Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Alex Fierro is not usually the kind of person who takes kindly to being woken up abruptly, he’s the kind of guy who needs time to wake up fully, to adjust to being awake. 

However, on this particular hot Summer's day in Valhalla, Alex is pretty glad to be pulled from his sleep, because on this particular morning, he is in the middle of a nightmare. 

Nightmares are pretty regular occurrences for Alex, usually centring around his childhood abuse either at home or at school, or the two years he was homeless and living on the streets. Or sometimes they’re about the countless times his mother, Loki, has tried to end the world.

This morning Alex has the displeasure of dreaming about his father, reliving the day that he had first found Alex trying on men’s clothes and experimenting with a more masculine look, when Alex was only 13.

The insults and cruel words that his father hurled at him feel just as real in the dream, as they did in real life.

Alex’s body still remembers the pain of the physical abuse, remembers the searing pain in his back and ribs when his father slammed him up against the wall, screaming and yelling in his face about acting like a freak and being an embarrassment. 

And just as he relives the searing, stinging pain across his cheek, the result of his father slapping him across the face, Alex is abruptly pulled from his dream by a loud and sharp cry, making him gasp and sit up in bed. 

It takes Alex a few seconds to re-orientate himself and gather his thoughts, before he quickly realizes that the loud cry that woke him up, came from the bassinet by the bed. 

Alex leans over to peer into the bassinet and sees he and Magnus’ 4 month old baby daughter Robin lying awake, her mouth open in a wail and her little hands scrunched up into fists, giving the impression that she is not too happy. 

“Hey mija .” Alex softly says to Robin, reaching into the bassinet and lifting her into his arms. He holds her against his shoulder and pats her back soothingly. Soon Robin’s cries die down and she snuggles into her papi , burying her face in the side of his neck. 

Alex presses a kiss to Robin’s cheek, glad to be awake and out of that horrible dream, holding his precious baby girl and giving her the love and care his own father never gave him. 

Just then, the door to the ensuite bathroom opens, and Magnus steps out- his blonde hair damp and dripping water onto his white shirt that has blue writing across the front that reads ‘I keep all my dad jokes in a dad -a base.’, a joke gift he had gotten from Annabeth, but that he actually really loves and wears all the time. 

He’s also wearing a pair of black jeans, and a green zip-up jacket over the t-shirt. 

When he sees Alex awake with Robin, his face lights up.

“Hey, you’re awake early.” Magus greets, making his way over to the bed to sit beside Alex and give him a good morning kiss, knowing that usually Alex wakes about an hour after him. 

“Robin wasn’t too happy at not being held, I woke up when she started crying.” Alex explains, rubbing Robin’s back soothingly. 

“If you want to go back to sleep for a while, Robsy and I can go get breakfast with the others.” Magnus offers, noticing the bags under Alex’s eyes from all the late nights and early mornings with Robin, who at 4 months old is waking up at least 3 times a night. 

Alex shakes his head. “No, it’s ok, I’m glad to be awake. I was having a nightmare.” he quietly admits, feeling a little more shaken from the bad dream than usual. 

“Are you ok?” Magnus gently asks, knowing that of course Alex isn’t ok after a nightmare, but he wants to show he cares, he really really cares. 

“I will be.” Alex sighs. “I just want to be distracted right now honestly. I was thinking we could head down to Chase Space, help out for a bit, give Robin some quality time with Hearth and Blitz, her favorite Uncles.” 

Magnus grins as he thinks about Hearth and Blitz, who both absolutely adore Robin with all their hearts, and are so good with her. Hearth is always able to calm and soothe Robin when she gets fussy or upset, and Blitz is always able to get a laugh and a smile out of her, and of course keeps her supplied with the best clothes a baby could ask for. 

“That sounds like a great idea.” Magnus agrees. “We could have breakfast in the dining room first, with the others? I think they’re all having Robin withdrawals, it’s been almost 12 hours since they saw her!” 

Alex laughs lightly, knowing how much his hallmates adore Robin, and how eager they always are to see her and spend time with her. He’s so glad Robin has such a large support system, and so many people to love her.

“Sounds like a plan.” 

So over the next 10 minutes or so, Alex picks out an outfit for Robin, eventually deciding on a white t-shirt underneath pink overalls and white knee socks dotted with light green polka dots. 

Alex then quickly dresses Robin, before handing her over to Magnus so Alex himself can get dressed. 

Once all 3 of them are dressed and ready, Magnus grabs a bottle of formula from the fridge that he pre-made just a few hours ago when he got up before Alex and Robin, and grabs up the diaper bag, before following Alex to the dining room, with Robin on Alex’s hip. Robin is looking all around her and occasionally gives the odd Einherji or two a gummy smile, already a very bright and friendly baby. 

When they walk into the dining room of floor 19, they see that their 3 hallmates have all made it there before them. 

“Robin!” T.J. cries joyfully when he sees his friends and their baby. “Hi cutie! You look extra adorable today!” he coos, as Alex and Magnus sit down at the table across from TJ and Gunderson, and beside Mallory. 

“Did you have a good night, little bird? Were you good for your parents, did you let them sleep?” Gunderson cheerfully asks Robin, reaching out to lightly boop her on the nose, making the baby scream with laughter and delight. 

Mallory winces at the high pitched screech/laugh, and puts a hand over one of her ears. “Woah Robin that was loud! You could give a banshee a run for her money, pet!” Mallory lightly laughs. 

“That she could.” Magnus agrees, lightly tickling Robin’s stomach, earning another laugh from her, though this one less high-pitched. 

“Look at this grip!” Gunderson interrupts, grinning proudly and holding his hand up to show off the way Robin is holding his finger. “That’s the makings of a warrior’s grip! No wonder you’re gonna lead us to victory at Ragnarök!” 

Robin babbles and yells, then quickly starts fussing and crying.

“Oh well done you big oaf! Make the baby cry, why don’t you!?” Mallory scolds her boyfriend, whacking him on the arm, as Halfborn’s eyes go wide with guilt. 

 “I’m sorry little bird! I didn’t mean to upset you!” He exclaims, wondering what exactly he did to upset her. 

“You didn’t do anything, she’s just mad because she’s hungry and wanted her bottle like 5 minutes ago, she’s not very patient.” Alex laughs, as Magnus takes the bottle from the diaper bag and summons the power of Frey to heat it, since Robin does not like cold formula (they’ve tried to give her cold or room temperature formula before but she was not having it.) and this is easier than slowly heating it in a pot of hot water, or having to find an outlet to plug the bottle warmer into. 

“Ah it’s good to have a healthy appetite! Help you grow big and strong, into the best warrior Valhalla has ever seen, isn’t that right little bird?!” Gunderson exclaims, only to receive a look of disgust from Robin, who clearly doesn’t enjoy his conversation when she’s hungry. 

Over the next 40 minutes, Robin becomes much happier and more content once she has her bottle, and is fussed over more by her Uncles and Aunt, with Magnus and Alex taking it in turns to hold her so the other can eat without Robin trying to grab their fork every other second. 

Not long after that, they get Robin settled and happy in her stroller and find a door that leads from Valhalla down into Boston, where they emerge bye a café about a 15 minute walk from Chase Space. 

“I’m so glad I’m not pregnant anymore, now it’s this hot.” Alex comments to Magnus, fanning his hand in front of his face, and tucking his pink jacket in the basket under Robin’s stroller. He had forgotten just how hot Boston is in August, with it only being 10AM and already the air is thick and humid, and a nearby pharmacy sign displays the date and time as well as the temperature, telling them that it's already 64 Degrees Fahrenheit. 

Alex can’t imagine how much worse the heat and humidity would have made him feel, while he was carrying Robin and pretty much constantly overheated already. 

“I think you’re just glad you’re not pregnant anymore full stop.” Magnus points out, knowing that though Alex loved some parts of pregnancy, like feeling Robin kick, he hated the experience overall, it was extremely challenging for him, and Alex himself has said the relief he now feels at not being pregnant anymore, has to be the best feeling in the world. 

“That is true, and I’m glad the post-partum bleeding has stopped too.” Alex agrees, glad not to have to wear a big bulky thick pad now the hotter weather is here. 

Post-Partum hasn’t exactly been easy for him either, Alex had just about gotten used to his pregnant body, and just a few days later Robin was born. Now he is struggling with some dysmorphia and dysphoria again, and finds it difficult to get used to and accept his post-partum body. His body has changed a lot in the last year, since getting pregnant and giving birth, and it’s taking time to get used to. 

But undoubtedly the last 4 months have been the best 4 months of his life. And all the struggles were and are more than worth it to have Robin. She may be a pretty fussy baby, and not the best sleeper, but Alex wouldn’t change anything about her, she’s the light of his life and absolutely perfect as she is. 

As Alex and Magnus continue to walk through the streets of Boston, with Alex pushing Robin in her stroller, Alex feels as though he just can’t take his eyes off Robin.

She is sitting up in her stroller, though still facing her parents, who don't feel ready to have her outward facing yet. Her big grey eyes are looking all around her at her new surroundings, absolutely fascinated and intrigued by it all, and clearly loving being out in the fresh air and in nature, just like her dad. 

“She’s just like you already Magpie, a nature lover.” Alex says in an amused tone, turning to look up at his boyfriend, who smiles proudly at their daughter. 

“That’s my girl!” He happily exclaims. “Are you just like dada, Ro-Ro? Alex, are you sure she’s not too hot in those dungarees? In weather like this they could probably make a frost giant work up a sweat.” 

“She’s fine, Beantown. They’re dungarees made of denim, not a snowsuit made of fur. Besides, Blitz made her this outfit and Hearth infused some magic into all the outfits Blitz makes for Robin, so that they’ll always regulate her temperature, and only keep her as warm or as cool as she needs to be. Isn’t that right my sweet Robin? Oh Gods you are too cute!” Alex happily exclaims, wanting to just cry because of how adorable and precious Robin is, especially when she laughs when Alex lightly tickles her stomach, and she tries to grab his hand. 

Just then, the sweet moment is broken by the sound of a voice that Alex had sincerely hoped he would never hear again.

“ Alexandria?! ” 

It’s not just the use of his deadname that makes Alex’s head snap up, but the all too familiar tone and voice of the last person Alex ever wants to see again. 

When Alex looks up, he is simultaneously surprised and not at all surprised, to see a tall broad man standing just a few feet away from him, Magnus and Robin. The man has tanned brown skin like Alex, and neatly combed and closely cropped dark black hair that has started to grey around the temples. His goatee is similarly closely cropped and also peppered with grey hair. He is dressed smartly in a navy blue pinstripe business suit, looking pretty much exactly the same way he did the last time Alex saw him 2 years ago. 

The man standing in front of them is Alex’s father. 

Alex’s breath catches in his throat, and he feels both panic and anger twist together and rise in his chest, as he stops abruptly in his tracks, staring in shock at his father. 

In return Mr. Fierro is gaping at Alex like he’s just seen a ghost- which technically he has. 

“Dad.” Alex quietly says in a hoarse voice, shaken up at the sight of his abuser, hardly able to believe his eyes. Not wanting to believe his eyes. 

He thought he was rid of this monster for good, thought he never had to see his punch-able face or hear his acid voice ever again. 

“You’re…. But…. you’re dead.” Mr. Fierro whispers, his tone breathy with shock as he stares at Alex, entirely ignoring Magnus and Robin. 

“Yeah well we both know there’s a lot more to the world than meets the eye. Or have you tried to ignore that and act like it’s not real and never was? Like you ignored me and tried to act like I never existed, because you hated me that much?” Alex snaps, suddenly being hit with a flood of memories of all the awful things his father did to him over the years. 

Suddenly, Alex’s father’s face is clouded with anger and disgust, and his top lip curls into a snarl. 

“You can’t expect me to love and accept a mistake like you! A product of trickery and deception.” He hisses, something he told Alex frequently throughout his life. 

“It’s not my fault that Loki tricked and deceived you! I didn’t ask to be born, let alone to two fucking assholes who had absolutley no business having kids!” Alex snaps back, his anger quickly boiling to the surface. If ever there was a perfect example of someone who should not have had kids, it’s Alex’s father. 

Mr. Fierro scoffs. “You haven’t changed one bit, Alexandria. Still playing dress up I see, and divulging in your delusions. Shouldn’t you look like a proper young lady now, once and for all?” he sneers, looking Alex up and down with disgust. 

“I’m not a ‘young lady’, not today anyway. And yes, I’m still genderfluid. Always have been and always will be, despite the fact that you chose to abuse and disrespect me even in death, by presenting my body as female, and putting my deadname on my coffin, headstone and in my obituary. 

I can still present however I want, in fact I’ve got a friend in the fashion business who thinks my style is impeccable. 

I finally have friends now, a family, who love me for me. I have a sister you know, on my mom’s side. We were kept apart all our lives but still in just the few months I’ve known her, she has been far kinder and far more loving and accepting than Elena and Isabella ever were in all 16 years we lived together.” Alex replies in a harsh angry tone, his nostrils flaring and his grip on the handle of Robin’s stroller tightening. 

Magnus has heard Alex mention his siblings once or twice before, he knows he has (had?) two older sisters and a much younger brother who was born when Alex was 12. He had briefly mentioned that his sisters were 3 and 5 years older than him and had always been cruel and verbally abusive to him. Calling him horrible names and slurs, refusing to share a room with him, gossiping about him to their friends, etc. 

Basically the complete opposite of Samirah. 

The look of anger on Mr. Fierro’s face grows, his hands balling into fists at his side as if he wants to swing at Alex. 

“You wicked little brat!” he snarls “You always antagonized and egged the girls on! You made them uncomfortable, you riled them up on purpose to make them snap at you and then played the pathetic little victim!” 

Alex scoffs in disgust and shakes his head, remembering all the times his sisters had gotten annoyed or angry at him for no reason, and done something like purposely break a piece of Alex's pottery, or intentionally break something of theirs and then claim Alex made them do it, either with his powers or because he made them so angry they just couldn’t control themselves anymore and lost it.

Of course they were never held accountable. His sister Isabella once threw her iPod at Alex, hitting him right in the face and leaving a pretty big bruise. She of course never had to apologise or acknowledge what she did was wrong, Alex was blamed for the incident. He was told it was his fault because he annoyed Isabella in the first place and wouldn’t shut up when she told him to. As his stepmother said, everyone loses their temper sometimes. 

But a few days later when Alex asked Isabella to turn her music down, he got told he was being controlling and nasty and needed to apologise to Isabella and stop trying to control everything she did. 

“You know what? I don’t care anymore, because like I said, I have a new family now, one who loves me and accepts me.” Alex lightly says, before turning to Magnus and grabbing his hand. “This is my boyfriend. He was one of the first people I was able to trust after the abuse you put me through, he was one of my first friends, and now I love the goof with all my heart. 

And he loves me with all his heart, he treats me right. He respects my boundaries, he listens to me, he makes me laugh and smile, he cares about me and so much more. 

He loves me for me, male or female, however I present isn’t relevant and doesn’t change how much he loves me.” Alex continues, his tone softening as he looks at Magnus and thinks about all they’ve been through together over the last year, and how he was his rock during it all. 

Magnus smiles lovingly at Alex and gives his hand a supportive squeeze. He chooses not to speak up, knowing that Alex needs to talk for himself right now. If Magnus needs to jump in and defend his boyfriend at any point, he’ll know when the time is right. But right now the best thing he can do for Alex is stand with him and support him, and let him know he isn’t alone. 

“Well clearly these new friends of yours and your little boyfriend here are just as delusional as you are, they have to be if they tolerate and agree with your nonsense. Clearly anyone who agrees with and listens to you, Alexandria, is not in their right mind.” It is then that Mr. Fierro spots the stroller that Alex is holding onto, as well as the baby sitting up in the stroller, cooing and laughing at two birds sitting on a nearby branch. 

“Who would trust you with an innocent baby?! I have half a mind to call CPS- your type has no business being around children!” Mr. Fierro loudly declares, his raised and angry voice causing Robin to jump in fright and start crying and fussing. 

“Want me to take her?” Magnus asks Alex, as Alex unbuckles Robin from her stroller and lifts her up into his arms, holding her close to him and smoothing a hand over her dark hair. 

“No thanks I got her.” Alex assures him, lightly bouncing Robin. “Hey mija , did you get a shock huh? Oh I know buba, I know, you don’t like loud sounds do you?” Alex lightly coos to his baby daughter, gently swaying her side to side to comfort her, glaring at his father over the top of Robin’s head. 

Once Robin has calmed down a bit and stops crying, Alex gives his father a smug look. 

“You know how you always said I would never accomplish anything? Well you couldn’t have been more wrong, because here’s my great accomplishment. My daughter.” Alex calmly says, hiding a smirk by pressing a kiss to Robin’s dark hair, as the baby tucks her head under Alex’s chin, knowing she is safe and secure in her papi ’s arms. 

A look of complete confusion and disbelief washes over Mr. Fierro’s face, as his gaze moves from Robin to Alex, trying to comprehend the situation. He wouldn’t believe that the baby is Alex’s, if it weren’t for the fact that the baby looks so much like Alex, especially when Alex was a baby. 

“That… that  can’t be possible! You’re… you’re dead- you can’t create life from death.” He stammers in confusion, starting to wonder if maybe this is all a dream or a hallucination. Surely none of this can be possible!

“Yeah well like I said, lots of weird and impossible things happen when you get involved with Gods and stuff. My daughter is a miracle, and my boyfriend and I are already far better parents than you or Loki ever were. 

Magnus and I will always love and accept our daughter for who she is, we will never raise a hand to her, ignore her and dismiss her or do any of the horrific things you did to me. This baby will always have two parents who love her and accept her and support her. 

We will never blame her for things that are completely outside of her control, never make her feel unloved, call her names or tell her she’s not our real child.” 

“I bet your…. Your… mother made this happen.” Mr. Fierro spits, clearly no more fond of Loki than Alex or Magnus themselves. “What did she do?! Place some some… spell or something on you to make this possible? You always were a freak and a monster just like her.” 

Magnus can’t hold back a snort of laughter at the idea of Loki doing anything to help Alex, while Alex himself rolls his eyes. He should’ve known his father would jump right to accusations of sorcery, typical Christian fanatic. Seems like Alex isn’t the only one who hasn’t changed over the last 3 years. 

“No, Loki had absolutely nothing to do with this. In fact he tried to force a miscarriage when I was pregnant, and that was after he tried to force me to agree to let him raise Robin, turn her into a weapon.” Alex replies, closing his eyes briefly as he is hit with a vivid memory of Loki standing over him as Alex crumpled to the floor in pain, sobbing and begging for him to make it stop- internally begging Robin to just hold on and stay with him. 

“Well if there’s one thing that monster and I ever agreed on it is that you two are not fit to raise a child, nobody who acts and thinks like you is fit to be a parent.” Mr. Fierro snaps in a sharp and angry tone. 

“Well it’s a good thing I don’t care about your opinion. 

Come on Magnus, let's go, I’m done wasting my energy on this waste of space. We should take the long way to Chase Space, we could stop and feed the pigeons on the way, Robin loves seeing them.” Alex decides, turning her attention to Magnus, gesturing for him to take the stroller while Alex opts to keep Robin in his arms. 

She prefers being carried than being in her stroller anyway, and right now Alex wants her as close as possible. 

“Sounds like a plan, you wanna see the birdies, Robsy?” Magnus coos to the baby, earning a wide and gummy smile that melts his heart. How did he got so lucky as to be this amazing kid’s dad? 

Just as they start to walk away, a figure blocks their path. 

“You’re not going anywhere.” Mr. Fierro growls. “Not with an innocent child you’re not. You two will only corrupt her, make her think she’s a boy or some other made up nonsense. I’m going to do what I should have done 16 years ago with you, Alexandria, before your mother corrupted you and messed you up in the head. I’m going to take this child and find suitable, sane parents for her.” 

Immediately Alex’s grip on Robin tightens and he takes a step back from his father, while Magnus moves in front of him to shield him and Robin, as Alex’s father begins to reach out to take Robin out of Alex’s arms. 

Robin screams and buries her face in Alex’s neck, her hands gripping tightly to Alex’s top and her whole body tensing up. 

“It’s okay baby girl I got you, you’re safe, papi’s here.” Alex murmurs to the baby, one hand protectively cupping the back of her head, his lips pressed against Robin’s temple as he attempts to soothe her. 

“Woah dude back. Off!” Magnus firmly says through gritted teeth, stepping in front of Alex and Robin to shield them from Mr. Fierro. He wishes Annabeth was here right now, with her cap of invisibility. If she were to wear the hat and hold Robin at the same time, both of them would be invisible and they could safely get Robin away from Mr. Fierro. 

“You’ll stay out of this if you know what’s good for you, boy! I know your type, I’ve seen you pick pocketing and stealing from cars. I’ve seen you walk out of stores without paying for what you had in your pockets, don’t think I won’t report you to the police.”  Mr. Fierro sternly warns, looking Magnus up and down with disgust. 

“Go right ahead, but when the cops hear you rambling about someone who’s been dead for over a year, you’re gonna look even more stupid than you do already. 

Get away from my kid or I swear I’ll cut your damn hands off- even if it means going to Helheim for the rest of eternity.” Magnus threatens, ready to whip Jack out and use him to cut this asshole in half if necessary. He would be seriously screwed for harming a mortal, but if it’s what has to be done to protect and keep Robin safe, he’ll do it. 

Just then, they hear a familiar voice nearby, a voice they are relieved to hear. 

“Hey!” Blitzen calls to them, as he and Hearth hurry to their side. “What in Helheim is going on here? You guys ok?” Blitz’s voice is filled with concern as he looks at the tableau in front of him. Magnus looks like he’s about to tackle the stranger in front of him, with a look of anger on his face that Blitz has never seen before. And Alex is standing behind Magnus, holding Robin close to him, looking afraid. Even more afraid than he had any of the times they all almost died.

In Alex’s arms, Robin has her face buried in Alex’s neck, her hands gripping his top so tight it almost looks painful. 

At the sound of Blitz’s familiar voice, Robin tentatively lifts her face from Alex’s neck, and slowly starts to smile around her pacifier, her face lit up as she is distracted by the sight of her two favorite Uncles. 

“Hey kid.” Blitz softly says, reaching out to brush Robin’s cheek lightly, earning a small laugh from her. “What’s going on huh? What’s got you so scared lookin?” 

Monster? Hearth signs, pointing to Mr. Fierro, who looks ready for a fight. Alex laughs. 

“Yeah but a mortal one.” he replies, glaring at his father over the top of Robin’s head. 

“Are these your so-called “friends”, Alexandria? The ones who endorse your delusions?” Alex’s father asks in a gruff voice, looking Hearth and Blitz up and down in distaste. 

“Who is he talking to? Who’s Alexandria?” Blitz asks in a confused tone, looking around to see if there’s someone he isn’t noticing. 

“He means me, unfortunately. That’s my dead name.” Alex sighs. He hates people knowing his dead name, it feels completely unnecessary and irrelevant, and he can’t help but worry that people will use it behind his back or as a way to hurt him. 

“Oh! Oh so… you know him?” Blitz clarifies, swiftly moving on from the subject of Alex’s deadname. 

“I wish I could say no, but yes sadly I do know him. He’s my father, though more akin to a sperm donor than anything else really. He still hates me, in case you were wondering. And the feeling is still mutual.” Alex replies, with Magnus translating into ASL for Hearth, since Alex’s hands are full with Robin. 

Both Blitz and Hearth look at Mr. Fierro as if a pile of steaming hot garbage has just appeared in front of them. Hearth’s eyes harden in anger, and Blitz’s hand hovers over his ascot that can turn into chainmail in seconds. 

They have both heard plenty of stories from Alex about just how awful his father was, his disgusting abusive ways sound on par with those of Hearth’s father. 

He really is a monster, then. Hearth signs. This man standing in front of them is no better than the brunmigi that killed Andiron all those years ago. Someone as abusive and rotten as Mr. Fierro can easily end up with blood on their hands as a result of their abuse. 

“One of the worst kind.” Blitz agrees, feeling just as much hate for Mr. Fierro as he did for Mr. Alderman. Wherever Alderman is now, Blitz sincerely hopes he is paying for the way he treated Hearth, as well as many others. 

“What is that you’re saying?! What is that tall one doing with his hands?! Throwing gang signs of some sort or something?!” Mr. Fierro demands, looking at Hearth warily, almost as if he is afraid of the Elf. 

Alex rolls his eyes, not all that surprised that his father is totally ignorant to ASL and immediately assumes Hearth is a danger. 

“He’s using sign language, moron.” Alex replies in an irritated tone, almost regretting his words as he sees a familiar look of intense rage and anger flash across his father’s face- the same look he got the first time he demanded his father call him ‘Alex’ instead of his dead name. Not because Mr. Fierro was particularly attached to Alex’s deadname-no, he was enraged that Alex had dared to speak to him like that, dared not to be obedient. 

While Alex isn’t frightened of his father anymore, he can’t help but flinch and turn away from Mr. Fierro, as the older man looms over him. A trauma response from all the times that look on his father’s face pre-empted a physical assault- usually a smack across the face, or a shove to the ground followed by a kick to the ribs. 

The body keeps the score, as they say. 

Plus, Alex still has Robin in his arms and if Mr. Fierro pushes him then Robin will get hurt, and if he hits him he’ll traumatise Robin. 

But Mr. Fierro for once, doesn’t actually move to lay a hand on Alex- probably because they’re in public and he doesn’t want to cause a scene and ruin his reputation. Not because he is in any way above hurting his own child. 

“I have had enough of your nonsense! Hand that child over now, Alexandria, before I call social services.” Mr. Fierro orders sternly, once again reaching out to try and take Robin from Alex’s arms, and once again making Robin shriek and cling tightly to Alex. 

“Try that one more time and I will cut your hand off.” Alex growls at his father, holding his daughter close. 

“Woah what in Odin’s name do you think you’re doing pal?!” Blitz exclaims, quickly stepping between Mr. Fierro and Alex and Robin- shocked at this man’s audacity, seeing red when he sees how much Alex’s father is frightening and upsetting Robin. 

“What am I doing? I'm saving that child from a life of corruption and abuse. Alexandria and that thief of a boy are not fit to look after that child. There are plenty of good moral people who would do a much better job at raising a child, and I will see to it that this child is raised in a proper and deserving home.” Alex's father states, as if this is a simple fact and nobody is going to stop him.

That is called kidnapping. Hearth signs calmly. Very illegal.  

“Exactly!” Alex agrees, hoping Hearth can read his lips from a few feet away. He is not about to let go of Robin for one single second, not while his own father is actively trying to grab her out of his arms. 

“Yeah you might be willing to give up and stop caring about your kid, but we aren’t.” Magnus adds, remembering the dream he had years ago, about Alex’s father literally throwing 14 year old Alex out and leaving him to fend for himself. 

“Listen pal, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know the first thing about Alex and Magnus. These two kids are some of the bravest, strongest and most amazing people I ever met, and I’m honoured to call them my friends, my family. And I know even Odin himself will vouch for me when I say they are top notch parents!” Blitz firmly says. 

Not like you were good parent yourself. Hearth signs, scowling at Mr. Fierro. It’s laughable that this man thinks he has any right to speak about or decide who is and isn’t a fit parent, not after the horrendous things he did to Alex. 

“What did he say?!” Mr. Fierro rages, hating it when he can’t understand what someone is saying. 

“He said you wouldn’t know a good parent if one kicked you in the face- more or less.” Magnus calmly replies, as he moves to stand beside Alex and puts one arm around him and Robin, and kisses Robin on the forehead to soothe her, noting that she’s picking up on the tension of the situation, as she keeps her hands knotted into Alex’s shirt, her head on his shoulder. 

“Oh and you do?! How old are you, boy?! 18, 19? What do you know about parenthood?” Mr. Fierro sneers at Hearth in a smug tone.

“Well he basically raised me for 2 years, to start with.” Magnus defends Hearth, dreading to think where he would be without him. Where any of them would be without him. 

“And he helps us raise Robin. And just like Blitz said any of the Gods will vouch for Magnus and I, I know more than a few who’ll vouch for Hearth, too.” Alex coolly replies. He’s not about to stand by and let Hearth be verbally and emotionally abused again, and certainly not by someone who is no better than Hearth’s own father. 

“I don’t care what you or your Gods think, Alexandria!” Mr. Fierro snaps. “You’re in the real world now and none of you have any business raising a child, especially not you, Alexandria! Hand the child over now and I won’t have to get the police involved.” 

“Buddy if the cops show up here and find out you’ve been trying to kidnap Robin then you’re gonna be the one in trouble. You have absolutely no proof that Magnus and Alex aren’t fit parents!” Blitz warns, though fully aware that unfortunately that isn’t necessarily true. 

Both he and Hearth as well as Magnus and Alex all know that the cops aren’t exactly the most honest people. They could easily see a young brown gender-fluid kid like Alex and agree with Mr. Fierro that Robin shouldn’t be with Alex. Or Magnus, a person in an openly queer/non straight relationship. 

The cops could end up taking Robin illegally, putting her in the foster system or illegally having her adopted. Just the thought is too much to bear. But the threat and possibility is so very real. 

They need to come up with a plan- now. 

Just then, as if reading his partner’s mind, Hearth signs Have an idea.  

Shoot, and while you do, swap places with me so this wacko can stop trying to grab Robin . Blitz encourages, given that he is actually shorter than Mr. Fierro- but around the same height as Alex so he can at least somewhat block Alex and Robin from Mr. Fierro. But Hearth is about half a foot taller than Mr. Fierro so he can much more easily and much more effectively block/shield Alex and Robin.

Hearth nods and quickly steps in front of Alex, while Blitz moves to the side of him so he can see Magnus and Alex and fill them in on Hearth's plan, since they won’t be able to see what the Elf is signing from behind him. 

I can use rune magic to erase his memory. Hearth begins, with Blitzen quickly repeating, signing to Magnus and Alex so that Mr. Fierro can’t understand what’s being discussed. 

Alex’s eyes grow wide. Of me? All his memories of me? Alex isn’t sure he wants that, he holds no love for his father of course, absolutely despises the man. But he isn’t sure he wants him to just forget Alex ever existed, he doesn’t want him to forget all the heinous things he did to Alex. 

He highly doubts his father will ever feel regretful or sorrowful for what he’s done to his son, it most likely doesn’t keep him up at night, or make him feel ashamed or guilty or anything like that. That requires empathy, compassion, morality and a lot more things that Mr. Fierro has never shown any signs of possessing. Completely erasing all his memories of Alex seems like he's being let off the hook, which he absolutley does not deserve. 

Hearth shakes his head. No, just his memory of today, of seeing you today. Hearth explains.

Won’t you get in trouble for using rune magic on mortals? Magnus asks, not wanting his friend to be punished in any way. 

Again, Hearth shakes his head. Only one who might be mad is Odin- and he will understand when I tell him that I used it as last resort, to save Robin. Save her from being kidnapped.  He would be more mad if I didn’t do everything I can to save her.

And you won’t pass out after? Won’t drain all your energy? Blitz questions, looking at Hearth with eyes full of worry and anxiety. Though as he becomes more and more skilled at magic, Hearth has been less and less exhausted and weakened after each time he uses it, but sometimes he still does pass out after, especially if he’s already tired or in a heightened state of emotions as he (and everyone else) is in now. 

No, simple magic for me now. Hearth replies.

Ok… then do it, please. Alex decides, doing his best to sign with just one hand, while he still holds Robin close with the other. 

Stay behind me Alex, keep your head down, so he doesn’t recognise you when I wipe his memory. Hearth instructs. 

Usually Alex hates being told what to do, and will often do the exact opposite of what someone orders him to do, just to spite them. But right now he doesn’t mind at all, and happily makes sure he’s totally blocked by Hearth, keeping his gaze cast down, trying to distract himself by watching two birds a few feet away. 

“What are you saying?! What is going on?!” Mr. Fierro loudly demands. “Don’t you know how ignorant and rude it is to exclude someone from a conversation?! You’re in America- speak English!!” 

Magnus rolls his eyes so hard he’s surprised they don’t get stuck that way, like his mom always warned him would happen.

He mutters to Alex “Can we both agree to ignore the fact that you and Robin share DNA with that Neanderthal?” 

Alex smirks. 

“That’s very rude Magnus, what did Neanderthals ever do to you to deserve to be compared to that ?” Alex whispers. 

“What are you two whispering and giggling about?! You think this is a laughing matter?!” Mr. Fierro bellows, as Hearth takes his pouch of runestones from his pocket and takes two of them out, though no one can see exactly which ones. 

Within seconds the runes begin to levitate and glow in Hearth’s hand, and then he tosses the stones (none too gently) at Mr. Fierro, where they land right at his feet.

Within seconds, all rage and disbelief is wiped from the man’s face, along with all other emotions. 

He blinks and takes a moment to look around him, re-orienting himself like he’s coming out of a daydream. 

Then he looks down at the stones at his feet, and up at Hearth. 

“Ah, you must have dropped these. Here you are.” Mr. Fierro calmly states, bending down to pick up the two stones and placing them in Hearth’s still outstretched palm. 

Thank you. Hearth signs, bringing his empty hand to his chin and moving it down and forward. 

Mr. Fierro simply nods and walks off, not even glancing in Magnus or Blitz’s direction, as if nothing ever happened. 

“Hearth do you have some ultra rare stone in there that turns asshats into decent polite people?” Magnus questions in disbelief, signing as he speaks. “One minute he was practically foaming at the mouth with anger and the next he does something nice ?"

Hearth shakes his head and shrugs, also unsure of why Alex’s father suddenly became so calm and polite. 

“No, he’s always like that out in public. It’s behind closed doors where he’s the real monster, he cares so much about public appearances.” Alex sighs, remembering how at Church every Sunday, his father would play the loving and doting dad and husband. But when they got home, Alex would inevitably get screamed at, called an embarrassment, get the blame for something totally trivial and out of his control, like them getting a bad parking spot. 

“He didn’t seem too concerned about public appearances just a few minutes ago when he was trying to pull Robin out of your arms.” Blitz comments, anger flaring in his tone at the mental image of the look of fear on both Alex and Robin’s faces. 

“Oh believe me that was tame for him. He was trying to play the hero, he didn’t actually care about Robin and her wellbeing- he just wanted to look like someone who was saving a poor innocent baby from two punk kids.” Alex explains in a tone of disgust and disdain for his father. 

Can’t imagine what he was like in private. Sorry you had to deal with him Alex, sorry he hurt you so much. And that you had to have him as a dad. Not fair that you got stuck with 2 of the worst parents. Hearth tells Alex, looking at his friend with sympathy and understanding. 

Alex smiles and pats Hearth on the back. Thanks. He signs. You’re right, was pretty awful. Just glad to not have him in my life anymore. I’m sorry about your dad, too. Sounds like a real jerk, to say the least.  

Hearth nods in agreement, easily able to think of a few other choice words to describe his father, other than “Jerk.” 

Yeah, to put it politely. Hearth replies . Wish he had been better, different. But can’t change the past, just glad to be around better people now. Here for you though, if you want to talk about having a jerk dad. Know what it’s like. Have to stick together. 

Thanks pal, appreciate it. Means a lot. You’re right, need to stick together. All of us, not just you and me. Remember, we’re a family, family of empty cups. Alex replies, accepting Hearth’s hand when he holds it out for him, the two of them affectionately squeezing the other’s hand. 

Hey thanks for saving our asses again Hearth, don’t know what we’d do without you. Magnus signs lightly, grinning at his friend, finally feeling able to relax. Hearth returns the smile and a simple shrug. 

It’s my job, what brothers do.  

“So that was your first encounter with your grandpa, huh Ro-Ro?” Alex sighs, looking at his daughter perched on his hip and brushing back her dark hair. Poor Robin, destined to one day determine Loki’s fate, and now having what was meant to be a nice family day, ruined by her estranged abusive grandfather. 

“Nah, he’s not her grandpa, I am.” Blitz states, a wide smile spreading across his face as Robin reaches out for him, happily taking her into his arms when Alex passes her over. 

And me. Hearth adds, grinning and intercepting Robin’s hand as she makes a grab for his hair, blowing a raspberry against her palm and making her scream with laughter. 

“No no, you’re her grandma.” Blitz teases his fiancé, which makes Hearth roll his eyes in mock annoyance. 

“Aww you guys finally accepted your roles as grandpas!” Alex giggles, remembering the look of horror on Blitz’s face when Alex first teasingly called him Robin’s grandpa. 

“Hey it’s an honor to be related to this cutie at all.” Blitz fondly says, grinning at Robin, who leans her forehead against his.  “Grandpa or Uncle, title doesn’t really matter. I’m just so glad I get to be part of her life.” 

Me too. Hearth signs, before running a hand over Robin’s dark hair. Love her so much.  

“She loves you guys too.” Alex softly says, leaning into Magnus’ embrace as they watch two of their best friends love on and fuss over their daughter. “You’re the best grandpas a baby could ask for, isn’t that right Robsy?” Alex reaches over to lightly tickle Robin’s stomach which makes her laugh and squirm. 

“Hey don’t go too carried away with it kid, I’m still too young to be a grandfather!” Blitz chides.

Before Alex can reply, Robin lets loose a big yawn and rubs at her eyes before sighing and laying her head on Blitz’s shoulder. It is easily one of the cutest things she has ever done. 

“Aww kiddo, are you all tuckered out huh?” Blitz chuckles, rubbing Robin’s back comfortingly, feeling like he might just start crying because of how cute she is. 

It’s hard work being so cute, right Robin? Hearth signs as the baby blinks sleepily at him. 

“Sure is, especially in this heat.” Blitz agrees, carefully setting Robin down in her stroller, which Magnus has now adjusted to allow Robin to lie down in and sleep. “You guys coming back to Chase Space?” Blitz asks, briefly looking at Magnus and Alex as he finishes buckling Robin into her stroller. 

“Sure are.” Alex replies. 

Better go make sure place is still in one piece. Hearth signs, as Alex grabs the handle of Robin’s stroller, moving the stroller back and forth to help Robin drop off to sleep. 

“That we should.” Blitz agrees with a nod. 

As Hearth and Blitz walk a few steps ahead of Magnus and Alex, hand in hand, Alex can’t help but smile and think about how grateful he is for all the people in his life. 

“We have a pretty amazing family.” Alex softly says, putting one arm around Magnus’ waist and grinning up at him. 

Magnus returns the grin and puts his own arm around Alex’s shoulder. Alex tilts his head up towards him just as Magnus leans down to kiss him.

“Yeah, yeah we really do.” 

Chapter Text

In the brief time Magnus Chase has been an Einherji, he’s been in just about every place in all the 9 worlds, multiple times. By now, pretty much exactly a year since first arriving in Valhalla, Magnus is pretty used to being sent to bizarre and wild places, but he was not expecting to be invited to a new wild and bizarre place by his cousin Annabeth. 

When he receives the call from Annabeth on a crisp Autumn day while out for a stroll in Midgard, with Alex and their 6 month old baby girl Robin, Magnus assumes that this call is going to be just like every other conversation the two of them have had over the last year or so, since they reunited after being estranged since childhood.

Little does Magnus know how far from the truth his assumptions are. 

Magnus and Alex are both caught up in just watching Robin sleep in her stroller, admiring how perfect she is and marvelling at the fact that they made her, out of their love for each other. 
They might have sat there looking at her all day, if it weren’t for Magnus’ phone starting to ring loudly enough to pull them out of their trance-like state, but not so loud that it wakes Robin, thank the Gods. 

Magnus quickly scrambles to answer the phone, before the ringing gets louder and eventually does wake Robin. 

“Hello?” He quickly answers, having been in too much of a rush to check the caller ID before picking up. 

“Magnus.” the familiar voice of his cousin Annabeth, comes through the line, making Magnus’ face light up. He is always excited and eager to talk and catch up with Annabeth, who is more like a big sister to him now than a cousin. 

“Annabeth! Hey, what’s up?” Magnus asks, wondering what Annabeth has been up to since he last saw her about a month or two ago. 

“Nothing much, not for a demi-god anyway. How about you? How’s Alex? How’s Robin?” Annabeth asks, grinning as she thinks about the adorable pictures of baby Robin that Magnus has sent her over the last few weeks. 

“They’re great, Robin’s gonna start crawling any day now, she’s so close! OH! And we started her on solids last week, she’s nuts about carrots!” Magnus excitedly relays all the information to Annabeth, laughing lightly as he remembers the look of delight and excitement on Robin’s little face when she took her first bite of a carrot stick. 

“Oh that’s amazing! She’s growing up so fast!” Annabeth enthuses, finding it hard to believe that the tiny baby she first met 6 months ago, who was pretty much always tucked up in a sling and sleeping, is now racing towards toddlerhood, eating solid foods and getting ready to crawl. 

“I know, feels like just yesterday she was this tiny delicate little new born who we were terrified of somehow breaking.” Magnus agrees in an amused tone, thinking about how he and Alex were so nervous and scared about messing up in those early first days and weeks of parenthood. They were anxious they would hurt Robin even just by gently laying her in her bassinet. 

“Yeah, so I actually called you for a reason. Remember I said I’d ask Chiron about the prophecy that was made about Robin?” Annabeth asks. 

“Yeah, how could I forget?” Magnus sighs, thinking about the prophecy that was made about Robin before she was even born, while Alex was still pregnant. Even now, over a year after the prophecy was made, Magnus still feels extremely freaked out every time he thinks about the fact that Robin will lead the winning side at Ragnarök, and survive the end of days. Among a lot of other things. 

“Well I finally got round to talking to Chiron about it, and Apollo, since he’s the God of prophecies, well, the Greek God of prophecies.” Annabeth explains.

“I’m sorry did you just ever so casually name drop Apollo? Like you know him?” Magnus asks in a disbelieving tone. He of course knows that Annabeth does in fact know some Gods, but to hear her just casually mention that she talked to a God, like they’re old pals, is something else. 

“I do know him, in a way. He’s technically my Uncle, being a son of Zeus and all.” Annabeth points out. 

“Oh yeah… wait does that mean I’m related to him too?” Magnus wonders, not entirely sure how the Godly side of the family tree works. 

“No, you and I are related through our mortal side of the family, the Norse Gods and the Greek Gods aren’t related.” Annabeth tells him, in a ‘well duh’ tone, as if this is the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Okay but how do you know that for sure? Cause like… crazier things have happened, ya know?” Magnus ponders curiously. 

“Like me getting pregnant in the afterlife.” Alex chimes in, before taking a sip from her takeaway cup of coffee. 

“Yeah exactly!” Magnus agrees, nodding as if Annabeth can see him. “What’s stranger, the Greek and Norse Gods being related, or the fact that Alex and I have a kid?” 

“Well_ hey no! Stop distracting me!” Annabeth scolds. “Anyway as I was saying! I talked to Chiron and Apollo about the prophecy to do with Robin, they wanna talk to you and Alex about it.”  

“Like… over the phone?” Magnus asks, scrunching his forehead in confusion as he tries to imagine this Chiron guy and Apollo taking turns shouting into the speaker on Annabeth’s phone. 

“No, in person. They want you two to come to camp to talk to them.” At this, Magnus goes bug eyed and gasps, inhaling his coffee and sputtering and coughing, until Alex pounds him on the back and clears his airways. 

“I’m sorry… they want us …. Two Norse demigods, to go to your Greek demigod camp?!” Magnus clarifies once he’s caught his breath.  Would he and Alex even be allowed into camp? As far as he knows only Greek and Roman demigods have ever been at Camp Half Blood. Just for once, he wouldn’t mind taking a backseat in the whole ‘Making History’ part of his life. 

“Yeah, you won’t be staying overnight or anything and there’s no rules to say only Greek/Roman demigods can enter. And Chiron and Mr. D have explicitly given their permission.” Annabeth calmly responds, seemingly unbothered about Magnus’ choking. 

“I… when? How would we even get there?” Magnus asks, hoping that Annabeth isn’t going to suggest that he, Alex and Robin take a pegasi ride. After getting dragged through Boston by Big Boy, Magnus really isn’t keen to travel by air again. 

“There’s an exit from Valhalla into Manhattan, right?” Annabeth begins, remembering the time she talked Magnus into coming to Manhattan to meet Percy’s parents, Sally and Paul, after Annabeth told them all about her Einherji cousin. 

“Yeah.” 

“So just come to Manhattan that way, meet me by Percy’s place and we’ll get a cab to half blood hill from there.” Annabeth decides, always coming up with the most straightforward and logistical plans. 

“Ok… when?” Magnus hesitantly agrees, still not sure about all of this. 

“Can you come today?” Annabeth replies calmly, as if it’s an everyday ordinary request to invite your cousin to a magical Summer camp, with extremely short notice. 

“Uh… maybe? Can we bring Robin with us? If not, we're gonna have to wait for her to wake up from her nap. She gets mad when she wakes up and we’re not there.” Magnus responds, glancing into the stroller to check that Robin is still asleep.

“Yeah I don’t see why not.” Annabeth shrugs, figuring that since Robin is also at least part God (though not half) she should have no issues at Camp either. 

“Ok then… well give us like… an hour? I need to explain all this to Alex, then once Robin wakes up she needs a bottle.” Magnus decides, thinking that actually he and Alex should get Robin’s bottle ready now , because their girlie pop (as Alex calls her) does not like waiting for her food. 

“No problem, text me when you’re in Manhattan ok?” Annabeth instructs. 

“Yeah ok will do, see ya later.” Magnus agrees, hanging up the phone a few seconds later and looking up to see Alex looking at him with one eyebrow raised, as if to say Well Chase? You gonna explain or what?  

“Ok so….” 

Over the next few minutes, Magnus tells Alex everything that Annabeth had told him, leaving out no details. 

“We get to go to the famous Camp? Cool!!” Alex laughs in delight, excitement twinkling in her eyes. Alex has always wanted to see and go to Camp Half Blood, just to see what it’s like. Ever since finding out about it she’s been intrigued by its existence. 

“You’re not nervous?” Magnus asks, surprised at Alex’s eagerness and enthusiasm. 

“No, why would I be? It’s not like we’re sneaking in there without permission or anything. We’ve been personally invited.” she points out. 

“I dunno, it just feels… strange is all.” Magnus shrugs. 

“Stranger than living in a hotel where nobody ages, and where we engage in daily combat while my sister The Valkyrie babysits our kid?” Alex challenges, raising an eyebrow at Magnus.

Well he can’t really argue with that. 

“Yeah fair enough.” Magnus concedes. “Well we should probably get back to Valhalla and get Robin’s bottle ready for when she wakes up, which she looks like she’s about to at any minute.” He adds, nodding towards the stroller where the baby is now starting to stir, wriggling around and stretching her arms above her head as her eyes begin to flutter open. 

“Uh-oh, yeah she’s not gonna be happy if she has to wait more than five minutes for her bottle, lets go.” 

40 minutes later, Alex and Magnus find themselves standing just across the road from The Jackson’s home in Manhattan, waiting for Annabeth, with Robin sitting up in her stroller, enamoured by a group of  birds that have just landed nearby. “Oh look, Robin, magpies!” Magnus enthuses, pointing out the black and white bird to his daughter. “Do you remember the rhyme your Aunt Mallory told you about, for magpies? How does it go… One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy. How many are there… 4! Ohh what do you think Robsy, is it a sign that we should give you a brother?” Magnus teases, grinning at Alex just to see her reaction, feeling absolutely zero desire to have another child. 

Alex laughs harshly. “I know you’re joking but don’t you dare put that out into the universe, don’t manifest that.” Alex warns, one hand resting on her pocket where she keeps her garrotte. 

“Manifest what?” They hear a familiar voice at Magnus’ side, making him jump and about 2 feet in the air and almost land on his butt, which in turn makes Alex crack up laughing. 

“OH MY GODS!!!!” Magnus loudly exclaims, glaring at his cousin who is smirking amusedly at him. “Stop sneaking up on me!!! I’m gonna steal that damn hat one day.” 

Annabeth just laughs. “I didn’t sneak up on you, and I wasn’t wearing my invisibility hat. You’re just not very good at paying attention to your surroundings.” She lightly replies. 

“Yeah he’s too busy talking about having another kid.” Alex jokes, making Annabeth grow wide eyed and look at Magnus with disbelief. 

“No!! Magnus you can’t do that to poor Alex again!!” She exclaims, remembering how sick Alex was during her pregnancy with Robin, and having heard all the gory details about the birth and postpartum period. 

“I was kidding!” Magnus defends himself. “I don’t want another kid! Robin is more than enough. You don’t need a sibling do you Robsy?” He then coos his daughter. “I bet in a few years your Aunt Annabeth and Uncle Percy will give you cousins!” 

“If by ‘a few’ you mean 6 or 7 years from now.” Annabeth replies, very much looking forward to having a family with Percy one day , but not before they’ve finally had a chance to enjoy their lives and just be teens/young adults. “Now come on, it’s rude to keep a God waiting.” 

They’re able to quickly hail a cab, who thankfully has plenty of space in the trunk for Robin’s stroller, which the car seat detaches from and Annabeth is quickly and easily able to buckle the car seat into the backseat of the cab, before she jumps in the front seat and Alex and Magnus slide into the back either side of Robin. 

Thankfully the cab ride is pretty quick, the driver is perfectly pleasant and Robin doesn’t fuss or cry at all. 

The cab drops them at the bottom of half blood hill, and after seeing Magnus struggle to unfold the stroller for about 5 minutes, Annabeth takes over and has it unfolded and the car seat clipped in within about a minute. 

The 3 of them trudge their way up the hill, with Alex pushing Robin in her stroller. When they reach the top, they are greeted by a large pine tree with a glittering golden fleece hanging from the branches and blowing gently in the wind. 

And, curled around the base of the tree is a huge, snake headed reptilian animal, with copper scales and yellow eyes that blink open as the group of 4 approach. 

“No way!” Alex excitedly gasps upon seeing the creature. “Is that a dragon?! For real?!” Alex has always wanted to see a dragon, to meet one. She’s always felt drawn to reptiles like snakes and lizards, and dragons too.  

“Yep, this is Peleus, he guards the fleece which protects the camp. He’s a very good boy.” Annabeth grins, scratching Peleus under his chin like he’s just an overgrown scaly dog. 

“Oh my gods I love him!” Alex declares. “Can I pet him?” 

“Yeah go ahead, he’s very friendly.” Annabeth encourages. 

Without hesitation Alex crouches in front of the dragon and gently runs her hand down his snout, her heart just about melting when the dragon rests his chin in her lap. 

“Oooh hi Peleus!! You’re so cute, oh I love you so much! Ugh I wish I could take you home with me!” 

“Made a new friend, have you Peleus?” comes a voice that is entirely unfamiliar to Alex and Magnus. 

Alex looks up from the dragon’s face, and sees a man on horseback standing before them. Wait…. No, not on a horse… he is a horse… Well, partly. From the waist up he looks like an everyday average mortal man. He looks to be about middle aged and has shoulder length thinning brown hair, with bushy eyebrows the same color, a brown scruffy beard and intense deep brown eyes. 

He is wearing a beige blazer over a black sweater vest, under which is a white colored shirt and a red tie pairing it all together. 

From the waist down, the man is a white stallion. 

“Chiron!” Annabeth cheerfully greets, hurrying over to give the man a hug. Chiron smiles warmly and affectionately pats Annabeth on the back. 

“Hello my dear, how are you?” Chiron kindly asks as Annabeth pulls back from the hug. 

“I’m good! Chiron, this is my cousin Magnus, Magnus Chase son of Frey. This is my friend and Magnus' partner, Alex Fierro, child of Loki. And this is their daughter- Robin.” Annabeth introduces everyone. 

“‘Sup.” Alex greets the older man. “Annabeth literally never shuts up about you.” she adds in an amused tone, making Annabeth flush with embarrassment while Chiron chuckles good naturedly. 

“Hey.” Magnus casually greets Chiron, now at Alex’s side with Robin in his arms, passing the baby to Alex who clearly wants to introduce her to her new dragon friend. 

“A pleasure to the three of you. I hope you had a safe journey here from… did you come all the way from Boston?” Chiron asks in an unsure tone, recalling that Annabeth told him that though Magnus and Alex are both Einherjar they both grew up in and lived in Boston their whole lives, and still spend a lot of time there, when they aren’t in Valhalla. 

“Nah there are hundreds and hundreds of exits in Valhalla that lead out into different places all through the nine worlds, there’s one that leads out into Manhattan so we met Annabeth there and took a cab here.” Magnus replies, trying not to completely freak out when he sees Robin reach out to pat Peleus on the head. He knows of course that Alex would never put their daughter in danger, and Peleus seems perfectly friendly, but still it’s hard to see your baby daughter right in front of a (he assumes) fire breathing dragon. 

“Ah well I hope you had a pleasant journey nonetheless. If you’ll follow me I’ll show you where we’ll be meeting Apollo, he may already be waiting there. Miss Fierro… or… ah Mr. Fierro? Ah I do apologise, I’m not entirely sure how to address you, but ah, well I think we should let Peleus get back to his duties don’t you?” Chiron falters as he addresses Alex, very aware of the young person’s gender identity, but unsure of what title to use to address the child. 

Alex grins as she stands back up with Robin still in her arms. She finds the old centaur’s attempt to formally address her without misgendering her, very sincere and genuine, and also quite funny. Not everyday you see the trainer of Heroes stumbling over his words as he tries to address you. 

“Well I’m a woman today so my pronouns are she/her right now, so I guess Miss could be the right title, but you can just call me Alex, honestly as long as you don’t call me ‘It’ or any sort of slur or derogatory term, we’re chill.” Alex shrugs, scowling at the memory of some of the transphobic insults and slurs that have been hurled at her throughout her life. 

“Oh certainly not, Alex it is then. Well come along and you can settle in while we wait for Apollo.” 

Chiron and Annabeth lead Magnus, Alex and Robin down into the valley of Camp Half Blood, and up a winding path leading to a big 4 story house painted sky blue with white trim. 

At the front of the house is a wooden porch that looks to be completely accessible with no steps and no raised ledge to get in the front door. 

On the porch is a standard run on the mill dining table, with an empty wheelchair parked on one side beside a plain wicker chair, with two identical wicker chairs on the other side of the table. 

Beside the empty wheelchair, sits a young man who looks to be in his early 20s, with tanned skin and golden hair. He is wearing a stylish red button down shirt paired with black jeans ripped at the knees, and black and white high top shoes. 

Sitting across from the golden haired man, is an older man who looks to be somewhere in his 40s. He also has tanned skin, and black and grey curly hair, and he is wearing a leopard spotted Hawaiian shirt, white shorts that go down to about his knee and purple running shoes. 

Beside him sits a can of diet coke, with a few empty ones littered around the table. 

Both men are holding a stack of cards in their hands, and seem to be staring at them intently. 

“Got any 4s?” The man with the golden hair asks the curly dark haired man, grinning like the Cheshire cat. 

“Blast!!” The other man exclaims in anger, sighing and grumbling as he hands over 2 cards. 

“Go Fish?! My favorite, deal me in!” Alex exclaims, as Annabeth leads them up the porch steps. 

Both men look up from their cards, and the one with the golden hair flashes Alex a brilliant white smile, while the other man glowers at her (as well as the rest of the group.) 

“Who the hell are you?!” The man with the dark hair growls, which doesn’t phase Alex in the least. 

“Alex Fierro, who the hell are you?” Alex replies, making Annabeth gasp and gape at her in horror, while Chiron skitters nervously. 

The man with the golden hair suddenly starts laughing. “Oh I like you!” He exclaims. “You have nerve, I love that! This is my beloved big brother Dionysus, God of wine, grapes, madness, parties, to name a few. And I am Apollo, God of the sun, music, medicine, and poetry to name a few.” 

“Cool, hey… Dionysus… you’re the God of trans and non-binary people aren’t you?” Alex asks in an enthusiastic tone, remembering reading about Dionysus when she was figuring out her own gender identity. 

“Yeah… oh for Zeus’ sake you’re not one of mine are you?” Dionysus grumbles, looking Alex up and down to see if anything about her jogs his memory. 

“Nope.” Alex casually replies, leaning against the porch railing. 

“Good.” Dionysus sighs in relief. 

“I was asking because I’m genderfluid, pretty cool to meet the God of trans and non-binary people like me.” Alex shrugs, remembering a few friends she made before she died, who were also trans and non-binary, who were pagans who were keen followers of Dionysus. 

“That why you and sunshine over there came here? To meet me?” Dionysus asks, gesturing at Magnus sitting on the porch steps in a patch of sun, with Robin in his lap, pointing out all the plants around them. 

“No, this is just a bonus, can I get your autograph to prove to my friend in Valhalla that I really met you?” Alex then asks, giving Dionysus a questioning look, thinking of how Halfborn Gunderson is never gonna believe she met the Dionysus. The two of them have this bet going to see how many non-Norse Gods they can meet over the next 5 years, but they have to prove they met said God somehow. Between the bet and Robin, the next 5 years in Valhalla will be quite interesting. 

“If you can go find me a bottle of Jacob's Creek Chardonnay 19991, then maybe.” Dionysus muses, never looking up from his cards. 

“I would but I’m eternally 16 so no can do compadre.” Alex tells him in a very casual and chummy tone, as though she and Dionysus are old friends who go way back.

“Then.” Dionysus looks up from his cards and gives Alex a false sweet smile. “No, compadre.” Alex slaps her knee in disappointment.

Dionysus then looks to Chiron and then to Magnus and Robin, then back to Alex. 

“So you two are new ones then eh? Wait… and a baby? Woah now professor hay for breath! Since when do we take babies at camp?!” Dionysius exclaims in a tone of horror and disbelief, turning to look at Chiron standing at the foot of the steps of the porch.

“Wait… is he one of mine ?” Apollo interjects, looking Magnus up and down in disbelief, just realising that this blonde haired, clearly nature loving kid, looks pretty at home in the patch of sunlight he’s sitting in. 

“No.” Annabeth answers. “He’s not even Greek.” 

“Then what is he doing here at a Greek demigod camp?!” Dionysus splutters. 

“If I may.” Chiron calmly says. “Mr. D. Mr. Chase and Alex here are not new recruitments, they are here by request to speak with Apollo and I. They are Norse demigods, Einherjar to be exact, actually. And the infant is not a camper either, she is the child of Mr. Chase and Alex.”  

“It’s been a while since I’ve swung by Asgard or gossiped with Odin, but uh aren’t Einherjar unable to reproduce?” Apollo asks. 

Alex sighs “Yeah long story, Beantown! You’re up!” 

“Yes, Einherjar usually can’t reproduce, Alex and I are some miraculous exceptions because I’m the son of Fray, God of fertility, which means I can have kids even in the afterlife.” Magnus rattles off in a monotone voice.

