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Chapter Text

It’s been two months, since Atreus returned from Camp Half Blood. Things have returned to a similar routine like before, wake up, eat, train, hunting if needed, and sleep.

Thankfully having a lyre caused our routine to change, making everything not so predictable as the last. So imagine Atreus shock, when his father suggested to take a ride on Skiðblaðnir, and when asked he merely responded with “It’s gathering dust.”

So now Atreus finds himself high above Midgard, flying on Skiðblaðnir with his father and Mimir. It was a welcomed change of pace, Atreus thought, as he recalled an argument he had with his father a while back.

“My story doesn’t end in these woods. Whatever Loki’s suppose to do doing, he should be out there. Not hiding in these woods!” Atreus snapped, himself out of the memory and started tuning his lyre to distract himself from such memory.

Kratos calls his son over, Atreus walked up to his father. “Is something wrong?” Kratos gives his son the steering wheel and his father gives him directions. “Keep the boat steady, I’ll raise the sails,” Atreus did as he was told, as his father went down to the deck to raise the sails.

“It’s quite nice to get fresh air, don’t you agree? Lad,” “Yeah, I rather be here than training constantly,” Atreus responded, holding onto the wheel. “Are we heading west? By any chance,” “we are, why?” “Just curious, It’s a lot warmer,”

After the short conversation between Atreus and Mimir, Kratos walked up to his son ready to continue teaching his son, “Steer to the left, so that we may return home,” Atreus quickly steered the wheel, just for his father to scold him, “Slowly, were in no rush,” Atreus began slowing down until he saw large storm clouds in front of him.

“Father?” “Steer the boat to the right, we’re heading west,” Atreus quickly, steered the boat hoping to avoid the storm clouds that were rapidly approaching, as his father started dropping the sails hoping to take advantage of the wind currents, to avoid the storm.

Their efforts were in vain since they got caught up in the storm, not being able to change course, all they knew is that they were heading west. The thunderstorm raged on, causing a loud ringing in Atreus ears, leaving him disoriented.

Atreus was no stranger to thunder and lightning, wither it be Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir being thrown at his neck ready to kill him, or Thrud summoning thunder on her blades. He was use to hearing it, seeing it light up the sky but, now after Zeus, his own grandfather tried to hold him captive and used his thunderbolts to take his life and how he barely left camp alive.

He didn’t know wither it was the rain or the memory but, he couldn’t help but tremble. Kratos rabidly took the wheel, as Atreus stumbled to the side trying to calm himself, grabbing the ledge forgetting how high up in the air they were.

The thunder kept getting louder, his father kept calling out for him, and all Atreus could do was fall to his knees as he felt his energy vanish. He couldn’t help the overwhelming amount of memories that flooded into his head.

They had to get home! With that thought now in his head, Atreus quickly pulled out his charcoal pencil and swiftly drew a pentagram, as he tried to get him and his family home, which proves difficult with the rain washing away the pentagram. “Atreus!” Atreus ignored his father’s order, as he was finally able to get the pentagram drawn, decently enough to take them home.

Thunder strikes the boat, causing the boat to lose momentum. “Atreus!” Kratos ran to his son. The thunder caused Atreus to think back on Zeus and the camp, as he casted the spell transporting them from darkened skies, to humid lands full of greenery.

Atreus was finally able to get them some where “safe” but, it didn’t stop the boat from losing control. Kratos finally reached his son, as the boat crashed into the ground. Atreus trying to protect his father from falling off a cliff, pushed his father off the boat, as he went to retrieve his knife.

Atreus jumped off the boat, right before the boat crashed into the trees, nearly avoiding the cliff. The boat was big and jumping from that height would have killed any mortal. If the height didn’t kill him, then the sharp puncture on his side would.

Atreus looked down, underneath his right rib cage was a thick tree branch sticking out of his side. ‘It hurts!’ Is all Atreus could think about as he was all too aware of his muscles tighten around the tree branch, how even the mere thought of breathing hurt. Atreus slowly reached for his knife, the darkness engulfed the land making it difficult to see.

It was for the best, his father shouldn’t be seeing this. Atreus tried to remove the tree branch from his side, every slight movement caused blood to ooze out of the injury. The metallic smell fills Atreus lungs, despite the constant medical training with Freya, he couldn’t remember what to do.

