Chapter 395: Interlude- Month 9, July

On July 12th, a Monday, Ai went into labor.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! FUCK!!! FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!!!" Ai shouted at the top of her lungs, sitting over a birthing stool to let gravity help with the delivery.

Cirrus debated whether he should replace it with a more comfortable new one or get what they used during his time. After some discussions with Circe and Artemis, they listed more positives about the birthing stool.

"AHHHH!!!! I THOUGHT YOU SEALED HER FALNA!!!!" Cirrus shouted to Artemis as Ai was crushing his hands.

"I did! She broke the seal!!"

"CIRCE!!!!! ARTEMIS!!!! HELP!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

Crack!! Crack!!!

More of Cirrus’s bones cracked.

"AHHHH!!!! FUCK!!!"

"Keep pushing!!!" Shouted Circe. "Fels is the water warm!!"

"Yes, it is!!" they shouted as they put it under her in the special room Cirrus built in the clinic with Artemis’s advice. "Keep going! They should close!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! DAMMIT!!!!!! I FEEL LIKE MY BONES ARE FUCKING BREAKING!!!!!!" Ai shouted.

"Language!!" Circe shouted.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO’S PUSHING AS HARD AS THEY CAN AND HAVING THEIR BONES FUCKING—AHHHH!!!! FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!!!!"

CRACK!!!! CRACK!!!!

"AAH!!! FUCK!!! CIRCE, LET HER FUCKING SAY FUCK!! CENSORSHIP ON PETTY WORDS IS—AHHHH!!!! AI!!!! HOW FUCKING STRONG IS YOUR GRIP!!!!!"

"Remember to breathe Ai, one, two, and breath, one, two, and breath." Said Artemis, rubbing her shoulders.

"IT’S FUCKING HARD TO DO THAT WHEN—AHHHH!!! THE LITTLE BASTARD NOT—AAHHH!!!!"

"I see the head!! Keep pushing!!!" Circe shouted.

"AAAHHHHHHH!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"

"They’re out!!" Fels shouted.

"WAAAH!!! WAAAAH!!!" they cried out.

"And it's a boy!!" Circe shouted, holding Ai and Cirrus's son.

After ten hours of labor, their child is born.

"WAAAH!!! WAAAH!!!" His crying was full of vigor.

"Huff!! Huff!!" They helped Ai onto the bed, her face was drenched in sweat and exhaustion. "I... I wanna hold him." She holds her arms out, wishing to hold her child.

"WAAAH!!! WAAAH!!!" they cried while in Circe's hands.

"Here you go!" Circe said, having cut the umbilical cord, washed the baby, and wrapped him in a small, warm blanket quickly.

"Aww~" She holds him in her arms, his little brown fox ears popping out. "My sweet son..."

"WAAAH!!! WAAAH!!!" he cried in his mother's arms.

"There, there." She held him close to her heart, slowly rocking him.

"WAAAH!! Waaah!! waah~!" He slowly calmed down, listening to his mother's heartbeat.

"You are beautiful, my sweet son Hakushika. Muwah!" She kisses his forehead and holds him dearly. "Cirrus, do you wanna hold him?"

"Hm," he said as he used his armor to fix his hands.

Ai gently holds out their child, and Cirrus holds his son in his arms.

He starts by holding their head and body.

"!" The first thing he noticed was how light he was. It was like holding a feather. "Ooh." He said, smiling so warmly, tears dripping down. "Ah." His eyes softened as he looked at his son.

Thump-thump!!! Thump-thump!!!

This was one of the happiest moments of his life. At that moment, he made himself a promise to give this child everything. From his love to his knowledge, anything he wishes for, he will give to him.

"My… Son." He holds him close to him. "You are Kyūjouno Hakushika, my son."

Fels, Circe, and Artemis came over to see him up close.

"Oh, he has your nose, Cirrus," Circe said.

"He has a good mix of your and Ai’s face." Said Artemis.

"I wonder who they took after in the eyes?" Said Fels.

As Fels said it, Hakushika slowly opened his eyes, revealing a shade of indigo.

"Well, that answered the question." Said Cirrus.

Hakushika looked up at Cirrus, and his face scrunched up.

"Oh, shit." Cirrus knew what he was gonna do.

"W-WAAAAH!!!" He cried out again.

"Let Ai hold him. A child is usually more attached to the mother who is with them, being with them longer." Artemis said. "Don’t worry, Cirrus, he’ll come around."

"Hm." Cirrus walks over and hands him back to Ai.

