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TWO WEEKS LATER

Finding time to chat amongst my family while also not bumping into anyone who hated my father (which is a large number of immortals these days) was a difficult task to take while becoming visibly pregnant. We stayed in Olympus for a few days and somehow my belly grew to be twice the size as when we first walked through the doors of the grand palace. Whatever, just means the babies are growing. Hopefully they'll pop out of me soon enough and I won't have to deal with another pregnancy for a few years. Having twins is hard, I don't want any more anytime soon.

    Now that I'm all settled back in the Volterra castle I have time to perform some of my duties as queen. Mostly paperwork, damn it, but it works. Also making sure that none of the human sacrifices come back as ghosts. It's an odd job, and since I'm the only one who can see spirits it's mine and mine alone, but it's rewarding in a way.

    I haven't had a problem so far with my work. Most gods and goddesses work unknowingly or in ways that the people around them can't notice. Humanity stays in the dark that way, and for good reason. Nature knows what they would do if they found out that there are true beings more powerful than them. They're power hungry, I've found, and could try to take out all of Olympus. Well, I don't think they actually have that kind of arsenal, but they could cause a ruckus.

    Happy thoughts, Calli, happy thoughts.

    Well, anyways, Marcus has been working his butt off to plan for my birth, which should be quite a few months away if my sisters got the calculations right. Even though I'm progressing faster than any mortal has, I'm going to have enough time.

    "We are still yet to know if these precious children of ours will be babies or fully developed demi-gods, my dear. How are we to decide upon bassinets if we don't know if they're necessary?" Marcus fretted as he paced across the room.

    "I think we can take things one step at a time, don't you think?" That was how it was for immortals. With their pregnancies ranging from a few days to a year, Mother said you can never be sure. "We can get bassinets and mattresses if you are worried about them being without bedding for their first days into this world."

    Honestly, only one of us is worried about what will happen after I give birth. I'm interested in preparing for my labor and delivery, the supposed worst pain a being can go through and survive. Or so Mother and Aphrodite say, both of them having grown children of their own. Two children is harder than one because if they are to be full grown, I will be in Goddess form and ready for a days long birth. No rest for the immortal women of this world.

    Marcus wasn't going to argue with me, but I could tell by the saddened look on his usually cheerful face that something was bothering him. I wasn't going to question him about it now, there was no need to turn this into a bigger issue, especially when we had so many things to plan for the future. If I am to be a true goddess, I'll have jobs around the world and around Olympus to do. Babysitting can only be passed onto a few goddesses at a time, and I'd rather be watching my own children.

    "What colors are we thinking for the bassinets, my dear?" Marcus asked as his pacing began to decrease in intensity. "Are we going for neutral until we know the sex of the children?"

    "Neutral at first, yes, and we can figure out their likes and dislikes quite quickly based on how they react to colors. If they act like little gods or goddesses, that is."

    "And yet we have no idea how our children will be in regards to either of our species," Marcus says with a sigh. "Is that something that has graced your mind, my dear?"

    It hadn't, and I really was open to just about anything. Sure, it was confusing and would continue to be confusing, but so had I when I'd been born prematurely. I was a little thing and I'd been perfectly happy to adjust, just as my mother was. Adjusting is just what happens when you become a parent. A goddess as a parent is an adjustment for the little ones, so I have to give them the grace of learning what that means in and of itself.

    "They will be a mix of us both if humans and vampires have proven in the past. When species mix they often pick up characteristics of both sides of the gene pool and often create better matches. It furthers evolution," I tried to explain. "Athena told me about it all. When the babies come we'll be able to decide what parenting plan will work best for them."

    "I think these are things we must discuss before the children are born, Callidora, not after. How are we to parent with little understanding of the children and how they could turn out?" Marcus took a seat in his desk chair and stared at me intently.

    "There are things that are supposed to happen before the children are born, yes, but you can't figure out how to parent hybrid children of a species never existing before now without the children being present to assess their strengths, weaknesses, and personalities," I argued. "Plus, we have way too many things that Aphrodite and Mother have planned against my will that involve my pregnant self. The baby shower is in two weeks and I have yet to find an outfit that goes along with the theme Mother has laid out for me. Then there's what she expects you to buy with your ability to access things from across the world."

    Subjectively, in my eyes, parenting was at the bottom of my list of current priorities. How can someone parent without children? I would take up some babysitting opportunities if there were any children in my like that needed taking care of. But there just isn't any way to get better at that.

    "Artemis and Mother have said that they will help us with the children and Mother and Father are fully willing to help us figure out parenting." When Marcus let out a deep sigh I knew he wasn't convinced in the slightest. "We're expecting the unexpected here, Marcus, and I know that must be frustrating for you but I'm willing to put my faith in the fates and see what will happen."

