Beneath a sky where the sun hung always soft and golden, spilling warmth over endless green grass, there was no war, no grief, no strife. Nothing here could ever touch them.
Theo lay sprawled across the hillside, one arm tucked behind his head, the other rested over his stomach.
Soft golden strands of his hair slipped over his eyes as warm sunlight settled against his skin.
A content sigh escaped him.
'This,' he thought, breathing slow and easy, 'is what he meant by a proper holiday. No hero-shaped barnacle glued to his heels, no prophecies, no monsters, life is beautiful.'
He had nearly drifted off when a quiet, suddenly a soothing energy rolled through the landscape like a gentle tide, brushing over the grass, the flowers, and the distant hills.
His gaze drifted toward the temple standing near the edge of the meadow.
It was the same as the one he and Percy previously stayed for seven days, though this one was simpler and smaller in size
But it was enough, it had been their home these five months. A place to call home.
Then another pulse followed, sharper than the first.
The second wave spread across the realm before slowly dissolving into the air.
Theo's brows drew together. "...Again?"
Previously, the energy bursts came at regular intervals, sometimes separated by a day, sometimes by an hour.
Now, however, they were growing more frequent.
Eirene, the goddess of Peace, was using her power continuously, pacifying something.
His mother never explained them and whenever he asked, Eirene would simply smile and change the subject.
Which was suspicious.
'Very suspicious.' Theo stared at the temple. 'And whatever it is, it's getting worse.'
He rolled onto his side. But he had his suspicions, one of the advantages of being reincarnated soul.
'The bipolar disorder arc is starting.'
Theo covered his face. Gods.
'The Olympians truly couldn't go five minutes without creating emotional disasters,' he thought dryly. 'Dramatic as ever.'
What could he do? Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
He was a background character. A peaceful civilian.
An innocent bystander.
He meant to stay right here, in the grass, where nothing was required of his presence.
The responsibility to fix is belongs to the main characters.
Yet at the thought of one hero in particular, something twisted unpleasantly inside his chest.
Theo frowned.
For a brief moment, dark hair and sea-green eyes flashed through his mind.
He shoved it away immediately.
Nope.
Not dealing with that today.
Then came a third surge.
A vast energy of serenity and absolute peace.
But beneath it existed something else, it carried the weight of order and the hush of perfect stillness, far stronger than anything before it.
His expression grew thoughtful.
So, with a reluctant groan, Theo pushed himself to his feet and brushed grass and dust from his tunic.
"Nathaniel," he called.
Nothing happened.
'Being father is exhausting.' Theo sighed. "Okay, Nathaniel, come out."
A small boy of three suddenly appeared at his side in an instant, as if he had never been hidden at all.
"Surprise!" Nathaniel beamed, hands flung wide, eyes sparkling.
Theo nearly laughed.
Nathaniel stood with both arms raised dramatically, his face shining with pride as if he had accomplished the greatest stealth mission in history.
Theo clapped a hand to his chest, feigning wide-eyed astonishment that was so plainly fake that it made the boy burst into giggles.
"So there you are! I was completely shocked."
Theo delivered every word with the enthusiasm of a dying potato.
Nathaniel laughed, bright and clear, and Theo reached over and ruffled the child's unruly black hair gently.
Nathaniel gasped dramatically. "My hair!"
Theo ignored him and continued to mess up the fluffy black hair.
He had no idea where Nathaniel got that dramatic side.
After all, Theo himself was calm, cool, and nonchalant. Obviously, not from him.
A strange warmth settled in his chest as Nathaniel continued fixing the damage.
'Children grow so fast,' he thought, with a faint, wistful smile. Though he knew well enough that Nathaniel wasn't exactly a normal child.
Nothing about him was normal.
Because he was special, a spirit born from an embryo.
'When did I become responsible for another human being?'
Despite himself, Theo smiled.
A month spent here gave him clarity. He had long accepted that Nathaniel is his child, and he's eligible to take care of him even in his young body.
After all, he has mind and soul of young adult.
"Come along," Theo said, offering his hand.
Nathaniel perked up. "Where?"
"Let's check on Mother."
"On we go!" Nathaniel seized his fingers without hesitation, bouncing on his toes, and promptly tugged him toward the temple in the distance.
Theo let himself be drawn along, half-amused, half-worried, as the boy chattered away, seemingly oblivious to the great surges of power still rolling through the air around them.
He looked toward the sky.
He was far too young to already feel like a worn‑out parent.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he let himself be pulled, shaking his head, and followed the little boy's swift, light steps toward the temple.
