Chapter Text
Then
“Zoë.”
The huntress above turned away from her conversation with Phoebe and gasped loudly as her lover limped to her.
Perseus had ichor splattered all over him, and she didn't want to think that it was any of his, but his limp did no favours to help her imagination.
She ran to him in an instant and was just within arms' reach of him when he collapsed to his knees, head hung low, with his entire body trembling ever so slightly.
Zoë cupped his cheeks and looked him over, tears and worry in her eyes. “Is thou hurt?” she whispered, not caring about the ichor getting onto her clothes nor how she looked in front of her sisters as they whispered behind her, wondering what had just happened.
“Nothing Apollo won't be able to fix.” he muttered, his arms went up slowly to wrap around her waist in an act of reassurance more for himself. Silence reigned as the other hunters tried to quickly resume their tasks before the god had appeared. Phoebe's quiet order brought them back to attention, but most kept a watchful and curious eye on the two in the camp's centre.
“It's done. He won’t ever get a chance to hurt any of us.” he whispered to her, and she looked at him with sadness in her eyes, knowing what he would have had to do to ensure such a thing.
“I'm sorry that it had to be done.” she said, and he shook his head while placing his hands over hers, squeezing them.
“Don't be. I'm not. I'll miss who he was, but he was a threat to you and Olympus.” he said with finality. He looked up at the sky momentarily before sighing. “I should head back up there. There will need to be reconstitution done.” he stated before he moved to stand up, Zoë suddenly moving with him.
“I am coming with thou.” she declared with a look of determination on her face and Perseus opened his mouth in protest, but his words died when Zoë spoke her following words much softer. “If I am to be thy queen, I should start becoming involved, no?” she explained as she stroked his cheeks with her thumbs.
Truth be told, Perseus wanted her by his side, especially now, but he would never ask that of her. He felt exhausted, and he knew that Zoë could see it clearly on his face. “My Star-” he began but Zoë kissed him briefly but softly, his words dying once more in his throat.
“Together.” her words promised, and he took in a deep breath and nodded.
“Together.”
Now
Olympus
Lying in bed with his wife still asleep in his arms, Perseus thought that nothing could ever top this moment. Still, he was happily proven wrong when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a mop of black hair quickly approach the bed with an accompanying giggle, and he promptly pretended to be still asleep.
He felt his side of the blankets get pulled on slightly, and a pair of small hands mashed against his cheek. He bit back a smile, already having an idea of who the perpetrator was, and continued to act as if he were still asleep when he heard one of the two voices he could never ignore.
“Daddy, wake up.” a soft female voice said, and Perseus felt a small body flop onto his chest, and he let out a small, exaggerated oomph as he pretended to let air escape his lungs. He opened his eyes slowly and immediately smiled as he was face-to-face with a pair of amethyst eyes just like his and belonging to someone who had him wrapped around their finger.
“Good morning, My Little Love.” he quietly greeted his daughter, and seeing how his daughter’s face lit up at hearing his voice made his heart almost burst.
“Hi, Daddy.” Thalia beamed at her father, her hands complete with her Cerberus and goldfish plushies that were gifted by two of her uncles.
Thalia had his eyes and complexion, but the rest were all the beautiful attributes and qualities of her mother. “You’re full of energy this morning, aren’t you?” he teased with an uncontainable smile.
When Zoë told him that she was pregnant, there was a space in his heart reserved for the birth of his child, but he underestimated how much space Thalia would take up once she was born.
He softly ran a hand through Thalia’s tangled black hair, and she tried shaking his hand out with a giggle, the sound filling the bedroom, and a shuffle from next to him told him that his wife was awake, though a part of him was aware that she was half awake the moment their daughter appeared in their room.
Zoë’s opened eyes twinkled with poorly hidden amusement as she watched her husband hold their daughter high above him, as if she were flying, with her arms and feet dangling as she made grabbing motions for her parents, her plushies long since deposited around the bed.
Thalia squealed as she saw that she had her mother’s attention now and giggled even louder, making her parents laugh. Zoë pulled her arms out from underneath the comforter and held them out, gesturing for Thalia.
“Hmm, pass me my baby.” she smiled when Perseus leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips in greeting. No matter how long they’ve been married, every kiss always felt like the first one they had all those years ago when they first began courting. She pulled herself closer to him as she reveled in the kiss they shared.
“Good morning, My Star.” he whispered as he broke off the kiss. She smiled lovingly at her husband and cupped his cheek with her hand, and leaned in again for another chaste kiss.
