Chapter 161 Baby Steps To Fatherhood

Chapter 161 Baby Steps To Fatherhood
P E R S E U S

I pull out my sword in one swift motion, the metal glinting coldly in the damp air. The rogues approach with low, snarling growls, and I meet their wild eyes with a stern, unflinching gaze. When the first one launches at me, aiming to rake his claws across my face, I sidestep and slice clean through his neck. His body hits the forest floor with a heavy thud, shifting back to human form as he falls. The serpent shifters were really good swordsmiths, I’d give them that.

More come at me without pause, and I fall into the rhythm of battle—slicing, stabbing, moving. Blood spills dark and thick, only to be washed away moments later by the relentless rain soaking the forest floor. Thomas matches my pace, cutting down rogue after rogue with a grim efficiency that almost feels like teamwork.

But their numbers keep growing. I find myself slowly backing toward Thomas, my shoulders tense. I hate working with him, but right now, I just need to clear these bastards out so we can get back to what really matters.

“We won’t be able to fight them all off,” he says, voice tight between strikes.

“I know,” I grunt, driving my blade through the chest of another lunging wolf.

He scans our surroundings quickly, then gestures sharply toward a gap between two thick oaks. “We’ll kill the ones blocking that path and run for it. Understood?”

“Fine.”

“On my mark. One—”

“Wait,” I cut in, shoving a rogue back with the hilt of my sword. “Why are you calling the shots?”

“Just do as you’re told, Perseus.”

“And who do you think you are?” I scoff, yanking my blade free from another body. “My father?”

“Perseus!” he snarls, frustration edging his voice. “You don’t have to be so stubborn all the time. Just shut up and don’t get us killed.”

I turn toward him with a sharp frown, my guard dropping for one careless second. “Don’t get us killed? You’re the reason we’re even out here.”

“Perseus—” he tries, but I’m not listening.

“No. I’m sick of you. The moment this is over, we go our separate ways.”

I don’t get to finish my sentence before searing pain tears through my shoulder—heavy teeth sinking deep into my muscle. Dammit. I twist and shove my sword through the neck of the wolf biting me, then shrug his dead weight off with a grimace. We’re completely outnumbered now, and Thomas has already started pushing toward the exit.

“You’re bleeding, Perseus. Let me—” Ezekiel’s voice echoes in my mind, worried.

“No,” I cut him off. “Save your energy. Find her.”

Together, Thomas and I cut down the last few rogues blocking our path. We burst through the tree line and sprint into the deeper woods. Thomas spits a thick stream of acidic larva behind us, creating a sizzling barrier, but the wolves leap over it without slowing.

“Very smart, Father,” I mutter, rolling my eyes as he falls into step beside me.

“Bug off,” he scoffs back.

We don’t stop running until we’ve put significant distance between us and the rogues. My shoulder burns with every step. Eventually, we find a small cave hidden behind a curtain of ivy and collapse inside, gasping for air. Thomas quickly seals the entrance with a pile of rocks and branches before lighting a torch with a flick of his wrist.

I lean against the cold stone wall, trying to steady my breathing, but the world tilts slowly. I glance down at my shoulder—my shirt is soaked through with blood, dark and wet. No. No. My knees buckle, and I drop to the ground just as Thomas’s voice fades into a distant echo. Everything goes black.



My eyes flutter open to the warm glow of a small fire. A wild fowl roasts over the flames, its skin crackling. Thomas sits nearby, crushing herbs with a smooth stone.

When I try to sit up, a thick blanket slips from my chest. I realize I’m shirtless, my clothes drying near the fire next to Thomas’s. He’s shirtless too.

“At least you didn’t strip me completely,” I groan, pushing myself up to lean against the cave wall. A clean bandage is wrapped tightly around my shoulder. “I would’ve arrested you for harassment.”

“Believe me, I’ve seen worse,” he says with a faint smile, rubbing herbs onto the chicken before turning it. “Fathers see their children naked. It’s not much of a deal.”

“It’s creepy when you say it like that,” I sigh, accepting the piece of chicken he offers me. I take it reluctantly.

“If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it while you were asleep.”

“No. You love a fair fight. You wouldn’t use sly means. You’d want your opponent awake, strong, and able-bodied so you could feed your pride and prove your point.”

“That’s what makes it a fight and not murder.”

“We can’t have those lessons now. I’m already too old for that.”

“I know.” He pulls another piece of chicken from the fire and chews thoughtfully. “You were wrong, though.”

“About what?” I ask around a mouthful.

“I wanted you.” I stop chewing and stare at him. He continues, voice low. “I was selfish, too. I wanted to drop the throne, take Cassandra away into hiding—somewhere in the human world. And we did. That’s how we met Morrison and Georgina. At a doctor’s appointment.” He smiles faintly at the memory. “I chose you and her. But when the complications came… and the curse… Marcus fainted when he heard Cassandra was leaving. She couldn’t bear the guilt. I tried to make it work. I swear I did. But my selfishness led not only to your curse but to losing your mother… and you.”

My lips tremble as he blinks back a tear.

“You don’t always get what you want, do you?” he says softly. “I’m not saying this to fix things between us. You’re right—blood doesn’t change everything. I’m just… trying to grasp that the child who kicked my hand through his mother’s stomach is sitting here in front of me. That child is having children of his own. He’s married. He’s happy. Living the life I wanted for him.” He meets my eyes. “Maybe someday that connection will help us move past our differences. But for now… let’s just get you back to your wife.”

I can’t find words to challenge him or even nod. I understand why he had to leave. What I don’t understand—what I may never understand—is how he looked me in the eye all those years and didn’t know me. Forgiveness won’t come easy. It might not come at all. But right now, none of that matters. I need to get back to Eleanor. I can’t miss the birth of our children. I won’t let her go through it alone. That’s what matters.

After we finish eating, we get ready to move. We only have one day left, and we can’t afford to waste it. We resume our journey in silence as the sun begins to rise, painting the sky in pale gold and soft violet.

“You know,” I say after a while, clearing my throat. “I never thanked you. For the shoulder.”

“Yes, well,” he says lightly. “I was worried the rogue had rabies, so I had to use my urine.”

I stop dead in my tracks, my face scrunching in disgust. “What?”

“Yes. It’s medically safe,” he says, a smile playing on his lips. I’m about to be sick when he bursts out laughing. “I can’t believe you fell for that. I only used herbs.”

“So this is your best dad joke?”

“Of course not. I have plenty more where that came from.”

“I am not telling my children I peed on their injuries.”

“That’s what they’ll have me for. Their grandfather.”

“Believe me, there are already two people auditioning for that role. Marcus and Kai.”

“I thought Kai was executed.”

“No. We faked his death.”

“Well,” he says, a real smile spreading now. “That’s good news.”

We crest a small hill, and there it is—a weathered road sign reading Eretria.

“Well,” I says, clapping me lightly on his shoulder. “Let’s go get Athena her groom so you can finally have your grand reunion with the three musketeers.”

“Shut up,” He says, but he's rolling his eyes with a grin, and for the first time, it almost feels like we might be okay.