Atreus was all too aware of his breathing and how he felt like his breathing was going to be snuffed out like a candle. Gathering all the courage he could muster, Atreus painfully removed the tree branch, causing the blood to start leaking uncontrollably no matter how much pressure he puts on his injury.

Atreus hands began to shake, as they were coated with blood, he felt an immense amount of nausea as the coppery smell of blood filled the air, and his breathing becoming more and more shallow. Atreus tried to fight to stay awake, he recalled his father words, to focus… to heal but, it was useless the more he tried to regenerate the more exhausted he’d become.

The pain keeps going up his spine and leaks itself into his brain, reminding him that he’s still alive. Atreus tried to stand to look for his father, even though he can barely see what’s in front of him. “F-father…M-mimir,” Atreus stuttered, as he gently tried to walk not knowing where he’s going, all he knows is that he must keep moving.

Moving is difficult, the pain keeps flashing itself, Atreus nerves are on fire. He’s hot and cold, he feels sick, he feels weak. He wishes he could close the gates on his spine to reduce the pain. If only he had some pain killers. “Atreus!” “Laddie!” Atreus couldn’t keep going, he was too tired to think, too tired to move, even speaking was difficult.

“F-father!” Atreus voice came out hoarse, as he tried to yell. Atreus didn’t know how much time had passed, time became meaningless. All he wanted was to go home, to not feel anymore, the way his clothes stuck to his skin, his beating heart, his shallow breath, his blood leaking onto the ground, the way the dirt, and mud had stuck to him like a second skin.

It hurt, even the way the wind touched his skin was agonizing. He was like a leaf trembling in the wind. “Atreus!” Atreus snapped himself out of his thoughts, as he looked up to see his father, who had an expression of worry as he rushed to his son. Atreus felt a sense of relief wash over him, as he collapsed to the floor, happy to see his father again.

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Kratos awoke to a binding light above him, recalling the previous night he quickly stood up. Remembering how his son went limp as he rushed over to catch him, how his body temperature was too high room, the way he reeked of blood.

How he held the thing that he held dear in his arms, with a huge amount of fear for his son’s life, like he did years ago. How he fought exhaustion to save his son’s life. Kratos grabbed Mimir and headed out the door, just to be stopped by a god and a centaur. “Kratos, please sit. We must talk.”

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To say Kratos was angry was an understatement. He awoke in some infirmary, while his son was no where to be found. “Where is my son!?” Kratos demanded, as the door was closed behind them.

“He’s recovering,” Dionysus responded, as he stood by the door, no interest in moving aside. “Kratos, we just wanted to talk-,” “I will speak, once I see my son!” The room grew tense, and for a moment no one spoke.

“You will see your son, once we finish talking, you have my word,” Dionysus broke the silence, Kratos couldn’t help but, grow irritated as they use his son as leverage.

His word? His word!?

“What good is your word? What good is the promises of the gods!?” What good were the promises of the gods!? False promises and lies were all they gave him, as he longed to be forgiven for his crimes, to forget the blood he spilled. His wife, his daughter, gone!

I will not lose my son again, I will not make that same mistake again!

“Kratos I’m giving you my word, not as a god but as a father-“ “what do you know about being a father!” How many of them would lead woman to their bed with poisoned honey, and leave once they got what they wanted and if they couldn’t get what they wanted they’d take it. After all what stopped them.

Remembering how strange it was when finding out how they all made offerings to their godly parents, Kratos recalled, his conversation with his son. The quests, the offerings, their offerings, their absence, their disregard for their children’s lives.

“You have no right to call yourself a father,” Kratos informed, Dionysus felt anger rise in his chest, recalling the death of his son. He doesn’t know me! “You have no right to judge me! When you killed your own kin!” Mimir and Chiron feeling the tension escalate decide to intervene.

“Brother, please calm down, at least for Atreus sake,” Mimir tried to reason with Kratos. “If things continue to escalate, your father will find out and we will all be in trouble,” Kratos and Dionysus, were able to listen to reason and calmed down.

Chiron spoke, “Atreus is recovering. We will allow you to stay here until you find a way back home, but you and your son must not cause any problems, deal?” Kratos and Mimir looked at each other and sighed. “Deal.”