"There. There." Ai holds him to her heart, and he slowly calms down. "Are you hungry?" She moves her shirt and let him latch on.

"So, Cirrus," Fels patted his shoulders. "How does it feel to be a father?"

"It... feels surreal. I am both happy, scared, and-and overwhelmed." He said it smiling, tears coming down his cheeks.

"You have one more coming." Artemis said. "I hope it's easier for me then it was for Ai." She looked to see Ai the most exhausted she has ever been.

 

Nine days later, on July 21, a Wednesday, Artemis went into labor.

"GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!" She gritted her teeth as best she could with Cirrus, using his magic to continuously heal her.

"Keep going!! You're almost there!!" shouted Circe.

"Remember to breathe!! One, two, and breathe! One, two, and breath!" said Cirrus, holding her hands.

"GRRRRR!!!!!"

Artemis’s focus was the sharpest it ever was, as she had been in labor for thirteen hours. She needed to be hooked up to an IV because of how exhausting it was for her, but eventually, her effort was not in vain.

"WAAAH!!! WAAAH!!! WAAAH!!!"

"She is a girl!!" Circe declared, holding the demigod.

While Circe cleaned her up and wrapped her in a blanket, Artemis, much like Ai, held her arms out for her child.

"Huff!!! Huff!!! Huff!!! Huff!!!" Her eyes were hazy, all she wanted to do was sleep, but she also wanted to hold her daughter. "Oh…" She holds her close to her heart and kisses her forehead.

"WAAAH!!!! WAAAH!!!!" Her crying was even more vigorous than Hakushika's.

"There, there. My love…" She slowly rocked her, as did Ai, and she slowly calmed down.

"WAAAH!! Waaah!! waah~!"

"Welcome to the world, my beautiful daughter, Callisto." She smiles as warmly as she can, kissing the child and showering Callisto with affection. She did not want to lose her; her child was the most precious thing in the world to her at that moment.

It would be about 5 minutes before she would let Cirrus hold her.

"Cirrus." Artemis holds Callisto carefully.

Cirrus carefully holds her, and she is heavier than Hakushika. She had a small patch of blue hair that matched her mother's. She even has the same energy that Cirrus has when he activates White Night; it was like Artemis’s divinity in appearance, but it trailed off into a blue.

While holding her, she opened her eyes.

"Ooh…"

She had his eyes, as one would expect from both Cirrus and Artemis, having green eyes. They were polished emeralds, and she looked at him for a while before she smiled.

She rustled in the wrappings and reached out with her little arms.

Cirrus slowly brought his pinky close, and she grabbed it tightly.

"A strong grip." He said this, smiling as warmly as can be.

He made to her the same promise he made to Hakushika: he was going to give her everything.

"It seems she already took a liking to you, Cirrus," Fels said. "She even has your and Artemis’s eyes."

"I would think a child of Artemis would prefer her mother over her father?" Circe said, looking at Callisto, smiling happily and holding her father's finger.

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"..." Artemis felt a sting in her heart. "Cirrus. Is the necklace ready?"

"Not yet."

"Then let me hold her. Ouranos permitted me to hide her."

Cirrus goes over and hands Callisto back to Artemis. Yet when he tried, Callisto couldn’t let go of his pinky.

"Guess she doesn’t want to let go." Cirrus wiggles out of her little hands, and she soon cries.

"W-WAAAAAH!!!"

"It’s fine. He is still here." Artemis said, holding her close to her heart.

Holding her close, Artemis used her arcanum, permitted by Ouranos long ago, to hide her child when they were born. Callisto’s aura then slowly disappeared.

"WAAH!! WAH!!!" Callisto reached out to Cirrus.

"It’s fine! It’s fine!" Cirrus went over and sat on the bed and extended his pinky, where she quickly grabbed it.

Callisto quickly calmed down.

"Mmm…" Artemis felt jealous that Callisto liked Cirrus more than her. "!" Of course, that could be for one reason. Artemis looked at the child and then at Circe. "Circe, are you sure Callisto is not Nox?"

"…" Silence, everyone looked at Artemis.

"Well, I am pretty sure. We could always ask Vesta." Circe looked at Cirrus.

Cirrus noticed them looking at him. He nods and calls Vesta.

"Vesta, can you come here?"

Vesta appears in a wisp of fire.

"Has Artemis’ child been born?" Vesta looked around to see the child in Artemis’ arms. "Oh! Are they a boy or girl?"

"Girl," Artemis said. "Vesta, can you see if Callisto is Nox?"

"I had thought Circe checked her soul?"