“My Heart.” she greeted in return with her arms still outstretched for her daughter as Perseus lowered her into her arms.
Zoë ran her hand through her daughter’s locks and began untangling the knots. “Good morning, My Little Star.” she cooed to her daughter and kissed her forehead.
Thalia giggled and looked at her mother with a broad smile. “Hi, Mommy.” she replied, wrapping her arms around her neck, and Zoë relished in her daughter’s love for her, a small part of her still amazed that the bundle of joy in her arms was a product of Perseus and her.
When Thalia was born, Zoë had cried as she held her daughter for the first time and peppered kisses all over her face, fully realizing that she had just become a mother to the most adorable girl possible. After marrying the love of her life, an act that cemented their love for each other forever, and as she held the results of their love in her arms, it had sent her into a mess of tears at first.
The light that just slipped past the curtains bounced off Thalia’s pajamas, making them twinkle. She whooped with delight, “I’m sparkly now!” she exclaimed with amazement, and Perseus and Zoë laughed.
“So you really are Mama’s Little Star, aren’t you?” Zoë teased, tickling her sides. “Did you have good dreams last night?” Zoë asked, happy when she nodded back, playing with the amethyst necklace that was always around her neck. “That’s good, otherwise, your father and I would have to talk with Hypnos, isn’t that right?” she asked, looking at her husband with a sly smirk.
Perseus smirked back at her and propped his head up with his hand, “Oh, most definitely. Can’t have anyone terrorizing my little princess now, can I?” he remarked with a laugh at seeing how Thalia scrunched her nose up and stopped playing with the amethyst stone.
“Not a princess.” Thalia muttered cutely.
“Well, if your mother is the Queen of Olympus and I’m the King, then that makes you the princess, right?” he asked, Thalia stubbornly shaking her head in refusal.
"Nuh-uh." She uttered and poked him in the cheek with her finger for good measure.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked with a mischievous grin that caught the attention of his wife.
"Uh-huh." Thalia nodded her head.
"Are you sure Daddy can't convince you?" he asked, making a sad face at Thalia, which made her laugh even more.
He pretended to be dejected, "Well then…" he said, before a wide grin appeared on his face. "I guess the tickle monster can!" he exclaimed, launching into a relentless tickle assault on Thalia.
Thalia squirmed and squealed with laughter as her father tickled her ribs, her feet, and her hands, which swung in the air.
"Mommy, help!" Thalia shrieked as it felt like she was being tickled for hours on end, when in reality only a few minutes had passed.
Zoë laughed and raised an eyebrow at the plea, looking at her husband and daughter, "I don't know, should I help?"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Both her husband and her daughter exclaimed at the same time.
Zoë tapped her chin, pretending to ponder her daughter’s request, before she smirked at her husband and unceremoniously kicked him off the bed, stopping him from tickling Thalia anymore.
Perseus yelped as he felt Zoë roughly dig her foot into his side and shove him off the bed.
Thalia clapped her hands and laughed as her father fell off the bed, her face red from laughing. She turned back to her mother and wrapped her arms around her neck again.
"Thank you, Mommy." she giggled.
"You're welcome, My Little Star." Zoë stated proudly, stroking her daughter’s hair.
Perseus poked his head up over the edge and glared playfully, "That was unfair." he objected and was promptly met with Zoë snorting in objection. “It appeared that my love for our daughter outweighed my love for you, My Heart.” she joked.
He rolled his eyes back at her and heaved himself back up onto the bed, a smile forming on his face as he kept his gaze upon his wife and daughter.
Thalia played with her mother’s hair, and her hand reached out for her father’s hand, and he happily gave it.
Zoë raised an eyebrow as she noticed the contented look on her husband’s face as he looked at them. "What?" she questioned with a slight blush on her face.
"What?" he repeated, his voice filled with love.
"You have a silly look on your face." Zoë commented before she looked at Thalia. "Is your daddy silly right now?" she asked in a fake whisper, and Thalia whipped her head back to her father, looking at him as seriously as she could, just like her mother.
"Daddy is very silly." Thalia answered, looking back at her.
“You think it’s possible for us to just hide away in here?” he joked, knowing that the chances were slim enough as it is with the rest of his family.
Zoë leaned in against him and nuzzled her nose against his and chuckled, “You know that we would be sought out immediately, My Dear Heart. The others rather flock to you like birds at times.” she released Thalia so she could crawl over them.
“We should just disappear to the mortal realm for a day. Just the three of us.” he suggested. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a day as a family and even longer since you and I have had some alone time together.” he added wistfully, and Zoë smirked at him.
