I totally promised myself I was going to do better about posting on time now that school's started, but I'm also totally posting this two days late. I feel really, really bad about that, so, I'm sorry. (This story is actually ending soon - I'll do my best to keep up my posting schedule until the end, and then I'll switch to a once a week posting schedule for Part III, which will be much easier for me to keep up with.)
Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. And so, accordingly, I do not own any works credited to that name. (Or to related names. i.e. Uncle Rick.)
Previously on More Than A Mortal:
I don't even know what happened. One moment, I was standing there, holding Nikita's hand, the next, I could see nothing, only darkness. I could hear nothing, feel nothing
All but one of my senses soon cleared up, seconds or minutes later. I could feel, I could hear, but I couldn't see. My knees gave out and I fell to the ground.
Immediately, there was an arm around me. I leaned into Kiernan as he pulled me onto his lap, careful not to jar Whitney. He helped me to position my arms to hold her, and then put his arms around me as I held her. I started crying.
"It's okay, Lyric. You're safe now. Whitney is safe now. We're all safe now." Kiernan whispered in my ear. I cried harder. "It's okay. We're safe. I love you, and I love Whitney, and we're safe."
Moments later, someone knelt down beside us. I still could not see, so I did not say anything. "The gods left. They're asking for us to go to Olympus when we are ready." It was Cypress's voice. "They need to discuss our fates."
"That sounds ominous." I said quietly.
"They didn't sound happy." Cypress confirmed.
Not wanting to keep the gods waiting, we went straight for the camp vans. Well, I had to be led there by Kiernan, because I couldn't see. We ended up sitting in the very back, because there was a middle, and Kiernan sat in the middle, and pulled me onto his lap and held me tight while I held Whitney.
"We're here." Cypress announced from the front of the vehicle. I felt someone help me stand, and help me out of the car. Then, Kiernan's hand was light at my elbow, helping guide me.
My vision started to clear, somewhat, as we entered the Empire State Building and took the elevator ride to the six hundred floor, but it was working slowly. I could just barely see, albeit blurrily, when we got to the throne room.
"Finally. I was getting impatient." Zeus' voice thundered across the room. "We've summoned you to discuss what happens from here."
"Lyric Tucker, you've angered the gods." Zeus said. I clutched Whitney closer, and Kiernan's grip on my elbow tightened. I still couldn't see very well, my sight was slowly getting better. But I could see Zeus was not pleased. "You must be punished."
"She destroyed Tartarus!" Nikita burst out.
"Something it seems you couldn't do right. Perhaps we should take away from you your voice?" Zeus asked threateningly. Nikita didn't shut up.
"Oh, so a mere mortal is supposed to defeat an ancient immortal? Totally getting that logic." She argued.
"Lyric did it." Zeus countered.
"Because she's powerful. And that power is on your side." Nikita told him. I could see the expression on his face change slightly. He was considering something.
"I'd like to say something." I called out. Zeus looked to me.
"What do you wish to say?" Zeus asked.
"If you're looking to punish me because you're worried I might turn on the gods, then you don't need to do anything. I'm not going to live long enough to even ever consider that, not that I would ever consider that." I said.
"What do you mean, you won't live long enough?" Zeus asked.
"Something snapped in me, and it's too broken to fix. I'm dying." I said. I hadn't really realized it before now, though I had felt some sort of difference after Tartarus was defeated. I could tell I wasn't going to live for more than a few days. I didn't say anything about how long, though, not wanting to share that with my brother and friends. I didn't turn around to see their reactions.
Zeus seemed to ponder for a minute. Athena got up and whispered something in his ear. He looked at us thoughtfully. "You may all be dismissed back to your Camp." He announced.
We all quickly left the throne room. Able to actually see now, I didn't need Kiernan's hand on my elbow, but I appreciated the gesture. It was comforting. We had made it just outside the doors of the Empire State Building when Whitney began to cry. I started to panic, not knowing what to do or what had happened.
"Calm down, Lyric. I think she's just hungry." Nikita said.
