The Survival of Four

Chapter 69

The next day, there was a noticeable peace over Safe Haven. There was no danger. No problems. No worries. Everyone was in a blissful mood—there were no exceptions. With no threats toward the demigods' safety, everyone's every day routines began again. Safe Haven was once again filled with smiles, laughter and playful banter.

"Seriously?" I asked over the phone, a smile covering my face. I held the phone in between my shoulder and ear as I tied my shoe.

I heard Kyle's deep chuckle on the other end of the line. "Yeah. Dylan is flirting up the storm. The girl had literally been in the haven for ten minutes and has gained the attention of the son of Zeus."

My smile didn't fade as I tied my other shoe. "Girls are going to be jealous," I predicted, flashing back to one of my first days at Safe Haven. Almost every single girl living here had a crush on Dylan.

Kyle puffed. "You better not be."

I rolled my eyes and walked out of my front door. "Well, I am," I lied.

He paused. "What?"

I laughed. "Of course I'm not jealous. Take a joke," I told him.

"Yeah, yeah. I knew you were joking," he attempted to play it off.

"Sure," I drawled off my tongue before changing the subject. "I'm on my way. Has he arrived yet?" I questioned, knowing Kyle knew who I was talking about.

Before he could answer, I heard a door close in the background of the line. "Yeah. He just walked in."

I nodded. "Okay. Give me a minute or two." We hung up the phone and I continued on my way to the head house. I was on my way to have an important conversation. I had to make amends with someone. The arguments and ignorance had carried on for too long and both of us had to face it.

I walked up the wooden steps to the head house and took a deep breath to prepare myself before walking through the front door. Multiple voices filled my ears. Four to be exact. I followed the noise of the conversations to the dining room. Kyle, Dylan, Poseidon, and a brunette girl my age stood by the table.

The new girl standing beside Dylan must have been the one he was crushing on. Honestly, she was beautiful. It wasn't surprising he would think so too. Soft red curls reached her lower shoulders, framing her slim face. Her light green eyes were striking through her long eyelashes and her cheekbones were high and defined. She was slim and on the shorter side, the top of her head reaching Dylan's chin.

I gifted her a bright, welcoming smile and walked her way, holding out my hand. She shook it and returned a smile just as lively. "I'm Riley," I told her. "Daughter of Poseidon."

She nodded. "I'm Ivy—daughter of Athena."

I glanced up at Dylan and nodded, giving him an approval. He rolled his eyes in return. I turned around and faced my father. "You ready?" he asked casually, trying to avoid awkwardness. I nodded and he started walking out of the room. After slipping Kyle a nervous smile, I followed the sea god out of the dining room and into the living room. We walked in and he turned around to face me, but I chose to talk first.

"I'm tired of us ignoring each other's presence when we are around each other. You are my dad, I don't want these choices you made to split us apart," I admitted honestly. I fumbled with my fingers and continued before he had a chance to reply. "You knew Terran had murdered mom and then proceeded to let me live with him—to trust him. Finding that out, I was hurt. I felt as if you didn't care about my safety. No daughter wants to feel that way." I sighed. "I still feel frustrated toward the subject, but I understand why you did it. You needed us to figure out and defeat our own problems as demigods. And for that reason, I'm forgiving you and apologizing for myself. I'm sorry, I felt enraged and blamed you for the things we lost in the war. It was how history had to play out. I understand that now."

My father pulled me into a tight embrace after my words. "I love you," he told me immediately. "I will forevermore care about your safety. As a god, I know how events have to play out for them to end well in the future. It was the best choice, I swear to you. And with your brother, if he was there to fight alongside you, Terran would've had two possible sources to receive my bloodline from. It wouldn't have been the best situation. I kept you away from each other until I knew it was completely safe for both of you."

I nodded and hugged him tighter, tucking my head in between his neck and shoulder. "I know. I understand. Thanks for looking out for me."

He pulled away and smiled brightly down at him. "I'll always look out for my little girl." He stared at me for a moment and sighed. "You've grown into a strong young lady, Riley. You helped end a war just a year ago. You have carried many struggles along with you, but you pushed through all of them and still came out stronger than before. You killed your best friend's sister because you knew it was the only way to save your brother and your friends. You knew killing her would save Safe Haven from a lifetime of pain and struggles. You risked your own life to protect every else's." He shook his head, staring at me with adoration as if he had never been so proud. His eyes were glassy but filled with joy. "You are brave. Selfless. Loyal. Courageous. You have achieved more than us gods thought you ever could. I'm so honored to call you my daughter."

I wiped the runaway tear on my cheek. "I'll keep making you proud."

He nodded, not bothering to wipe the happy tears running down his cheeks. "I know you will." I hugged him once more and let him hold me in his arms a moment before pulling away. He then stood up straighter and wiped his tear stricken face. "Hey, Kyle!" He called.

A short moment later, the son of Hades peaked his head into the room. "Yes?" he asked.

Poseidon gestured him in with a nod of his head. "Come here."

Kyle walked in and stopped beside me. I glanced up at him. His black hair was messily fixed and his dark brown eyes looked at my father as he waited for him to explain his purpose for him entering the room. I loved the worry-free glint in his eyes. It had been months since I had seen him without stress. I smiled to myself, pleased with how our life was turning out.

"Thank you for never giving up on Riley," my father spoke with his full attention on the boy next to me. "You have remained loyal to her when no one else was. You understood her in things no one could and comforted her whenever she needed it. I will forever be thankful."

Kyle smiled up at him. I loved his smile. He reached out and gently pulled me close to him. I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'll always be here for her, sir," he spoke. After everything that had happened, I knew every word was true.

Poseidon glanced softly between the two of us. "I know you will," he spoke. He began walking toward the front door but stopping at the door frame. "It's time for my farewell. Kyle, I expect you to take good care of my daughter."

Kyle nodded. "I'll take care of her until one of us is here no more." My father nodded approvingly.

"Why does it feel like you are saying goodbye for good?" I asked the sea god.

He sighed. "Because you won't see me for a while," he admitted. "As a god, I have duties of my own. Now that you are all out of danger for a long while, I have to move on to other things until I am needed here again." I looked at him sadly, but nodded, understanding his reasoning. "I have already spoken a goodbye to your brother. Don't worry, you will see me again."

"I can't wait until then."

He smiled and nodded a goodbye to Kyle. Kyle slipped him a sad smile in return as we watched the sea god leave the head house. Once the door closed behind him, I rushed to the window to see him off. However, looking through the glass, I noticed he was already gone.