“Ah! So this must be the little lady that this Norse doomsday prophecy was made about!” Apollo exclaims, standing up from his seat and walking over to Magnus and Robin, grinning brightly at Robin who grins right back at him. 

“Yeah this is Robin, she’s 6 months old so don’t expect her to say much. Robsy can you say hi to Mr. Apollo?” Magnus coos to his daughter, gently moving her arm up and down in a wave, making her giggle. 

Just then they hear an unbelievably loud bark, followed by pounding footsteps and a looming shadow. 

Soon, a massive mastiff dog, impossibly huge, comes lurching round the corner, tail wagging, tongue hanging out.  

“What the….?” Magnus trails off, quickly scrambling to his feet and holding Robin close, afraid the dog (if you can call them that) will lunge at Robin. 

But the dog simply drops onto the ground, tail still wagging, as Annabeth comes down the porch steps and ever so casually approaches the dog. She reaches out and scratches behind the giant dog’s ears, like this is an everyday occurrence. 

“Hi Mrs. O’Leary!” Annabeth enthuses in a higher pitched voice than usual, like the kind of voice you use when talking nonsense to a baby. “How are ya girl? Are you good? Are you havin a good day?” 

Mrs. O’Leary barks again, sniffing at Annabeth and continuing to wag her tail happily. 

“Oooh you’re a good girl aren’t you? Aren’t you? Yes! Yes you are!” Annabeth coos. 

“Um…. Annabeth?” Magnus asks in confusion. First the dragon, now this? “What is it with you and gigantic creatures?” 

“It’s a long story.” Annabeth sighs, as Mrs. O’Leary rolls over onto her back, indicating she wants tummy rubs. “But essentially, Mrs. O’Leary’s previous owner left her to Percy, she obviously can’t fit in a Manhattan apartment so she lives here at camp, and has basically become the whole camp’s dog. Everyone loves her, it’s hard not to.” 

“She certainly keeps the campers spirits up.” Chiron grins, as Mrs O’Leary jumps to her feet and takes a few steps closer to Magnus and Robin.

She sniffs curiously and harmlessly at Robin, then gently licks her feet which are now bare because Robin has pulled her shoes and socks off. 

Magnus and Alex both freeze, waiting for Robin to start fussing and crying, but instead she lets out a bright peel of laughter and reaches down towards Mrs. O’Leary, who barks happily at the baby. 

“Aww Mrs. O'Leary, did you make a new friend?!” Annabeth cheerfully exclaims. “C’mere Robin, you wanna say hi to Mrs. O’Leary?” Annabeth takes Robin when Magnus passes her to her (a little reluctantly). Annabeth crouches down with Robin in her arms and Mrs. O’Leary again drops low to the ground, staying perfectly calm and still as Robin reaches out to lightly pat her head. 

“Wow, befriending a dragon and a hellhound in one day, looks like someone’s a little animal whisperer.” Alex grins proudly, as Annabeth guides Robin’s little hand to gently stroke Mrs. O’Leary’s back. 

“Too cute!” Magnus agrees, wanting to take his phone out and snap some pictures, but Annabeth let him know that phones are all but banned at camp, seeing as how the signal alerts monsters to the presence of demigods. Magnus is just glad that doesn’t happen in Valhalla, or else he’d have to ask Halfborn to teach him how to use a camera that’s not built into his phone. 

“So, remind me exactly how this prophecy goes?” Apollo says, linking his hands together and putting them behind his head, and stretching out on one of the benches on the porch. 

“Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, blessed is the child of two Einherjar. 

Foretold is the child, to lead the victorious ones at Ragnarök, destined is the child who grows within, to be the one who leads the win. 

And survive the end of days. 

And in the haze of what comes next, the new world they shall build and lead. 

Only one thing is unknown, one thing in doubt. 

Will the child fight with the Gods and Einherjar, or will they betray their kin, and lead Loki and the Giants to win?” 

Alex recites from memory, doubting she will ever forget that day over a year ago, when the Norn approached her in the dining hall, laid a hand across her belly and recited that prophecy that has lived rent free in her head everyday since. 

“Well… that seems pretty straightforward.” Apollo shrugs, not entirely sure what’s so confusing about this prophecy. Especially given that the ones among the Greek pantheon and Greek demigods, are usually much more cryptic. 

“I mean yeah, but… we just can’t fathom why Robin would choose to fight with Loki, it doesn’t make sense, why would she betray us?” Magnus asks worriedly, unable to imagine his sweet little Robin betraying their family. The little girl who greets Magnus and Alex with a grin each morning, who seems to find it very funny how her high pitched shrieks can cause her Aunts and Uncles to jump in surprise and cover their ears, and who Magnus often takes on nature hikes, with Robin in her baby sling strapped to Magnus’ chest, taking in every word he says, who is so innocent that she laughs herself silly when Magnus blows on dandelion seeds. 

Apollo shrugs. 

“She has free will, there may be many reasons she may choose to join her grandmother in battle, just look at what happened with Hermes’ boy, poor Luke.” He replies, his tone growing sorrowful at the mention of Luke. 

“But didn’t he side with the Titans because he felt ignored and neglected by his father, by Hermes?” Alex presses, having heard the tragic story of Luke Castellan, from Annabeth. 

“Which wouldn’t be the case for Robin, the Gods are good to her, they don’t ignore her. Sigyn helped save her life before she was even born, Frigg delivered her and helped Alex through her labor and birth, Odin visits the three of us at least once a week, same goes for my dad and even my Aunt Freya, heck even Heimdall swung by to meet her and take photos with the three of us.” Magnus rattles off, doubting he will ever forget Heimdall showing up to Robin's naming ceremony when she was a month old, eagerly cooing and fussing over her and gleefully posing for photos with the three of them, with Samirah acting as photographer. 

“Despite what the prophecy might have you think, it’s not that simple. We have no idea what will happen as your daughter grows up, anything could happen that could lead her to swearing loyalty to Loki. Having the kind of charm your mother does, Alex, can be a very dangerous weapon indeed. After all that is how Luke manipulated Silena Beauregard into being an inside spy for Kronos, during the Titan war.” Chiron points out in a sad and pained tone, making Annabeth blink back tears and hide her face by pressing a kiss to the top of Robin’s head. 

“Robin herself might have the power of charm speak though, I didn’t inherit it from my mom but that’s not to say Robin can’t, right?” Alex hopefully asks. If there’s one good thing Robin could inherit from Loki, it’s charm speak. 

“It certainly is a possibility, legacy children are often equally as powerful as their parents, if not more so.” Chiron muses. 

“Legacy children?” Magnus asks curiously, having never heard the term before. 

“Children of two demigods, there aren’t many out there. Even I have only met a handful in my thousands of years. It will certainly be interesting to see what powers your daughter harnesses, has she shown any signs of any powers at all yet?” Chiron replies, watching Annabeth and Robin with interest and curiosity, wondering if perhaps the young baby will at any moment shape shift, a power she could well have inherited from Loki or Alex. 

“So far it seems like she can summon small amounts of heat. Not fire, but a warm glowing kind of heat. Sometimes if she isn’t happy with the temperature of her bottle, she’ll put one hand on the bottle and boom! It’s as warm as if it just came out of the microwave a minute ago.” Alex informs him, laughing at the image of Robin scowling at she and Magnus when she deems her bottle to be too cold, before slapping a hand onto the bottle and summoning a small amount of heat, as if to say ‘Fine I’ll do it myself!!’ 

“Which is probably something she got from me and my side, rather than Loki.” Magnus adds, grinning proudly at the fact that Robin’s first powers are something she got from him. She may be a mini Alex in looks, but at least Magnus is getting a look in in the personality and powers department. 

“The best thing you can do is prepare her. When she’s old enough she deserves to know the truth about her future, no matter how intimidating and scary it seems. Hermes was not able to tell Luke much, he had to keep many secrets from him which made the boy feel abandoned and ignored. You two as demigods are under no such obligation. Lies and secrets will only lead to resentment and hatred, which will make it easy for Loki to manipulate little Robin and get her on his side, just as Kronos did with Luke.” Apollo warns them in a firm yet solemn tone, his sadness growing as he thinks of the tragic story of young Luke and even Ethan Nakamura, and many others who felt hurt by their parents, which only made it easier for Kronos to use them as weapons and collateral damage. 

“You been getting lessons from Athena, sunny boy? ‘Cause those were quite wise words.” Dionysus mutters, before taking a slug of his diet coke. 

Apollo grins, showing off his immaculate bright white teeth. 

“Maybe, our big sister is pretty good company. Ah but you wouldn’t know that would you? With you being stuck down here for the next fifty or so years?” Apollo teases in an amused tone. 

Purple flames flash in Dionysus’ eyes, as Apollo starts laughing at the raged expression on his brother’s face. 

But it isn’t long before the laughing is replaced by a high pitched yelp, and Apollo jumps in his seat, smacking at a grape vine that has now wrapped around his leg.

“Ok we better go before we get caught in the middle of a Godly sibling prank war.” Annabeth decides, giving Mrs. O’Leary one last pat on the back before standing up and passing Robin back to Magnus. 

“Yeah I think that’s a good call.” Magnus agrees, not wanting to end up wrapped in vines or get hexed into only being able to speak in rhymes. Or have both the Gods turn on him and drive him mad by cursing him to have a really annoying song always stuck in his head for the rest of eternity. 

“I’ll walk to the top of the hill with you and see that our guests get sent off safely.” Chiron chimes in, also not wanting to get caught up in this prank war between the two brothers.

“Bye Magnus and Alex! Bye Robin!” Apollo cheerfully waves goodbye to the three of them. “Good luck with the prophecy and all that!” 

“Yes yes goodbye you three, Magno, Al and Wren.” Mr. D. says dismissively, looking wearily at Apollo who has picked up his lyre and started to strum. 

Magnus is about to open his mouth to correct Dionysus on their names, but Annabeth puts a hand on his arm and shakes her head. 

“Magnus I’ve been here since I was 7 and Mr. D still calls me ‘Anniebeth’, he still calls Percy ‘Peter Johnson’, trust me when I say that ‘Magno, Al and Wren’ are as close to your actual names as he’s gonna get.” Annabeth tells him in an amused tone, smiling fondly over her shoulder at Mr. D and Apollo.

“Fair enough. Hey, bet I can race you to the top of the hill and win.” Magnus grins at Annabeth, a childlike playfulness and competitiveness coming over him, as it usually does when he’s around Annabeth, making up for lost time.

Annabeth grins right back at him. “Oh you are on Beantown, loser has to buy the winner lunch?” She wages. 

“Alright Wise Girl, bet, shake!” Magnus insists, holding his hand out to Annabeth, who grips it strongly and gives it a good firm shake.

“On the count of three. One…. Two…. Three!” The two cousins take off sprinting uphill, playfully pushing and shoving at each other, screaming and laughing the whole time.  

Meanwhile, Alex and Chiron walk at a leisurely pace behind the Chase cousins’, Chiron with his hands behind his back and smiling fondly at the sounds of children finally just getting to be children. While Alex pushes Robin in her stroller, beaming as Robin claps and giggles at the sounds of her dad and Aunt's laughter and screams of joy. 

“One day Robsy.” Alex quietly says to the baby, leaning down to brush her dark hair back from her face. “That’s gonna be you and your cousin, a second generation of Chase Cousins. The worlds won't know what hit them.” 

Chapter Text

When Alex Fierro and Magnus Chase along with the help of the Goddess Sigyn, once again dealt with and defeated Loki just before the birth of Magnus and Alex’s baby daughter Robin, they thought their lives might quieten down, things might become less eventful now their days aren’t taken up trying to delay doomsday, and trying to keep their baby safe from Loki and his plans to use her as a weapon. 

However the young couple and their friends and family are quickly proven wrong. 

Even with Loki no longer threatening to literally burn down the world, the lives of Magnus, Alex and everyone they know and love are still quite busy, but now it’s in the best kind of ways. 

As is proven when one Winter’s day only a year and 4 months after Robin’s birth, Blitzen and Hearth arrive in Valhalla to visit their friends and favorite niece. 

A few minutes after the couple arrive, when Hearth swoops Robin up into his arms and settles her on his hip, running a hand over her mop of dark hair, Alex is quick to notice something new about his friend. 

As Hearth runs his hand over Robin’s hair, Alex notices something on the Elf’s hand that catches the weak winter light streaming in through the window, something that glints and sparkles in the light. 

At first Alex thinks it’s maybe a signet ring, a family ring. He knows that Hearth is trying to bring goodness and love back to the name of Alderman, after all it wasn’t just his father’s name, it was Andiron’s too. 

But when a few minutes later Hearth reaches past Alex to grab Robin’s favorite comfort toy, Alex notices that while yes Hearth is wearing a ring, its not a standard signet ring that perhaps has the symbol of the Alderman name, or even an A for Alderman, and he isn’t wearing it on his pinkie finger. 

No, the ring Hearth is wearing is a gold band with delicately engraved interlocking rune symbols, mainly the odal rune, which represents/symbolises family/noble family, and the Gebo rune, which represents/symbolises love and giving, as well as unification, to name a few. 

And Hearth is wearing the ring on his fourth finger on his left hand, which combined with the ring and the symbols on the ring, lead Alex to a very exciting conclusion. 

Alex taps Hearth on the arm to get his attention, before singing and speaking aloud. Hearth, you wearing an engagement ring?!  

The Elf looks down at his hand and smiles softly at the ring, before lifting his eyes and meeting Blitzen’s gaze, excitement twinkling in Blitz’s warm brown eyes and his mouth twitching up into a grin. 

“What do you think, should we tell ‘em?” Blitz grins, signing to Hearth, hardly able to contain his joy and excitement. 

“What? Tell us what?” Magnus asks, as he emerges from the bedroom, having had to change his clothes after Robin accidentally knocked her juice cup over into his lap. 

Hearth grins and simply holds his hand up to show off his new ring. 

Alex makes an exaggerated excited and disbelieving face at Robin, making her laugh and smile around her pacifier. 

“I don’t get it, what’s going on?” Magnus asks in confusion, furrowing his brow. 

Hearth points to the ring with his free hand, raising an eyebrow at Magnus, thinking that maybe Alex is right, and Magnus is a bit of a ‘himbo.’ 

“I didn’t know you liked jewellery.” Magnus replies, making Hearth roll his eyes while Blitz sighs and puts his face in his hands. 

It is engagement ring, duh. Hearth signs, giving Magnus a look that seems to say ‘Well obviously’. 

Magnus’ eyes grow wide in surprise and his jaw drops as he finally gets the message. 

“Oh my gods!!” He exclaims with a breathy laugh, while signing as he speaks. “You guys are engaged?!?! You’re gonna get married?!?” 

“That’s typically what happens when two people become engaged, yeah.” Blitz dryly retorts. 

“Yeah Beantown I think even Robin figured that one out before you.” Alex teases, as Robin grabs Hearth’s hand and seems to hone in on the ring, as if she is a nosy friend who just must see the ring. 

“Oh shut up.” Magnus laughs, sitting down at the kitchen table, between Hearth and Blitz.  “So tell us everything! Hearth since you’re the one wearing the ring I’m assuming Blitz was the one who proposed?” 

Hearth nods, sharing a loved-up smile with Blitz.

Yes, asked this morning, on sunrise hike. Hearth begins to explain, his smile growing as he thinks of the simple joy of walking along the hiking trail, his hand in Blitzen’s, taking in the sight of the ever changing colors of the sky. Seeing the sky go all different reds and pinks and oranges and more during a sunset or sunrise, is one of Hearth’s favorite parts of living in Midgard. In Alfheim the sky always looks the same.

“Aww Blitz you ole romantic!” Alex chuckles, knowing that Blitz very much is an old romantic at heart.  

Was perfect. Hearth signs, a spark of joy going through him every time he sees his ring glint in the sunlight. Happiest moment of my life.  

“That’s so sweet!” Magnus enthuses. “I’m so happy for you guys, congratulations!” 

“Yeah this is really amazing news! Have you thought about any wedding plans at all yet, or am I getting way too ahead of myself?” Alex asks, eager to know any and every detail. 

“We’re thinking of a short engagement, and a small wedding. Well… Small-ish.” Blitz informs them. 

“I take it you’re not going to have a standard Church wedding?” Magnus asks, wondering what kind of wedding customs there are in Alfheim and Nidavellir and how Blitz and Hearth might mix them. 

No, no Church. Hearth signs. Handfasting, old Pagan tradition. Feels right for us. He goes on to explain, having done a bit of research on handfasting ceremonies when he and Blitz went out for breakfast after their hike earlier. 

“Oh yeah, I think Percy’s mom and stepdad did something like that, so Annabeth says anyway.” Magnus tells them, remembering Annabeth saying something about a beautiful but small ceremony between Sally and Paul, with just Percy and Annabeth there to witness. From the photos he’s seen it seems like a gorgeous day, and like something that would really suit Hearth and Blitz. 

“Would you hold the ceremony in Midgard, or maybe Vanaheim? Oh Blitz you know your mom is gonna wanna be all involved in the planning.” Alex grins knowingly, just imagining Freya gushing on and on about her beloved boy’s wedding. 

Blitz smiles lightly and shrugs. “Yeah… I’ve been thinking about that and… I think it would be a nice way for my mom and I to… become closer. I don’t have any biological family left apart from her… and technically Magnus, but you’re family regardless of biology. I think it would be nice for us to get closer.” 

“Good for you man.” Alex says. “Maybe in a few years we can all take family vacations to Vanaheim! Who knows, by then you two might have a kid of your own, and you can stop hogging mine.” Alex teases, smiling fondly as Robin snuggles into Blitz, laying her head against his chest and yawning. 

Not going to be simple for us. Hearth signs. We don’t have weird fertility powers like Magnus.

“Hey without my weird fertility powers you wouldn’t have your little shadow, your favorite kid in all 9 worlds.” Magnus defends himself with a laugh, knowing how much both Hearth and Blitz adore being a part of Robin’s life, getting to help raise her. They both love being the fun, cool Uncles who let her do whatever she wants whenever she wants, and hardly ever say no to her. He wishes he had someone like that when he was a kid.

“Yeah she is pretty great.” Blitz agrees, lightly booping Robin on the nose, making her coo happily. “As for where we’re gonna hold the ceremony- probably Midgard. Maybe pick a nice spot in the woods or something, set up a couple of rows of chairs for our few guests.” 

“Are you gonna design your own outfit? And Hearth’s?” Magnus asks, wondering if Blitz will be able to make his dream and ideal wedding outfit in just a few months time. 

“Don’t be ridiculous I would never be so behind, I’ve been planning my wedding outfit for years.” Blitz nonchalantly replies, though leaving out the details of the designs he started sketching when he was as young as 10. Designs he still has, tucked away in notebooks and sketch pads in a drawer in he and Hearth’s room at Chase Space. 

“Oh of course, I should have known.” Magnus deadpans. “What about you Hearth? You been dreaming up wedding ideas since you were a kid?” 

Hearth gives a short and bitter laugh. No. he signs. Was too busy trying to survive, and paying off wergild.  

Magnus winces at the mention of wergild, another thing Mr. Alderman used to abuse Hearth. 

“Your parents made you pay a wergild?” Alex asks in disbelief. Hearth nods. “For Andiron?” again, Hearth nods. 

Told you, they blamed me- well, mostly father. Made me skin beast that killed Andiron, not allowed inside till I did. Then had to cover pelt of the beast in gold, made me do chores- labor, to earn tiny amounts of gold. Became too much in the end, ran away.  Hearth explains, frowning and feeling his eyes start to burn with unshed tears, as he thinks of how the one person he wants at his wedding, more than anything, can’t be there. Andiron will never get to be there for any of the big important parts of Hearth’s life, and that is a pain he will always carry.

“Good Gods your parents really were monsters.” Alex shivers, not mentioning that Mr. Alderman doesn’t sound all that different to Alex’s own father. 

Mom was… not like that. She was victim too, tried to protect me, and Andiron. Only so much she could do though, father was not above hurting her too. Hearth confides, remembering his mother’s warm and gentle embrace, how she taught he and Andiron ASL in secret, and told Hearth she loves him. By the time he left home at 16 though, Greta had become a shell of herself, deep in the throes of depression, anxiety, PTSD and grief. 

There is a solemn silence in the room for a moment, nobody knowing what to do or say next, having veered so far off topic and gotten into such a heavy and heart breaking discussion. 

In the end the silence is broken by Robin dropping her cup of juice again, sending it clattering to the floor loudly and spilling the juice all over the hardwood floor of the kitchen. 

Alex and Magnus immediately turn their attention to Robin, who is now standing halfway between the kitchen and the living room, her grey eyes wide with surprise and shock, her hands still poised in the air like she’s still holding the cup. 

“Uh-oh!” Robin exclaims, looking between the mess on the floor and her parents, who are both grinning and holding back laughs. Hard to believe this sweet clumsy little girl will one day lead the world. 

“Uh-oh is right.” Alex laughs, standing up and walking over to Robin, picking her up so she doesn’t slip on the wet floor. “What happened Ro? Your cup got too heavy?” Alex asks as he settles Robin on his hip. 

She nods. “Heavy.” Robin agrees in a solemn tone. 

“Ah well, no biggie! You okay?” Alex checks, his tone laced with a hint of concern. The cup is plastic so it didn’t break when it fell, but still he can’t help but worry that Robin might have gotten hurt somehow. 

Robin nods. OK. She signs as best she can. Alex kisses her cheek. 

“Good.” 

Alex sits back down at the kitchen table with Robin in his lap, while Magnus grabs a mop to clean up the spill with. 

“So anything else you guys have planned for the wedding?” Alex asks, as Robin turns around in his lap, laying her head against his shoulder as her eyes start to flutter closed. 

“Actually there is one thing we both agreed on right away.” Blitz begins, sharing an excited and knowing smile with Hearth. “We were wondering if Robin might like to be a flower thrower.”

Gender neutral term for flower girl. Hearth clarifies, seeing the look of confusion on Magnus and Alex’s faces. 

Pretty quickly the looks of confusion turn to looks of delight and joy. 

“Really?” Magnus asks, already imagining just how adorable it would be to see Robin toddling between the rows of seats and sprinkling flower petals around, creating a path for her Uncles to walk down. 

Hearth and Blitz both nod. 

“No better person for the job.” Blitz grins, lightly tickling Robin under the chin and making her giggle and squirm. 

“Aww you guys that’s so sweet!” Alex exclaims, thinking of all the fun the 5 of them are going to have over the next few months, no doubt Blitz will custom make an outfit for Robin, and they have to try and get her to understand the concept of walking and not breaking out into a run, and not just plopping down in the middle of the aisle for a break.

When walking around Valhalla, Robin often just stops mid stride and sits down on the ground, taking a break and a rest, which normally is fine because whoever is with her can just scoop her up and keep walking or find somewhere more out of the way for them to sit, but at a wedding in the middle of a processional, it’s not really gonna work out too well.

“What do you think Robsy? Do you wanna be flower thrower for your Uncles?” Magnus coos softly to the baby, who opens one eye and gives him her best dirty look.

“No dada!” Robin yells, reaching out with one hand to push Magnus back. “I ‘leep’!” She then closes her eyes, lays her head on Alex’s chest again and puts her pacifier in her mouth. 

Alex laughs and kisses the top of Robin’s head. 

“Come on Beantown you know better than to interrupt her sleep or eating.” 

Magnus chuckles at his own mistake. “Yeah that’s on me. But seriously, Blitz, Hearth. Thank you so much for wanting to include Robin in your big day.” 

Wouldn’t be the same without her.

It doesn’t take long for news of Hearth and Blitz’s engagement to get around, and once it does the two honorary Einherji are invited by Odin and Frigg, to host the wedding in Asgard.

Over the years, since teaching Hearthstone rune magic, Odin has grown to care for Hearth like a son, and the news of his engagement is a most happy occasion. One that Odin would very much like to help make as special as possible. 

The invitation naturally comes as a surprise to Hearth and Blitz, but also an honor, one they are happy to quickly accept. 

From there the wedding planning goes very smoothly. Despite only having a handful of guests to invite, Blitz still decides they should send out/hand out invites, they can be kept as memories if nothing else. 

So one morning about 4 weeks after Blitz and Hearth announced their engagement, Magnus wakes up to find a cream white envelope sitting on the kitchen table in he and Alex’s hotel suite. 

Holding Robin in one arm, with her perched on his hip, Magnus picks up the envelope and looks at it in confusion, wondering who it could be from and what it could contain. He’s never gotten mail since becoming an Einherji. It’s not his birthday or father’s day so he doubts it’s a card from Alex.

He turns it over in his hand to look for more details, but the only additional thing that stands out is the scrawling elegant black handwriting on the front of the envelope that simply reads;

‘Alex Fierro, Magnus Chase, Robin Fierro-Chase.’ 

“What do you think it is Ro?” Magnus lightly asks the baby, bouncing her gently and earring a soft but sleepy smile from her. “You wanna open it?” He then offers, knowing that Robin is currently in a phase where she just loves opening things. Whether it be letters, doors, windows, books, or toys, Robin can almost be guaranteed to want to open it at least once. 

He holds the envelope out to his daughter and Robin happily takes it into her hands, smiling excitedly around her pacifier. 

It takes her a minute but she soon pulls the envelope away, letting it flutter to the ground, leaving her holding a simple cream piece of card with gold leaf decorations all around the borders. 

“CARD!!” Robin loudly exclaims, holding the card up as if it is the most elaborate treasure of all time. 

“That’s right baby girl it’s a card, can I see please?” Magnus asks, holding his hand out and hoping Robin isn’t going to suddenly form an attachment to this card and refuse to let it out of her grasp, as she has recently done with a favorite t-shirt of Magnus’, that has basically become her security blanket. 

Thankfully the toddler quickly hands over the piece of card, and Magnus is able to read it. 

The handwriting is the same elegant black scrawl as the writing on the envelope, and reads; 

“With great pleasure, Hearthstone Alderman and Blitzen Freyason invite you to join them at the celebration of their marriage. 

Friday, August 21st, at 2 O'clock in the afternoon,

Valaskjálf, Asgard. 

Reception to follow.” 

“Ooh Robin your Uncles are getting married in Odin’s palace, how fancy is that?" Magnus exclaims to his daughter, smiling with glee the whole time, feeling thrilled for his two best friends. “Who woulda thought that when your Uncle Hearth, Uncle Blitz and I met on the streets all those years ago, they would be getting married in The King of Asgard’s palace, huh?” He then rambles to the toddler, who has stopped paying attention to him and is now caught up in fiddling with the buttons on his pyjama top.

Just then, the door to the bedroom opens and out steps Alex, her hair sitting perfectly as usual, dressed in pink pyjama bottoms and a checked pink and green baggy jumper that had been a staple part of Alex’s wardrobe during her early pregnancy with Robin. 

When Robin hears the door open, her head snaps up and she gasps in delight when she sees Alex, immediately begin to wriggle in Magnus’ arms and reach for Alex. 

“MAMA!” Robin cries in delight, as Alex walks over and happily takes her daughter into her arms, kissing her cheek as the toddler snuggles in close, happily resting her head against her mom’s chest.

“Hi my baby.” Alex softly replies, resting one hand on the back of Robin’s head and just appreciating the warmth and weight of her daughter in her arms, inhaling the minty scent of her shampoo from her dark curls, sending up a quick prayer of thanks to Sigyn for helping ensure that Alex gets to hold her daughter like this, and that Robin isn’t instead, being held by Loki.

“Good morning.” Magnus greets Alex, ducking his head to briefly kiss her. “Did we wake you?” he adds in an apologetic tone, knowing how loud he and Robin can sometimes be without realising it. 

“No I woke up just after you got out of bed, I’m used to being awake at this hour with Robin.” Alex assures him. “What ya got there?” she then adds, looking at the card curiously. 

“Invitation to Hearth and Blitz’s wedding. They’re having it in Asgard, in Odin’s palace no less.” Magnus replies. 

“Fancy.” Alex echoes Magnus’ earlier thoughts. “End of August ain't too far away. You know what that means?” 

“Uhh Summer Solstice?” Magnus guesses, knowing that oftentimes the summer solstice is an important time and date in the world of demigods. 

“No, it means we need to start outfit hunting, for all 3 of us.” Alex grins excitedly. “Come on Beantown, let's get some breakfast and then head to Midgard for a day of clothes shopping!” 

The months and weeks leading up to Hearth and Blitz’s big day quickly fly by, though are quite busy for everyone. 

Once it had been settled that Hearth and Blitz would be getting married in Asgard, Freya and Frey were both quick and eager to offer their own homes in Asgard to Hearth, Blitz and their guests, inviting them to come stay the night before the wedding, as the ceremony is relatively early in the morning. 

It is quickly decided that Hearth and Blitz themselves will stay at Freya’s Asgardian home, Mallory and Gunderson will stay with Odin and Frigg themselves, with Frigg wanting the opportunity to spend time with her daughter. T.J. could stay at his father Tyr’s home but it would be pretty lonely for him, so he opts to stay at Frey’s home with Magnus, Alex, Robin, Sam and Amir. (Who got very special permission from Odin to be granted entrance to Asgard.) 

Sif offers to officiate the ceremony, which Hearth and Blitz are absolutely delighted by and happily take her up on the offer. 

Before anyone knows it the day of the wedding is upon them, and everyone is thrilled, nervous and excited. 

Magnus, Alex and Robin have breakfast with Frey, who assures them that his home will remain open to them throughout the day, so that when it comes time for Robin’s nap around lunchtime, they have somewhere quiet and comfortable for her to sleep and for the two of them to take a break from the festivities. 

Soon the family of three are dressed and ready for the day, and begin making their way to Valaskjálf, with Robin happily held safely and securely in Alex’s arms, taking in all her surroundings in awe.

As they walk, they soon cross paths with Samirah and Amir, both looking radiant and stunning in their formal attire. 

Samirah looks stunning, in an elegant flowing floor length purple gown with full flowing sleeves, paired with a matching purple hijab and simple plain black flat shoes. 

Beside her, Amir looks handsome as ever in a crisp deep blue suit, a white dress shirt and a deep purple tie that matches Samirah’s dress. 

“Hey you three, don’t you scrub up well?” Sam cheerfully greets them, admiring all three of their outfits. 

Alex is looking as amazing as usual, in a emerald green high waisted jumpsuit paired with a light pink shirt with flowing full length sleeves underneath, paired with dark green ankle boots. 

Magnus looks very dashing and handsome in a mauve blazer and suit pants, combined with a plain white dress shirt and a matching mauve tie.

And of course, most adorably of all is Robin, dressed in a beautiful and flowing sage green dress, the skirt stopping just below her knee and paired with matching green leggings to keep her warm. The sleeves of the dress are cap sleeved and the dress is paired with a light pink cardigan that Robin can take off or put back on as she pleases. 

On her feet she wears unbelievably adorable sleek black Mary-Jane shoes. And topping it all off is a circlet of flowers of all different colors, sitting atop her curly dark hair. 

“Why thank you, you don’t look half bad either.” Alex teases, continuing to walk towards  Valaskjálf. 

“I hope this wedding doesn’t end in the same way the last wedding I was at did, the Giant’s wedding.” Magnus jokes, getting hit with a wave of warmth and fuzz when he remembers how breath taking Alex looked in that wedding dress. Who would’ve guessed just a few years later Alex and Magnus would be as good as married, and have an 18 month old daughter together.

“I do hope Vidar is here though, he was cool.” Alex replies, sure that the quiet God who crushed Thrym under his boot, will be at the ceremony today, given that he and Hearth seemed to get along quite well in the aftermath of the Giant’s wedding. Hopefully though no one will require crushing by Vidar (or anyone else for that matter.) today. 

“He was.” Magnus agrees with a nod.

“Hey Robin you all set for your flower thrower duties?” Amir cheerfully asks his niece, grinning at her in Alex’s arms. She looks so unbelievably adorable that Amir finds himself thinking about his own future, with Samirah, and any children they might be lucky enough to have, cousins for Robin. 

“Ya!” Robin enthuses with a grin and a nod. “I frow flowers! Make inside look outside!” 

“Oh my gods her little lisp is so cute.” Alex quietly says to Magnus, once again feeling like she’s falling head over heels in love with her sweet baby girl, who is so innocent and happy, the absolute light of their lives. 

“I know right? Unbearable.” Magnus agrees, as the 5 of them step into Valaskjálf, a vast and imposing structure which has clearly been constructed using the best and finest materials all 9 worlds have to offer. 

The most impressive feature is without a doubt the roof. The dome shaped structure looks as though it is made of pure silver, shining and shimmering in the sunlight. 

To call it breath taking would be a complete understatement. 

 Inside, the hall has been transformed into a truly beautiful wedding venue. 

On either side of the room are rows of chairs that look as though they have been carved from trees and made more comfortable with cushions made of weaved green, red, orange and brown leaves. 

The aisle formed by the rows of chairs leads to a flower arch, blooming with so many colors and different types of flowers and plants. 

The space is lit by softly glowing strings of lights and the natural light of the sun streaming in through the beautiful stained glass arched windows. 

The walls are decorated with garlands and wreaths of flowers and other plants, as well as photos of Hearth, Blitz and their friends over the years. Some of Hearth, Blitz and Magnus from their time on the streets, the beginning of their friendship. A few of Hearth, Blitzen, Magnus and Samirah at the grand opening of Blitzen’s Best. Photos of Alex and Blitz sitting together in Blitzen’s best, working on clothing designs together, and of course pictures of Hearth and Blitz with Robin over the years. 

And as well as that, dotted throughout the place are various different pride flags to represent Hearth and Blitz’s positions as members of the LGBTQIAP+ community. Though Hearth and Blitz are both gay cis men themselves, they have opted to have flags representing many other parts of the LGTBQIAP+ community, including but not limited to; The 1978 Gilbert Baker Pride Flag, The Bisexual Pride Flag, The Genderfluid Pride Flag, The Pansexual Pride Flag, The lesbian Pride Flag, The Trans Pride Flag, The Non-Binary Pride Flag, The Asexual Pride Flag and The Aromantic Pride Flag, The Gay Male Pride Flag, and more. 

“Mama flag!!” Robin gasps in delight, pointing to the Enby Pride Flag and looking at Alex as if to say ‘Can you believe this?!’. Heart-warmingly, at her young age, Robin thinks that the Non-Binary flag is exclusively Alex’s and represents her and her alone. 

“That’s right Robsy! That’s the non-binary Pride Flag, for people like me. Can you say non-binary?” Alex coaxes her daughter. 

“No beanie!” Robin attempts, making everyone feel like they might just melt from her adorableness. 

“Close enough, good job!” Alex cheers. 

“Alex, my dear it’s good to see you again!” A soft feminine voice comes from behind Alex, and when she turns around, her face lights up in delight when she sees the Goddess standing in front of her with long red gold hair and fine Elfish features. She is wearing a beautiful deep raspberry pink/red dress that falls elegantly down past her knees and gathers perfectly at her feet. 

“Lady Sif!” Alex happily exclaims, beaming happily at the Goddess, beyond thrilled to see her again. It’s been a long time since Alex has seen Sif, since before Robin was conceived, in fact. Although the day Robin was born, a beautiful woven basket of essential self care goodies arrived in Magnus and Alex’s room, with a lovely handwritten note of congratulations from Sif. 

“How are you my dear? You look wonderful.” Sif warmly asks, placing a gentle hand on Alex’s arm, beaming as she looks the young Einherji over and takes in just how happy and well Alex looks. 

“Thank you, I’m good, really good actually. You haven’t met Robin yet have you?” Alex asks, placing a hand on her daughter’s back as the shy little girl curls further into her, not sure what to make of Sif just yet. 

“No I can’t say I have. Hello Robin, it’s lovely to meet you little one. My name is Sif, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Sif warmly says, smiling kindly at the baby. 

Robin smiles shyly, her head still resting against Alex’s collarbone. 

“Robsy.” Alex gently begins, rubbing Robin’s back. “This is Lady Sif, she helped me before you were born, before you were even in my belly. Way back when I first met your dada. Do you remember the story I told you about the time your Uncles Hearth and Blitz, your Aunty Sam and your dad and I had a contest with some giants and then we got lost on our way back to Valhalla?” She carefully asks, remembering how she and Magnus watered down that story about the competition at Utgard-Loki’s Castle, to make it a suitable story for Robin. 

Robin nods. 

“Well when we got lost trying to get back to Valhalla, Lady Sif here helped us, and then she helped us find some nice new clothes to wear since ours got all dirty from running through the woods when we were lost. She was very kind to us, and helped us a lot. You know Thor, don’t you?” Alex continues, hoping this will all help Robin warm up to Sif. 

At the mention of Thor, Robin perks up. She doesn’t know the Thunder God particularly well, but she has met him a few times and heard plenty of stories about him, and seems quiet fond of him. 

“Wif da goats?” Robin questions, also being particularly fond of Marvin and Otis. 

“That’s right, Lady Sif is married to Thor, she’s like family to us.” Alex explains. 

Before Robin can reply, Alex feels a hand land on her arm and turns to see Magnus smiling at her. 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt but the ceremony is about to start. Robin, are you ready?” Magnus cheerfully asks, taking Robin into his arms when Alex passes her to him, since they decided with Hearth and Blitz that Magnus should walk a couple feet behind Robin as she walks down the aisle throwing flower petals, just in case anything goes amiss and he needs to step in, being joint Best-Man for both Hearth and Blitz. 

Robin nods eagerly, and as Magnus takes her over to the end of the aisle from where she will walk up to her ‘Seat of honor’ at the front, one in a row of several chairs of honor, some simply occupied by a framed photo, and some assigned to those who are here in person, like Magnus, Alex and Robin.

There are specifically 3 seats of honor that are occupied with photos instead of people. One for Blitzen’s father, Bili. One for Hearth’s mother, Greta. And one for Hearth’s brother Andiron. 

Understandably, Mr. Alderman does not get a seat of honor, or any mention or place at the wedding at all. 

Soon beautiful music fills the room, a beautiful rendition of the song ‘La Vie En Rose’- in English.  A firm favorite of Blitz’s, and though Hearth can’t hear the instruments or the singing, he has read the lyrics plenty of times and finds them absolutely beautiful. And since he and Blitz will be walking down the aisle together, Hearth doesn’t need to worry about keeping on pace in time with the music or anything. 

“Ok Robsy, that's your queue!” Magnus quietly whispers to his daughter, putting a gentle and guiding hand on her back to indicate it’s time to walk, in case she doesn’t hear his whisper. 

Thankfully she does seem to hear him, and begins her walk down the aisle, throwing flower petals every few feet and grinning at the familiar faces in the crowd, and holding herself tall and upright with immense pride, making Magnus and Alex feel extremely proud of her too. She’s a real little champ at this. 

Soon the journey down the aisle for Robin is over, and she and Magnus go join Alex in the row of seats of honor, with Magnus patting his pockets to make sure he still has the ribbon for the handfasting. One of his duties as Best-Man is keeping that ribbon safe and on hand, and bringing it up to Sif when it comes time for the actual tying of the hands part of the ceremony. 

Not long after Magnus and Robin take their seats, Hearth and Blitz appear at the doors to Valaskjálf, arm in arm, both of them looking extremely handsome and dapper, and radiating pure joy and bliss. 

Blitz stands to the left, dressed in a stunning dark sage green 3 piece suit, with a crisp white dress shirt underneath, and a pale brown tie. On his lapel, Blitz wears a green carnation flower, and in the pocket of his blazer a cream colored pocket square. 

Hearth stands on the right hand side. For once he is not wearing all black with the exception of his scarf. Today he is wearing an immaculate deep maroon colored 3 piece suit, also with a crisp white dress shirt underneath, with his waist coat being the same pale brown color as Blitz’s 3 piece suit. Hearth’s tie is also a deep maroon red, with little flecks of white throughout, to represent his iconic candy cane stripe scarf. 

On his lapel Hearth wears a red carnation, with a matching red pocket square in the pocket of his blazer. 

The ceremony passes by in a blur of tears, laughter and celebratory rainbow confetti. 

After the ceremony they almost immediately move to the post-wedding celebration in a different room in Valaskjálf, where there are multiple round tables that each seat about 8 people. There is no ‘head table’ as there usually traditionally is in western weddings, instead Hearth and Blitz choose to sit at one of the round tables, alongside Magnus, Alex, Sam, Amir, and Robin. 

At one point during the celebration, when the lunch service is over and everyone is casually milling around and mingling, Hearth and Blitz slow dancing together out on the dance floor, Robin seems to suddenly remember Frey is here too, because when she looks around her and spots the Sun God sitting at a table talking with Freya, Robin’s face lights up and she jumps down from her seat and runs over to the table where her grandfather and great-aunt are sitting. 

“Afi!!” Robin exclaims, running to Frey with her arms out, using the old Norse word of ‘Grandfather’, which has been Frey’s ‘Grandfather name’ since Robin’s birth, when Frey referred to himself as Robin’s ‘Afi’. 

Frey’s face lights up in delight when he hears Robin, and he happily catches her up in his arms, standing from his chair when he does and spinning his granddaughter around a few times, making her giggle loudly. 

“Hello my sunshine!! My, don't you look amazing in your stylish outfit, hm? How are you today, little one?” Frey enthuses, sitting back down with Robin in his lap and beaming brightly at her, enjoying getting to be an active and involved grandfather. 

“Tired.” Robin tells him, rubbing at her eyes, her flower crown now crooked atop her head, which Freya reaches out and straightens for her.

“Oh I bet you are, you’ve had  a very big day! Would you like to go back to my house and take a nap?” Frey softly suggests, rubbing Robin’s back affectionately as she lays her head against his chest. 

“No! No nap!” Robin exclaims, not wanting to miss out on a single second of the fun. 

“Your hair seems to be bothering you darling, would you like me to style it for you, I could make it into a braid, with some flowers?” Freya softly suggests to her great-niece, noticing Robin impatiently pushing her hair out of her eyes. 

Robin’s eyes widen with wonder and hope and she quietly asks “Like ‘Apunzel?” 

Freya smiles warmly at the little girl and tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Yes sweet girl just like Rapunzel, is she your favorite fairy tale character?” 

Robin nods, having seen the old Barbie as Rapunzel movie from 2002, quite a few times by now, and having had the story read to her many, many times. She’s always admired the Princess’ long flowing hair, and been pretty envious of her sidekick and friend, Penelope The Dragon. Talking swords just aren’t as cool as talking dragons. 

“Uh-hu! She got gold hair! Like dada! And Afi!” Robin cheerfully says, pointing to her father across the room, where he is now inhaling helium from a balloon and talking in a high pitched voice, making Alex crack up and laugh so hard she has tears in her eyes and is doubled over laughing. 

“Indeed she does little one, would you like me to braid your hair for you and add some flowers into the braid?” Freya once again offers. 

“Ya!!” 

As Freya begins to weave the braid, and thread in a plethora of different colorful flowers into Robin’s dark and silky hair, Frey begins to tell Robin stories about her Grandmother, Natalie, whom she is named for. He tells her of their first meeting, and how she quickly caught his attention, and his heart. 

As the Godly twins keep Robin occupied and happy, Alex can’t help but watch and feel immensely grateful and happy that her daughter has at least one grandparent in her life, who loves her and cares for her, wants to help her thrive and grow up to be whoever and whatever she wants. 

“Bet Loki would never braid her hair like that.” Alex suddenly hears Sam say in an amused turn, turning to see her sister now sitting at her side while Magnus and Amir amuse themselves by batting a balloon back and forth and seeing how long they can go without letting the balloon touch the floor.

“I know right?” Alex replies with a grin. “I’m glad Robin doesn’t know Loki, or anything about him, not yet anyway. I hate that it can’t stay like this forever.” She then adds with a sigh, concern clouding her face as she thinks about the unavoidable fact that all too soon Robin will be forced to make a decision about whether to swear loyalty to her grandmother forever, or fight against her.

“I know, me too.” Sam agrees. “But hey let’s not let our parent ruin a happy day, there’s no point worrying about the future to the point where it ruins the present. Come on, wanna dance with me?” Sam determines, standing from her chair and holding a hand out to Alex, who grins and lets her sister take her by the hand and pull her to her feet. 

“Hell yeah I do.” 

A few hours later the party has completely wound down, with only Blitz, Hearth, Magnus, Alex and Robin left. 

To everyone’s surprise Robin had a brief 30 minute ‘Cat nap’ (though she did not literally shapeshift into an actual cat) in Frey’s lap, while Freya braided her hair and Frey told her stories of her grandma. And since then she’s been full of energy, and is only now, 4 hours later, starting to get tired and cranky again. 

While Alex and Magnus help Blitz pack up he and Hearth’s handful of wedding presents to bring home, Hearth takes one last walk around the dining room, with Robin perched on his shoulders and batting down any balloons that got stuck up in the rafters. Hearth can’t hear the way the falling balloons make Robin laugh heartily, but he can feel the vibrations of her laughter, which in turn makes him smile.

Neither Hearth nor Blitz could possibly imagine today without Robin, having her here made everything all the more joyful and amazing. Getting to celebrate their love for each other with their nearest and dearest meant the world to them both, and it is a day they will always cherish and hold close in their hearts. 

Finally around 6PM, Magnus, Alex and Robin finally once again walk through the front door to Frey’s Asgardian home, where they will stay for one more night, all 3 of them far too exhausted to go back to Valhalla tonight. 

Alex is holding her shoes in her hands, feeling like shoes are an absolute sensory nightmare for her right now, while Magnus holds a sleeping Robin in his arms, thankful that the flowers Freya wove into her hair earlier, disappeared after a few hours.  Now they won’t have to try and pick them out of Robin’s hair while the poor kid can hardly hold her head up. 

Once Robin is tucked up in her crib in the room Magnus and Alex have chosen to stay in while here in Frey’s home, the two Einherjar also fall into bed, too tired to even bother changing out of their formal wear, with Magnus simply undoing his top two buttons and the buttons holding his cuffs together so she can roll his sleeves up, taking off his blazer and tie as well as shoes, and Alex unzipping her jumpsuit at the back, just enough so that it become more loose and easy to move in. 

“Oh my god I feel like Jack just went ten rounds with Muhammed Ali, and I just absorbed all his exhaustion.” Magnus laughs through a yawn, as he and Alex lay side by side together in bed. 

Alex laughs lightly as she rubs a makeup remover wipe over her face, not feeling like doing her entire skincare routine tonight but deciding that at the very least, she should take her makeup off. 

“I haven’t felt this tired since Robin was born.” Alex admits, as she tries to stifle a yawn of her own. 

“Would you ever want all of that for yourself?” Magnus suddenly asks, confusing Alex and earning himself a baffled look from her. 

“All of what?” 

“That… you know… marriage.” Magnus quietly replies, hoping he isn’t blushing too much. He and Alex have never really talked about marriage before, after all they are simultaneously still both 16, and at the same time, both only 18, going on 19. 

Alex is quiet for a moment, before she quietly says “I don’t know… I haven’t thought about it much. When I was pregnant, Loki tried to play the whole ‘Protective mama bear’ role and said I should be glad he wasn’t forcing you to marry me, ‘Do the right thing by me’.” 

Alex can still feel Loki’s cold and possessive hand pressing against her stomach as Robin kicked inside her,  she can still feel the shivers running down her spine, the nausea that just the sight of her mother caused. Most of all she can still feel Loki’s iron tight grip on her wrist, and can still hear his words echoing in her ears. 

Either you hand that baby over to me when she is born, or I will ensure that she never gets to see outside your belly. 

Then I’m sorry Alex, I cannot let the child live. 

Magnus' voice is what finally pulls Alex out of those horrible memories, and causes her to remember the conversation they were just having. 

“I haven’t thought about it much either. Truthfully I like our relationship as it is right now. And I feel like Robin is the best evidence of my love for you, our love for eachother. I don’t need to tie my hand to yours and make vows in front of everyone, to show how committed I am to you.” Magnus softly admits, his voice full of passion and love that makes Alex look at him with heart eyes, like a cartoon character or something. 

“Aww Chase that was really sweet, I think Kvasir’s mead works better the more time has passed since it’s been drank.” Alex teases, earning an amused grin and roll of the eyes from Magnus. “But I wholeheartedly agree, I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me that this, us-” Alex pauses mid sentence, reaching over and grabbing hold of Magnus’ hand. “The two of us, we’re forever. Like you said to me when Robin was born, we’re a team. Forever.” 

Magnus grins and leans over on his arm and presses his lips against Alex’s, saying a prayer of thanks to Freya, Goddess of love, that the absolutely phenomenal and sensational Alex Fierro, loves him as much as he loves her. 

“Hell yeah we are, you’re stuck with me now, for eternity! ” Magnus laughs lightly, which just makes Alex laugh and pull him back down for another kiss. 

“Lucky me.” 

Chapter Text

Samirah Fadlan (previously Samirah Al-abbas) has been through quite a lot in her short 21 years of life, too much for someone so young, for anyone, really.

She’s been treated as an outcast and an embarrassment for the circumstances of her birth, lost her mother Ayesha to death, faced all sorts of discrimination for her race and her religion. Not to mention she’ literally stalled the apocalypse multiple times, became Odin’s personal Valkyrie, and of course there was the time her father Loki attempted to marry her off to a giant, in order to form an allyship and further hasten Loki’s plans for doomsday. 

So you would think that not many things frighten Sam and leave her shaken up, not after all she’s been through. And Samirah herself believed this to be true, until very recently. Now, something has shaken her quiet a bit, and she hasn’t told anyone else about her sudden new found fear.

However that will all change by the end of this one wet and rainy April day, when Samirah and Amir enjoy a cosy family day in, with Alex, Magnus and 3 year old Robin. 

“Hey.” Alex nudges Magnus to get his attention, speaking in a quiet and low tone so as not to be overheard. “Have you noticed something different about Sam lately?” Alex whispers, leaning closer to Magnus who is sitting at his side at Sam and Amir’s kitchen table, while Sam takes Robin outside to leave food out for the neighbourhood stray cats, and Amir takes a call related to work, in the other room. 

“Uh no can’t say I have. Why, have you?” Magnus replies in an equally quiet tone, furrowing his brow as he tries to think back over the last few weeks. 

“Oh yeah, big time. She’s been pretty jumpy lately, like she’s keeping a secret. And she’s always covering her stomach with a cushion or her coat or something, plus she’s mainly been wearing flowy and loose baggy tops and dresses lately, and she’s way more tired than she usually is. Remember she offered to put Robin down for her nap and fell asleep alongside her? I think Sam’s pregnant.” Alex declares, always one to pay attention to the little details in life. 

“Really?” Magnus asks in a genuinely surprised tone. He knows that Sam and Amir had recently decided to start trying to begin their family, but it’s only been a few months, could it really have happened so fast? Of course, you could argue that Robin is evidence that sometimes it only takes one night for a pregnancy to happen, but then again Magnus always considered Robin’s conception to be the exception and not the rule, mainly of course because she is basically a miracle, being born to two Einherjar and all. 

“Oh absolutely, I would be really surprised if I’m wrong. Trust me, ever since I got pregnant, I’ve had this weird pregnancy radar thing, even without all the signs I just… have a feeling about it.” Alex shrugs, thinking of how even before Samirah began to show symptoms of pregnancy, Alex just… felt like his sister was pregnant, even with no evidence or much reason. 

“Wow…. if you are right, that is one lucky baby.” Magnus softly says in a fond tone, looking out the window at Sam standing with Robin on her hip, both of them petting a ginger cat sitting on Sam and Amir’s porch. 

Just seeing Sam interact with and help out with Robin for the last 3 years has led Magnus to have absolutely no doubt that she is going to be an amazing mom. 

“Yeah.” Alex agrees with a grin. “The luckiest.” 

About half an hour later, Amir has had to leave for work, and Magnus has taken Robin upstairs to clean up and change her clothes after she had been playing outside in the rain, jumping in puddles and scraping up mud, while Jack in sword form, hovered around Robin, and treated them all to his rendition of ‘Africa’ by Toto, and telling her stories about the times Frey did bless the rain, though in Alfheim, not Africa, that’s not his jurisdiction. 

Which leaves Samirah and Alex alone together at the kitchen table, swapping stories about life lately, with Sam telling Alex about her recent travels with her job, and Alex catching his sister up on the goings on of Valhalla, and what life is like with a 3 year old.

“I can’t believe Robin’s not really a baby or a toddler anymore, I feel like it was just yesterday I was looking at those positive pregnancy tests.” Alex laments to Sam, his tone nostalgic and wistful as thinks back to that shocking and life changing July day. It really only feels like yesterday that he was holding Robin for the first time, thinking about how utterly dependent she was on him and Magnus for absolutely everything. Now that same little girl is talking up a storm (not literally, thankfully.), picking her own clothes, learning how to read and so much more. 

“It’s wild.” Sam agrees, also feeling like the time is going by so unbelievably quickly. “So… I have something to tell you, and Magnus and Robin but I want you to be the first to know.” Sam then adds, her tone a mixture of anxiety and excitement as she fiddles with the silver necklace she always wears, a simple silver chain with a silver pendant shaped like a pilot’s hat. A graduation gift from Amir.

“Oh yeah?” Alex asks in an amused tone, fairly certain he knows exactly what Sam is about to tell him. “What might that be?” he adds, propping his chin in his hand and grinning at his sister. 

“I’m pregnant.” Sam quietly replies in a joyful tone, a smile spreading across her face as she lays her hand over stomach. 

“I knew it!!! Sam this is amazing!! Congratulations!!” Alex exclaims giddily.

“Wait, you knew? How?” Sam asks in a confused tone, knowing she and Amir have both been very intentional about keeping this news to themselves till now, never talking about it when the others are around, careful not to have ultrasound pictures hung up on the fridge or anything. 

“Aw come on Sam you know me, I don’t miss anything. I noticed you suddenly always wearing baggy and flowing tops or dresses, you’re avoiding a lot of foods you usually love, you’re always holding or touching your stomach. Plus, I’ve been pregnant before, I’ve hidden a pregnancy too, I know all the tricks.” Alex calmly explains, remembering his own attempts to hide his ever growing bump. 

“Wow, you know you would’ve been a great detective.” Sam laughs lightly, amazed at her brother’s impeccable observational skills. 

“I know right? I would look so good in that uniform- but also ew, ACAB, All Cops Are Bastards.” Alex casually replies as he examines his chipped nail polish. 

Sam laughs lightly. “I agree on both accounts.” 

Alex grins and looks up at Sam again. “I’m really happy for you sis, how far along are you?” he asks, knowing that Sam must be bursting with excitement and desperate to tell Alex all the details she’s been keeping secret for the last while. 

“14 weeks, it’s been so hard to keep this quiet, we found out at 4 weeks , 4 weeks! I’ve been dying to tell you for the last 10 weeks but I was just so afraid that something would happen and if it did I wanted to have time to process everything with just Amir, and not have to worry about breaking bad news to you or anyone else.” Sam rambles in a tone of relief, so glad that now at 14 weeks, the chances of anything going wrong are extremely low. 

Alex nods in understanding. “I get that, I felt the same way when I was pregnant with Robin. How are you feeling? Have you been sick much?” he asks, hoping that Sam’s pregnancy won’t be as rough as his was. 

“It’s been ok, a bit rough sometimes but so far so good.” Sam says in a hopeful tone tinged with a hint of anxiety and worry. 

“Yeah morning sickness is awful, ginger tea was about the only thing that helped me even slightly, but then it made the acid reflux worse so it was a vicious circle- ah sorry you don’t need to hear horror stories.” Alex corrects himself, subconsciously rubbing at his sternum as he remembered that horrific acidic burning sensation flooding his throat and chest, so intense it made him tear up, the pain was so overwhelming. 

“Horror stories about what?” A new voice suddenly joins the conversation, and the two siblings look over to the doorway to see Magnus standing there, with Robin on his hip. 

“About your terrible dad jokes.” Alex teases with a grin as Magnus comes to sit next to him. 

Magnus gasps in mock offence. “How rude! My dad jokes are top tier, Robin loves them! Right Robsy? You like dada’s jokes?” Magnus gently prompts his daughter, holding her over his head and making her crack up with laughter. 

“Magnus, do you know what this is?” Sam interrupts, sliding a photo across the table and sharing a knowing smile with Alex. 

Magnus studies the blurry black and white image for a minute, tilting his head to the side and scrunching his brow in confusion. 

“Uh…” Magnus trails off, puzzled as he tries to make out the image in front of him. 

Just then, Robin turns her attention to the photo and excitedly gasps. “BABY!!!” Robin exclaims, pointing to the photo.

“I don’t think so Ro.” Magnus replies, trying to see what made Robin think this is a picture of a baby. 

“No actually she’s right, that’s a baby.” Sam says with a grin. 

“What?! No way!” Magnus replies, still really confused. Maybe it’s an abstract drawing of a baby? 

“Gods didn’t Hearth and Blitz teach you anything, Beantown?” Alex teases. “Look, here’s the head, here’s the body, the arms and the legs, and you can even see the nose and the mouth!” he points out. 

Realisation dawns on Magnus’ face as he suddenly sees exactly everything Alex is pointing out, and what it means. 

“Holy Frey.” Magnus whispers, looking up at Sam with wonder and excitement on his face. “You’re pregnant?” 

Sam beams and nods, smoothing her blouse down to show the soft and slight but definite swell of her belly. 

“Told you.” Alex smirks. “Pregnancy radar.” he adds, tapping his temple. 

Magnus laughs lightly. “Yeah I guess so. Sam that’s absolutely amazing, I’m so happy for you! Congrats!” he softly says, leaning over to give her a hug, which she happily accepts. 

“Thank you.” 

“Did you hear that Robsy? Aunty Sam’s having a baby! You’re going to be a big cousin!” Magnus enthuses, looking at Robin who looks a bit confused. 

“Baby? Where?” Robin asks, looking around as if expecting to see a new born hidden away somewhere. 

“In my tummy.” Sam softly tells her. “This is a picture of the baby in my tummy.” she adds, tapping the ultrasound photo. 

“But… your tummy not big.” Robin notes, furrowing her brow, clearly thinking of the few photos Alex and Magnus showed to her, of Alex when he was heavily pregnant with Robin. 

“It is a little bit.” Sam begins, smoothing her blouse down again. “But right now the baby is still pretty small and doesn’t need lots of room just yet. But over the next few months the baby will grow bigger and so will my tummy.” she explains. 

“And when the baby is born, you’ll get to show them all your favorite things. You can teach them all about Lego and building blocks and stories.” Alex adds excitedly, so eager to see Robin and her cousin build their relationship and undoubtedly become best friends. He hopes the two of them will be as close as Magnus and Annabeth are, and not like Alex and his own mortal cousins, most of whom he never even met, given that his father wasn’t close to his siblings. 

Robin’s face lights up at the mention of 3 of her favorite things, her grey eyes twinkling with delight. 