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Kratos opened the door, to find his son unconscious, while a young man tends to him. Kratos quickly rushes to his son’s side, putting the back of his hand on his son’s forehead. ‘He’s burning!’ A feeling of dread washed over Kratos, as he recalled when his son almost died duo to his nature.

“How is he doing?” Chiron asked, the male healer placed a cold rag on the boy’s forehead. “He’s recovering. The injury needed cleaning and some stitches, his body is healing itself naturally as we speak. He developed a fever, I’ve been keeping the fever under control with hymns. I want to try using stronger medication for the fever but, his body is too weak for an injection. All we can do is hope he wakes up.”

The words did little to comfort Kratos, as he looked at his son’s wrist, as a bruise formed from where he had been injected. “He won’t wake up until later, you require rest,” Chiron offered, Kratos had no choice but to obey as he left. Looking back to see his son unconscious form one more time.

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The sun had started to rise, as Kratos left the infirmary. As Chiron lead to the big house, Kratos was well aware of the attention he and Mimir have gathered. Chiron lead him to an empty room, “you are allowed to stay here, for the rest of your stay. It will take a while for your son to wake up, you should get some rest,” Chiron stated, as he left the room closing the door behind him.

Kratos placed Mimir down, and removed his armor as he laid down on the bed trying to get some rest. Too overwhelmed to do anything else

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Kratos awoke to the empty room, he looked outside to relies it was already noon. “Oh! Your awake. Laddie, should be up by now. Let’s go check on him,” Kratos quickly put his armor on, grabbed Mimir, and walked out the door, heading to the infirmary. They weren’t many people out during this hour, recalling the way to the infirmary.

Entering the infirmary, he saw the same blond healer that was tending to his son with a tray of food. Kratos remembered the boy from his son’s sketch book, the son of Apollo. “Are you here to see Atreus? We can go see together! I have to go deliver his lunch,” Kratos followed Will, to the door and opened it revealing that his son was indeed awake but, groggy.

Will helped Atreus sit up, as he placed the tray of food in front of him. “May I feed him?” The question caught Will off guard, he thought about it. “I don’t mind, I’ll just check his vitals,” Will moved to the other side of the bed and picked up a clipboard.

Kratos moved to sit by his son’s bed. He picked up some food with the spoon, trying to feed his son, who visibly looked disgusted. “Atreus, you must eat,” Kratos tried to reason with his son, while Atreus merely covered his mouth.

“He must be suffering the side effects of the anesthesia, he’ll be nauseous for some time, thankfully his body has constantly healed itself. So, the anesthesia and the side effects will wear off by the end of the day,” Kratos couldn’t help but, be relieved. His son is healing, it didn’t change the gnawing feeling in his stomach.

Atreus had seen better days, he was as pale as his father, he was constantly shivering wither it was the anesthesia or his illness is up to debate, and the exhaustion in his eyes. Will left the room, leaving the family alone in the room.

“W-why did you t-take me… on the trip?” Atreus asked, his voice hoarse. “I wanted to make a good memory with you,” is all Kratos, Atreus merely looked at him and then smiled. This small action spoke louder than his son’s condition, causing the moment to be quite bittersweet. Kratos picked up some of the food and was finally able to get his son to eat, even if it wasn’t much.

Will walked back into the room with a glass of water and some pills. “This should help with the fever and the sore throat,” Will handed Atreus the pills and the glass of water, Atreus swallowed them without complaint.

“How did I get here?” “Nico scenes that you were on the verge of dying, so he told Chiron and Dionysus, and they brought you and your father here,” Will answered, Atreus was satisfied with that answer, as he let out a yawn, clearly exhausted from yesterday’s events.

Kratos and Will helped Atreus by settling him to sleep. “Can I stay here tending to him,” “you can stay here until 9:00, after that you have to head to the big house,” Will answered, “It’s better than nothing,” Mimir stated, with that Will left, as the father and uncle stayed tending to Atreus.

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Kratos entered the infirmary to find his son walking around.? "Atreus," Atreus looked up from the medical tray he was preparing. "Father!" Atreus walked up to his father with a smile on his face. Atreus looked healthier than yesterday, no longer shivering and less pale. "Good to see you in good health, Laddie." "Thank you, Will says that I'm quite lucky to recover from such an injury so quickly."

