Percy PoV
Timing was a bitch.Of course, the day Artemis was due to give birth, there was an emergency meeting.
As we discussed strategies to topple the throne of Zeus, Levi barged in, huffing and panting.
"Levi, breath man, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Artemis," he panted. "In your office...water broke..."
I was out the door before anyone could utter a word.
When I arrived in my office, Artemis was clutching her swollen stomach in pain.
I rushed her to the hospital and got her to a room, where a doctor and several nurses got things ready.
Artemis screamed in pain as the first contraction hit.
I held her hand, and she squeezed it tightly.
"You can do it," I encouraged. "Push, Artemis!"
Several hours later, Artemis was holding a beautiful baby girl in her arms.
A square of ambrosia quickly healed my hand, which my wife had broken while in labour.
A small price to pay, considering that I wasn't the one that pushed a screaming, watermelon-sized being out of my body.
I took the baby, Cassandra, into my arms and allowing Artemis to rest.
The next few days were spent restless, tending to her every need.
I tried to do most of the work, giving my wife a break to recover from giving birth.
Babies are a lot of work. I made breakfast for Artemis and myself as she breastfed baby Cassandra, named after my mother, who preferred Sally.
Setting down the blue pancakes on the table, I put a towel over my shoulder and walked around the table, lightly bouncing the baby up and down.
After Cassandra had burped a couple of times, I sat down next to Artemis and kissed my daughter's forehead. "Daddy loves you, little one."
I set her in the high chair between her mother and me, proceeding to munch on blue pancakes as the newborn sucked happily on her pacifier.
The next few weeks were happy ones, and soon there were pictures of the three of us hung around the apartment.
Being a goddess, Cassandra matured a little bit faster.
Meaning at the age of six weeks, the infant could walk, as well as sound out a couple of words.
I had finished changing my daughter's diaper, and was met with one of the worst things that could be in my living room.
An Olympian.
Holding a framed family picture.
"What have you done to my sister?" The goddess demanded.
"Don't raise your voice," I spoke softly. "You'll startle Cassandra. Artemis is in the kitchen."
"Was in the kitchen," my wife interjected, appearing out of nowhere and taking the baby.
"Artemis, what's happened to you?" Athena asked.
My loving wife sighed. "It's a long story. Would you like a drink?"
I went off to fetch three glasses of cold nectar and a baby bottle with warm nectar in it.
I set the drinks down on the coffee table and sat down next to my wife, across from Athena.
This would be a long conversation. As Artemis and I took turns explaining how things ended up the way they did, Cassandra decided to cry.
"She's hungry," my wife determined, looking up at her sister. "Do you mind me breastfeeding her?"
Athena shook her head, shocked at the sight of Artemis the chaste nursing the infant.
Cassandra put her tiny hands on her mother's breast, sucking on the nipple and drinking the breast milk as my wife lactated.
After having her full, Cassandra burped and fell asleep on her mother's shoulder.
Artemis cradled the sleeping baby, silently carrying her to the nursery where her crib waited.
As the goddess returned, I took her hand. "You should rest, love. You only gave birth six weeks ago. Parenting takes a lot out of you, and you've been doing so much more than I have."
Artemis leaned over and kissed my cheek before heading back to our bedroom to rest.
Athena looked over at me suspiciously. "You love her, don't you?"
I nodded. "I love Artemis with all my heart, and I love Cassandra just as much."
"You know that you've been cast in the worst of lights back on Olympus, correct?" Athena clarified.
I nodded. "You don't think he's pissed at me for stealing his daughter away, do you? To be honest, he probably is. He's just more worried about when I'm going to dethrone him."
"Why exactly do you want to dethrone him?" Athena asked.
I took a deep breath. "After the second Giant War, I went to visit my mother. She and her husband Paul were murdered by my ex-fiancé. I later learned that this action was sanctioned by Zeus. They had thought I might not accept godhood if I still had a mortal family. Now Zeus is afraid of me because of my power and motive for justice."
Athena nodded solemnly. "I was aware that Zeus was blowing things out of proportion, lying even, but never this. Zeus has been in power far too long, and his lust for power is evident."
"Do the other Olympians share your views?" I asked carefully.
"Yes, but they would never stand up to Zeus without knowing there were others to stand by them. If I were to return and tell them of what has occurred during a council meeting, they would be aware," the owl goddess suggested.
I nodded. "Something you should know, I want justice and vengeance for my mother, but my living family is the top priority."
There was a wail from the nursery and I smiled. My daughter had a strong set of lungs in her.
I got up and picked Cassandra up from her crib. "Hush, baby. Don't want to wake mommy, do you?"
Her eyes sparkled at the mention of her mother, and I quietly pushed open the door that connected the nursery to the master bedroom.
Pointing to the sleeping figure on the bed, I kissed the infant's forehead. "That's your mommy, Cassandra."
Artemis awoke shortly after, gravitating toward her child.
I kissed her forehead. "We didn't wake you, did we?"
My wife shook her head, taking her firstborn into her arms.
The family walked back out to find their guest studying the architecture of the apartment.
"Astounding, no?" Percy asked.
Athena snapped back into reality, nodding. "Yeah, it's incredible. A mixture of styles from around the world. How did you manage?"
I shrugged. "I wanted the best elements from around the world."
Then I heard Cassandra start to giggle, and my attention was immediately caught.
I stood behind my lover, arms around her waist as she cradled our child.
Cassandra sucked happily on her pacifier, content with staying in her mother's arms.
A few minutes of peaceful silence later, the baby spat out her pacifier and grabbed her mother's shirt.
"Ma-ma," the infant sounded.
Artemis kissed her forehead. "Yes, baby. I'm your mama."
I kissed my wife's cheek. "Her first words. Mama."
"Thank you so much," she whispered. "For giving me this child to love as my own."
