Chapter Four
Tristan
I watched as Thalia picked at her food, staring off into space. The TV was on, but she had a glazed-over look to her. Not that I could blame her—my head was spinning from what the doctor said.Babies.I was going to be a father to a little girl and a little boy.
Twins.
It was both the material of nightmares and pure dreams. I was over the moon that we were having twins, truly. I couldn’t wait to see what each of them would look like. Would they take after their mom, or me? Or maybe both?
But I was scared shitless about them coming so soon. Shit. I wish I could talk to any of the other gods, get some advice. I was never meant to be with someone—I was created to be alone. The only thing I could think to do was protect her and the babies, and make sure they had whatever they needed. I was Anubis, I could do anything. I would defeat every man who tried to hurt my family.
I walked over to my wife and sat down next to her, gathering her into my arms.
“Talk to me, love.” I needed her to communicate her feelings. She felt so vulnerable.
“I’m scared, Tristan. I’m scared of having twins. I hope I’m a good mom. I’m scared about the birth. I’m just so scared of everything.” She started crying. It hurt my soul to see her in pain, to feel her pain within me. I held onto her tightly while her tears fell.
“I swear to you, Thalia.” I pulled her back and looked her into her watery eyes.“We are going to get through this. Together. You are the most caring, wonderful woman I know. There’s no possible way you could be anything less than the most amazing mother for our children. I will be with you every step of the way, love. You don’t need to be afraid. Give me your pain; place your worries on my shoulders. I can handle them.”
“I love you so much, Tristan.” She cried some more, but I felt her soul ease. She believed me, and knew I would make everything ok.
I held her tightly as her tears came to a stop. She was strong. We could do this. For the rest of the night we would process the news of expecting twins, and cater to our worries. Tomorrow, we would start preparing for the rest of our lives.
After Thalia had fallen asleep, I went for a run, my best time to think. As I passed through the city of Boston, I thought about where we would live when the babies came. Would Thalia wish to stay in Boston? At the apartment? She could literally have anything she wanted.
As my feet pounded the pavement, my brain started to consume me. So many questions. So many variables left unknown. When I neared the apartment, I felt like I was being watched. Looking around, I didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Coming to a stop, I let my mind seek out anything unnatural. Bingo. I flashed to the tree in front of our building, where someone was crouched down, watching me with a camera. I was on him in a second.
“What are you doing?” I roared at him. The man was wearing a hat, jeans, and a red shirt. He looked like a normal man, but I knew differently. You couldn’t fool a god.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The look on this man’s face said he was lying. He must know who I was, to be spying on me. Why lie?
“You have thirty seconds to tell me, before I turn you to ash,” I threatened. His face paled.
“I was just seeing how long you were gone. They asked me to see if you would leave the woman. Shit, I was just doing as I was told, man.” He started to sing, but I needed more.
“Who is they?” I jerked him against the tree. I felt his power sizzle a little, but he was just a demigod, no match for me. I truly did wonder if he knew who I was.
“I can’t tell you man, they will kill me.” So cliché. Didn’t he realize that I could kill him with one shove of my power into him? I decided he needed just a bit more incentive. With my one hand pinning him to the tree, my other hand drifted across his ear, turning it to ash before my eyes. A slight smile appeared on my face. Beyond my fight to save Thalia, I had been tamed for too long.
“Ah!” the man screamed.
“Tell me who they are?” I asked again, and this time he was singing all I wanted to hear.
“The gods, man! My father Hermes sent me to spy on you! You must have done something to piss them off. Please let me go!” I dropped him down, and forced him look me in the eye. It was time to set some things straight.
“I am Anubis, you little shit. I will spare your life, as long as you run back to your gods and tell them these words: No one shall touch my wife or child. I will raze the earth to dust and shadow before I allow her to be harmed. No one will be safe from me if they even try.” I threw him ten feet away, hard.
“Run, little messenger,” I commanded. He didn’t waste time before doing as I said. I took a breath, and looked up toward the sky. I knew this was just the beginning. They were gathering information before striking. Since Thalia and I broke free from Athena’s grasp, no one had truly paid attention to us. They came to the wedding, sure, but most of them didn’t know anything about us. Aphrodite, Thalia’s mother, was the only one that was truly around us. Aphrodite wasn’t a problem for now. She would stay neutral for as long as she could. Hopefully we wouldn’t reach that breaking point. I doubted Athena wanted to play again, although I was sure Zeus would use her whenever he could.
I eased my thoughts, and flashed back inside to check on my wife. She was sound asleep, her hand unconsciously splayed across her belly. My babies. They had the best mother in the world protecting them. I took a quick shower, then joined my love in the bed, my broad hand covering hers.
We would be okay. No matter what, we would make it through this.
