And here's Chapter 3! This one takes place after Jaune and Pyrrha are married. I gotta say, this fic has been a fun exercise for me. I should have started taking commissions sooner! Enjoy.

"Are you sure?" Jaune's eyes were shining and his smile didn't look capable of getting any wider. "Like really, really sure?"

Pyrrha nodded patiently, her own face alight with happiness. "Yes, Jaune. I'm positive." I'm a goddess of sex and fertility. I'd better be sure, she added silently.

Jaune immediately pulled her into a hug, picking her up in his enthusiasm. "I can't believe it!" He twirled her around a few times, laughing joyously before placing her on the ground. "Ah, sorry. I shouldn't be too rough, huh?"

"It's fine," Pyrrha assured him, kissing his cheek. "I'm just glad you're as excited as I am."

"Why wouldn't I be?! Oh! Ren and Nora are outside. We gotta tell them! Come on!" He ran out of the room. "Ren! Nora! I'm gonna be a dad!" A door slammed halfway down the hallway.

"That's the closet, sweetie," Pyrrha called after him. She chuckled fondly when she heard a muffled noise of embarrassment followed by the door opening and closing again. The sound of footsteps faded and she placed a hand on her abdomen, over her womb.

As a goddess of war as well as love, Pyrrha was no stranger to fear. Still, the terror that one felt on the battlefield was an entirely different thing from what she had felt when she first realized what she was carrying within her. For millennia, she had been a being prayed to by mothers all across Remnant. She had seen countless children born into the world. When the children were a result of a love like hers and Jaune's, it was an occasion to be celebrated.

Yet, she herself had never held a child within her. The times when a god or goddess had children were few and far between. It was more likely to happen when a male god found a human female he fancied. There were some times when a goddess would become pregnant, and that would usually end with her returning to Heaven and inducting the baby as a minor deity of some kind.

That was what was supposed to happen, anyway.

It had been ten years since her initial decision to come to Remnant, and she was starting to push the limit of what was acceptable for a deity's vacation. The problem was that this was no longer a simple getaway from the pressures of being a goddess. This had become her life.

She and Jaune had gotten married after college. She had a teaching degree and had managed to secure a job as an elementary school history teacher. Jaune and Ren had partnered up to create their first video game. It was making a killing on Steam, and the two were already working on a sequel. Nora had married Ren a year after Jaune and Pyrrha's wedding, and was now working as a gym teacher at the school Pyrrha taught at.

And now, there was this baby.

Pyrrha shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. You can think about this later, she told herself firmly. Today, go celebrate with your friends. She started toward the door when a bright glow behind her and the sensed presence of four divine beings stopped her. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before turning around. "Hello."

Standing before her were the four goddesses she had been closest to during her time in Heaven: Ruby, Goddess of Death and the Harvest; Yang, Goddess of the Sun and of Merriment; Weiss, Goddess of Winter and Music; and Blake, Goddess of Knowledge and Justice.

It had been years since her last meeting with her fellow deities and she was momentarily put off by the amorphous nature of their forms. Ruby held her distinctive scythe and wore her red cloak, but was otherwise an ever-shifting entity. Yang looked like a brand of sunlight made flesh standing in the room. Weiss was a vision of swirling snow, her misty eyes glaring reproachfully at Pyrrha. Blake was a simple, dark figure with bright eyes. She appeared the most calm out of the four.

When none of them spoke, Pyrrha sighed. "You know, I suppose."

"Know what, exactly?" Weiss snapped. "That you're going to bring a demigod into the world and hadn't planned on telling us? That you let yourself get attached to the mortals? That this has gone far longer than it should have?"

Pyrrha winced, staring guiltily at the ground. "I was going to tell everyone eventually…"

"I know you're lying," Weiss said, shaking her head. "You were going to let it be born here, even though the children of goddesses are supposed to be divine."

"She," Pyrrha interrupted. "It's going to be a girl."

"Aw! Have you thought of a name yet?" Ruby asked before a cold look from Weiss caused her to make a coughing noise. "Uh, I mean… Pyrrha, you know why we're here, right?"

"You want to take me back." It wasn't a question.

"We asked to be the ones to do it," Yang said. "We figured this wouldn't be easy for you. It's better to have friends doing this than some hard-ass Council member."

Pyrrha took a step back, shaking her head. She instinctively wanted to bolt for the door, but that wouldn't do any good. Once one of her fellow goddesses touched her, she'd be back in Heaven before she could blink. "Please don't take me away. Not now!" she begged. "I can't leave Jaune like this."

"I should have warned you not to get too involved," Blake muttered, moving forward. "It's too easy to get absorbed into mortal life if you don't know what you're doing."

Pyrrha dodged Blake's hand. "Look, if you just gave me more time-"

"How much more time? Ten years? A century?" Weiss shook her head. "No, the people have been without their goddess for too long. You're needed."