"Yes, but she has already grown more attached to Cirrus than to... me." She frowned a bit.

It was painful for Artemis. Everyone in the room could see she wanted Callisto's love.

"Very well. Cirrus summon White Night. If it is Nox, then White Night should react."

Cirrus held his hand out.

"(Vesta)." White Night then reappeared in his hands in a red electrical flame with its sheath. He unsheathed it and held it firmly in a reverse grip.

Cirrus brought it close to Callisto, where she tapped the handle with her other hand.

Nothing happened.

"Hm. Let me return inside and see if anything happens." Vesta said.

Vesta turned into a wisp and entered the red gem in the guard.

 

Inside White Night, Vesta noticed something different.

"This feeling… It feels like... Nox!!" Vesta looked around to see Nox’s memories—a massive ball of white film—spinning around. "Oh! They are active! I need to—"

"Stop."

"!?" Vesta froze and looked behind her to see Nyx. "Holy shit!!" Vesta jumped back in surprise, as she should. "W-why are you here!? How!?"

"This is simply a message to you, Vesta. I put it when I reincarnated Nox. But while Callisto is the reincarnation of Nox, they are not the same."

"W-what the hell are you on about!? Circe checked her soul! Callisto is—"

"—A demigod. Her soul is unbelievably strong. Strong enough to have stopped Nox’s soul from merging with it."

"Then the child has two souls. Nyx, why did you do this? The child will—"

"—Be fine. That is why I reincarnated her into Callisto. Had it been any other child, their soul would have merged with Nox’s."

"There has to be more than just that. I know Ananke placed her strings on Cirrus. She even possibly put him on your radar!"

"Did you think Ananke could see that far? As almighty, as she is, seeing into infinity is something no one can handle, not even Khaos. I assure you that I was the one who plucked him. Ananke using her string is a kind of lifeline."

"You know Cirrus does not like what she did."

"I know full well. I and Ananke will answer him at his last crossroads. Until then, you must keep the knowledge of Nox from him."

"I do not lie. Not to him." Vesta spoke sternly.

"I know, but I assure you that if you give Callisto the memories, then she will be swallowed whole by Nox’s soul. Cirrus and Artemis’s child personalities will be wiped."

"!!" Vesta shuddered even more. "C-Cirrus still deserves to know that Nox is here, that she is back in some capacity!"

"It hurts, but as they say, ignorance is bliss."

"I can’t just sit on this!! You know how much Cirrus and Nox love one another!"

"That is why I left you with instructions." Nyx held out a pill that looked as if they had chipped it out of the night sky. "You must slowly and carefully let Callisto grow into herself, let her personality grow, and, while doing this, you slowly separate their egos using Nox’s memories."

"…" Vesta looks at the pill. "Nyx, tell me. Has Ananke’s string also attached itself to Callisto?"

"I am so afraid so. When she reaches her maturity, the strings will be visible."

"You know Cirrus will not let that be."

"I know." Nyx then tosses the pill at Vesta before disappearing.

"… I can see why Cirrus acted the way he did. I do not like people dictating my choices." She then swallowed the pill.

 

A few seconds later, Vesta reappeared.

"So?" Cirrus said.

"Is she Nox?" Artemis asked.

"No," Vesta said. "She is Callisto Zephyr." What she said is technically true. The one who is in control is Callisto.

"But…" Artemis’s expression darkened a bit. "My child does not—"

Almost as if Callisto understood her, she let go of Cirrus’s finger and reached out to Artemis.

"!!" Artemis slowly brought her close to her, and Callisto gently touched her face, smiling. This brought Artemis to tears.

Vesta looked at Cirrus.

"Cirrus, I will be returning. Can you put White Night in your shadow?"

"Sure thing."

Vesta entered the red gem as Cirrus put White Night away.

While in White Night, Vesta begins to sort out Nox’s memories.

"I need to hurry. I will not let this go on!" Vesta persistently sorts through Nox’s memories with vigor, organizing them as best she can in chronological order.

 

One night, while it was Cirrus' time to get the kids to sleep.

"..." Cirrus sits, watching over his children like a hawk. "Hecton, Fafnir, are the Sound Eaters in place?"

Hecton and Fafnir popped up.

"They are, sir," Hecton said.

"Ready when you are!" Fafnir said it a bit more enthusiastically.

Cirrus was going to do something he hasn't done since Olympia and when he was first reincarnated: sing and speak English.

"Fuu~" He takes a deep breath, takes out a guitar, and sings.

This will be a song he will sing to all of his children at least once in their infancy and never again.

 

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