"Before the family could finish their conversation, they were stopped by Chiron and Dionysus. "May you two follow me?" The father and son had no choice but to follow Chiron to a spear and an empty room. Atreus and Kratos sat down alongside the centaur and the god. Chiron began, "Your son has been recovering rapidly, we will be removing his stitches before lunch-" "Wait, when did you put stitches on him?" Kratos asked, "After you left, we applied the stitches, since it only took a couple of minutes," Chiron stated. Kratos and Mimir merely glanced at each other.

"He should be able to make a full recovery by tomorrow," Chiron concluded. Atreus couldn't help but be happy at the news. "Now you can finally be able to focus on leaving," Dionysus remarked, before the horn blared, the family left to head off to breakfast.

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When Atreus entered the Dining hall, he heard someone's familiar voice calling out his name. 'Connor!' "You're alive!?" Everyone looked at Atreus as if he had just grown an extra limb. "You just disappeared, and we went looking for you, and then Nico just said, "he's in a better place." Atreus couldn't help but slightly laugh at the final comment.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" "I suppose you are," with that, Atreus sat down with the rest of the Hermes cabin to join them for breakfast. Kratos was quite content with his son's recovery and friendships and went to sit with Dionysus and Chiron. Kratos removed Mimir from his belt and placed him by his side, as they began eating breakfast. "Would you mind showing your father around the camp?" Chiron asked Atreus, and he agreed.

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Atreus showed his father around the camp, and they ended up in front of the Hermes' cabin. "Here's where I have been staying for the whole trip, even though there aren't as many unclaimed children, they stay here until they get claimed." Atreus stated, as he continued walking, "How does your injury feel?" "I feel better than yesterday, and my regeneration has really helped. Other than that, I feel tired, I can't wait to get the stitches removed," Atreus commented, as he and his father stopped in front of the big house.

"Remember the Spartan Shield I gave you well... I stole it from the big house," Atreus whispered the final part, as he looked away from his father. "So, we're stealing now?" Kratos questioned his son, but Atreus didn't respond; the silence was loud. "So, you teach me how to kill but draw the line at stealing?" Kratos didn't answer his son's question.  They just kept walking.

Eventually, they ended up seeing campers during their training. Kratos began studying the campers as they trained, noticing the mistakes they made. "Father?" Kratos walked up to the campers and summoned his spear. The campers were surprised to see Kratos. "Block with your shield and then parry, you'll be given an opening." The campers were confused but followed the instructions. Eventually, the camper was able to parry and was given an opening. Giving the other camper the win, the rest of the campers erupted into cheers.

The bell rang, alerting everyone that it was time for lunch. Kratos walked up to his son, and they headed to the infirmary. "Well, we're here. It's going to take an hour to get the stitches removed and check the injury. You should find something to do while I'm busy." The father agreed and headed to the dining hall.

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Lunch was... eventful. A lot of the campers kept whispering and staring at Kratos, and would look away when Kratos acknowledged these actions. "You've gathered quite some attention, haven't you, brother?" Mimir joked, and Kratos began eating. Eventually, the bell rang, and Kratos walked up to Chiron. "Do you know where I can find sticks and feathers?"

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Kratos sat by Mimir and began making arrows for his son. As Kratos made arrows, some of the campers came up to him. "May we borrow some of your materials?" Kratos handed some of his materials to the kids. There was a comfortable silence that followed the request between Kratos and Apollo campers until, "Are you Atreus' father?" Kratos grunted in agreement. "You know, Atreus was the one who taught us how to make arrows." Kratos stopped making arrows to pay attention to the child.

"He offered to help make arrows with us, since the Hephaestus kids are quite busy with their projects," the Apollo kid mentioned. Kratos couldn't help but feel proud of the act of kindness his son had done. Kratos stood up, "I'll go check on Atreus." "Alright, I'll stay here." Kratos left and headed to the infirmary.

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"How did getting the stitches removed feel?" "It didn't hurt; it just felt like my skin was being tugged at. Other than that, I'll have to deal with slight oozing." Atreus recalled as he spoke to his father about his experience. They left the infirmary and headed to the campfire, and heard laughter. "Looks like Mimir became quite popular," Atreus told his father in a joking manner.