“We always have alone time together.” she coyly reminded, their nights of almost daily passion bursting to the forefront of her mind.
“You know what I mean.” he pointed out humorously, and her gaze softened.
“I do, and it would be nice. What are you thinking of?” she questioned as she scratched at his stubble before kissing him softly, and was met with him smiling warmly at her.
“We'll go visit some mortal attractions, let Thalia have some fun. We could head away from Olympus for the day.” he offered, and Thalia stopped crawling around them at the mention of her name and moved in between her parents, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.
“What are we doing?”
Perseus bopped her on the nose playfully, “We are going to play one big game of hide and seek with your uncles and aunts but we’re not going to tell anyone.” his phrasing of the plan made Zoë laugh at how simple he made it as he explained to their daughter who listened intently.
Thalia’s eyes widened in excitement, “YAY!” she exclaimed and started jumping up and down on the bed, much to the amusement of her parents, the bed dipping ever so slightly under Thalia’s weight.
Perseus looked at Zoë and grinned at her, “Just me, you, and Thalia. No one else.” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
She threw her head back in laughter and lightheartedly slapped his chest before wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, “How very scandalous, My Dear Husband. What would the others think of you when they find out that you left them to fend for themselves for a day?” she teased with a look that made him chuckle.
“Well, Dear Wife, guess we’ll find out after we come back.”
Zoë thought about it before she nodded her head, “Fine, but at the very least, we tell Hestia. She should be able to come get us should something go wrong.” she requested, and he conceded with a nod.
He leaned in for another kiss, only to find Thalia smushing his cheek with her hand, stopping him from kissing her mother. “No being horndogs!” their daughter exclaimed, and her outrageous statement sent her father into howling laughter, a stark contrast to her mother's reaction, who gasped.
Zoë’s eyebrows shot up, and she looked at her daughter with a faux-look of suspicion. “And which of your uncles taught you that word?” she wondered, even as a specific name popped into her head.
“Uncle Apollo!” Thalia shouted proudly, happily throwing her uncle onto the path of her mother’s ire, and Zoë stared deadpan at her husband.
“He is not looking after Thalia ever again.”
Hestia’s palace
“Exactly how long will you be away for?” the Goddess of the Hearth asked.
Hestia happily held her niece on her lap as she talked with her brother and sister-in-law in her palace. She most certainly didn’t expect to see Perseus and Zoë appear on her doorstep with their daughter, since they were supposed to be seeing each other in a council meeting in a few hours anyway. Still, she was never one to turn away her family, and certainly wasn’t going to say no to spending any time she had with her niece.
In usual fashion, Zoë sat on her husband’s lap as they talked. “I wouldn’t imagine that we’re gone for any longer than the remainder of today.” she said, watching as Hestia bounced Thalia up and down on her knee.
"I can safely assume that Thalia is going with you?” Hestia asked in confirmation.
Zoë nodded, “Of course.”
Thalia tugged on Hestia’s sleeve, catching her attention, "Down please." she asked.
Hestia nodded with a smile before setting her on the floor and watching as Thalia stumbled towards her parents, where her mother then scooped her up.
Zoë snorted as she hugged her daughter to her while her husband ran a hand through Thalia’s hair. "You should be glad he told you. His original plan had us leave without telling anyone." outing her husband’s poorly thought-out plan. Thalia tapped at her mother’s hand, and Zoë booped her on the nose with a finger, making the godling giggle delightfully.
"For all we know, it could've worked." Perseus defended, and Hestia chuckled at how her brother half-heartedly bickered with his wife.
"I'm sure it would have." Zoë replied with a slight grin, kissing his cheek to quiet him down.
"You know you can't keep doing that to win." Perseus muttered, and he was met with a grin from her.
"But it works so well." she answered laughingly.
Perseus just shook his head fondly before looking at his sister, "As much as I hate to say it today, should anything arise that you cannot deal with, get me."
Hestia simply laughed at how disappointed he sounded, "I am sure there is nothing that the rest of us cannot handle without you, even if it is for just the day." she said.
With at least one other person informed now, Perseus slowly turned to his wife, who laughed at his reaction. "Now we can go." she said, already knowing what his look was for, and got off his lap.
Thalia’s head perked up. "We can go play now?" her eyes lit with excitement, and both her parents and Hestia laughed.
Zoë kissed the top of her head, "Yes, My Little Star. We're going to play hide and seek now." she responded with a grin as Perseus took her free hand.
"Enjoy your day, brother." Hestia told him.
