Chapter Text
"Uncle Hades?" Hermes asked softly.
"Hermes! What's wrong child?" Hades asked, his worry growing every milisecond of silence.
Hermes tried to gather himself, fates knew he had cried several oceans in the last couple days.
"Athena's dead," Hermes announced.
Hermes didn't think he had ever delivered a worse message. He had seen grief as a psychopomp but seeing his uncle look so broken hurt and pained him. But amongst the pain a glimmer of compassion shone as he reached out and pulled Hermes into a hug.
"DA - ZEUS KILLED HER! HE KILLED HER! HE KILLED MY SISTER!" Hermes screamed into his uncle's shoulder. Hades was patient as Hermes told the story of Athena asking for her mortal's friend's release and their father responding brutally. Using the most powerful weapon to exist on his own daughter. In the comfort of pair of safe and paternal arms Hermes fell asleep for the first time since the arena.
Hades sorted through files and called upon his assistants. He looked through any and all records of immortals who had passed.
"Love, you're overworking yourself a-" Persephone stopped when she saw the tear stains on her husbands face.
"Oh, my love," Hades said softly, "I'm so sorry."
"Where is she?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know!" Persephone shouted, "Where's my sister!"
"My love," Hades said trying to reach her, but she pushed him away.
"You're the god of the dead! You're supposed to know this! You just lost my sister's soul!"
"I am trying to find out what happened."
"Summon Hermes! He should have guided her here!"
"My love, her soul did not appear to him. He doesn't know where she went or -"
"No, no! Don't say it, don't say - don't say . . . don't say she's gone," Persephone cried melting to the floor.
It's not that Hermes really doubted that Penelope would be a loving mother to Attenia. He had met her the two occasions when he visited Telemachus who was a very happy and sweet child. And that would be more likely to suggest a good maternal relationship than a bad one. But he hadn't seen her daily interactions with her son, or how she handled it when he threw a tantrum, or cried, or failed at something. And while Odysseus was head over heels for his wife and fiercely loyal to her, your husband coming back with a kid would cause most women to raise an eyebrow. Luckily it seemed Hermes had nothing to worry about.
Attenia woke up and her daddy still wasn't around she started to cry. Eurycleia was not able to console her, not for lack of care or effort, and was getting to the point that she was worried the poor thing would make herself sick.
Penelope had always had good hearing. And over the last couple decades anxiety had made her a light sleeper.
"Eurycleia?" Penelope asked as she saw her coming down the hall holding a crying nymphlike infant.
"I'm sorry, your majesty but she won't stop crying no matter what I do, I'm worried she's gonna make herself sick - your majesty!"
Penelope could feel her breasts leaking. When she was nursing Telemachus they would leak anytime she heard a baby cry. That was around 20 years ago though why - but her thoughts were interrupted as the baby started to hyperventilate violently. Penelope took the child from Eurycleia's arms and put her on her breast. The child latched on and started to nurse. She seemed soothed. Eurycleia explained that Odysseus had adopted this child on his way home and had entrusted Eurycleia with her before fighting the suitors, "Her name is Attenia."
"Thanks for keeping her safe," Penelope said as she tried to hold her tears back, she had thought she'd never experience this again, "There should be some of the clothes I made for Euphemia somewhere."
A tear fell on Attenia as she nursed, Penelope went to wipe it away and the baby grabbed her hand.
"I'll take her with me, I don't want Odysseus to wake up with me gone."
Penelope took the baby back to her bedroom. The sun was starting to come up, its light shining off the baby's copper curls. Penelope wished she could start working on weaving some new clothes for the baby but the stupid shroud was in the way. And when she tried to put her down she started to whimper and reached for Penelope. Who was more than happy to oblige and pick her up.
Attenia's wings started to flap and she started excitedly bouncing and reaching towards something on Penelope's nightstand. She was in awe of Penelopes gems, her eyes were wide and then grew even wider as she touched them causing the chain of diamonds to swing and refract the light around the room.
"You truly are a baby bird," Penelope said, adoringly, "Do you want to fly?" Penelope tossed Attenia in the air a couple times, her heart overflowing when Attenia giggled.
Penelope showed her all her sparkly things, her reflection in the mirror, and tickled her with her powder brushes earning her more sweet giggles. Attenia yawned and Penelope cuddled her in the chair by her bed.
"Mama," Attenia whispered softly as she fell back asleep against Penelope's chest.
It was wonderful to see Telemachus so happy to have a sister. It was wonderful to see Telemachus period, of course. Odysseus had been worried about how his son would react to his parents getting a do-over baby but he seem genuinely enraptured.
"You're wonderful with kids," Odysseus told his son, smiling.
"Thanks!" Telemachus replied beaming, "I got to meet a lot when we had the earthquake 6 years ago. I broke my arm so I couldn't lift much so mom had me help keep the kids safe and preoccupied. I wasn't sure I'd be any good but it was really nice."
Odysseus wasn't surprised that someone so gentle and energetic would be great with kids. He had been reunited Telemachus for less than a day and could already tell that. He could see why Athena was willing to . . . . why she called him a friend. She had called him a friend too, and Odysseus hoped that met that he was similar. He wondered if she saw him in Telemachus. He chose not to wander to far down that road of thought.
Telemachus hesitated to say the next bit, he didn't want his father to feel bad. But talking to him was so easy and his father seemed to appreciate his honesty.
"I haven't seen them in a bit, it will be nice to see how they've grown though."
"I may have lucked out with having such wonderful kid, but I am sure you'll be able to rebuild a connection with them if you want to."
Attenia had also taken very quickly to her new brother. Odysseus wondered if she could sense that Telemachus was the same person her father had gushed and fretted about to her. Or maybe it was just that Tel was that much of a good egg. He knew he wasn't perfect and he had learned over their cleaning up that Tel's life hadn't been easy. But gods he hoped his boy knew how wonderful he was. Odysseus was gonna tell him everyday. The sweetest joy, he's known. He couldn't wait to find out more about him.
Tel proudly showed Attenia around the palace, while his parents wrote letters to the suitors families and arranged for funerals. Attenia seemed to hang on to every word her big brother said. She occasionally reached out to touch things, letting them know she wanted to go near something by bouncing and flapping her wings as she leaned towards an object. Tel later proudly reported the discoveries from their adventure as Attenia banged on a gourd.
"She really likes olives!" Telemachus explained, "She also seems to like it when people sing. I think she'll be very musical."
"She's already got a killer sense of rhythm," Odysseus said as he ruffled his kids hair.