"They don't even worship me anymore!" Pyrrha said, glaring at Weiss. That was one of many things she had learned while studying folklore. Beings like her were little more than fictional characters in the present. "What good am I to them now? No one believes in the old gods and goddesses. The only ones who worship me are the others in Heaven, and I'm tired of it!" She spread her hands out. "Here, I'm more than a myth. I'm a friend, a wife, and a teacher. I want to be a mother as well."

"You can be a mother to the girl in Heaven."

"You know what I meant! I don't want this to end. I'm staying here!"

There was a long, cold silence as soon as those words were uttered. The four goddesses looked at each other while Pyrrha realized the implications of what she had just said. Before she could say anything else, she heard footsteps followed by the turning of a doorknob. The four started to retreat, but Pyrrha found herself raising a hand, signaling them to stay. I suppose it's time for him to know, she reasoned as the door opened.

"Pyrene, why are you still- OH MY GOD!" Jaune's eyes grew wide as he stared at the four figures in the room. Immediately, he stepped into the room, grabbing Pyrrha and shoving her behind him. "Okay, whatever you are, back off!" He glanced at Pyrrha. "Go downstairs and tell Ren to call the cops," he whispered.

"Jaune, it's okay," Pyrrha said. "They're not going to hurt us."

"Huh?" Jaune stared at her. "How do you know that?! What even are they?"

"Chill out, mortal," Yang groaned. "Seriously Pyrrha, did you have to pick the wimpiest human you could find?"

"He is not a wimp, thank you!" Pyrrha snapped, her eyes flashing.

Jaune's mouth was opening and closing like that of a fish out of water. He quickly shook himself at the sound of Pyrrha's voice, however. "Okay, I want the four of you to take a few steps back. Pyrene, you can- Wait, what did that one call you?" He stared at her, brows furrowed with confusion.

Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's chest, shooting an angry look at Yang before turning to him. "She called me by my name. Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha? As in the Goddess of Love? Why would-?" Jaune suddenly stopped, a look of realization dawning on his face as he turned to look at the four figures. He squinted. As he did so, the four solidified their forms so that they looked like the pictures in Pyrrha's history books, which was where Jaune generally saw images of them. He stared, his eyes growing wider and his whole body starting to tremble.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha grabbed his arm, wondering if he was about to faint. "Jaune, are you okay?"

Jaune stared at Pyrrha. "D-Do you mean that you're…? You're…?"

Pyrrha closed her eyes and allowed her glow to emanate fully. This time, there was no way for her husband to miss the outline of gold that surrounded her. "I'm sorry, Jaune."

Jaune's knees grew weak and he quickly moved away from Pyrrha so he could sit on a nearby chair. He stared at the ground, shaking his head slowly. "So… So, I'm married to a goddess."

"I'm so sorry," Pyrrha repeated, hanging her head. Then, a surprising sound reached her ear: breathless laughter. She looked up to see Jaune flashing a bemused grin in her direction.

"That…is freaking awesome!"

Pyrrha blinked. "Wait, you're not mad?"

Jaune shook his head. "Of course I'm not mad! This is all just a lot to take in, you know?" He started to stand up before looking at the four goddesses. "Uh, I'm just gonna stay sitting so I don't pass out." He sank down again.

He ran a hand through his hair before clearing his throat and addressing the four in what was obviously supposed to be a casual voice. "So, uh, are you here to visit, or something? If you, uh, made yourselves more solid, I guess you could come with us to dinner."

"He's nice, Pyrrha," Ruby commented. "I like him."

"We're not here for dinner," Weiss cut in. Pyrrha noticed that the Winter Goddess's voice had taken on a slightly gentler tone, for which she was grateful. "We have come to take Pyrrha home."

"Home?" Jaune looked confused before his face turned very pale. "Oh, uh…wh-when will she be back?" He looked at Pyrrha. "She's coming back, right? This is just some kind of goddess party thing, right?" He stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Right, sweetie?"

"She won't be coming back," Blake said. "Unless she plans on elaborating on her earlier statement." She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"No!" Weiss said before Pyrrha could speak. "It's out of the question. Once she's in Heaven, she'll realize how terrible of an idea that is. Nothing is worth death! Not for us!"

"What are they talking about?" Jaune asked, his eyes taking on a panicked shine. "You're not going away forever, are you?" His grip on her shoulder tightened. "Pyrene, I don't know what I'd do if-"

Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's mouth. "Hush," she murmured. Listening to her bickering friends and her worried husband, she was surer than ever of what she was going to say. She cleared her throat loudly to get the goddesses' attention. "I wish to remain on Remnant as a mortal."

The four stared at her. After a moment, Ruby spoke. "Pyrrha, you know what that means, right?" she whispered. "You'll die one day."

"I'm aware," Pyrrha replied, pushing down the primal fear that rose in her at the thought.