They walked up to the campfire to overhear Mimir telling a funny story. The campfire was full of other campers, not just the Apollo campers. "Ah! Laddie, good to see you," "hey Mimir," Mimir continued his story, and with it came a lot of laughter. The story would ultimately come to an end. One of the Ares campers would walk up to Kratos.

"Can you please continue training us tomorrow?"  Kratos was slightly worried about the question: "It depends on tomorrow's activities." The campers were quite content with the answer, and they left. "I'll be heading to bed, good night, father." Atreus waved his father goodbye, and Kratos and Mimir headed to the big house.

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Atreus awoke earlier than the rest of the Hermes campers. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. He grabbed a sticky bandage from the medicine cabinet and took off his dirty shirt, which had a red or slightly pink stain. Atreus picked up the bandage and placed it on his healing injury. Atreus swiftly changed to ensure everyone else could use the bathroom.

The Hermes kids were barely awake. "Well, you're awake early?" Connor yawned as he slowly started stretching. "Yeah, I felt really uncomfortable with my shirt sticking to me due to the oozing," Atreus answered, as he held his dirty laundry and began removing his slightly dirty bed sheets. "I'll be heading to the laundry building later. Does anyone want to go with me?" Some of the Hermes kids agreed, as they finally awoke and began gathering their dirty laundry.

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Kratos headed to the dining hall, where he saw his son talking with his friends. They would eventually finish eating breakfast, and Kratos headed to the boat crash. "It's good to see you taking initiative." Kratos turned around, seeing Chiron with a group of campers. "Did y'all arrive on a boat?" Leo asked Kratos, and he agreed. Leo and the rest of the Hephaestus kids got closer to the ruined boat to assess the damage.

"So, are all these the Hephaestus kids?" Mimir asked Chiron. "There are two ways: you can leave the camp, on the boat, or in a cabin. The rest of the campers are making a small cabin for you and Atreus. Mimir and Kratos are slightly curious about the cabin but focused on fixing the boat. "The Athena camp counselor will also arrive to help with fixing the boat."

This caught Kratos and Mimir off guard. "Athena is a virgin goddess, what?" "You know the birth of Athena; that is how her children are born." With that, the Athena camper arrived. "What do you need help with?" The blond asked Chiron. Chiron placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Kratos. This is Annabeth, the camp counselor of the Athena cabin." Kratos doesn't have good memories of Athena; all he recalls is the manipulation he has been dealt with.

Kratos merely looked at Annabeth until Leo arrived. "The damage isn't as bad and can be quickly repaired by the end of the day," The news brought comfort to Kratos, knowing he and his son will finally be home. "How did the boat look?" Mimir explained the boat's design, while also explaining Skíðblaðnir's incredible ability. Annabeth and the Hephaestus campers couldn't help but be amazed by the ship.

"I'll grab the rest of the materials," Chiron said, leaving Kratos alone with the kids.

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Chiron arrived with the materials needed for the boat, alongside Atreus. "Do you have a drawing of the boat?" With that, Atreus pulled out his sketchbook and flipped through it, giving it to Annabeth. Annabeth was pretty amazed by the level of detail, though she didn't show it. Annabeth began to sketch out the outline of the boat, while Atreus focused on the finer details.

Kratos helps move the materials and helps prepare them for the Hephaestus kids. Leo and the Hephaestus kids began fixing the boat. Eventually, the bell rang, and the campers were quite hungry, though the Hermes kids arrived delivering food. Atreus finished eating and started showing the campers his uncle's work. "My favorite piece of their work would be their Leviathan axe; it's capable of producing frost."

"Damn it! Why didn't I think of that!?" The campers just laughed at that, as Atreus kept showing and explaining his uncle's work. Kratos saw this from a distance and asked Chiron. "Why did you save my son?" "He isn't you, he's just a child," Kratos was quite content with that answer.

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Lunch came to an end, and with that, their break. "Well, father, I have to leave. I'll come back later," Atreus waves at the campers and his father, as he leaves. Kratos walked up to Annabeth to find her talking with Mimir. Kratos sat down and listened to their conversation until, "So how are you and Laddie friends?" "H-he mocked me and gave my boyfriend a concussion,"

Kratos and Mimir weren't even surprised, as they recalled the talk he had with Freya. He was about to apologize for his son's behavior, but Annabeth brushed it off. Time passed, and the boat was finally finished. "This brings back memories of when we built Argo II."