"How do we feed her?" I asked.
"We don't have anything to give her, so you're going to have to breastfeed her. Are you okay with that?" Nikita asked. I nodded slowly. I'd never much thought about it, having not been far into pregnancy when everything happened. "Alright, I'll help you. Come with me." I followed her away from the others, and we went back into the Empire State Building and found a bathroom.
Nikita taught me how to feed her, saying she had watched her mother with her brother, and stayed with me while I did. I was glad we were in a bathroom, otherwise this might have been awkward, having to pull down my shirt on one side. When Whitney was done, we went back out and joined the others on the sidewalk. Whitney was, thankfully, now sleeping peacefully.
We were mostly silent on the way back to Camp. The first any of us spoke was when we got back to Camp and all went to my and Nikita's cabin. It was Jay who spoke. "Why didn't you tell anyone, Lee?"
I thought he meant about my baby. "I was afraid of being rejected. I was afraid of you guys hating me." I said. Kiernan squeezed my shoulder lightly, reassuring me.
"I meant about what you said on Olympus." Jay said. He was gripping the edge of the couch so hard his knuckles were white.
"I didn't know, I didn't realize until up there. I felt it, but I didn't know." I said.
"H-how long?" Chelsey asked. I realized she was crying.
"Not more than a few days." I whispered. There were many surprised and shocked reactions. Jay and Kiernan's expressions were the worst. I closed my eyes and clutched my baby tighter. "We're still going to go to Blackmeadow Range, right, Jay? We can still go."
"Yeah, Lee, of course we can. We can do anything you want. And Mom's still there. And we can see Liam and Mika and Orianne and Ben." Jay said, voice breaking.
"And Maddie and Lydia. I promised we would explain later. And- I really want to see them." I said. I turned my head to look at Kiernan. "And Mason and your parents. So they can meet Whitney. Though I'm not too sure your parents like me. They didn't seem to when I met them..."
"I don't care what they think." Kiernan said quietly. "I've never even been that close to them. But I do know Mason would love to meet you and Whitney."
"Why don't we all go pack our stuff, then, those of us who live here. Pack things to wear and such, and we can go to Ohio for the next couple weeks." Chelsey said. Everyone agreed.
"One more thing. Chelsey, Cypress, Nikita. All three of you are her godparents." I said. Chelsey smiled, and I couldn't see Cypress's reaction from where I was sitting.
Once Nikita had gone to her room and Cypress and Chelsey had gone, Kiernan asked to speak to me alone for a moment. We went into my room, leaving Jay in the living room. We sat down on my bed, facing each other, and I held Whitney as she slept. Though I did find a green baby blanket on the bed, a darker green than the one around her now, and I switched them. I threw the one from Tartarus on the floor, snapped my fingers, and let it burn to ashes. Kiernan watched in amusement.
"Sorry, I really wanted to do that. What did you want to talk about?" I asked.
"You're not the only one who's dying." Kiernan said slowly.
"What?" I asked, breath catching. He couldn't be dying, too. No. This was not happening.
Kiernan smiled weakly and pulled up his shirt to show me his side, the area where he had been shot. The veins that could be usually seen faintly through the skin were now dark and clearly visible. He put his shirt back down. "Monster poison wound from when I went to fight. The ambrosia healed the wound, but not the poison. It's moving slowly. But the medics at the infirmary gave me about as much time as you've got left." Kiernan explained.
"She's going to have to grow up without her parents." I whispered.
"It might be hard, but she's going to be fine. She'll have a big, loving family to take care of her." Kiernan said, pulling me close and kissing my forehead.
"I want Jay to take care of her." I said, looking up at Kiernan. "Are you okay with that?"
"Whatever you think is best. But your brother is a good guy. I think he would do just fine by her." Kiernan said.
"Jay?" I called loudly so he'd hear me from the living room. He came into the room moments later.
"Yeah, Lee?" Jay asked.
"Will you be willing to raise Whitney?" I asked.