“When are you due, Sam?” Magnus asks, sensing Robin isn’t about to give a verbal reply, too busy thinking about all the Lego houses and buildings she can build, and all the block towers she can stack, before promptly knocking them over and making herself laugh silly. 

“Funnily enough I’m due October 31st, Amir says it’s a sign this little one is going to be the kind of person who treats everyday like it’s Halloween.” Sam laughs, thinking of the glow in the dark skeleton onesie that Amir insisted on buying a few weeks ago, after their first ultrasound. 

“Oh my Gods I’m so gonna put the baby sitting in a pumpkin and take pictures!” Alex gasps, something he had wanted to do with Robin when she was a baby, but she was six months old at her first Halloween and going through a phase where she wouldn’t let Magnus put her down, and by the time the next Halloween rolled around, she was 18 months old and preferred running around to sitting still for even a minute. 

But with a nibbling on the way, Alex now has the perfect opportunity to do the adorable pumpkin photo shoot he’s been eager to do for the last 3 years. 

“No you are not.” Sam laughs. “I don’t want my new born smelling like pumpkin.” 

“I’ll give them a bath afterwards, obviously.” Alex responds, as if Sam should’ve known this very obvious fact. “Come on, it'll be so cute next to the pictures of you and Robin at your college graduation!” 

“Mmmm, I’ll think about it.” Sam concedes. 

“Yes!” Alex says to himself, fist pumping in delight. “Oh and just so we’re clear, I will help in every way except for diaper changes, that’s gonna be Magnus’ department.” He then states, earning a bewildered look from Magnus. 

“Uh no my department’s gonna be teaching the kid to curse, we just got done with diapers, I don’t wanna do that again!” Magnus retorts, beyond grateful that Robin is at last fully and completely out of diapers.  

“Neither do I, which is why it should be your department. Anyway we can argue about this later. Sam, do you know if the baby’s a boy or a girl?” Alex asks, wondering if Sam has a strong sense one way or the other, like Alex did when he was pregnant. 

“No, and we don’t plan on finding out either. It doesn’t matter to us at all, we will love this baby no matter what. We are just so happy to be having a baby in the first place.” Sam responds in a loving and soft tone, smiling warmly down at her small bump. 

“Well regardless of any of that, your baby is going to be the best dressed kid in town, well, along with Robin. Once Blitz finds out, you’ll be getting all the best baby clothes there are.” Alex laughs lightly, remembering how much fun he himself had designing clothes for Robin, with Blitz, and the thrill he got when he saw the outfits for the first time. They were and are so perfect, Alex has them all perfectly preserved now that Robin has grown out of them. Maybe he ought to give some of them to Sam.

“I have no idea where we’re going to put it all.” Samirah grins, looking around at her and Amir’s moderate 3 bedroom home. Of course, she is in no way complaining, she knows how lucky she is to have so many wonderful friends and family around her during this special moment in her life. She only wishes that her mother could be here too.

As the day continues, Alex can’t help noticing the look of anxiety and fear that creeps up on Sam’s face, the way she closes her eyes and shakes her head as if trying to clear away some intrusive and unpleasant thought or image. It really isn’t like her, and Alex is starting to get a bit worried. 

“Hey.” Alex quietly says to his sister, taking a seat next to her on the sofa as Magnus keeps Robin amused on the floor in front of them, stacking blocks with her. “You ok? You look… anxious.” 

Sam attempts a weak but ultimately unconvincing smile, smoothing out her facial expressions and nodding. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t mind me, I’m okay.” She replies, nervously twirling a lock of hair into a ringlet around her finger, a nervous habit of hers. 

Alex raises one perfectly shaped dark eyebrow at his sister, and gives her a ‘Really?’ look.

“Samirah, you can’t fool me. I know something is up, like I said, I don’t miss anything. What’s going on?” Alex lightly asks, gently bumping his shoulder against Sam’s, earning a breathy laugh from her.

“I just… I just… I’m scared and worried that I’m gonna have a really difficult and complicated pregnancy like you did. Obviously I didn’t say anything at the time, but Alex… seeing you in so much pain and so sick… it was scary.

And I know Loki had a difficult pregnancy with you, I remember you told me he tried to use the whole ‘Difficult pregnancy’ thing to bond with you when you were pregnant. 

What if complicated pregnancies run in the family? Alex… I don’t think I can cope with what you went through.” Samirah weakly asks in a fearful tone. So far at only 14 weeks along she’s already had some pretty nasty nausea and vomiting, as well as back pain and unbelievable fatigue. All pretty standard but again, she’s only 14 weeks along, things could absolutely ramp up over the next 6 months. 

“Well firstly, my pregnancy was so rough and difficult for reasons that are pretty exclusive to me. Think about it Sam. To start with I was only 16, that in and of itself made my pregnancy high risk. 

Then to add to that, I was under immense stress for so many reasons. I was and still am the first and only Einherji to get pregnant, I knew Loki wanted to take Robin from me, and I had barely got my head around the fact that I was pregnant, before that prophecy was made about Robin surviving Ragnarök and changing the course of destiny. 

And then on top of that, I had and have endometriosis. Sure it wasn’t as bad as when I was alive but it still affected me, still does. All that scar tissue was being stretched and pulled, all that tissue was still building up and then breaking down causing internal bleeding, plus all the inflammation that comes with endo. That’s what made pregnancy so painful for me, the same goes for my labor. 

The reason Loki had a rough pregnancy with me was because he was splitting his consciousness and essence, which is difficult under regular circumstances, add being pregnant on top of that and it must be so much harder. 

And don’t forget that he was tied to a slab of rock with the guts of his murdered son, while a snake dripped acid venom in his face. You know I’m hardly mom’s biggest fan but even I feel sorry for her having to go through that while also pregnant. 

None of that applies to you. You’re not a teenager, this was a planned pregnancy, Loki isn’t a threat, and you don’t have endometriosis or anything like it, right?” Alex gently asks his sister, walking her through the reality of the situation, helping her to reframe those negative and scary thoughts. 

“Right, but it could still happen… anything could still happen.” Sam whispers in a croaky voice, holding back tears. 

“Yeah it could, you’re right. And it is so natural to be scared and worried about that, it’s okay to feel what you feel, Sam. If anything does happen, no matter what I will be right here by your side, just like you were for me. I will help you through it and be here to love you and support you every single step of the way.” Alex promises, his tone gentle and free of all judgement.

Sam smiles at her brother, her tears now dripping down her face. “Will you be there with me when I have the baby? I want you to be there to help me and advocate for me, along with Amir.” She quietly and hopefully asks. 

Alex nods eagerly, remembering how amazing Samirah was to him during and after his own labor. How she, Frigg and Magnus worked flawlessly together to help and support Alex through the pain of it all. Having Sam there was a huge comfort, and there is no one else in all 9 worlds, who Alex would have rathered to be one of the first faces Robin ever saw. Having Sam place Robin on Alex’s chest for the very first time just seconds after Robin’s birth, is one of the most special memories Alex has. 

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He assures Sam, squeezing her hand lovingly and reassuringly. “And hey, even if things do get rough and hard, I know you’ll get through it, and like I said you won’t be alone. I’m gonna be here for you every second of your pregnancy just like you were for me. 

I won’t lie, for me, being pregnant sucked. I wouldn’t wish that pain and sickness and stress on my worst enemy.

But I would go through it all over again a million times to have this little bird right here. She is the best thing ever to happen to me and I would do anything for her.” Alex gushes, wrapping Robin in a big hug as she crawls into his lap, kissing her cheek and making her laugh with delight and snuggle closer into him.

Samirah smiles, her heart warming at the sight of Alex and Robin, her brother and her niece, two of the people she loves most in the universe. 

If anyone deserves a joyful, peaceful existence it’s Magnus, Alex and Robin. They went through so much while Alex was pregnant, with Robin almost losing her life before it even began and Alex becoming debilitated with pain and nausea and vomiting, and Magnus being so worried and concerned for them both. 

It’s amazing to finally see the 3 of them happy now, and Sam can hardly wait for the day when she, Amir and their baby can be that happy. 

Thankfully the next 6 months pass by in a breeze and Sam suffers with none of the difficulties and complications that Alex did. Sam’s nausea and vomiting clears up just a few weeks after telling Magnus, Alex and Robin the exciting pregnancy news, and she is able to continue flying for work right up till around the 7 month mark, when Sam herself decides it’s time to take maternity leave. 

Around this same time, Alex insists on throwing Sam and Amir a small baby shower, with mainly their core group of friends in attendance, along with Amir’s parents, Jid, Bibi and even a few of the Gods, namely Odin, Frigg, Sif, Thor and Heimdall. (Who as far as Jid and Bibi are concerned are “work friends” of Samirah’s.) 

Just two nights before Samirah’s due date of Halloween, just after Magnus and Alex have got Robin settled in bed for the night, Alex’s phone starts to vibrate with an incoming call from Sam. Upon seeing the caller ID on the screen, Alex quickly grabs up the phone and hits the button to answer the call.

“Hey sis, calling to ask about heartburn remedies again?” Alex cheerfully asks, pleased that she has been able to give Sam plenty of tips and tricks for getting through pregnancy and all it’s unpleasant side effects like heartburn and acid reflux. 

“Uh no actually, um… how did you know you were in labor with Robin?” Sam’s breathy voice replies, immediately grabbing Alex’s full attention. 

“The water pouring out of me was kinda a giveaway.” Alex laughs lightly, though remembering how absolutely terrified and shocked she was when her water broke just moments after Loki was dealt with for the foreseeable future. 

“Yeah I suppose that was kind of hard to deny.” Sam laughs, also remembering back to that day and the puddle of water collecting at Alex’s feet. 

“Why do you ask? Do you think it’s go time?” Alex eagerly responds, ready to bolt out of Valhalla and down into Midgard to be with her sister like she promised to be.  

“I think so, but I can’t really tell. But I called my midwife and she said to come into the hospital to get everything checked.” Sam calmly informs her sister, rubbing a hand down her swollen belly as she watches Amir frantically dash between rooms as he gathers all their last minute bits and pieces for the hospital stay. 

“I can be there in like 10 minutes.” Alex decides, looking at her watch and hoping that Robin will stay asleep for the night and not wake up upset just as Alex tries to leave to go be with Sam. 

“You don’t have to, it might be a false alarm, and I know Robin’s been pretty clingy lately.” 

“She has but she’s asleep now and she probably won’t notice I’m gone even if she wakes up before I get back. Like I said, I’ll be there in like 10 minutes ok? No arguing!” Alex informs her sister, grabbing her coat and starting to pull it on. 

“Are you sure?” Sam hesitantly asks, not wanting to cause any upset for Robin or anything. 

“Yes I’m sure!” Alex exclaims. “Like I said, I’m gonna be there with you the whole time just like you were for me. Now focus on getting your butt to the hospital and I’ll meet you there Ok?” 

Sam laughs “Alright, see you soon.” 

The two sisters hang up, and before Alex dashes off down into Midgard, she lets Magnus know what’s happening and that she might be gone all night or she might be back in an hour or so, but she’ll keep him updated. 

By the time Alex reaches the hospital and is pointed in the direction of Sam’s room, Sam and Amir have already settled in. Sam is sitting up in the hospital bed wearing a light yellow hospital gown that Blitz made for her, not dissimilar to the one he made for Alex, 4 years ago. With it Sam wears a matching light yellow hijab. She has specifically requested only female nurses, and her midwife is a woman, but there are male staff around, some of them paediatricians who might come in to discuss what tests will be done on baby once they’re born, and that sort of thing. 

“Hey.” Alex softly greets her sister and brother-in-law, taking her raincoat off and draping it over the back of a chair, already breaking out in a sweat from the heat of the room. “This looks cozy, I take it you are in labor, Sam?” 

“I sure am.” Sam confirms.  "Contractions are happening every 10 to 15ish minutes so it’s early stages, but my water has broken so it’s best I stay here to avoid infection. How’s Robin, did she notice you leaving?” 

“Nah girlie pop tired herself out today, Magnus took her on a nature walk so she is out for the count.” Alex assures them, smiling as she thinks of Robin curled up in bed, her dark hair spread out on the pillow around her, like a halo.

Throughout the rest of the night Alex and Amir both keep all their friends and family updated on Sam and the baby, and are at Sam’s side the entire time.

Sam is immensely glad she asked Alex to be with her during this, as having her sister there to tell her jokes and dramatic stories, to make her laugh and distract her, is the best comfort anyone could ask for. 

When Samirah’s labor continues on into the next morning, with permission from Sam, Magnus decides to take Robin and go wait in the hospital waiting room for a bit, it feels more productive than sitting in Valhalla. He could of course go to Chase Space or Blitzen’s Best, and take Robin with him. But he really just wants to be close to Sam right now, and be there for her if she needs him.

After what feels like an eternity, just shortly after Magnus has dozed off lightly in a patch of evening sun streaming in through the window, he feels a hand on his arm and his eyes flutter open to see Alex crouching by side, one hand on Magnus’ arm and the other softly rubbing Robin’s back as she too lightly naps in the sunlight. 

“Hey.” Magnus says in a croaky voice. “Is everything okay? Is Sam alright?” He anxiously adds. 

“Relax, everything’s fine. Sam had the baby about 40 minutes ago, a little girl. Healthy and thriving.” Alex quietly replies with a grin, already madly in love with her little niece. 

“Oh! Oh that’s great!” Magnus sighs in relief. “How’s Sam?” 

“Sore and tired but also on cloud 9 and utterly in love with her daughter. Baby is as healthy as can be, too. She weighs 8 pounds exactly, she’s 19 and a half inches long so she’s gonna be a tall girlie.” Alex softly says, though unable to hold back a wince of sympathy for Samirah, when she recalls that the baby was 8 pounds in weight. That had to hurt, pushing out a baby that size. Robin was pretty small, especially given she was born a month early, weighing in at just under 6 pounds. And still Alex found it pretty painful and challenging to push her out, she can’t imagine an extra 2 pounds on top of that. 

“Oh that’s amazing. Hey sleepy bird, did you have a nice nap?” Magnus softly asks Robin, as she starts to wake up and stretch her arms and legs out. 

She nods. “Baby here?” She hopefully asks, as she has every morning for the past 2 months, beyond excited to have a new family member. 

“She sure is, she was born while you were sleeping. Do you want to come meet her?” Alex quietly replies in an excited tone, eager to see Robin with her baby cousin. 

Robin nods eagerly and reaches for Alex to lift her, which she happily does, settling her on her hip with a kiss to the cheek. 

The family of 3 make their way out of the waiting room and down the ward to Samirah’s private hospital room, where the main lights are switched off and the room is illuminated by soft glowing fairy lights draped around the place. The curtains are drawn across the windows and there is quiet meditation music on low in the background. 

Samirah is sitting up in bed, her yellow hijab now hanging around her neck like a scarf, revealing her dark hair loosely tied back in a low bun, strands poking out here and there, damp still with sweat. But Sam looks absolutely radiant, as she gazes lovingly down at the tiny bundle of white, yellow and lavender blankets in her arms. One hand lovingly and mesmerizingly stroking the baby’s mop of dark hair, a huge smile lighting up her face as she gazes at her daughter. 

Sitting next to her in an armchair, is Amir, dressed simply in a blue t-shirt and dark jeans. He too is grinning ear to ear and looking between Sam and the baby, awe and love and admiration written all over his face. 

Alex raps lightly on the open door, to alert the new parents to their presence. Sam lifts her head, and her smile brightens when she sees her sister, best friend and niece. 

“Hey you three.” She quietly greets. “Come in, come meet the newest family member.” 

Alex takes a seat on the hospital bed next to Samirah, with Robin held in her lap, while Magnus plants himself in a spare chair sitting on Sam’s right hand side, just inches from where Alex and Robin are on the hospital bed. 

“Robsy, look.” Alex gently begins, gesturing to the baby in her sister’s arms. “Do you know who this is?” 

“Baby?” Robin asks in a tone of awe and wonderment, looking between Sam and the baby, her grey eyes full of curiosity and intrigue. 

“That’s right, this is your baby cousin. This is Layla Ayesha Kamilah Fadlan.” Sam whispers, her voice so incredibly soft and full of love, but with a hint of pain and sadness as she mentions her mother’s name, and thinks about her. Samirah is missing her mother that little bit more today, it’s sad that she’ll never get to meet Layla and that she can’t be here for this monumental milestone in Samirah’s life. 

“'Ayla.” Robin repeats, testing out her cousin’s name. “Pretty name.” she decides, before reaching out to gently pat the baby on the face, copying the way Alex sometimes lightly and gently squishes Robin’s cheeks, overcome with just how adorable she is. 

“It is, it’s beautiful huh?” Magnus agrees, grinning as he observes the two little ones meeting for the first time. It still feels so wild to him that one of those little ones is his, his daughter. 

“Uh-hu, boo-ful.” Robin agrees, doing her best to repeat and mimic her father’s pronunciation of the word ‘Beautiful.’ 

“She is absolutely perfect.” Alex beams, watching Robin gently stroke the baby’s hair. “You did a great job sis, you made a pretty amazing baby.” 

“I did, didn’t I?” Sam agrees, feeling pretty proud of herself for all she’s achieved today, and over the last 9 months. 

“Hey I made her too.” Amir teases with a laugh. 

“Oh please.” Alex scoffs, waving her hand dismissively. “Your job was done in under a minute when it comes to baby making, Samirah did all the hard work. Layla here use to be just a bundle of cells, Sam grew and built those cells into a whole ass baby, I think she deserves all the credit.” 

“Can’t argue with that.” Magnus laughs, sharing a grin with his brother-in-law, remembering Alex saying pretty much the same thing to him when Robin was born. 

“No, I guess I can’t really.” Amir confirms with a laugh of his own, only too happy to give his amazing and brilliant wife all the credit for making the perfection that is their daughter. 

“She 'ook so cute!” Robin declares, interrupting the conversation, grinning widely at her baby cousin.

“She does, do you wanna say hi to her? Tell her who you are?” Sam encourages, shifting Layla slightly in her arms so that Robin can see her better. 

"But she know who I am, I talk to her when she in your belly." Robin points out in a puzzled tone of voice, tilting her head to the side. 

“Right but babies don’t remember a lot of things from when they were in their parent’s tummy. She won’t remember your name or anything because that part of her brain hasn’t fully developed yet. But she might remember your voice, babies can remember voices.” Sam gently explains, tucking a lock of Robin’s hair behind her ear. 

“Oh.” Robin quietly replies, as if she has never considered this before. Which to be fair she probably hasn’t. “Hi.” She quietly greets her cousin. “Hi 'Ayla. My name Robin, I your big cousin!” 

At the sound of Robin’s voice, Layla stirs slightly in her mother’s arms, and she blinks her eyes open to look up at Robin. Layla’s bright redwood bark colored eyes meet Robin’s big bright grey eyes. 

“Aww Robsy she likes you!” Alex exclaims joyfully, sharing an excited smile with her daughter. “Hello little Layla, hi again cutie. Do you know who I am? Do you remember me? Your Aunty Alex? Well, sometimes I’m your Uncle Alex, but today I’m your Aunty. Oh you are so adorable, sweet girl, I love you.” Alex coos to the baby, absolutely infatuated with this precious little girl, just like she is with her own precious little girl. 

Layla moves her gaze to Alex, seemingly fascinated by her Aunt. And of course, who can blame her? With her shock of green hair and dark roots, bright smile, one brown eye and one golden eye. A pink and green checked sweater vest, paired with green jeans and pink high tops, as well as pink and green nail polish, Alex is hard to miss and hard to not be intrigued by. 

“Her like you mama!” Robin points out, as Layla grips tightly onto Alex’s finger, making her somehow fall even more in love with her niece. 

“She does.” Alex grins. “Aww Layla, you and I are gonna have so much fun together! And I’m gonna teach you so much. We’ll start out with pottery, although maybe when you’re a little older and have better motor skills. Anyway! After pottery I’ll teach you all there is to know about fashion, Blitz will teach you about fashion too. He’s gonna make you all the best clothes you could wish for, like he does for Robin. Between the two of us you’re gonna be the most fashionable baby around. 

And then when you’re older I’m gonna help you dye your hair for the first time and get your first piercing. I’ll let you stay up late and watch scary movies and give you lots of sugar, and let your mom and dad handle the fallout afterwards!” 

Layla coos at the sound of Alex’s voice and reaches out a small hand to pat at her Aunty’s face, as if saying hello to her. 

Alex laughs lightly and gently takes Layla’s tiny hand in hers and kisses the palm of her hand.

“Sweet girl, we’re gonna be best friends!” 

After Alex coos and fusses over Layla for a few more minutes, even holding her for a bit, Sam notices Magnus looking at Layla, Robin and Alex with so much love and fondness, and realises he hasn’t had much of a chance to hold or bond with Layla. 

“Magnus do you wanna hold her?” Sam asks, having to hold back a laugh as a look of fear crosses Magnus’ face. 

“Umm… I-I would love to but… I don’t want to break her or anything.” He frets. 

“You never broke Robin, I hope.” Sam points out, which gets a small laugh out of Magnus. 

“Yeah but it’s been a while since Robin was that small… I think I’ve forgotten most of what I know about new borns and I-I don’t want to risk dropping Layla or anything.” 

“Is that what happened to you? Your mom dropped you on your head as a baby? It would explain a lot.” Alex jokes with a snort of laughter. 

Magnus rolls his eyes jokingly and sticks his tongue out at Alex, like the mature and responsible father he is. 

“Oh ha-ha, very funny.” He dryly retorts. “You can’t be sure you weren’t dropped as a baby. Or maybe you got bonked on the head with that cup Sigyn would hold over Loki to collect the venom. I doubt Loki was able to baby proof the cavern.” 

Alex makes a face like she’s considering what Magnus just said. She doesn’t know much about the circumstances surrounding her birth. When she was little, Loki told her that she had been born in a small hospital in Boston, not far from the place Loki had stayed during his pregnancy with her. 

It took the majority of his energy to split his essence when he was pregnant with Alex, especially during labor, he had told her. But he managed it, just about staying conscious and awake in the hospital, determined not to have Alex born in the cavern, under the continuous dripping of the snake venom. 

Now having gone through pregnancy, labor and birth herself, Alex must admit that a part of her does empathize with Loki and what he went through during his pregnancy with her. Still, Magnus is right. Loki was never the most attentive parent, Alex honestly wouldn’t be surprised if either Loki or her father had put her in harm's way as a baby. 

“True.” Alex shrugs, choosing not to linger or think too hard on the topic. 

“Here Magnus, you hold for a bit, she needs to get to know her Uncle Magnus, or maybe I’ll teach her to call you Uncle Mags or Uncle Maggie!” Sam insists, leaning over and carefully placing the baby in Magnus’ arms. 

Alex laughs in delight at Sam’s teasing of Magnus, holding her hand up for a high five, which Sam happily provides her with. 

“Or Uncle Beantown.” Amir adds in an amused tone, which just makes Alex and Sam both laugh even harder, with Samirah clutching her stomach and wincing. 

“Here, hold this against your stomach, like this.” Alex advises her sister between laughs, grabbing a spare pillow from the foot of the bed and pressing it firmly against Samirah’s abdomen, indicating for her to then hold it in place with her hands. “Frigg taught me this trick after Robin was born, I can’t remember why exactly it helps but apparently it does.” She clarifies.

“Layla, I beg you to never call me ‘Uncle Beantown’ whatever else you may do, just don’t call me that.” Magnus stage whispers to the baby, ducking his head to whisper in her ear. 

“That’s a hopeless plea, because if Alex doesn’t teach her to call you that, Hearth or Mallory will, or even Gunderson.” Samirah points out. “I’m surprised Robin hasn’t called you that by now.” She adds, running a hand over her niece’s dark hair, as the sweet little girl cuddles up by Samirah’s side, resting her head on Sam’s chest. 

“Thank the Gods.” Magnus mutters. 

“So is it all coming back to you now, Magnus? Bringing back good memories?” Amir asks, watching as Magnus gazes down at Layla with all the love in the world on his face. 

“Sure is.” Magnus answers, gently running his hand over Layla’s dark hair. “Robin, can you believe you used to be this small? Smaller, actually.” Magnus lightly asks, remembering the first time he held Robin, recalling how absolutely awed he was by everything about her.

“I did?” Robin asks in wonderment, her eyes growing wide. 

“Mhm, you were teeny tiny. A lot of your clothes didn’t fit you for the first while, because you came a little bit early and were a bit smaller than we thought you were going to be.” Magnus tells her, hardly able to believe that the kid in front of him, who now seems to grow out of her clothes every other day, was once the tiny baby who spent the first few weeks of her life in clothes that could have fit two of her, which always had Magnus and Alex cracking up. Their tiny little baby, swamped by layers of green and pink fabric, her hats slipping down over her eyes and socks slipping off with the slightest movement. 

“Uncle Blitz make me clothes?” Robin queries with a tilt of her head. 

“He did but the ones he made for you while you were still in your mama’s belly, turned out to be a bit too big once you came out, and while Uncle Blitz made you smaller clothes the only things we had to dress you in were the bigger clothes. You looked like you were wearing a giant’s clothes!” Magnus exclaims, getting a giggle out of Robin. 

“Uncle Blitz make good clothes.” Robin determines with a nod of her head. 

“He sure does kiddo.” Magnus agrees. He doesn't know much about fashion, but it can’t be denied that Blitz has always provided Robin with the best of the best and has always acted like her personal stylist. It makes Magnus love his friend even more. 

“Speaking of Blitz.” Alex begins, her voice muffled as she rummages through her satchel looking for something. “I need to text him, Robin is already outgrowing some of the stuff from last year, specifically her beloved yellow jacket.” 

“To be fair that yellow jacket has lasted a lot longer than we thought it would, she’s had it for 2 years.” Magnus points out, still clearly remembering the day Blitz stopped in with Magnus, Alex and Robin at Valhalla to drop off some clothes for Robin. When the little girl spotted the simple cotton yellow zip up jacket, with her initials ‘R. F.C.’ embroidered in red thread, she about lost her mind with joy and excitement. For some reason she just became enamoured with the jacket, hardly ever taking it off. 

“True, aha! Found it!” Alex triumphantly exclaims, holding up her phone and flipping it open to text Blitzen.

While Alex is occupied with her phone, Magnus looks back down at Layla and sees that she is now awake and blinking up at him with a look of puzzlement. Poor kid, fell asleep in her mom’s arms and woke up to the face of some pale blonde guy she doesn’t recognize. 

“Hey Layla.” Magnus softly says. “You’re awake! Hi! Do you know who I am? I’m Magnus, your Uncle, which is pretty cool if you ask me. I’ve never been an Uncle before, but it can’t be any harder than being a dad! I think I’m gonna be a great Uncle. 

You and I are gonna do all sorts of fun things together. I’m gonna take you to the park, and buy you lots of candy, I’ll let you watch scary movies and say bad words.” he continues, while Layla seems to scowl at him, much the same way Robin did as a baby, when she didn’t get her food fast enough. 

 "Oh my gods she looks just like Robin when she scowls.” Alex laughs, noticing a few resemblances between the two girls. They seem to have the same eye shape for one, and the same nose. And of course the same scowl.  Looks like Loki’s genes are pretty strong. 

“Lucky girl.” Sam quietly says, as Robin tucks her head under Sam’s chin and curls further into her. 

Alex, Magnus and Robin stay with the Fadlan’s for about another hour, by which point it’s getting late into the evening and Robin is growing cranky and overwhelmed, no surprise given that it is only about 2 hours out from her bedtime. 

They gather up their stuff and give Sam, Amir and baby Layla all the hugs, kisses and cuddles goodbye, promising to come visit again tomorrow and to stop by Sam and Amir’s tomorrow afternoon, to help Jid and Bibi make sure the house is clean and tidy for when Sam and Layla come home. 

Not long after the Fierro-Chase’s leave, Sam and Amir put Layla in her plastic bassinet just a few feet away from Sam’s hospital bed, and while Sam takes the advice of ‘Sleep when the baby sleeps’, Amir takes the chance to quickly and briefly head home to take a shower, get some more clean clothes and feed the cats.

Not long after Amir leaves and Samirah falls into a deep and peaceful sleep, the fairy lights draped around the room begin to flicker on and off, as if the bulbs are about to blow. 

But the flickering stops after a moment, just as a cloud of green smoke materialises  by Samirah’s bed, right in front of Layla’s bassinet. 

The smoke soon fades away to reveal a tall and slim man, with tousled and feathered dirty blonde hair. His angular and handsome face is distorted by red scar tissue and fresh burn marks all across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. Around his mouth are many red welts, not dissimilar to closed over piercings. 

The man wears a white t-shirt with black capital letters spelling out ‘Proud Grandad.’ Paired with black jeans and impeccably white tennis shoes. 

If Samirah were to wake up at this very second she would realise and recognise the man by her bedside is none other than her father, Loki. But she doesn’t wake up, she doesn’t stir at all.

Loki smiles sympathetically at his sleeping daughter, knowing all too well how absolutely exhausted she is. 

He gently runs a hand over her dark hair, smoothing it back from her face in a fatherly gesture. 

“My darling girl.” Loki softly and quietly says. “How I wish your mother could be here with us on this special day. Like I told Alex, you need your mother by your side when you have your first baby. I’m sorry you could not have that, dear. But I am glad you had your sister, as upset as I am with her over her little stunt before Robin was born.” Loki’s eyes flash with anger as he thinks back to that day 4 years ago. Taking a trip to Helheim wasn’t all that upsetting though, yes it delayed his plans but only slightly so. A few decades is nothing to an immortal being like him. 

No, what upset him and bothered him most was being played at his own game, falling for Alex’s trick. How utterly humiliating! But he can’t stay mad at Alex forever. 

Loki then turns from looking at his sleeping daughter, to look down into the bassinet at his new granddaughter, his face lighting up with glee at the sight of her. She looks just like her mother and grandmother, though Loki can certainly see parts of himself in her too. 

“Hello little one.” Loki whispers, reaching down to stroke the baby’s cheek. “I’m afraid we don’t have much time together. Your father will no doubt be back soon, and maintaining this physical form here is taking all my energy, and I do not yet have much energy. 

But that’s alright, we’ll just make the most of the time we do have. Come to your Grandpa.” Loki carefully slips his hands underneath the small baby and cradles her in his arms, just as he had cradled Samirah herself when she was a baby. 

He carefully strokes Layla's dark hair and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. 

“Well aren’t you just perfect, hm?” He softly whispers to the baby. "Shh little one no need to fuss, Grandpa’s here, Grandpa’s got you.” he then quietly and softly adds, gently and lightly bouncing the baby when she begins to stir and fuss, least Samirah wake up. 

Thankfully Layla is quick to settle, and within seconds she is contentedly suckling on her pacifier and looking all around her.

“I can tell already little one, that you are going to be quite strong and powerful. Of course, you won’t be as powerful as Robin, but that’s alright, you will still be one of the most powerful demigods of your generation. 

You have your own role to play at Ragnarök, you and Robin both do. It won’t be terribly long before I am fully formed again, perhaps a decade or so. And then sweet Layla, once I have Robin onside I’ll be sure to come back for you.” Loki quietly talks to his baby granddaughter, forming a plan in his mind for how she can and will help him at Ragnarök. 

Yes it will be Robin who leads him to victory and ensures his survival (At least if he has it his way she will), but Layla will be the one to allow him to carry out his revenge on the Gods. She herself may not survive doomsday, like Robin, but regardless she is vital in ensuring revenge is served. 

But as Loki stands there cradling Layla and talking to her, he senses himself growing weaker and weaker by the second. It won’t be long before he completely over exerts himself and becomes trapped between worlds again, only this time he doubts he will wake up to a beautiful doctor smiling warmly down at him. He needs to return to Helheim and regather himself, especially if he wants to make anymore quick visits like this to Layla or Robin. 

So, reluctantly Loki places the baby back in her bassinet and places one last kiss to her forehead. 

“Be good for your mother, Layla. She will see sense and join us one day, I know it.” Loki murmurs softly, as he tucks the blankets around the baby. “I will see you soon darling, and I’ll be watching over you.” 

Then, Loki turns back to Samirah’s sleeping form. It truly doesn’t feel all that long ago that Samirah herself was a new born. The first child Loki had after what happened to Narvi and Vali. Her birth was a momentous and joyous occasion, and she will always hold a special place in his heart, no matter how much he may dislike her companions such as Magnus Chase. 

“You may not realise it, dear, but by bringing your daughter into the world you have provided me with yet another excellent weapon. Just like Alex. When Ragnarök comes I will have my granddaughters by my side, they will choose better than you and Alex have. 

If only you had not chosen to betray me, then perhaps you would not have to watch your daughter destroy Asgard.”

Chapter Text

Magnus and Annabeth Chase once swore to never keep anymore secrets from each other, they were 16 and 18 then and now at 16 and 20 going on 21 they have kept their promise and told each other everything. 

2 years ago Magnus had told Annabeth the shocking and confusing news that he and his partner Alex were expecting a baby, despite both of them being Einherjar who were always thought to be unable to physically reproduce. 

When they had sat outside that café on the warm Summer’s day, neither Magnus nor Annabeth expected they would be back at that very same café two years later, once again discussing pregnancy and fertility. 

Only this time it’s Annabeth who is the one with the news, and unfortunately it’s not good news. She had thought it would be for the past 2 days, but something happened today to turn her whole world upside down. 

“So what’s going on? You said it was something medical related? Are you ok?” Magnus asks Annabeth in concern, frowning at how pale Annabeth is, the distant and hollow look in her eyes concerns him too. 

Annabeth puffs out her cheeks with a breath before sighing heavily, trying to gather her strength to talk about this difficult topic. 

“I thought I’d be sitting here and telling you I’m pregnant… that’s how it was meant to go but…” Annabeth trails off, her throat constricting and tears gathering in her eyes. It’s all so fresh and raw. Percy is the only other person to know what happened earlier today, at Annabeth’s OB appointment, and it’s been incredibly hard for him too. 

“You thought….? I don’t understand.” Magnus admits in a tone of confusion. 

“You know how Percy and I have been trying to have a baby for a while now?” Annabeth begins, going back to the beginning of the journey to this moment, that started about 6 months ago. 

“Yeah?”

“A couple days ago I took a pregnancy test because something just felt different. And it was positive.” Annabeth quietly says, that image of the word “Pregnant.” Still seared into her mind. The first and only positive she’s gotten. 

“So… you are pregnant?” Magnus questions. “Or… you were?” his tone falters as he remembers that not every pregnancy makes it to full term. 

Annabeth shakes her head, blonde hair falling into her face as she wipes at her tears. 

“No, it was a false positive. I was never pregnant, no baby.” she tearfully confesses, feeling overcome with pain and devastation. 

“Oh my gods… oh Annabeth… I’m so sorry.” Magnus softly says, wanting to just pull Annabeth into a big warm embrace and give her a shoulder to cry on. He can’t imagine the anguish she must be feeling. To have gotten her hopes up like that, to have believed she was pregnant with her much longed for baby, only then to find out that was never the case at all…. It must be absolutely devastating. 

“That’s not even the worst part. When I went in for the ultrasound today not only was there no baby, there was a cyst that caused the false positive. And… well they told me I have something called Polycystic ovary syndrome….but it’s not actually a bunch of cysts on my ovaries, i-it’s to with hormone dysregulation and stuff. A-and they also told me I have this other thing called adenomyosis, which means the lining of the uterus... it actually grows into the muscular walls of the uterus, which explains why I've always had such heavy and painful periods. Anyway… the gist of it all is that I need surgery to remove the cyst and…. With the PCOS and adenomyosis… I might not be able to get pregnant or stay pregnant. Fertility treatment like IVF might work… but it also might not…. I might not be able to have a baby.”  Annabeth explains through tears, terrified of the possibility of never being able to have a baby.

She and Percy only came to the conclusion about a year ago that they wanted to start their family early in life. After everything they've been through in the last few years, specifically with Percy going missing for nearly a year just after they began dating, the two of them realised that they wanted to begin the rest of their lives with each other sooner rather than later. And for them that meant getting married and starting a family at a young age. Just a few months ago she and Percy had been excitedly discussing potential baby names and nursery themes. Now, they're discussing finances and wondering if they'll be able to save enough for fertility treatment, if they're unable to conceive on their own.

“Annabeth… I am so so sorry.” Magnus emphasizes, this time not holding back from getting up from his seat and pulling his cousin in for a tight embrace, just being here for her and letting her cry into his shoulder. 

Magnus can’t deny that he feels kinda guilty that he and Alex managed to conceive even as Einherjar, and yet here’s poor Annabeth facing a possible infertility diagnosis at only 20. Why can’t it be as easy and simple for Annabeth as it was for he and Alex? 

The two cousins sit like that for a while, Magnus holding Annabeth in a comforting embrace, rubbing her back and just holding space for her to feel and process her emotions. 

After a while, Annabeth sits back and wipes at her tears.

“When’s your surgery scheduled?” Magnus asks, passing a napkin to Annabeth.

“Next week. I… was wondering if you wouldn’t mind being there, at the hospital, waiting? It’s a small surgery, outpatient procedure. Percy will be there of course I just… I want someone else there too, and my dad is busy and my mom can’t be there either, and Sally is busy too and_” Annabeth starts to ramble and over-explain herself, only stopping when Magnus gently puts one hand over hers. 

“Cuz you don’t need to explain yourself. If you want me there then of course I’ll be there. How about I bring junk food and we can binge watch comedies and just lay on the sofa the rest of the day?” Magnus suggests, thinking of what he would want to do if he were in Annabeth's shoes. 

Annabeth smiles at him through her tears and nods. “That sounds good. But won’t you wanna get back to Robin and Alex as soon as you can?” she asks, fully aware of how much Magnus dislikes being away from his family for more than a few hours. 

“Well yeah but you need me too, you’re my family too. Besides, in the few hours away I’m not gonna miss too much, unless Robin takes a huge growth spurt overnight or something.” He light heartedly teases. Although he can't help wondering if such a thing is actually possible for Robin. She is part Jotun after all.

Annabeth laughs. 

“How is Robin? I miss her.” Annabeth asks, feeling like it’s been forever since she’s seen her niece, even though it’s really only been a few weeks, a month at most. 

“Oh she’s great, she misses you too. She’s discovered The Wizard of Oz, so now that plays on repeat basically all day everyday, and Jack sings all the songs from that and the musical prequel, Wicked, which Robin is also obsessed with.” Magnus replies with a grin, picturing Robin trying to teach the stray cat who hangs around Chase Space, to speak, like the animals in Oz. 

“Oh that’s so cute!” Annabeth exclaims. “Have you read any of the Oz books with her? Oh, they were some of my favourites when I was a kid!” 

“The Wizard of Oz is a book?! Since when?!” Magnus asks in an incredulous and disbelieving tone, making Annabeth genuinely laugh.

“Since 1900, Sunshine Boy.” She informs him, having come up with an equivalent of ‘Seaweed Brain’ for Magnus, with the help of Alex of course. 

“Heeyy stop bullying me!” Magnus mockingly whines with a laugh, lightly kicking her in the shin, only to get a firm kick back in the same spot, making him cry out in pain and double over. 

“Magnus Chase! Don’t hit a woman!” Annabeth chides. “Don’t hit anyone, for that matter.” 

“Oh yeah sorry, I forgot you’re a person.” Magnus retorts, laughing and ducking when Annabeth throws a piece of her pastry at him. 

“Menace.” Annabeth says with a wry grin and a shake of her head. “But Magnus…. Thank you…. For being here for me and… agreeing to be there when I get out of surgery.”

“That’s what family is for, cuz.” 

Two years later, Annabeth and Magnus are once again sitting outside The Thinking Cup, this time with Percy, Alex and Robin there too. It’s become a tradition for the Chase cousins and co. to meet up at least once a month, usually going for lunch or breakfast together and then doing some kid friendly event with Robin. 

Today, they had done the kid friendly event first, with Annabeth insisting on taking Robin on a tour of a local museum. 

Magnus was sure Robin would be bored out of her mind in a matter of minutes, given that she is only 4. But much to his surprise, she loved every second of it. Annabeth made up a bunch of fun activities for her and explained it all to her in an entertaining and child friendly way. 

Magnus can’t help but think how unfair it is that Annabeth may never get to be a mom, when she is so good with kids, and is such an amazing and wonderful Aunty to Robin. There is no doubt she  would be an amazing mother. 

“So, while little ears aren’t listening.” Annabeth begins, gesturing to Robin who is wearing a pair of headphones and happily swaying to music she’s listening to using Magnus’ phone.  “Percy and I have some news.” 

Magnus’ eyes widen and he has to stop himself from blurting out the question on his mind- is Annabeth pregnant? He knows she and Percy have been continuing to try and expand their family the last year, and no luck so far, no more false positives either though so at least there was no falsely getting their hopes up. 

“Are you getting a dog? Or a cat?” Alex hopefully asks, always eager to welcome another furry friend into the family. 

Annabeth and Percy grin but both shake their heads. 

“No, not yet anyway.” Percy tells them. 

"Well then what is it?" Alex eagerly presses, leaning forward in eager anticipation. 

“So…. It's been just over a year now of us trying to have a baby, and nothing has happened. So… Percy and I talked it through with each other and some friends and finally with the doctor. We’ve decided that we’re going to do IVF.” Annabeth announces, holding tightly to Percy’s hand, hoping Magnus and Alex aren’t about to tell them they’re wasting their money, they’re young and have time, and a lot of other crap that they’ve heard from doctors and nurses throughout the last year of trying for a baby.

“Oh that’s so exciting!!” Alex exclaims in a joyous tone, clapping in delight. “That’s a lot of dedication, whenever you do finally have your baby, they are gonna be one loved little bean.” 

Alex knows a surprising amount about IVF and the procedure of it all, from reading about it in books and online articles. He first heard about it when he was pregnant with Robin and decided to look online for other people’s pregnancy experiences with endo, whereupon he found the bizarre world of mommy bloggers. Some of whom had endo and had their kids through IVF. 

Of course, Alex never commented on any of these blog posts, though nowadays someone online claiming to be an undead warrior in the afterlife experiencing a miraculous unplanned teen pregnancy, wouldn’t even get much attention. There are much, much weirder things online.

“That really is great guys, I’m so happy for you! When do you start? Where do you start?”  Magnus asks, knowing essentially what IVF is on a very basic level, but not the details. 

“Well it’s a long road but the first step is getting some fertility testing done, even though we know it’s my PCOS and adenomyosis making it hard to conceive, there might also be other issues that we don’t know about. Best to rule it all out before diving right into treatment, and spending thousands of dollars.” Annabeth sighs, feeling a bit bitter about the fact that she and Percy have to pay so much to even have a chance at having a baby. When most other people their age can just sleep with their partner and hey presto, a baby’s on the way and the most money spent is a couple bucks on a pregnancy test. 

“If you two were related on your Godly side it would make things so much easier, huh? If you had the same kind of miraculous fertility powers as Magnus.” Alex jokes, indicating between Magnus and Annabeth. 

Annabeth smiles. “Yeah if only, but if this is what it takes to have a baby then so be it.” 

“But also thank the Gods you aren’t related on your Godly side because twins run in your family, right Magnus?” Percy asks, remembering that Magnus’ own father is a twin. Then again, he himself is related to Apollo and Artemis who are twins, though of course, not as closely as Magnus is related to Frey and Freya.

“Well my dad is a twin but it’s not like every child of Frey is a twin or has twins.” Magnus shrugs, having never really thought about the fact that twins can in fact be genetic. 

“If you had gotten me pregnant with twins I would have never forgiven you.” Alex tells Magnus, shivering a little at the thought of a twin pregnancy. Carrying one kid was hard enough, but two at the same time? Alex is very glad that that wasn’t the case. 

“I don’t doubt it.” 

Over the next few weeks and months Percy and Annabeth begin their journey towards hopefully having their much longed for baby. 

In the end after all is said and all is done, they receive the exciting news that they have 5 healthy embryos to attempt to transfer. It’s the best news they’ve received so far in the journey, and of course their families are elated for them too, with Magnus and Alex preparing to help Annabeth and Percy tell Robin she’s going to have a baby cousin soon. 

However 4 transfer attempts all lead to no pregnancy at all, none implant and by the time they are a year into the journey, Percy and Annabeth are left wondering if they should attempt to transfer their last embryo, or just start another cycle and maybe try transferring two embryos next time. It might slightly increase the chances of even just 1 embryo sticking, and though a twin pregnancy is higher risk, it is also something they would welcome if that’s how things turned out. 

In the end they decide to give it one last ‘Hail Mary’ so to speak, and transfer the fifth and final embryo. On that day, Magnus finds himself praying hard to his dad and Aunt Freya, even though he knows they can’t interfere with demigods from another Pantheon, just like how the Greco/Roman Gods can’t interfere with any Norse (or other) demigods. 

However Magnus just doesn’t know what else to do, given that Hera the Greek Goddess of fertility, is not exactly fond of Annabeth so probably wouldn’t answer a prayer to help her.

The same day Annabeth and Percy transfer their last remaining embryo, Samirah tells Magnus and Alex (and Robin) that she herself is pregnant with her and Amir’s first child. 

Of course Magnus and Alex are both thrilled for the Fadlans and are so excited to meet their nibling (gender neutral term for niece/nephew), but of course they are also both thinking about Annabeth and Percy too. Will they be welcoming their own baby not long after Samirah’s baby is born, or will they still be seeing nothing but negative pregnancy tests? 

1 week after Percy and Annabeth transfer their last remaining embryo, Magnus gets a phone call from Annabeth while out on a walk in Boston with Alex and Robin. He and Alex stroll leisurely, hand in hand, while Robin runs on ahead a bit, jumping over fallen branches here and there, stopping to watch squirrels up in the high branches of trees or to chat to the birds nearby. Literally. Robin has inherited Magnus’ ability to understand and speak to animals. Something she likes to do often, and which is pretty adorable. 

When he looks down at his phone and sees Annabeth’s name flash up, Magnus feels his stomach flip with anxiety and nerves. He can’t help but feel a bit pessimistic, given that every other phone call he’s gotten from Annabeth a week after her latest transfer, has been to tell him bad news. 

“It’s Annabeth.” Magnus tells Alex, his thumb hovering anxiously but unsurely over the answer button of his phone. 

“Well answer it!! Don’t let her go to voicemail!” Alex scolds, reaching over and hitting the answer button for Magnus, which leaves him with no choice but to bring the phone to his ear. 

“Hey.” He answers softly and gently. “What’s the verdict?” 

His question is answered by a soft and breathy sobbing coming down the line, as Annabeth tries to get her words out. 

His stomach sinks, crying can only mean one thing. 

“Annabeth… I-I’m so sorry. I know that doesn't even mean anything anymore but I don’t know what else to say.” he softly confides, wishing he could be there to hug Annabeth tightly, and feeling half tempted to go back to Alfheim and rob Andvari again so that Annabeth and Percy can afford as many more IVF rounds as they need. Though of course with that treasure being cursed, he would actually be hurting them and not helping them. 

“No… no Magnus I-I’m crying because I’m happy!” Annabeth gasps between breathy laughs of disbelief. 

Magnus furrows his brow. “I…. don’t follow.” he admits in a confused tone. 

“Magnus… I’m pregnant.” Annabeth whispers, causing Magnus to stop dead in his tracks, stumbling and catching himself on the trunk of a nearby tree. 

“You’re…. You are?” He quietly asks, feeling pretty deep in disbelief himself. “I… I’m gonna sound like an asshole, but are you sure?” 

“Yeah I am. I didn’t take a pregnancy test myself, I waited and went and got my bloods drawn this morning at the fertility clinic so they could do a pregnancy test. I just got a call from them like half an hour ago, I’m pregnant!” Annabeth laughs in delight. “I have to go back in 48 hours for another blood test to make sure my hormones are going up, and then I go back once more another 48 hours after that. Then about this time next month if everything is going well, I’ll have my first ultrasound.” 

Now Magnus finds himself laughing with sheer joy and delight. He knows this is only the beginning of a long 9 month process, and anything could happen even just between now and the next 48 hours. But he can’t help but feel optimistic and excited for Annabeth. 

“Annabeth, that's amazing!!! Congratulations, I’m so happy for you!! Have you told anyone else?” Magnus rambles, running a hand through his hair as Alex gives him a puzzled look, before calling to Robin to tell her to not wander out of sight. 

“Percy’s on the phone with his parents and Estelle right now, I’m going to call my dad next but I wanted you to be the first person I told, well aside from Percy of course.” Annabeth says, the joy and glee evident in her voice. 

“I’m honoured! So will you keep me updated over the next while?” Magnus hopefully asks, though fully understanding that Annabeth may not want to make a phone call every time she sees her doctor or gets a blood test done. 

“Of course! You’re gonna be so sick of hearing me yap about this pregnancy soon.” Annabeth lightly laughs, fully intending to never stop talking about her miracle baby from this moment on, regardless of what happens. 

“Never! Hey, do you wanna tell Alex? He’s looking confused and pissed at being left out.” Magnus teases, earning a light swat on the arm from his boyfriend. 

“Yeah absolutely, pass the phone over!” Annabeth encourages. 

So over the next few minutes while Annabeth and Alex talk, Magnus makes himself busy building a little cairn with Robin, to remember his mom. Something they always do on walks like this. 

Watching Robin concentrate on piling the stones, a very serious look on her face, Magnus can’t help but marvel at the fact that not all too long ago, Robin was a 2 week old embryo too, growing inside Alex, and neither of them knew until 8 weeks later, when Alex was 10 weeks pregnant. 

It truly is wild to him, how Annabeth can know she’s pregnant at not even a month into the pregnancy, while he and Alex had absolutely no clue about Robin until well into the second month of pregnancy, only 2 weeks from the end of the first trimester. 

He reaches out and brushes Robin’s hair back from her face, marvelling at his miracle, his beautiful and perfect baby girl. 

“You know you’re our miracle, Ro-Ro? Papi and I didn’t know we could have a baby, until we found out about you. Einherjar like us normally can’t have a baby, but because of my special magic we were able to have you. Isn’t that so cool?” Magnus quietly tells the little girl, who peers up at him through a tangle of dark curling hair. 

“Yeah!” Robin agrees. “I one of a kind!” 

Magnus chuckles and kisses her forehead before wrapping her in a big hug. 

“Yes you are baby girl, yes you are.” 

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks and months Annabeth and Percy keep Alex and Magnus closely updated on all things related to the pregnancy. 

Around the 8 week mark, Annabeth asks Blitz if he could make a baby sized Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, and a baby sized Camp Jupiter T-Shirt, so that she and Percy have a fun way to announce their news with their friends and family at both camps. 

Of course, Blitz is happy to do this for them, and finishes them by the time Annabeth is 12 weeks along, which is the same time that Annabeth and Percy are comfortable sharing their news, as at the 12 week point the risk of miscarriage significantly drops. 

The day Percy and Annabeth announce their news to their friends and family at Camp-Half Blood, Annabeth sends a bunch of pictures and a video of the announcement to Magnus. 

He and Alex sit down to watch it while Robin has some quiet calm time in her room in lieu of a midday nap, which she is slowly growing out of. 

The video starts with someone’s phone camera pointed to Percy and Annabeth who are standing together on the porch of the Big House, with most of their close friends and family sitting and standing near and around them. 

Magnus quickly recognises Chiron, in all his centaur glory, standing a few feet away from Annabeth and Percy. He also easily spots Grover, the satyr. As well as Piper, Leo, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Nico Di Angelo, Will Solace and even Thalia Grace, lieutenant of the Wild Hunt of Artemis, still looking about 15, but from the look in her eyes you can tell she’s been around more than 15 years. 

Hazel and Frank don’t seem to be there, but they’re likely busy at Camp Jupiter. 

In the video it’s a little hard to hear Annabeth when she begins speaking, over the wind blowing and rattling in the phone’s microphone. But Magnus and Alex catch most of what she says. 

So guys . Annabeth begins. Percy and I have a surprise for you all.

Leo gasps in delight, then closes his eyes, crosses his fingers and looks upwards and excitedly mutters Please be a huge cat please be a huge cat friend for Mrs. O’Leary!  

Magnus laughs at this and nudges Alex. “Should we tell him about Freya’s cats?” 

Alex grins. “Unless you think you can get him to Vanaheim to meet the cats, nah, don’t tease him with what he can’t have.” 

Magnus laughs again before turning his attention back to the video. 

It’s not a cat, Leo. Annabeth laughs, reaching into her bag behind her and concealing something behind her back. 

It never is. Leo sighs sadly. 

Don’t dash your hopes yet dude, this is better than a cat. Percy laughs, sharing an excited grin with Annabeth. 

Well tell us then, sometime this year preferably. Thalia smirks, making Percy roll his eyes affectionately. 

Well, in about 6 months we're gonna have a new camper joining us. Annabeth excitedly begins, still holding the items behind her back. 

What do you mean? What are you trying to tell us? Rachel asks in a tone full of suspicion. 

Annabeth’s grin grows and she finally takes her hands out from behind her back and holds them in front of her. 

In her left hand Annabeth is holding the mini Camp Half-Blood T-shirt that Blitz made, and in her right hand she is holding a row of ultrasound photos, showing a blurry but clearly formed baby. 

I’m pregnant! Annabeth beams. In about 6 months, Percy and I are gonna have a baby boy.  

WHAT?!   Leo enthusiastically screams in delight, jumping to his feet and looking around at everyone else, who are about as equally shocked. Well, all except for Will who Annabeth and Percy told about the pregnancy around the same time they told Magnus and Alex. In between appointments with the OB, Annabeth and Percy have been having little check-ins with Will to soothe their anxiety and assure them everything is on track. 

Baby Percabeth!!! Rachel squeals excitedly. 

“Percabeth? Is that their couple name?” Alex asks amusedly. 

“Seems so.” Magnus shrugs. 

“Oh I’m never calling them anything else ever again.” 

Back in the video Piper quickly hugs her friends tightly and wipes at her tears. You guys this is amazing! Your baby is so lucky to have two parents who love him so much!  

Thank you, Pipes. Annabeth warmly replies. He’s lucky to have a bunch of Aunties and Uncles to love him too, and an extra and honorary grandpa. She directs the last part of her sentence to her mentor, who is smiling warmly at she and Percy, joy lighting up his face. You can tell he hasn’t had many reasons for joy and celebration during his long, long life. 

Aww Grampa Chiron! Percy teases, making Chiron chuckle and adjust his blazer. 

Ah well now there’s something I’ve never been called before, I’m not sure it suits me. He lightly says.

Eh we can let him figure out what to call you himself. Percy shrugs, figuring the little guy is pretty set when it comes to Grandpa’s, between Frederick, Poseidon and Paul.

I think that’s best. Well! Such happy news like this deserves a toast I think, what say you all? Chiron declares, picking up his goblet from the table in front of him. 

You read my mind bro, a toast! Leo agrees, picking up his can of Red Bull and holding it aloft, as everyone else picks up their drinks and holds them up too. 

A toast! Chiron begins. To…. Ah, do you have a name picked out? He sheepishly asks Annabeth and Percy, a little embarrassed to have not thought this far ahead. 

We do but we’re not sharing it until he’s born, just call him Baby Jackson-Chase, it’s easiest. Percy suggests, figuring ‘Baby Jackson-Chase’ and ‘Baby Boy’ are decent placeholders until the little guy is born. 

Chiron nods. A toast! He repeats. To Baby Jackson-Chase! A longed for and hard fought for miracle, and the first in the next generation of heroes!  

A cheer goes up and everyone repeats Cheers to Baby Jackson-Chase!

The video cuts out a few seconds later. Alex lays his head on Magnus’ shoulder and quietly says 

“I kind of wish we had thought to do a fun cutesy pregnancy announcement like that, with Robin.” 

Magnus hums in agreement and kisses the top of Alex’s head. “It would’ve been nice.” He agrees. “We kinda did with Hearth and Blitz though, got to tell them in our way on our own time.” 

“Mmm that’s true.” Alex sighs. “Can you believe it’s been over 4 years since that day?” Alex still finds it a bit hard to wrap his mind around the fact that Robin’s not a baby anymore. She’s not even a toddler now. She’s growing up so fast, it’s like Alex blinked and his tiny 5 pound new born baby, is now over 3 feet tall and can walk, talk, run, feed herself, doesn’t need diapers anymore, and if she were a regular mortal kid she would be getting ready to start elementary school.

“No.” Magnus lightly shakes his head.  “On one hand I feel like she was a new born only yesterday, and on the other hand I can’t fathom what life was like before her.” So much happened before Robin was born, things Magnus thought would always be hugely significant to him and that nothing could outweigh. And yet now four years into being Robin’s dad and all of that other stuff seems pretty miniscule compared to her.

 “Me too.” Alex echoes. “We’re the luckiest parents in all 9 worlds to have such an amazing kid.” 

Magnus nods and presses a kiss to the top of Alex’s head. “Yes we are.” 

Over the next few months, Annabeth and Percy keep Magnus and Alex and all their other friends and family updated and informed about all things baby and pregnancy related. 

There are some bumps and complications along the way, such as Annabeth being diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 20 weeks pregnant, which thankfully in this day and age isn’t a huge deal once it’s monitored properly, Annabeth adjusts her diet accordingly and takes a medication called Metformin, which is more than willing to do, of course. She and Percy find themselves having a lot of fun exploring new GB friendly meals and recipes, cooking in their small kitchen in their home in New Rome, laughing and joking with each other and just soaking in these last few months of being a family of 2. 

There’s some concern around the baby’s size, he seems to be measuring a little small but not an overly worrying amount. 

By the last few weeks of the second trimester and first few weeks of the third, Annabeth and Percy feel comfortable getting some more things for the baby, and Magnus and Alex have plenty of hand me downs from when Robin was a new born that they plan to give the Jackson-Chase’s, most of her wardrobe from when she was a new born, in fact. 

They decide to keep one or two items for sentimentality sake (Specifically the first outfit she ever wore just a few hours after her birth, as well as the blanket she had been bundled up in when Sam passed her up to Alex, just moments after her birth) and split the rest between Sam and Amir and baby Layla (who is just days old at the moment) and Annabeth and Percy and their baby. 

They also want to buy something new for both Layla as well as Percy and Annabeth’s baby, which is how the little family of 3 come to be in Blitzen’s best, looking through the small collection of baby clothes that Blitz has started making and selling. 

Given that it’s after 5PM the store is shut to the public, but Magnus, Alex, Robin, Hearth and Blitz figure it’s easier to talk and catch up here with just the 5 of them, than it would be at Chase Space or Valhalla where they would be overwhelmed with other people. 

And while they love their friends and family at both Chase Space and Valhalla, sometimes it is nice to just be their little group of 5, reminding Magnus, Hearth and Blitz of the old days when they were homeless and it was the three of them against the world. 

