Chapter 14: The Youth of Tomorrow

Next chapter already. I've gotten a few suggestions for the name, and one of them was Selene, which I quite like. I might go with that, unless you can come up with something better. Thanks for reading this far guys. I'm really happy we've got this far. It's got like 17,000 views! At least on FF.net. On Wattpad it has like 1k.

Chapter 14: The Youth of Tomorrow

Poseidon P.O.V.

She gripped my hand tighter, making me wince as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Kylie scrunched her hand up in the white bed sheets as tears leaked out of her eyes. My face turned to one of worry as the screaming got louder. Sally hadn't been nearly as bad.

I turned to the doctor, a young man with a concerned look on his face. "Is she alright?" I asked him with noticeable fear in my voice. A nurse handed something to the doctor and he continued to work. "She has high blood pressure. We're trying to lower it without harming the baby." He informed me.

I nodded, and went back to calming Kylie as her screams got louder. I could not lose this child. Losing one was enough, but to lose one before they even got to live was new to me. I didn't want to experience such a thing, not after what happened.

Suddenly the doctor cursed, and some nurses came over to help with whatever went wrong. My head shot up. "What's wrong? What happened?" I asked, but no one satisfied me with an answer. One of the machines started beeping frantically, and my forehead began to sweat.

My head darted around, looking for an answer. Kylie was now screaming louder than ever, tear stains evident on her face. I held her hand tight with both of mine, telling her that it was going to be alright. The bedsheets were stained with blood, and the doctor was cursing every second.

I squeezed her hand tighter. "Come on Kylie, you can do this. Don't give out on me. Please, think of the baby." I begged her. Minutes ticked by slowly, and any every second of it was bracing for the worst.

Kylie cried even louder as the doctor looked up at her. "Alright, one more push should-" He was cut off by the most relieving sound that we could hear at that moment. The sound of a newborn baby crying.

Kylie stopped crying and lay on the bed, panting heavily. I shot up, walking over to the nurse who held the bundle. She handed the small pink bundle to me with a smile on her face. "Meet your new daughter, Mr Washington." She congratulated. I thanked her and walked back over to Kylie, who looked at the bundle eagerly.

Her face was pale, and her eyes half-lidded. I smiled at her, and held out the child. "You did it, Kylie. A healthy baby girl." I told her, making her smile weakly. She shakily reached out and grabbed the bundle, bringing it closer to her chest to cradle it. Her breath shook as her body quivered, and a tear dropped on the infant face, making it giggle slightly.

"She's beautiful. She'll do so much for this world." Kylie said, and I nodded. I had a feeling that she would. "What're you going to name her?" I asked. She remained silent for a moment, smiling down at her child.

With her thumb, she rubbed the wet mark off her daughter's cheek, and her breath remained shaky with tears. "Arianna Diana Washington. That's her name, Poseidon. Arianna Diana Washington." She said, and I nodded, liking the name choice.

The first name meant 'very holy' in Greek, how fitting. The middle name simply reminded me of my daughter-in-law, who was now expecting a child of her own. I'd have to remind myself to tell her about this, and to see how my grandbaby was coming along.

Kylie bent down to kiss her Arianna on the forehead, doing so in a very loving, motherly fashion. "I love you, Arianna." She whispered. I smiled, it truly was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in my life.

Then, of course, it all went to Hades.

The mortals' machines started beeping crazily again as Kylie's breath hitched, and she slumped forward. Panicked, I rushed to her side, taking the now wailing Arianna out from her arms. Nurses and attendants rushed to her side, administering whatever they needed to.

My breathing increased as I watched them work on her, and I was pushed back to the wall. I cradled Arianna as I watched Kylie, now with her eyes closed as her hand twitched on the side of the bed. The infant was wailing, and I wondered if the baby could sense what was happening to its mother.

The machine was going off the charts now, and my breath hitched as I waited for the inevitable. Then, as I knew it so painfully would, it happened. The machine flatlined, Arianna calmed, and Kylie's arm lay hanging over the side of the bed.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I clutched Arianna tightly to my chest. She was gone, and now Ari was alone. I could not take care of her, I was a god! Plus, Amphitrite would not allow one of my bastard children in her home. What was I going to do? What was she going to do?

She needed someone to take care of her until the time for her to go to camp came, as the campers wouldn't be able to properly care for her. They were teenagers after all. No, she needed a parental figure, someone who would know how to take care of a child, a demigod child nonetheless.

Unless...

I sighed, looking towards the bed, and let a single tear out of my eye. "Goodbye, Kylie." I whispered, before flashing out unnoticed to the mortals. I flashed to the opposite side of the country, to the only place I could think to go. Outside a familiar apartment where I then knocked on the door.

It opened surprisingly quickly, and the person standing there gasped. "I'm sorry Sally, but I had nowhere else to go."

Artemis P.O.V.

Achilles whined at my feet as I sat on a log by the campfire. The hunters sat around as well, eating, talking or just sitting there quietly. I can't say I blame Achilles though, since I knew why he was whining, and I felt the same.