"What? Does Kiernan not want to?" Jay asked. He glared at Kiernan with a look almost akin to pure hatred.
Kiernan put his hands up in mock surrender as I laughed. "No, Jay, he does want to. But he can't." I said, voice losing it's laugh and going back to quiet and serious. Jay's expression softened.
"Why not?" Jay asked.
"Because the medics only gave me about as much time as she has left. After that wound wasn't treated, the ambrosia and nectar couldn't heal the poison." Kiernan explained to Jay.
"So, will you raise our baby for us?" I asked Jay.
"Of course I will, Lee." Jay said quietly.
"I want you to make sure a couple things happen. I want her to know about her demigod side, and I want her to be able to choose whether she wants to live at Camp or in Ohio, maybe once she's completed fifth grade? I don't know. And I want you to bring her to Blackmeadow Range a lot, and I want her to know her family like I never really did. Like I didn't get the chance, because of my father." I told Jay.
"I promise, Lee." Jay told me.
"Alright. And now, I want to go to Blackmeadow Range. Can you go get Chelsey, Cypress, and Nikita? I can get us all there. And they went to pack." I asked. Jay said he would, and left the room.
Kiernan pulled me into his lap and rested his forehead against mine. I held Whitney between us, and he brought up a hand to brush her little tuft of hair from her face. She opened her eyes and looked up at us.
"She's beautiful." Kiernan whispered.
"She's got a shade between our eyes for her hair. And she's got a mix between our eyes for her own." I whispered.
"It would seem so." Kiernan responded.
"She's going to be beautiful one day." I said. "And we're not going to be there to see it."
"We might not be there, then. But we're here, now. And I hope you know I love you both so damn much, and I am glad that I get to spend the rest of my time with you two." Kiernan told me.
"I love you, too. And I'm glad, too." I said. Kiernan kissed my forehead.
Once everyone was in my room, I thought of our house in Ohio. We all appeared in the living room.
"I thought we were going to the farm, Lee." Jay said.
"We are. We just need to get some people. Kiernan, go get your family. Jay, call Maddie." I said. Jay nodded and moved into the next room, while Kiernan exited the house.
Kiernan got back within a couple minutes, leading his family. His parents looked confused, Lydia looked relieved that he was here, and his brother looked excited to see him.
"Kiernan, why did you bring us over here?" His mother asked.
"Because we're getting ready to go somewhere." Kiernan said.
"Go somewhere? Why would we be going anywhere?" His father asked. They were too fixed on Kiernan to notice the rest of us.
"Blackmeadow Range. The farm belongs to Lyric and Jay's uncle." Kiernan said.
His parents and Lydia glanced up at me, and we're thoroughly surprised to see me holding a baby. Lydia came over to look at her.
"She's a pretty baby. But why are you holding a baby?" Lydia asked.
I looked to Chelsey. "Explain now or wait for Maddie? Or wait until we get to the farm? I'm going to have to explain to my family, too." I asked.
"Wait for a full explanation. But you can tell them." Chelsey said.
"Her name is Whitney Warren Ashton. And she's my baby." I told Lydia.
"Ashton?" Lydia asked. She looked back at Kiernan, who was smiling, and then at me. A huge grin broke out across her face. "You two are perfect together."
"How in the world is that our son's child when you have only been here for a few weeks? And you definitely weren't pregnant when we met you." Kiernan's father asked.
"We're demigods. Things happen." Kiernan said, annoyed. His father had a shocked look on his face. "Yeah, now I know."
"Are you all?" Kiernan's mother asked. She was being more kind that her husband.
"Yeah. My mom's Hecate, Jay's dad is Hermes, Kiernan's mom is Iris, Cypress is a son of Hypnos, and Lyric and Nikita are children of Primordials. Physis and Aether, respectively." Chelsey quickly explained.
I heard the front door, and then Maddie was running into the living room. "Where were you? You've missed so much class, and I've been so worried!" She exclaimed. She stopped short when she saw us all. "Wait. What's going on?"
