Maybe it's All About Timing

Danielle Ch5-Part 1

He was panicking, confused, and angry. Instinctively, just before she drank the last drop, he lunged forward and yanked the bottle away from his daughter's lips, sending it crashing to pieces on the ground. Danielle started to wail, intensifying the wave of panic that had already started to wash over him. Knowing he had to act quickly, he kicked up a cloud of dirt, directly into the faces of Blue and Hades. Caught off guard, they started coughing and rubbing their eyes, giving Daniel just enough time to scoop Danielle up in her basket and run away.

He had to protect his daughter.

As Daniel sprinted along, he heard a gentle yet familiar woman's voice whisper, "The river will keep her safe. Believe me, my son." He hadn't heard that voice since he was a small child, but it was the same one from his dreams, and her enchanting voice singing the melody of the lullaby echoed in his mind.

He always thought it was a dream - a dream full of vivid images of a baby peacefully floating down a river stream, accompanied by a woman's gentle voice singing an enchanting melody. But it wasn't a dream. It was a memory - his memory.

That woman was his birth mother, who had to let him go for his protection, and he realized that he, too, had to do the same for his own daughter - let her go.

"Hush now, my baby. Be still, love, don't cry. Sleep like you're rocked by the stream. Sleep and remember this river lullaby. I'll be with you when you dream. Drift on a river. That flows through my arms. Drift as I'm singing to you. I see you smiling so peace and calm. And holding you, I'm smiling, too. Here in my arms safe from all harm. Holding you I'm smiling too."

The river was the key. He knew he must take Danielle to the river's embrace, where its waters would keep her safe.

As he approached the river's edge, he knelt and peered into the basket that held his weeping, beating heart in a tiny human form. Tears welled in his eyes as he whispered soothingly, "Shh, it's okay, Danielle. The river will protect you. I wish I could have done more, but I couldn't, and for that, I am sorry. But know and remember, Mama and Daddy will always love you." He picked her up one last time, kissing her forehead. The cries ceased, and he earned himself a small smile with soft cooing noises from her before tucking her back into the basket. His eyes never left her as he saw her eyes slowly drifting closed. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to the riverbank and slowly placed the basket in the flowing water. Silently, he watched as the basket floated away and said his final farewell to his daughter, "Goodbye, Danielle Allison."

"Drift on a river. That flows through my arms. Drift as I'm singing to you. I see you smiling so peace and calm. And holding you, I'm smiling, too. Here in my arms safe from all harm. Holding you I'm smiling too."

As soon as Daniel turned away from the riverbank, he was confronted by Hades, yet his face remained emotionless. He was numb, unfazed by whatever fate awaited him.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you, Danny boy," Hades said with a dry smirk, jerking the ex-stable boy by the white collar of his tunic. "What did you think you would accomplish by running away? Hmm? Did you really think it would be different this time?"

Daniel clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, seething with rage over his so-called uncle's betrayal. "I was protecting my daughter!" he exclaimed.

Hades let out a devious chuckle, reveling in his nephew's weakness. "You really are pathetic, not to mention weak," he said with a hint of mockery in his voice. "It's no wonder Cora killed you so easily."

The son of Zeus gritted his teeth and summoned every ounce of strength he had left, unleashing a powerful punch that struck Hades' jaw with immense force.