don't care. I don't want to be involved in it. Go away and leave me alone."
Hera glared down at him. "Alright, listen," she said pointing at him. "I understand your situation, and I'm trying to be reasonable here. But you have to meet me halfway. This isn't your dimension, and there are a lot of other deities that would be disturbed by the presence of a Titan, especially Typhon's son, here on Earth. As you may know, your father had quite a reputation. I'm trying to help you avoid trouble."
The boy grunted. "That was over a thousand years ago, and it has nothing to do with me. So go back and tell them they have nothing to worry about."
"I'm not sure you understand just how deep feuds like this can go," Hera said shaking her head. "For me and you this is ancient history. Things that happened thousands of years ago. But for some of the other gods it might as well have happened yesterday. They don't care if you have nothing to do with it. You're still Typhon's son."
"I may command all of the gods and creatures in my pantheon, but I can't keep tabs on all of them. If someone finds out you're here, then I can't guarantee your safety."
Astro balled his fist up. "I guarantee my safety myself…"
"You need to think carefully about how to move here," she warned. "Picking the wrong battle could be seen as a declaration of war. Do you really want your friends getting caught in the crosshairs because you were too stubborn to take my advice?"
The prince grit his teeth, looking down at the floor. After what had happened with Oberon, getting them mixed up in something else from his own personal family business didn't seem right. "What are you suggesting then?" he asked.
Hera sighed. So he was a bit more reasonable than his father it seemed. "Right. Like I said, I don't want to stop you from interacting with your friends. But in order to keep you from being discovered, you have to blend in. And with how powerful you are that just isn't going to happen. So I think using a magic seal to limit your abilities will-"
Astro's eyes widened, and then he glared. The very moment he heard the word seal, his mind flashed back to his younger days. The pain of suppressing his monster form, both physical and emotional. His horns, his tail, his teeth. "No seals!" he said sternly.
"Listen, it will-"
"NO SEALS!"
He let out an animal like growl towards her, his eyes turning to black as he stood up and bared his teeth at her. Sear's head shot up at the sudden commotion, and the dragon quickly growled as he spotted the unfamiliar looking blond who was standing off against his brother.
Hera kept an even look on her face. Right now the boy looked more like a wild animal than a person. "You need to calm down…" She said warningly.
Astro kept glaring at her, but let out a breath. His eyes turned back to normal, and he sat back down on his bed. Sear seemed to calm down as well, but he kept his eyes locked on the goddess.
"I'm not putting a seal on myself. Not again," he said sternly. "I won't make any move against your pantheon or any of the other gods, but I'm not just going to scurry back to Mewni, and I'm not going to limit my own power just to make them feel safer."
Hera shook her head. "Really? I know you made a promise with the Vanguard, but you'd still be more than powerful enough to deal with anything they faced."
"I'm not a dog to be leashed," he said as Sear walked over and placed his head in his lap. "I'll try not to stand out too much. But that's it. If anything gets started, then it won't be from me."
Hera ran a hand on her face. She didn't know if he stubbornness was from him being a Titan, a teenage boy, or a combination of both. "Fine. If that's really how you're going to be, I can't force you. But you should know you NEED to watch your step. Your father… he's caused a lot of bad blood when a lot of the Greek Gods and Goddess."
"My father made a lot of bad blood with a lot of people. I've been dealing with it pretty much since I've been born. I'll deal with this too," he assured.
"And what happens when the worst comes then?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Astro kept staring down towards Sear. What would happen if the worse came? If somehow he got the Earth deities all riled up and they all came after him? "Then… I guess I'm just gonna have to deal with them too," he said cupping Sear face.
Hera looked at him surprised. "You… you're smiling…"
Astro hummed, not realizing that as he had said the words, a wide smile had spread across his face. "Oh, sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I guess I was just… I was thinking about something else. It's nothing."
Hera kept staring at him, a weary expression on her face. Right now she couldn't help but notice just how much he looked like his father…
"Right. I'll… I'll be watching. We'll talk again."
"Do we have to?"
"Just lay low."
A/N: Astro and Hera having a little chat! And a bit of foreshadowing for WAY down the line!