The Rise Of Night

Chapter 24: A Mother's Love

(Edited)

======= Previously on The Rise of Night =======

She took a deep breath and started again. "So, usually in the eighth-"

This time she was cut off by Artemis' yelp, wetness damping her pants. Percy was panicking while Athena said calmly to Artemis, "Your water just broke."

======= Now =======

It was an easy delivery, or at least in Athena and Aphrodite's point of view. To Artemis, it felt like the end of the world.

Percy was with her the whole time, giving her encouragement while Ares was in the corner, his hands covering his eyes. Guess he never saw someone giving birth before.

"You're doing great," Percy whispered into Artemis' ears as he kissed her on the forehead lightly, calming her down slightly.

A cry rang through the room as a beautiful girl was born. Athena cleaned her up and handed her to Artemis. "She's beautiful," Artemis breathed out just as the girl opened her eyes.

"She has your eyes," Percy said with a smile. Silver eyes stared back at him as the baby giggled happily, stretching her little hands up to touch Percy's face.

"She already has herself wrapped around Percy's finger," Athena whispered to Artemis. Aphrodite cooed at the girl.

"Aren't you cute?" to Aphrodite's surprise, the little girl glared at her and slapped her across the cheek, causing her to yelp out. Ares quickly went and hugged her, glaring at the baby as he did so, who glared back.

Percy and Artemis were laughing, causing their daughter to laugh as well. "What will you guys call her?" Athena wondered.

Percy looked toward Artemis, causing her to glare at him. "Why are you looking at me?"

"You said you want to choose the girl's name," Percy reminded her. Artemis mentally facepalmed herself.

"Selyne," Artemis replied as she looked at her daughter, gently stroking her face and brushing her hair away. Since she was a goddess, she grew faster than mortals. "But with a Y instead of an E."

"Sounds good," Percy decided, kissing his daughter's cheek before kissing Artemis'. "She will have the best childhood ever."

"How about your childhood?" Athena asked with a look of fake hurt on her face. She looked down at the floor. "Wasn't I good enough?"

Percy immediately rushed to his mother and hugged her. "Of course. You're the best mother I could ask for-" he looked at Artemis and gave her a smile. "Leto was a great mother as well."

Artemis stifled her laugher as she hugged her daughter close to her and whispered. "You're going to have a difficult life, but nothing is impossible. You just have to push through."

Selyne smiled at her mother, remembering everything she said by heart, even if she didn't know what it meant yet.

======= Line Break =======

"Story," Selyne cried out with her cute voice before her parents could leave the room. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Of course," Artemis agreed before sitting down next to her daughter. Percy sat on the other side of her bed. "What kind of story?"

"How did you guys meet?" Selyne wondered. She had her mother's eyes and her father's raven black hair. It was three weeks after Artemis gave birth and she already acted like a three year old girl. She had both her mom and dad's brain.