How things have changed in less than 5 years. 

“You guys been to see Sam and Amir and meet Layla yet?” Alex begins another conversation, looking up from looking through a pile of adorable knitted baby jackets, while Robin plays with her stacking blocks with Hearth, both of them looking completely locked in on the task. Alex is sure to quickly snap a few photos of the adorable scene, to put in the scrapbook of Robin’s life that she and Magnus started when Robin was just a few weeks old, and which they intend to give to her when she hits the milestone age of 21. 

“Yeah we stopped by for a bit the other day, Layla sure is as adorable and perfect as her cousin here.” Blitz grins, lightly ruffling Robin’s hair affectionately as he watches she and Hearth pile brick after brick to their stack. 

“She so is, and Sam… she was incredible during the birth, I don’t know how she did that without any pain relief at all.” Alex shakes her head in awe and disbelief, remembering how amazed she had been in the moment, by Sam’s strength and resilience during labor, how she remained eerily calm the whole time, and seemed to breeze through the whole process, despite how long and intense it had been. 

“You had no pain relief when Robin was born.” Magnus points out, still feeling a pang of guilt at the memory of Alex clutching his arms, doubling over in pain and sobbing and begging for some kind of relief from the pain. 

“Yeah but I acted a bit nuts because of the pain, threatening the Queen of Asgard and all.” Alex laughs. “But Sam was so amazingly calm, I really really don’t know how she did it.” 

“Aunty Sam badass!” Robin pipes up, surprising everyone but also making them all burst into laughter, even Hearth lightly chuckles when Blitz fills him in on what Robin said, since she had her head turned away from him when she said it, meaning he couldn’t read her lips. 

“That’s right mija!” Alex praises. “Your Aunty Sam is a badass!” 

Just then, Magnus' phone begins to ring and Percy’s name and number flash up on the screen. He must be calling for some advice on what kind of stroller to get, or what’s the difference between the diaper brands or what’s the best diaper cream or something like that. All the questions Magnus and Alex once had themselves, but with no one really to ask them to.

“Hey Percy, how's it going?” Magnus casually greets, his tone very calm and laid back, not yet realising the intensity of the situation. 

“Um… not great.” Percy feebly replies, a quiver in his voice which immediately alerts Magnus to the fact that something is wrong. 

“What’s going on man, are you ok? Are Annabeth and the baby ok?” Magnus asks as he sits forward with concern, his casual laid back manner gone. 

His words and change in tone and posture alert the other 3 adults in the room that something is amiss, and the 3 of them exchange nervous glances, while Robin remains enthralled with her blocks, totally oblivious to the chaos that’s about to unfold around her. 

“It’s… I… Annabeth’s in labor.” Percy quietly replies, almost causing Magnus to drop the phone in shock. 

“Oh my Gods… oh crap, Percy are you sure?” Magnus whispers, remembering that Alex had a few false labor alarms when she was pregnant with Robin, because of how intense the fake contractions were. 

“Pretty sure_…. Ok no make that positive, her water just broke.” Percy replies in a weak voice. 

“Two months early… holy crap…” Magnus trails off quietly, totally lost on what to say. Quite frankly he feels like freaking out himself, but of course that’s the last thing Percy and Annabeth need. 

“Yeah… um we’re about to go to the hospital, Annabeth asked me to call you and see if there’s any way you and Alex can come be here for the birth. She really really wants you both, but of course we both completely understand if you can’t, you have to think of Robin first and everything but if you could come… well we’d really appreciate it.” Percy rambles, feeling guilty for even asking but knowing how much having familial support there will mean to Annabeth. 

“Yes absolutely of course, don’t worry about it, we'll come up with a plan and we’ll be there as soon as we can.” Magnus promises, already formulating plans and ideas in his head. 

Percy sighs in relief. 

“Thank you, Magnus, thank you so much.” 

“Of course, see you soon?” Magnus checks, not wanting to just hang up on Percy. 

“Yeah see you soon, thanks again.” Percy says in a tone of relief. 

“No worries man see you soon, give Annabeth my love.” With that, the two men end their phone call and Magnus turns his attention back to the others.  “That was Percy.” He begins. “Annabeth’s gone into early labor, her water just broke, they’re on the way to the hospital and they’re asking for us, Alex.” 

“What about Robin?” Alex immediately asks. “A birth room is no place for a little kid.” 

“We’ll take care of her, she can stay with us for as long as you need.” Blitz interjects, quick and eager to offer any help he can in any way. 

“Really?” Magnus hopefully asks. He would feel way better if he knew Robin was in the safe and loving care of her Uncles, who love her just as much as he and Alex do.

Absolutely . Hearth signs. Annabeth needs you, Robin will be safe and happy here.  

“Hey mija you hear that?” Alex softly says to Robin, crouching down in front of her. “Your daddy and I need to go help Aunty Annabeth and Uncle Percy with something, we might be gone for a while. Do you want to have a sleepover with Uncle Hearth and Uncle Blitz?” 

Robin’s whole face lights up with excitement and she eagerly nods. Usually she doesn’t like to be away from her parents, this will be her first time spending the night without them. Alex really thought she’d be reluctant to the idea, but evidently she knows how safe and loved she is with Hearth and Blitz. 

“YEAH!” Robin excitedly yells, immediately scrambling to her feet and running to Blitz and Hearth, giggling delightedly as Hearth lifts her up and sets her on his shoulders. 

“Thank you guys so much.” Magnus sighs in relief, glad that though he and Alex will undoubtedly miss Robin, they will also be able to focus on Percy and Annabeth and their baby, knowing that Robin is well taken care of and looked after, having her needs met. 

“Wait but you guys don’t have pyjamas or anything for her.” Alex realises, thinking of all the little bits and pieces Robin needs for a peaceful night, including but not limited to her comfort teddies, the plush raven and the plush Robin that Odin and Frigg gave her for her first birthday, her favorite yellow and purple pyjamas, her nightlight and of course at the very least 2 of her favorite books. 

“I swear it’s like you guys don’t know me at all. I have pyjamas for her, I always keep spares for her.” Blitz informs them, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Which to him, it is.

 With how often he and Hearth babysit and/or help out with Robin, Blitz decided it was a good idea to keep some spare sets of clothes and pyjamas for her, both here in the shop and back at Chase Space. It makes sense to him, given that Robin seems to have a talent for getting her clothes dirty one way or the other. 

“Ok but what about her teddies and her books and night light?” Alex presses, concern now creeping into her voice, knowing that Robin won’t sleep without her teddies. 

I can go get them. Hearth signs. I know where they are, only take a few minutes. A quick trip to Valhalla is just a normal part of life now, for Hearth. So offering to go and get Robin’s things is really no big deal for him. 

“There ya go! Problem solved!” Blitz declares.

“Yeah… yeah ok that makes sense. Hearth I can unlock our room for you so you can get Robin’s things. It makes more sense if we go back to Valhalla and then use the exit door that leads out to Manhattan.” Magnus decides, formulating a plan in his mind. 

Hearth nods. Good plan, let’s go.

So over the next few minutes, Magnus and Alex give Robin a hug and kiss goodbye and tell her how much they love her, and that they’ll see her soon. 

While Alex and Magnus and Hearth head to the Forever 21 entrance to Valhalla (Thank the Gods it’s open.) while Robin and Blitz finish locking up at the store and then head to Chase Space. 

Soon Magnus and Alex are hurrying through the front doors to the Metropolitan Hospital  Centre, thankful for the fact there’s no line at the front desk. 

Magnus speed walks up to the front desk with Alex hot on his heels, and gives the nurse behind the desk a warm smile. 

“Hi excuse me, I’m looking for my cousin, Annabeth Jackson-Chase. She’s in early labor and her husband called and said she was asking for me, for us. This is Alex, my girlfriend.” Magnus hurriedly but calmly explains to the nurse, surprised that he’s managing to keep his cool. He’s so worried about Annabeth and the baby, and a little part of him is afraid that the hospital won’t let him see Annabeth. Or maybe the baby has already been born? Though if that were the case Percy would likely have called or texted to update them. 

“Boyfriend now, he/him.” Alex informs Magnus sternly. Even though Magnus always respects Alex’s gender and always uses his correct pronouns, Alex still tends to get defensive when correcting someone on his gender. A leftover from his childhood, when nobody would listen to him or correctly gender him. 

“Right, my boyfriend, Alex. Annabeth has been asking for him too.” Magnus agrees, reaching back to grab Alex’s hand and squeeze it lovingly.

The nurse smiles kindly at them and asks in a knowing voice  “Are you Magnus?” Magnus simply nods. “Annabeth has been asking for you every few minutes, both of you. I’ve been hoping you would get here soon, Annabeth needs all the love and support she can get. 

I’m Nurse Worth, by the way. I’ve been taking care of Annabeth today. I'm her Labor and Delivery Nurse. 

Follow me and I’ll show you to Annabeth’s room. She’ll be thrilled to see you both.” 

“Thank you, so much.” Magnus sighs in relief, following the Nurse down a hallway and up a flight of stairs, then through a set of double doors and down another hallway. Then they come to a sizable room on the left of the corridor, in appearance it’s not all that dissimilar to the hospital room Sam was in just last week when Layla was born.

The room is painted a light pastel lavender/purple, with white linoleum flooring. In the centre of the room is a hospital bed with white sheets and a blue blanket. Beside the bed is one wooden bedside locker, and a high back white chair. 

There are monitors and IV poles and lots of other medical equipment all throughout the room, but the most important and notable thing to Magnus, is Annabeth. 

Annabeth is standing at the side of the bed, leaning over it on her hands as she bows her head and scrunches her face up in pain.

She’s dressed in a light blue hospital gown with a yellow knitted cardigan over it. 

Her blonde hair is loose around her shoulders and she is breathing deeply while Percy looks at her with eyes full of fear and concern, while he soothingly rubs her back. 

The atmosphere in the room is so tense, so full of fear and terror. Nothing at all like the calm and relaxed atmosphere of Samirah’s hospital room 

“Annabeth.” Magnus softly says, stepping into the room and walking up to her side. 

Annabeth lifts her head, and immediately relief floods her face, her shoulders dropping and her tight grip on the bed sheets loosening. 

“Magnus, oh thank the Gods you’re here. I’m so scared Magnus.” Annabeth says in a tight tone, tears beginning to well in her eyes. 

Magnus hugs Annabeth tightly, his protective instincts kicking in as he rubs her back soothingly. 

“I know.” Magnus murmurs into Annabeth’s hair, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Me too, I’d be really surprised if you weren’t scared. Whatever happens I’m here, I will be by your side and help you through whatever happens, ok?” 

Annabeth nods, her grip on Magnus’ jacket tightening as she lets the fear wash over her, knowing that every word Magnus said is true. 

“My baby’s a fighter, like me, like his dad. Whatever happens I know he’s going to put up a hell of a fight.” Annabeth declares, as Magnus pulls back from the hug and Alex takes his place, squeezing Annabeth tightly as they hug and pressing a kiss to her temple. 

“Damn right babe, and he’s in the perfect place to get the help he needs with this fight. And he won’t be in it alone, Robin is already making cards for him, she calls them his ‘Welcome to being born’ cards.” Alex assures her, grinning and laughing lightly as he thinks of the pile of cards Robin has made and is eagerly waiting to give to her baby cousin. She already adores Layla, there’s no doubt she’ll adore this baby just as much. 

As Alex pulls back from the hug, Annabeth laughs lightly and runs a hand down her belly. 

“That’s so sweet, she’s such an awesome little kiddo.” Annabeth gushes, proud of Magnus and Alex for raising such a wonderful kid. 

“She really is.” Percy agrees “If you need any help with childcare, my mom and Paul have offered to watch Robin.” he then adds, thankful for his amazing parents for being so generous and helpful in any way they can be. 

“We appreciate the offer but we’ve got childcare covered, Robin is staying with Hearth and Blitz and couldn’t be more excited to get to sleepover with her favorite uncles.” Alex grins, just imagining all the fun Robin is having right now. 

“How are things going here? What’s the plan?” Magnus asks, as Annabeth scrunches her face up in pain again and leans back over the bed. As she does, Percy stands behind her and again starts to rub and press on her lower back.

 A stance Magnus and Alex remember taking themselves during Alex’s labor, in an attempt to relieve the intense back pain Alex had been dealing with. Something to do with counterpressure, a piece of advice given to them by Frigg. 

“Right now the plan is to let labor takes it’s course. They gave Annabeth a steroid shot earlier to help the baby’s lungs mature and develop. His heart rate is perfectly fine and there’s no infection or anything so the doctor’s said they don’t see a need for a C-section.” Percy informs them, surprised he was able to remember all that given how stressed he is. 

“And this little boy is taking his sweet time, I think I started having contractions yesterday but I really thought they were those fake practice contractions.” Annabeth adds in a breathy tone.

“It’s so annoying how hard they are to tell apart from the real thing.” Alex sympathises, perching on the edge of the bed next to Annabeth. “I had been having contractions all night and all day before my water broke. I was sure they were practice contractions.” 

“Didn’t you fake going into labor to trick and fool Loki?” Percy asks, recalling the story of what happened to Alex’s mother 4 years ago, after he tried to force Alex and Magnus into giving him their baby. 

“Yeah, but the pain was still very real, that fear and vulnerability was too.” Alex quietly admits, looking down at his hands as he’s suddenly overcome with the memory of suddenly desperately wanting and needing his mother’s comfort.

 He wasn't lying or faking when he told Loki how frightened and unprepared he felt for labor. He hates to admit it but for a few moments that day he did feel comforted by Loki’s embrace for a moment. It was nice to feel like his mother loved him, like he was a child again and thought his mother could protect him from everything and anything. 

“Were you surprised by how much it hurt, too?” Annabeth breathily asks. She thought that she was prepared for the pain of labor, she figured it couldn’t have been too bad, especially compared to when she was forced to literally hold the sky up, when she was just a kid. Or she and Percy's traumatic journey through Tartarus about 6 years ago now.

But the pain has taken her by surprise, the whole labor has taken her by surprise. 

“Oh yeah big time.” Alex agrees. 

“Is there anything we can do for you or get for you Annabeth?” Magnus pipes up, crouching down by the side of the bed and letting Annabeth grab his hand for comfort. 

Annabeth shakes her head. “Just stay with me, both of you, please.” She pleads, now sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to the doorway. 

“Not going anywhere babe, not for a second.” Alex assures her warmly, remembering how he had made the exact same plea to Samirah during his own labor. 

“Did… did uh… did Samirah… have her baby yet?” Annabeth questions, trying to breath through the pain, very aware of the fact that Samirah is due any day now, and their babies should be 2 months apart. They have grown close over the years and when they found out their babies were due so close together, they started making exciting plans for playdates, dressing the babies in precious and adorable matching outfits, hosting joint birthday parties for them and so much more. It seems now that Annabeth and Percy's son just couldn't wait a second longer to start making his way into the world, perhaps even attempting to share a birthday with his guaranteed best friend.

“She did, last week. A little girl.” Magnus gently says, half afraid of upsetting Annabeth. Of course he knows she would never wish harm on Sam and her daughter, but he can understand how it might be painful to hear about someone else having their baby safely and on time after falling pregnant very quickly and easily. 

“Are they both ok?” Annabeth presses. She would never wish her current situation on anyone else. Especially not someone as lovely and kind as Samirah, who had sent Annabeth a bunch of flowers and a gift package after her egg retrieval when she and Percy started IVF. And then sent flowers and chocolates with a heartfelt note of congratulations when Annabeth and Percy announced their pregnancy with this baby, just a few months ago. 

“Yeah they’re both perfectly fine and healthy, settling in at home now.” Magnus assures her, which Annabeth is very glad to hear. 

“Good, good I’m really glad to hear that.” Annabeth smiles through her tears, hoping that it won’t be long before she, Percy and their baby boy can settle in at home too. 

Annabeth’s labor continues all through the rest of the day and well into the night. 

Magnus and Alex step out for a few minutes that evening at Robin’s bedtime, to wish her a goodnight over the phone and check in with Hearth and Blitz about how Robin has been all day. Thankfully, she’s been perfectly content.

 She has asked a few times why her parents had to leave for a bit, and needed reassurance a few times that they’ll be back before long and will call to check in every so often. Other than that she has been completely fine. 

After that, Percy, Alex and Magnus start taking it in turns to go on coffee runs to help them stay awake with Annabeth, though when she is finally able to get some sleep around 2AM, the three of them also take the opportunity to grab some sleep. 

With Percy curling up on a cot bed Nurse Worth brought in for him not too long ago, Magnus in an armchair next to Annabeth’s bed and Alex on the small sofa just across from the bed. 

For Magnus particularly it’s pretty hard to get comfortable and rest in the chair, and he ends up changing positions every few minutes. 

Around 5AM he hears a light laugh from Annabeth’s bed and looks over to see his cousin laying on her side, her eye open and an amused grin on her face as she watches Magnus try to get comfortable in the armchair. 

“I bet that chair feels like a brick wall compared to your bed in Valhalla.” Annabeth whispers with a giggle, not wanting to wake Percy and Alex. 

“I think I’d prefer a brick wall to this, looks like I’ve lost my ability to sleep anywhere.” Magnus whispers back, knowing he would’ve killed for a chair like this when he was homeless. But now after almost half a decade in Valhalla, he’s gotten very used to sleeping on a feather soft mattress with an equally soft pillow and duvet. 

And admittedly he’s also gotten used to falling asleep or waking up with Robin’s feet in his face. 

Annabeth giggles again and says “I’d offer to share the bed with you but my bump is taking up most of the room.” 

Magnus grins fondly, remembering when he and Annabeth were really little kids, about Robin’s age, and during family holidays at the Chase Family Mansion, the two of them would often curl up in the same bed to watch a movie together and then end up conking out next to each other, with neither Frederick nor Natalie seeing any point in moving them once they were asleep. 

“I’ll forgive you just this once.” He retorts teasingly. Even in the darkness of the room he can see Annabeth laughing into her pillow, and he’s glad he can bring her any semblance of comfort or joy in this terrifying moment of her life. 

Early the next morning, not long after waking up, Annabeth starts feeling the urge to push. 

Knowing that Annabeth only wants Percy by her side during the actual pushing phase of labor, Magnus and Alex both give Annabeth a big hug and a kiss and wish her well. 

“You got this Annabeth, after everything you’ve been through? Birth is gonna be a breeze, and your baby is gonna be fine because he’s a fighter like you and like Percy.” Alex whispers to Annabeth as they hug tightly. Alex so clearly remembers his own fears and worries when he was in that final stage of labor, he can’t imagine how much more terrifying it must be for Annabeth, with her baby being 2 months early. 

Annabeth sniffs and nods, holding tightly to Alex for a minute, appreciating all his love and support throughout the entire journey to this baby. It’s nice to have someone around the same age as her, who understands what it’s like to go through pregnancy and all that comes with it. 

Alex kisses her cheek before they separate, and steps back to allow Magnus to give Annabeth a tight hug. 

“I love you, so much.” Magnus whispers to Annabeth, realising he doesn’t say that to her half as much as he should. 

“I love you more.” Annabeth quietly replies, laying her head on Magnus’ shoulder for a second. 

“You got this, you’re so amazing your baby just couldn’t wait another 2 months to meet you.” Magnus adds in a light and breathy tone, pleased with himself when Annabeth smiles, before grimacing in pain and doubling over with a groan.

“Magnus I love you but I have to push now, I don’t want you to see me actually giving birth.” Annabeth firmly tells him, now holding her cousin at arm’s length. 

Magnus goes wide eyed with panic, unsure of what to do, till Alex lightly pushes him towards the door by his back. 

“You heard her Chase, out! Love you Annabeth, you got this!” Alex exclaims, following Magnus out the door and closing it tightly behind them. 

“So… what now?” Magnus asks, knowing that this phase of labor could last a really short time or a really long time. Alex pushed for 2 hours before Robin was born, but he knows that some people only end up pushing for a few minutes. 

“Now we wait, Beantown, like we always do.”

Chapter Text

Magnus and Alex settle themselves in two (thankfully relatively comfortable) chairs in the mostly empty waiting room. Once settled they FaceTime Hearth, Blitz and Robin for a while. They miss their baby girl so much already, but are so glad to hear that she’s more than happy with Hearth and Blitz. They’re surprised but thrilled to hear that she slept with no issues. Initially Hearth and Blitz tucked her up in a spare room at Chase Space, directly across from their own room. They left both doors ajar and the light on in the small hallway between the rooms so Robin knew she could run across to their room at any point if she wanted to. 

Unsurprisingly at around 4AM, she did make the little journey across the hall to her Uncles’ room, eyes wide with panic and fear because she spotted a spider in her room. Just like Annabeth, Robin is absolutely terrified of spiders. They’re about the only creature she doesn’t like.

She refused to go back into the room, but also refused to be without her stuffed Robin and Raven (which she creatively named Rob and Raven), so while she curled up in Blitz’s lap, Hearth was dispatched to remove the spider and retrieve the teddies. 

Apart from that everything has been going smoothly, and Hearth and Blitz have plenty of plans to keep Robin happy and occupied for at least another day or two. 

After finishing up their FaceTime with Hearth, Blitz and Robin, Magnus and Alex mainly just sit in a comfortable silence, both of them deep in thought. 

After a while, Alex speaks up. 

“Magnus…” He begins hesitantly, almost afraid to even consider the thought going around and around in his head. “When Loki eventually reforms…. When Robin’s a teenager…. Do you think he’s going to try and interfere with Layla too? I know she’s not as powerful as Robin but… the daughter of a Valkyrie demi-god isn’t exactly going to have low key powers either. I can’t help but worry that Loki will try to use Layla too, like he wants to use Robin.” 

Over the last week or so since Layla’s birth, Alex hasn’t been able to stop thinking about this possibility, of Loki wanting Layla on his side too. Sure his main focus will be on Robin, but Alex very much doubts he’ll just ignore Layla. 

He knows what it’s like to grow up around Loki, and he does not want that for his daughter or his niece. 

Magnus sighs heavily as he considers Alex’s question. 

“Honestly… I’d be surprised if he didn’t.” Magnus admits. Alex solemnly nods in agreement. “But Layla’s going to be one strong girl, just like her mom and her big cousin. Not to mention that she’s the kid of Odin’s favorite Valkyrie, she’s under his protection as well as ours, and 3 other kick ass Einherjar. Not to mention Blitz and Hearth. She and Robsy are never gonna be alone, Loki or not.” 

“You’re right… when did you get so sensible, Beantown?” Alex teases, lightly bumping shoulders with Magnus, both of them laughing lightly. 

“Eh it comes with the territory of being a dad.” 

They sit in comfortable silence again for another while, before Alex once again breaks the silence, thinking out loud. 

“I wonder if I was born in a hospital.” He ponders to himself, tapping his sunglasses against his lip and earning a confused look from Magnus. 

“You what now?” He questions, wondering where that thought and question came from. 

“I wonder if I was born in a hospital. Loki has never told me that much about when he was pregnant with me, he mentioned bits and pieces when I was pregnant with Robin, to try and act like a sympathetic mother. 

Do you think he had me in hospital, just posing as a regular mortal- like when he met Sam’ mom? Oh Gods do you think he had to actually physically go through labor with me in that cavern? With that venom dripping into his face?” Alex’s tone is filled with horror as he thinks about that last possible scenario. He’s no fan of his mother but he wouldn’t wish the difficulties and pains of labor and birth on anyone, and definitely not while also having venom dripped in your face while you’re lashed to a rock with the guts of your murdered son.

Magnus shares a horrified look with Alex, and tries to imagine a tiny baby being born into that cavern that reeked of rotting flesh, with piles of acidic venom everywhere, stalagmites and stalactites littering the food and pools of hot springs dotted about too. If that is where Alex was born, Magnus has to admit he feels sorry for Loki, having to deliver his child in such a horrific environment. 

“I don’t wanna think about it.” Magnus decides, suppressing a shiver. 

“Me neither.” Alex agrees. "Did your mom ever tell you much about the day you were born?" he then asks. He gets the impression that Natalie Chase had been the kind of woman who would avoid a hospital at all costs, but he also knows that his (technically) mother-in-law would never do anything to put Magnus in danger at all. 

"A bit." Magnus says. "She had me at home, just her and two midwives. She didn't talk much about the actual birth, but she said that in her mind, neither her nor I were sick and she didn't need any major assistance so it didn't make sense for her to have a hospital birth. She mainly told me how happy she was when I was born, and all the pain was more than worth it." 

"That must've been nice, to always be told how much you were loved. My dad always said the day Loki showed up with me, was the worst day of his life." Alex quietly admits with a scowl on his face. He hates that his father still takes up so much space in his mind, that his abuse still haunts Alex day and night. 

"Jesus, Alex. That's... the hell is wrong with him?" Magnus scoffs. He cannot possibly imagine hating his own kid as much as Alex's father hated him. For Magnus, the day Robin was born was the happiest day of his life. Even now 4 years later, he still feels awed and amazed by watching Alex bring their baby into the world. How can anyone hold their precious innocent little baby and hate them? 

Alex shrugs but before he can reply, they hear approaching footsteps and turn their heads to see Percy walking over as if in a daze, a blank look on his face that is drained of color. Over the t-shirt and jeans Percy had been wearing earlier, he is now wearing what looks like a green gown that you typically see a surgeon wear on TV. His shoes are covered with blue plastic covers, like the ones at swimming pools. Under his chin sits a blue paper surgical mask, clearly hastily pulled down.

The look on his face makes Alex grab Magnus’ arm, he looks like he’s been through a shock. Alex is terrified that something horrific has happened. 

“Percy, is everything ok? What are you wearing?” Magnus voices his own concern and fear, looking his friend up and down and trying to figure out what’s happening. 

“I… I don’t know.” Percy whispers, sinking down into a chair next to Alex, still looking for all the world like he’s in a daze. 

“What happened?” Alex gently asks. 

“Annabeth… she… she had to have an emergency C-section. The…. the umbilical cord i-it slipped out…. Before the baby did. If they just let labor continue, the baby’s head would crush the umbilical cord and cut off oxygen and nutrients and all that. 

So… our little boy was delivered safely, we didn't get to hold him or see him or anything yet… and then… then Annabeth haemorrhaged… that’s when they basically shoved me out of the OR. They didn’t even tell me where the baby is, I don’t know if he’s in the NICU or still in the OR or what.” Percy breaks down into sobs, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as Magnus and Alex exchange a look of horror. 

“Is… is Annabeth gonna be ok?” Magnus asks in a hoarse voice, suddenly filled with the fear and horror of losing his cousin, one of his best friends. Gods what would it do to Uncle Frederick? To lose your sister and your brother and your nephew in the space of 2 years is traumatic enough… to then lose your own daughter… it doesn't bear thinking about. It’s enough to break anyone. 

And what about Percy and the baby? Will the little guy have to grow up without his mom? Will Percy be a single dad, a widower? 

And it’s not like Annabeth will end up in Valhalla if she doesn’t make it, given that she’s Greek and not Norse, and also given that if she does die, it won’t be in battle with a weapon in her hand. Though, if you ask Magnus, birth absolutely is a battle, especially one as complicated and terrifying as Annabeth’s has been. 

“I don’t know.” Percy sniffs, wiping his tears away with his sleeve, which is when Alex (taking a leaf from Blitzen’s book) pulls out a handkerchief and passes it to Percy.  “They just…. They told me to wait out here and… they’ll keep me updated.” 

“Let me go find Annabeth’s L&D nurse and see if she at least knows where the baby is, ok?” Alex gently tells Percy, needing to do something in this moment. He can’t just sit here and feel useless. 

“Thank you.” Percy sniffs, dabbing at his eyes with the pink handkerchief Alex gave him. 

“And I’ll wait here with you, man. The last thing you need right now is to be on your own.” Magnus softly says, placing a hand on Percy’s shoulder, which gets a grateful smile out of Percy. 

“Thanks Magnus, I… I really appreciate it.” 

20 minutes later Alex arrives back, looking a little more hopeful and optimistic. He sits down next to Percy and puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“I talked to Annabeth’s L&D nurse, who put me in contact with the baby’s NICU nurse, she couldn’t tell me anything much because of patient confidentiality and I’m not the baby’s guardian or parent. But she did let me know that he’s in the NICU and he’s stable. You can go see him if you want.” Alex quietly explains, sending up a quick prayer of thanks to Eir, the Norse Goddess of medicine, healing, nurses, etc. for the baby’s stability and the fact he has a wonderful nurse looking after him. 

Percy is about to reply, when a nurse stops just in front of them. “Hello, sorry to interrupt. You’re Mr. Jackson-Chase?” the nurse kindly asks, looking at Percy, who simply nods. “Your wife is out of theatre now. They stopped the bleeding and got her stable and steady. She’s in recovery now, she’s not awake just yet, from the anaesthetic they gave her after the haemorrhaging, but it shouldn’t be long before she is awake. Would you like to come see her?” 

All 3 men slump in relief, with Alex feeling like his legs might buckle as all the stress and fear floods out of his system. 

“Yes! Yes please, I need to see her, but….” Percy trails off, looking down the corridor that leads to the NICU. He feels like his heart is being pulled in two different directions. He wants to be with and see Annabeth, and he also wants to be with and see the baby. 

“Percy, what if we sit with Annabeth for a bit and you go meet your son? Then when you come back Annabeth will probably be awake, and you can tell her about your baby boy.” Alex quietly suggests, unable to imagine the anguish Percy is feeling right now. He reminds himself to thank Frigg for helping him get Robin here earthside safely and healthily even though she was 4 weeks early.

“I-is that okay?” Percy hopefully asks, looking at the nurse. 

“Are either of you related to Annabeth?” The nurse questions Magnus and Alex. 

“I’m her cousin.” Magnus eagerly volunteers. 

“And I’m one of her best friends, and her cousin-in-law, if that’s a thing.” Alex states, bending the truth just a little bit, since he and Magnus aren’t married in any way. Not officially, but they might as well be. 

After stopping Samirah from being forced into marrying Thrym, then stopping Ragnarök together, followed by an unplanned miraculous pregnancy and once again facing Loki together, and of course the last 4 years of raising Robin, there can be no doubting or questioning how committed they are to each other. They don’t need to stand in front of their friends and family and exchange vows, for their bond to be as strong and unbreakable as it is. 

“Alright then, yes you can sit with her.” 

So while Percy goes off to the NICU to meet his son for the first time, and take lots of photos and videos for Annabeth for when she wakes up, Magnus and Alex go and keep  vigil by her bedside. 

Probably about 30 minutes after Magnus and Alex’s arrival to Annabeth’s bedside, the daughter of Athena begins to stir and open her eyes. 

“Hey sleepy head.” Magnus softly teases, leaning over to stroke Annabeth’s hair back from her face. 

“Where’s my baby?” Annabeth immediately asks, looking all around the room and not even seeing the little plastic cot that should be there for the baby. 

“He’s in the NICU, Percy is with him.” Alex gently explains, his tone perfectly soft and quiet. 

“Is he ok? My baby?” Annabeth frantically asks, panic glinting in her eyes as she pushes herself into a sitting position, wincing as her hospital gown rubs against her C-section scar. 

“He’s stable, that’s all they would tell me because I’m not his parent or guardian.” Alex calmly explains. “If you want I can go see if I can find the nurse I spoke to earlier, and she can tell you the details?” 

Before Annabeth can reply, Percy walks back into the room. His green surgical gown gone, a new blue paper mask hanging off his right ear. He looks a lot less stressed and scared thankfully. Still pale but not like a zombie as he had earlier. 

When he sees Annabeth is awake, his eyes light up and he hurries to her side. 

“Hey.” Percy softly says, taking Annabeth’s hand in his and kissing it. “How are you? How do you feel?” 

“I’m fine, what about the baby? Is he ok?” Annabeth quickly brushes off Percy’s concerns for her, only wanting to hear about her baby right now. 

A smile lights up Percy’s face and he nods. 

“He’s perfect Annabeth, he’s really little, 3 pounds 2 ounces. He’s gonna need tube feeding, and a little bit of support breathing. But for a 30 week preemie he’s really good. And he’s in the perfect place to get all the help he needs.” he tells her in a joyful tone, flooding the room with relief. 

“I want to see him, I want to hold him.” Annabeth insists. To no longer be pregnant but still be without her baby in her arms feels so wrong on so many levels. 

“Of course, can you walk or do you need a wheelchair?” Percy asks, unsure of when the spinal anaesthesia Annabeth got right before the C-section, will have worn off yet.

“Wheelchair, my legs are still a bit numb.” Annabeth states. 

So about 20 minutes later the Jackson-Chases head down to the NICU, Percy pushing Annabeth in a standard hospital wheelchair. 

Understandably, Magnus and Alex are not able to accompany them down to the NICU, but they are able to get permission for Percy to facetime them from the NICU so they can see the baby and meet him. 

When Alex’s phone rings 20 minutes after Annabeth and Percy left for the NICU, he quickly answers it and the screen is soon filled with an image of Annabeth sitting in the wheelchair, which is parked next to an incubator, a small plastic crib encased by a square lid, and a couple of hand holes in either side.

On Annabeth’s chest, just inside her hospital gown, lays the smallest baby Magnus and Alex have ever seen. He looks to be about the size of a bag of sugar. 

The baby has a few tufts of blonde hair and is wearing only a diaper, as well as a tube going into his little nose and a couple of wires stuck onto his chest. 

Annabeth has her gaze focused on her son, and despite the situation, she looks happier than Magnus has ever seen her, with a soft smile on her face that radiates pure love. 

“Oh Annabeth…. Percy…. He’s so perfect.” Magnus softly says, filled with a rush of warmth and love for his nephew, feeling so very lucky to not only be this little guy’s Uncle, but also Layla’s Uncle, and Robin’s dad. The next generation of heroes have officially arrived, and Magnus just knows these 3 kiddos are gonna do some of the most amazing things the universe has ever seen. 

Percy leans into frame and grins while giving them a thumbs up, looking at Annabeth and their son with pride and love. 

“Have you decided on his name?” Alex hopefully asks, curious to know the newest family member’s name. 

Annabeth smiles and nods, as she gently strokes her son’s cheek. 

“This is Luke, Luke Chiron Jackson-Chase.” 

Magnus and Alex notice the unshed tears in both Alex and Percy’s eyes, as Annabeth proudly announces the name of their son, named after their fallen friend and their mentor.

“For Luke Castellan, our friend who ultimately saved Olympus after being used and manipulated by Kronos. Luke Castellan gave his life to save Olympus. He was the biggest hero of the Titan War. And for Chiron, the coolest teacher we’ve ever had, and who has loved us, cared for us and guided us since Annabeth was 7 and since I was 12.” Percy tearfully explains, thinking of two of the most brave and honourable men he has ever known. Luke was just a kid with a piling heap of trauma, which Kronos used to manipulate Luke and turn him into nothing more than a vessel for him. 

And of course, Chiron has dedicated his life to training heroes, loving them and guiding them, always believing in them and their potential. 

There were so many names to consider for this little boy. They had known from the start that his first name would be Luke, but picking a middle name proved more tricky. They could have gone with Frederick, for Annabeth’s dad. Maybe Charles, for Charlie Beckendorf. Or Paul, for Percy’s amazing stepdad. Jason was a big contender, for Jason Grace of course. But Jason’s death feels far too recent and raw for Annabeth and Percy to feel comfortable giving their son the same name as their fallen friend. 

So, in the end they decided on Chiron, a good strong name for their son, and a lovely way to honour their teacher.

“Oh that’s absolutely beautiful, and suits him perfectly. Hi Luke, it’s nice to meet you, I’m your Uncle Alex.” Alex softly coos to the phone, now more than ever longing to hold Robin close and never let her go again. 

“You did a great job cuz, he’s adorable.” Magnus quietly adds, leaning his head against Alex’s. 

“Yeah he is, our miracle, our work of art.” Annabeth softly says, sharing a soft smile with Percy at their little inside joke. They have known all along that their son’s name would be Luke, but they also wanted a cute nickname for him that’s not a derivative of his name, like how Robin’s nickname is ‘Little Bird.’ In the end, they realised they could call him their work of art, as a nod to how he was conceived. A.R.T. Assistive. Reproductive. Technology. 

A few hours later, once they’re sure that Annabeth is recovering as she should be from her C-section and haemorrhage, and that baby Luke is stable and steady, Magnus and Alex head back to Boston to pick Robin up from Hearth and Blitz, and get back into their familial routine, for both Robin’s sake and their own. 

Soon Alex has Robin in her arms, the little girl excitedly telling her all about everything she got up to with Hearth and Blitz, and eager to hear about her new baby cousin. 

“So how are Annabeth and the baby? Everything ok? As it can be?” Blitz asks Magnus, while Alex is preoccupied with Robin, extremely happy to have her baby girl close again. 

“Yeah, Annabeth’s a trooper as always. And little man is pretty good too, stable and steady, he needs a little bit of help breathing and is tube fed at the moment because he’s so little, but other than that he’s doing great for a 30 week preemie.” Magnus sums up the events of the last few days, fending off a yawn, looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight as opposed to an armchair. Even if he does wake up to Robin’s feet in his face. 

Going back to hospital tomorrow? Hearth asks, imagining Magnus and Alex will both want to be there in person to support Annabeth and Percy, though not 24/7, understandably. 

“No, not tomorrow we want to have a day of normalcy for Robin, but we’ll facetime Percy and Annabeth and they can call us if they need anything at all. Alex and I are thinking of going to visit every other day, at least for now. Sally and Paul are handling everything at the house, so we can bring them food and stuff, do some shopping for them, that kind of thing. We’ll probably only stay a few hours, it wasn’t easy being away from Robin for that long, the longest we’ve ever left her.” Magnus explains. 

We can watch Robin again, if you need us to. Hearth offers, figuring it will be a while before Robin gets to meet her baby cousin in person. 

“Yeah, anytime you need us to watch her you just have to ask, we love hanging out with her.” Blitz agrees, grinning at Robin who is now telling Alex all about how she helped Blitz re-organise and re-categorize everything in the store. She and Hearth made a great team for reaching high up spaces. With Robin on Hearth’s shoulders, they were able to save Blitz the hassle of looking out the back for his step ladder. 

“You guys are seriously the best, thank you. I love you.” Magnus sighs with relief, glad they don't need to worry about bringing Robin to Manhattan with them, not wanting to keep her cooped up in a hospital waiting room all day, since the NICU doesn’t allow visitors under the age of 16.

“What else are Uncles for?” Blitz grins. 

Buying her candy, letting her stay up late, letting her watch scary movies. Hearth lists off just some of the things he personally feels responsible for as Robin’s Uncle. Who else is gonna let her have pizza for breakfast? 

Magnus’ eyes go wide at what Hearth just said. With Hearth having such a dry sense of humour, and being impossible to read by the look on his face, Magnus can never tell if his friend is being sarcastic or not. 

“Hearth please tell me you didn’t let my 4 year old watch The Exorcist!” Magnus pleads. 

Course not. Hearth replies, which makes Magnus sigh in relief. I let her watch The Shining.  

“Hearth!” Magnus exclaims in horror, which just makes Hearth crack a rare smile and laugh.

Kidding, not that bad. Hearth tells him. You are too easy to mess with.  

“Yeah come on kid we’re not that bad, jeeze.” Blitz lightly laughs. 

“One of the first things Hearth taught me was a curse word!” Magnus defends himself, remembering and appreciating how Hearth distracted him from his grief and trauma just for 5 minutes that day. 

You were 14, not 4. And curse word not the same as horror movie. Hearth points out. He doesn’t even like horror movies that much, he hates getting jump scared. He prefers a horror book . 

“Yeah yeah, so you guys been to see Sam, Amir and Layla?” Magnus asks, not wanting to admit he was wrong. 

“Yeah we went yesterday, it’s like Sam cloned herself, with how much Layla looks like her.” Blitz jokes. 

Hearth nods in agreement. She is all al-Abbas.  

Magnus grins as he thinks of Layla and how she really does look just like Sam, especially compared to the baby photos of Sam, that Jid and Bibi insisted on showing Magnus and Alex at Sam and Amir’s wedding. 

“Robin sure does love her cousin, she’s so sweet and gentle with her. Layla’s a lucky kiddo to have Robin looking out for her and loving her.” Blitz adds, smiling softly at the memory of Robin standing on her tiptoes to see Layla in her bassinet, and ever so carefully and gently giving her a kiss on the forehead. 

Magnus grins as he looks over to Robin and Alex, their foreheads leant together, both of them laughing at something and looking very happy to be reunited. 

“Yeah, yeah she really is.” 

That night and the next day, the Fierro-Chase’s take it pretty easy, sleeping in and going to bed early. Watching movies and TV shows, reading to Robin, cloud and stargazing out in the atrium. Alex even begins to teach and show Robin the very basics of pottery, which she has shown more and more of an interest in as she’s grown up. 

With Robin not being able to meet her baby cousin in person, and very much missing her Aunt Annabeth and Uncle Percy, the two families make great use of facetime as well as videos and photos of baby Luke. Thankfully Robin understands why she can’t meet Luke in person yet, why she can’t visit him in the NICU, and is very happy to see him over facetime. 

On the second day after Luke’s birth, Magnus is sitting in the atrium nap trapped by Robin (though of course he doesn't mind) when his phone begins to ring, with Annabeth’s name flashing up on screen. 

“Hey cuz.” Magnus cheerfully answers. “How’s it going? How’s my favorite nephew?” 

“He’s… he’s good, but um… we just spoke to the audiologist who did Luke’s hearing test…. He wants Luke to see a specialist and get a special more complex hearing test done.” Annabeth replies, sounding a bit shocked and like she hasn’t fully processed this news. 

“Oh… is that a bad thing?” Magnus asks. When Robin was born Frigg was able to take one look at her and knew she was healthy and well. Magnus has no idea how, but he’s grateful that they didn’t have to try and take her to a mortal doctor, trying to skate around the fact that Robin doesn’t have a birth certificate or a social security number or anything. The most she has is an adorable little honorary Einherji certificate, that Sam made up in photoshop, as a keepsake for Magnus and Alex.

“No not necessarily, it's just… they think Luke might be deaf.” 

Chapter Text

"They think or they know?" Magnus asks. He's not sure how the whole hearing test and other new born tests work back in Midgard… or anywhere else for that matter.

"Well they're pretty sure." Annabeth replies with a tired sigh. "He's showing a lot of the red flags for hearing loss, and failed the standard hearing test about 3 times. They need to do a more complex in depth hearing test to find out for sure, and to get an idea of the level of his hearing loss.

But the audiologist here in the hospital won't diagnose him, we have to see the specialist for that. More waiting."

Annabeth runs a hand across her face as she explains all this to Magnus. She hates being in this limbo, this waiting period where nothing is definitive and things are all up in the air.

"Oh… how do you feel about that?" Magnus cautiously asks, a little afraid that Annabeth will be devastated and upset at having a disabled child. Of course, he knows his cousin isn't like that at all, but with his only other reference for parents of disabled kids being Mr. Alderman, Magnus can't help but feel cautious and worried.

"Well I'm frustrated about having to wait around to find out for sure, I don't understand why the audiologist cant' diagnose Luke, but mostly I'm worried." Annabeth admits.

"About?" Magnus presses.

"Luke, about him growing up in a world that's not exactly accessible or welcoming to disabled people.

At home Percy and I can and will make life as accessible as possible for Luke. We both already know a lot of ASL, and of course we're gonna keep learning. Sally and Paul know ASL too. My dad has already started looking for classes that teach ASL, and our friends at Camp are pretty good at ASL too.

But life outside our family and our home… like I said, I know it's not the most welcoming and accessible for disabled people.

Not to mention school, I can't help but worry that in a classroom full of other kids, he won't get the accommodation he needs.

And what about when he wants to go to the movie theatre but the movie he wants to see, doesn't have subtitles and/or ASL interpretation?

And it could affect his job prospects too, it shouldn't but it might, employers can be real assholes about disabilities."

As Annabeth rambles about her worries and concerns, Magnus can't help but smile to himself.

What was he thinking, being worried that Annabeth would be upset about having a deaf child? She's nothing like Alderman. Annabeth's biggest concern isn't about appearances or having the perfect family. Her biggest concern is Luke's safety and happiness, and well being.

"Annabeth I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself." Magnus gently tells her. "He's not even a week old. You have plenty of time to figure out the best support for him when he goes to school, and he won't be going to the movie theatre and really understanding what's going on for at least another 2 or 3, maybe even 4 years.

By that time it might be the new standard and norm to have ASL interpretation and subtitles in all movies, and Luke won't have to worry about it, it'll just be a given normal thing for him.

And the job thing? Cuz, like I said, he's 4 days old. The last thing you need to worry about right now is his future career.

Look, it's completely normal and natural to be freaking out and worried right now. We all just want the best for our kids, but sometimes we just can't control these things.

Trust me, I know first hand. I still feel like loosing my mind with worry about Robin and her fate.

But I have to believe that the future is bright for these kids, for Robin and Layla and now Luke. Otherwise I'll drive myself insane with worry."

Magnus had felt angry and frustrated with society for years before he became a dad. He was (and still is) angry for all the people who society fails. Homeless folks, people in poverty or right on the verge of it, disabled people, the queer community, the trans community, People of Color, immigrants, etc. But that anger and frustration intensified beyond words when he became a dad, he never wants Robin to face any of the difficulties and hardships in life that he or any of his friends and family did. 

"Society's a mess, I'm scared of how much messier it will be when Luke grows up." Annabeth sniffs, wiping at her tears and feeling like screaming at how scary and unsafe the world can be these days.

"I know, me too." Magnus empathises. "But sometimes, Annabeth, there's only so much we can do to make the world a better, safer and brighter place. I wish I could snap my fingers and rid the world of racism, homophobia, ableism, transphobia and so much more. Hell, I'd dismantle Capitalism with my bare hands by myself if I could.

But I can't, I can't make other people see sense, have empathy and be decent human beings.

So I need to focus on what I can do. I can love and support Alex, respect his pronouns, help him dye his hair, correct people who don't use his correct pronouns or accidentally mess up, that kind of stuff.

I can teach Robin to view everyone as equal, to never ever use slurs, let her know why they're wrong and so harmful.

I can help her learn ASL so she can communicate with Hearth and now Luke.

I teach her to respect other peoples beliefs and cultures, especially those that are different from our own.

And hey, who knows what the world could be like in 16 or so years, huh? Maybe we will all be holding hands and singing John Lennon's 'Imagine'."

Annabeth is suddenly struck with an image of Magnus using the peace of Frey to stop a bloody battle, while Jack hovers by his side singing Imagine or Zombie by The Cranberries.

The image makes her crack up laughing, and briefly distracts her from her worries and concerns.

"I don't know if the mental image I just got is hilarious or disturbing." Annabeth laughs, before telling Magnus about what image her mind just conjured up.

Magnus snorts. "Nah Jack's style is more 'One Day More' from Les Mis, he and Robin play this game where she uses a bunch of pillows, cushions, blankets and boxes to build a little make shift barricade, while Jack sings Les Mis."

That mental image just makes Annabeth laugh even harder. Of course Robin is the kind of kid who is best friends with a talking sentient sword, and of course she doesn't build forts or something innocent like that, instead she builds barricades.

"Sounds about right for a kid being raised in Warrior's Paradise." Annabeth lightly laughs.

"Yeah good point." Magnus agrees. "But I mean it cuz, it's OK to be scared and worried for your kid, that's the most normal thing in the world. Just try not to let that fear and worry overwhelm you and take over your every waking moment, ok?"

Annabeth sniffs and nods, wiping at her tears.

"Yeah, thanks Magnus, for calming me down."

"Hey it's what cousins are for, besides you've helped me calm down plenty of times in the past. Remember when Robin was a baby and I freaked. out. because she slept for 5 minutes longer than usual and I was really convinced something was wrong?" Magnus prompts, laughing at himself and how he really was the stereotypical terrified nervous new dad.

For the first 6 or 7 months of her life, Magnus had been on high alert to every little noise and movement Robin made, and if anything changed even in the slightest, he would start to panic.

There had been a point when she was about 4 months old, where he compulsively would check Robin every few minutes when she was asleep, to make sure she was still breathing. There had been times where he sat and watched her little chest move up and down, for hours at a time, terrified that if he left her side something awful would happen.

In the end that anxiety and compulsion became so intense, he had to start talking to a therapist (not the same one Otis goes to, thankfully) and had to find something to do to distract himself while Robin napped, so he wouldn't' give in to the compulsion.

"How could I forget?" Annabeth grins, before her worries and anxieties come flooding back in and wash away her good mood. It was nice while it lasted.

"I just want the best for Lukey." Annabeth sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose as she feels a stress headache coming on.

"Lukey?" Magnus asks in an amused tone. He didn't have Annabeth down as the type to give her kid a cutesy nickname like Lukey. Especially given the fact that she hates any cutesy nicknames of her own, like Annie.

"Hey don't judge me!" Annabeth laughs. "Besides, you're one to talk, Maggie. Also it doesn't get much more cutesy than Ro-Ro or Robsy."

Magnus flushes a bit, still embarrassed by his childhood nickname that he really only lets Alex call him now. He may still look 16 but he is almost 21 now, the childhood nicknames are starting to get really embarrassing.

"Only you and Alex still call me Maggie, and I wish you wouldn't. And as for Robin's nicknames, Alex is the one who started calling her Robsy, I came up with Ro-Ro." Magnus clarifies.

While Alex was pregnant they had both been certain they wouldn't use any nicknames for their daughter. Neither of them could imagine her with any sort of nickname, and thought for certain that she would always go by her full name, Robin. Or Robin Natalie, when she's in trouble.

But the moment Robin was born and Magnus laid eyes on her, he knew she was the kind of person who really suited nicknames. And so the nicknames began, and now at 4 years old, Robin has a plethora of nicknames. Including but not limited to Ro, Ro-Ro, Robsy, Bird, Little Bird, Little Warrior, and more.

"Percy's been calling him 'Luke-ster'. The Luke-ster, to be exact." Annabeth replies in an amused tone, her spirits lifting once more as she looks over to Percy sitting in an armchair with his shirt off, and Luke laying on his chest, with a blanket draped across his back to keep him warm.

These are the moments she daydreamed about in Tartarus, the mental image of Percy and their baby is one of the only things that gave her the strength to persevere and keep going through literal hell.

And again when she and Percy were going through infertility and IVF, deep in the trenches of injectable hormones, ultrasounds every other day, blood draws, waiting nervously for phone calls from the lab. Learning all the lingo and practically becoming experts on embryos and embryo development.

Not to mention the monotonous tedious task of tracking ovulation and fertile windows, trawling through online forums for recommendations on the best ovulation tests to use and the best pregnancy tests to use.

The piles of negative pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test, the tears of frustration and pain and fear.

And so much more.

Through all that, what helped Annabeth push through and keep going, was the knowledge and belief that one day she and Percy would have their baby, and she would get to see Percy become a dad, get to see him cuddle with their baby and do skin to skin with their kid. And so, so much more.

They aren't quiet out of the woods yet, with Luke still being very fragile and in need of a lot of help. But, finally…. Annabeth can see the light.

"Lukey The Luke-ster huh?" Magnus lightly teases, which makes Annabeth laugh lightly.

"Yeah, Leo's been calling him all sorts of bizarre nicknames too. Right now his favorite seems to be The Luke-inator." She tells Magnus. Annabeth, Percy and Luke have received a few visitors from both Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter over the last few days, and they are both pleasantly surprised at how eager and excited Leo is to be Luke's cool and fun Uncle. He's already teaching the little man everything there is to know about mechanics and engineering.

"I'm glad you have a lot of other people to love and support you, Luke is a lucky little boy to have two of the best parents out there, and quiet literarily an entire cohort of Aunts and Uncles." Magnus softly comments, now feeling a little less guilty for not being there at the hospital everyday.

"Yeah he is." Annabeth grins. "My Lucky Lukey."

A few days later, Luke's diagnosis of hearing loss is confirmed by the hearing specialist, after running a few more extensive tests on Luke.

They don't yet know why Luke was born deaf, it could be related to his premature birth, or it could be a genetic cause or even an autoimmune cause, like Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease, where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the inner ear.

More tests will need to be done to see if they can find the exact cause for Luke's hearing loss, and right now he is on a waiting list to see both a geneticist and an immunologist to investigate an autoimmune and/or genetic cause for the hearing loss.

In the meantime, Percy and Annabeth decide to focus on continuing to learn ASL and getting Luke home from the NICU, since they can't do anything to speed up the waiting list.

The day Luke is diagnosed is a stressful one for the new parents, it's hard to process and understand all this information and keep track of all the specialists Luke is now seeing, as well as keeping their friends and family informed and up to date.

So when Annabeth receives a text around 1PM from Blitzen, telling her that he and Hearth are in the area and have some things for the 3 of them that they can drop at the hospital if they want, it comes as a very welcome distraction and she and Percy invite them both to come and meet Luke, and hang out with them for a bit.

Thankfully the NICU allows a max of 2 visitors, not including baby' parents, so Hearth and Blitz are able to come into the NICU and Percy and Annabeth don't have to leave Luke to go sit in the cafeteria or something, to talk to their friends.

When Hearth and Blitz make their way into the NICU, Blitz immediately greets Annabeth with a warm hug, which is exactly what she needs right now.

"Hey kids, how's it going?" Blitz warmly and softly greets. Despite there being even less of an age gap between him and Annabeth and Percy than there is between him and Magnus, (2 years, with Percy and Annabeth being 22 and Blitz being 24, going on 25.) Blitz still feels inclined to call them 'Kids', probably because of his whole reputation as the mom-friend of the group.

"Could be better and could be worse." Annabeth tries for a bright and light tone, but her words come out airy and tight as her throat tightens with tears.

"Aw kid, it's OK. Cry if you want to, don't bottle it up." Blitz sympathetically encourages, rubbing Annabeth's back soothingly and exchanging a concerned look with Percy, who also looks to be on the verge of tears.

You are going through really scary time right now, if I was you I would not stop crying. Hearth signs, crouching in front of Annabeth who has now sunk into the chair behind her, overcome and overwhelmed with emotions.

"I just feel so overwhelmed, there's so much to do and keep on top of. I'm trying to remember how many diapers he's gone through in a day, how long until we can hold him again, what specialist doctor comes round at what time, what waiting lists he's on, and so much more." Annabeth sighs in frustration, running her hands down her face and praying to her mom for the strength to keep pushing through this horrible time.

"We saw the specialist audiologist today who confirmed Luke is deaf, so we're trying to find good resources for us to keep learning ASL. Luke was also referred to a geneticist and an immunologist to look into why he's deaf, so that's even more stuff to keep on top of." Percy explains, as he lays a gentle and loving hand on Annabeth's back.

I know people who teach ASL, can give you their number and details if you want. Hearth offers. He doesn't have many friends outside his found family, but he does have a few and they just so happen to also be deaf and offer ASL lessons, especially for parents of deaf children. In Hearth's opinion, the best way to learn ASL is to learn from someone who uses it as their primary source of communication, like him.

"Really? You would do that for us?" Annabeth hopefully asks. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's one thing off her plate, and any help at all right now is massively helpful.

Hearth nods.

Of course, simple way to help, happy to. He replies.

"Thank you so much." Annabeth sighs with relief, relaxing a little bit. At least now she won't have to go searching for local ASL lessons or someone who teaches ASL online or anything. Hopefully it should be simple enough to get in touch with Hearth's friend and get linked in with them.

Like I said, happy to help.

"Hey, I heard you needed some preemie clothes, you think these'll do the trick?" Blitz changes the subject, reaching into the bag at his side and pulling out a stack of baby clothes, all the smallest pieces of clothing Annabeth and Percy have ever seen.

"Oh my Gods, Blitz you made these?" Annabeth softly asks, looking at her friend with watery eyes, though this time she's on the verge of tears because of joy, not sadness or frustration. This is such a lovely and kind gesture of love and care, it means the world to her that Luke has someone who loves him enough to make him clothes. Annabeth wishes she had that kind of love and support growing up.

"I did, I went with some slightly bigger measurements so he can grow into the clothes and they'll last him longer, but they won't be ridiculously big on him or anything." Blitz explains, passing the stack of clothes to Annabeth.

Among the pile of clothes, Annabeth spots a familiar shade of orange and a familiar shade of purple.

She quickly grabs them out from the pile and unfolds them to find exactly what she was expecting. One tiny little orange romper with the Camp Half Blood name and symbol printed on in black, and an equally tiny purple romper, with the Camp Jupiter symbol and name printed on it in a gold color, just like the regular t-shirts from both camps.

"I figured the ones I made in standard new born size for your pregnancy announcement won't fit the little guy for a while, so I thought you might like to have ones that do fit him now." Blitz explains his reasoning for re-making the camp t-shirts.

"I love them!" Annabeth joyfully exclaims, holding the little Camp Half blood romper out in front of her and grinning in delight.

"They're so cute." Percy agrees. "We'll definitely have to put them on him when the gang comes to meet him, from both camps."

"I'm glad you like 'em." Blitz grins, proud of his handiwork. Maybe he should ask Percy or Annabeth to put him in touch with that Chiron guy from Camp and see if they need a new vendor for their camp t-shirts. He could even spruce up the design they have now, Gods knows how long their current design has been in use.

Blitz wants to be fashion consultant and designer for Camp Half Blood. Hearth signs with a small smile. He and Blitz have talked about Blitz's dreams and hopes to expand Blitzen's Best and to bring his designs to all sorts of different places. Hearth is very proud of his husband, and never misses an opportunity to hype him up.

"I think that's a great idea." Percy grins. "Piper says the Aphrodite kids are on the verge of going on strike if they don't start offering more fashionable armour. They'd go nuts for your chain mail vests and cravats."

Blitz grins proudly and straightens out his blazer. If old Etri Junior could see him now… well actually he'd probably still consider him a laughing stock and a failure. But almost 5 years on from his last encounter with the old bully and Blitz has much more confidence in himself and cares much less about what others say or think about him.

"Ah you flatter me kid, so how's the little guy? Any sign of him going home soon?" Blitz asks, changing the subject as he remembers the main reason he and Hearth are there is not to talk about Blitz's fashion, but to support Percy and Annabeth and meet the baby.

"He's doing good for being born so early, he still needs assistance breathing and is still tube fed but he doesn't need any surgery or anything, thank the Gods." Annabeth tells them, looking longingly at Luke sleeping peacefully in his incubator just a few feet away. How she wishes she could just scoop him up and hold him close.

"I think he recognizes who we are though, he always seems to get excited and wriggle around when he sees me or Annabeth." Percy proudly adds. Seeing his son in the NICU is horrible, but when Luke's eyes go wide and he starts to wriggle around in delight anytime he sees his parents, it makes all a little bit easier.