He missed Percy, his friend. Achilles had hardly played with anyone since his friend passed, really only on a good day or the time we'd found Mrs O'Leary wandering around in Long Island when we were heading to Camp Half-Blood.

I placed my hand on my stomach as I frowned. It had been two months since the battle. Percy's grave had been closed up about three weeks ago, and I was coming along slightly in my pregnancy.

Apollo would come visit me often, once he accidentally flashed right in one of the girls' tents, forcing Atalanta to chase him out not unlike how she did to Achilles. Apollo would check on me, make sure the baby and I were doing alright, and then left.

I was so busy with this pregnancy that I hadn't gone hunting in weeks. Apollo had recommended that I not until the child was born, so as to not inflict any damage to it by tripping or getting into a scuffle. I had scowled at him when he insinuated that I, the Goddess of the Hunt, might trip over a tree root.

To be honest, I was scared. This was my first pregnancy, my first child, and I didn't even have the comfort of the father with me. I had the Hunt, Apollo and Athena, even of Hestia, Poseidon and my father, but none of them could fill the void that Percy left. I felt alone, and I was scared of being alone. It was one of the reasons I started the hunt, because the woods were lonely.

Loneliness was one of my greatest fears.

I felt a weight press into my side as Ariel started to fall asleep on me. I smiled. No matter how much I felt so, I would never be alone. I had my family to help. I had the Hunt. I wrapped my arm around the girl and pulled her closer to me, and I noticed Thalia smile at me from across the fire pit.

I smiled back at her. Yep, I would always have the hunt.

Time Skip

A horn sounded as we crossed the magical border into the Greek demigod camp. Two campers came out to greet us, and I noticed that they were two heroes of Olympus, the son of Zeus and the daughter of Aphrodite. The son of Zeus, Jason, hugged Piper and the two of them welcomed us into the camp.

We entered the campgrounds, and I ushered my hunters off to Cabin 8. I, however, walked over to the big house and greeted Chiron, who was standing on the front porch. He smiled. "Good afternoon, Lady Artemis!" The centaur grinned.

I smiled, nodding in respect. Chiron was one of the few males I respected, since he never showed any sort of lust towards females and was always kind and respectful. He stepped aside for me to enter the building and I did so, thanking him.

As always, the big house was warm, and it had an air of comfort to it. Of course, that feeling was ruined when I saw my deadbeat brother passed out on the couch, various cans of non-alcoholic drinks laying around him.

I walked over and lightly smacked him on the forehead, making him instantly jolt up in surprise. "Wha's happnin..." He slurred his words, blinking one eye at a time while trying to wake up. Chiron cleared his throat. "Lady Artemis is here, Dionysus." He told him, and the god slowly got up, rubbing his forehead. "Morning, sister."

I rolled my eyes. "It's two hours into the afternoon but whatever." I told him, but the god of parties didn't seem to care. He stumbled over to the mini-fridge, reaching in and pulling out a diet coke. Dionysus turned back to me and leaned on the counter. "So sister, how are things?" He asked casually.

I sat down on the couch, careful to avoid the weird stain that was left on it. "Things have been going well. We haven't found any monster nests for a while, and the hunt keeps finding new members. It's one of the most peaceful periods that we've had for a long time." I reported, and Dionysus nodded, clearly done with the conversation.

Chiron frowned. "And how do things go with the child, milady?" He asked. I smiled, placing a hand on my very slightly bulged stomach. "Things go well. The baby's healthy so far and Athena's sorted out a plan for when the baby comes."

The centaur raised an eyebrow. "Which is?" He asked. I wouldn't have told most people the answer, but I trusted Chiron. He was a good friend. "Athena's going to stay with me in the later stages of my pregnancy. When I go into labor, she'll be there to call Apollo, and also to act as my midwife."

"When the child is born, I shall go on, uh, maternity leave as the mortals call it, and leave Thalia in control of the hunt. Once that's over and the child is mature enough, it will stay with the hunt and I." I told him, and he nodded. "Well, Lady Artemis, if there's anything you need me to do, just ask." He offered.

I bit my lip. "Well, actually Chiron. There might be something you could do." The activities director raised an eyebrow in question. I fiddled with my hands. "I want my child to receive the same training that its father got. When it's maybe five or so, could I send it here every summer to be trained by you and the other Heroes of Olympus." I requested.

Chiron looked shocked, but his face became solemn, and he pressed a fist on his heart and bowed. "It would be my honor to train the child of my favourite student, milady." He accepted, and I sighed in relief. "Thank you Chiron, you don't know how much that means to me." I said, and he smiled.

"The pleasure's all mine, Lady Artemis."

Percy's P.O.V.

I cradled Calix as he softly slept in my arms, smiling down at my son. The auburn-haired baby snored very softly as his sister slept in the arms of Nyx, who was bottle-feeding the girl across the room on the couch. Nyx had been a great help so far, I'm sure that without her I would probably have dropped one of them by now.

