Percy Jackson : Gods Annihilation

Then, the way those amber flames painted her in constantly shifting light and shadow, all the while her own eyes shined like beacons with her strawberry blonde hair catching the light and seemingly ignited too. And, as the duo slowly got faster and faster, he could see a wry grin forming on her lips as she got more into the spar.

Rhea was much the same, the light of their weapons reflecting off her golden gaze as she tested and probed Athena's defenses, especially the shield construct.

...

As minute by minute passed, he could actually see Athena getting better and better as she pushed more into offense rather than weathering Rhea's assault. Sometimes her spear or shield would crack and burst in a fireball, but the goddess wouldn't slow down, another construct in hand within moments. Rhea was responding in kind, her pace increasing as a little more weight was thrown behind each blow. Sparks flew as dust and ash was kicked up with their every collision as the goddesses sparred, both clearly starting to tune out the mindscape around them.

"Maybe I should ask for a turn," he mused out loud, a familiar itch to move and do something welling up within him.

But, before he could think on it further, his attention was drawn back to the cabin. Or more specifically, the one just barely hiding in the doorway. As subtly as he could, he shifted around enough that he could somewhat glance back without really giving away that he was looking in the first place. His observer was turning out to be rather skittish at the moment.

Still, he just managed to see her out of the corner of his eye.

The heterochromatic set of eyes, one his own swirling icy blue and the other a simmer amber much like Athena's own, watched him with a mix of curiosity and caution, her wavy dark hair loosely falling around her shoulders. Looking forward again, he wondered how he'd go about getting her to come over rather than get up and approach her. It wouldn't do to scare her, and he could understand why she was being cautious in the first place.

Hestia had told them already about how Cloelia more or less remembered everything that happened that night leading up to her forced elevation to a divine state and watching Annabeth's sacrifice. However, a result of her momentary stint as an adult had forced some of her development. Cloelia had been much like her mother and very sharp for her age—when considering her "curse" limiting her development to the rate of a mortal anyways—so the changes only made that even more apparent.

Mentally she was more along the lines of what you'd expect of a young girl about to enter her teens would be. Speaking fully articulate and understanding far more than her appearance would suggest but at the same time, emotionally she was only a little further along than what could be expected of a child barely past the toddler stage. For all she knew and could understand, her emotions still played a significant role on just how she'd act.

In a way, he found the parallels to Raven almost uncanny.

His eldest (or was Cloelia technically eldest now?) had been born already mostly physically mature and aware with the knowledge and instinct she'd need to be an adult. However, having the information and then actually experiencing something pertaining to that knowledge was two very different things as Raven had been quick to learn. Her first few weeks had shown her to be very reactive and easily excited as she got to witness firsthand with what she only known about secondhand.

Cloelia's case wasn't as blatantly obvious as Raven had been, but the similarities were there.

Still, it was no surprise when the godling had spent several nights in a row crying her heart out and beginning to come to terms with what happened, but thankfully Athena had been there for her. And Percy was thankful for that, knowing that Athena was a far better ear and shoulder to help than he could have been himself in regards to Annabeth's lose. At least now, both were recovering and by the looks of it, Athena in particular was devoting herself to learning to control her power so that she could be outside with the rest of her children too.

Cloelia, from what Hestia told him, mostly kept to herself when Hestia was here to train Athena, reading the large assortment of books Hestia had brought along with a set of coloring books and other such things you'd expect a child to want. She probably had been doing just that until Percy and Rhea came close enough for her to detect them with her untrained senses.

'But how to get her out here now?' he wondered, stealing another glance back. Cloelia was a little further out the door now, but an arm and leg still within so she could duck in at the slightest movement. He knew she had to be curious about him, as she doubtlessly heard a lot about him during his time as a demigod. Then again, that was probably working against him now given he didn't really match up with those stories at all anymore.

But, knowing Athena, she probably had told Cloelia plenty about him now and what he'd done. She may have been mostly unconscious but there was no way Cloelia couldn't feel the connection she now held with him and Athena, not to mention the fainter one to Hestia. But, even if she knew, she was probably unsure about just how to approach him much like Raven had been the first time in the throne room those few months ago.

Granted, meeting him there in his giant form had probably been rather intimidating for her.

Glancing down at his own assemble, he hummed as he willed away his Coat of Darkness, the manifestation of power simply fading away leaving him in the simple, short-sleeved navy shirt he had on and his dark grey jeans. He also suppressed his power further down, the almost idle pulse of power that usually surrounded him shrinking to the point of vanishing without completely erasing his presence.

He could feel the shift in his eyes as he did that, the swirling black flames and icy glowing pupils phasing to a much more mundane icy blue irises and distinctly dark pupils. The color and natural glow of his eyes still made them rather striking by mortal standards, but still far tamer than what he usually had. Even his wings were hidden too. Normally he liked having them out, curled comfortably against his back but he felt the more mundane, the better for now.