"I'll explain when we get there." I said. Not giving her a chance to ask where there was, I imagined us all standing under the willow I had parked under last time I went to Blackmeadow Range. Moments later, there we were.
"What the hell?" Maddie asked, stumbling. Jay caught her.
"Okay, let's go for a brief explanation." I started. "The Greek gods are real, as are the Roman. Us, we are Greek demigods. Half mortal, half god. Jay's dad is Hermes, my biological mother is a Primordial named Physis, Chelsey's mom is Hecate, Cypress is a son of Hypnos, Kiernan's mom is Iris, and Nikita is the daughter of a Primordial called Aether."
"Anyways, some big ancient evil guy started a ton of trouble, and tried to kill everyone. He almost succeeded." Nikita finished.
"I'm not too good with mythology. Who's who?" Maddie asked. I was a little surprised as to why no one asked any questions or had a hard time believing it, but then I remembered that mom had explained to Lydia and Maddie, and Kiernan's parents already knew. As for Mason, who knew what went on in the young boy's mind?
"My mom is the goddess of magic and crossroads, among a couple other things." Chelsey explained. "Jay's dad is the God of thievery, travel, and is the messenger of the gods. Cypress, his dad is the god of sleep. Kiernan's mom is the goddess of rainbows, and she's partially a messenger of the gods. Mostly, though, we demigods call upon her services. Lyric's mother is the Primordial of nature, and Nikita's father is the Primordial of the upper air and of light. And Lyric and Nikita are the only Primordial children to have basically ever survived this long. They're strong."
"Nature? So all those storms...?" Lydia asked. I looked down at the ground. "So those were you."
"Sorry. I'm not too good at controlling it in times of strong emotion." I said.
"I'll say, you destroyed an ancient immortal so thoroughly that he won't be coming back, not for billions of years, possibly never again." Cypress said.
Everyone who hadn't been there looked at me, shocked and surprised expressions on their face. "He took my baby and tried to make me forget her." I said with a little shrug.
"Not to mention he forced you to marry him." Nikita said.
"Yeah, he's a jerk. What kind of guy has two wives? Especially when both want nothing more than for him to never have existed." I said, a little bit of a smile on my face.
"Too true. But I suppose that makes us kind of sisters." Nikita said.
"Who knows how all this works? The gods already have one freaking messed up family." I said with a shrug. Nikita laughed.
"Let's head inside, Lee. You still have to explain why we're here." Jay said quietly. My mood immediately went serious, and I nodded.
"We should probably do that." I agreed.
We all went up on the porch, and Jay knocked on the door. Orianne came to see who it was. "Strangers! Stranger Danger!" Orianne yelled, looking at all of us.
"Orianne, you've met half of us already. And you remember me, right? Last time, I told you that your Auntie is my Mom. And you know Jay." I told her.
"But I don't know them!" She pointed to Kiernan's parents, Mason, Chelsey, and Nikita and Cypress.
"It's cool. They're friends and family." I told her. "Is your aunt in the living room?" She nodded.
"Well, we came to see you all. Okay?" I asked. She nodded, and stepped aside so Jay could open the door.
I took my shoes off by the door, and everyone else did as well. Well, I more kicked them off so I wouldn't have to put Whitney down.
I followed Orianne into the living room, and Mom immediately got up from her seat on the couch. "Oh my gods. Are you safe now? Is it all ended now?" She asked quickly, coming over to hug both me and Jay. Then she noticed my baby. "Lyric?"
"Hi, mom." I said sheepishly. "Do you want to meet her? She's your granddaughter." I handed her to Mom, so she could hold her.
"She's beautiful. What's her name?" Mom asked.
"Whitney Warren Ashton." I said. Mom looked surprised at my choice in name, but not at all surprised that she was an Ashton.
"Warren?" Mom asked.
"Mom said that the man she knew, Warren, was a great man. But the father I knew was a man who went by many different names." I said. "I named her after the mother I was always so grateful for, and the father I always wished I had." Mom nodded.
Lyric still hasn't actually explained why they are there. How long is she going to put this off?
Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!