I was careful though, and Nyx showed me how to properly care for them, stuff like diaper-changing, bottle feeding -we obviously couldn't breast feed them, and what to do when they cry. Trust me, that was the hardest part.

I heard Nyx sigh as the bottle fell on the floor -obviously spat out- and Larissa began crying at the top of her lungs. I smiled and walked over to her. "Someone's tired. Here, swap over." I told her, handing her Calix while I grabbed Larissa with my other arm. The girl immediately settled when she found herself in her father's arms.

Nyx smiled at me. "It appears that she prefers you over me." She noted, making me laugh. "Good. I wouldn't want my daughter liking her godmother more than her real father." I told her.

Oh yeah, I made Nyx their godmother. She was there for their births, and she's been really good for us this past week. She seemed to enjoy taking care of children again, she said it was the one thing she missed about having Erebus around, they'd have little godlings running around every few years.

I hope Artemis doesn't mind.

I'd been meaning to go home for a while, but something told me not to. I don't know what, but some feeling deep inside me told me to stay here with Nyx for the time being. I felt that, since the children still needed some tending to, I'd stay until we were ready to move.

Larissa was now asleep, not making a sound as she was curled up in my arms. Calix had both his hands on the bottle as Nyx fed him, trying to get as much of the formula as he could fit in his mouth. I laughed, the boy was definitely assertive.

When he'd had enough, Calix took the bottle out of his mouth and pushed it away, Nyx getting the idea. She looked over at me. "I think he's bored. Wanna play with him?" She asked and I nodded, taking him from him arms after setting Larissa down in the bed.

I sat cross-legged on the floor as I set him down, making funny faces and tickling the baby. I delighted in hearing my son giggle as I did so, continuing to play. Overall, I loved being a parent. It was exactly as Nyx had described it. Waking up every morning and seeing my babies still happy was the greatest feeling ever.

After a while of playing, my son got tired, and I was forced to put him to bed. The infant snuggled up against his sleeping sister, enjoying her warmth as he dozed off. Nyx looked at me. "Perseus, we need to talk." She said. I nodded, confused, and followed her out of the room.

When we were in the hallway, she closed the door behind me and crossed her arms. "You can't stay here forever, Perseus, you know that. You need to either find a new home or go back to Olympus. Your choice. As much as I enjoy having you and the kids stay here, I can't shelter you forever. I do house monsters as well, and some of them are getting a bit rowdy at being locked out." She told me, and my face paled.

Time seemed to freeze, and I looked around in confusion. Nothing was moving, not even the flames from the various torches on the wall. Then, I saw it. The figure standing in the corner, his golden eyes glowing furiously. The monster that had been haunting me for days. Typhon.

He emerged from the shadows, his disgusting form making me shiver. I thought back to the blueprints Hephaestus had, and my heart sank at the thought of a 1000 foot tall version of him. He snarled at me. "You cannot go back, Destroyer." He commanded.

I gulped, but stood my ground. "And why is that?" I challenged him, making me growl. "They have betrayed you, Perseus." He said, circling me. I crossed my arms, shivering. "O-oh yeah, h-how so?" I stuttered. Typhon glared, and snatched at my hair. I hissed in pain, and he brought a hand up in front of me, waving it around and causing a small screen similar to an iris message to appear. "Let me show you."

As the scene played out, my face paled, and it very much wasn't helped by his hand digging into my skull, and I saw a golden mist descend over my eyes.

I don't want to discuss what I saw in the video, just know that I felt disgusted, horrified, ashamed, angry, sad, upset, betrayed and cold. Just cold. I couldn't feel much else, I just stuttered on my words as I held back tears. The golden mist disappeared, and so did the screen.

I panted heavily, running through what I had witnessed in my head. No, it couldn't be true, could it? They wouldn't. They couldn't. I trusted them, and they did this. I couldn't believe it. How could they. I'll-I'll get them for this, they won't get away. I won't let this stand. I will not, I will get my revenge. They will pay for this.

I then noticed that I hadn't seen all the Olympians in the video. Hephaestus, Hestia and thankfully Artemis were absent. Good, they didn't need to get involved. This was between me and Olympus, I will destroy them for what they've done.

Time suddenly resumed, and I noticed my nostrils were flaring, and Nyx seemed concerned. "Perseus, are you okay? Your eyes are gol-" She asked, but I cut her off. "I will not go back, not yet."

"I need time."

Okay, so again, I'm not proud with that whole Typhon segment, but I need an excuse for Percy to go batshit crazy against the Olympians. So forgive me, ignore it if you want, and just pretend that the Olympians, particularly Zeus, did something bad to incite Percy's anger. It won't be random though, I'll make it line up with the plot, though the answer may not come until very late into the story. Also, should I include the scene of Artemis' dog being born in the next chapter, or are you guys getting tired of birth scenes. It's either that or just the part after the girl is born, I'm going to include that part anyway, it's just I want to know whether you guys want the actual birth scene as well.

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