Perseus grinned, "Always." he said before melting away into the shadows with his wife and daughter.
Mortal World
The family of three walked through the gates of the amusement park, Thalia looking at all the mortals dressed as characters of some sort.
Dressed in dark blue jeans and a maroon Henley, Perseus blended in quite well, but his aviator-covered eyes remained fixed on the form of his wife, as always.
Zoë had a black sundress on that stopped just short of her ankles, and she had her hair down. The amethyst necklace he had given her all those years ago was still around her neck like always, and currently the target of Thalia’s hands as her mother carried her. Her black-lidded eyes fluttered over to his, and he felt his breath catch; all he could do was smile, something she noticed.
“What?” she asked, feeling out of the loop.
The god smiled softly at her, “You just look gorgeous right now.” he muttered as he took a step closer to her.
His response made Zoë roll her eyes, but it did nothing to stop the faint blush that rose on her face.
Perseus slipped his hand into hers and smiled when she looked at him before looking at his daughter. "You excited to spend the day with Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, watching Thalia’s face light up in childish excitement.
"Yeah!" her response made her parents chuckle.
Zoë laughed with her daughter and nuzzled her throat with her nose, "You’re the absolute cutest." she murmured, her daughter beaming.
Olympus
“Perseus and Zoë will be gone the entire day?” Poseidon made Hestia repeat.
Hestia nodded for what felt like the fiftieth time, “Yes, Brother.” she confirmed with several more nods in the event he still had trouble understanding, stifling a laugh when Poseidon threw his head back and groaned.
“There goes my plan of bothering him.” he mumbled just loud enough for Hades to hear, and the God of the Underworld barked out a surprise laugh.
Hera snorted almost dismissively, “Of course, our dearest older brother leaves us again to be with his wife and daughter. In light of this, someone should be in charge while the two of them are away with their spawn.” she suggested. Most of them bristled at hearing their beloved niece called ‘spawn’.
Hermes rolled his eyes as she spoke, “It’s almost like Uncle Perseus and Zoë are being good parents to Thalia or something.” he retorted. “Then again, you wouldn’t know much about being a parent or being considered family, would you?” referencing the fact that Perseus would never treat Hera like he treated the rest of his family. Too much had been done, and it was by the sheer will of forces unknown and a lot of pleading that Hera wasn’t struck down.
“You’re fortunate Zoë isn’t here to witness you calling her daughter that. We don’t want a repeat of the last time you insulted her daughter, and I don’t want to deal with the fallout of you getting your ego handed to you that badly again.” Apollo added with a glare as he was very protective of his niece, especially after the incident with Heracles.
Hera glared back even as she subconsciously rubbed at the scar left by Anaklusmos.
“If this bickering is done?” Hades drawled, even though he enjoyed seeing Hera being put in her proverbial place before looking out at the others. “It is, quite frankly, unnecessary for us to pick one of us to be in charge in their absence. We are all Olympians, and Perseus trusts us to behave as such. If it is truly needed, I will offer myself to deal with any issues that arise in the meantime.” Hades addressed.
“Let us keep our issues to a minimum so my brother and his wife can enjoy their day with their daughter, and everything should be fine.” Poseidon agreed, intent on making sure his older brother had his peace.
Mortal World
Thalia sat on her father’s lap while her mother sat next to them and fed her bites from a sundae. The godly family of three was taking a break after exploring most of what the amusement park had to offer, right as noon passed. Coincidentally, a parade float was happening on the street where their little rest spot was, so it seemed like the park never stopped.
Perseus adjusted the small tiara on his daughter’s head, an item that was one of the few things they had bought as a memento. He bent his head down and kissed the top of Thalia’s head, making her look up at him with a smile. “Do you want to stay here for a bit longer or go somewhere else?”
Thalia frowned at the question and looked confused, “I don’t know.” she replied in a small voice, and her mother reached out a hand to brush some hair that fell in front of her face and gave a reassuring smile.
“Well, then it’s a good thing you can have as much time to decide then. Don’t forget that Daddy can give you as much time as you want.” Zoë cooed and gave a cheeky grin to her husband at that last part, which he returned.
He hummed in agreement and ran a hand through his daughter’s hair, much to his wife’s exasperation as she had just brushed it, “That’s right. We have all day to do whatever you want.” he affirmed and Thalia seemed to settle down after hearing it from her parents mouths.
Zoë grabbed a napkin and wiped off the remaining ice cream around Thalia’s mouth before she picked her daughter up and off her husband's lap, placing her onto her own, swinging her daughter’s arms in play. Thalia giggled at the motion and looked up at her mother.
