Page 74 of A Single Thread Of Hope

“Trig, you tell them to come down right now, or I’m going up there to the hovel they call a bedroom and dragging them down by their ears.”

She trilled at me and flew up the stairs. I could hear them all up there, music playing loud enough for the Underworld to hear. Von the war cat came down the stairs first, and she butted her head against my knees, weaving around me like a fluffy kitten and not a fifteen-hundred pound big cat that could eat me in a bite.

“Did they send you down first to butter me up? Because they’re about to miss their own birthday party, and there are a lot of people here to see them.”

The boys had come into their powers at sixteen, and had been slowly growing them over the last couple of years. However, today, their eighteenth birthday, was the day that they would pick up their mantle as the Fates and begin their lives outside of our protection.

I was both proud of the men they’d become and terrified of the world they must navigate, though at least they’d do it together. Nate had trained them, all of them becoming excellent warriors with sword, bow, and firearms. Apollo had visited to help with their skills in prophecy, seeing them as some kind of makeshift grandsons—which was terrifying, really.

Zelda rode in on Galt, the giant boar, who loved the girl as much as he loved her brothers. “Mama, Freddy says that I’m not allowed to bring the dogs to the party, that it’s only for people and not animals. But they were important too, and I think they should be allowed to have cake.”

Although we tried not to figure out whose child was whose, it was very clear to everyone that Zelda—despite being named by Néit—was very much Cy’s child. The day she was born, a great howl went up, and ever since, she’d been collecting strays of all kinds. Dogs, primarily, but cats, birds and most notably, a donkey had all become part of our family in the six years she’d graced the earth. Even now, Von had moved her affections from me to Zelda. She definitely had a way with animals.

Freddy, on the other hand, was a bookworm. All about the rules and histories. I didn’t know who he belonged to, but I had my suspicions. He was a careful, thoughtful child, and sometimes I forgot he was twelve and not two hundred. But he was kind and loyal, and he took his role as middle brother very seriously. He was more protective of Zelda and Hurley than even his older brothers. He would be a great support to the triplets one day, if that’s what he wanted.

The baby in my arms was also no surprise, though we pretended not to know. However, Hurley’s flaming red hair was a bit of a giveaway.

Finally, there was a loud thundering on the stairs, telling me the boys were finally making their way down. When they appeared, I tried to hold in my tears, I really did. But they lookedso handsome in their tailored pants and shirts, over shoulders that belonged to men and not to my babies. They towered above me now—well over six feet—and although they looked like me, and like each other, all three looked different. At least to me. It was more than their features; it was their personalities, their mannerisms, that set them apart from each other. They may have shared a womb, but they were unique souls.

I didn’t know if they’d ever had a conscious discussion about who would fill which role as they settled into being the Fates. Maybe the universe had created them all with the strengths they’d need to shoulder the burden of their individual tasks: the Spinner, who created life, the Allotter, who decided how someone’s life should go, and the Inevitable, the one who cut the thread.

Bran was the leader—that had been obvious from the moment they could toddle around. Wherever Bran would go, the other two would be right behind. He was the brave one, always putting himself between danger and his brothers. It was something that only grew more prominent as they got older. He was the one who would shoulder the burdens of death and decay, and I worried about him the most. It was hard, your whole life being death and destruction. Surprisingly, Hades had been very helpful with that, as well as Thanatos, the God of Death.

Emeric was my fun-loving party boy. I’d caught him sneaking out for human parties more times than I cared to count, but he was sweet and empathetic. He wanted everyone to be happy and have fun, including his brothers. He could sweet talk all the old ladies in the village, and honestly, I’d thought about sending him to stay with Delphos on a mountain somewhere in Greece at sixteen, in case he knocked up some human girl down in Heraklion. He wanted to live, and he wanted everyone else to be right there with him.

It was Emeric who made it down the stairs first. “Mama, you look beautiful. Our fathers will have to beat all the other Mythics off with a stick.”

“Papa will beat them up using a stick, more like it,” Zale said, stopping on the bottom step to hug me. My baby boy. My youngest triplet. He was sweet, kind, full of hope and wonder. It made sense that he’d been given the task of creation. He didn’t give me trouble like Emeric, and he wasn’t full of bravado like Bran. He was sweet, gentle, and while I didn’t worry about his emotional health the way I did with Bran, it was Zale I worried about the most out there in the world. He just wanted to see the best in everyone.

Sure, he was an expert marksman, and in hand-to-hand combat, he could take down everyone but Bran and Nate. Still, I was his mother—it was my job to worry.

I waved them toward the door. “Stop it, you three. Come on, we’re running late.”

Trig sat on Bran’s shoulder, still looking innocent, which just made me more suspicious. Zale reached out and took Hurley from my arms. He threw him up into the air, catching him easily, making the baby laugh. They loved their siblings as much as their siblings loved them.

Zale looked over at me. “Want another one? Hurley’s getting big.”

“I swear, Zale Mahone, if you bring another baby into our bloodline anytime soon, I will send you to your room for a century. Hurley is enough for now. With you boys out of the house, I might actually get some peace and quiet.” I ushered them out of the hallway and into the courtyard. The gates had been thrown open, and tonight, villagers and Mythics would come together to celebrate my boys.

I met Milo in the courtyard, and he kissed each of the boys on the forehead, like they were toddlers and not men. “Look at youthree!” He grabbed Hurley from Zale. “You look like grown-ups, not like you were shitting your pants the blink of an eye ago.” He held up Hurley and kissed his ruddy little cheeks. “Come on, handsome. Let’s go make some old ladies coo.”

I walked my boys out into the courtyard, where they smiled and spoke to the villagers, and their friends, who had no idea they weren’t humans. At least, I didn’t think they did.

Beyond them, standing apart from the humans, were small groupings of Mythics. Persephone and her harem—with the exception of Cerberus and Charon, who needed to be in the Underworld to run the place in Hades’s absence—were talking to Morrigan, who’d flown in from Ireland last night, plus three of the Valkyries. Apollo was standing around, getting more than a little attention from the female population, who had more horniness than sense, but who was I to cast stones?

My guys were also dotted around, some with the locals, others with the Mythics, making sure everyone was having a good time. Nate was chatting with Clio, as well as Donn, who’d come up to binge watch classic eighties movies, and I reminded myself to ensure I sent down some cakes for Fea.

Erus and Tryp were once again in their element, ensuring that the drinks were flowing and the party was happening. Teron was talking to Delphos, who’d come down from his mountain and seemed to actually be enjoying himself. I’d even invited Mr. Lunetta—I mean, Khonsu—who’d been so integral in getting my bonding time with the babies when they’d been newborns. For the first time since the Dark Ages, humans and Mythics from all different Pantheons intermingled happily.

Demke came up behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist. My sweet, solemn God. He was hiding it well, but he was nervous about the boys going out into the world too. Though as Griff had told me, all fledglings had to leave the nest.

“Did you expect all this when I turned up on your doorstep eighteen years ago?”

Laughing, he nuzzled his nose into the mass of my hair. The humidity had made it wild, and there was no taming it tonight. “I don’t think anyone could have foreseen you, my love. You were like a whirlwind. A gift. But no, I would never have prophesied this in a million years.” Leaning in, he nipped at my earlobe. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Zelda ran past, a chicken in her arms and a parade of dogs at her heels, her laughter loud and contagious. Demke reached out and snatched her up into his arms. “What are you doing, my little wildling?”

---