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Atreus began saying goodbye, while Kratos waited for his son and finished his conversation with Chiron. Eventually, they finally finished and got on the boat. Thunder strikes, causing everyone to cover their ears. As they winched. Dionysus sighed and headed to Olympus.

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Dionysus wasn't the only one to arrive at Olympus. Zeus was being paranoid, even if he was right. He needed him to believe he's wrong. "He's here! I know he is!" Hera and Hermes tried to calm him down, but it was pointless. "Enough!!! I will stop all travel until I say so!" Zeus yelled at everyone, giving Dionysus a migraine that no amount of alcohol could cure. He left, not ready to deliver the bad news.

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Kratos headed into the dining hall, slightly irritated about his father stopping him and his son from leaving these lands. Thankfully, Chiron planned ahead, and they have another way of going back home. Though he realized his son wasn't in the dining hall, neither with the campers nor getting food. This raised suspicions. Kratos sat down. He knew that the campers were all awake and in the dining hall.

So where was Atreus? Chiron must have detected this. "Atreus is with Leo and the rest of the Hephaestus kids. I can take you there after breakfast?" Chiron stated as Kratos let out a sigh of relief.

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Kratos followed Chiron to the woods, as he heard the sound of construction. Kratos saw the foundation of a cabin nearing completion. He found his son talking with Annabeth and another girl, whom he assumes is Lou, the daughter of Hecate. Kratos walked up to the children. The kids noticed this and stopped talking. "You woke up quite early, Laddie. Why's that?"

"I wanted to see how the progress was coming along, and I decided to help with what I could," Atreus mentioned to his family. "I'm going to be practicing magic with Lou. I want to make sure the cabin is protected." Atreus told his father as he left with Lou and headed back to the Hecate cabin. Kratos allowed his son to leave as he walked up to Annabeth.

Kratos places Mimir down as they begin talking among themselves. Kratos began helping the Hephaestus kids with moving the materials, which provided a great relief to the camper, as they could properly focus on building the cabin. Annabeth frantically began searching for her sketchbook. "What's wrong, lassie?" "I'm just looking for something," Annabeth answered. She let out a sigh of disappointment.

"I'll have to go back to the cabin. I need to get a couple of things anyway. Can you tag along?" Annabeth asked. Kratos and Mimir both agreed.

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Kratos arrived at the cabin, and the inside was full of books. Kratos was going to wait outside until "You can stay inside, since it's going to be quite hot soon." With that, Kratos and Mimir waited. Mimir was able to engage with the campers. The campers were debating about battle strategies, "Brother, can you give us your opinion?" Mimir asked, and Kratos looked down at the papers.

Kratos gave his opinion and a brief example. Annabeth finally gathered her things and added her opinion. Annabeth and Kratos left the cabin and headed back. "Are you a Greek god?" This caught Kratos off guard, but he agreed. "I heard you are the god of war, so do you know my mother?" Kratos knew the conversation was getting personal, but he kept trying to keep some distance.

"What was she like?" "Prideful," is all Kratos could say, not knowing what the current Athena is like. "Well, we have that in common," Annabeth muttered. Kratos felt pity. "Be better than your mother," is all Kratos could say. "I'll try," Annabeth responded, and they walked in silence until Mimir began with his jokes that lightened the mood, making Annabeth laugh.

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Kratos walked to the docks; he saw a fishing rod and picked it up. He was about to start fishing, "Oh, you're Atreus' father." Kratos looked at Percy, "Are you here to fish? I can leave," "No, no, it's fine. I wouldn't mind company." Percy sat down by Kratos and began fishing. There were no words exchanged; the only thing heard was the sound of water and the screams of children.

"You know, I wanted to go fishing with Atreus, but he left," Percy mentioned as he and Kratos continued fishing. "He keeps the blue fishing lure by his bed and wanted to go fishing with you." This brought some joy to Percy. After this, Percy kept talking with Kratos, jumping from topic to topic as Kratos listened. When they finished, Percy captured more fish than Kratos. Kratos and Percy threw their fish back into the lake. They both headed to the dining hall for lunch.