And so they walked, one small, bright hand clasped firmly in his own.
Ahead of them, another pulse of divine energy rippled through the realm.
After a few minutes' walk, Theo and Nathaniel reached the temple. The moment they stepped inside, they saw it
At the center of the temple stood the goddess of Peace or rather, what remained of her stability.
Her form flickered. One moment she was Eirene, clothed in flowing white robes that shimmered like sunlight across still water.
The next, her appearance shifted. The robes became more formal.
Then it shifted back again. And again. And again.
The transformation repeated every few seconds.
Looking at the unstable figure of his mother, Theo finally realized just how serious the situation had become.
Even the embodiment of peace could no longer maintain harmony within herself.
'And from the looks of it, Mother is more affected than everyone else,' Theo thought grimly.
'Maybe because of the upcoming war.'
As they approached, the distance between them shrinking to only a few steps, Theo felt the atmosphere clearly.
The peaceful energy that had once flowed steadily through the sanctuary now surged in uneven waves.
Each pulse rolled across the realm before breaking apart like a cracked mirror.
Beside him, Nathaniel instinctively pressed closer to his side and his small hand fisting in Theo's tunic.
Theo glanced down, subtly nudging the boy's shoulder.
Nathaniel blinked questioningly up at him.
He answered by tilting his head toward the shadowed pillar at the temple's edge, one eyebrow raised.
Lo and behold, no words were needed and the little spirit immediately understood his assignment.
His eyes lit up and he gave a tiny thumbs-up.
A second later, he vanished completely. Perks of being a spirit.
Only when the boy was completely gone did Theo step forward again.
When he finally stood before the goddess, he could see what was truly happening.
'Just like I thought.'
Up close, Eirene was still as beautiful as ever. Her golden hair flowed like liquid silk down her shoulders and her features remained gentle and serene.
But her eyes were closed and her body never stopped flickering.
Standing near her, Theo could feel the constant outbursts of divine power.
Each surge carried enough tranquility to calm entire battlefields, enough peace to soothe chaos itself.
After watching for a moment, Theo finally spoke. "Mom?"
The flickering paused for a moment, then the goddess slowly opened her eyes.
Her pupils still filled with infinite love as she gazed at him, alongside it existed an endless serenity befitting the goddess of Peace herself.
"My lovely son." She smiled at his presence even facing a headache brought by the slip personification.
"What's happening?" He asked quietly.
Even though they had only spent a few months together within this sanctuary, Theo had already accepted her as his second mother.
His concern was genuine.
After all, unlike most gods, she had never neglected him.
She had given him a home.
A family in a form of cute baby.
And a place where he could finally rest.
She's doing her best to make up for the years she had missed.
So yes, as far as Theo was concerned, Eirene was the best mother he could have asked for.
'As they say, better late than never,' he thought.
Before Eirene could answer, her form flickered violently.
The flowing white robes vanished and in their place appeared the dignified attire befitting of a Roman matron.
And how did Theo know what Romans clothing looks like? Call it gut feeling.
Shocked by the sudden transformation, Theo immediately took a step backward.
"Do not be afraid, child of mine." The new goddess spoke. Her voice carried authority yet beneath it remained unmistakable maternal affection.
"Um..." Theo swallowed. "What's really happening?"
Don't judge him. Who wouldn't be a little nervous?
Based on everything he knew, Roman gods were a bit... Military.
Very military.
Which meant his mother's Roman counterpart was essentially had a different personality and a bit stern.
"I am Pax, Roman goddess and personification of Peace-"
Before she could finish her words, her body flickered again.
The Roman form vanished and Eirene returned.
Theo immediately plastered a shocked expression onto his face.
A masterpiece. A performance worthy of awards.
After all, he already knew Roman mythology and different pantheons excisted.
He also knew about Camp Jupiter.
But Theo wasn't about to explain why he knew any of that.
'He seriously deserves an Oscar.' Theo thought proudly, grinning to himself.
Eirene sighed, while her one hand rose to massage her temple, looking genuinely tired.
"Theo, my son, I know this is a lot to take in. But we do not have much time." She said sadly, while looking at him.
"What?" The response slipped out automatically and something inside him sank. A terrible feeling settled in his stomach.
He got a bad feeling that something far worse was coming, and it would be terrible news.
"I'm sorry." Eirene looked away briefly. "I promised you a safe haven. A place where you could finally rest."
Her eyes returned to him. "But the Earth herself wishes to stop the peace from working in this world."
After hearing that, realization immediately dawned on Theo's face.