"He's a smart boy, knows he's got two of the best parents a kid could ask for." Blitz grins.

I think he looks a bit like Robin. Hearth signs. It's a little hard to see most of Luke's face as he's got tubes and wires all around him, but whenever Hearth does catch a clear glimpse, he can see that Luke has the same eye shape as Robin as well as the same nose and mouth.

"Lucky boy." Annabeth softly says, slipping her hand into the incubator to stroke her son's sandy blonde hair.

The next few weeks all seem to blur together, everything is hazy for Annabeth and Percy who are both running on very little sleep, and constantly worried about Luke.

Each day is basically the same for the first 4 weeks or so. Like most new parents their days are filled with diaper changes, learning how to do tube feeds, and taking any and every opportunity they can get to bond with their son.

Without the endless love and support of their friends and family, things would be much harder for the two young parents. They have a vast amount of pre cooked frozen home made meals waiting for them at home, that they can either have at home the odd time they aren't in the NICU with Luke, are they can bring the meals with them to the hospital and heat them up in the microwave.

Sally and Paul insist on going over to Annabeth and Percy's during the day to keep the house clean, neat and tidy and ready for Luke to come home, when that day does eventually arrive.

They collect Annabeth and Percy's mail and bring it to them at the hospital, do most of theirs and Luke's laundry and so much more.

They're never short on visitors either, everyone is eager to support their family and to bond with Luke in whatever way they can.

Grover often sits beside Luke's incubator and reads him kids books about the importance of protecting the environment. Leo tells the little guy all there is to know about engineering and mechanics. Piper tells him stories that her Grandpa Tom had told her throughout her childhood. Frank tells him the stories and legends of the Zhang family. Hazel tells him all about her second chance at life (in a child friendly way of course) and everything their little group of 7 have been through together.

Thalia tells him stories about his late Uncle Jason, who even though he's not here to meet him in person, no doubt loves him very much.

Will is always praising and encouraging Luke for how strong he is and what a little fighter he is, and even Nico has started talking about mythomagic again, promising to teach Luke all about it when he's old enough.

6 weeks after Luke's birth, Magnus almost misses his daily phone call from Annabeth. Today Sam has brought Layla to Valhalla to visit for the first time, with prior permission from Odin, of course.

When his phone begins to ring, Magnus doesn't even realize it at first. He's too busy watching Jack attempting to soothe a fussy and cranky Layla by calling her 'señorita' and telling her about everything he and the others have gotten up to over the years. His story about the time Magnus and Hearth robbed Andvari in Alfheim, seems to only further upset Layla.

Magnus can't blame her, he'd cry too if Jack kept describing the horrific state of the old Dwarf's feet, while he was trying to sleep.

By the time Magnus does realize his phone is ringing, he barely has time to answer it before it goes to voicemail. The last thing he wants to do if send Annabeth's call to voicemail or make her think he's not thinking about her.

"Hey cuz." Magnus answers. "How's my favorite Greek demigod family today?" Magnus feels pretty proud of himself when Annabeth laughs brightly, sounding truly happy for the first time since Luke's premature birth.

"Really good actually. We just got some amazing news." Annabeth tells him in an excited tone, feeling like she could just burst with excitement and pride. It's not exactly the news they were hoping for, but it's certainly not bad news either.

"What is it?" Magnus eagerly asks, wondering if Annabeth is about to tell him Luke is being discharged from hospital and will be home very soon. Gods he hopes so.

"Luke's graduating from the NICU! He's moving down a level to the Special Baby Care Unit. It's like a step down from NICU, he still needs close monitoring and specialist care but not as intensely as he did the last 6 weeks." Annabeth gleefully explains.

"Oh my gods! Annabeth that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Magnus enthuses, stepping out of the floor 19 lounge so he can hear Annabeth better, without Jack's high pitched baby talk voice and Layla's cries and grumblings.

"It's such a relief! Oh and guess what else!" Annabeth continues excitedly.

"What?"

"Luke is officially done with the feeding tube! They took it out yesterday morning to see how he'd do without it, and he's thriving Magnus! He takes a bottle now no problem, and he doesn't need any more help with his breathing! He's been without the oxygen tube for about 48 hours now and his levels have stayed in the high 90s!" Annabeth gushes with glee and pride, so proud of her son for how strong he's been and how hard he's fighting. It's been a long 4 weeks, but at last things are starting to look up.

"That's the best news I've heard all week, I'm so happy for you three! So what happens now? Will it be long before Luke gets to come home?" Magnus asks, leaning against a wall in a quiet alcove of the corridor.

"The doctors say it shouldn't be too long, he still needs monitoring and care for a while, he's still struggling a little to maintain his own body temperature and he's still a little underweight. He's also still a little jaundiced so he needs to stay in for treatment for that but hopefully in the next few weeks he'll be home." Annabeth's tone is full of relief, Magnus can tell just from her voice how much stress has been taken off her and how much more hopeful she is.

"Annabeth that's fantastic, Luke really is a little trooper, like you and Percy." Magnus softly says. So often on these phone calls he wishes he was with Annabeth in person so he could hug her tightly and console and comfort her. However this time he wishes he could be there in person to celebrate with her and share in her joy in person. It's nice to have something to celebrate for a change.

"Yeah he really is." Annabeth agrees. "With him moving to the Special Baby Care Unit, it means he can have a visitor who's not 18 or over, he'll be in his own little room on the ward so as long as everyone follows health and safety protocols… well if she'd like and if you and Alex are okay with it, Robin could finally come meet Luke in person."

This immediately has Magnus' attention, and makes him stand up straight, his eyes going wide in excitement.

"Really? Annabeth she would love that!" Magnus laughs. "She's been so excited to meet him in person, to give him the cards she's made him and show him her favorite books and stuff."

These last 6 weeks haven't just been hard on the adults in the family, it's been tough for Robin too. At only 4 she doesn't fully understand the complexities of the situation, and has been open and honest about the fact that she's been feeling sad that she can't meet her baby cousin in person yet.

It's also been difficult for her with Magnus and Alex frequently spending most of their days in Manhattan, with Percy, Annabeth and Luke. Robin loves spending time with Hearth and Blitz and getting to stay with them overnight, and she really enjoys getting to spend so much time with Layla too, but she does miss her parents when they're away and has understandably had a few meltdowns because of the stress of it all.

So undoubtedly getting to meet Luke in person at last, and getting to go with Magnus and Alex to Manhattan like she always wants to, will make things feel a lot easier for Robin and things can start to get back to normal for their family. As normal as life can be for the child of two Einherji.

"Great! We'd love to see her too, and Luke is of course excited to meet her, his legendary big cousin." Annabeth grins, her heart lifting at the mental image of Robin and Luke playing together and forming a close bond and friendship together. She hopes Robin and Luke can be as close as she and Magnus are.

"So is there any particular day or time that suits you for us to come visit?" Magnus asks, not wanting to just invite himself to come visit when it works for him and his family.

"Anytime suits us really, how about you and Alex and Robin come tomorrow around your usual time?" Annabeth suggests, seeing in no point in changing their routine when it's working so well as it is.

"Sounds good." Magnus agrees. "Watch out worlds, The Chase Cousins Gen 2 are about to blow your socks off!"

After Magnus and Alex get the invite to visit from Percy and Annabeth, they decide to sit down with Robin before they go, and explain the situation to her. She knows Luke is sick and needs special care at the hospital, and that visitors weren’t allowed for a while, so Luke could rest as much as possible and focus on getting better. Understandably she doesn’t entirely know how to behave in a hospital, given her only experience with hospitals is when she met Layla after she was born.

So early one afternoon in Valhalla, Magnus and Alex make their way into the living room area of their hotel suite, where Robin is sitting on the floor surrounded by her toys and flicking through a picture book in her lap.

They walk over to their daughter, and sit down on the floor beside her. 

“Hi baby girl!” Alex brightly greets. “What are you up to?”

“Pictures!” Robin exclaims, which is when Alex and Magnus realise that what she’s looking at isn’t a picture book, but a picture album. Specifically of the last 4 years, a keepsake that Magnus and Alex started when Robin was born, for her to be able to look back on her life, big moments and small ones, celebrations as well as simple candid photos. Things like Magnus doing skin to skin with 2 day old Robin. Amir officially proposing to Samirah. Robin helping Percy propose to Annabeth, by roping Annabeth into a sandcastle building contest with her and Percy. 

When Annabeth won, Percy presented her with her prize- an engagement ring. Robin had only been 2 and a half, but she loved being involved and was very excited to be given such a big job.

“When baby Luke comes home from hospital we could take this to visit him and Aunty Annabeth and Uncle Percy, would you like that?” Magnus offers, figuring it will be a great way for Robin to bond with her cousin. 

“Yeah!” Robin excitedly exclaims. “When he come home? I want to meet him!” She then adds, clearly growing a little impatient and agitated about how long she’s had to wait to meet Luke. 

“Soon mija ,soon.” Alex soothes, smoothing a hand over Robin’s dark curls. “How would you feel about going to the hospital to meet him?” At this, Robin’s face lights up with delight. 

“Can I?!” She eagerly asks, looking between Magnus and Alex with wide eyes. 

“Mhm, we just got a call from Uncle Percy and Aunty Annabeth about it. But before we go to the hospital, there’s some important rules you have to follow, ok?” Alex gently explains. 

“Like what?” Robin curiously asks. 

“Well.” Magnus begins. “We need to be really clean and careful about germs, so that baby Luke doesn’t get sick. When we get to the hospital, we need to clean our hands with the gel rub. If we sneeze or cough, we do it into a tissue, away from baby Luke, then throw the tissue in the bin right away and clean our hands again.

We also need to be really quiet, so no running or yelling or anything like that. There are lots of other sick babies and sick people in general in the hospital, and they need to rest, which they won’t be able to do if someone is being really loud. 

And we need to be really gentle with Luke, we can’t give him kisses yet because he can get really sick really easily, and he doesn't have his injections yet that help him fight illnesses. You can blow him a kiss, and give him a little cuddle if Aunty Annabeth and Uncle Percy say it’s ok. 

Does that all make sense?” 

Robin nods. “Yeah, gotta keep baby safe.” she decides with a nod. 

“That’s right.” Alex agrees. “Do you think you can remember those rules when we go see baby Luke in hospital?” 

Robin nods “I be good!” she promises, which just about melts her parents hearts. 

Alex leans forward and kisses her forehead. “You always are my sweet Robin.” 

Just a few hours later, the little trio walk through the front doors of the hospital, a familiar site by now to Magnus and Alex, but a whole new world to Robin. 

“What that?” She asks, pointing to a hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall, as she turns to look at her parents expectantly. 

“That’s hand sanitizer, it’s like soap you can use without water. You rub it into your hands, like with cream or soap, and it makes all or most of the germs go away.” Alex patiently explains, demonstrating how to use the dispenser. 

“Germs bad for baby.” Robin recalls in a serious tone. 

“That’s right, they are. Do you want me or dada to lift you so you can clean your hands?” Alex asks. She and Magnus refrain from just picking Robin up out of the blue, and always opt to give her a choice over who has physical contact with her when it’s necessary like in this instance or during bath time. 

“Mama!” Robin states, already reaching her arms up. 

“You’re gonna be taller than me soon, Robsy!” Alex lightly laughs as she lifts the little girl into her arms, trying not to think about how quickly Robin is growing up.  

Robin simply giggles with delight and allows Alex to help her with the hand sanitizer. 

Several minutes later, they meet Percy in the lobby of the hospital so that he can lead them up to the SBCU. 

They all greet each other with a hug, and Robin soon insists on being carried by Percy, who is more than happy to oblige her request. The two of them happily talk about all the things Robin has made for Luke, and how excited she is to meet him. 

It doesn’t take them long to reach the SBCU, and Percy leads them into the room where Annabeth is with Luke, sitting in a black leather recliner chair as she holds Luke in her arms and softly talks to him, completely enamoured with him. So much so that she doesn’t notice the others arriving. 

Percy walks in first, treading heavily and clearing his throat so as to not catch Annabeth unawares and scare her.

Sure enough, Annabeth looks up and breaks out into a grin when she sees Magnus, Alex and Robin. 

“Look who came to see us.” Percy grins, as he leans down to kiss his baby son on the forehead and run a hand over his tufts of blonde hair. 

“Hey cuz, we come bearing your favorite niece and more presents!” Magnus cheerfully greets, gesturing to Robin and holding up a wicker basket packed full of essential self care items that he, Alex, Hearth, Blitz, Mallory, T.J. and Gunderson all picked out and contributed to, as well as a card signed by them all plus Sam and Amir. (And Layla, who Samirah signed on behalf of. And Jack too, who Magnus signed on behalf of, with very detailed and precise instructions from the sword on what his signature should look like.) 

“Aww you guys you didn’t have to, just you being here is present enough, cliché as it sounds.” Annabeth tells them, her tone full of appreciation as Magnus sets the basket down at the side of her chair. 

“Annabeth, take it from someone who has been through the fourth trimester, the very least you deserve is some nice self care goodies.” Alex assures her. “Even though it’s almost halfway over already.”

“Fourth trimester? I thought pregnancy was 3 trimesters.” Percy comments in a confused tone, his eyebrows scrunched together. 

Annabeth laughs lightly. “It is, fourth trimester is the first 12 weeks after the birth. Just as important as the actual pregnancy, with recovery and bonding with baby and stuff.” She explains. “You would have learned about it at the Lamaze classes at some point.” she adds with a sad smile, feeling bittersweet about the fact that she and Percy only ever got to a few Lamaze classes, before Annabeth went into early labor. 

“We never did Lamaze classes and I knew about the fourth trimester.” Magnus points out. 

“Show off.” Percy mutters with a good natured grin. 

“So how is the little man? How are you, Annabeth?” Alex changes the subject, taking a seat in a high back chair next to Annabeth.

“I’m good, thanks. A lot better than I was just after he was born, I felt like my stomach was going to split open at any second any time I moved, now it feels much better and the scar is even starting to fade. I’m getting more sleep now too, though it still feels horrible to be home without Luke, but I know it won’t be for much longer. 

And Luke…” Annabeth trails off as she looks down at her son in her arms, his green eyes wide as he takes in all his surroundings and the new people around him, while gripping tight to Annabeth’s finger. “Well he’s doing amazing, he’s a real little fighter.” she finishes, ducking to press a kiss to Luke’s forehead. 

“He’s got his mom’s fighting spirit.” Percy grins proudly, standing behind Annabeth with his hands on her shoulders. 

“He gets cuter every time I see him.” Magnus gushes, gently brushing a hand over Luke’s hair. “He’s all Chase, isn’t he?” He adds, sharing a grin with Annabeth. 

“He sure is, although he does drool in his sleep like his dad." Annabeth beams, secretly delighted that Luke has inherited this adorable little trait/habit of Percy's. She never could have imagined how endearing she would grow to find Percy's' sleep drooling, but now after over a decade of loving her seaweed brain, it's one of her favorite things about him.

"Aww like father like son!" Alex laughs.

It is then that Magnus notices Robin at his side, standing on her tiptoes to get a closer look at the baby, while trying to maintain a decent distance. 

“Hey Robsy, c’mere.” Magus encourages, holding his arms out to Robin, who happily lets him pick her up and set her in his lap. “Do you know who this is?” Magnus asks, pointing to the baby in Annabeth’s arms.

“My cousin!” Robin excitedly exclaims. “‘Uke! Baby ‘Uke!” The way she pronounces Luke’s name just melts everyone’s hearts. The look of joy and delight on her face is absolutely precious, and for Magnus and Annabeth it’s a really special moment, their kids meeting for the first time. Both kids whose existence is a miracle, one very meticulously planned, the other a huge surprise. Both loved so deeply and fiercely by their parents. 

“You can say hi to him if you want, Ro. You can give his hand a little kiss if you like.” Annabeth gently offers, feeling comfortable in letting Robin a bit closer to Luke, knowing that Magnus and Alex would have told them if Robin had any sort of cold or anything she could pass on to Luke. 

Robin leans forward, and Luke reaches up and presses his hand against her cheek. Robin turns her head and blows a raspberry on his tiny palm, which gets a smile and a very light and low laugh out of Luke. 

“Hi ‘Uke!” Robin greets. “I Robin, your big cousin! ‘Ove you! When you not sick no more, we have lots of fun together! Build blocks together! That sound fun?” There is silence for a moment, then Robin looks up at Annabeth with confusion written all over her little face. “Why hims not answer me?” She asks. 

Annabeth smiles affectionately at her niece and reaches out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “He’s too little sweetheart, baby’s this age can’t talk or say words.” She explains. 

“Oh… but hims not look at me when I talk, ‘Ayla does, why not ‘Uke?” Robin questions, starting to feel a little worried that her new baby cousin doesn’t think she’s fun or interesting. 

“Oh well that’s because Luke is deaf, he can’t hear your spoken words.” Annabeth clarifies, as understanding washes across Robin’s face. 

“‘Ike Uncle Hearth?” Robin hopefully asks, thinking how amazing and cool it will be if her baby cousin turns out to be like her Uncle Hearth, one of her favorite people of all time. 

“That’s right, like Hearth. It’s still good to speak to him with your voice, and we also use sign language to talk to him, and as he grows up he’ll learn sign language, and you can talk and have conversations just like you do with your Uncle Hearth.” Annabeth tells her, as Robin’s eyes widen in delight. 

“So that mean ‘Uke do magic? 'Iike Uncle Hearth?” She asks hopefully. She thinks Hearth’s magic is one of the coolest things in all the worlds.

“Maybe, we won’t know until he’s older. He might not do magic quiet like Hearth, but he might have been born with some powers like you were. He might have water magic, like you have sun magic.” Annabeth tells her in a tone of excitement, knowing her little niece will find this idea fascinating. 

“We be ‘ike you! And dada!” Robin declares, looking between Magnus and Annabeth in sheer delight and excitement. 

This time, it is Alex who speaks up, leaning forward first and kissing his baby girl on the cheek as he remembers the day at Camp Half Blood when Robin was 6 months old, and she and Alex watched with amusement as Annabeth and Magnus raced to the top of Half Blood Hill. 

As he thinks about that day, Alex doesn’t even realise when he echoes himself from 3 and half years ago, on that blazing hot Summer’s day. 

“Yes you will baby girl, a second generation of Chase Cousins. The worlds won’t know what’s hit them.” 

Chapter Text

When you’re a demigod child of Loki who is also a Valkyrie who works directly for Odin, you get used to surprises and shocks pretty quickly. Add being a mom to a 2 year old on top of that, and your whole life is full of surprises and shocks.  

So you would think by now, at 23 years old, Samirah Fadlan would be pretty unshockable. And if you asked Samirah if she thought of herself as quite immune to shocks, she would say yes. Or rather she would have… until today. 

“No… it’s gotta be a trick of the light or something, or my eyes are blurry because I’m so tired. This can’t be right.” Samirah murmurs to herself, sitting alone in her and Amir’s bedroom, at her vanity table, staring down at the very thing that has her so shaken.

  I need a second opinion. Sam thinks to herself, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, as she stands up and heads to the top of the stairs. 

“ALEX!!!!” Samirah yells downstairs, hoping her sister can hear her over the commotion of their kids playing together, 2 year old Layla laughing her socks off at something 6 year old Robin is doing, probably sending up harmless sparks of sunlight from her hands, a new power she has recently come into. 

“WHAT?!” Alex shouts back from the kitchen, making Sam sigh and role her eyes. 

“COME’ER!!!” 

“WHY?!” 

“JUST COME HERE!!!” 

A minute later, Alex appears at the bottom of the stairs and looks up at her sister expectantly. 

“What?” Alex repeats. 

“Come here!” Sam insists, gesturing for Alex to come upstairs. 

“Why don’t you come here?” Alex challenges, folding her arms over her chest and looking between Sam and the stairs between them. 

Sam sighs and reigns in her desire to tell Alex she’s being pretty annoying right now. 

“I have gossip.” Sam states, grinning as Alex’s face lights up with curiosity and she sprints upstairs without another word. 

“What?! What happened?! Is it work gossip? Oh wait no! Is it mom group drama?!” Alex eagerly asks, often hearing stories about the ridiculous petty drama that goes on in the online mom groups Sam is part of. 

“No, it’s gossip about me, c’me're I need your opinion on something.” Sam states, gesturing for Alex to follow her into the bedroom. 

“I swear if you ask me my opinion on the color of your curtains..” Alex trails off, shuddering at the memory of the absolute snooze fest Sam put her through when she and Amir moved in here and Sam requested Alex’s decorating help. 

“No I promise it’s way more interesting.” Sam vows, walking over to her dresser. She then points to the object laying flat on the vanity table. “Does that look like one line to you, or two?” 

When Alex looks to where Sam is pointing, her eyes go wide and it takes her a second to fully comprehend what Sam is asking.

“Holy crap, Sam… is that a pregnancy test?!” Alex asks in disbelief. 

“Yep, so what do you think? Is it positive or negative? I can’t tell if it’s a trick of the light or something.” Sam casually replies in a weary voice. 

“Is this revenge for when you looked at my pregnancy tests when I found out I was pregnant with Robin?” Alex questions, remembering Samirah looking at the two pregnancy tests in Alex’s bathroom sink all those years ago, double checking that Alex had read the results right. 

“What? No! I just need a second opinion.” Sam sighs, contemplating whether or not it would’ve been better to text a picture of the test to Annabeth and ask for her opinion, given that she’s quite experienced in staring at pregnancy tests, during the years she and Percy tried for their son, Luke. 

“Ummm…” Alex leans forward a little bit and scrunches her face up, narrowing her eyes. “That’s definitely positive, the line’s faint but it’s there.” 

Sam doesn’t know how to feel. This is so so different from when she got pregnant with Layla. Her daughter had been planned, it was no surprise when she got that positive pregnancy test 2 years ago. 

But this time it’s different. This pregnancy was not planned at all. Sam has been on the pill since Layla was a few months old. She is very precise about taking it at the same time every day without fail. Another baby was and is not part of the plan, not yet anyway. 

“You okay?” Alex’s gentle voice pulls Sam from her thoughts and she turns to see her sister standing at her side, looking concerned and worried. 

“Yeah… just… shocked.” Sam admits in a breathy tone, sitting down at her vanity again. “I just… I’m on the pill, I don’t understand how this happened while I’m on the pill.” 

“Do you take it at the same time every day, without fail?” Alex asks. 

Sam nods. “I’m so particular about it. I always take it in the morning with breakfast, it’s part of my routine.” 

“What about when you’re out of your routine, with work? Is it possible you accidentally missed a day because of time zone difference when you’re working?” Alex proposes. 

“I mean… maybe, but I don’t think so. I plan it out to avoid that.” Sam informs her, running a hand over her face as she tries to process the enormity of her situation. 

“Well…. When it comes to not knowing how the hell you got pregnant, you’re talking to the right person. Maybe it’s just a child of Loki thing, I was an unplanned “whoops” baby, Robin was an unplanned baby, now you’re dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. And you were unplanned too, at least on your mom’s part. Like parent, like child and all that, huh?” Alex theorises. 

“Alex! Don’t call yourself a whoops baby!” Sam scolds, hating to hear Alex talk down about herself like that. 

“Why not? It’s true! Whoops is putting it nicely, my father and stepmother always called me a mistake.” Alex shrugs. At this point, being almost 21 years old (chronologically, given that she hasn’t aged since she was 16.) Alex has come to accept that her conception really was an accident, a fluke. She wasn’t planned, she was somewhat wanted by Loki, but raised by people who not only did not want her, but who hated her. 

“Alex that’s awful.” Sam quietly says, horrified at the mistreatment and abuse her sister was subjected to for so long. Every time Sam hears something new about Mr. and Mrs. Fierro, she ends up hating them even more. 

Alex just shrugs. “I made my peace with it. Anyway, look, the pill isn’t fool proof. Nothing is, not even dying and going to the afterlife, Robin is literal living proof of that.” she points out. 

“I guess.” Sam sighs. “I just… I don’t know how I feel about this pregnancy, honestly. I really don’t. Amir and I aren’t even sure we want a second kid. We have our hands full with Layla, who I love with everything I am, and I love being her mom.

But… I’m not sure I want to go through pregnancy again either. I know I had a relatively “easy” pregnancy with Layla, especially compared to you or Annabeth, but still… it was a lot to deal with and I don’t know if I can go through that again.” Samirah quietly and hesitantly admits. 

“And that’s perfectly okay and normal.” Alex assures her. “It’s ok not to know or to not be ready for this. No matter what, an unplanned pregnancy is gonna be a shock, for anyone. 

Don’t compare yourself to me or Annabeth, we’re all different individual people with individual different experiences. Annabeth’s struggle to conceive and carry to term doesn’t take away from my struggle with intense sickness and body and gender dysmorphia. And my overall struggle to carry Robin, does not diminish or take away from your experience with low blood pressure and persistent dizziness when you were pregnant with Layla. 

You’re allowed to not want this pregnancy, Sam. Or to be unsure if you want this pregnancy. You’re allowed to feel whatever it is you feel. You have choices, and whatever you decide to do I will be right here with you every single step of the way, just like you were for me.” Alex firmly vows, reaching out to squeeze her sister’s hand. 

“If… if I don’t… continue with the pregnancy…. If I have an abortion… What will people say? What will Jid and Bibi think of me?” Samirah questions, fear and panic creeping into her voice. 

Samirah herself always has been and always will be, pro-choice. She believes that the choice of weather or not to continue a pregnancy should always be in the hands of the pregnant person. 

Her grandparents are less inclined to agree with termination of pregnancy, and Sam knows they would at the very least, be very very disappointed in her if she ended her pregnancy. 

“Who says they have to know?” Alex challenges. “You don’t have to tell them you’re pregnant and you don’t have to tell them if you decide to have an abortion. If they ask why you seem unwell, just tell them you have the flu or something.” 

“I… never thought about it like that.” Sam admits. 

“If you want to end the pregnancy, I can make the appointment and stuff for you, if you want. If you want me to go with you to have the procedure, I will. Or if you want me to stay back here and keep everything normal and routine for Layla, I’ll happily do that too.” 

“I want to talk to Amir about it first, I feel like this is a choice he and I should make together.” Sam decides. She and Amir have always been a team, they always make big decisions together and talk to each other about everything. Especially now they’re parents to Layla, having a 2 year old toddler makes it essential to have good communication.

Alex nods in understanding. “Do you want me to be there with you when you tell him? For emotional support?” She offers. 

“Thank you but no, I do appreciate the offer though. But could you and Magnus maybe take Layla to the park or for a walk or something so Amir and I can talk in private, without having to worry about Layla interrupting?” Sam hopefully asks, just imaging how difficult it would be to have such a serious and difficult conversation with her husband, with their 2 year old interrupting every few minutes because she needs someone to rewind Moana for her, to her favorite part. 

“Yeah of course, Magnus and I were planning on having a picnic in the park with Robin, we have more than enough food for Layla too, and Robin will be thrilled to have Layla there.” Alex grins, thinking of how Robin’s face lights up in delight when she sees her cousin, her best friend from day 1. 

“Thank you so much.” Sam sighs in relief. “I owe you one.” 

Alex lightly scoffs and bats at the air, as if waving off the idea of Sam needing to repay her. 

“Nah it’s me who owes you, for all the times you babysit for us, especially before Layla came along. Without you, we would probably have no one but Hunding to watch Robin while we’re in daily combat. And as much as I like the guy, I don’t think he'd be the best babysitter.” Alex laughs, shaking her head lightly as she tries to imagine Hunding caring for Robin, especially when she was a baby and hated being away from her parents. 

There was a time where Sam would have to wear one of Alex’s jackets when she babysat Robin, so the baby would get Alex’s scent and stay calm.

About 20 minutes later, it’s just Samirah and Amir in the house. The silence feels a bit eerie to them, since they are so used to the general noisiness of a toddler. 

“You know normally when the house goes quiet like this I start getting suspicious that Layla is up to something she shouldn’t be, like climbing on the furniture. I can’t shake that suspicious feeling now, even though Layla isn’t here.” Amir lightly comments to Sam, as he passes her a mug of coffee before picking up his own, and sitting across from her at the island in the middle of the kitchen. 

Sam grins and laughs lightly, though the light-hearted moment is soon overshadowed by the fear and dread of the conversation she needs to have with her husband. 

“You ok, Sam? You look… I don’t know… sad, I guess.” Amir frets, a frown tugging at his mouth as he notices the pensive and solemn look on his wife’s face. 

“Uh… it’s… a bit complicated. Nothing is wrong per say, I just… I need to tell you something.” Sam sighs, trying to ignore the unwanted intrusive thoughts telling her Amir is going to react badly and think she cheated on him or something.

“What is it?” Amir asks, a hint of worry in his voice. 

Sam takes a deep breath, before reaching into the pocket of her trousers and pulling out the pregnancy test and holding it out for Amir to see. 

“I’m pregnant.” Sam quietly states, her tone completely neutral and even. 

Amir’s eyes go wide with surprise, and he almost spits his coffee back out, accepting the test from Sam and inspecting it at closer view. 

“Oh my god…” Amir quietly trails off. 

“Yeah, I know, I feel the same way.” Sam tells him. “Don’t ask me how this happened despite us always using protection and me being on the pill, because I have no idea. This is just as much of a shock to me as it is to you.” 

Amir gets up from his seat and comes around to Sam’s side, before wrapping her in a warm and loving embrace. 

“You’re right, it is a shock… I know we talk about maybe having a second child, but we never did discuss what we would do on the off chance you got pregnant before we decided. In hindsight, that was probably a pretty vital conversation to have. Whatever you decide and whatever you choose, I support you and I love you.” Amir promises, his cheek resting on the top of Sam’s head while she rests her head against his sternum, feeling so loved and cared for.

“I honestly don’t know if I want to continue the pregnancy.” Sam mumbles into Amir’s jumper, bracing herself for any backlash from Amir, despite his promise to support her no matter what. Abortion is such an intense and taboo issue, she can’t be sure that Amir wouldn’t be against it. It isn’t something they’ve talked about much. 

“I understand that. This is a big deal, pregnancy isn’t easy by any means. If you want to have an abortion I completely support you, I’ll be here for you every step of the way and we don’t have to tell anyone else if you don’t want to. 

I’m sure my dad would be happy to have Layla for a few nights while you recover, we can just tell him you have the flu or something and we don’t want Layla catching it.” 

Sam feels herself physically relax, the tension and worry flooding out of her when Amir assures his support. Though she can’t help but feel a little guilty for ever doubting him. 

“I think… I think I want to hold off on making a firm decision either way, till I’ve been to the doctor and made sure the pregnancy is viable and stuff. I can’t make any solid plans when for all I know, the pregnancy is ectopic or something.” Sam determines, thinking of all the things that could have already gone wrong. She herself thankfully has no history of pregnancy loss or major complications or anything, but of course these things don’t only happen to people who’ve experienced it before. 

She feels Amir nod and rub her arm assuringly. “That sounds like a good idea. Do you want me to come with you to the doctor?” he offers. He hadn’t been with Sam when she had her first pregnancy confirmed, she took a home test then got it confirmed with the doctor, and surprised Amir with a t-shirt that read ‘Dad to be, loading….’. 

“Yeah, I could use the emotional support. Especially if it’s frightening news, if it’s ectopic and I need surgery or something.” Sam tells him, becoming fixated on the possibility of the pregnancy being ectopic. 

She’s had no symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy at all, no reason to think that’s what’s happening. But still, it’s such a frightening idea that her brain for some reason has latched onto.

“Whatever happens we’ll manage it and get through it together, you and me, team Fadlan.” 

Over the course of the next few days, as Sam waits for her appointment with her OB in a week’s time, she finds herself slowly warming up to the idea of having another baby. 

It starts when she decides to go through a few boxes of Layla’s baby clothes and sort them out. Some she may want to keep, even just for sentimentality (and because some of them are passed down from Robin by Magnus and Alex, and Sam can’t bring herself to get rid of something that’s been worn by her niece and her daughter.) Some of them she’ll pass on to friends who are pregnant or have little babies, and the rest she’ll donate to Chase Space. Not that they get babies as residents, but they have gotten a few teen parents who can’t afford good quality long lasting clothes for their babies, so Chase Space provides the baby clothes for them. 

Up till now this has been a fairly easy and simple task for Sam, until she comes across the little lilac blanket and matching onesie and hat that Layla wore home from the hospital when she was born. 

Sam hasn’t really looked at these items since Layla outgrew them at just a few months old. 

All 3 items are still perfectly soft, and when Samirah brings them to her nose, she finds they still have that sweet baby smell that Layla had as a baby. A mixture of diaper cream, talcum powder, baby shampoo and body wash, and baby safe laundry detergent. 

The scent hits Samirah with a wave of nostalgia and brings back all her wonderful memories of having a new baby. Yes it was incredibly difficult, but also incredibly amazing. 

Sam clearly remembers the nights where she would be up at 3AM, sitting in the armchair under the window in her and Amir’s bedroom, moonlight streaming in and lighting up Layla’s perfect and round little face, as Sam held her daughter close, nursing the baby back to sleep. 

She recalls the joyful sounds of Layla’s first laughs, the glint of harmless mischief in her big eyes as she reached to pull at her mother’s hair, or shrieked loudly right in Amir’s ear.

And she also can’t help but think back to her pregnancy with Layla, too. Samirah had really cherished those first few months of pregnancy, when only she and Amir knew about it, when Layla was their little secret. 

The magic of feeling Layla move and kick inside her for the first time. Hell, Sam even finds herself feeling a little sentimental about her labor, not for the pain but for the excitement and anticipation that filled the room.

The overall excitement and joy of having a new baby. 

These nostalgic thoughts and happy memories make Sam think of what the future could hold for her family. Another baby… maybe a little boy this time, with the same mischievous grin as Layla, the same happy high pitched giggle. Bright eyes filled with curiosity and awe and wonder. Tiny little hands to kiss and blow raspberries against, little feet flailing and kicking with joy. 

Sam can just picture herself and Amir walking through their neighbourhood with their two kids, Layla sitting on Amir’s shoulders and their new baby in the stroller or a sling wrapped around Sam’s chest. 

As she allows herself to get lost in her thoughts, Sam finds her hand drifting down to rest across her abdomen, starting to realise that maybe she does want a second child. She starts to feel a want to give Layla a sibling, give her the opportunity to have the kind of relationship with someone that Sam has with Alex. The playful fighting and teasing, stealing each other's clothes (Although that’s not an issue that Sam and Alex deal with, due to Sam knowing better than to come between Alex and his clothes, and Alex isn’t a fan of the style of clothes Sam prefers) protecting each other and so much more. 

Still, Sam reminds herself that she’s keeping her options open till at the very least, she gets everything confirmed by the doctor. But there’s definitely a part of her that can’t help but start to lean towards going through with the pregnancy and having a second baby. 

As the rest of the week passes by, these feelings of love and connection start to grow for Sam, they become more solidified and stronger. She even starts dreaming of Layla and another baby girl, who looks just like Amir. She can’t help but think it might be some sort of sign from her mom, that she should listen to her heart. 

How she wishes her mother was here to help her through this complicated situation. 

Finally, the day for the OB/ultrasound appointment comes around. Layla is with Sam’s grandparents, who are enjoying being great-grandparents, with Jid specifically loving teaching Layla about their family history, and telling her stories of her grandmother, Ayesha. 

The waiting room at the early pregnancy clinic is hot and stuffy, the air stale and unpleasant to breathe in and doesn’t help the mild but very present nausea that Samirah is dealing with. She wants to get up and open all the windows in the room, but they’re placed high up on the walls and she can’t reach them, meaning she just has to grin and bare the unpleasant stuffy environment. 

Thankfully the wait isn’t too long, and within 10 minutes of arriving, Samirah’s name is called. 

A nurse shows them back to the ultrasound suite, quickly taking Sam’s vitals as well as a blood and urine sample, before leaving her with a gown to change into while she and Amir wait for the doctor. 

Once Samirah is changed, she takes a seat on the exam bed with Amir at her side, both of them trying to keep their nerves at bay. This is so unlike Sam’s first ultrasound with Layla, despite the fact that she has been warming up to the idea of a second child, Sam still finds herself feeling anxious.

Before too long, there is a light knock on the exam room door, and in steps the OB who delivered Layla, Dr. Rashid. A tall dark skinned woman just a few years older than Sam herself, with a no bullshit attitude and who has always made Samirah feel very comfortable, safe, heard and cared for. 

“Samirah, good to see you again.” Dr. Rashid warmly greets, closing the door behind her. “And you Amir, how are you both? How’s Layla?” 

Sam and Amir share a grin at the mention of their daughter, both of them trying to come up with a way to describe how she is in just a few words. 

“She’s amazing.” Sam grins. “Talking- and signing- up a storm now, her latest ambition is to open a falafel stand on an airplane, with her serving as both head chef and pilot.” 

“She’s got it all planned out, she’s gonna be the first pilot-chef and eventually open up a flying restaurant.” Amir adds, his smile growing as he thinks about Layla very seriously explaining all her ideas to him, and asking if he can help her count her money (random coins and the occasional dollar or two dollar bill that she’s found around the place) to make sure she’ll have enough to buy an airplane as well as everything needed for a restaurant.  He doesn’t have the heart to tell her that 4 dollars and some change is hardly enough for a bag of candy, these days. 

Dr. Rashid laughs lightly. “Good for her, little lady knows what she wants already, huh?” 

“Definitely.” Sam agrees with a nod. 

“It’s lovely to hear about. So, you’re here today for an ultrasound to confirm a pregnancy, is that correct?” Dr. Rashid asks, moving onto the reason they’re all here. 

“That’s right, and to make sure it’s not ectopic or anything.” Sam tells her, that hint of fear creeping into her voice again. 

Dr. Rashid nods as she briefly scans Samirah’s notes. “Do you have any indication of how far along you are?” she then asks, looking up at Sam. 

“I would say maybe 5 or 6 weeks, but I could be wrong. That’s going based off the first day of my last period.” Samirah informs her, having done all the math and calculations the day she got the positive pregnancy test. 

“Alright then, lets get started shall we?”

When Dr. Rashid is initially silent at the beginning of the ultrasound, neither Sam nor Amir find it at all strange or out of the ordinary. They figure the doctor is focusing and concentrating on finding the right spot to make sure everything is where it should be and looks normal. 

But when after about 10 or 15 minutes, she still doesn’t speak, and the young couple start to get a little concerned.  

“Samirah, is there any chance you could be significantly earlier in your pregnancy, less than 5 or 6 weeks?” Dr. Rashid eventually asks, briefly glancing over at her patient. 

Sam and Amir exchange a concerned look. 

“Um… n-no I… I don’t think so.” Sam replies, going over the dates in her head, as Dr. Rashid falls silent again. 

“Is everything ok?” Amir presses in an anxious tone. 

“I’m just double checking everything.” Is the only reply Dr. Rashid gives, not really answering Amir’s question. 

Finally, after maybe 20 minutes total, Dr. Rashid finishes the ultrasound, her face completely neutral and calm. 

“Samirah are you alright to get dressed now and come speak in my office? I just need to check if your blood and urine test results are back yet and it’s more efficient to check on the computer than to call the lab, is that ok?” Dr. Rashid calmly and gently asks, giving no indication whatsoever to what she found on the ultrasound. Sam is almost too scared to ask. 

“Um… ok.” She quietly agrees, though she really feels like snapping and telling Dr. Rashid to just be straight with her and tell her what’s going on. 

But Samirah is not her father, Loki, and has a much better reign on her temper, so she gets dressed quickly and she and Amir make their way to Dr. Rashid’s office, sitting down across the doctor at her desk. 

Neither of them anticipating the information they are about to be told.

Chapter Text

 “Samirah.” Dr. Rashid calmly begins folding her hands on top of each other on the desk in front of her. “At 5 weeks pregnant we would expect to see not only the gestational sac, which is what the embryo grows in during the first few weeks of pregnancy, but we would also naturally expect to see elevated HCG levels, the pregnancy hormone. 

However… When I performed your ultrasound today, I saw no gestational sac in your uterus, in fact I saw absolutely nothing in your uterus. I did not see any pregnancy in the fallopian tubes or any of the other places you might find an ectopic pregnancy. 

Along with that, your HCG level was 0. If it had been above 0 but towards the lower end, and had you had any bleeding or cramping, I would highly suspect a miscarriage. However because there is absolutely no HCG in your system, and your uterus is empty and I’ve ruled out ectopic pregnancy, this means that you were never pregnant in the first place. 

Home pregnancy tests can sometimes give a false positive unfortunately. 

I understand this a lot to process and take in, so please don’t feel rushed to say anything. I can step out and give you a few minutes if you like.”  

Samirah and Amir both just sit there in shock for a minute or two. Neither of them had ever considered the possibility of a false positive happening. It’s such an uncommon occurrence, though it isn’t as though they weren’t aware it could be a possibility. Given that Annabeth experienced a false positive pregnancy test a few years ago. But Annabeth had and has medical conditions that can cause a false positive, Samirah does not. 

“I…. I’m not pregnant?” Sam quietly asks, her voice suddenly hoarse and scratchy. 

“No, you aren’t.” Dr. Rashid softly replies. 

Truth be told, Sam had grown use to the idea of being pregnant again, over the last week. Especially after coming across Layla’s baby clothes, and pictures of Samirah herself while she was pregnant with Layla. 

There wasn’t a moment that didn’t go by where she didn’t think about the potential and possible life she thought she was carrying. Thinking about what it would be like to be a family of 4, for Layla to be a big sister. 

To find out now that that possibility and potential new life never existed in the first place, hurts a lot more than Sam could have anticipated. 

“Don’t…. Don’t false positives only happen because of medical conditions?” Amir questions, as he is suddenly overcome with a wave of fear that this moment is about to get a lot worse. 

“That is one of the causes, yes.” Dr. Rashid agrees. “But not the only one. The other possibilities are that someone has recently been pregnant, and no longer is, though there is usually still some HCG in their system in that case. Or some fertility medications that might contain HCG could trigger a false positive too.” 

It is then that Sam remembers a very crucial detail about the pregnancy test she took. 

“Can an expired pregnancy test cause a false positive?” She asks, seeing clearly the expiration date on the box of pregnancy tests. 

“It’s not very likely but it’s not impossible either. The longer it’s been since the expiration date, I would say the less reliable the test is.” Dr. Rashid calmly explains. 

“The pregnancy test I took…. It was out of date, it was a left over one from when we tried for Layla and I was taking tests constantly. I didn’t even think to check the expiration date before I took the test. But I remember now, that specific box of tests was on clearance when I bought them because they were expiring soon. That was 2 years ago. That’s why I got a false positive, isn’t it?” Sam turns her gaze to Dr. Rashid, as the pieces of the puzzle all come together. 

“That certainly seems like the most likely explanation.” Dr. Rashid confirms. 

Sam can’t help but feel a bit silly and annoyed at herself for not doing something as simple as checking the expiration date. This whole hullabaloo could have been avoided if she had just taken an extra minute to check the expiration date. 

“But… What about your symptoms, Sam? The nausea and vomiting?” Amir asks, his anxiety and worry for his wife persisting. 

“I probably caught that bug Layla had the other week, it would explain the fatigue too.” Sam quietly realizes. It makes perfect sense, it can almost be guaranteed that if your child gets sick, you will too, before too long. 

“Oh… yeah…. That would make sense.” Amir acknowledges with a nod.

“I am sorry if this isn’t the news you were hoping for. False positives can be very painful and difficult to process and come to terms with.” Dr. Rashid sympathises, judging by the crestfallen look on Sam’s face that this is not the news she was expecting or even hoping for. 

“Thanks.” Sam quietly says in a dejected tone. “Are we…. Can we…. Are we ok to… go, now?” 

Dr. Rashid nods. “Yes, there was nothing concerning or worrying on the ultrasound that I could see. Take care of yourselves, and let me know if there’s anything else I can do.” 

5 minutes later Samirah and Amir are sitting in their car, still in the parking lot of the early pregnancy unit, Sam behind the wheel and Amir in the passenger seat. Sam hasn’t even bothered to turn the engine on, she can feel the tears start to well up in her eyes and the unexpected disappointment and sadness tangling together into a knot in her chest. 

“Are you ok?” Amir quietly breaks the silence after a few moments, looking at his wife with eyes full of concern. 

“I’m…. honestly, I’m disappointed I’m not pregnant. I was starting to warm up to the idea of having another baby.” Sam softly admits, her hand habitually resting on her stomach. 

“I didn’t realise how much I actually do want another baby, until today. When the doctor went quiet during the ultrasound, I knew something wasn’t right. I thought it was going to be an ectopic pregnancy, or a miscarriage. I’m glad it wasn’t either of those of course, but… well I still had this whole idea in my head of what it might be like to have 2 kids. And what it would be like to give Layla a sibling. 

I also realised that I just can’t imagine never being pregnant again or never raising another baby with you again.” 

Amir nods in understanding. “I feel the same way.” He admits. “I didn’t want to say anything and make you feel pressured into anything. But over the last week I realised I really want to raise another kid with you, I want to be a family of 4. I keep picturing us with 2 daughters, Layla with a baby sister. I can picture myself as a girl dad.” Amir adds with a grin. Of course he would be thrilled to have a baby boy either, or a child that ends up identifying as something else altogether, or with no gender at all. He just wants to raise another amazing kid with Sam. 

Samirah’s face lights up with a huge smile and she leans over to kiss Amir. “You do have girl dad energy, Alex says so.” She lightly laughs, also imagining their family with another little girl, every inch as amazing and wonderful as her big sister. 

Amir laughs lightly. “So… do you…. Want to try for a second baby?” he asks, a little tentatively for fear of Sam feeling pressured into anything. 

“I do… but lets not rush anything. We’re only 24. It's not like we’re up against the clock here, we have lots of time. For now, let's just… well let’s not try to prevent a pregnancy, and let nature take it’s course. How about that?” Sam suggests. She doesn’t want to put herself under any pressure, she doesn’t want to get her hopes up that she’ll get pregnant as soon as she comes off birth control, like she did with Layla. 

She would far rather just throw caution to the wind and let her body do it’s thing. For now, anyway. 

Amir nods and leans over to kiss Sam lightly on the lips. 

“That sounds like a perfect plan.” 

When they get back home about half an hour later, Sam and Amir are both expecting to see Layla standing at the front door, her face pressed up against the glass as she waits excitedly for her parents to get back.

However when Sam pulls the car into the driveway they see no sign of Layla. Usually she's at the very least sitting on the stairs and looking out the front door, waiting for them.

When they walk inside they aren't met by her squealing with delight and running at them either, it makes them both realize how much they love being greeted with so much excitement and joy from Layla.

Once inside however they do see Alex sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.

When Alex hears their footsteps he looks up and grins at them, his amused and mischievous grin has not at all changed in the 6 years that Sam and Amir have known him.

"Hey lovebirds." Alex teases, still loving to taunt and tease Sam and Amir even though they've been married for 6 years.

"Hey, where's Layla?" Sam asks, looking around for her daughter. She can't even hear the usual chaotic noise of Robin and Layla playing together upstairs, nor can she see Magnus out in the garden playing football with Layla, one of their favorite things to do together.

"Being an absolute cutie, she wouldn't go down for her nap so Magnus lay down with her to read and now they're both asleep upstairs in the spare room, go see." Alex encourages, as he quickly sends the photos of Magnus and Layla conked out together, to Hearth and Blitz as well as the gang on floor 19 of Valhalla.

So, quietly Sam and Amir creep up the stairs and to the doorway of the spare room where they quickly find exactly the scene Alex described.

In the middle of the bed, Magnus is fast asleep on his back. Curled up into his side is Layla, her head resting on his chest, her pacifier in her mouth and her hand clutching Magnus' shirt.

Layla is also sound asleep, and looks so peaceful and calm. No one would imagine that in wakefulness, Layla is full of life and energy, hardly ever sitting still. She is a wild little girl with a huge sense of adventure and fun. She loves to scare the living daylights out of her parents by attempting to scale trees in the backyard, jumping off high surfaces, trying to pet and befriend raccoons, and so much more.

"That's so cute!" Sam whispers to Amir, feeling like she might cry from the mixed emotions she's feeling right now.

She's so glad that Layla feels so safe and secure with Magnus that she can fall asleep beside him, on him. Sam adores Magnus, he can be a complete pain in the butt sometimes but she wouldn't trade him for anything, she loves him exactly how he is and is so glad they have each other.

And on the other hand, she's still pretty devastated that she's not pregnant. She had become very used to and welcome to the idea of having another baby, she thought she was bonding with her baby already… but it turns out there was no baby to bond with in the first place.

"It really is." Amir quietly agrees with a smile of his own.

"I'm gonna go talk to Alex for a bit." Sam quietly informs her husband.

"Alright, are you sure you're ok?" Amir asks, looking at Sam with eyes filled with worry and concern. He knows she's as shocked as he is, about not being pregnant. He can see the sadness and hurt in her eyes, and a twinge of fear too.

"Yeah, or at least… I will be. I just… need time to process everything, and I want to talk to Alex about it." Sam assures him, trying for a reassuring tone. She loves Amir for caring so much, and she does want to talk to him about this at some point, but right now she just needs to talk to her brother.

"Alright, I'll give you guys some space, I'll go to our room and give my dad a call, I haven't talked to him in a bit. Come get me if you need me or anything ok?" Amir decides, leaning in to kiss Sam on the cheek.

She smiles and nods. "Of course."

When Sam goes back downstairs she finds Alex still sitting on the sofa, but now he has a thick brown photo album open across his lap, and a soft smile on his face as he looks at images of baby Sam throughout the years, as well as photos of Ayesha, and of course photos of their own little family of empty cups. Sam and Robin at Robin's naming ceremony, Sam, Amir and Robin at Sam and Amir's wedding, etc.

"Hey." Sam greets her brother, sitting down next to him on the sofa. "Admiring my photography skills?"

Alex laughs.

"More like admiring your mom's photography skills, you look so much like her… it's kinda uncanny." Alex says, tapping a picture of Ayesha in her white doctor's coat over a pair of red scrubs, matching her red hijab. "I take it red was her favorite color?" He adds.

"Oh yeah, even most of my baby clothes were red." Sam replies with a grin, leaning in closer to look at the photos, and feeling that familiar pang of grief and loss, in her chest. It doesn't get easier, but you get use to it and become accustom to living with it.

"Do you remember her much?" Alex quietly asks, thinking of his abuelo , who was more like a father to him than Mateo Fierro ever was. He loved Alex and took care of him, made him feel cared about and safe. He made life bearable. It all went to shit after he died.

"Bits and pieces." Sam softly replies. "I remember her laugh, and the smell of her perfume. I remember feeling safe and happy with her…. not that I ever felt unsafe or unhappy with my grandparents, but with mom it was different… I wish we had more time together." Sam is very glad to have the few memories she does of her mom. She hopes she never forgets the way she would squeeze tight during a hug and kiss Sam on the cheek all the time, telling her how much she loved her and how happy and lucky she was to be her mom.

She hopes Layla will have such fond memories of Sam herself when she's grown up.

Alex smiles softly and flips to the next page of photos. These ones are mainly of Ayesha when she was pregnant, and Sam when she was a baby, during the first year of her life.

In one photo Ayesha is sitting on the sofa, with her long dark hair sitting loose around her shoulders. She's wearing a white t-shirt under a maroon red jacket, paired with dark jeans and dark ankle boots.

And sitting beside Ayesha, is Loki. He has one arm her her waist and the other is around baby Sam, who is sitting in his lap. Sam looks to be about a year old, with lots of dark curly hair like Layla, and a big happy grin on her face. She's wearing a red knit jumper paired with white leggings and white socks. 

Loki looks much the same as he usually does, his feathered hair is blonde and rumpled. He's wearing a plain white shirt under a light blue denim jacket, paired with ripped black jeans and black and white high top shoes.

He is also smiling into the camera, and to Alex he looks genuinely happy. Yes there's a gleam of amusement and mischief in his eyes, but he doesn't seem to be laughing at or enjoying some horrible mischief he's caused, he simply looks like a happy and proud father.

Next to that photo, is one that's almost identical, only this time Ayesha has leaned in and kissed Loki. This time she looks like the mischievous one.

"It is so weird to see my mom and Loki like that." Sam admits. She isn't sure how she feels about the fact that her mom and Loki genuinely and really seemed to be in love. All her life Loki has told her how much he adored her mom, how she was a queen among women and he would've married her if that had been what she wanted.

And going off the photos, home videos and even some of Ayesha's old journals that Sam recently found… it seems that she truly loved Loki too. She always looks so happy in photos and videos with him, and wrote in her journals about missing him a lot when he wasn't around, and feeling like the 3 of them were a perfect little family.

She has to wonder what Ayesha would think of Loki today if she were still around. Sam highly doubts she would still be in love with him if she had been around to witness his attempt to force Samirah into an arranged marriage, or to see what he did to Alex during Alex's pregnancy.

"I bet." Alex agrees with a nod. "Do you ever think about… where your mom is now? What afterlife? She's not in Helheim or  Valhalla, right?" He gently asks, hoping that this isn't going to upset Sam at all.

She sighs. "I think about it all the time." She admits. "You're right, she's not in Helheim , I think Loki would've bragged about that before now. That she's spending eternity in his daughter's realm. And she's not in Valhalla, that's one of the first things I asked when I became a Valkyrie."

Alex nods in understanding. "Do you think she might be in Fólkvangr then?" He quietly asks.

"I… don't know." Sam admits. "I've never asked… I like to believe she's not in any Norse afterlife, but rather Jannah… which is the paradise afterlife Muslims believe in. She wasn't perfect and didn't follow all the laws and teachings, but she was a really really good person, she dedicated her life to her job, to saving others. That's got to count for something." Sam decides.

"She sounds awesome." Alex agrees. "I wish I knew her, kinda wish she had been my mom too. Or at least that she'd raised me too. Loki always said my dad didn't deserve a demigod kid, a divine gift, and for once I agree with him."

"I wish we could have grown up together too, but I'm glad we have each other now." Sam tells him, laying her head on Alex's shoulder.

"Aww Fadlan you big softy." Alex teases, lightly poking Sam in the ribs, earning a slap to the hand. "Hey, how did things go with the doctor? What did they say?"

The smile fades from Sam's face and the light behind her eyes dims as she sits up straight, a frown tugging at her mouth.

"Turns out I'm not pregnant." Sam quietly admits, avoiding eye contact with Alex so he can't see her tear up.

"What? But…. but that pregnancy test was definitely positive." Alex recalls, wondering if maybe he did misread it, maybe there was a trick of the light or something. He really really hopes that Sam didn't have a miscarriage.

Sam shrugs. "It was a false positive, the test was 2 years out of date, I didn't realize until today. There's no sign of a recent pregnancy at all, nothing came up on the ultrasound and my HCG was 0." 

“Oh… Oh Sam… are you ok?” Alex asks, knowing how devastating a false positive can be. Even though Sam wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to be pregnant, Alex can see from the look on Sam’s face that she’s pretty upset and shaken. 

“Yeah.” Sam assures him, wiping at her tears. “I’m just a bit shaken. I had grown use to the idea of being pregnant and started thinking about life as a family of 4, of having a new baby in the house again is all. But it’s made Amir and I realise we do want a second baby, hopefully we can give Layla a little sibling soon.” Sam replies in a hopeful voice, as she pictures what life might look like by this time next year. There’s a good chance that they’ll have their second baby by then.

“Any baby will be lucky to have you as their mom, and Layla is gonna be an awesome big sister, just like you.” Alex states, lightly bumping shoulders with Sam and getting a laugh from her. 

“It’s easy when you have the best little sibling there is.” Sam replies. 

“I just hope the new baby won’t ever have to pretend to be Layla and pretend to marry a giant in her place.” Alex teases, remembering the day Sam told him about Loki’s arranged marriage for her.

 They’d only known each other a few days at that point, but right away Alex knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t let Loki ruin Sam’s life. It was undeniably scary posing as Sam, fooling Loki and coming very very close to marrying Thryme, but it was also worth it and something he would do again in a heartbeat for Sam.

Sam laughs, though is horror stricken at the idea of her kids being forced into any of the situations she and Alex have been put in over the years.

“Don’t even joke about it, Layla’s been saying she wants to be a Valkyrie too.” Sam sighs, not sure how she feels about her baby girl one day collecting the souls of the honoured dead and bringing them to Valhalla. 

“Aww she’s just like her mama! You think she’s gonna be a stubborn butt like you too?” Alex jokes, earning a light punch to the arm from Sam. 

“Oh shut up.” Sam laughs. 

“Ow, geez thanks sis I love you too.” Alex grumbles, rubbing his arm as if Sam’s punch really had hurt. 

“You’re a pain in the ass sometimes, Fierro. But you’re my pain in the ass, and I love you for it.” 

1 YEAR LATER 

“Robin, Layla, inside voices please girlies.” Alex cautions her daughter and niece, as the three of them and Magnus make their way through the long corridors of the hospital, the same hospital where Layla herself was born 3 years ago. 

The 3 year old and 7 year old little girls are quickly walking a few steps ahead of Alex and Magnus, hand in hand, both of them giggling and laughing to each other.

Of course, Alex loves to hear the girls laughing and happy, but they don’t realise how loud their squeals and giggles are, bouncing off the walls and probably disturbing and distracting patients and hospital staff alike. 

“Sorry mama!” Robin trills, though not really lowering her voice at all. 

“We just excited!” Layla clarifies, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation. 

“I bet you are, we are too, it’s a very exciting day. But we have to think of other people, there are a lot of people here who are very sick, and they need to rest so they can get better, but they can’t rest if you guys make a bunch of loud noise.” Magnus calmly explains, sticking by he and Alex’s parenting rule of always explaining to Robin why they’re saying no to something or telling her to stop. 

“Exactly, you wouldn’t like it if someone started making a bunch of noise while you were trying to sleep, would you?” Alex points out. Layla’s eyes go wide at the possibility of such a horror and she shakes her head. 

“Uncle Gunderson makes lots of noise when I try to sleep! He snores really loud!” Robin exclaims, a hint of disbelief in her tone, as though she can’t believe her Uncle has the audacity to snore loudly. 

“Well your Uncle Gunderson can’t help that he snores, that’s why your Uncle Hearth used his magic in your room to block out any noise from outside our suite, remember?” Alex gently reminds her daughter, thankful beyond all belief for Hearth sound proofing their suite, allowing them all to get a much better night’s sleep. 

A few minutes later they reach a room in the hospital that is softly lit and smells of lavender and other relaxing and soothing smells. 

Inside the hospital room are Sam and Amir. Sam is sitting up in the bed in the middle of the room, with Amir at her side. They both have their gaze fixed on the little bundle of blankets in Sam’s arms. Their second child, their baby boy. 