"When mortals die, they go to a place where even I can't follow," Ruby continued. "I don't know what happens after I harvest them. No one does."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm confident that they don't just disappear." Mortals were too incredible to just vanish after death. Of this, Pyrrha was sure. "I don't want to leave, and I am willing to pay the price."

"Hold on." It wasn't a goddess, but Jaune who spoke. "Could you, uh, ladies give us a moment?"

He pulled Pyrrha into the hallway, closing the door. "Pyrene, or Pyrrha, you don't have to do this. Goddesses live for eternity, right? You shouldn't give up your whole life for me." He swallowed loudly, and Pyrrha could see that there were tears in his eyes. "Just…Just go home and…take good care of the baby. Try not to forget me, okay?"

"Jaune." Pyrrha placed a hand on her husband's cheek. In that moment, she loved him more than she ever had before. "You have given me more happiness in ten years than I ever felt as a goddess. Living as a mortal has given me purpose outside of being worshipped as some vague entity. It has given me friends who see me for who I am, not for what I did thousands of years ago. This is what I want." She leaned up and kissed his lips softly. "Is it what you want?"

Jaune sniffled loudly before pulling her into a hug. "I-If you're sure," he murmured. "I don't want you to go, b-but I wanted you to know that I wouldn't have stopped you."

"I know." Pyrrha held him tightly. "I love you so much."

After a moment, they heard an impatient noise from the room and quickly went back in. Pyrrha stood in front of the four and bowed her head.

It was Blake who walked up to her, placing a hand on her friend's forehead. "I take it you aren't going to change your mind."

"I've made my decision," Pyrrha replied firmly.

"Very well."

Pyrrha felt her divine glow seeping fully from her body, surrounding her with a halo of radiance. Then, she felt something she had never felt before: as it emanated from her, it vanished. Her eyes widened as the strength she was so used to was sapped away, making her knees shake. Her ability to sense emotions dwindled until that part of her mind felt nearly blank. The part of her that healed any wound she sustained and knew the answer to every question vanished. When Blake withdrew her hand, Pyrrha felt like little more than an empty husk.

Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the four goddesses vanished. Pyrrha swayed back and forth for a moment before two familiar, warm hands steadied her.

Jaune was looking at her, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?"

Pyrrha slumped against his chest and started to sob, clinging to his shirt as her tears soaked it. She felt his arms wrapping tightly around her and cried harder. "I…I'm fine, Jaune," she hiccupped between sobs. "I just…I've never felt so weak before…" She had admired mortals for years while taking her own nature for granted. She hadn't expected this transformation to come with such an overwhelming sense of loss.

"Can you call them back?" Jaune asked, his voice cracking. "I'm sure it's not too late to-"

"No!" Pyrrha said, sniffing as she tried to regain her composure. "No, Jaune. I haven't changed my mind. I just…" She shook her head. "I need to get used to this."

"Seems like we both have a lot to get used to," Jaune muttered. "Want me to call Ren and Nora and tell them to postpone dinner till tomorrow?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes. I think that would be best."

Jaune helped her to the bed before running outside to talk to Ren and Nora. He was back in the room minutes later. He sat down next to her, running a hand slowly up and down her back. She leaned into him, wrapping an arm around his middle.

"So," he eventually said, breaking the silence. "I've been having sex with a literal sex goddess for the past eight years, huh?" He looked down at her, waggling his eyebrows comically.

Pyrrha burst out laughing, hugging him tighter as the coil of grief within her loosened. "I suppose so."

Jaune grinned, his shoulders losing some of their tension in response to his wife's laugh. "So, can I tell Ren about this?" he continued in a teasing voice. "I kinda want to brag about how much better my sex life is than his."

"Oh, stop it!" Pyrrha elbowed him in the side, rolling her eyes. "Besides, there's no way he'll believe you."

"Yeah, I guess not." Jaune kissed her cheek before resting his head on top of hers. "There's one thing I don't get about this," he continued in a more serious tone.

Pyrrha glanced up at him. "Just one thing?"

"Out of all the guys the Goddess of Love could have chosen, why me?"

Pyrrha smiled, moving back so she could look Jaune in the eye. "Because you were the first person who didn't see me as a goddess. Because you became my friend so effortlessly. Because you're too adorable for your own good." She pecked him gently on the lips. "I could write a list, if you want."

Jaune grinned, pulling Pyrrha into another hug. "Nah. You don't want my head getting too big." He held her for a few minutes, placing one hand over her abdomen. "I have another question: Should I start calling you Pyrrha now that I know the truth?"

Pyrrha shook her head, closing her eyes and placing a hand on top of his. "You just keep calling me Pyrene. I like that just fine."

The next chapter will be the finale of this piece. I hope all of you, especially Darkkseid, enjoy its conclusion! Peace out.