Looking at his expression, Eirene continued. "This sanctuary can no longer withstand the continuous assault from the earth, and I am her primary target. The key that maintains the harmony."
Maybe because of her speech, her control loosened, and her form flickered again to her Roman aspect.
Pax appeared once more.
"For the plan of earth to succeed," Pax continued calmly, "the peace must first be removed from the obstacle."
'Just like what he truly feared.' Theo panicked internally.
But Pax isn't done yet, "And as the child of Peace, you will also become a target for the enemies."
Theo's mind went blank. 'Excuse me?'
Theo's brain stopped working.gif.
Theo's soul left his body.
"Perhaps they will breach this place today." Her voice remained calm.
"Perhaps tomorrow or in the coming days. But the Earth will not stop until Peace is destroyed."
Pausing for a moment, Pax looked at Theo and asked, "How are you holding up?"
'Everything's fine' Theo thought cheerfully. 'Absolutely fantastic, haha.'
Who was he kidding!
He was supposed to be enjoying peaceful days beneath warm sunlight, laying at the meadows.
Listening to Nathaniel's laughter.
Living quietly until the end of his life.
But no!
He got a news that the place they have been staying for whole five months will attacked by enemies.
And now, he had the literal freaking Earth after his head.
'So how could he be fine!?' Theo wanted to laugh in disbelief.
Closing his eyes, Theo pinched the bridge of his nose and a migraine immediately greeted him.
Gods.
His body was thirteen years old yet somehow he felt like he had aged another decade.
Wasn't the entire reason he left Camp Half-Blood is to avoid getting involved into the story?
To avoid the plot?
To prevent himself getting close to the Main protagonist?
He just wanted to a freaking background character.
Was that really so much to ask?
After a moment, he inhaled deeply. Then exhaled.
'Be mature, Timotheus. Be mature. You're past for childish tantrums.' After psyching himself up, he opened his eyes and faced reality.
Only to immediately mutter a curse beneath his breath.
Then he exhaled one last time.
"Just..." Theo rubbed his forehead and answered the goddess."Just a lot to process. I'll manage."
Pax looked at him silently.
"What to do now?" He asked weakly
"You must leave this place." Her form flickered again. Though this time she resisted the transformation.
"The Earth has raised monsters that oppose peace from the very land where peace was first broken."
Determination flashed across her golden eyes.
"I will use this sanctuary to contain those abominations and prevent them from reaching you."
"What about you?" Theo scrunched up his brows together.
The goddess from flickered for a moment, then Eirene stood before him.
"I may not be one of the Twelve Olympians." His mother reached forward and patted his head. "But I still possess a considerable power."
Theo reluctantly accepted that answer.
"Then where will I go?" He hesitate for a moment then said. "Return to Camp half-blood?"
Eirene didn't manage to answer immediately, because her body blurred violently.
Her flowing robes hardened into the attire of a Roman matron once more.
Soon, the roman aspect of Peace stood before Theo.
He gulp silently.
"You will not return there." Her voice echoed throughout the temple like a military decree. "I shall send you to the Wolf House, where Lupa will train you temporarily. You will be far safer there."
Theo's brain stopped working for the second time.
'What!?' He shrieks internally and immediately calculate inside his mind.
'If his timeline is correct, then it's already April, then Percy was already in Wolf house, and maybe already awake... Then that means...'
Looking at his Mother in horror, maybe he heard it wrong.
Please, maybe his hearing is faulty.
'How pissed would Percy be when they meet. He didn't even said a goodbye.' Theo didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to face the son of Poseidon yet.
Suddenly-
CRACK.
The sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the sanctuary and Pax's expression sharpened.
"The barrier is breaking." Her voice thundered. "But the Order of Peace shall not falter!"
A burst of divine power exploded outward from the goddess of peace.
The entire realm trembled.
Only then did Theo realize something, his mother wasn't using her power to suppress her split personality.
She was using everything she had to prevent the collapse of the sanctuary itself for them
Soon, Pax's attention returned to him.
"Bring the Spirit with you at all costs, he will protect you." She pointed directly toward a nearby pillar.
Nathaniel immediately poked his head out from behind it.
Busted.
Her form flickered slightly as if returning to her Greek form, but she held it.
"You're born from my Greek aspect." Her piercing golden eyes locked onto Theo.
"The aspect that preserves peace through harmony, that is why your body rejects weapons."
The stern gaze softened and divine authority filled the room. "But I am different. I enforce peace through order and law."
"Child of Peace." She stepped closer and her voice lowered. "Will you accept my blessing?"