Alex knocks lightly on the door to announce their arrival, and when Sam looks up, her face is the picture of radiance. She looks so happy, and so proud. 

When she sees Layla, her face lights up even more. 

“Hey guys!” Sam cheerfully greets. “Layla, come meet your baby brother. You too Robin, come meet your newest cousin.” 

The two girls excitedly hurry across the room. Robin clambers up onto the bed beside Samirah, while Amir helps Layla do the same. 

Sam shifts the baby in her arms, so that the girls can see him better, and so can Magnus and Alex. 

The little guy has an adorably round and chubby face, but with Sam’s angular nose and chin as well as her eye shape. He has Amir’s mouth, and a deep brown skin tone just like his parents, as well as a mop of tangled dark hair. 

“Oh my Gods Sam! Look at his hair! No wonder you had heartburn!” Alex exclaims with a laugh, giving her sister a disbelieving look. She had thought Robin had a lot of hair when she was born, and has always remembered Frigg mentioning the old wives tale about heartburn in pregnancy being associated with babies having a lot of hair. 

Sam laughs lightly and runs her fingertips over her son’s dark curls, having also been thoroughly surprised when he was born with so much hair. 

“I know right? The midwife said she’s never seen a baby born with so much hair before, and she’s been delivering babies for 15 years!” Sam chuckles. 

“He’s so cute!” Robin interjects. “He’s a big baby!” 

“Please don’t go around telling people they’re big.” Magnus murmurs in amusement, just imagining Robin saying that kind of thing to the wrong person. 

“He is though.” Amir agrees with a grin. “Little man isn’t so little, he’s 9 pounds exactly.” 

Alex goes pale and wide eyed when she hears the weight of the baby. She cannot imagine pushing out a 9 pound baby. 

"9 pounds? Really?" Alex asks in a horrified tone, trying to imagine carrying and birthing a 9 pound baby, it was hard enough with a kid who was just over 5 pounds. 

“Mhm and that is why we’re 2 and through, Layla was 8 pounds, this little man is 9 pounds, if we had another they would probably be 10 pounds, and that is not a risk I am willing to take.” Sam says.

“Sam, I think you’re the real miracle worker around here, not me.” Alex lightly says in a breathy voice. 

Samirah gives her sister a are you serious right now? Look, arching an eyebrow at her. 

“Seriously? Alex you literally did something that for millennia was deemed absolutely impossible! Plenty of other people have given birth to big babies.” Sam challenges, thinking that sometimes Alex downplays how impressive she is. 

Alex shrugs. "That's old news by now.” she dismisses. Of course, Robin will always be a miracle and the best surprise of Alex’s existence. But at the same time, it’s been over half a decade since Alex found out she was pregnant and gave birth to Robin. 

The miracle of it all seems distant and far behind her now. These days she really just views herself, Magnus and Robin as a pretty average and normal family.

 “So girls, what do you think of the baby? Do you like him?” Amir asks, aware that Layla was a bit apprehensive about having a sibling. They did their best to prepare her for having a baby around, but both got pretty unnerved when she promptly dumped her baby doll in the trash. 

“I love him!” Robin happily declares. “But he’s kinda boring, he’s not even awake!”

“Well that’s what new borns do the most, baby girl.” Alex softly says, putting a hand on Robin’s shoulder and kissing the top of her head. “Sleep, eat, cry and poop is about all they do. You were the same when you were a baby.” 

A look of horror washes across Robin’s face, as if she can’t believe what her mother just said. 

“Did not!” She insists. 

“I’m afraid you did, Ro. All babies do.” Magnus informs her. 

Robin wrinkles her nose up. “Do I gotta change poopy diapers?” She asks Sam in a reserved tone. 

Sam shakes her head and brushes Robin’s hair back from her face. “No sweet girl, you don’t. That’s the grown up’s job.” 

“Even though we changed your poopy diapers.” Amir teases, though quickly regretting it when Robin glares at him. 

“No poopy diapers.” Layla insists, mimicking Robin’s facial expression. “I give baby cuddles and kisses, no diapers.” 

“Yeah, kisses and cuddles and no diapers!” Robin agrees with a firm nod. 

“Ah I suppose that’s fair enough.” Amir concedes, sensing clearly now that Robin is quiet done with his teasing. 

Just a few minutes later, Magnus is now cradling his nephew, already madly in love with the little guy. Every time  he holds a new baby like this little one, he is brought back to the day Robin was born and the early days and weeks of her life. He can’t help but be amused at how terrified and cautious he was with Robin when she was little.

 When Robin was little, Magnus couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he was barely more than a kid himself, and less than a year prior to Robin’s birth he had been dumpster diving on the daily and sleeping under bridges, only able to fend for himself thanks to his mom teaching him the basics of survival skills, and because he had Hearth and Blitz watching out for him.

It felt like one minute he was dodging cops and social workers, and the next he was suddenly responsible for a whole new person, a person who was entirely and completely dependent on him and Alex. 

It had been absolutely terrifying.

Things have changed a lot since then. If someone had of told 16 year old Magnus on the day of his death, that less than 10 years from that day he would be in a long term committed relationship with the absolute love of his existence, he would be a dad to the coolest and most amazing kid ever to exist, and would be watching his friends become parents, he would’ve asked to try whatever they were on.

“You sure did a great job Sam, he’s absolutely perfect, just like his big sister.” Magnus softly says with a smile, leaning over to kiss Layla on the forehead, making her giggle. 

It doesn’t bear thinking about the fact that there was a time not too long ago where Sam was facing the very real possibility of being forced into an arranged marriage. The occasion of the birth of her second child, her first son, could have been a much darker day.

“He sure is, and like his big cousin.” Sam agrees, lightly booping Robin on the nose and making her laugh. 

“So do you have a name for him yet?” Magnus questions, just realising that Sam and Amir haven’t called their son by a name yet, just ‘baby boy’ or ‘little guy’ and things like that. 

Sam and Amir exchange a knowing and excited grin. 

“He sure does. His name is Arkeem.” Sam calmly begins. 

“That’s such a cool name!” Magnus comments. “Arkeem and Layla, they go so well together!” 

“Mhm.” Sam grins. “Layla Ayesha Kamilah Fadlan, and Arkeem Magnus Fadlan.”  

It takes Magnus a minute to register what Sam just said. When he does, his eyes go wide and he slowly looks up at Sam, who is grinning excitedly. 

“Magnus?” Magnus whispers, his throat tight with emotion. “Really?” 

“Really, after my best friend and one of the bravest men I’ve ever met. Who is also the kindest, most loving and sweet person I’ve ever met. You can be a pain in the butt sometimes but you’re my pain in the butt, and I love you.” Sam softly and quietly says, feeling herself start to tear up, too. 

“Daddy, why are you crying?” Robin asks, as she notices Magnus wiping his tears on the sleeve of his shirt. 

“Oh because I’m so happy right now baby girl. Aunty Sam said some really lovely things about me and it’s made me so happy that the happiness is just spilling out, in the tears.” Magnus tearfully explains. 

“Oh! Aunty Sam’s the best!” Robin declares.

“Yes she is.” Magnus agrees, smiling right at Sam. “Thank you Sam, I love you so much.” 

“Not as much as I love you.” 

Just a few days later, Sam and Arkeem are discharged from hospital and soon settle into a routine at home. 

One night when Arkeem is less than a week old, the little boy begins to stir and fuss around 4AM, his little snuffles and grunts forming into cries before too long. 

But before Arkeem can really start crying, a wisp of green smoke appears beside his bassinet. When the mist dissipates, it reveals a very important family member whom Arkeem has not yet met. His grandfather, Loki.

“Shh shh now little one, no need to fuss.” Loki doesn’t hesitate to soothe his grandson. Loki reaches into the bassinet and picks up Arkeem’s pacifier and offers it to the baby, who is quick to accept it, his cries dying down as he looks up at his grandfather. 

“There now darling boy, you’re alright, grandad’s here.” Loki whispers, keeping his voice low so as not to wake Samirah or Amir, sleeping soundly in the bed right next to the bassinet. 

“Come here little one, I think you just need and want to be held for a while, hm? Just like your mother at your age.” Loki softly comments, reaching down into the bassinet and lifting his grandson into his arms. 

Upon closer inspection of the baby’s face, Loki notes that he already has sharp and angular features, just like Loki himself. 

Even at just a few days old the little one seems to have a mischievous glint in his eyes, just one look at him and Loki can tell this little one is going to be causing havoc and chaos before too long.

“My first grandson, you little one, are going to make me very proud one day, even more so than your big sister, and maybe even on parr with your big cousin. 

It’s not right that your mother has you bear the name of that bumbling Chase boy. They gave your sister your grandmother’s name. By that standard they should have given you my name, Arkeem Loki Fadlan has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” Loki quietly rambles to the baby, who has his big bright eyes trained on his grandfather, and is gripping tightly to his thumb, showing off his strength already. 

Loki is quite upset that Samirah snubbed him as she did, when it came to naming her son. She ought to be more grateful to her father, after all without him she wouldn’t exist.

He would have been slightly less upset if they had given the boy his paternal grandfather’s name, or even his maternal great-grandfather’s name. But to name him after Frey’s brat? The spoiled boy who is raising Loki’s granddaughter to be a weak little coward, just like Magnus himself. It truly is like rubbing salt in the wound. 

“Well never mind that, name’s are very important but they can be changed. When you’re old enough to see sense, Arkeem, I know you will choose to carry my name instead of Frey’s brat’s name. 

You need a strong name my boy, especially with the future you have ahead of you. You are my secret weapon, little one. 

I know your fate, your destiny. Don’t tell the girls, but secretly you, Arkeem, are my favorite grandchild. And that is because you are going to be the one to cut me free of my bonds. The Gods and Einherjar stand no chance against the four of us, Arkeem. You, Robin, Layla and I.

With you three by my side I won’t even need the giants at Ragnarök. You all have key parts to play.

We will wipe the Gods and Einherjar out, I will take Asgard and become the new King of Asgard. 

We will be the new “Royal family”, me and my three grandchildren. 

Perhaps, Arkeem, for your 21st birthday I will gift you an entire realm to rule. Perhaps Jotunheim, after all you are part jötunn.

Just you wait my boy, there is so much in store for you.” 

As Loki finishes his declaration and rant, Samirah begins to stir and show signs of waking up. 

Loki curses under his breath. He had been hoping to have more time with Arkeem, and perhaps even enough time to go next door and visit Layla, too. Now he has a significant amount of power and strength back, he can spend longer periods of time in Midgard. 

But he can’t have Samirah knowing he is here and speaking to his grandchildren. So, reluctantly, Loki places his grandson back in the bassinet, and presses a kiss to his forehead. 

“Goodnight little one, and remember that your grandad loves you.” 

Chapter Text

Over the last 4 years and beyond, Magnus Chase has done a lot of things he could never have dreamt of. He’s become an Einherji, saved the world a few times, fell in love with a certain child of Loki, and- oh yeah, he became a dad to the most amazing kid in all the worlds. 

You would think that after all that and more, Magnus would stop being surprised at the situations he finds himself in. But you’d be wrong, because somehow Magnus has now found himself roped into visiting his Uncle Frederick in San Francisco. After which he has (for the second time) been invited to visit Camp Half-Blood, to discuss the possibility of Robin attending the Camp when she’s older, in order to learn a variety of skills and fighting/combat styles. 

“I cannot believe I let Annabeth rope me into this.” Magnus mutters to Alex, as the two of them put some last minute essentials in their travel bags, standing in their Hotel Valhalla suite. 

“I can, you can never say no to Annabeth.” Alex grins, popping up from where she had been on her hands and knees on the floor, looking under the bed for Robin’s favorite coloring book.

“I thought it would be fun at the time, it’s Robin and Luke’s first family vacation!” Magnus defends himself, grinning giddily at the image of 5 year old Robin and 6 month old Luke posing for a photo together in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

“Then what are you getting grumpy about now?” Alex teases, brushing the dust off her clothes. 

“I’m not grumpy, just… nervous about seeing Uncle Frederick again, I’ve barely spoken two words to him since I was 6.” Magnus sighs in response, closing over the lid of his suitcase. 

The last time he had seen Frederick was 3 years ago at Annabeth and Percy’s wedding. And even then, they only really exchanged pleasantries before Annabeth had grabbed Magnus and dragged him off for wedding party photos. 

Magnus was quiet glad that she had pulled him away, he could sense there was a hint of awkwardness between him and his Uncle, because Annabeth had not asked her father to escort her down the aisle, but had instead asked Magnus to do the honours and to stand with her as her Man of Honour. 

But now he’s a little miffed that he didn’t clear the air with his Uncle back then, introduce him to Alex and Robin, talk about Magnus’ mom, Natalie. If he had, this trip probably wouldn’t be so intimidating. 

“Magnus.” Alex firmly begins, standing in front of her boyfriend and placing her hands firmly on his shoulders while looking him straight in the eye. “I love you, and I understand why you’re feeling anxious and nervous about seeing your Uncle again, heck I’m nervous about meeting him and I don’t have the awkward family history with the dude that you do. 

But remember, you are Magnus. Freaking. Chase. You have literally saved the universe multiple times, you beat Loki at a flyting, rebound Fenris Wolf and killed Surt, just to name a few! You can face an awkward conversation with your Uncle like it’s nothing.” 

Magnus grins, feeling buoyed and lifted by Alex’s words, always finding more strength in himself when she reminds him of how much he’s done and how much she believes in him. 

He tilts his head down and kisses Alex softly on the lips, a flood of warmth and joy spreading throughout his body, reminding him of just how much he loves Alex. 

“I love you so much, I must’ve done something pretty great in a past life too to get to love you and be loved by you in this life.” He softly tells Alex in a low voice. 

Alex’s face lights up with a grin of her own. “You’re such a sop, Chase!” She laughs, before grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and pulling him down for another kiss. 

About an hour later, both the Jackson-Chase’s and the Fierro-Chace’s arrive at Frederick’s San Francisco home. 

“Why is Luke crying?” Robin curiously asks Alex, as they all get out of Percy and Annabeth’s car, and Annabeth quickly unbuckles her son from his car seat and lifts him up into her arms, holding him against her shoulder and lightly patting his back. 

“I think he’s hungry, mija.” Alex replies, recognising the sound of a hungry baby from when Robin was Luke’s age. 

Alex had been quite surprised at how quickly she and Magnus had been able to learn to differentiate Robin’s cries. She’s even more surprised that she seems to be able to remember the difference between the types of cries, even in a baby that isn’t hers. Chase babies must all sound similar. 

“He want some falafel?” Robin brightly asks, as if she has just had the most brilliant idea ever. “Me and daddy make him some?” she adds. “We got Uncle Amir’s recipe!” 

Alex smiles softly and runs a hand over Robin’s dark hair. “That’s very sweet of you to offer Ro, but Luke can’t have falafel yet he's still too little.” She explains softly, full of love and pride for her daughter’s sweet and kind nature. 

“Oh, he still drinks baby milk?” Robin asks, as Annabeth walks up to the front door of the house and knocks, with Luke still held against her shoulder. 

“That’s right mija, come on let’s help your dad and Uncle Percy take the bags out of the car, yeah?” Alex suggests, eager for Robin to get her pent up energy out so that she’ll sleep tonight. 

“Ok!” Robin agrees, running over to Magnus and insisting that she can carry her backpack with her snacks and activities in it, that she’s a big girl now and can do it herself. 

“Woah ok ok here you go!” Magnus laughs, handing Robin her bag and holding his hands up in mock surrender after she seemed to get a bit offended that he would dare try and carry her bag for her. 

“She scares me sometimes.” Percy jokes to Magnus, as Robin runs off to the side to pet a cat that has wandered up to the group. 

Magnus laughs. “I know, right? She’s a mini Alex.” he agrees. 

Just a moment later, just as Percy, Magnus, Alex and Robin approach the front door, Annabeth is relieved to hear footsteps coming from inside the house, followed shortly after by the sound of a door being unlocked. 

The door swings open to reveal her dad, looking much the same as usual. His sandy blonde hair tousled and unkempt. His brown eyes light up with glee when he sees Annabeth and the others. 

“Annabeth!” Frederick cheerfully greets his daughter, moving into give her a brief and quick hug. 

“Hi dad.” Annabeth replies, smiling as she lets her father give her a warm embrace. “How are you?” 

“Oh you know, busy with work, but that’s how I like to be! And how’s my favorite grandson? It’s good to see you little one!” Frederick coos to the baby in Annabeth’s arms, remembering to sign as he speaks, before lightly tickling Luke under the chin which gets a smile out of him. 

“He’s your only grandson.” Annabeth points out with a smile. She’s very glad that her dad has been so accepting and supportive of her choice to start a family at a young age.

He insisted on helping Annabeth and Percy pay for IVF, feeling like it was the least he could do. When Luke was born 2 months early, Frederick took time off work to be with Annabeth and help her and Percy through the haze of having a baby in the NICU. That meant more to Annabeth than any amount of money ever could. 

“Exactly, so he’s my favorite!”  Frederick enthuses. 

Before Annabeth can reply, Luke starts to fuss and cry again, which sends a look of anxiety and panic over Frederick’s face. He doesn’t think of himself as someone who is very good with crying babies. When Annabeth was Luke’s age, Frederick had a lot of help from Natalie, as well as Caroline- Randolph’s wife. He always gets nervous and panicked around crying and upset babies, that has not changed since Annabeth was a baby. 

“He’s hungry, and tired from the drive here. I’m gonna go feed him and put him down for a nap in my old room. Dad- say hello to the others! Invite them in!” Annabeth reminds her father that she and Luke are not the only ones at his front door, before she walks inside and up to her old bedroom to get Luke settled. 

With Annabeth gone, the atmosphere becomes a little more awkward, and Magnus quiet honestly feels like just walking away, neither he nor Frederick really know what to say to the other. 

What does one say to their estranged Uncle who knows little to nothing about everything that’s happened over the last 4 or so years? Hey Uncle Frederick, how's it going? So did you hear?  I got killed, went to a Viking afterlife for warriors, saved the universe a few times, fell in love, all that good stuff. Oh and by the way this is my kid, Robin. She’s the child of two Einherji and is going to survive the end of the world!

Magnus is pretty sure if he just blurted all that out to Frederick right here and right now, he may just drive the poor man to a breaking point, mentally. 

“Uncle Frederick…” Magnus eventually awkwardly begins, clearing his throat nervously. “You ah… haven’t met Alex or Robin yet… have you?” 

At his nephew’s words, Frederick’s gaze falls on the person with green hair, clad from head to toe in mostly pink and green clothes. And to the little girl with dark brown skin and a cloud of dark curly hair, now hiding behind Magnus’ leg and occasionally peeking out to look at Frederick, before quickly darting back behind Magnus. 

He had heard from Annabeth, all about Magnus becoming an Einherji, and about the fact that 4 years ago Magnus and his partner became parents after an unplanned miraculous teenage pregnancy. Though he doesn’t know the details, and he tries not to think about it too much. It’s a lot to wrap his head around. 

“No I can’t say I have… nice to meet you both.” Frederick smiles tightly. “The little one… Magnus, she looks like your mother.” he then adds, recognising the shape of his sister’s eyes and the slope of her chin, in the little girl standing just a few feet away. 

To many it wouldn’t be noticeable at all, but Frederick has spent so long just staring at pictures of his sister, still deep in the throes of grief for her, that he can easily recognise her features. And seeing them on someone else, someone who isn’t Magnus, is quite jarring. 

Magnus smiles softly and turns to look at his daughter, placing a loving and comforting hand on her back. “Yeah I guess she does.” He softly replies. “You hear that Ro? You look like your grandma Natalie.” 

Robin gives him a bewildered look. 

“No daddy.” She slowly begins, as if Magnus is the child and she is the adult. “I look like mama and Aunty Sam. I don’t got blonde hair like grandma, I got black hair like mama’s under the green. See?” Robin holds up a lock of her dark hair for Magnus to see, looking at him as if he just told her the sky is green and the grass is blue. 

Magnus has to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing, while Percy turns to the side, putting his hands on his knees as his shoulders shake with silent laughter. Magnus is right, Robin is such a mini Alex. 

Even Frederick finds himself chuckling at the little girl’s tone and way of speaking. It would seem that her freckles and the slope of her chin are not the only things young Robin has in common with her grandmother. 

Later that night, while Magnus makes his way back to the spare bedroom that he, Robin and Alex are staying in while at Frederick’s house, he hears soft murmuring coming from down the hall. It seems to only be one voice, and he can’t make out what the voice is saying, but it piques his curiosity. 

Magnus debates whether or not to go check out the source of the noise, until he sees Annabeth appear at the top of the stairs, still fully dressed in her day clothes and rubbing at her bleary eyes. 

Magnus had almost forgotten that she had fallen asleep downstairs on the sofa earlier that evening, with Luke also asleep in his bassinet a few feet away. They had all opted not to wake Annabeth, knowing she was utterly exhausted from the long journey here to San Francisco. 

“Magnus, do you have Luke?” Annabeth asks, having woken up to find the bassinet empty. Normally this would set off a lot of anxiety in Annabeth, but she knows that with 4 other adults in the house, someone else probably has the baby. 

“No.” Magnus replies with a shake of his head. “Neither does Alex, he’s probably with Percy.” Magnus gestures to the closed door to Annabeth’s old bedroom, where undoubtedly Percy and Luke are. 

Annabeth nods, but then pauses when she hears the murmuring coming from down the hall. 

“What’s that noise?” she asks, sharing a confused look with Magnus. He shrugs. 

“Maybe your dad left the TV on?” He suggests. 

“Mmm maybe.” Annabeth agrees, before gesturing for Magnus to follow her down the hall towards the sound of the noise. Part of Annabeth can’t help but worry and catastrophize that something dangerous is going on, like an intruder or something. 

Together the two cousins slowly and as quietly as they can creep down the hallway, till they finally discern exactly what room the noise is coming from. Frederick’s home office/study. 

The door to the room is slightly ajar, and through the gap Annabeth and Magnus can see Frederick standing in front of his display of his Sopwith Camel biplane models.

In one arm Frederick is cradling Luke, and is using his other hand to sign to him and tell him all about the planes, how they were operated and how they were used, what their significance in the history of World War I is, and more. 

Luke seems perfectly content in his grandfather’s arms, making low cooing and gurgling noises and quickly and repetitively moving his hands around in front of him, like he’s trying to copy Frederick’s signs. Essentially, he’s babbling in ASL. Something he started doing recently that has Annabeth and Percy very excited and hopeful that this is the start of Luke communicating in a way that isn’t crying or fussing. 

“Aww look at them, they’re bonding!” Magnus whispers to Annabeth with a grin and a tone full of excitement. He’s glad that Frederick and Luke are bonding, and that Luke has one more person in his life to love him and look out for him. What a lucky little guy he is to have 3 adoring grandpa's. 

Annabeth returns the grin, and leans up against the door frame, just watching her dad and her son for a minute. Just like Magnus said, they’re bonding, and it’s so amazing for Annabeth to see. 

Certainly a little part of her is sad that her father never bonded with her like that as a baby, but mostly she’s glad that they’re closer now and that he’s being a present and involved grandparent to Luke. 

Annabeth and Magnus remain watching Frederick and Luke for a few minutes, Magnus discreetly snapping some photos with his phone, and Annabeth just taking the moment in. Just over a year and a half ago, Annabeth was contemplating whether she even had the emotional energy to attempt to transfer her and Percy’s last remaining embryo. They had gone through so much heartache and pain by then, Annabeth didn’t know if she could face using their last embryo, knowing that most likely it wouldn’t implant. 

Now, she thanks the Gods that she did decide to go through with that transfer, otherwise she wouldn’t have Luke. 

After a minute or two of standing and watching her father and her son, Annabeth lays a hand on Magnus’ arm to get his attention and quietly says “Let’s leave them to bond, I don’t want to interrupt this sweet moment.” 

Magnus almost has to laugh at Annabeth’s choice of words. Not very long ago Loki had used almost those exact same words as a weapon, a tool to mock and hurt Alex and Magnus with. To taunt them with, when Alex was pregnant and they were facing the very real possibility of their at the time unborn child, being stolen and taken from them by Loki. 

The words still ring through Magnus’ mind, Loki’s mocking tone and look of amusement when he saw Alex’s tears. 

Just the thought of that moment makes Magnus eager to return to the guest room where Alex and Robin are asleep. Robin will likely have claimed most of the queen sized bed for herself, leaving Magnus just a few inches of mattress to balance on, but he doesn’t mind one bit tonight. The memory from the day of Robin’s birth makes him remember how grateful he is to even have his daughter by his side. 

“Yeah, let’s.” Magnus agrees. 

They both silently creep back down the hallway and wish each other goodnight, before heading into their respective rooms. 

Surprisingly, Robin has not fallen asleep taking up half the bed, instead she is curled into Alex’s side. Alex has one arm wrapped protectively around Robin, and Robin’s head is laying on Alex’s chest. Both of them are sound asleep by the looks of it, and they look so peaceful and at ease. 

Without a word, Magnus takes his place in the bed just behind Robin. He presses a light kiss to the top of her head, overcome with his love for her. 

Before he lets himself drift off to sleep, Magnus whispers a prayer in the dark.

“Thank you, Sigyn.” he whispers in a barely audible tone. “Thank you for saving Robin.” 

Annabeth, Percy, Magnus, Alex, Robin and Luke stay with Frederick in San Francisco for 4 days. Most of those days are spent at home, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. 

Magnus tries to encourage Luke to sign curse words in ASL, when Annabeth isn’t looking, and Percy teaches Robin some ancient Greek and Latin curse words, which neither Magnus nor Alex catch onto since they don’t speak a word of either of those languages. 

Early in the morning of their 5th day in SF, the Jackson-Chase’s and the Fierro-Chase’s pack up and say their goodbyes to Frederick, promising to stay in touch and see each other soon, before they head to the airport to catch their plane to their next destination, New York. 

“I hate travelling by air.” Percy grumbles to Alex, as they all line up for priority boarding. 

“Then swim.” Alex replies in a deadpan tone, wincing as Luke screeches right in his ear. He had offered to hold him for a bit to give Annabeth and Percy a break, and now the little rascal seems to find it hilarious to screech in Alex’s ear. 

“Don’t tempt me.” Percy mumbles. “Luke’s never been on a plane before. I hope you packed earplugs.” he then adds. He doubts Luke will enjoy being in Zeus’ domain either, plus babies in general seem to hate flights. 

 “Neither has Robin, but she is obsessed with flying, just like Sam. I’m hoping that means she’ll be in her element during the flight.” Alex replies, grinning as she hears Robin telling Annabeth all about the planes she sees through the windows. 

“Wanna swap kids for the flight? I think Luke likes being with you!” Percy hopefully asks, only half joking. Of course he adores his son, and is so grateful to have him, but he doesn’t like the idea of holding a screaming baby for almost 6 hours. 

Alex laughs as if this the funniest thing anyone has ever suggested, carefully untangling Luke’s hand from his hair. He kisses Luke on the cheek before swiftly handing him back to Percy. 

“Nice try seaweed brain, I hope you packed earplugs.” 

Mercifully, both kids are pretty content the entire flight. Luke fusses and cries a bit during take off but he soon settles down, happy to just be held by his mom or dad and sleeping for at least half the flight. 

Robin sits very contently between her parents, alternating between watching kids shows on in the flight entertainment system, and coloring in her space-themed coloring book that she loves so much.

Once in Manhattan, Magnus briefly uses the Midgard entrance to Valhalla to drop off most of he, Alex and Robin’s luggage. Percy, Annabeth and Luke will be staying at Camp Half Blood for a week so they take their luggage with them. 

Chiron did invite Magnus, Alex and Robin to stay the night too, offering them a room in The Big House. However they decided they would prefer to just go back to Valhalla at night. 

With Frederick, Magnus wanted to stay to make an effort to get to know his Uncle and let Robin get to know more of her family. But staying overnight in a camp meant for a totally different Pantheon of demigods, just feels too much for them. So they opt instead to accompany Annabeth, Percy and Luke to Camp during the day, and go back home to Valhalla at night. 

Before too long they are at the top of Half Blood Hill. They pause to say hello to Peleus The Dragon, who is working hard guarding Thalia’s tree and the golden fleece.

Then they head down into the Camp, and before too long they are greeted by Leo, who grins ecstatically when he sees them, and waves enthusiastically. 

“Hey guys!” Leo cheerfully greets, jogging up to meet them. He immediately peers into the stroller at Luke, his face lights up even further (not literally, thankfully) when he sees him. “Hey buddy! How are ya? Man look how big you’re getting! Who said you could grow up so fast, huh?” Leo teases, rapidly signing along as he speaks, so fast that even Magnus doesn’t catch every word.

“If I offer for you to hold him, you’re not gonna burst into flames or anything are you?” Percy wearily asks, eyeing his friend up and down as he contemplates whether or not it’s a good idea to let the guy who sometimes spontaneously combusts, hold his son.

“Nah I got that whole spontaneous combustion thing under control, no more impromptu flames.” Leo assures Percy, batting his hand in the air as if deflecting Percy’s worries. 

Luke grins at Leo from Percy’s arms, and reaches his arms out towards Leo.

“Aww see?! He wants to hang out with his Uncle Leo! C’mere little dude!” Leo joyfully exclaims, happily taking the baby into his arms when Percy passes him over. 

He didn’t think adding a baby to their friend group would be such a great idea, but Luke is awesome and the coolest little dude around, Leo loves getting to babysit and hangout with him, and he can’t wait to see all the cool things Luke will do as he grows up.

“Ay Pendejo, what are we, invisible?” Alex scolds Leo, gesturing to himself, Magnus and Robin. He and Leo have met a few times before and get along pretty well. They both have that same dry quick sarcastic humor. They both have really terrible mortal families, with Leo being rejected and abandoned by his Tía Rosa after his mom died, and Alex being abused by his father his whole life, before being thrown out on the streets at 14. 

They have that kind of friendship where to outsiders they appear to be very mean to each other, but really it’s their own strange way of showing love and affection. Dark humour and all that. 

Leo rolls his eyes jokingly and gives Alex a dazzling smile. 

“Hi Alex, miss me?” he teases, throwing in a wink for good measure. 

Alex mimes dry heaving. “Yeah, as much as I’d miss a pain the butt.” he retorts, which makes Leo laugh. 

“Touché.” Leo laughs, before turning his attention to Robin who seems to be cloud glazing, laying on her back in the grass and talking quietly to herself. “Hey Robin!” Leo greets. “How’s The Chosen One?” he teases, earning himself a whack on the arm from Alex. 

“Don’t call her that!” Alex scolds. He knows Leo is only teasing and means well when he jokingly calls Robin things like "The Chosen One." or "The Saviour.", but he and Magnus do not want any big important titles like that put on Robin.

 It’s too much pressure for a kid. She knows bits and pieces about the prophecy made about her before she was born, but of course at only 4 years old, she doesn’t understand most of it. 

“Aww why not?” Leo replies, not really understanding what the big deal is. 

“We want Robin to have a normal childhood, she doesn’t need any big important titles or anything. She’s only 4, she doesn’t understand prophecies or fates or anything.” Magnus adds in, feeling just as firm and passionate about this as Alex does. 

Robin has a huge future ahead of her, she’ll be under enough pressure when she gets older and understands her fate and what’s in store for her. She doesn’t need to worry about it now at 4, she deserves to have an uneventful and calm childhood. Well, as much as is possible for the child of two Einherjar. 

“Alright okay, I’m sorry.” Leo concedes, holding one hand up in surrender. 

“I wanna see the doggie!” Robin states, looking around for Mrs. O’Leary, who she’s only met in person once, when Robin was just a baby, but she sees plenty of videos and pictures of her from Annabeth and Percy. She’s dog mad already, and has been asking Odin why dogs and animals can’t be Einherjar and live with them in Valhalla. 

“I’m not sure where she is kiddo.” Percy says, looking around for the unmissable huge black mass that is his dog. 

“Then we gotta find her!” Robin insists, marching over to Percy and grabbing his hand. “Come on!” She tugs on his hand and starts walking down the path towards the Big House. 

“We better follow them.” Magnus laughs, finding it highly amusing to see the legendary Percy Jackson being dragged around by a 4 year old kid. 

They all make their way up to the porch of the Big House, where Chiron is sitting in his wheelchair at the table, finishing up a game of Pinochle with Mr. D. 

“The Cavalry has arrived!” Leo dramatically announces with a big grin on his face, “We’ve come to save you Chiron, from the dread of hanging' out with Mr. D.” 

“Watch it, Lenny.” Mr. D grunts. “I tolerate you but that can change very quickly.” 

Alex snorts with laughter at Leo’s new nickname. “Just so you know I’m never calling you anything but Lenny ever again.” Alex teases Leo with a laugh. 

“Same here.” Percy agrees, having now picked Robin up and set her on his shoulders, so that she doesn’t yank his shoulder out of his socket by dragging him behind her. 

“Where’s doggie?” Robin innocently asks, looking around with bright hopeful eyes. 

“Ah I’m afraid Mrs. O’Leary is off helping Nico, little one.” Chiron apologetically informs Robin, hating to see the light of hope dim in her eyes. 

“How about you and me go over there and talk to Piper in the rainbow instead?” Leo suggests to Robin, patting his pocket to make sure he has a gold drachma to use to IM Piper with. 

“Yeah! Piper!” Robin happily exclaims, as Percy sets her down and Leo passes Luke back to Percy. 

“What is it with you two and bringing babies around here, huh?” Mr. D grumbles to Percy and Annabeth, looking at Luke in Percy’s arms. “First Perry Johansson's sister, then Anniebeth’s cousin’s kid, and now… well who’s this then?” he adds, gesturing to Luke.

“Oh come on Mr. D, you know who Luke is.” Annabeth insists. She and Percy had been open with everyone at camp about their IVF journey, and had been to camp a lot when Annabeth was pregnant. And surely Chiron or one of the others would have at least mentioned to Mr. D, that Luke had been born?

“Luke? What, you mean Hermes’ boy?” Mr. D. replies, scratching his beard and crinkling his nose in confusion. 

“No, the baby’s name is Luke too.” Annabeth sighs. She doesn’t know why she’s engaging in this back and forth with the Camp Director, he’s never going to admit to knowing exactly who Luke is. 

“Children having children.” Mr. D scoffs, his attention now back on his cards. 

“We’re 23.” Percy blankly states. Though he supposes, to an immortal God like Dionysus, 23 really is just a baby. 

“If you want to talk about children having children you’ll need to talk to my cousin here.” Annabeth lightly says, nudging Magnus with her elbow. 

“You’re worse than Blitz and Hearth.” Magnus rolls his eyes. His friends really love to tease him about being an eternal teen parent. He can’t even think about the fact that in just over 10 years time, Robin will technically be the same age as her parents. 

“Anyway.” Annabeth begins, sitting down in a chair next to Chiron. “We wanted to come and introduce Luke to his Camp Half Blood family. Chiron, do you wanna hold him?” 

The older man’s face lights up, though there is certainly apprehension in his expression also. Of course, he is eager and delighted to meet the little one, it’s not often Chiron’s students live long enough to have families of their own, and it’s even less common for them to then visit their old mentor with their new family. 

However, on the other hand, he has not held a baby in a long time. He has little to no experience with infants, and isn’t entirely sure he’s comfortable around them. 

But he can’t refuse this offer. It’s an honor to get to meet and know this little one, especially after the child’s scary and rough start to life, being born 2 months early. 

“I would be honoured.” Chiron softly agrees, allowing Annabeth to carefully place the baby in the cradle of her mentor’s arms. 

Luke. Annabeth signs to her son. This is Chiron, he is like dad to me. He is good man, very good man. Maybe one day, you will train with him too, like me and your dad. 

Chiron smiles softly down at the peaceful baby in his arms, and runs a hand over Luke’s mop of blonde hair. 

“He is absolutely wonderful, Annabeth. You did a tremendous job, you both did.” Chiron praises, feeling immensely proud of his former students. He is fully aware of the fact that Annabeth’s journey to motherhood was a tough battle, and like the amazingly strong young woman she is, she fought that battle and won.

“He really is, he’s our miracle.” Annabeth quietly agrees, resting her head on Percy’s shoulder when he pulls a chair up beside her. 

“And how are you feeling dear? You didn’t have it easy carrying this little one.” Chiron queries with concern. 

“I’m doing a lot better than the first few days and weeks.” Annabeth tells him, grateful to have had a relatively peaceful last 4 months with Luke, after his discharge from the NICU.

“Carrying a Chase baby is rough.” Alex sympathises, sometimes still feeling that awful intense nausea he constantly had when pregnant. Not to mention the joint pain. 

“Yes it is.” Annabeth agrees. “But worth it.” 

Alex grins, his gaze briefly drawn to Robin and Leo a few feet away. 

“Yeah, it really is.” Alex softly says. He’s said it and thought it so many times over the last few years, but he would go through every second of his pregnancy all over again as long as it meant getting Robin at the end. 

“We haven’t told you his middle name yet, Chiron, have we?” Percy changes the subject, sharing a knowing grin with Annabeth, both eager to let Chiron in on the secret at long last. 

“I don’t believe you have.” Chiron replies. 

Annabeth reaches out and runs a hand over her son’s blonde hair. “His name is Luke Chiron Jackson-Chase.” she softly states. 

Chiron goes completely still, his gaze still focused on the baby in his arms. Truth be told he’s hesitant to lift his head, because he doesn’t want the others to see the tears in his eyes. 

“Why does Professor Hay For Breath get a kid named after him and I don’t? I’m the God!” Dionysus exclaims, his tone disgruntled. Which surprises Percy, who thought Mr. D. very much would not have wanted him and Annabeth to name their son after him.

“We’ll name the next one after you.” Percy states casually, swiping at the air as if batting away The God’s words. 

Of course, Percy only said that to get Mr. D. off his back and keep him happy. He and Annabeth don’t even know if they want to have a second child. They both want 2 kids, if not 3, but after all the pain and difficulty they went through to have Luke, neither of them are sure they have it in them to go through all that again. 

“Mmm fine but I’ll hold you to that Peter Johnson.” Dionysus warns, his gaze still focused on the cards in his hands. 

“Peter Johnson sounds like a regional manager of a Walmart or something.” Alex whispers to Magnus with a light laugh. 

Magnus snickers and nods his agreement. 

Before any more jokes or promises can be made, Chiron lets out a shaky breath and clears his throat before finally lifting his head, to look at Percy and Annabeth. 

“I have been training heroes for centuries.” He begins, his voice still wobbly. “I have been given many great honours over the years, but never one quite like this. 

Percy, Annabeth. For you to choose to honor me this way means more than I could ever express. 

I look forward to seeing this little one grow up over the years, there is no doubt he has a big destiny ahead of him, much like his parents.”

“We can only hope he grows up to be as courageous, kind, loyal and loving as his namesake.” Annabeth muses, just watching Chiron and baby Luke looking at each other in awe, on complete opposite ends of the spectrum of life. Luke, only 6 months old, still so new and fresh to the world with so much ahead of him to see and experience. 

And Chiron, thousands of years old. He has experienced and witnessed much, and helped shape the world as it is today, through his training of great Greek Heroes, both ancient ones like Hercules, and more modern ones like Percy and Annabeth. 

And yet Chiron knows that there is still much for him to learn. He is certain that this little boy in his arms, blinking up at him with his big sea-green eyes, will teach him far more than anyone else ever could. 

“Hey, how about a Camp Half Blood family photo?” Alex eagerly suggests, figuring that Percy and Annabeth are going to want to memorise and cherish this moment always. Just like Magnus and Alex cherish the memories they have of Robin meeting their Valhalla family for the first time. 

“Great idea!” Annabeth happily exclaims. “Mr. D, you wanna be in our family photo?” she then asks the Wine God, only half teasing. Much as he can frustrate Annabeth at times, with his nonchalant attitude to everything, and his grumpy disposition, she does still love him. If Chiron is her surrogate father, then Mr. D is like her grouchy but cool uncle. 

“No I do not.” Mr. D. calmly replies. “I will participate in one group photo per century, and luckily for me, I already fulfilled that quota about 60 years ago.” 

“Aw drats, what a shame.” Percy deadpans. 

“I don’t like funny guys, Perry Johansson.” He warns, giving Percy a look that seems to dare him to give the God sass and attitude one more time, and see what happens. 

“Leo!” Annabeth calls, gesturing for her friend to come join them. “C’mon! Camp Half Blood family photo! Are Hazel and Frank here?” 

“No, they’re at Camp Jupiter and Piper’s back home visiting her dad. And no, I don't know where anyone else is.” Leo responds, jogging back over to his friends, with Robin right behind him. 

“It’s fine we’ll take another one next time we’re all together.” Annabeth decides, gesturing for Leo to go stand behind Chiron, while she and Percy stay sitting beside him, and Luke of course remains happily in his arms. 

Alex snaps a series of photos, all of which radiate the love and joy coming off the group of 5. 

And with that, Luke’s first (but certainly not last) trip to Camp Half Blood comes to an end, but it won’t be long before he is back, establishing a new era and generation for Camp Half Blood. 

Soon the Poseidon cabin will no longer be empty, and once again filled with the energy of a new generation of heroes. 

The grandchildren of Olympus. 

Chapter Text

Magnus has always thought of his family as being relatively small. Even before his mom died, and after the family argument that led to the rift between Natalie, Randolph and Frederick. For most of Magnus’ life it was just him and his mom, they were each other's only family in their eyes for a long time.

When Natalie died when Magnus was 14, he briefly felt like he had no family at all anymore. Then Blitzen and Hearth came into his life, practically adopted him as their own kid, (despite the two of them only being 4 years older than Magnus) and so for the next two years he had a family of 2, and he was perfectly happy with that. 

Fast forward to less than a year after his arrival at Valhalla, and Magnus’ family expanded from 2 to 9 (not counting his dad, Frey.) Samirah, Alex, Blitzen, Hearth, T.J., Mallory, Gunderson, Jack, and of course- Annabeth. 

He had been certain then that his close knit family would remain as it was until Ragnarök, with no new additions and hopefully no losses of any kind. 

Of course, Magnus was very wrong about that, because the same month they opened the Chase Space shelter, Magnus got the shock of his life and afterlife, when Alex told him she was pregnant. 

So then his family joyously increased by 1, when he and Alex’s amazing baby girl, Robin, made her grand entrance into the world on a warm April evening. 

Before he knew it, Magnus gained even more family members, in the form of a niece and a nephew. Annabeth and Percy’ son Luke, and Sam and Amir’s daughter Layla.

Now it’s been 2 years since Luke was born, and Magnus is fairly certain that there will be no more additions or changes to the family. 

Having a big family is overwhelming at times, but also so rewarding and beautiful, especially in moments like this. Where he and Annabeth are sitting in a playground in Boston, squinting in the bright sunlight as they watch 6 year old Robin and 2 year old Luke, playing happily together on the playground equipment. 

“Oh my gods!” Magnus exclaims in a surprised high pitched tone, wincing and turning away as he witnesses Robin climb to the top of the slide, then turn back to the steps leading up to the slide, and leaping off. 

Robin doesn’t have Einherjar strength like her parents, she can get hurt just as easily as a regular mortal 6 year old. So of course her favorite pastime is jumping from big heights. Robin claims her jumping around is actually "Parkour", a trend introduced to her by Leo, of course. 

Annabeth laughs at Magnus’ reaction. It’s hilarious that the guy who participates in daily combat to the death, can’t watch his kid jump a few feet off the ground. 

“You all good, Robin?” Annabeth calls to her niece, who turns to her and grins while giving her a big thumbs up. 

“See? She’s fine.” Annabeth tells Magnus, who has now turned back to the scene in front of him, a little more at ease now Robin isn’t jumping off things. 

“I don’t know why I’m surprised, I mean this is the kid who was climbing out of her crib by her first birthday and is the grandchild of the literal embodiment of chaos.” Magnus laughs. 

He doesn’t often like to acknowledge that Robin is Loki’s granddaughter, but it can be hard to deny at times, given how she can be pretty mischievous and chaotic at times. But in a completely harmless way. Like the time she put googly eyes on the weapons of the residents of floor 19. That had actually been both very impressive and side splittingly funny. Magnus really loves Robin's silly goofy sense of humour, and he hopes she never looses it. 

Annabeth nods in agreement, taking a sip from her takeaway cup of coffee. 

“This is really nice, us just hanging out, our kids getting to grow up together.” Annabeth softly comments, leaning against Magnus and watching the two kids playing happily together, their innocent giggles and shrieks of joy echoing in the warm Spring air. 

“It is.” Magnus agrees with a smile of his own. “I’m glad we’re not passing down that generational trauma to them. I don’t know what went down between my mom, your dad and Uncle Randolph but I hate that they let it affect us kids.” 

Magnus can only guess that the Chase siblings falling out all those years ago was somehow related to Magnus and his birth right to Sumarbrander (Who now of course goes by 'Jack') , as well as what happened to Randolph’s wife and daughters. Caroline, Emma and Aubrey. 

But whatever it was, it shouldn’t have gotten in the way of Annabeth and Magnus being able to have a relationship, to grow up and have normal childhoods together. Or at least some sort of semblance of a normal childhood. 

“Me too.” Annabeth nods. “We deserved better, and our kids deserve better. I’m proud of us for breaking that cycle of trauma.” 

“Well said cuz. Cheers to breaking family generational trauma.” Magnus proposes, holding his own cup of takeaway coffee out. 

Annabeth grins and taps her cup against Magnus’. 

“To breaking familial intergenerational trauma.” She echoes.

“You know what would make this moment even better?” Magnus asks.

“What?” 

“Snacks, I smell sugar nearby.” Magnus states, looking around to see where the scent is coming from. Maybe he’s imagining it, can Einherji experience psychological glitches like phantom smells? 

“Ah, well it’s a good job that Lukey and I stopped by a bakery on the way here and got this.” Annabeth says, pulling out a pink rectangular cardboard box from the basket under Luke’s stroller. 

Magnus’ eyes light up in delight, Annabeth is half expecting him to start drooling and say something about donuts, like Homer Simpson. 

“I freakin love you, you’re the best!” Magnus happily and giddy exclaims, as Annabeth briefly peeks inside the box (probably to check that nothing got squashed) before closing the lid again and passing the box to Magnus. 

“I know, and like I said 8 years ago in the funeral home, you’re still a butt.” Annabeth lightly teases, bumping shoulders with Magnus. 

Magnus just laughs and opens the lid of the box. 

He’s so focused on the delicious and mouth-watering glazed assortment of donuts, that Magnus almost misses the two pieces of paper taped to the inside of the lid of the box. 

“What’s this?” he asks Annabeth in a confused tone, scrunching his brow and squinting his eyes as he tries to make out the loopy handwriting on the first piece of paper. 

“I dunno, you’ll have to read it to find out.” Annabeth teasingly replies, clearly trying to suppress a grin or a giggle. 

Magnus looks at her suspiciously, wondering if this is some kind of prank. But what prank starts with a box of baked goods, a note, and a blurry black and white image?

He leans closer to the piece of paper and after a second he’s able to work out what the writing says. 

We have a sweet surprise!

Coming December this year! 

That’s when it clicks for Magnus, and he slowly looks over to the blurry black and white image beside the note. Right in the middle of the photo is a tiny little white outline that looks a bit like a bean or a peanut with the beginnings of arms and legs. 

“Annabeth…” Magnus breathes in disbelief, looking between the image and his cousin, trying to fully process the big reveal. “You’re… oh my gods you’re… are you?!” 

Annabeth laughs and nods enthusiastically. “I’m pregnant.” she whispers excitedly, almost as if she can’t believe it herself. 

“Holy crap! Oh my Gods, Annabeth, that's amazing, I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!!” Magnus laughs, leaning forward to give Annabeth a hug. 

“Thank you, I’ve been so excited to tell you!” Annabeth beams, as they pull back from the hug. 

“I didn’t even know you were doing IVF again, did I miss the memo?” Magnus lightly asks, wondering how he could possibly have missed such big and exciting news. 

“No no, no memo. We didn’t do IVF, we weren’t even intentionally trying. It just… happened.” Annabeth shrugs, her tone breathy but full of joy and delight.

“Oh you weren’t trying? But Annabeth I thought you should always use protection unless you’re 100% actively trying to have a baby.” Magnus mocks her stern tone from 6 years ago, when he told her that Alex was pregnant, and Annabeth had made sure to scold him for not using protection and ending up in that situation. 

Now is too good of an opportunity to pass up for him to tease Annabeth, let him pretend to be the mature responsible cousin for once.

Annabeth laughs and shoves Magnus quite hard, almost knocking him off the bench. 

“Shut your face Chase, I’m only surprised because I didn’t think I could get pregnant without assistance.” Annabeth tells him. She had even given up on tracking her periods and cycle over the last 2 years, after Luke was born the very last thing on her mind was when and if she was getting her period. 

“Yeah and I was surprised when Alex got pregnant because we’re Einherjar, if anything that’s like the ultimate reason to believe you can’t have kids.” Magnus retorts, picking up the box of donuts that fell to the ground when Annabeth shoved him, very glad that luckily none of the donuts actually fell out of the box. 

“You’re the son of a fertility God! I feel like it would’ve been a smart assumption to make that you had powers related to fertility.” Annabeth points out. 

“Oh whatever, Wise Girl. does anyone else know about the baby yet?” Magnus asks, not wanting to admit that once again Annabeth has won the argument. 

“Just Percy so far, and Will. We told Will almost as soon as we found out, for medical advice and stuff. He’s got this little machine that lets you listen to the baby’s heartbeat, it’s the most amazing thing ever.” Annabeth’s voice turns soft and whimsical, as she thinks of the loud and steady beat of her daughter’s heart, the sound filling the room and making her think of horses’ hooves against the ground. Which is very apt, given that Percy’s father is the creator of horses. 

“Best sound in the world.” Magnus agrees. “When Alex was pregnant she had a couple of check ins with Frigg, and we got to hear Robin’s heartbeat a few times, it was more magical than any rune magic I’ve ever seen.” he adds in a nostalgic and whimsical tone. The most magical thing about that moment wasn't the fact that Frigg was able to just click her fingers and make the room fill with the sound of Robin's heartbeat, but rather the actual noise and sound of that strong and steady heartbeat itself. It had brought tears to Magnus' eyes, and Alex's too. 

He can easily imagine how utterly relieving and joyful it was for Annabeth and Percy to hear the sound of their baby's heartbeat, after all they went through to have Luke, plus his premature birth. He really hopes this new baby doesn't take a leaf out of their big brother's book and decide she needs to see the world a whole 2 months early. 

“It sure is.” Annabeth murmurs, running a hand over her bump and just soaking in the bliss and excitement of the moment.

A minute or so later, Annabeth speaks up again. “Hey, you’ll never guess how we found out about the baby.”  She begins excitedly.

 She has been so eager to share this news and this story with her friends and family for a while now, but she didn’t even let herself believe it was real and going to work out, till recently. 

“How?” Magnus eagerly asks, leaning forward in intrigue. Going by Annabeth’s words, he doubts she found out by taking a pregnancy test at home or by getting a blood test at the doctor’s. 

“Well we were at Camp Half Blood, and while Percy was teaching a lesson in sword combat I hung out with the pegasi. 

I noticed Blackjack was being really attentive with me, he was at my side the whole time and kept nuzzling me and stuff. I didn’t think much of it, just figured he was looking for extra sugar cubes or something. 

Well when Percy gets back from teaching and joins me at the stables, he and Blackjack start talking, and Percy goes completely still and wide eyed which freaked me out. 

After a few minutes, he turned to me and just said ‘You’re pregnant.’” Annabeth lightly shakes her head in disbelief as she ends her sentence, but grinning the whole time. It really is just like Percy to just blurt that out.

“Way to give a girl some warning.” Magnus laughs, imagining how Alex would react if he had somehow sensed her pregnancy before she did and just turned around and stated to her that she was pregnant.  

“I know, right?! I didn’t believe him at first, though I didn’t think he was messing with me, I knew Percy wouldn’t do that after everything we’ve been through with trying to get pregnant, and Luke being preemie. 

Anyway Percy said that Blackjack told him I needed to be careful and take it easy because of the baby. He had no idea that I had no idea that I’m pregnant. 

Luke was with Sally and Paul at their place so on our way to pick him up we went to a pharmacy and bought an embarrassing amount of pregnancy tests. 

Magnus I’m not kidding when I say I took about 4 pregnancy tests that first day, and then I started testing every morning and making sure it was still positive and the line wasn’t getting lighter or anything. 

I only stopped a few weeks ago when the baby started kicking and moving. I just need some sort of assurance every day that I’m still pregnant.” 

Annabeth lets out a heavy sigh as she finishes her story, it’s been an intense and nerve wracking few weeks. Especially because she's had little to no symptoms, which while it's been nice to still feel like herself and not overcome with fatigue, has also been a little frightening and makes her worry and fret that since she has little to no symptoms, something isn't right and things won't work out. She knows that taking a pregnancy test every single day for about 12 weeks is probably not a very healthy coping mechanism, but with her not getting weekly ultrasounds from 6 weeks to 9 weeks this time like she did with Luke, and with her not feeling any kicks till about 14 weeks, she needed and still needs some way to verify that everything was continuing as it should. 

Though now she's getting further into pregnancy she's less worried about loosing the baby and more worried about the birth. Yes she is nervous and frightened about the baby potentially being preemie like Luke, but she's also terrified of what labor and birth will be like for her.

“Wow, well that’s a fun story to tell the baby when they’re older. How far along are you?” Magnus asks, pulling Annabeth out of her thoughts.

“Ok don’t judge me…. I’m 20 weeks, halfway through.” Annabeth admits, cringing slightly. She feels a little guilty for keeping this secret for so long. Especially given that when she was pregnant with Luke, she told Magnus when she was only 4 weeks pregnant, she told him the very same day that she and Percy found out for themselves. 

“Annabeth Charlotte Jackson-Chase!” Magnus mockingly scolds, though very much taken by surprise at this revelation. 

“I know I know!” Annabeth defends. “But until recently I didn’t even really let myself believe everything would work out. I tried really hard not to get attached to the baby because I was so sure something would happen, terrified that I’d miscarry. If that was going to happen I wanted time to just grieve and process it before I told anyone else, outside of Percy.” 

“That must be hell.” Magnus quietly says, looking at his cousin with eyes full of concern. He can’t imagine living every day of the last few months, just assuming it was only a matter of time before a tragedy happened. 

“It was, it is.” Annabeth agrees, looking down at her rounded stomach and running a hand down her bump. “Though now I’m starting to get really scared and worried about the birth, given how things went when Luke was born.” She quietly confesses, moving her gaze to her toddler and being hit with a wall of fear and dread, as she remembers the day she went into early labor. A vivid image fills her mind, of the bright red blood that greeted her when she went to the bathroom that day, followed just half an hour later by her waters breaking. 

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Magnus admits. He himself still gets hit with waves of fear and worry as he remembers Percy stumbling into the hospital waiting room, and telling Magnus and Alex that Annabeth had haemorrhaged during the C-section. 

He can’t fathom how much more intense and terrifying it must be for Annabeth, having been the one who went through the trauma. 

“I’ve talked about it with my OB and Percy, I think I’m gonna have a planned C-section this time. My OB agrees that it will help my anxiety around the unknown of it all. And I’m going to have closer monitoring this time. 

Luke was born early because I had a bacterial infection but it wasn’t caught because I didn't have symptoms, and the midwife didn’t do the routine test that week and a week later Luke was born.” Annabeth explains. 

Despite her less than great relationship with Hera, Goddess of motherhood and families, Annabeth has been praying to her a lot lately and asking for guidance and safety for her and her baby these next 20ish weeks. She really hopes the Goddess will take pity and mercy on her and listen to her prayers.

“That makes sense, you gotta do what’s right for you. Do you have someone to watch Luke? I can help out if you need, if you’re okay with us looking after him at your place? Us being Alex, Robin and I.” Magnus clarifies, knowing Robin would just love to have a sleep over with Luke. And it would be nice for her to get to do a simple normal kids activity like a sleepover with her cousin.

“Thank you for offering but it’s alright, Will has already volunteered himself and Nico to babysit for as long as we need. Plus I'm sure once we tell my dad and Percy's parents they'll be eager to offer to help too. But there is one thing Percy and I want to ask you.” Annabeth states with a knowing grin, running a hand across her stomach.

“Oh Gods are you gonna ask me to be your backup birth partner?” Magnus wearily asks. Seeing Alex bring Robin into the world was the most amazing thing he’s ever witnessed, but also pretty horrifying, what with all the blood and screaming and cursing. He’s not sure he can manage seeing Annabeth have major abdominal surgery. 

Annabeth laughs hard. The image of Magnus looking like a lost puppy in a surgical gown, mask and hat is highly amusing.

 Plus she doesn’t doubt he’d be more anxious and nervous than she would be. She remembers a time when they were kids, around 6 and 8, and Annabeth fell and got a pretty nasty scrape/cut on her knee.

 Natalie had taken the two kids inside and cleaned up the cut and put a bandage on it to keep it from getting dirty again. 

Annabeth had hardly flinched during the whole thing, while Magnus was on the verge of tears and kept asking his mom if Annabeth was gonna be ok.  Looking back, it's pretty ironic that the son of a healer God, who himself has healing powers and abilities, was so anxious and upset around people who got hurt. 

“Oh Magnus I love you, but no.” Annabeth tells him. “You remember how we had a naming ceremony for Luke, once he got home from the NICU, on the beach?” 

Magnus nods. He and Alex hadn’t been able to make it to the naming ceremony in Long Island when Luke was 4 months old, but Paul had filmed the whole thing and sent it to them and other friends and family who couldn’t be there in person.

Annabeth had looked like a Goddess herself that day. Standing on the beach in the sunlight, wearing a loose and flowing white dress, her curls loose and free around her bare shoulders, Luke held close to her chest, sleeping peacefully in his mom’s arms while she looked down at him with an expression of pure joy and love.

“Well we’re hoping to do the same for this little one, and we would be really honoured if you would be her Godfather. Like Grover is Luke’s Godfather, and Thalia is his Godmother.” Annabeth softly and hopefully asks, her hands folded across her bump as she waits for Magnus to respond. 

“R-really?” Magnus quietly asks, overcome with emotions. 

Annabeth nods. “Absolutely. I know you love my kids as much as I do, and I trust you wholeheartedly to be a safe person for them to grow up around.  To love them and guide them through life. Which I know you would do anyway, but it’s nice to make it official.” 

Despite not being big on physical touch, Magnus finds himself leaning across and hugging his cousin tightly. Annabeth isn’t just his cousin, she’s his big sister. One of his best friends. Someone who makes him laugh and plays stupid pranks on him, even at her mature age of 25. She’s Robin’s Aunty, and has basically been her main teacher/tutor for the last 2 years. 

