Jason then picked up Frank easily enough, trying his best to not shake him up before Hazel stepped up to him with the kids and placed a hand on his arm.
"Jasper, Julie, eyes closed he said as gently as he could while still being urgent to which the children listened as they buried their faces in their mother's neck.
...
With a quick check he made sure none could see him before he teleported them all in a bright flash of golden-white, the world twisting around them for all of three seconds before they were set down. What was once silence within a dark house with the smell charred flesh and debris was now a hall of white and creams, the loud bustle of doctors and nurses as patients were milling about.
Luckily, being who he was, his arrival was instantly noticed as one doctor, a brunette woman by the name of Dr. Malcolms, a mortal mother of roman demigod in fact, raced up to them as she was followed by two nymphs in nurse uniforms.
"Lord Jason," Dr. Malcolms addressed but before she could even bow he raised his hand, holding back an annoyed sigh at the show of respect at the worst of times.
"Now time, I have one for emergency treatment," he said as he started looking for a gurney or anything else to set Frank on.
Seeing how badly injured Frank was, Dr. Malcolms was quick to call for said gurney, one being rolled up within moments with a satyr assistant guiding Jason on how to set Frank as Hazel and the kids watched on. Without another word Frank was wheeled away leaving the rest of the Zhangs with Jason. A few minutes passed in silence, the adrenaline of the night slowly draining as Jason glanced to the kids and noticed that they were barely keeping awake themselves. Almost instinctually he knew it was far too late into the night to be up for them.
However, before he could speak he was interrupted as Hazel finally spoke up.
"Thank Chaos you Jason. If you hadn't arrived when you did … I don't think I could have gotten our supplies and held onto the wounds at the same time," Hazel said with a slight shakiness to her voice as she looked at where they took her husband through, her gaze finding his as her eyes looked a little watery.
"You're welcome …" he said softly as he gently stepped closer and hugged her along with the kids, saying his own silent thanks to Chaos that even if hurt, at least no one had died.
He knew just how jarring it could be to be attacked out of the blue like that and to see someone so dear to you hurt to such a degree. It was a terrible shock at least but he knew Hazel was made of tougher stuff, plus she had to the kids to look after so he released the hug before looking at the tired mother.
"Come on. Frank's well taken care of the kids need to sleep. You too and just standing around here won't do you any good plus you can be back here first thing in the morning if you need to," he said softly.
Glancing down at the kids as they seemed to nod on and off, Hazel smiled faintly as she murmured, "Okay."
With her agreement he nodded as he enveloped the family in his arms again, this time letting them slowly dissipate into soft motes of light and back to the Palace of the Skies…
...
( Hestia POV )
The breeze softly grazed her face as she let her senses flare out, feeling with more than just the regular input as the night dragged on, feeling heavy and cool. Her eyes slowly drifted open as her dress was lightly pulled by the changing winds, her wings out and extended in their full glory as she weightlessly floated above their city.
Below she could see the dim lights and the nearly empty streets save for some night patrols carried out by her husband's wolves. Then her eyes trailed beyond, the crimson orbs soon spotting the now empty fields that had been used as an emergency camp for the taken demigods within the Third District. It was mostly empty now with the demigods having been moved to the barracks just outside the Segunda Gate and closest to the city.
Even now she could tell many were asleep but it wasn't restful. It was fitful, with nerves and tension still running high even after the battle that ended hours ago. Turning her gaze she easily spotted the camp of the so called invaders, the Olympian camp looking torn and battered as many remained awake. She could feel just how shaken that divided army was, many barely clinging onto their hope.
It was a bitter irony. The primordial goddess of Hope and yet she watched and waited, counting down as she helped crush the very hope of her enemies and to show them how pointless their struggles were. Sadly, it was a familiar feeling … something that she hadn't even thought about for thousands of years.
She could feel her nails turning into claws as she clenched her fist, memories of screaming, blood, battle, and pleas for mercy echoing in her ears. She shook them off though, knowing now wasn't the time to remember such times. Instead her eyes returned to the city as she allowed her wings to close up and dropped.
Her face didn't show any change as she fell with the wind pulling at her, the mountain rapidly approaching her until she finally stretched her wings out again when she was barely a dozen or so feet off the ground.
Her fall was immediately cut off before she gently drifted down the rest of the way, her sandaled feet softly setting on the stone floor before she retracted her wings back into her body. After smoothing out the cresses in her cream dress she began to move, walking into Will's clinic and where her husband waited.
At the thought of Percy she sighed again, feeling conflicted yet again as her thoughts went back just what happened in the time after Percy killed Artemis and then came back to the mountain but more importantly, just who he brought with him. Even now she wasn't sure how to feel, especially not when it unnerved her how close she was to wanting to lash out. Here she was, known as one of the kindest goddesses on the mountain and in their history, and yet, she came so close to wanting to harm someone just because of who they were related to.
The self-disgust upon realizing where her thoughts had been going alone shamed her enough that she almost wanted to slap herself for it. And worst of all, it was knowing that just like her, that child was also the focus of the whirlwind that was undoubtedly Percy's thoughts.
'And let's not forget about that either,' she thought as she took only a single flight of stairs before arriving at the floor her husband was.
The clinic was mostly silent at the hour and Hestia idly waved at the attending nurse that was currently at the desk for the floor, not making a sound even as her ears picked out every set of hearts and light breathing of the occupants of the rooms. She passed by, unconsciously radiating a warmth that gently settled some of the more restless patients within their rooms before she finally arrived to door 24.
She stopped just outside, knowing who was inside and wondering just what she was going to do once in and even questioning her own self-control. Any other in her situation would blame her changes, the fact that with her growth in power and assimilating to her natural Sacred Animal changed her. That the new power and instincts added aggression and a possessiveness that wasn't there before.
But that wasn't true.
Hestia wasn't always the kind and sweet goddess known, and later practically forgotten. This anger, these feelings of being nearly irrationally territoral and possessive … they'd always been there if only buried as deep as she could. Her ascension to being a primordial only brought it out to see the light of day once again.
And now those feelings were seeing a godling, just a little child that could practically still be called a toddler, as a possible threat to something that by all means, she really wasn't.
But then again, she had to address this sooner or later and her husband needed her. So, with a deep breath she slowly opened the door and walked into the spacious room, her eyes diligently scanning all around as she took everything in.
The room was simple, with a single bed to the left side, a set of seats on either side along with monitors. A far side window that was currently closed and a couch on the same side. An in suite bathroom connected at Hestia's right and next to counters with a sink and other medical appliances along with some patient folders. It was all there but Hestia's eyes were focused on one thing.
Percy was sitting at one of the chairs to the left side, his head leaned down with his hair falling over his eyes, his hands holding up a familiar icy blue wolf pendant. Hestia's eyes softened as they looked at him before she quietly approached and gently took his hands within hers.
He slowly looked up at that, his normally bright pupils looking dimmed within the black writhing flames. Her heart clenched at seeing him look so tired and spotting the familiar guilt within them brought her back to the times after the end of the war and the broken hero that so desperately needed someone, anyone to simply be there for him.
===================
Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.
...
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