A Little Closer

Little More

Zeus was anxious for what lay ahead. He had no doubt that his son was a capable fighter; he'd proven himself as such time and time again. But what they were going up against scared even him. Yet, what he was most afraid of, was losing his son before he had the chance to know him. Really know him.

And so he pushed him, probably harder than he should have, if he were being honest. He wasn't blind to Heron's fury, nor his contempt towards him, but Zeus couldn't bring himself care about that. Not now. Not when Heron's life was on the line.

He could sense his son's growing frustrations. A losing streak on the training field never felt good, but it was especially anxiety inducing when you're painfully aware of an important battle looming on the horizon.

Heron needed a break to rest his body and clear his mind. He'll improve drastically after a nap and a quick bite to eat, but his helpful suggestions went ignored. Zeus knew he was tired- exhausted even. He remembered back when Athena and Ares would train like this. He smiled at the fond memory. The only way to get them to stop had been...

Zeus looked down at Heron on the field, teeth clenched in a mixture of determination and pain. When he closed his eyes, he saw Heron relaxed; shoulders slack with a warm, genuine smile.

Zeus didn't want Heron's only fond memories of him to be ssssswhen he was disguised.

"Heron, why don't you come here for a second? I think I know something that might help," he called out, hiding his mischief behind a sliver of truth.

"Okay, what is it?" he asked as he approached.

"I can't just tell you! You gotta come here," Zeus instructed. Heron rolled his eyes, but complied.

"This better be good."

"It is, I promise. Ares and Athena themselves trained using this very method." He noticed the way Heron perked up as he spoke. "It's something I taught them, and hope to teach you now."

"Really?" Heron tried to mask his excitement before doubt crept in. "But... what if I'm not as good as they are?"

"Nonsense, you're a natural!" he encouraged by slinging an arm around his shoulders, jostling him playfully. "Just do what I say, alright?" He nodded, waiting expectantly.

"Alright now, close your eyes," he instructed, and Heron did so. "Good. Take a deep breath in and hold it. Reach your arms toward the sun, really feel the stretch," he advised, slowly walking around behind him.

"Can I breathe now?" Heron asked, voice strained.

"Oh! Yes, you can breathe," he chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Slowly exhale, and release all the tension in your body."

"What's the point of this, exactly?" Heron questioned, clearly annoyed and skeptical of the seemingly pointless exercise.

"The point is to learn to relax and ground yourself," he said gently.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that? I'm nowhere near ready, and I'm sorry, but breathing and stretching isn't gonna stop the giants!" he yelled, and Zeus could hear the underlying panic lacing his voice. He sighed, subconsciously agreeing with him.

"You don't think I know that? Heron, I just want you to take care of yourself. Listen to your body and take a break when you need to."

"I don't need a break," he insisted, fixing him with a harsh glare. Zeus only smiled with a wistful sigh.

"That's what Ares and Athena used to say. And you wanna know what I told them?"

"What?"

"Come a little closer, and I'll tell you. It's a secret." Heron shook his head, but did as he was told. "Little closer." He rolled his eyes, taking another step to close the gap. Zeus threw a large arm around his smaller frame, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

Heron swore he wasn't even saying real words. Heron scrunched his face as he tried to listen, cupping his ear as he leaned in. "Huh?"

"Gotcha!"

Heron screamed in shock when he felt himself lift off the ground in a crushing hug. He felt fingers dig into his sides and he bit back a giggly yelp.

"You and your siblings are all the same. Too stubborn to take a break unless someone makes you," he teased, flashing a bright smile. Heron couldn't bear to look and turned away, desperate to hide his own giddy grin.

"Y-you trihihicked mehehe!"

"I did no such thing! I really did used to do this with Athena and Ares!"

"You sahahaid ihit would hehehelp!" he cried, weakly shoving against the arms wrapped around his waist.

"Laughter always helps!" he reasoned as he scratched up his ribs, earning a snort. "Heh, sounds like you inherited your old man's laugh," he reached up to ruffle his hair. A dark blush spread across Heron's cheeks as he struggled in his hold.

His hands crawled higher and a loud shriek filled the air as Heron thrashed around in his grip. "Noho! Not thehehere, plehehease!" he begged through bubbly giggles, holding one hand at bay with both of his. Zeus attacked his other side and he immediately crumbled, allowing the other hand to reach its target.

"Not where? Oh, you mean here?" he asked, feigning ignorance as he shoved his hands under his arms. Heron howled with laughter, pressing his arms against his sides and kicking the air uselessly. "Yeah, that does seem like a bad spot," he mused, deciding to make matters worse and drill his thumbs in his hollows, drawing slow circles.

Heron was wheezing and cackling, using one hand to muffle his voice and the other to fend off the invading hands.

"Knohohock ihit ohohoff alreadyyy!" he whined, kicking in time with his giggles. Zeus couldn't imagine a cuter sight.

"I suppose I could..." he trailed off in thought, drumming his fingers against Heron's sides to keep him squirming. "If you promise to take a break from training. Just for a few hours to let yourself rest, then you can get right back to it," he bargained. And, well, Heron wasn't really in a position to negotiate.

"Fihihine! I'll tahahake aha stupid break!" he cried out through his hysterics. Zeus wore a proud smirk, vibrating a clawed hand over his belly, allowing just the smallest amount of electricity to flow through his fingertips as he did so. Heron threw his head back, cackling wildly as he curled into a protective, twitchy ball of nerves.

"There, was that so hard?"

True to his word, Zeus relented after that. He set him back on the ground once he was sure Heron had found his footing, ruffling his hair one last time. Heron huffed out a residual chuckle and smacked the hand away, light enough to let him know he didn't really mind.

"Well, you didn't make it easy, that's for sure," he sassed, not bothering to hide the lingering smile still gracing his features.

"Ha! Only because I know you can take it," he joked, punching his son in the shoulder before pulling him into a side hug, shaking him lightly.

"How thoughtful," he teased back, feeling more relaxed.

Zeus wore a soft, fond expression. "Get some rest son. You've earned it." Heron stood a little taller, his smile more authentic.

"Thanks, I will... Dad."

Every day, the looming battle grew a little closer. But so did they.