The Vanishing Hero

chapter 30

Chapter 30: Final

~Time Skip: 7 Years Later~

3RD PERSON POV

In a clearing in a forest where the wilderness met the sea, a woman stood watching the moon call for the tides to crash onto the shore. She was beautiful by anyone's standards, with auburn hair and striking silver eyes.

"Mommy!" a voice squealed from behind her, making her turn around with the brightest smile on her face. The little girl was 7 years old and ran toward her mother with the energy that only a child could. The woman scooped her up in her arms and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Hello, my little huntress. How are you?" she asked and the little girl gushed on and on about her day and what her and her father and siblings did. "Zoe, I told you to be careful when you run off like that," a man's voice came into the clearing with the two and the other two smiled in response.

The man was equally handsome as the woman, with windswept raven hair and sea green eyes. Walking alongside him was another little girl of 4 years with the same eyes as her father and they cascading auburn hair of her mother. Her tiny hand was held gently in her father's while in his other arm was a bundle of blankets containing the couple's son.

"Hello sweetie," Artemis squatted down to the other girl and gave her forehead a kiss as well. "How are you, Selene?" Artemis asked her second daughter and got a quiet response of "good". Selene Phoebe Grace Jackson was a stark contrast to her older sister, Zoe Diana Jackson. Both shared traits of both their parents, but the similarities ended there. "And how's my favorite little man?" Artemis asked as she took the bundle from Percy and got a kiss on the forehead for herself. "I'm pretty good. Zoe's getting better at archery everyday," Percy responded and Artemis rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about you, Sea Sponge," she said, inducing a fit of giggles from the two little girls.

While the two daughters shared traits of both of them, the little boy of 6 months was already a carbon copy of his father, like his father before him. A tuft of raven black hair and endless sea green eyes revealed themselves as the boy let out gurgles of approval for his mother, making the entire family smile.

"I missed you, Theseus Lucas Jackson," Artemis whispered and placed another kiss on the babes forehead. "And I, you my love," Percy whispered and held his wife in his good arm as Selene climbed his shoulders and Zoe clutched to her mother's leg. The family sat in comfortable silence as they watched the moon and the tides, the representation of both of their parents.

"Shall we? I believe they'll want to meet the newest member and Thalia and Estelle can't keep her mouth shut for much longer," Percy said and Artemis hummed in agreement.

The family flashed to the hunter's camp and grabbed Thalia and Estella for the trip to the Throne Room. "Aunty Stella!" Zoe and Selene squealed and tackled Percy's sister. The trio laughed and Thalia shook her head and they flashed to Olympus.

"Is that him?!" Hera practically screamed and rushed off of her throne to meet her newest grandchild. Percy chuckled at his mother's antics and gave her a kiss on the cheek while Artemis did the same with Leto and Apollo.

"Father, Uncle, meet your newest grandchild. Theseus Lucas Jackson," Percy declared and oozed pride throughout the room. Poseidon was cooing over his grandchild and astonished with how much he looked like both Percy and himself. Zeus was frowning slightly. Hermes teared up a little and gave Percy a nod of gratitude for naming his son after the God of Thieves late son.

"That won't do," Zeus said and Percy looked at him confused. "Theseus Jupiter Lucas Jackson. That is my grandson's name," Zeus declared with pride and held the bundle who gurgled and pulled his beard with a toothless smile. Everyone chuckled at that. "Well, it seems he shares his father's trait of testing the gods already," Hestia teased.

Apollo suddenly bolted upright and the green mist pooled out of his eyes and mouth. Percy tensed on instinct and everything in the Throne room went silent.

"Hunters and children of Moon and Tide,

Will take Death's kid on a wild ride.

Darkness rises, but yet may fall,

Night may be the safest of all.

Fate of Olympus again at hand,

And peace for the Hero's final stand."

The silence was deafening in the Throne Room and Artemis and Percy shared a look that showed apprehension, fear, and worry. Their children, as it appeared, would have to suffer the same burden's as their father.

"Son of a -" Percy started, but forgot his children were present.

"Perseus!" Artemis, Hera, and Hestia all cut him off simultaneously.

The guy just couldn't catch a break.