Son of Jashin (Naruto/Percy Jackson)

Chapter 23: Zoes Children

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Down in the Labyrinth, time got screwy. A few minutes could be a few hours, a few hours could be a few seconds, and a few seconds could be a year. The same could be true about everything just said, in the reverse. If you were lucky, the time spent in the Labyrinth could be the same amount as the time that passed outside the Labyrinth.

Anyway, the point was that when Zoё awoke, she didn't know if it had been an hour or two, a few hours, or several days, and honestly? She didn't care. All she cared about where the small teens dozing peacefully on her legs. Their pacifiers were still in their mouths, they weren't shivering, and best of all: there weren't any puddles centered around their butts.

Zoё hadn't been lying when she said that if Percy and Clair regressed far back enough to the headspace of their toddler selves before they mastered the potty, she wouldn't have minded changing their pants, but it was still a boon to not have to do that.

Granted, they could both very well be set to burst within the next ten minutes, given how a child's body conveniently worked, and there weren't any bathrooms in the Labyrinth, last time Zoё checked. Though, if Percy could find the McDonald's easy enough, then he could probably find a bathroom with just as much ease, so Zoё wasn't too worried.

No, the people she was more worried about were huddled on the other side of the passageway, sleeping just as soundly as Percy and Clair.

Bianca and Annabeth would make a cute couple, as per Zoё's thoughts based on how the two girls held one another in their sleep, but neither struck the Huntress as gay in the first place, so their embracement no doubt stemmed directly from the need for warmth in the otherwise cool passageway of the Labyrinth. Still, cute couple.

Zoё nudged the sleeping teens, causing them to stir. Clair let out a drowsy moan from behind the soother in her mouth, her eyes blearily cracking open. She stretched out like a cat across Zoё's legs, her back releasing a series of pops. With her back arched inversely and her butt in the air, Zoё smacked the raised rump, eliciting a muffled squawk and an angry blush-and-glare combo from behind the pacifier.

"That is for lighting Kansas on fire."

Meanwhile, on Percy's end, he slowly raised up and put one of his arms straight above him, gripping the elbow with the opposite arm. He yawned, the pacifier dropping from his mouth as his back let lose a torrent of pops. He snickered and put the soother back into his mouth when he saw Clair get spanked. He was promptly popped in the nose, making him whine.

"Don't think you're getting out of a punishment, mister," Zoё said sternly. "You've done more than enough to warrant an hour over my knee, with an appointment in the company of a paddle and a belt."

This time it was Clair's turn to snicker, but her laughs were cut short by another smack to her butt.

"Don't start with me, missy. You caused a food shortage and had Lady Demeter in a panic over her wheat fields. You could also do for an appointment with my hairbrush."

Clair whimpered, and Percy kept silent behind his paci.

Zoё relented with a sigh. "But the both of you are lucky that I love you too much."

The children both took out their pacifiers to give the Huntress matching wet kisses on her cheeks, before putting them back in their mouths and proceeding to suck on them. Zoё couldn't keep the smile off her face. She pulled Clair to her and kissed the girl's forehead, and then did the same to Percy.

"Mommy," Amaterasu's daughter said, "what time is it?"

"It's..." Zoё checked the analog watch on her wrist, hidden under the sleeve of her silver jacket, "3:14 in the afternoon...or morning." She blushed faintly. "I don't know how long we slept."