    "If we don't understand anything we could make a mistake," he pointed out.

    "Mistakes are just a part of the process, Marcus. Parents make mistakes sometimes and as long as our children are happy and healthy those problems can be overlooked," I retort.

    "I don't want to make big mistakes that could ruin our children's lives–"

    "I'm not going to let it get to that point–"

    "You won't always be there for everything–"

    "I will be there for any and all major decisions, Marcus! You aren't going to ruin two lives over a single mistake! There is absolutely no reason to start making a ton of decisions for how we should parent our children now, when we don't even know them yet and due to that could have more of a chance to make a mistake or misstep in terms of parenting them!"

My face began to heat up from the intensity of his words and my own. Every one felt like hot glass scorching my body and mind. This wasn't what I wanted to be thinking about with so many things about to happen.

"Why are you so opposed to learning how to parent with me?" Marcus didn't look at me, his pale face towards the expensive hardwood floors of our room. "Is the idea of being a mother to two children scary to you? Do you think that this is moving too fast in your opinion?"

"What do you mean by that, Marcus." I tried to move closer to him, but he still wouldn't look me in the eye as he spoke. His entire body was trembling and after I didn't get an answer I repeated my question in a whisper with the knowledge that he could hear me, "What do you mean by that?"

The answer was something I wasn't expecting to hear from the love of my life.

"Oh, I don't know, Callidora... Our relationship, your life, having children? In a few months your entire life started and then you were thrust into a life with me. I can't help but worry that this isn't what you want, that this is a life you weren't ready for. "
The answer wasn't what I wanted to hear.

---

"How was I supposed to respond to a question like that, Hebe? He practically asked me if I regret finding him, my mate, and getting pregnant with our twin babies! He's never given any indication that he believes I do anything less than love our life, no matter how potentially hectic it can be!"

I was ready to rant and rave about it with the only person who I loved and was available at that moment the second those words left my mate's mouth.

"And you left the room after that, leaving Marcus absolutely no other option than to assume that he was right?" Hebe questioned. "Callidora, I love you and you know that, but Marcus does have the right to ask these things. It's better than keeping that insecurity buried deep as he has so often done throughout his life. This was a moment of vulnerability for you both and neither of you handled it well."

A clear worried look was plastered on my face and my mouth held a visible droop to it, something unflattering for a goddess and for a woman for that matter.

"We were arguing about mistakes we could make and look at me – I've made a completely stupid one, Hebe. I can't even give him a response to that kind of question! Oh, how can I correct that sort of thing. I've never felt insecure in our relationship, he's always been there for me. I have no reason to want anything different."

Hebe sighed as she turned over what we liked to call the sand clock. Her chubby fingers then shuffled through a stack of paper by her desk. Most likely notes for her work in Olympus keeping track of all of the ambrosia stock. I shouldn't be distracting my sister from her important work here at home just because of one argument.

"I won't burden you with my presence any longer, dearest sister. I must draft a formal apology and pray upon the river Styx that he accepts my apology," I said as tears welled in my eyes. I would go and find the paper and address his concerns through the only way I'd learned how to; letters.

"Don't you dare start crying over this, Calli, or I'll never forgive you," Hebe said as she got up and wrapped her arms around my waist and picked me up with ease. My goddess form was so much smaller than hers, and it was useless to fight her. "You are a sweet thing and you will not cry over the first fight you and your mate have had. Many more are to come. You're soulmates, not the same person with the same mind. You will misunderstand what he means and take his insecurities to heart and you will cry but not now. You can cry and fight all you want when my little nieces or nephews are out of your womb. Not before."

It was best to believe her for now, but being overwhelmed with emotion wasn't the greatest feeling in the world.
"How about this, you talk to Marcus about why he thinks that you would rather have gone slower in your relationship and put his fears to rest through a discussion," Hebe suggests as she strokes my back.

"Is that how you handle things?" I ask.

"This is the only way to effectively communicate with a partner, Callidora, and unfortunately I cannot take my own advice as I have neither a partner or a person who I've gotten into a squabble with in over two centuries. However, if I were in your position and wanted to get advice on how to handle this, I would want someone to be telling me this. That is all I can say on that subject."

Hebe's goddess form glowed bright in support as she placed my dimmer body onto the ground. "I really want this to work, Hebe," I said as I gave her the best hug I could.

"The only way it will work is if you choose to work on it. Relationships are about upkeep and reassurance and so much more that you'll find out along the way." Hebe gives my platinum blonde hair a little twirl as I will myself back into my human form. "There we go, little sister. I promise that it won't be as scary when you go through it, and you and he will be better for it afterwards."

"I can only hope my answer gives him what he needs."