“I love you so damn much, cuz.” Magnus quietly says, pecking a kiss to her cheek.

“I love you more.” Annabeth insists. “So can I take that as a yes?” 

“I’d be offended if you didn’t.” 

Annabeth, Percy and Luke stay in Boston for a week as they do several times a year now, to spend time with Magnus, Alex, Robin and the rest of the gang. 

With Magnus now knowing about the baby, and Alex (Annabeth told her a few hours after she told Magnus) the next people to tell the exciting news to are Percy’s parents, Sally and Paul (Percy will try to IM Poseidon later and tell him the wonderful news), as well as his sister Estelle who is almost 9 now and takes her role as Luke’s Aunty very seriously. 

When they reach the Jackson-Blofis’ apartment in New York, Percy digs out his key for the apartment and knocks to announce their arrival before letting himself, Annabeth and Luke into the apartment. 

They had text Sally beforehand to make sure she, Paul and Estelle would be home today, and that it was okay for them to drop by for a visit. 

Still, Percy feels it’s just polite to knock and announce their arrival. 

“Hey guys!” Percy calls out, shutting the door behind him and kicking off his shoes by the front door. 

From the door leading into the living room they hear a gasp, and a blur of teal darts past Annabeth and launches themself at Percy, wrapping their arms around his waist and almost knocking him back with the force at which they throw themselves at him. 

“PERCY!!” Estelle excitedly and joyfully exclaims, beaming up at her big brother with a brilliant bright smile. 

“Woah! Hey Essie!” Percy lightly laughs, putting a hand on her back to steady them both. “You miss me?” 

“Yeah! Are you staying over tonight?” She hopefully asks, always loving sleepovers with her big brother. They’re always so much fun, filled with pillow fights, scary stories that Estelle loves, lots of blue food and stories about what Olympus is like.

Estelle wants to be an architect like Annabeth and loves hearing all about the Godly City that her sister-in-law re-designed less than 10 years ago.

“Sorry kiddo not tonight.” Percy gently lets her down, feeling guilty as hell when she looks at him with her big round green eyes filled with disappointment. He hates letting her down like this, but it’s a lot harder to have spontaneous sleepovers now they have Luke, and Annabeth is pregnant. 

“Aww.” Estelle frowns in a sullen tone, making Percy feel even more guilty and like the world's worst big brother. 

“Maybe you could come stay with us next week, Stella? How about that?” Annabeth suggests. Now she and Percy have moved out of New Rome and are renting in Manhattan, they can have Estelle for sleepovers at their place. There’s a spare bed in Luke’s room and for now he still sleeps in his crib, so Estelle can take the bed for a night or two. 

“Really?!” Estelle gasps in delight, the disappointment in her eyes soon being replaced by joy and hope. 

“Yeah as long as you’re ok with sharing a room with Lukey for the night.” Annabeth tells her, wincing as she stoops over to lift Luke out of his stroller. Damn pregnancy back pain. 

“I don’t mind, least he doesn’t snore like Percy!” Estelle giggles, shrieking with laughter when Percy gives her a mock offended look and playfully tosses Luke’s blanket at her, hitting her square in the face.

“No but he does drool in his sleep, like his dad. Although Luke’s drooling in his sleep is much cuter than Percy’s.” Annabeth adds on with a laugh of her own.

“Hey!” Percy protests. “What is this, make fun of Percy day?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course not.” Annabeth chides. “That’s not till tomorrow, today is annoy Percy day.” 

Percy turns to Luke and raises an eyebrow at him before signing Think they’re ganging up on me Luke, defend me! 

Luke just shrieks at his father and squirms around in his stroller, not pleased at not being allowed to just roam around freely and instead being confined to his stroller. 

Annabeth smiles sympathetically at her son and runs a hand over his mop of blonde hair. Sorry baby boy. She signs. Can’t lift you, my back hurts a lot. She really hopes that the back pain is only as intense as it is right now because she and Percy have been out and about all day with Luke, and Annabeth has been on her feet most of the day. The last thing she wants is to be totally unable to lift Luke until the baby is born, and be unable to care for him by herself. 

“I got him.” Percy assures Annabeth, quickly and easily scooping his son up into his arms and perches him on his hip. “So Stella, where are mom and dad?” He then asks his sister.

 By now it feels so natural and normal for him to refer to Paul as ‘dad’, not only because that’s what Estelle calls him but because Paul is a father figure to Percy, he loves him and cares about him just as much as he loves and cares about Estelle.

Paul always tells people he has two kids, a son and a daughter, which means a lot to Percy, to have a father who’s not afraid to claim him. 

He still loves his dad Poseidon, of course. Percy just considers himself lucky enough to have gone from 0 dads (he refuses to acknowledge Smelly Gabe as any sort of father figure at all, abusive scum like him is better off forgotten in Percy’s mind.) to 2. And not forgetting the person who was both mom and dad for most of his life, Sally. 

“In there!” Estelle informs them, pointing to the living room. “They’re watching Shakespeare plays again, they’re so boring!” 

Percy laughs and ruffles Estelle’s hair. He’s not the biggest fan of Shakespeare either, literature isn’t really his thing like it is Sally and Paul’s. And it seems it’s not exactly Estelle’s thing either. 

“Alright well let's go say hi, we wanna tell you guys something.”

The 4 of them head to the living room, with Estelle in the lead. Once Estelle has her back to them, Percy quickly unzips Luke’s jacket and takes it off him, to reveal a light blue t-shirt with white text that reads ‘Big Brother, Loading….’ with a picture of a progress bar halfway full. 

Percy then sets Luke down and hands him a copy of Annabeth’s most recent ultrasound picture. 

Ok buddy! Percy enthusiastically signs to his son. Go show nana, Gramps and Essie your t-shirt!

Percy and Annabeth thought it would be a really sweet idea to have Luke be the one to announce the pregnancy to Sally, Paul and Estelle, so they bought this adorable announcement t-shirt off Etsy, and have been really eager for Luke to wear it and be the one to share the exciting news with his grandparents and aunt.

Luke happily toddles off into the living room, making a beeline straight for Sally. Outside of Annabeth and Percy, Sally is Luke’s favorite person. 

He looks at her like she hangs the moon, and loves baking blue food with her, and he also enjoys helping her organise and categorize her books on the bookshelves in the living room.

It’s lovely for Percy to see his mom and son so close and so bonded, Sally is just as amazing as a grandmother as she is as a mother. 

“Hi Lukey!” Sally joyfully greets her baby grandson, signing as she speaks while he toddles towards her as fast as his little legs will carry him. “How’s my favorite boy huh?” 

“Hey!” Percy can’t help but protest. “What about me? Am I second best now?” 

Sally laughs as she lifts Luke up into her arms. “I didn’t say he was my only favorite boy.” It’s then that Sally notices Luke’s t-shirt and the item in his hand. What you got there buddy? Can I see, please? Sally signs, not wanting to just grab the item out of her grandson’s hand. 

Luke grins broadly at his grandmother and holds the piece of paper out to her, before happily allowing her to pass him to Paul who kisses Luke’s cheek before holding him over his head making Luke screech with laughter. 

Sally then looks down at the piece of paper in her hands, and instantly recognizes it for what it is.

She gasps and brings a hand up to her mouth in shock, her head snapping up to look at Percy and Annabeth, who just can’t hold back their grins and laughs of delight. 

“Oh my goodness… Perseus James Jackson is this what I think it is?!” Sally asks in a mock scolding tone. 

“What? What is it?!” Estelle eagerly questions, standing on her tiptoes to see the piece of paper in her mom’s hands. 

“That Stell, is a picture of your new baby niece.” Percy grins.

Estelle’s eyes go wide with excitement and anticipation. “You mean…?” She trails off, too excited to finish her sentence. 

“That’s right, we’re having another baby. A baby girl, due in December.” Annabeth confirms, smoothing her jumper down to show off her rounded stomach. 

“Guys! That’s wonderful, congratulations!” Paul exclaims, moving in to give his step-son and daughter-in-law a hug, with Luke still held firm on his hip, clapping to show off his own excitement. 

“You didn’t tell us you were going through IVF again! Why?” Sally asks. Annabeth and Percy had both been so open and vulnerable about their first cycle of IVF that resulted in Luke. Annabeth discussed all the tiny details with Sally, fretting over things like hormone levels and measurements and scans, all before she was even pregnant. 

So Sally finds it a bit strange for them to have both kept the news to themselves this time. 

“That’s the thing, we didn’t do IVF again, we weren’t even actively trying to get pregnant. This little peanut is a total surprise.” Percy explains in a fond tone, sharing an excited grin with Annabeth as he lays his hand on her stomach and feels a kick from their daughter. 

“The best surprise ever.” Annabeth agrees, laying her hand on top of Percy’s. 

“I’m gonna be an aunty again?!” Estelle excitedly asks, bouncing on the heels of her feet. She just loves being an aunty to Luke. 

With their only being 6 years between the two of them, they have a lot of common interests and Luke looks up to her like more of a big sister than an aunty. 

She always makes him laugh and smile and he’s always happy when Estelle is around. It’s absolutely precious to see, and the whole Jackson-Chase/Jackson-Blofis family hope their bond stays that way forever.

“You sure are!” Percy agrees, ruffling his sister’s hair affectionately. “But hopefully this baby isn’t as annoying and goofy as you!!” he then adds in a teasing tone, earning a kick to the shin from Estelle, which makes Luke laugh loudly. 

“Hey, no fighting in the house, take it outside if you’re gonna start that!” Sally warns. Perhaps it was a bit naïve of her to think Percy and Estelle wouldn’t still pester and fight with each other just because there’s 18 years between them. 

“Yeah Percy, if you got something to say, name a time and place, face to face.” Estelle turns to Percy, arms folded across her chest and a very serious look in her face.

Percy snorts. “Okay Aaron Burr, listen to something else for a change why don’t you?” he retorts. Lately, Estelle’s go to music has been the Hamilton soundtrack, and any Ariana Grande album. 

“Oh Gods, is this what I have in store for me?” Annabeth whispers to Sally, motioning to the two siblings continuing to bicker with and tease each other. 

Sally laughs softly. “I wouldn’t be surprised, they do say the second born is the wildest, so even though Luke is so calm and laid back, his sister will probably rile him up like Estelle and Percy do with each other.”

“Oh lucky me.” Annabeth sarcastically mutters. But really she can’t wait to see Luke interacting with his sister, even if they do rile each other up like this. 

“So how have you been feeling this time, any of the symptoms or complications you had with Luke?” Sally inquires, changing the subject as Percy and Estelle start play wrestling, while Paul sits down with Luke and starts reading a book with him. 

Gods she loves her bizarre little family. 

“So far so good.” Annabeth says in a hopefully optimistic tone, as she and Sally sit down on the sofa together. "I don’t have any symptoms of gestational diabetes so far, thank the Gods. Hopefully none crop up and when I go in for the glucose test in 4 weeks and it will come back all clear.” 

“4 weeks? So you must be pretty far into the pregnancy already hm?” Sally asks with a grin. 

Annabeth nods, feeling a little shy and nervous that Sally will be upset that she didn’t tell her earlier. Afterall, Sally was one of the first people to know Annabeth was pregnant with Luke. But as she told Magnus, things are just so different with an IVF pregnancy and a non-IVF pregnancy. 

“20 weeks to be exact. I just… until now, until we had the full head to toe anatomy scan the other day I couldn’t let myself believe this was real and that I’m actually going to have a baby at the end of this pregnancy. You’re not upset are you?” Annabeth tries not to wince and feel bad for not confiding in Sally earlier. 

She doesn’t want to upset her mother-in-law, and hopes this isn’t going to cause any bad feelings between them, not after all they’ve been through and all Sally has done for Annabeth. 

“Oh no! No, not at all!” Sally hurriedly assures her daughter-in-law. “I’m just impressed and surprised that you were able to keep it a secret for so long! I know what it’s like, to feel like this is one of the most exciting and wonderful moments of your life, but you’re not convinced it will end well, so you feel like you need to keep it to yourself. I felt the same way when I was pregnant with Estelle. Doctors just loved reminding me that my “advanced maternal age” put me and Estelle at higher risk for a whole host of complications.” 

Annabeth gives a scoff of disgust. Mom shaming, it’s such a horrible thing to experience. 

“They’re never happy, I got flack from some doctors for being too young to start a family, especially because I was going through IVF. They were constantly saying ‘Oh you’re young! It’ll happen eventually, just relax!’ or ‘Oh you have time, your clock isn't ticking yet!’. There’s no winning for moms.” Annabeth sighs in frustration. She had wanted to scream at that doctor that she wasn’t pursuing IVF for fun, or because she was impatient. She has 2 serious medical conditions that heavily impact her fertility and ability to become pregnant and stay pregnant. 

She just wishes that society would leave women the hell alone, and stop demonising them for their family planning choices. 

“The joys of being a woman, huh?” Sally jokes lightly, trying to brighten the mood a bit and steer the conversation in a more positive direction. The last thing Annabeth needs right now is to start feeling stressed and upset. 

“Yeah.” Annabeth agrees with a sigh, running a hand down her belly. Her gaze drifts from her bump to Luke, who is still sitting with Paul who is reading to him, with the book propped in Paul’s lap as he signs with incredible speed and ease. While Luke looks up at him with eyes full of wonder and mesmerisation, clearly thoroughly enjoying his grandfather’s story. 

In this moment, Annabeth knows without a doubt that all the crap she puts up with from other people, all the snide comments and judgemental looks, the mom shaming and constant uncalled for advice and opinions from total strangers, is all worth it for the joy and honor of being Luke and his sister’s mom. 

Chapter Text

By the time the middle of October rolls around, Annabeth begins to feel pretty antsy and more anxious than usual about the pregnancy. She begins to have nightmares about her first labor and birth, feeling a pretty constant overwhelming sense of dread and doom. Often accompanied by an intense fear and conviction that she is once again going into premature labor. 

The feelings happen during the most random times. Sometimes they happen when she’s making up blueprints for work (she began working at a local and extremely successful architect’s firm just after she and Percy began trying to get pregnant for the first time, pre adeno and PCOS diagnosis.) or watching a movie with Percy.

These feelings are most intense at night, when Luke and Percy are fast asleep, all Annabeth’s work is done and nothing and no one needs her focus or attention. She even finds herself having panic attacks as she falls asleep and wakes up. 

Due to the lack of good sleep, Annabeth finds herself feeling foggy minded and much more clumsy and un-coordinated than usual. For a child of Athena like Annabeth, feeling foggy minded and out of sorts is a total nightmare. 

She hates having to stop and think about what the code for the house alarm is, or pause and try to remember if she took her pregnancy vitamins just seconds after she picked up the bottle to take them.

 Just the other day she was holding her bottle of pregnancy vitamins, zoned out for a few seconds on autopilot, and then was completely unable to remember if she even took the vitamin or not. Was the lid closed because she put it back on after taking the vitamin, or was it closed because she hadn’t opened it yet? 

Even multitasking has become difficult for her. Right now Annabeth is trying to juggle chopping up some fruit for Luke to have as a snack, while talking with Magnus who is sitting at the kitchen table just behind her, here for an impromptu visit to spend time with her, Percy and Luke, while Robin and Alex are having a girl’s day out, getting their nails done (Robin’s first time going to a salon to get her nails done, she’s very excited) then going to get lunch and see a movie that Robin has been talking about for weeks. 

Annabeth is certainly happy to spend time with her cousin and for him to spend time with and hang out with Luke, she just wishes she was sharper minded, and not zoning in and out of the conversation while also trying to focus on prepping Luke’s snack. 

Suddenly, Annabeth is yanked out of her mind and thrown fully into the present, when she suddenly feels a stinging pain across the palm of her right hand. 

“Ah! Shit!” Annabeth swears, dropping the knife on the cutting board and wincing as she looks down at her palm, to see a long red line across the surface, with blood beginning to ooze and trickle out. 

“What? What is it?” Magnus anxiously asks, jumping up from his seat and rushing to his cousin’s side. 

“I cut my damn hand, I wasn’t paying enough attention! Gods now I might have to go to urgent care and Luke’s snack is ruined. Damn it to Tartarus!” Annabeth vents with frustration, noticing the red speckles of blood over the fruit she had been chopping, as her hand continues to bleed. 

“Hey let’s not panic, we can fix this easy peasy lemon squeezy.” Magnus gently assures Annabeth, his voice soft and kind. “I can heal your hand for you if you want, and I could ask Jack to chop of some more fruit for Luke while I heal you, if that’s ok with you.” he proposes, hoping Jack, the sharpest blade in all 9 worlds, won’t mind cutting up some fruit for a toddler. It’ll be a nice change for him, as opposed to impaling people on the combat field of Valhalla. 

Annabeth lets out a sigh of frustration as she closes her eyes, but she nods in agreement with Magnus’ plan. 

“Ok, yeah that sounds like a good plan.” She agrees, doing her best to take some deep breaths and let the anger and annoyance just wash over her. 

Magnus reaches up and detaches Jack from his neck chain, and watching as the pendant quickly turns into a sword. 

“Hey Señor!” Jack cheerfully greets. “Oh we’re at your cousin’s place? Nice! Hey Annabeth is uh… is Riptide here?” he then eagerly asks, turning to look around the room in search of the “babe blade.” 

“Hey buddy?” Magnus gently addresses the sword. “Not right now, ok? Annabeth’s… she’s having a rough time, now’s not that time for her to set you and Riptide up. Maybe later ok?” he continues carefully, trying not to upset Jack or make it seem like he’s trying to patronize him or tell what to do. He loves and respects Jack, but sometimes he can be a little much. 

“Oh!” Jack exclaims, as if he just realized a huge mistake he made. “Oh man yeah of course, sorry Annabeth. Pregnancy seems hard. 

This one time me and Frey were hanging out with Freya and she was like… mega pregnant, like extremely pregnant. Man I was scared she was gonna give birth right then and there and I’d have to cut the cord! 

Anyway Freya was telling us about how she wasn’t getting much sleep because the baby was always kicking and_” 

“Jack.” Magnus interrupts the sword before he can continue his tangent. “Can you help us out a bit?” 

At this request for help, Jack’s entire blade lights up and his runes shine yellow and green in excitement and joy. 

“Oh I love helping! What can I do for you, señor?”  he eagerly asks, ready to do anything he asks. 

“You see that fruit on the counter over there?” Magnus nods in the direction of the counter where Annabeth had left out some apples, bananas, oranges and blueberries. 

“Yeah?” 

“Think you can chop them up for us, please?” 

“I’m on it!” Jack enthuses, zooming across the room and quickly getting to work chopping up the fruit while humming the theme tune for the Great British Bake Off.

“Want me to heal that hand now?” Magnus offers to Annabeth, his hand hovering over hers, not wanting to touch her without her express permission. 

“Yes please, and before you ask, yes it’s ok for you to touch my hand.” Annabeth tells him with a weak smile, appreciating that Magnus doesn’t just grab her hand or touch her without any warning.

Being heavily pregnant and having just stopped breast feeding a few months ago, Annabeth is really sensitive to touch right now and appreciates a heads up when someone is going to make physical contact with her.

So Magnus gently lays his hand over Annabeth’s palm and concentrates on drawing the power of Frey, wincing when Annabeth hisses in pain as the skin knits back together. 

In just a matter of seconds the cut is fully healed, leaving only a faint white line across Annabeth’s palm. 

Annabeth lets out a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks Magnus.” She breathes, very happy to be avoiding a trip to urgent care. 

“No problem, see? I have my uses.” Magnus teases, earning a light laugh from Annabeth. 

“Uhh hey Señor?” Jack calls in a cautious tone, sending dread through Magnus’ body. 

“Yeah?” he replies, afraid to look over at Jack and see what’s going on. 

“I may have gone a little overboard on the chopping…” Jack sheepishly admits. 

When Magnus and Annabeth look over at him, they see his runes glowing red in embarrassment, as he floats in front of a pile of fruit chopped so thoroughly that the apples are in tiny thin strips, the orange has been reduced to just orange lumps, and the strawberries and blueberries look more like jam than berries. 

“Oh for Gods' sake.” Annabeth whimpers in a low and quiet tone, tears brimming in her eye as she tries to remind herself that Jack was just trying to be helpful, and didn’t do this on purpose. 

But it’s hard to stay calm and collected right now. She’s still shaken from cutting her palm open (even though she’s sustained much worse injuries before) and now she has to try and find something else to give to Luke for his mid day snack/lunch. She went with fruit in the first place because it was easy to prep and a healthy and nutritious option for Luke. But the batch that Jack just obliterated were the last bits of fruit in the house.

Now she needs to find something else to give Luke for a snack, something that's healthy and good for him but quick and easy for her to prep. Or she could admit she needs some help and ask Percy to take over snack time, he has way more energy than her, is getting way more sleep and could whip up something like eggs and toast for Luke, in a flash.

She could also just order takeout but she feels guilty giving Luke fast food already, even though he's nuts for chicken nuggets and fries. She and Percy are sure to give him a well rounded healthy and balanced diet and that certainly includes treats like fast food every now and then, but Annabeth can't help but worry that she's being a terrible mom by not making everything from scratch with 100% organic and local ingredients. 

Maybe joining those Facebook mom groups was a bad idea, like both Samirah and Sally warned her about. But with Samirah and Alex being Annabeth's only fellow demi godly parently friends, and both of them living in another state and another world, Annabeth was eager to find people closer by that she could connect with and who she could maybe even arrange playdates and stuff with. Instead, she's been too afraid to post since Luke was a baby and she mentioned the fact that he's deaf, which then led to a swarm of people saying he's deaf because of vaccines or the vitamin K shot he got at birth, or the steroids Annabeth was given in early labor, to help Luke's lungs mature faster and get him better equipped for the outside world. 

“I’m really sorry señora, really I am!” Jack apologises in a regretful tone, snapping Annabeth out of her thoughts and reminding her that she initially started tearing up about chopped up fruit. Ok, maybe she's projecting a bit.

Annabeth tries to speak but all that come out is a stifled sob. She closes her eyes shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tries to hold in the tears. 

“Hey Jack.” Magnus softly says. “How about you go see if Percy and Luke wanna play charades?” he suggests,  sensing that Annabeth needs as few people (and swords) around her right now as possible. 

“Ok!” Jack enthusiastically agrees, before zipping out of the room and upstairs, calling for Percy. 

“You ok?” Magnus quietly asks Annabeth, once Jack is gone. 

“I’m just so tired, Magnus!” Annabeth cries. “I can sleep ok during the day but at night it’s so much more difficult, but I can’t even nap most days because when Luke is asleep I always have work or chores or something to catch up on! And now I have to try and find something else for Luke’s lunch but I’m too tired to cook and I can’t believe I’m crying over damn fruit!” 

Annabeth’s sobs and cries of frustration hit Magnus right in the heart. He wishes he could heal her anxiety and panic attacks as easily as he healed the cut on her hand. 

“Oh Annabeth, I’m so sorry you’re going through all this. I wish I could take it all away.” Magnus empathises. “Sleep deprivation is a special kind of hell, it must be so much worse when you’re pregnant.” 

Annabeth sniffs and nods. 

“It is.” She confirms. “Even if I could just lie down and rest I’d be happy, even if I don’t sleep.” she adds. She had thought it would be easier to rest and manage pregnancy, her job, general adult life and being a mom, especially with Percy here to help her.

He's such an amazing and hands on dad and an equal as wonderful husband and support for Annabeth. Even just watching him and Luke play wrestling or watching Percy make water sculptures to amuse Luke, brings so much joy and light to her heart. But now being 7 months pregnant it also hits her with a pang of sadness, because she can't get down on the floor and roll around with Luke like Percy does, she can't lift him over her head or run around their garden with him. Though she knows it's all going to be worth it in two months when their baby girl joins them, and she gets to cuddle her and kiss her sweet little face, and watch Luke be an amazing big brother.

“Ok, well how about I make Luke’s lunch and you go lie down for a couple hours?” Magnus suggests, hoping that though this is a small gesture of help, it will be at least somewhat helpful and allow Annabeth to get the rest she needs. 

“You would do that?” Annabeth asks in a wobbly, teary tone, looking at Magnus with watery eyes. 

“Of course, I know you would've done the same for me when Robin was little, if you were able to visit us in Valhalla. It’s what family is for.” Magnus shrugs. 

Annabeth lets out a sigh of relief and gives Magnus a quick kiss on the cheek. 

“I love you, thank you.” She tells him. 

“Anything for my favorite cousin.” 

After brainstorming for about 15 minutes on what to make for Luke to eat, Magnus decides to just go ahead and and order delivery from a local branch of Fadlan's Falafel. 

While he waits for the food to be delivered, Magnus makes quick work of cleaning up the two piles of unsalvageable fruits, one speckled with Annabeth's blood and the other chopped to smithereens by Jack. As he cleans, Magnus can't help but think about how concerned he is for Annabeth. She's not her usual self, it's not like her to loose focus on a task so much that she ends up accidentally hurting herself, and it's definitely not like her to cry over some chopped up fruit. Something else has to be going on. Something other than sleep deprivation and tiredness. 

Though he knows first hand how much being exhausted and not getting enough sleep can mess with your head. He once accidentally and in a state of total exhaustion, put Robin's diaper on outside her clothes, not realising till later in the morning when Alex got up with Robin, and woke Magnus in between fits of side splitting laughter to point out his mishap. It had been pretty funny, although Alex's reaction of laughing till she had tears in her eyes was Magnus' favorite part of the whole scenario. 

Once the falafel arrives, Magnus gladly accepts it from the delivery driver, tips them with all the cash he has on him (about 50 bucks) before heading upstairs with the food, having ordered enough for himself, Luke and Percy and enough for Annabeth too that she can have once she wakes up.

Walking upstairs and down the corridor towards the bedrooms, it doesn't take Magnus long to figure out where Percy, Luke and Jack are, judging by the sounds of Jack yelling out movie names and Luke's happy and amused laughter, often accompanied by his claps of delight. 

When Magnus reaches the doorway to Luke's room, he sees Percy standing in front of the twin bed next to Luke's crib, with Jack and Luke leaning/sitting on the twin bed itself. 

It seems Jack took up his suggestion of playing charades with Percy and Luke, as Percy is miming a bunch of different actions that Magnus can only guess at. 

First he seems to miming cranking a wheel with one hand, then holds up two fingers, giving Jack a pointed look. 

"Ooh ok! Uh a movie, two words?" Jack asks, to which Percy's face lights up and he happily nods. 

Then he mimes putting something on his head, tying something behind him and seemingly mimes putting on some sort of mask. 

"Oh! Phantom of The Opera!" Jack calls out in a confident tone. Percy shakes his head, then mimes sweeping with a broom or brush. 

"Snow White!" Jack guesses. Percy shakes his head. "Cinderella! Uhhh The Wizard of Oz!" again, Percy shakes his head. 

Then he mimes holding and rocking a baby in the cradle of his arms, and then cooking something at an imaginary stove. 

"Ooh no I got it I got it! Mary Poppins! No wait uh... Ratatouille!" Jack exclaims, but once more Percy shakes his head. 

Percy then pretends to take something off his head, take off a mask, and untie something from around his waist, and wipe the sweat off his forehead and slump backwards to indicate relaxing. 

"Oh oh Miss congeniality!!" Jack exclaims, only for Percy to once more shakes his head, which is when Magnus decides to interrupt by lightly knocking on the door and waving at Luke who spots him at that exact moment. 

"Hey guys." Magnus greets. "Sorry to interrupt this thrilling game, I come bearing snacks for my favorite nephew, brother-in-law and talking sword!" 

"Oh thank Gods!" Percy exclaims, breaking his silence. "I'm starving!" 

"Señor Agua!! You're not supposed to talk until I guess the charade!!" Jack complains in a sullen tone. 

Magnus almost drops the bag of takeout food when he hears Percy's new nickname, and cracks up laughing super hard. 

"Games over man, food comes first." Percy shrugs, sitting down on the bed next to Luke, lifting him into his lap and kissing his cheek.

"For you maybe, I don't have a mouth or a digestive system, I can't eat food!" Jack points out, still in a disappointed and sullen tone. 

"Sorry dude, we can play again after food. Oh and by the way, it was Mrs. Doubtfire, I was trying to depict Mrs. Doubtfire." Percy explains, throwing a piece of falafel in the air and catching it in his mouth, earning a clap and giggle from Luke who seems very impressed by his dad's tricks. 

"Wait wait wait wait back up. Jack did you call Percy "Señor Agua"? As in "Mr. Water"?" Magnus asks through laughs, refusing to just let that gem of a nickname slip by without explanation. 

"Yeah! You're Señor, Alex is Alex, Robin is Señorita, Annabeth is Señora, so I needed a nickname for Percy and he's the water dude so Señor Agua seemed fitting!" Jack cheerfully explains, tilting to side side as if shrugging. 

"I cannot wait to tell Annabeth about this development." Magnus grins breaking off a chunk of falafel from his falafel sandwich and handing it to Luke. 

"Please don't." Percy begs, knowing that once Annabeth knows about this new nickname, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the gang hears about it, Leo particularly. Then he'll be Señor Agua forever. 

"Oh I'm gonna, and Alex." Magnus states, knowing neither of them would forgive him for holding back on such a hilarious bit of information. 

"Oh Gods help me." Percy mumbles into his food. "Although speaking of Annabeth, where is our Wise Girl?" he then asks, looking around for his wife. 

"Asleep I presume. She got a bit overwhelmed downstairs because of how tired she is, so I offered to sort out lunch for the Luke-ster here while she sleeps. I was gonna try and make him something home made but the quickest easiest thing you guys have is ramen noodles, and I ate so much ramen in my homeless days I never want to see or smell the damn thing again." Magnus explains, supressing a shiver at the memory of sitting on hard, wet concrete in the freezing winter, a pot of ramen noodles in his hands, which was at least a step up from dumpster fries that were tossed by countless big chain fast food stores. 

"Hey no complaints here, falafel is God-tier good, plus it's a step up from the snack he got himself yesterday, days old French fries that he found under his car seat." Percy laughs, brushing Luke's hair back from his face. As his mom says, fed is best.

"Eww." Magnus wrinkles his nose up in disgust. "Toddlers are gross." he adds, very grateful that the weirdest and mot off putting food habit Robin formed, was dipping literally everything into ketchup. The day he saw her eat scrambled eggs on toast with ketchup when she was 3, was the day he understood why Alex had such weird food carvings when she was pregnant with Robin. Though donuts and cheese was on a whole different level of weird. 

"I know, right?" Percy agrees, his nose wrinkled up slightly. "But honestly I'm just glad he's eating at all, I still remember when he was tube fed, in the NICU." he softly and quietly adds, mesmerised by the fact that this strong and sturdy little boy with bright twinkling eyes and a tangle of blonde hair, topped off by a sweet but mischievous smile, that is sitting in his lap right now, is the very same tiny little 3 pound baby boy he first saw in the NICU incubator 2 years ago, his skin practically translucent, his hair plentiful but thin, and a tube in his tiny little nose, since he was too small to eat on his own.

He is so immensely grateful and proud that Luke is now a happy and healthy toddler who loves his food, laughs when he trips over, and who is now getting to the point where he can pretty much feed himself once the food is placed in front of him. Not to mention how quickly the little dude is picking up ASL, with his favorite and most used signs currently being 'mama' 'dada' 'dog' 'baby' and 'love'. 

"Yeah, he's a tough cookie, like his mom and dad." Magnus agrees, while quietly hoping that Annabeth realises that while she may be unbelievably strong and tough, she doesn't have to carry anything alone. 

Later that night when Magnus falls asleep in his bed in Valhalla, right next to Alex as usual, he almost immediately begins dreaming. 

It takes him a few seconds to realise that this isn’t just a dream, it’s a vision of something that either happened recently, or is going to happen. 

He takes in his surroundings, and immediately notices he’s in a hospital room, with Annabeth and Percy. 

Annabeth is sitting in a reclined position on the bed, wearing a blue hospital gown and a yellow cardigan over the gown, with a matching yellow fabric headband keeping her long, damp, blonde hair out of her face. 

At her side stands Percy, one hand holding Annabeth’s and the other arm around her shoulders, helping her sit and lean forward. His head is resting lightly against hers so they are almost cheek to cheek.

At the end of the bed, on a small black rolling stool, sits a middle aged woman with blonde hair pulled back into a bun and covered by a yellow scrub cap. 

Both Percy and Annabeth look full of anxiety and anticipation, as the woman (who Magnus guesses is a doctor) encourages Annabeth to push.

At first Magnus is nervous and worried that he’s seeing a future event, the birth of Annabeth and Percy’s daughter. 

But then he realises that here in this dream/vision, Annabeth’s hair is longer than it is in real life. And she doesn’t have her charm bracelet with Luke’s zodiac symbol, name and date of birth on it. A present Alex had given her after Luke got home from the NICU, which Annabeth has worn every day since she got it. 

Oh. Magnus thinks to himself. Oh no… this isn’t the new baby’s birth…. This is Luke’s birth. 

Why whoever or whatever controls dreams and visions has chosen to show Magnus all the gruesome and gory details of his cousin’s first labor and birth, he has no idea, and he really wishes they wouldn't.

He begins thinking of ways to wake himself up so she doesn’t have to see this, when suddenly something the doctor says catches his attention. 

“Annabeth.” the doctor says in an amazingly calm and steady tone. “I need you to stop pushing ok? Even if you feel like you need to push, don’t. Ok?”

“What? Why? What’s wrong?” Annabeth anxiously asks, leaning forward more and impatiently pushing her hair off her shoulders. 

“Things are getting a bit complicated. The umbilical cord has slipped out ahead of baby, if baby keeps descending and coming down, his head could crush the cord and cut off oxygen and other vitals to him. 

So I need you to not push anymore, alright?” The doctor calmly and patiently explains to Annabeth, maintaining eye contact the whole time. 

Oh no. Magnus thinks to himself. No no please I don’t wanna see this, I don’t need to see this. He knows what comes next, he remembers Percy explaining about the emergency C-section. He has no desire to watch that happening, much as he loves Luke he doesn’t want to witness his birth. 

“Ok…. W-what happens now?” Annabeth’s shaky and fearful voice asks, her grasp on Percy’s hand tightening. 

“Percy I’m going to need you to press the red emergency buzzer by Annabeth’s bed, alright? We need to do an emergency C-section and I need to stay here keeping baby’s head lifted off and away from the cord.”  The doctor explains, her voice still completely calm and level, no hint of any fear or concern at all. 

Percy nods and reaches over to do exactly as the doctor asked, his hand trembling with fear. 

“W-will I be… be able to go into surgery with Annabeth?” Percy asks, his voice and tone equally as shaky as his hand. No doubt he hates the mere thought of Annabeth going into surgery alone, and not getting to be there with her to comfort her and keep her calm. 

It’s bound to be frightening enough as it is, with Luke being 2 months premature. Add this complication on top and Magnus had no idea how Percy is even functioning right now. 

“Yes you will.” The doctor informs him. “A nurse will help you get scrubbed up and show you into theater before we start the surgery.” 

“Okay… okay good.” Percy nods, before turning his attention back to Annabeth and brushing her damp hair out of her face. 

“I’m scared, Percy.” Annabeth whispers in a teary tone. “I haven’t been this scared since Tartarus.” she adds, keeping her voice as low as possible so the doctor doesn’t overhear them. 

“Me too.” Percy admits, brushing Annabeth’s tears away with his thumb. “It’s ok to be scared, this is a scary time. I believe and know that our little guy and you are both going to be perfectly fine, you know why?” 

Annabeth shakes her head. 

“‘Cuz you’re both so strong, I’ve been through war with you before Annabeth and I know you can get through it, and I’ll be right here with you like always. And our little guy is as strong and amazing as you are.” Percy tearfully promises, leaning his forehead against Annabeth’s and kissing the back of her hand, no doubt silently praying to all the Gods out there to keep Annabeth and their son safe. 

Just then the doors to the room swing open and in rush a crowd of people dressed in scrubs of all different colors and patterns, some with white coats over the scrubs, some with just the scrubs. 

The people (doctors and nurses, Magnus assumes) all rush to Annabeth’s side, talking really fast in some medical jargon that Magnus can’t really understand. A lot of big medical words, initials, code names, numbers, etc. 

The next thing Magnus knows, he is standing at the head of the operating table Annabeth is lying on, an oxygen mask over her face, a bunch of needles and tubes in her arms, and wires snaking in and over the top of her hospital gown.

A blue drape obscuring Annabeth from the waist down, though Magnus can hear the low murmur and chatter of the surgeons, doctors and nurses from that general area.

Percy is sitting on a little black stool by Annabeth’s right hand side, stroking her hair and whispering words of praise and love to her. 

To Annabeth’s left sits a dark skinned woman with naturally curly hair tied back and covered with a scrub cap. She is wearing the same kind of green surgical gown over her scrubs that Magnus notices Percy is wearing over his jeans and t-shirt.

The woman’s face is mostly obscured by a green surgical mask, but her eyes are soft and full of empathy and kindness as she keeps an eye on the monitors tracking Annabeth’s vitals. 

“You’re doing really well Annabeth.” The woman (Mangus is guessing she’s the anaesthesiologist) warmly and quietly praises, her eyes crinkling at the corners with a smile that is hidden beneath the mask. “They’ve started the operation now so it won’t be long before your little boy is here. Do you have any names picked out for him?” she continues, clearly trying to keep Annabeth calm and distracted. 

“L-Luke.” Annabeth stammers. “Luke…” She swallows hard at the mention of her old friend’s name. “Luke Jackson-Chase, after…. An old friend.” she continues, tears rolling down her face, which Percy softly brushes away. 

“That’s a lovely name.” The anesthesiologist compliments warmly. “What about middle names, do you have any middle names picked out or floating around?” 

“Chiron.” Annabeth replies, her voice cracking with emotion. 

“Ooh now that’s unique! But also a very nice name, good and strong!” 

Annabeth nods. “Yeah… after our…. Mentor, our teacher.” she tells the anesthesiologist. 

“Well isn’t that just wonderful? I bet he’s absolutely thrilled.” She brightly replies, glancing quickly to the business end of the table. “Can you tell me a bit about your teacher, Annabeth?” 

A small smile tugs at Annabeth’s lips. “Chiron is… the best.” she quietly says. “He’s really kind, and wise. He cares about us so much, taught me everything I know. He’s always believed in me and looked out for me….” 

Just as Annabeth starts to trail off, her face growing slightly pale, a low and quiet cry sounds throughout the room, which brings a tear even to Magnus’ eye.

“Here he is!” The surgeon cheerfully announces, briefly holding the baby up over the drape for Annabeth and Percy to see. 

Annabeth sobs, both fear and delight tangled in her voice. 

“Is he okay?” Percy anxiously asks, leaning forward and trying to see as the pediatrician takes Luke over to an incubator that had been set up prior to the start of surgery. 

Before the pediatrician can reply, the monitors start beeping and blaring, and Annabeth starts to grow more and more pale. 

The room is filled with shouting and commands from doctors and nurses, people rushing to Annabeth, yelling about blood and needing general anesthesia and a lot of other things that Magnus doesn’t catch.

“What… What's going on?!” Percy panics, torn on whether he should be looking at Luke or Annabeth, who now seems to be unconscious. Magnus has never seen Percy look more terrified. 

“Sir I’m going to have to ask you to take a seat out in the waiting room, ok? Your wife is having a postpartum hemorrhage, she is rapidly losing a dangerous amount of blood. We need all the space in here we can get and we need to focus solely on Annabeth, while the NICU team cares for your son. Someone will come find you and fill you in on your wife’s condition as soon as we have things under control, alright?” A nurse sternly and firmly informs Percy, guiding him towards the doors of the OR. 

“What?! No! No, I need to stay with her, please!” Percy pleads. 

Before he can see or witness anything else, Magnus wakes up with a start and a loud gasp, jumping into a sitting position in bed, adrenaline coursing through his veins and Jack humming sleepily in pendant form on the chain at Magnus’ neck. 

“Magnus?” Alex asks in a groggy and tired voice, turning on the bedside lamp and squinting at the brightness as she sits up in bed. “You ok?” 

Magnus nods, putting a hand to his chest and taking a second to catch his breath. 

“Fine.” He assures her. “Just… I had… a vision-dream. I witnessed Luke’s birth, Alex. And everything that went on, in my dream… I was there in the OR with Annabeth and Percy. It was….” Magnus trails off, at a loss for words on how absolutely horrifying and traumatising it was to even just witness that event. 

“Oh Magnus…” Alex softly says, rubbing his back gently and comfortingly.

“Gods… I’m ok though… I just…. Alex…. If this is how I feel after just seeing the whole thing, how must Annabeth be feeling? She must be…. So traumatised.” Magnus frets, feeling like he’s finally beginning to understand why Annabeth has been so on edge and tense lately, so full of anxiety and fear. 

She must be…. Scared beyond words to give birth again. He can see why she’s chosen a different hospital this time than the one where Luke was born. If he was in her shoes, he would never want to step foot in that hospital ever again. 

“Yeah… I wish there was something more we could do to help her. Especially now she’s getting closer to 30 weeks, how far along she was when Luke was born.” Alex quietly comments, her concern and worry for Annabeth growing the longer she watches the woman who is basically her sister-in-law slowly mentally and emotionally being tortured by her own past traumas. Alex knows that feeling all too well, still suffering with PTSD symptoms from her abusive childhood.

“Me too.” Magnus agrees, feeling utterly defeated. It really doesn’t seem fair that he can heal physical wounds pretty easily, but mental and emotional? No dice, it seems. Whoever decides on Godly and demi-godly powers and limitations, Magnus wants to talk to them. 

“At least she has a good support system around her. It’s more than a lot of people ever get. Not to say that her suffering is less because she has good support, but… well having that support can hopefully help her get through it.” Alex shrugs, thinking of how much easier she herself has found it to manage and cope with her own traumas and issues now she feels safe and cared for with her new family here in Valhalla. Her traumas certainly aren’t healed, but it’s easier to live with them when you have people to talk to, to reassure you and to validate you. 

Plus she has Robin to think about. The odd time Alex’s traumas and problems seem too much to ever manage and she feels like just giving up and letting her problems consume her, she remembers Robin. The reason she wakes up and gets up every morning, even on the really hard days. Robin needs her, and so Alex knows she has to keep fighting.

She’s sure Annabeth feels the same with Luke, but of course that doesn’t make the tough days and times like right now any easier really. It just gives you a reason to keep going, which is important but can be hard to actually do.

Magnus nods, and is about to say that he’ll call Annabeth in the morning and see if she wants to talk, now he better understands what happened at Luke’s birth. But before he can, the door leading into Robin’s bedroom creaks open slowly, and out comes Robin looking like she’s just woken up.

Her dark hair is all askew, looking rumpled and tangled. One leg of her yellow pyjama bottoms has rolled up above the knee, and in the embrace of Robin’s arms are her two favorite comfort items, the plush Robin and Raven toys that she got for her first birthday from Odin and Frigg. 

“Hey little birdie.” Alex softly greets her daughter, as she pads over to the bed. “What’s up mija? You ok?” 

“Bad dream.” Robin simply states. So far she doesn’t have dreams that show her visions of the past or future, like Magnus. But she does tend to have frequent unpleasant dreams and nightmares, not too uncommon in demigods unfortunately. 

“Me too peanut, bad dreams aren’t a fun time, huh?” Magnus’ tone is just as soft and loving as Alex’s is, as Alex picks Robin up and sets her in the middle of the bed between her parents. 

Robin shakes her head, leaning against Magnus who quickly puts his arm around her in comfort and kisses the top of her head. 

“Poor Robsy.” Alex sympathises, kissing her cheek. “Do you wanna talk about it?” 

“Uh-uh.” Robin declines, again shaking her head. “Can I stay here with you for the rest of the night? Please?” she hopefully asks, looking at her parents with her big round grey puppy dog eyes, a look she’s absolutely mastered over the years. 

“Of course baby girl, you can always come to us for comfort like this.” Alex assures her, glad that Robin still wants to be comforted by she and Magnus, that she trusts them enough and feels safe enough with them. 

“Daddy, story? Please?” Robin hopefully asks, curling further into Magnus’ side and holding her teddies close to her chest. 

“What story do you wanna hear tonight my sweet Ro-Ro?” Magnus asks her, brushing her hair back from her face. 

“Mmmm when you realised you love mama?” Robin suggests with a grin, with this being one of her absolute favorite stories of all time. 

Magnus shares a grin with Alex, before beginning his story. 

“Well, Once Upon A Time, me and your mama and all your Valhalla Aunts and Uncles were on a big ship to do a really important job for Odin….” 

Before too long Robin is fast asleep in Magnus’ arms, and as he starts to drift off himself, he holds her closer and prays to any and every God listening, that one day Annabeth will know this peace. 

Unfortunately and also unsurprisingly Annabeth's fears and anxieties throughout her pregnancy. Even when she makes it past 30 weeks, she finds it overwhelming to still be pregnant, though of course she’s glad she is. But trying to get through those last 10 weeks of pregnancy when you’ve never gotten that far before, isn’t easy. 

 As it has been through most of the pregnancy,  these feelings of dread and doom come over Annabeth in the middle of the night but she doesn’t want to wake Percy (even though he insists she should), but there is someone else she can turn to, someone who she’s learned to lean on a lot over the last few years. Magnus. 

Magnus has become a light sleeper over the last few years, after Robin was born he became accustomed to always listening out for her, his body and brain automatically putting him into a lighter sleep than usual so that if and when Robin began to cry, he could quickly wake up and tend to her. 

So he doesn’t mind it in the slightest when Annabeth calls him at what is usually about 4:00 A.M. for him. He’s only too happy to talk with her and keep her company for an hour or so, help her rationalize her intrusive thoughts about premature labor and something terrible happening to the baby. 

So when Magnus gets a call from Annabeth just a few days before Christmas, nothing at all seems out of the ordinary to him. He assumes that she’s calling to talk about what she’s feeling right now or even seeking reassurance that this is all real, and she actually is just days away from her due date and still pregnant. Reassurance that whenever the baby does come, between now and the next 2 weeks, chances are she is going to be perfectly fine and not in any danger like Luke was.

“Hey cuz.” Magnus casually answers the phone, ducking out of the lounge room of Floor 19, leaving Robin playing mario kart with T.J. “You’re calling early today, what’s up?” 

“Magnus.” The voice that comes down the other line is not Annabeth’s, despite her number being the one to flash up on Magnus’ phone. No, the voice on the other end belongs to Percy, and he sounds pretty stunned, maybe a little panicked. 

“Percy?” Magnus questions in confusion, scrunching his brow. “Hey man what’s up? Did your phone die or something?” 

“No I uh, I don’t think so. It’s uh… how fast do you think you can get to Camp Half Blood?” Percy replies in a breathy and tired tone. Instantly, Magnus stands up straight and feels the adrenaline start to course through his body. This sounds a little too familiar. 

“Camp Half Blood? Why? What’s going on? I thought you weren’t allowed a phone at camp?” He babbles, all the thoughts and questions spilling out before he can give Percy a chance to answer. 

“This is an emergency, Annabeth is in labor and things are moving fast, like really fast. There’s no way we’re getting to the hospital.

This baby is going to be born here, at Camp Half-Blood, and Annabeth wants you here too.” 

Chapter Text

Ok so maybe on second thoughts deciding to spend the week at Camp Half Blood while 9 months pregnant and only days away from her due date, was not the best idea Annabeth ever had. 

But she and Percy have always spent the week leading up to Christmas at Camp Half Blood, ever since they got engaged when they were only 20.

 It’s a tradition at this point and has become even more important to them both ever since Luke came into the picture. They love bringing their son to one of their favorite places in the whole world and seeing him with all his honorary aunties and uncles and his honorary grandpa Chiron. 

So even when Annabeth started having intense Braxton Hicks contractions over the last few days, she refused to cancel their plans and insisted they still go to Camp Half Blood. 

Everything had been completely normal and uneventful for their first few hours at Camp. Annabeth had felt a bit nauseous when they arrived, but once she was able to sit down and Grover made her a mug of decaf coffee (Technically she can have coffee while pregnant but Annabeth would rather not chance anything.) She began to feel a lot better and was happy to sit back and watch Grover sitting cross legged on the floor with Luke, teaching him all about the God Pan and the spirit of the wild. 

So even when those familiar tight and sharp pains started squeezing through her body, Annabeth was certain they were just more Braxton Hicks contractions, and so she said nothing. 

And even when the practice contractions started getting more intense and closer together, Annabeth refused to believe she could possibly be in labor and remained silent. 

Now however, it’s been about 2 hours since she, Percy and Luke arrived at Camp, and since these contraction like pains began, and now they’re no longer isolated to Annabeth’s stomach. Now they’re curling around her back and making her feel like she’s wearing a corset that someone is yanking the laces on. 

Annabeth winces and puts a hand on her bump as she leans forward, assuming that taking some pressure off her back will help ease the pain. 

“Hey, you ok?” Percy quietly asks Annabeth, leaning forward from his seat on the sofa in the rec room and looking at her with concern, noticing the change in her posture and behaviour. 

“Yeah.” Annabeth assures him in a breathy laboured voice. “Just…. Really intense practice contractions.” 

“Are you sure they’re just practice contractions? Not the real thing?” Percy asks, as Annabeth’s hand shoots out and she grabs his leg tightly, her nails digging into his jeans and pinching the skin underneath. 

“They have to be.” Annabeth insists. “She wasn’t head down at our last OB appointment, there were no signs of actual labor.”

“Yeah but that was over a week ago now, and Dr. Jenson did say that things can happen and change really fast. That’s why I was hesitant to come here, we’re kinda far from the hospital and if anything happens we might not have enough time to get there soon enough for you to get the spinal block for the C-section. 

And I know you don’t want general anaesthetic, you want to be awake when she’s born like you were with Luke.”  Percy points out. 

“Percy.” Annabeth looks straight into her husband’s eyes, and Percy notices a fear in Annabeth’s eyes, a fear so deep and intense that he hasn’t seen her look like that since her encounter with Arachne, and their fall into Tartarus. 

It’s not the same hollow glazed over look she gets when anyone talks about Luke’s birth and his time in the NICU. And it’s not like the distant and hollow look she had when they were trying to conceive the first time, and when they were going through IVF.

It’s pure, unadulterated fear and denial. 

“What is it? What’s going on?” Percy presses in a low tone, holding Annabeth’s hand between both of his as tears well up in her stormy grey eyes. 

“Percy, I think my water broke.” Annabeth whispers in a shaky tone. 

Sure enough, when Percy looks down he sees the dark patch on the front of Annabeth’s jeans and the droplets of water dripping onto the floor. 

“Maybe she just inherited my powers over water and is messing with us?” Percy hopefully suggests. If they assume that the pains Annabeth has been having all day are actually contractions, and that her water did in fact just break, he knows there’s no getting to the hospital, not without risking the baby being born unassisted in the car. And he knows an unplanned spontaneous home (well, home away from home) birth will be immensely scary and stressful for Annabeth. 

“Now’s not the time for jokes, seaweed brain, what do we do?!” Annabeth exclaims through gritted teeth.

Before Percy can reply, another voice joins the conversation. 

“What are you guys whispering about? You keeping secrets from us huh?” Grover lightly teases, now standing next to the sofa Percy is sitting on, with Luke perched on his hip. 

“Um… looks like our baby girl doesn’t want to wait any longer to meet us. Annabeth’s water broke.” Percy explains, trying his best to keep his tone calm as well as his facial expression. While Luke can’t hear what’s being said, he can certainly pick up on the energy and vibe of the situation and if Percy starts freaking out, Luke will too. 

“Oh! Uh…. okay, well…. Um, where are you guys parked? At the bottom of the hill, like you usually are? Can you walk, Annabeth?” Grover questions, assuming that his friends are going to rush to the hospital, especially given the fact that Annabeth is having a planned C-Section, so things are ever more time sensitive.

“No… this baby is coming soon… really soon. There’s no time to even attempt to get to the hospital, it’s too risky now.” Annabeth informs him in a tight and teary voice, as the guilt starts to wash over her. 

Guilt for being so stubborn and refusing to admit she was in labor earlier. Now her baby is going to be born not in a calm and planned environment, but a panicked and chaotic one. 

“Well luckily for you!” A fourth voice enters the conversation, and everybody turns to see Apollo and Artemis standing in the doorway. “We’re here to help out, we chose a good day to visit, huh sis?” Apollo grins at Artemis, lightly bumping her shoulder with his and earning himself a glare from her. 

Apollo pretty much looks like his usual self, this time presenting as somewhere in his mid to late twenties. His golden hair sitting perfectly as usual, and his gold eyes twinkling with amusement. 

Beside him, Artemis looks a bit different than usual. Today she is not presenting as a 12 year old child, but rather looks to match her twins’ age, mid to late twenties. She is tall, around the same height as her brother, with shoulder length raven black hair. Her striking silver/grey eyes are not filled with amusement like Apollo’s, but rather an intense seriousness.

“No offence.” Annabeth begins. “Apollo, you’re a very skilled man… God… but ah… the man part is the problem. I don’t want a man delivering this baby, I’m not comfortable with that.” She really hopes Apollo won’t take this the wrong way and feel offended and strike her or her baby down with some awful curse or something. 

“Worry not.” Artemis speaks next, her voice calm and cool as she steps forward. “I can assist you in delivering your child, Annabeth. I am, after all, the Goddess of childbirth.” 

“You can? But… I mean… a C-section outside the hospital doesn’t sound safe.” Percy nervously says.

Artemis scrunches her brow down and her nose scrunches up in a confused look that seems to say Yeah no duh. 

“Indeed Percy Jackson, and if a C-section were the safest and best way to deliver your daughter I would be suggesting other options. However while I understand that Annabeth it is your preference to have a Caesarean, you are physically capable of safely delivering without surgery. And since your baby is coming at top notch speed, I think it is the best option.” Artemis calmly explains, her soothing and low tone making both Annabeth and Percy feel at least somewhat more relaxed. Is this an ideal situation? No, far from it. But they also know from first hand experience that it could be worse. At least this baby is only a few days early and not a few months, like her big brother. 

But there is one more person that Annabeth needs and wants here, someone who has been with her through thick and thin these past 6 years. Magnus. 

“Alright… but I need my cousin, Magnus. I don't want him in the delivery room when I’m actually pushing but I just want him here, in the vicinity. I want him to be one of the first to meet this baby, and I want Luke to have as many people to distract him as possible, until the baby is born.” Annabeth insists.

Of course, it’s not as though Luke is short of people to entertain him and take care of him, not in the least. But Magnus was there when Luke was born, and just being around him was calming for Annabeth. It only feels right that he be here when this baby is born too. 

“The Einherji dude?” Apollo questions, leaning up against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest in a very casual and laid back stance. “Will he be able to come into Camp? He’s not Greco/Roman.” 

“He’s been here before, Chiron gave permission for it and said he’s welcome here. You were here the first time Magnus visited, you talked to him and Alex Fierro about their daughter Robin, and the prophecy made about her leading the winning side at Ragnarök.” Annabeth states in a tight tone, working through another contraction. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Apollo shrugs, wondering to himself how that little 6 month old baby he first met that day, in Magnus' arms, is doing now. She and that prophecy surrounding her destiny and fate really intrigue Apollo.

“I’ll call him.” Percy decides. Of course, he knows he shouldn’t be using a cell phone here inside the borders of Camp, because of the signal attracting more monsters, but this is an emergency and it’s not like he can send an Iris Message to Magnus, given they’re in two entirely different worlds. 

“I’ll stay down here with Luke, keep him occupied.” Grover offers, still holding his nephew on his hip, who is completely oblivious to all the chaos around him. Such a chill little dude. 

“Annabeth, can you walk at all? Do you need help?” Artemis asks, looking her (technically) niece over and making a brief assessment of the situation. It’s been a while since she has physically assisted with the delivery of a child, but she remembers everything like she’s been doing it since birth… because she has, having helped her mother Leto deliver Apollo when Artemis herself was only seconds old.

“Yeah… I think so.” Annabeth nods, slowly getting to her feet with the help of Percy. She then leans forward and kisses Luke on the cheek. See you soon. She signs to him. Next time I see you, you are going to be big brother! 

Meanwhile back in Valhalla, Magnus is trying to stay as calm as possible and not run around like a headless chicken. 

Perhaps foolishly, he was certain that because Annabeth is scheduled to have a C-section early next week, nothing would happen until then. For some reason it never really occurred to him that she could spontaneously go into labor before the date of her C-section. So the last thing he was expecting was a phone call from Percy telling him that is exactly what happened. 

“Wow um… ok… uh…” Magnus trails off, running a hand through his hair and trying to think of the best and quickest way to get to Camp Half Blood. Childcare shouldn’t be a problem, as usual. Robin is perfectly content with T.J., and Mallory and Gunderson are around somewhere too. And of course, they can always ask Hearth and Blitz for help with childcare, they could come take care of Robin here in Valhalla, since they're honorary Einherjar and can come and go as they please.

“Hey look if you can’t make it we completely understand, there’s absolutely no pressure. I know how hectic things can get with a kid.” Percy hurries to assure Magnus, not wanting to make him feel like he has to come be with Annabeth if it doesn't work for him. They both understand that he’s got a duty as an Einherji that has to be his first priority, along of course, with being Robin’s dad. 

“Oh no! No no I’ll be there, don’t worry about that! I’m just a little shocked, I don’t know why I just assumed the baby wouldn’t come till the date for the C-section. I need to remember due dates are more like guess dates.” Magnus lightly laughs, shivering slightly as he then gets hit with a flash back to the day Robin was born. 

Flashbacks to when Alex faked intense contractions and labor, and Loki screamed at Magnus for assuming nothing would happen before the due date, calling him an idiot, an imbecile, and a few other choice words. It’s far from the worst thing Loki has said or done to him but it still shook Magnus quite a bit and he remembers it pretty well.

Percy laughs lightly. “Yeah I get that, it seems like Chase babies like to come early. I’m just glad baby girl isn’t taking a leaf out of her brother’s book and coming 2 whole months early.” 

“Me too.” Magnus agrees. “Alright I’ll be at Camp as soon as possible. I’ll make sure T.J. and the rest of the gang are ok to babysit, then I’ll be right there.” he decides, also making a note that he should probably leave a note of some sort for Alex, explaining where he’s gone and what’s going on. Alex is in Midgard today, taking care of Sam who is 3 months pregnant her second child, and who is struggling a lot with fatigue. Alex feels its her duty to be there for her and take care of her sister, like Sam took care of her during Alex’s own pregnancy. 