Theo blinked and for a moment he forgot how to speak.
Then the meaning fully registered.
A blessing.
A divine blessing.
'Who wouldn't want free perks?!'
"I accept!" The answer came immediately.
Pax almost smiled.
"When your heart remains true to peace, your words shall command its presence amidst the battlefield." She placed a hand atop his head.
And a warm light spread through his body.
Her hand gently caressed his hair, she continued. "May you become calmness within chaos."
"Use it well, my child."
The light faded, so did Pax and in her place stood Eirene once more.
The Greek goddess smiled warmly. "You're truly lovely, aren't you? My little Theo."
Theo's face immediately turned red at the sudden praise then he remember what Pax said earlier.
"Wait, would I really go to that wolf place?" Theo hurriedly asked.
"Why not? I would never send you somewhere I believed would harm you." Eirene asked.
"But..." Theo desperately searched for an excuse. "They're Roman."
"I do not care whether the protection is Greek or Roman. I care that my son survives." Eirene's answer came instantly.
After hearing it, Theo was awestruck for a moment and a feeling of being loved spread in him.
'What kind of response can I even answer to that?' Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he looked away.
Finally, he sighed.
"Alright, I'll go." He decided.
'What he scared for? Percy got his memories wiped away, so he won't remember me anyway.' He thought optimistically.
Worse case scenario, he's slightly pissed, he'll just use his calming power.
Theo could handle that.
Probably and hopefully.
.
After an hour spent packing essentials items like clothes, snacks, little things Nathaniel had grown fond of, and various odds and ends. Just what they could carry, they were finally ready to leave.
When they're done, Theo stood quietly in the meadow, Nathaniel resting comfortably in his arms.
His gaze swept across the endless fields of green grass, the gentle hills, and the small temple that had been their home for nearly half a year.
How strange.
It felt like only yesterday that they had arrived here, yet five months had already passed.
Time truly flew by when one wasn't paying attention.
Theo let out a quiet breath.
Looks like it was time to step back into the world again.
Beside him stood Eirene in her Greek form, her flowing white robes dancing softly in the breeze.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked gently.
Theo stared ahead for a moment before answering. "Not really."
His voice dropped to a quiet murmur. "But I have to go, right?"
Eirene looked at him for a long moment.
"For now, you will walk on your own from here, my child," she said softly. "But no matter how far you travel, I will always watch over you."
For a brief moment, Theo forgot how to respond.
Eirene then raised a hand and gently patted his head and that simple gesture said everything words could not.
Theo lowered his gaze and smiled faintly.
"Yeah," he murmured. "I figured."
Then Eirene's gaze shifted toward the child in his arms. "I'll miss both of you."
Nathaniel blinked.
The goddess smiled warmly and gently touched his cheek. "Take care of him for me, Nathaniel."
Theo immediately frowned. 'Hey! shouldn't I be the one taking care of him?'
But he kept it to himself. He knew better than to argue. Not that anyone paid attention to his complaints.
Talk about favoritism.
Nathaniel puffed out his chest proudly and gave a bright grin. "I will!"
Theo could already feel a headache coming.
Eirene's smile widened slightly. "Good."
Then she took several steps backward, creating distance between them.
"Be ready," she said softly. "I will send you there now."
Theo tightened his hold on Nathaniel and the little spirit instinctively wrapped his arms around his neck.
A moment later, a familiar golden light began to gather around them. It started as a faint glow before rapidly expanding into a brilliant radiance. Just like when they had vanished from Camp Half-Blood.
Nathaniel immediately reached toward the floating strands of golden light, laughing as they danced around his fingers.
Across the meadow, Eirene's form flickered once more.
For a brief moment, another silhouette appeared within the light.
Greek.
Roman.
Theo couldn't tell which aspect stood before him anymore because the glow had become too bright.
Still, he raised his voice. "See you later, Mom!"
The goddess smiled. "See you later, my lovely child."
And for a brief instant, both forms seemed to overlap. Eirene and Pax.
Theo couldn't tell which of them had spoken but it didn't matter.
They were both his mother.
The golden light surged and the meadow disappeared and the temple vanished.
The sanctuary that had sheltered them for five peaceful months faded from view.
And in the blink of an eye, they were gone.
Left behind in the silent realm, the Goddess of Peace watched the place where her son had stood only moments before.
A gentle smile touched her lips despite the exhaustion weighing upon her soul.
"May your heart know serenity amidst chaos, and your soul find rest even in the midst of war."
"Go forth, Timotheus. And let peace walk beside you, always."