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Kratos found himself with the Hermes campers, delivering food to the campers who were busy building the cabin. "Shouldn't you be with Lou?" Connor asked Atreus. "We decided to take a break from practice." They finally arrived, and the campers couldn't help but be amazed at the craftsmanship of the Hephaestus kids. The cabin was almost done.

"Come get your lunch!" The Hephaestus kids put down their tools and walked up to get their lunch. Before Atreus left, Leo handed Atreus a small metal box. Atreus walked up to his father and Connor, as he showed them what was given. "What did he give you, Laddie?" "A lighter, apparently I'll need it," Atreus stated, as he flicked the lighter on, showing off a small flame. This amazed Mimir and Kratos.

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Kratos and Mimir headed into the woods due to a complaint from the Ares camper, who couldn't focus due to a horrible smell. There was a foul smell in the air, as Kratos covered his nose. Kratos kept walking and ran into a black-haired boy over an animal carcass. Kratos carefully tried to walk over to the boy, but the boy turned around.

They stopped and stared at each other until Mimir spoke up. "What are you doing around that carcass, Lad?" "I was praying for it," Nico answered and then finished his prayer. "So, you must be Atreus' father," Kratos agreed, and they started walking back to camp. "You were the first person that my son talked about," Kratos stated, trying to ease the tension.

This shocked Nico, as he didn't expect this. "Really?" "He showed us a wolf skull and drew you," Mimir added. Nico's face went blank as he let out a bit of a laugh. "You know, I thought he would mention Connor first," Nico scratched the back of his neck. After that, silence followed between the two. "I'm surprised you believe me when I mentioned praying for the dead animal."

Nico stated, but what Kratos says next shocks Nico. "My son trusts you, so I trust you," Nico stares at Kratos with awe and quickly turns away.

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Kratos walked to where the cabin was built, and it was complete. It was a simple wooden cabin with Norse ruin in carved on it. This was no doubt his son's handiwork. Before Kratos could approach the cabin, he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. 'Dionysus!?'

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Kratos stared at Dionysus, who stared at him and then at the cabin behind him. Kratos was confused at the act until. "Let's take a walk."

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Kratos followed Dionysus into the woods, keeping his guard up in case something came up. "When your son arrived, I wanted nothing to do with him, and I still don't-" Dionysus cut himself off and sighed. Kratos stopped and listened. "I know why you did and what you did. I... had a... son, who died in the war, but-" Dionysus' voice was quieter than normal.

"For a moment, I thought I was better than our father, than our siblings, because at least I was there for them, raising them. He was the oldest... Castor and the youngest Pollux," Kratos stayed quiet. He could see the pain written all over his face, a facial expression he was all too familiar with. "You are better than him; you did what our father couldn't," Kratos reassured Dionysus.

Kratos recalled his revenge and how the loss of his daughter ran so deep. It felt like an injury that would never heal. "You should leave before HE arrives," Dionysus stated after a long moment of silence. Kratos didn't press the conversation further, and they both headed back to the cabin.

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"Brother! Where have you been?" Mimir asked, Kratos walked up to Mimir and Atreus. Chiron and Lou finished the final preparations. Before they could enter the cabin, Chiron stopped them. "So how does this work?" "Kratos was once an Olympian, and so you have some authority. This cabin is for you and your son. The cabin is designed to cover the portal, allowing you to return home. You two can enter anytime since it's yours."

This excited Atreus, while Kratos was still skeptical. "Is it protected?" "The mist surrounds the cabin, making it invisible to the gods, and with the witches' knot, you'll be eternally protected." Chiron added, "Protected by Greek and Norse magic, we'll be quite safe," Mimir mentioned, as Atreus carefully carved an Algiz rune on the front door of the cabin with his knife.

"For the cabin to be yours, you need to claim your son," Kratos recalled the conversation he had with his son months ago. "I already have," Atreus finished the carving and was now talking with Connor, Nico, and Leo. Kratos called out for his son as he walked up to him. Kratos stood before his son; he didn't know what to say since he had already accepted his son.

Kratos gently placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm proud of you." The phrase was quite simple, yet it caused Atreus to smile. A bright red neon light appeared above Atreus in the form of the omega sign. This shocked everyone. The omega sign lowered itself in front of Atreus; he held his arms out to hold the claim. The claim shrank into a small orb, which flew into his chest, dissolving into his body.