Amir couldn’t get out of work today and while Sam could look after Layla and herself, she would struggle and pretty quickly run out of energy while doing it, and would probably go back on her vow of no sugar or screen time or processed foods for Layla, just to be able to close her eyes for 5 minutes.

So Alex insisted on doing the majority of childcare till Amir gets back from work, and insisted on being there for Sam to help her in any way she can. She remembers the misery of the first trimester all too well.

Percy sighs in relief. “Thanks Magnus, you’re the best.” 

Magnus grins. “I know, see you soon.” 

Once he wraps up his call with Percy, Magnus goes back into the lounge room where T.J. and Robin have now tired of video games, and are instead listening to the Hamilton soundtrack. Magnus is a little embarrassed to admit that most of Robin’s early American history education comes from Hamilton. 

“Hey T.J.” Magnus begins. “Can I ask you for a favour, please?”

“I’m not going to ask floor 30 for your ball back… again.” T.J. replies with an amused smirk. 

“That was one time! And they scare me!” Magnus protests. “Also it was Robin’s ball, and Mallory is the one who kicked it too far.” 

“You’re gonna face a lot worse at Ragnarök than a disgruntled 20-something, my friend.” T.J. laughs lightly.

“Daddy’s scared of people.” Robin chimes in, making T.J. laugh even harder. 

“I am not!” Magnus protests. “Your mom just likes to tease me because I’m not as smooth a talker as she is.” 

“Whatever you say, daddy.” Robin dismisses, turning her attention back to her coloring book, kicking her legs in time to the music as she colors in the illustration of famous landmarks around Boston, finished with the conversation now. 

“When did she get old enough to make fun of me?” Magnus asks in an amused tone, reminiscing to himself about how fast Robin is growing up. One minute she was a tiny 5 pound baby who loved to watch the worlds go by. Now she’s a sassy 6 year old and joins in on messing with him.

Before T.J. can reply, Magnus remembers why he started talking to T.J. in the first place and how they got from the topic of a favour, to Robin growing up so fast. 

“Wait, I got off topic.” Magnus admits sheepishly, a little embarrassed. He’s an Einherji, he should have better attention and focus than this. “The favour I need to ask is if you can watch Robin till Alex gets back, please? I just got a call and my cousin Annabeth is in labor and needs me.” 

“Oh! Yeah I got you, anytime.” T.J. asserts, only happy to help out and hang out with his favorite niece, the coolest person in all nine worlds. 

Magnus’ face crumples with relief and his shoulders sag as at least some of the tension floods out of his body. 

“Thank you! You’re the best! I owe you one!” Magnus hurriedly thanks his friend, before giving Robin a quick hug goodbye, not even remembering to grab a jacket before he locates the door from Valhalla to Manhattan and hauls ass to Camp Half Blood. 

Just 20 minutes later he finds himself jogging down the slope of Half Blood Hill. Once at the bottom of the hill, he’s greeted by Rachel Elizabeth Dare, her shock of red hair standing out and contrasting strikingly against the blanket of white snow all around them. 

“Rachel, hi.” Magnus greets, a little out of breath from his dash to camp, the cold and crisp winter air burning at his chest and making him feel like he did before becoming an Einherji, when his asthma would play up. 

“Hey, glad you were able to get here so quickly. Come on, Annabeth's in the infirmary at the Big House so we’re gonna wait in the rec room.” Rachel tells him, gesturing for him to follow her down the path towards the big sky blue house. 

“How is she? Is she ok?” Magnus anxiously asks, almost afraid to know the answer. Truth be told he’s terrified Annabeth is gonna end up in a really scary situation again like she did when Luke was born. 

“Oh yeah she’s perfectly fine, in a little bit of pain but nothing out of the ordinary. Plus she has the Goddess of childbirth helping her, she and the baby are both in good hands.” Rachel calmly assures him. 

“Oh that’s good… that’s…. Artemis… for you guys, right?” Magnus tentatively questions, not as familiar with the Greek/Roman Gods as he is with the Norse Gods. 

“That’s right.” Rachel agrees with a nod. “Good recall. Grover’s with Luke, we’re all doing whatever we can to keep the little guy distracted and entertained.” They walk through the front door of the Big House just as Rachel says this, and are greeted by the sound of a toddler crying/fussing. 

“Clearly he’s missing his parents already, poor little buddy.” Rachel sympathises as they walk into the rec room, where Grover is crouched beside Luke trying to console the little boy who is clearly not very happy at all. 

Just the sight of Luke’s eyes filled with tears and the upset on his face is enough to break Magnus’ heart. 

When Luke notices Rachel and Magnus’ shadows fall across the room he looks up and his face immediately lights up when he sees Magnus. 

Luke gets to his feet and toddles towards Magnus, arms stretched out towards him. 

“Oh hi buddy.” Magnus softly greets the baby with both spoken word and sign language. When Luke gets close enough, Magnus picks him up and settles him on one hip. 

You miss your mama and daddy? Magnus asks, picking up on Luke’s tension, and guessing by the way he clings to him that he’s just glad to have someone who reminds him of his mom. 

Luke nods solemnly and lays his head on his Uncle’s shoulder, which just about makes Magnus’ heart melt. This little guy is so sweet and such a little cuddle bug. Magnus counts himself lucky to be Luke’s Uncle. 

He presses a kiss to the crown of Luke’s head, right among his beautiful blonde curls. 

That’s ok. Magnus assures his nephew. I miss my mom too. Your mom is still here, she's just upstairs. He points to the ceiling above them. You'll see her soon, when your baby sister is born. Do you want to do a puzzle while we wait? Magnus suggests. A nice calm activity like a puzzle or maybe some coloring should be enough to soothe and distract Luke. Hopefully if his mind is on something else he won’t get so overwhelmed by his emotions that he has a meltdown. 

Luke nods and points to a nearby puzzle box with a picture of a pegasi on the front. 

You want to do this one? Magnus checks, tapping the box before signing to Luke, who once again nods. 

So over the next hour and a half or so, Magnus and Luke work on the puzzle a few times over. Luke loves it so much that when they finish it, he insists on taking it apart and building the puzzle all over again. 

After about the 4th time, Luke gets sick of this and decides to move onto coloring. Magnus is pretty impressed when he sees Luke’s collection of assorted crayons of all shapes, sizes, colors and brands, all packed into an empty butter tub. Reusing and reducing waste, he loves to see it. 

Meanwhile upstairs in the infirmary Annabeth is trying desperately to stay calm and not freak out, but it’s not going so well for her. 

The labor itself is pretty painless, which Annabeth is very glad of. But her mind simply won’t shut up and leave her alone. She’s been trying to just focus on the task of getting her baby here but the overwhelming and intrusive thoughts and images keep throwing her off, pulling her into her mind and crowding her with thoughts of ‘What if?’ 

It becomes even more difficult when just an hour or two into her labor, Annabeth feels that familiar heaviness and pressure in her pelvis, overtaken by the urge and need to push.

When she was in labor with Luke and felt this same sensation before things escalated in a way that meant an emergency C-section was necessary, Annabeth was eager and glad to push. She felt connected to her body and knew exactly when to push and for how long. Yes she was terrified of what would happen to Luke once he was born, but at least she had some sort of idea of what to expect. 

She knew being 2 months premature meant Luke would likely need a fair bit of intervention and help, she was able to at least briefly mentally prepare for the reality of having a premature baby, and come to terms with the fact that her first days and weeks of motherhood would be spent in the NICU. 

But this time it’s different, she doesn’t want to push, despite what her body is telling her to do. She has no idea what to expect this time. Yes, this baby is right on time and full term, and yes all scans and tests have always come back completely normal, but still… that’s not to say that nothing could be wrong. 

Afterall, things really went downhill last time when Annabeth began pushing, what if the same happens this time? This particular fear and anxiety was one of the main reasons Annabeth had opted for a planned C-section. 

“Annabeth, you're doing really well.” Artemis’ calm and cool voice brings Annabeth back to the present moment, as she glances at the Goddess, who is kneeling on the floor in front of Annabeth who has opted to sit on the side of the bed.  

Artemis looks completely calm, cool and composed. Annabeth has no idea how she’s not internally freaking out and thinking about all the horrible things that could go wrong. 

“I hate this, this isn’t how it was meant to be!” Annabeth sobs in a trembling voice, wiping at her tears with the sleeve of her cardigan. 

“I know, and it is completely natural and reasonable to feel scared, upset, angry, whatever you’re feeling right now is 100% valid. 

An unplanned unexpected vaginal birth when you had a C-section planned is scary, it’s scary and horrible for you to have to go through and terrible that you’re not getting the birth you wanted. 

You’re allowed to be scared, and whatever else you feel. Feel your feelings Annabeth, repressed emotions won’t help anything. 

I have this in hand dear, I’m not afraid, I’m not concerned. Everything is going perfectly smoothly and progressing exactly as it should. 

So you feel whatever you feel, and know that you’re in safe hands with me.” Artemis calmly and coolly soothes Annabeth, meeting her eyes and firmly holding her gaze. 

And much as Annabeth appreciates the kind words, they don’t do much to soothe or help her. 

“And I’m here too, to support you however I can.” Percy’s warm and familiar voice whispers in Annabeth’s ear, his arm around her shoulders as he leans forward to kiss her forehead. 

That tiny gesture of love and support from Percy is enough to make Annabeth crack. She simply can’t hold it all in anymore, she can’t deny it any longer. 

“Percy, I'm so scared.” Annabeth sobs, looking up at her husband and clutching to his arm. “I am so scared that this is gonna be a repeat of last time. That something’s going to happen to her and she’ll be hurt or worse. 

I haven’t been able to sleep since I found out I’m pregnant, not properly. I’ve been too overwhelmed and overcome by fear and dread, and I keep getting these…. These… flashbacks and nightmares to when Luke was born, to the trauma of that day and I get hit with the emotions like a brick wall, and I try to rationalise these thoughts but I just can’t! 

I don’t know what to do anymore Percy, I’m so scared!” 

Annabeth breaks down into full heaving sobs, which shake Percy to his core. He’s never seen Annabeth this afraid, not in all their years together, 11 years of knowing her, 8 years of loving her and 4 years of marriage. 

Even during everything they went through together, from questing to the underworld to find Zeus’ master bolt, to fighting their way through Tartarus and closing the doors of death, Percy has never seen Annabeth lose her cool quiet like this. 

“Annabeth…” Percy quietly states, his tone conveying his shock as he embraces her, her head resting on his chest as he holds her tight and kisses the top of her head.  “I-I can’t believe I didn’t notice how much you were struggling… Gods Annabeth, I’m so sorry. I… I should have realised!” Percy continues, feeling the guilt hit him like a brick wall. He mentally kicks himself for not noticing the signs, for not picking up on the red flags that something was wrong and going on for Annabeth, something intense and scary. 

Frankly he feels like he should’ve realised all this a lot sooner, like back when Luke was a baby. Of course Annabeth is feeling traumatised, terrified and out of control. Luke’s birth was… one of the scariest things Percy has ever been through. Watching his son be whisked off and placed in an incubator within seconds of his birth, his cry so weak and quiet. His little body, covered in tubes and wires, as he was unable to breathe fully on his own, nor could he eat by himself. 

And then… watching the life almost seep out of Annabeth right there on that operating table, watching her fall unconscious and hearing her blood hitting the floor of the operating room, while Percy was practically shoved out with little explanation of what happened.  

If that was enough to traumatise him, just witnessing it all, he can’t imagine what it’s done to Annabeth, going through it all. Being the one to carry their son for 7 months and then be restricted to holding him for a limited time every few hours. Trying to learn the ropes of the NICU and being a new parent, while recovering from the physical trauma of an unplanned emergency C-section and postpartum haemorrhage, as well as the emotional trauma of those things and having a baby in the NICU. 

“No… the last thing I want is for you to blame yourself Percy, I’m good at hiding these things. I thought once I got past 30 weeks in this pregnancy I would relax and feel more at ease but I didn’t, and I-I didn’t want to admit that so I kept trying to act like everything was normal. 

But I can’t do that anymore Percy, I can’t pretend anymore, I can’t live like this. And I am so scared that something is going to happen to this baby, or me.” Annabeth admits through heavy sobs and sniffles, clinging to Percy like he is the only life raft and she is lost at sea. 

Percy kisses the top of her head and rubs her arm lovingly. 

“I understand, I get you, Annabeth. All these feelings of fear and stress and everything else are so valid. It is the most natural thing in the world to feel like that after everything you’ve been through. 

Anyone would feel that way, and you’re allowed to be scared. This is a scary situation. Everything that happened with Luke’s birth absolutely was a scary situation. 

Annabeth, your feelings and experiences are real and valid. But so is the fact that this is a totally different situation from Luke’s birth. 

Let’s think about the facts of the situation for a minute, yeah?” Percy calmly suggests, still holding tight to Annabeth and thinking of the ways he’s helped some of the newcomers at Camp Half Blood rationalise their obsessive intrusive thoughts. 

“Like what?” Annabeth sniffs, not having the energy to dig around in her mind for even just a simple and basic fact. 

“Like there’s no reason to suspect things will go wrong this time. Baby girl is on time, Lukey was preemie, he wasn’t ready to be born yet and wasn’t in the right position so the cord had more room to move about and slip out. 

That’s not the case this time. Artemis, there’s no sign of anything like a cord prolapse happening or anything, is there?” Percy asks the Goddess, who is still kneeling in front of Annabeth, waiting patiently for her to find her strength again.

“None whatsoever.” She happily confirms with a reassuring smile. “Everything is absolutely perfect with no signs at all of any complications. Baby girl is in the perfect position, the cord is exactly where it should be, her heart beat is good and strong, everything is going smoothly.” 

“You promise? Do you swear on the river Styx?” Annabeth breathily asks, fully aware of what a huge ask this is of Artemis, but needing a solid guarantee that things aren’t going to go haywire. 

“I swear on the river Styx that as of right now Annabeth, your labor is progressing perfectly, your baby is in perfect health and tolerating labor very well, and you are also doing extraordinarily well.” The Goddess vows, very careful with how she words her sentence, since she can’t guarantee that nothing will go wrong.

“See? You can trust us Annabeth. I know it’s scary and intimidating and you don’t want to do it. I wish I could do it for you, I would in a heartbeat. But I’m right here with you every step of the way.” Percy assures his wife, rubbing her back encouragingly and praying to Athena to help Annabeth find the strength she needs to get through this. 

“I am so glad I told you.” Annabeth sniffs, feeling at least somewhat relieved now she’s shared her burden. 

“Me too, you don’t have to carry this alone. And I promise I’ll help you get mental health help. We’re gonna find you the best help out there, ok?” Percy pledges, taking this vow more seriously than anything else right now. He will call every therapist and psychiatrist in New York if he has to, and pay any price if needed, to get Annabeth the help she needs and deserves. 

Annabeth nods, just as a look of urgency flashes on her face and she sits back from Percy’s embrace, gripping his shoulders and wincing slightly. 

“I need to push again, now.” 

Finally, about 2 hours after Magnus arrives at Camp Half Blood, he hears footsteps on the stairs and soon Percy walks into the room. He couldn’t possibly look more different than he did 2 years ago, when he stumbled into the waiting room after Luke’s birth. Back then he had been wearing a green surgical gown over his clothes, green plastic covers over his shoes, a surgical hat hid his dark hair and a green surgical mask had been pulled down to his chin. 

Percy had been scarily pale, his complexion grey and his eyes filled with fear and terror. He had stumbled into the waiting room, hardly able to stand and had only just about been able to tell Magnus and Alex what happened. 

This time, despite it being Winter, Percy has his usual tanned complexion. His eyes are alight with hope and joy. He’s wearing his regular clothes with no PPE over them like last time. He has a huge smile on his face and looks like a weight has been lifted from him. 

“Percy!” Magnus exclaims, standing up with Luke still in his arms, walking over to his friend. “Is everything ok? Annabeth and the baby?” Magnus frets. 

Percy’s grin just grows and he nods. “It’s all good man, you wanna come meet your niece?” 

Magnus lets out a breathy laugh of relief, and nods enthusiastically. “You bet your butt I do! Are you sure Annabeth is up for visitors though?” he checks, not wanting to just barge in. 

“Oh yeah, she wants you to be the first of our group of family and friends to meet her. Come on, this little girl does not like waiting.” 

When Magnus steps into the infirmary, he is met with a warm glowing golden light filling the room, which is empty apart from Annabeth. She is sitting up in a bed that wouldn’t look out of place in a hospital, her long sandy hair gathered into a messy ponytail at the back of her head. She’s wearing a maternity style deep red wrap dress/nightgown. The same one Blitz made for her when she was pregnant with Luke, but that she never got to use because of how fast and unexpectedly everything happened when Luke was born.

In her arms, Annabeth is cradling a perfectly swaddled little baby. A baby with the same tanned skin as Percy, and the same shock of dark hair as his. Almost the complete opposite of Luke’s white-blonde hair. 

Annabeth looks to be in her element, gazing lovingly down at her baby and looking more at peace than Magnus has seen her in a long, long time. 

When she hears the door open, Annabeth lifts her head and smiles brightly at her family. 

“Hi guys.” She softly greets, beckoning them further into the room. 

“Hey.” Magnus replies just as softly, giving his cousin a brief one armed hug before sitting in a chair beside her bed, with Luke on his lap. “You look a lot brighter and lighter.” 

“I did just lose at least eight pounds.” Annabeth laughs, nodding to the baby in her arms. “Plus however much the amniotic fluid and the placenta weighed.” 

“Oh ha ha.” Magnus dryly retorts. “I meant you look like you’ve got less emotional weight.” he clarifies. 

“I feel like it.” Annabeth confirms with a content sigh. “Now that baby girl is here and she’s safe and perfect, I feel like I can relax.” 

Just then, Luke clambers over from Magnus’ lap onto the bed and situates himself under one of Annabeth’s arms, cuddled up to her with his head resting on her chest. The little guy clearly didn't want to wait another second to be back by his mama's side.

Annabeth laughs lightly, and presses a kiss to her son’s mop of bright hair while Percy takes the baby into his arms so Annabeth can sign to Luke. 

Hi my baby. Annabeth signs to her son. You miss me? Luke nods. I missed you too. Annabeth tells him.

Percy then perches on the edge of the bed beside Annabeth, holding their daughter with just one arm. 

Luke, you know who this is? He signs, pointing at the baby. 

Luke makes a cradle with his arms, one held under the other just like Percy is holding the baby right now. 

Then, he holds out his thumb and index finger on both hands and brings one hand up and holds it under his jaw. Then he moves that hand down, tapping it against his other hand. Baby Sister. 

That’s right. Annabeth confirms. This is your baby sister,  do you remember her name?  She and Percy have had a name picked out for their daughter for a while now. They recently started trying to teach Luke how to finger spell her name, knowing that when he’s older and more advanced with his ASL he’ll create his own name sign for her. 

Luke shakes his head. 

S-i-l-e-n-a. Annabeth patiently signs, moving slowly so Luke can clearly see her signs.

“Silena Sally Athena Jackson-Chase.” Percy adds. “For one of the bravest, strongest heroes we’ve ever met, Silena Beauregard. And for the most amazing mom there ever was. And of course, the one war God that I don’t have major beef with.” 

Magnus shares a grin with Annabeth and gazes down at the tiny figure in Percy's arms. He couldn’t be more happy for Annabeth and Percy, after everything they’ve been through they deserve this. 

“She’s perfect, Annabeth.” Magnus gushes. “And her name is absolutely beautiful, I bet Sally and Athena are gonna be really happy.” Though Magnus has never actually met Annabeth’s mother, he’s heard a lot about her and knows that Annabeth really values their relationship, and that Athena herself cares deeply for her daughter. 

She may not be the type of mom to bake you cookies and give you warm hugs, like Natalie had been or like Sally still is to Percy and Estelle. But nonetheless Athena is a mom who looks out for you, the kind who advocates for you and trusts you with sacred missions and quests.

“I hope so.” Annabeth quietly replies. She knows Sally will be absolutely thrilled to find out Silena’s name, and will of course be the loving and doting grandma that she is to Luke. But she’s not so sure about her own mom. She hopes Athena won’t think that her daughter is trying to suck up to her by giving her own daughter her name. She hopes she can see it as the gesture of love and respect that it is. 

“You wanna hold your guide daughter, Magnus?” Percy asks with a grin, already halfway to a standing position to lay the baby in Magnus’ arms. 

“I’d love to.” Magnus eagerly agrees. “I gotta admit, I miss having a baby around.” he laughs lightly. Robin’s babyhood flew by so fast, and while he absolutely adores and admires the amazing 6 year old she’s grown up to be, he can’t help but feel a little nostalgic for when she was just a baby. 

When Percy lays Silena in his arms, Magnus is overcome with how adorable she is and how much he loves her. It’s the exact same way he feels about Robin, and Luke and Layla and of course Sam and Amir’s unborn baby. He loves his friends' kids just as much as he loves his own daughter, and he knows they love his kiddo as much as they love their own. 

“Feeling broody?” Annabeth teases. 

“Mmm maybe a bit.” Magnus admits with a grin. “But just for the cuddles and the little smiles and stuff, I’ll just borrow these two and then hand them back the second they get fussy. That’s my favorite part of being an Uncle.” 

“Oh Magnus I swear if you give them sugar and then send them back all hyped up I’m gonna make you do bedtime with them, especially Luke, he especially hates bedtime.” Annabeth warns.

Luke is generally a really chill and laid back little man, but oh boy does that kid hate bed time, and they can’t seem to figure out why. If he’s having nightmares he isn’t expressing it in anyway.

Magnus shares a mischievous grin with Luke and signs to him Mom is spoil sport, my job is to do fun things with you, and baby Silena, right?

Luke just grins even more and nods his agreement. He loves spending time with Magnus, and Alex. Luke adores them both, thinks they're the coolest people in all 9 worlds.

Annabeth laughs lightly and leans over to peck Magnus on the cheek before dropping a kiss to the top of Luke's head. "I've said it before Magnus, and I'll say it again. You're a butt."

Magnus grins devilishly, clearly enjoying teasing Annabeth.

"Yeah but you love me." Magnus teasingly replies.

Annabeth shares his grin, and takes a minute to just process the fact that this is a moment she really thought might never come true.
Sitting here with Percy at her side, her husband now of 4 years. Her longed and hard fought for baby boy, her work of ART, her Luke, curled up into her side. Her baby girl, her Silena, her miracle who she never in a million years could have imagined would join their family so soon after Luke and with such ease, curled up in Magnus' arms. Her Magnus, her baby cousin, her best friend.

Not to mention the vast amount of family and friends they have in so many other parts of the world.

Annabeth never thought she would do this, but in this quiet moment she raises her gaze to the skies and quietly whispers.

"Thank you Hera."

Chapter Text

Later on that day as Annabeth sits in her bed in the infirmary, with just Silena for company while Percy and Luke go grab dinner for themselves and Annabeth, and Magnus has gone back to Valhalla, she hears a light knock at the infirmary door. 

When she looks up from Silena’s face, Annabeth is fully expecting to see one of her friends, or indeed Artemis or Apollo themselves to check in again on how she and Silena are doing after the birth.

So you can imagine her surprise and shock when she sees a completely different but very familiar God standing in the doorway, dressed in a brightly colored Hawaiian print shirt with khaki shorts going down to his knees, with black sandals. 

“Mr. D?” Annabeth asks, her brow furrowing in disbelief. Why would Mr. D. be here right now? 

“Can I come in?” He simply asks, surprising Annabeth further when he doesn’t reply sarcastically or snappily. 

“Um.. yeah, yeah of course.” She agrees, a little weary about why the Camp Director is here right now. “What are you doing here?” She adds, as Mr. D comes and takes a seat on the side of the infirmary bed across from hers. 

“Perry Johansson asked me to come talk to you, as did Professor Hay For Breath. And the blonde Norse kid, your cousin, ya know…” Mr. D. trails off, clicking his fingers in the air as he tries to think of Magnus’ name. “Viking Apollo?” 

Annabeth lets out a laugh so loud she startles the sleeping baby in her arms, and makes herself wince and put her hand to her ribs which still ache from pregnancy and the strain of birth. 

But the brief pang of pain is quickly forgotten as Annabeth thinks about Mr. D’s nickname for Magnus. 

The God smirks to himself, sitting up straight and looking pretty pleased with himself as Annabeth continues to laugh. 

“Viking Apollo, oh my Gods that’s amazing.” Annabeth laughs. “I’m changing his name in my phone to that.” She continues, making a mental note to call Magnus ‘Viking Apollo’ to his face, next time she sees him. And to tell Alex about the new nickname, which outranks Sunshine Boy, Alex and Annabeth’s designated nickname for Magnus. 

“Well anyway, Professor Clip Cop and Peter Johnson told me you’re struggling with your mental health. It was hard to listen to them both but from what I gather, you’ve been having flashbacks and nightmares, constantly on edge huh?” Dionysus continues, his tone uncharacteristically soft and quiet, so much so that Annabeth half wonders if Alex shape shifted into Mr. D and is playing some weird prank, even though as far as Annabeth knows, Alex is still in Boston helping Sam through early pregnancy. 

But Annabeth finds herself wanting to tell Mr. D. about her mental health problems. Despite him not being the most openly affectionate and friendly guy out there, she knows that deep down he does care about her, secretly he cares about all the kids who’ve been at Camp over his tenure as Camp Director. 

She wasn’t there when he was able to heal Chris Rodriguez’s mind all those years ago, and she’s under no illusion that he can fix her mental health issues, issues that are not brought on and caused by magic, but she still feels like she can confide in him and talk to him.

Annabeth sighs and looks down at Silena sleeping peacefully in her arms. She hopes and prays that her children never know the kind of mental anguish Annabeth is going through right now. 

“Yeah… being pregnant again… it was more of a trigger than I could ever have realized or anticipated. It took me so long to get pregnant the first time, and then I had a difficult and complicated pregnancy, and then Luke’s birth was… really traumatic.” Annabeth quietly tells Mr. D. She swears she can still get a whiff of the smell of the air freshener that she had Percy place in her hospital room when she was in labor with Luke. 

 Even though there’s no air freshener around here and nothing that could really give off that lavender smell that Annabeth once loved and found relaxing, but now makes her feel sick and reminds her of the day Luke was born.

“What happened that day? What complications were there, if you want to talk about it?” Mr. D. prods, sounding like he genuinely and really wants to hear Annabeth’s story. 

“Well… Luke was born 2 months early. It started when I was 30 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Everything had been manageable up until then, I had gestational diabetes but it was more than manageable. 

Then… I had some period like cramps that day, but they were so minor and mild that I assumed it was nothing. Until I went to the bathroom and…. I was bleeding.

 I was so scared, I knew it wasn’t normal and could be labor, but I wasn’t sure… until Percy and I were getting ready to go out to the car to get to the hospital…. And my waters broke.” Annabeth’s tone becomes so tight and choked up with tears that her voice is hardly more than a whisper, and she has to take a moment to try and compose herself. 

“That alone must have been pretty horrific.” Dionysus gently says, his tone completely free and void of any judgement. 

Annabeth nods, wiping at her tears. 

“It was.” She agrees quietly. “Things were okay-ish for the next few hours, I had Percy and my cousin Magnus and his partner Alex to keep me company and distract me while I was in labor, and the pain wasn’t that bad at all. 

But then… When I eventually started pushing, things started going downhill. Luke’s heart rate dropped a few times, nothing too drastic but it still scared me. 

Then… a few hours in, the doctor told me to stop pushing because the cord had slipped out ahead of Luke, and I had to have an emergency C-section to keep him safe. 

They gave me something to help me stay calm and the anaesthesiologist was amazing at talking to me and distracting me while they did the surgery…. And then the last thing I remember is hearing Luke cry and briefly seeing him, so, so small, smaller than he should’ve been. 

And then…. Well the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital room, and when I realised Luke wasn’t there with me… it felt like someone had taken my heart and hidden it away from me. 

I could only hold him and touch him for a few minutes every few hours, it was…. Horrendous.”  By the time Annabeth finishes retelling the story of Luke’s birth, she can no longer hold back the tears or the sobs. 

Even 2 years on from that day and with Luke now a very happy and healthy two year old, Annabeth still often feels as though that traumatic C-section and everything that happened before and after, only happened a few weeks ago. 

The pain and disappointment of not getting to have the birth she wanted, the fear of Luke not being able to survive the complications that came alongside his premature birth.

 The emotional turmoil and fear of Annabeth’s own near death experience, and so much more. It all feels so fresh and recent. 

Every time Luke so much as sneezes, Annabeth is terrified he’s contracted some horrific rare respiratory illness. An illness that would be absolutely disastrous for anyone, but especially Luke who has a weaker and more compromised immune system than an average 2 year old.

Each time Annabeth herself has a heart palpitation she is internally freaking out, thinking it could be an undetected complication even two years later, from her postpartum haemorrhage. Sending her into a spiral of thoughts and fears that her life is in very real danger, and her children will grow up without her, and Percy will be left a widower. 

Not to mention the fact that even with Silena now earthside with them, Annabeth is still plagued by the constant thought and fear of something happening to her.

Constantly worrying herself silly, wondering if she’s meant to sleep so much, or eat so much, or be so still. Luke was such a wriggly baby, Silena is the opposite. 

And it frightens Annabeth, she can’t help but obsess over all these little details, with the anxiety spiralling into panic attacks and false beliefs that something horrific is going to happen to her and her family. 

“You’ve been through a lot in the last 2 years alone, haven’t you?” Mr. D quietly asks Annabeth, looking at her with what seems to be genuine empathy and care. Annabeth can’t help but wonder if she’s imaging it though, lack of sleep can do bizarre things to you. 

“Yeah, I have.” She agrees, wiping at her tears and trying to regain control of her breathing. 

“Add the fact that you’ve fought in at least 2 wars, saved the world countless times, recovered the Athena Parthenos and brought peace and unity between Greek and Roman demigods, and the fact that you literally went through hell, venturing through Tartarus, facing the God Tartarus and resealed the doors of death, well…. Quite frankly I’m surprised you haven’t developed PTSD or any other mental health issues, before now.” Mr. D states, his tone conveying a hint of admiration and disbelief. 

He knows first hand what it’s like to be a young demigod who’s gone through more than anyone ever should, and he is all too aware of how massively it can impact your mental health. There’s a reason he’s the God of mental health. 

“Yeah… me too.” Annabeth sniffs. 

“Kid… what you’ve been through in the last 2 years alone is enough to drive anyone to despair. I know what you went through to have your kids in the first place, and I know it wasn’t easy for you. To then go on and have traumatic pregnancies and births… Well, it’s no wonder you’re struggling so much.

To deal with any of what you’ve dealt with throughout your whole life, takes a hell of a lot of strength. Anyone who has to deal with their own mind fighting against them every single day is made of incredibly tough stuff. 

I wish I could say I could just snap my fingers and cure you. For issues like PTSD that aren’t brought on by some form of magic, I unfortunately don’t have a magical instant fix. 

But it is possible to heal, there’s no shame in getting some help.” Dionysus expresses to Annabeth in a gentle and empathetic tone. 

For Annabeth to hear Mr. D. Talking to her in such a kind and soft tone is pretty strange, but also a nice change. Right now she doesn’t feel like she has the energy to deal with his usual grumpy and sarcastic disposition. 

But there is a flaw in his point, unfortunately. 

“It’s not like I can just walk into a random therapist’s office and tell them about my life as the daughter of Athena.” Annabeth quietly points out. 

If she were to exclusively talk about her trauma from her pregnancies and birth and her infertility trauma, then sure maybe a random mortal therapist would be able to help her. 

But it’s not just the last 2 years that have traumatized Annabeth, she undeniably still carries a lot of trauma and stress from all the massive events in her life. All of which are inextricably linked to her status as a demigod. 

“You’re right there.” Dionysus agrees with a nod. “But there are demigods who have gone on to work in the mental health field. Therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. 

Some of them are my kids, some are kids of Apollo, others are children of Gods who have nothing to do with mental health or healing, but regardless all the ones I know are extremely good at their jobs. 

They see their clients and patients as people, not just a number in a system. They care about these people and they’re great at teaching and giving them tools to help them cope.  

I’m not a licensed mental health professional obviously, but I am the God of mental health and madness, as I said. So I think I know what I’m talking about too. Maybe it’s worth considering seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist. 

Medication alongside therapy might be a good option for you. It might help you get some sleep at night, and help smooth out any biological problems that are contributing to your mental health issues.

Although my personal recommendation would be a nice glass of wine, but I guess modern day antidepressants are pretty decent too.” 

Annabeth laughs, glad that Mr. D. is still ultimately acting like himself, talking about wine and suggesting it as a remedy for everything. Annabeth wonders if Zeus would be really mad if she went out and bought a nice bottle of wine for Mr. D, as a thank you present for this little pep talk. 

Before Annabeth can reply, two small rectangular cards appear in Dionysus’ hand and he sets them down on the table beside Annabeth’s bed, tapping them lightly. 

“These have the contact info of a therapy centre and a psychiatric day centre where some of those demigod healers that I told you about, work. 

They’re highly skilled and highly trained and have worked with people like you before. If and when you’re ready, I think giving them a call and getting on their books would be a great first step towards healing, for you.” Mr. D calmly explains. 

Annabeth nods, feeling much more comfortable with the idea of talking to a fellow demigod about all she’s been through, than a regular mortal who would only think her more mentally unwell if she started talking about demigods, centaurs, giants, nymphs, etc.

“I will, I’ll call them later on when Percy and Luke get back. Thanks Mr. D… for this talk and… everything you’ve done over the years.” Annabeth quietly and sheepishly thanks the God, hardly able to believe that she’s actually feeling really fond of and glad for Mr. D. right now. Underneath his grumpy disposition, he’s a good man with a good heart, and Annabeth appreciates that. 

Mr. D simply shrugs. 

“Hey I know I may act all grouchy and grumpy but I’m a softie at heart. And don’t you dare repeat this, especially not to Patrick Jenkins, but I care about you kids. You’re like endearingly annoying puppies.”

Annabeth laughs, it’s an odd compliment but she’ll take it. 

“Thanks Mr. D. So, do you wanna hold Silena?” She offers, figuring it would be nice to formally introduce Silena to Mr. D. while he’s here. She’s only a few hours old and has already met Artemis and Apollo, who both checked her over thoroughly after her birth and confirmed that she is in perfect health.  

Her APGAR scores are perfect, her weight is great and she’s already in the 90th percentile for height. Might as well add another God to her list of Gods she’s met before she’s even 24 hours old.

“You know, I would, but I’ve got a very important game of Pinochle scheduled with Hermes, which I can’t be late for, so I gotta go.” Mr. D tells her, pointing to the door with his thumb as he gets up and starts to walk out of the room. 

Just before he reaches the door though, Mr. D turns around and looks at Annabeth with sincere and genuine fondness and care. 

“Look after yourself Annabeth, you matter too, don’t forget that.” He softly states. 

“Mr. D!” Annabeth laughs in delight. “You got my name right!” 

“Don’t be preposterous Annabelle, I have no idea what you mean.” He scoffs, clearly not wanting to admit twice in one day, that he does genuinely like and care for the kids at Camp Half Blood. 

Annabeth just grins and laughs as he walks off, just as Percy walks back into the room with Luke on his hip and a bag of takeout food in his hand. 

“Was that Mr. D? Was he… talking to you? Like… checking in on you?” Percy asks Annabeth, lightly kicking the door shut behind him. When he asked Mr. D. to come talk to Annabeth and help her however he could, he hadn’t really been expecting the wine God to actually do it. And definitely not so quickly, just an hour or so after he asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it later.” Annabeth decides, while Percy sets Luke down so the little boy can climb up onto the bed beside Annabeth.

Mama! Luke enthusiastically signs to Annabeth, his face lit up with joy and excitement. We bring you dinner! Dinner for mama and baby Silena! 

You did? Annabeth signs, her hands free once she lays Silena on her chest. Thank you baby, that is so sweet. What would I do without you, you and daddy and Silena? She wonders, running a hand through Luke’s blonde hair and feeling a rush of joy as she thinks of how lucky she is to be his mom. 

Be sad. Luke signs matter-of-factly, which makes Annabeth and Percy laugh. The innocence their son has is beyond adorable and sweet. He’s so wonderfully curious, and self assured already. But also extremely polite and the sweetest, calmest little boy. 

Yes. Annabeth agrees, leaning forward to give Luke a kiss on the forehead, kissing Percy on the lips and pressing a kiss to the top of Silena’s head. I would be very, very sad without my babies and my Percy, my seaweed brain.

Annabeth and Percy Jackson-Chase have made a lot of choices over the years, some good and some bad, some a mixture of both. Some they regret and some they don't regret.
After everything they've been through together, you would think something as simple as planning a baby naming ceremony for their daughter would be a walk in the park for them.

But the thing is, they've decided they want to hold the naming ceremony before their little one is a month old, though not as soon as ancient Roman naming ceremonies were done at 8 or 9 days old.

They had so much time to plan for Luke's naming ceremony 2 years ago, that they thought it would be fairly straightforward and easy to plan Silena's. Much of it would be the same, they've already asked Magnus and Alex to be Godparents (both of whom were absolutely honoured and thrilled to have been asked.) and they've already established that (providing the weather holds up) they'll hold the ceremony on the beach, like they did with Luke.

The guest list is pretty much the exact same, with Gods and mortals alike. (and demigods, Einherji, Satyrs, Dwarves, Elves, etc.)

But as they soon find out, planning an event while also being parents to a 2 year old and a new born is not easy or straightforward at all.
If it weren't for the fact that they have endless help from their friends and family, Percy and Annabeth doubt they would have been able to get everything together on time.

But mercifully they do have that help, and are even lucky enough to have Sally and Paul offer to be the ones to take care of Luke during the ceremony, if he gets fussy and bored and wants to leave they've already agreed that either Sally or Paul will take him somewhere he can run around and be a normal toddler, while the other films the rest of the ceremony for their partner to see later.

I can't believe I'm standing here. Annabeth thinks to herself, standing in the sand of the beach in a flowing white dress and gold sandals, her blonde curls blowing in the wind and baby Silena wide awake and alert in her arms, dressed in an all white with gown embroidered symbols of her Godly Grandparents. Horses and tridents for Poseidon. Owls and olive trees for Athena.

As she stands there thinking about how grateful and lucky she is to be here right now, the last of their guests for the naming ceremony mill onto the beach, and everyone begins to take their seats.

Suddenly a voice at her side, pulls Annabeth out of her thoughts.

"Hey, ready to get this party started?"

Annabeth turns to see Alex standing next to her with Magnus just a few steps behind. Alex is grinning and looking very excited to welcome Silena into the family officially, and to be the little one's Godparent.

Annabeth returns the grin and nods "Sure am, is Robin with you?" she asks, scanning the crowd for the familiar flash of curling dark hair.

"Oh yeah she's with your dad actually, she really likes him, whenever we get to see him she asks him to tell her about Natalie, sometimes she asks about Randolph too." Alex's tone is a mix of sadness and joy.
Magnus has told her about his Uncle Randolph, how Loki used him and then discarded him as soon as he got what he wanted. After all, Alex had been there when Randolph met his end, in Loki's cavern.

She has mixed feelings about the guy, given that his own pride got his family killed and he also used and betrayed Magnus, and almost killed Blitz. But she also wouldn't wish the pain her mother caused, on anyone.

"Magnus told Robin about Randolph?" Annabeth asks in a surprised tone, knowing her cousin had many reasons to not be their old Uncle's biggest fan.

She's still furious with him for not telling her and her dad about Natalie's death and Magnus going missing, at least not until it suited him.

She also isn't sure if she wants to tell Luke and Silena about Randolph. They're too little to really understand it all, and while Luke asks who Randolph is when he sees him in family photos, he doesn't ask many questions after being told about his Grandpa having a brother and a sister who died way before Luke was born.

"A bit, when she started asking about who the the other tall blonde guy was in family photos of your dad, Natalie and Randolph.

When she was little we could get away with less detailed in depth explanations but now she's 7 and the smartest little thing you'll ever meet, probably like you at that age.
She keeps asking more and more questions, so Magnus tells her the truth, in an age appropriate way of course." Alex explains to Annabeth, her own gaze now on Robin sitting beside Frederick in the crowd, her grey eyes twinkling with mesmerisation as she listens to his stories.

Annabeth nods in understanding, figuring she'll probably do the same when Luke and Silena are old enough to ask more questions.

"Feels like it was only yesterday that it was Robin's naming ceremony, huh?" Annabeth changes the subject, not really wanting to focus too much on the macabre topic of her dead traitorous Uncle.

"It does." Alex agrees with a nod. "I still can't believe Odin let you into Valhalla for that."

"Me neither." Annabeth says with a breathy tone. Visiting Valhalla had been one of the most surreal experiences of her life. She still wishes she had more time to see more of the place, look at the amazing architecture and design of the buildings and structures all around her.

"What's better, Valhalla or Olympus?" Alex teases with a grin, hoping maybe one day the Greek Gods will return Odin's favour of letting one of their children visit Valhalla, and Alex herself might get to visit Olympus. Maybe she should talk to Apollo, he seemed cool when she met him when Robin was a baby.

Annabeth laughs. "That feels sacrilegious to answer."

"Aww c'mon, you gotta have an answer. You're not afraid Zeus will strike you down if your answer is Valhalla, are you?" Alex jokes in a taunting tone, like she's daring Annabeth to do something really stupid.

"Yes actually." Annabeth answers. "I'd rather not take any chances."

Before Alex can reply, Silena lets out a babble as she wriggles in her mother's arms and starts fussing.

Alex laughs. "Oh sorry girlie pop, you don't like me teasing your mom do you?"

Annabeth grins as she shifts Silena in her arms to hold the little girl upright against her should and gently pats her back.

"Nah only I get to do that, as the annoying little brother figure I am." Magnus' voice joins the conversation, as he approaches them with Luke on his hip, who looks very happy to be with his Uncle.

Annabeth rolls her eyes in amusement. "Annoying is an understatement." she jokes.

Magnus looks mock offended and signs to Luke Do you think I'm annoying?

Luke shakes his head, blonde curls flying around him, creating an almost halo affect.

No! Luke signs back. Best friend! he then lays his head on Magnus' shoulder and smiles sweetly up at him, which just about melts Annabeth's heart. She is so lucky to be Luke's mom, and Silena's.

Annabeth then feels a comfortingly familiar warm hand land on her back, and she turns her head to see Percy now at her side, beaming at her and looking handsome and radiant as ever in a plain white button down shirt, and a pair of beige shorts that stop just above his knee.
His tangled black hair is windswept and his grin that once irritated Annabeth, now fills her with so much love and joy.

"Hey." Percy greets, dropping a kiss to the top of Annabeth's head. "Aww Lukey, you love your Uncle Magnus huh?" he then adds, signing to Luke as he speaks.

Luke nods and repeats what he said earlier. Best friend!

"That's so sweet." Percy grins, reaching out to brush Luke's hair back from his face. "Anyway, Annabeth all the guests are here. You ready to get started? Before little man gets bored and little miss gets cranky?"

Annabeth nods. "Gods yeah, the last thing we need is Luke getting under stimulated and having a meltdown, let's get this show on the road."

Annabeth and Percy take their place at the sturdy wooden table in the centre of their area on the beach, that is being used as an alter.

On the altar are a photo of Silena's Godly grandparents, Poseidon and Athena. As well as some blessing/anointing oil blessed by Artemis herself, Goddess of children. They also have a cup of olive oil to represent Athena, and a cup of water to represent Poseidon.

Then they invite their guests to gather around, forming a circle. Filling in sunwise around the alter.
Magnus and Alex take place of honor, with Magnus at Annabeth's right hand and Alex at Percy's right hand.

Usually in Pagan naming ceremonies like this, where the baby is a girl, the father takes the lead, or another male relative. But Percy and Annabeth have decided they will both speak and take the lead, as they did at Luke's naming ceremony.

Annabeth speaks first, smiling at the crowd of their friends and family.

"Today we gather to bless a child, a new life that has become part of our world. We gather to name this child, this beautiful little miraculous gift that we-" she gestures between herself and Percy. "Are honoured to call our daughter."

"To call someone or something by a name, is to give them power. A name is also a gift, and so today we shall give this little one a gift, the gift of a name.
We will welcome her into our hearts and our lives and bless her with a name of her own." Percy continues, cupping the back of Silena's head and gazing down at her with pure and utter love written across his face.

Annabeth and Percy then turn their gazes from Silena, and focus on their family and friends before speaking in unison.
"To be a parent is to love and nurture, to lead a child to be a good person.

It is to guide them along the right path and to both teach them and learn from them.

It is to rein them in, and give them wings.

It is to smile at their joy, and weep at their pain.

It is to walk beside them, and then one day allow them to walk alone.

To be a parent is a great gift we have given ourselves,

and the greatest responsibility we shall ever have."

Percy and Annabeth then both turn to Magnus and Alex in order to address them. Annabeth speaks first, looking directly at her cousin.

"You stand here beside us, for the love of this child."

Then Percy continues, addressing Alex. "Will you tell the Gods who you are?"

"I am Magnus Chase, chosen to be Godparent for this child." Magnus recites, very thankful that he remembers the lines he needs to speak, and hoping he doesn't sound too monotone or anything.

"And I am Alex Fierro, also chosen to be Godparent for this child." Alex echoes.

"Do you know what it is to be a child's Godparent?" Annabeth asks, looking between Magnus and Alex.

"It is to love and nurture, to show guidance and counsel." Magnus begins.

"It is to help the child make choices, should she need assistance." Alex continues, smiling warmly and fondly at Silena.

"It is to be a second set of parents, to be there when called upon." Magnus finishes.

Then, Annabeth holds Silena over the alter, and very carefully and gently, Percy dips his thumb into the blessed oil and carefully traces the symbol of an Omega on her forehead, the symbol of Olympus.

As Percy anoints the baby, he begins to speak.

"May the Gods keep this child pure and perfect, and let anything that is negative stay far beyond her world.

May you always have good fortune,

May you always have good health,

May you always be joyful,

And may you always have joy in your heart."

Then, Annabeth carefully passes the baby to Percy. She then dips her fingers in the oil and traces the Omega symbol on Silena's chest, while reciting the following words.

"You are known to the Gods and to us as Silena Sally Athena Jackson-Chase.

This is your name, and it is powerful.

Bear your name with honor, and may the Gods bless you on this day and every day hereafter.

I honor you, Silena."

By the time Annabeth has finished speaking, tears are freely flowing down her cheeks and her voice is tight and taught with tears.
She is flooded with emotions right now. She is so grateful and happy to have Silena here. She loves her little girl so much that it's overwhelming.

But she is also feeling sad and hurt. She feels so very sad and sorry for the terrified 21 year old she was not that long ago. The girl who sat in that OB's office, feeling awash with pure and raw emotional agony as she was told that not only was she not pregnant, but that she may never get or stay pregnant. She may never become a mother, because of two cruel and horrible diseases that could massively impact her fertility.

That girl truly believed she may never know the joy and miracle of carrying a baby. She had begun to think that she would never see a positive pregnancy test, or see a baby on an ultrasound.
She had feared she would never feel baby kicks in her belly, caress her growing bump and discuss baby names with Percy.

Annabeth wishes she could go back in time and tell her 21 year old self that it does all work out, that those things she fears she'll never get to experience, will be some of her most cherished and vivid memories for the rest of her life. And that before she's even 30, she will be the very proud and happy mom of two perfect miracle babies.

And while she cherishes the babies she can hold in her arms, her Luke and Silena, Annabeth can't help but also mourn those babies that never got to be babies, that she never got to meet. The 4 embryos they transferred before their final embryo which became Luke.
None of them resulting in a pregnancy, but each of their losses still felt so deep and so painful.
She'll never forget them, not for a single second.

And while today is about celebrating Silena, and thanking the Gods for her safe arrival into the world, Annabeth still holds space for her 4 losses, and who they could have been, and the celebrations they could have had.

Finally the feeling of Percy's warm arm around her waist pulls Annabeth back to the present, and she lets herself lean on him, both physically and emotionally. She knows one thing for sure, she would not have been able to manage through those 4 losses without Percy at her side. Her rock, her best friend and love of her life.

"You ok?" Percy whispers to Annabeth. She nods and presses a kiss to Silena's forehead.

"Yeah." Annabeth tells him a breathy tone. "Just thinking about what it took to get here, to have Luke and Silena. Those 4 embryos that never even implanted…" Annabeth trails off as the tears well up again in her eyes.

Percy nods in understanding and rubs her arm comfortingly.

"I understand." He tells her. "I think about them too, we can talk more later but maybe we could do something to remember those 4 embryos by, plant some flowers in their memories or something." Percy softly suggests, having also thought about this topic a lot.

Annabeth smiles tearily and nods. "Yeah, that sounds nice." She agrees. "Lets talk more tonight maybe, for now we need to finish this naming ceremony."

"Right, of course, let's celebrate our girl." Percy agrees, giving Annabeth one last kiss on the forehead, before Annabeth turns and carefully passes Silena to Magnus, now it's time for the Godparents to give her a blessing and anoint her.

"Welcome, Silena." Magnus softly begins, brushing a hand over his niece's dark hair, dark hair that makes her look so much like Robin did at this age. "To our family and to our hearts.

Your parents love you and we thank them for giving you the gift of life.

I call on my father Frey, to watch over you in life and to grant you an abundance of prosperity, success, creativity and creation.

I bless you with the rune of the Fehu, the rune of my father Frey, and ask him to watch over you and guide you."

Then, very carefully and gently Magnus uses the blessed oil to softly trace the rune of Frey onto Silena's forehead, before passing her to Percy who in turn passes her to Alex.

"We ask the Gods to watch over you Silena." Alex calmly starts. "And over your mother and father, and we wish your family love and light.

"I bless you with the rune of Algiz, the rune of protection, instinct, sanctuary and guarding. As your GodparentI bless you with Algiz so that all your life long you may be protected and defended. May you always be safeguarded my your parents, by your Guardians and by your community as a whole.

May you always know your powerful inner strength, Silena, and know that it is enough to help you manifest your dreams."

Alex then very carefully and gently traces the rune of Algiz onto Silena's forehead with the last of the blessed oil. This poor baby is gonna have such greasy skin for the next few days.

Alex then carefully passes Silena back to Annabeth, who takes a minute to settle the baby, before addressing the crowd again.

"We'd like to take a minute now to quietly remember those friends and family whom cannot be here with us in person, but we know they are here in spirit and soul, literally in some cases." Annabeth's tone turns light and amused as she winks at Magnus and Alex. "During this quiet minute, Percy and I would like to read out some names of some of the people we wish could be here today to celebrate with us, but who we hope are watching our family and celebrating from Elysium."

Percy steps forward first to read out just a few select names of fallen family and friends.

"We remember;

Jason Grace, of the twelfth legion fulminatia, and the fifth cohort of Camp Jupiter, and of Camp Half Blood.

Zoë Nightshade, Lieutenant of the hunt of Artemis.

Bianca Di angelo. Daughter of Hades, member of the hunt of Artemis.

James Jackson, my grandfather, Silena and Luke's Great-Grandfather.

Estelle Jackson SR. My grandmother, Silena and Luke's Great-Grandmother."

Then Annabeth steps forward and begins to speak.

"And we also remember;

Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, who gave his life to save Olympus, and who our son is named after.

Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite, died in the battle of Olympus and who we name our daughter after.

Caroline Chase, of Massachusetts Boston, my Aunt and Silena and Luke's Great-Aunt.

Natalie Chase, also of Massachusetts Boston. Mother to Magnus, Aunt to me, Great-Aunt to Silena and Luke.

Emma Chase, daughter of Caroline and Randolph Chase, my cousin. Silena and Luke's second cousin.

Aubrey Chase, sister of Emma, daughter of Caroline and Randolph, also my cousin and also Silena and Luke's second cousin.

And…. Randolph Chase, my Uncle and Silena and Luke's Great-Uncle.

We take a moment now to remember our fallen friends and family."

Getting past Luke Castellan and Silena Beauregard's names isn't easy for Annabeth. How she wishes her friends could be here celebrating with them, could meet the two babies who are named for them, and know that their honours and legacies are remembered.

After the naming ceremony, Percy and Annabeth invite a few of their friends and family back to their place to just hang out and spend time together. There's no formal reception party or anything, but they want to spend time with their loved ones.

An hour after the naming ceremony, Annabeth finds herself sitting on the sofa in the living room of the home in Brooklyn that she and Percy began renting just before Annabeth found out she was pregnant with Silena.

In her arms Annabeth is holding Silena, who is fast asleep for her 3rd nap of the day. Annabeth is only too happen to act as a bed for her daughter, a daughter she never thought she'd have.

Sitting across from Annabeth and Silena, in an armchair by the fireplace, is Magnus, keeping Annabeth company while Alex and Percy supervise Robin and Luke playing together.

"Hey so we didn't really get to talk much between Silena's birth and now. I know things didn't go at all to plan, are you ok?" Magnus gently asks Annabeth, leaning forward and looking at her with a worried and concerned expression. He knows Annabeth had been struggling the last few weeks of her pregnancy, and can't help but worry about her.

Annabeth sighs and looks down at Silena for a moment before looking back up.

"It's… complicated." Annabeth admits with a sigh. "I think… the further I get from my first pregnancy and my birth with Luke… the more I realize how…. traumatic it was."

Annabeth closes her eyes as she is hit with a wave of anxiety and dread, a feeling that has become so familiar to her over the last 2 years, so dreadfully familiar.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Magnus softly asks.

"It's just…. you know I didn't even realize or acknowledge that my birth with Luke was traumatic, until he was like 6 months old. Of course I knew what I went through was… terrifying and horrible, but… I felt like I couldn't complain because I survived and Luke survived, and I fought so hard to get pregnant in the first place that I should just be happy to have Luke." Annabeth explains to Magnus in a breathy and tight tone, letting the tears well up in her eyes and spill out.

"That must have been really damn awful." Magnus sympathies quietly.

Annabeth nods and wipes at her tears.

"It was, it is. And I did talk about it, somewhat, with Percy, with Sally, even with Will, but… Magnus it's all such a blur, those first few months… that first year really. I don't remember talking about it much, which I should. But I was constantly avoiding the topic, I… I couldn't face talking about it, it was too hard." Annabeth tearily continues.

"Of course it was, you went through something really traumatic Annabeth, it's not easy to talk about those things. Our brains try to protect us by blocking it out or pushing it to the back of our mind, it's a really common and normal thing to experience." Magnus softly acknowledges, reaching into his pocket and producing a clean handkerchief and passing it to Annabeth.

She laughs lightly through her tears as she accepts it.

"Blitzen has you trained well." She jokes, earning a grin from Magnus.

"I know right? Before long I'll be wearing a chain mail ascot and color coordinated three piece suits." he laughs.

"The only time I've seen you in a suit is at your funeral." Annabeth tells him with a watery smile, so so glad that her world is as weird as it is, because it means she can sit here and talk to her dead cousin.

"Hey not true I wore a suit to your wedding! And Blitz and Hearth's and Sam and Amir's!" Magnus defends himself. He happens to think he looked really good the 3 times he wore suits, Alex certainly seemed to think so too.

"Gods my wedding feels like a life time ago." Annabeth sighs, trying to imagine a time in her life that wasn't consumed with tracking ovulation, pregnancy tests, blood work, ultrasounds, hormones, etc.

How she wishes she could go back in time and tell 21 year old Annabeth who had just agreed with Percy to start trying for a baby, that it would be far, far more difficult than she could imagine.

"I know, right? Gods Robin wasn't even 3 yet when you got married, and there was no Layla either, and obviously no Luke or Silena." Magnus recalls in an amazed tone. He himself can hardly remember life without Robin, or his nieces and nephew. It feels like these 3 kids (soon to be 4 with Sam and Amir's second baby on the way) have always been around.

Magnus sometimes even dreams about being back on The Big Banana, but with baby Robin in a baby carrier around his chest. Or stepping onto the Bifrost, with Alex holding Robin. Or sometimes he dreams about having to slay dragon Mr. Alderman again, but at the same time keep Robin protected and safe.

Dreams are strange things.

"Yeah… anyway… to answer your initial question, Magnus. No, I'm not ok. But I will be. I started seeing a therapist shortly after Silena was born… and a psychiatrist." Annabeth confesses, veering the conversation back on track.

"Oh! How's that going?" Magnus eagerly asks, leaning forward with his hand in his chin.

"Good, it's.. tough, but good. I'm in the right head space to tackle my trauma now. My psyc diagnosed me with PTSD, from Luke's birth and everything that happened after that, with him being in the NICU. And… everything that happened in Tartarus, and the battle of Olympus… and Jason's death… and well… everything. My therapist and psyc are both demigods too, they're veterans of the legion." Annabeth explains with a sigh.

It feels good to finally be able to talk to a professional about all the traumatic things she's been through, not just Luke's birth and her infertility and stuff. Though they are certainly hard enough on their own, not having a qualified licensed professional to talk to about the demigod side of her life, had been really difficult. Talking to her friends, Percy, Magnus, Sally, etc. has been great, but not enough and not the same as talking to a professional.

"You've been through a lot cuz, you've literally been to hell and back. No wonder your mental health is all over the place." Magnus quietly comments. Poor Annabeth, she's been through more in just 25 years, than most people have in their entire lives.

"Yeah… I have." She agrees with a nod. "But I'm on the path to recovery now and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I still have off days, off moments. Today's been a mix… I'm so happy and glad to celebrate our sweet Silena, but I also can't help thinking about the babies that never got to be, the embryos that never took." Annabeth confesses as she softly stroke Silena's cheek, thinking about what life would look like if any of those other embryos had stuck. They probably wouldn't have Luke and Silena if they had… but Annabeth can't help but ponder what those little potential babies could and would have been like.

"Which is totally normal." Magnus assures her. "And I am always here for you, good days and bad days and everything in between. Remember, us Chase cousins got to stick together, especially now we have the next generation of Chase cousins to set an example for."

Magnus gestures into kitchen, where Luke and Robin are sitting side by side at the kitchen table, with Hearth's bag of runestones between them.

Just like Annabeth and Magnus did almost 20 years ago in the Chase family mansion, the two cousins immerse themselves in stacking the stones into shapes and buildings.

While Robin strategically places the stones on top of and around each other, seemingly trying to re-create Valhalla itself (Magnus loves her ambition and confidence in herself.), Luke attempts to copy her, his eyes darting from Robin's creation to his own pile of stones, as if he can't figure out why Robin's strategy is working, but his isn't.

"The 3 of them are gonna get up to so much trouble together." Annabeth laughs, just picturing Robin teaching her cousins how to pick a lock or the best pranks to play on their mom and dad.

Magnus grins.

"They so are, I can't wait to see it."