And going by the slightest shuffle he heard, it was working.

Now for something he knew about all of Athena's children; make them curious enough and they'll always approach. So, he made no motion of having noticed her at all, instead bring his hands up and starting to mold and shape a block of ice he produced. And not just shape either but color and texture too. He could get ice from clear and smooth as glass to deep shades of blue or even purple before adding black much like his Voidice. It was one of his favorite exercises to do when he had idle time or just wanted to do something with his hands.

It made for great practice of his control and going by the opinions of his wives and concubines, made for rather pretty decorations that they liked taking—Hestia in particular, much to his amusement—whenever he was done with them. Right now, the block was formed into a running wolf, proud and majestic as shades of purple and deep blue doted the dark fur of the back and tail while the eyes in particular were the lightest shade he could make it that wasn't clear.

He was just starting to add more detail to the patch of land connected to the back paw when the shuffling got even closer.

Pausing, he slowly looked to his side. Cloelia was now only a few feet away, arms curled around a lion plushie—he already knew whose idea that was—as her eyes constantly shifted between him and the sculpture hovering over his hands. Luckily, she didn't shy away now that he looked at her, so he tried talking.

"Hello Cloelia," he started, keeping his tone soft as to not spook her.

"… Hi," she replied back, almost a whisper as she hugged her plushie a little tighter.

So far so good. Given the way she kept looking at the statue, he was sure it was a safe bet for conversation.

"Do you like it?" he asked, lifting up the statue more so she could get a better look.

He got a shy nod in return. Smiling, he set the statue down off to the side closer to her and formed another small block of clear ice.

"Want me to make something else?" he tried, catching the slightest glint of excitement in her eyes as she nodded more eagerly. "Okay, what should it be this time then?"

Her nose scrunched up cutely as she thought about it, her gaze going down to her plushie in her arms for a moment before her eyes brightened as she asked, "Mr. Biggles?" All the while she held out the plushie.

He tried his best not to chuckle at the name even as his own smile grew as he replied, "Sure."

Now, normally it would take him barely a few seconds to make the shape and form before taking maybe a minute or two to make his own version of the coloration, or even break the rules a little and have the ice mirror the colors exactly. Instead, he took his time. He hummed as he moved his hands around in ways he hadn't done since he first started these exercises years ago as he slowly molded the block of ice as if it were clay without actually touching it.

Now that she was so close, he could watch as she came to almost standing beside him, her eyes wide in childish awe mixed with that intense focus that all of Athena's brood had as she watched the ice mold and shift to a form already like the toy. He found his own fun in it, exaggerating the effort and attention as he added smaller details, like the plushie's crooked whiskers or the buttons of the vest it wore.

He was rather proud of how the tail and mane turned out so fluffy looking.

Whereas the plushie was a golden brown with bright yellow buttons for eyes and a deep red vest, the sculpture was a mostly faint blue with the ice of the vest a slight purple tone and the eyes with a clear, almost glowing set of icy buttons similar to the wolf he'd already made. All in all, it took him roughly ten minutes to do and once done, he set down the sculpture right next to the wolf one.

"Oh wow," Cloelia murmured, having dropped to her knees and set down her plushie beside the sculpture so she could compare them. "It's so pretty."

"Thank you," he replied, another block of ice already formed above his hand.

"Are you doing to make another?" she asked, most of her previous hesitation seemingly gone as she looked at him eagerly.

"I could," he answered, looking at the statues for a moment before an idea came to mind. "Or … you could make one."

The offered caught her off guard as she blinked owlishly at him.

"But … how?" she asked after a bit, looking between the plain block hovering over his hand and the completed statues on the ground. However, after a moment, the realization sparked in her eyes as she looked at him with that intensity again. "… Is it because I'm your daughter now?"

Percy studied the look, seeing an almost near overlap of the godling's lost mother. He didn't let it show, but that similarity threw him for a moment. He almost mentally cursed at that resemblance, even if to be fair, Cloelia also resembled Athena more than anything now. Her hair color and right eye being the exception. Problem was that Annabeth had been the most like her mother in looks and just about everything else there was, so seeing one meant seeing the other to a degree.

He'd already made his choice though and would make it again if he had to, but damn if it wouldn't take some getting used.

"… So, Athena did tell," he murmured in the few seconds he'd somewhat drifted off, more to himself than anything but she nodded all the same. He was tempted to ask how she felt about the whole ordeal, but wasn't sure how to really bring it up, so he let it be and refocused on the ice. "Yes, it is. You'll have some of my abilities now." Offering the block to her, he added, "So, want to give it a try?"

...

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