For a moment, nothing happened until a red mist surrounded Atreus. "Does this usually happen!?" Kratos yelled out, but as quickly as the mist appeared, it swiftly vanished. Leaving behind a nicely dressed Atreus. Kratos looked at his son, who was dressed in red and gold. The traditional Spartan colors. "I didn't expect that!?" Atreus lightly chuckled as he looked down at his new clothes and armor.

"This is unexpected?" Atreus couldn't help but be in awe at everything. The moment came to an end, as all the preparations were complete. "Are you ready?" "Yeah," Kratos and Atreus walked side by side, as Kratos gently wrapped his arm around his son. They both stood in front of the cabin door. Kratos grabbed the doorknob, and the runes around the cabin lightly glowed. This surprised Kratos, but he didn't let go.

The lights would vanish, and Kratos would finally open the door. The inside of the cabin was modest, with two beds touching the walls in parallel, and a table in front of the beds. "Looks like there is place for everyone," "Looks like you don't need to stay with us anymore," Connor jokingly told Atreus, as they both began looking around.

There was little to no decor, and the decor they did have was small and homely, even if they were Greek. They made the cabin feel more lived in. 'The Hephaestus kids really outdid themselves.' Atreus thought as he placed down the small vase. "Thank you, by the way," Leo sarcastically states, feeling proud of himself and of his siblings.

Kratos was amazed at the cabin's design. Kratos thanked Annabeth and the Hephaestus campers for their help, and Annabeth didn't even try to hide the pride that was written on her face. Kratos looked down to see a round rug with dark red, black, and gold decorating the rug. It was one of the things that stood out from the plain cabin and simple decor.

"You kids ought to feel proud of yourselves," Mimir complimented the campers, who felt proud of themselves. Despite Kratos being the god of war and this cabin belongs to him. There were no weapons or tools that he would naturally find in his home. Kratos quite liked being prepared, but brushed it off since he won't be here for long.

Chiron and Dionysus finally entered the crowded cabin. "Alright, everyone, we need to get Atreus and his family home," Chiron announced, as they all groaned, leaving the newly built cabin. Lou walked into the cabin and removed the red rug, revealing a witch's knot that was drawn on the floor. "It's been quite some time since I've seen that symbol."

Lou walked to the table and gathered the candles, and placed them around the witches' knot, forming a circle. Atreus began lighting the candles with his lighter. When they finished, Lou began explaining how the spell worked to the family. Atreus chanted the spell alongside Lou; the witches' knot started to glow, and then they finished chanting.

"What now?" "Step inside the circle and you'll arrive home," before Atreus did anything. "Thanks for everything, I mean it," Atreus wanted to say more, but he kept it at that. Atreus turned to face Connor and Nico to say goodbye, just to be cut off by Connor. "You heard Chiron, you can just enter anytime; why waste time saying goodbye?"

This brought comfort to Atreus. he took a deep breath and stepped inside the circle. Not knowing what to expect.

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There was a bright light that blinded him when he stepped into the portal. He could briefly hear his father's and uncle's voices. In a sudden motion, the cold hit Atreus, being a good reminder that he was home. He was home, but he didn't know where specifically. It was dark, cold, and cramped. Atreus tried to move and then. "Watch it!" "Mimir!?"

"Atreus! Are you okay?" Kratos asked his son, "Yeah, I'm fine." Atreus tried his best not to move in case he hit someone. He then remembered the lighter in his pocket and tried to dig it out, causing a commotion. "Atreus, calm down!" Atreus finally pulled out his lighter, and it took a couple of tries, but it eventually flicked on. Illuminating the enclosed space.

They looked around the space. They realize how familiar the place was. Kratos opened the door above them and crawled out of the cellar. After a long trip, they were finally home. Atreus looked down at the floor of the cellar, noticing the witches' knot that was engraved on the floor. He reached down to touch in until, "Atreus, what are you doing?" Atreus retracted his hand and looked up at his father, who looked at his son with concern.

"Uhh... Nothing," Is all Atreus could say. Kratos didn't say anything and helped his son out of the cellar. They closed the cellar door and covered it with the rug. "To bed," "gladly!" Atreus removed his bow and headed to bed, exhausted after the week's events.