“Again!” she cheered and Zoë happily did so.
The parade float was going by them at that moment and Thalia suddenly stopped laughing, causing concern from her parents and surprise when their little girl started glaring.
“Thalia, what's wrong?” Perseus asked, his body tense and on alert, as was his wife.
“And here comes the king and queen of the castle! Make sure to say hi!” the voice coming from the speakers said as a much larger float came passing by with two people dressed in elaborate costumes waving at the onlookers.
Thalia pointed a finger at the two mortals almost accusingly, “Not king and queen.” she grumbled. Perseus and Zoë relaxed almost immediately and the two of them laughed as Thalia continued to glare as she felt like her parents were being offended. “Daddy is king and Mommy is queen.” she corrected like the announcer would hear her.
Zoë tickled her daughter’s sides briefly, making her burst out giggling and gaining her attention. “It's alright, My Little Star. Daddy and I aren't upset at the mortals.”
Not seeming satisfied, Thalia grabbed her tiara from her head and held it out for her mother to take, but Zoë gently pushed it back with a grin. “Thank you, My Little Star, but I think your tiara is too small for Mommy.” she told her daughter with a laugh.
“We could get one for you.” her husband said with a smirk and moved his leg away from Zoë’s kick.
“Then we're getting a crown for you as well and I know very well how you feel about that.” Zoë responded quickly with a knowing look, and Perseus had to resist letting out a long exasperated groan. He still remembered when Poseidon and Hades tried to convince him to wear the one they found, and he had to vehemently reject it when it looked like the ugliest thing anyone could make or wear.
“Fine, I won't do that.” he conceded to his wife before he noticed that Zoë briefly covered their daughter's ears with her hands, Thalia giggling on her lap as her little hands tried to pry her mother’s hands off her ears.
Zoë leaned closer to him, “But maybe one night I’ll agree and wear the tiara, but nothing else if you do the same with the crown.” she whispered, and with the way she said it, it had his eyes going wide. He inhaled sharply, doing everything he could to prevent the ichor rushing to his face as she pulled away with a slight smirk and removed her hands from their daughter’s ears.
Thalia tugged on her hands, “Daddy looks funny.” and Zoë nodded along with her daughter, playing innocent.
“What has you in such a mood, My Heart?” she teased.
Perseus put the thoughts away and visibly shook his head to clear it, and Thalia laughed at her father’s antics, which only made her parents laugh with her.
Olympus
Perseus and Zoë appeared in their palace with the latter carrying their daughter. Thalia burrowed her face into her mother’s neck, her eyelids drooping low as the day's activities seemed to catch up to her, and yawned to show her exhaustion properly.
Zoë ran her free hand up and down Thalia’s back in a calming manner. “I guess you’re very sleepy from all the fun today, huh?” she asked, and Thalia nodded her head sluggishly, taking a few quiet breaths that told her parents that she was losing the fight to stay awake.
Perseus leaned over and pressed a kiss to Thalia’s head, “Do we want to take her to our room?” he whispered not to disturb his daughter, and the goddess nodded with a soft smile.
“I don’t believe she’ll let go of me now.” Zoë commented with a light chuckle. Their daughter’s ability to cling to either parent in her sleep was well known and, quite frankly, Perseus and Zoë had no wish to be apart from their daughter.
Entering their bedroom, Zoë snapped her fingers to change her clothes and did the same for Thalia before she gently slipped under the covers, careful not to jostle Thalia. Perseus slid onto his side and stretched an arm out so Zoë could carefully shuffle closer to her husband and settle their daughter between them.
Zoë gave her daughter slow pats on the back and kissed her forehead, “Daddy and I love you so much, Little Star.” she said with a whisper as she leaned her head down onto her pillow, still aware of her husband’s arm underneath her. “You know your arm is going to go numb.” she stated when he didn’t move.
He pressed a kiss to the back of Thalia’s head, “Have the sweetest dreams, Little Love.” he smiled lovingly over her head, “I don’t really care if it means I can have both of you close to me.” and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. Zoë smiled into the kiss and broke away, but not before giving him a softer peck on the lips.
“I love you.” he whispered as his hand went up to caress the side of her face.
Zoë covered his hand with hers, “I love you too.”
With their daughter asleep between them and their second child slowly growing in his wife’s belly, Perseus’ heart could have exploded with how much love he had as he gazed upon his wife and ever-growing family. He silently thanked her for giving him this life, and judging by the similar look in Zoë’s eyes, he could guess that she strongly thought the same.