Daughter of the Nile (a Percy Jackson AU)

Blessed By Tawaret

***Nico***

      "You're bossier than Isis herself," I grumbled and Will rolled his eyes.

    "How can I be bossier than a goddess?" he asked.

   "You're always telling to eat better," I huffed.

   "I am the court physician," he said with a smirk.

     "Come on," I said. "My sister has news to announce today in the throne room."

        In the three months since Hazel and Frank had been married, many things had happened. Leo's idea had accomplished two very important things: it had averted famine and raised the morale of the people. The mutterings in the palace still occurred, but less frequently. When we entered the throne room, I took in the sight of courtiers gossiping, eavesdropping, and flirting. 

       Leo was standing next to the court musician with hair the color of bronze. She was scowling as he kept trying to flirt with her. "Sunshine, I saved all of Egypt," he said. "Surely that's enough to impress a girl?"

     "Leo seems to be infatuated with Calypso," Will whispered into my ear.

     "You don't say," I said as I made my way towards my sister, Hazel.

     Hazel gave me a smile as sweet as the honeyed dates we ate at feasts. She cleared her throat. "I have some good news to share with you guys," she said happily, practically bursting in excitement.

        "Did you dream that you'll to be 99?" Bianca asked.

         "No," Hazel said firmly. "I'm expecting a child."

          "You are blessed by Tawaret herself!" Calypso said. "Pregnancy so soon within your marriage means the gods are smiling upon Egypt."

          "And the father?" a courtier with curly hair asked. "Is it Horus himself?"

          Hazel's face flushed and she fanned herself with one hand. "Connor, the father is Frank," she said.

          "Just checking," Connor said.

 ***

       I gave my sister a peck on the cheek. "I can't believe this," I said shaking my head and feeling sad and happy at the same time. "You're not my little sister anymore. You're a pharaoh with an heir on the way."

      "We're still brother and sister," she said, "even if I was never meant to grace the throne."

     "Hazel, don't say that," I said.

      "But it's true," she said and I realized that beneath her happiness, sorrow still flowed like an underground river. "I was born a woman. How many women have ruled Egypt?"

     "Queen Sobeknefru," I said. "Queen Merneith. Queen Nitrocris. Hatshesput even became a pharaoh in her own right. Other women helped rule Egypt as the pharaoh's consorts."

     "But I'm Nubian too," she sighed. "There is bitterness between the countries of my parents. Nubia ruled Egypt once and Egypt has never forgotten it."

      "Hazel," I said. "You're doing well. Just keep on trying and pray to the gods for Egypt. That's all you can do."

     "I wish I could do more," she said sadly.

     "You already are," I said, pointing at her stomach. "You're giving Egypt an heir."

***

    "Will, does it ever bother you that we won't have kids together?" I asked.

    Will stared at me in surprise. "Childbirth is dangerous," he stated. "Even women who survive the ordeal can die from later complications."

    I thought of Hazel and I must have paled because Will grabbed my hand. "I'll make find the best midwives for Hazel," he promised. "We can pray to Tawaret and Bes every night for her safety. She'll be alright-you'll see."

***

       "Can you hurry up?" I asked impatiently. "I thought you liked getting up early. I can't believe I woke up before you."

      "Almost ready," Will said.

      I sighed. He came over and squeezed my hand. I wriggled out of his grasp. "I could have married anyone," I sighed, "and I chose you of all people. Why?"

     "Don't deny your love," he said with a smirk. "You gave up the throne to be with me."

    "I must have been possess by Set," I grumbled.

      We continued to banter as we made our way to the servants' quarters. "Alright," Will said. "I know several midwives that I can introduce you to."

    "Good," I said. "All of them must be cleared before they are allowed to even look at Hazel."

   Will rolled his eyes and walked off, shaking his head in amusement. He returned later with several women of various ages. One of them was a thin, curly-haired redhead named Ella. "Is she any good?" I asked Will. 

     "Ella knows just about everything there is to know about labor and pregnancy," he said. "She practically remembers every scroll she reads."

     "Scrolls are good," Ella agreed. 

      "Alright, she sounds okay," I said. "What about the other three?"

    Will introduced me to them, but the only other one I decided could meet Hazel was Eileithyia. She was a middle-aged woman with shiny black hair that told me she had delivered more babies than there were fish in the Nile. "And most of them lived," she said proudly.

     "It's true," Will agreed. "Eileithyia is the best midwife a pharaoh could ask for. She could rival Tawaret herself."

     "You flatter me Will, but I am no goddess," she said.

***

     "Nico, I'm perfectly capable of finding midwives by myself," Hazel said.  

    "I just wanted to-" I started to say.

    Hazel raised one hand to calm me down. "I know Nico," she said. "But I already hired two great midwives named Eilithyia and Ella."

     I gaped at her like a fish out of the Nile. "They never told me," I muttered.

    Hazel's golden eyes widened as she realized we had both selected the same midwives. "The gods are laughing at us," she said. 

    "They're also smiling upon you," I said, looking at her still small belly. 

     She swatted her hand in the air, as if trying to brush away a fly and I jumped backwards, running into Frank. "Sorry!" he said, turning red. "I didn't mean to-"

     Hazel laughed and kissed him on the nose, which caused him to smile as widely as the Nile. "I'm leaving," I told them in the midst of their intimacy and I left them to themselves.