Kingdom of Life - The 100 [4]

Chapter 2

Apollon's POV

Venus was talking again, although I sensed she wasn't nearly as happy and hopeful as she had been during those three months of peace before Jaha came back with the chip. But, she was talking again; that in itself was a relief. Most of the time she talked only about what was going to happen in six months, but sometimes I could get her mind off that and onto something else.

Its gradual growth had kept it hidden from me, but her baby bump had grown a considerable amount. Before it was small enough to blame on a large meal, but now there was no doubt of her condition. I found myself getting little sleep during our first night back in Arkadia, but instead stared at the bump. Inside there, a little boy or girl grew, and he or she would be all mine to love and protect, no matter how long he or she lived for whether it be a month, or a hundred years. I made a promise to myself that night that I would do anything and everything I could to make sure this world was as safe as it could be for when this little one arrived.

When I woke up the next morning, Venus was already awake at my side sitting up in the bed. She was staring at her exposed baby bump, and I couldn't tell if her expression was one of worry, or something else...

"Venus?" She looked at me and reached out for my hand. I gave it to her and she set it down on the bump, against her bare skin. At first I felt nothing, then...something. I waited for a few seconds until I felt that something again. I looked up at Venus. "Is that...?" She nodded, and despite her recent doomsday talk, a smile began to creep across her face. The baby kicked again under my hand.

"Hey little one," I whispered. I remember hearing once that babies could hear while they were still in the womb, and I remember seeing people back up on the Ark talking to the bulging bellies of soon-to-be mothers. Now I knew why. "This is your daddy. You take your time in there, mommy and daddy still have a few more things to get in order before you arrive." I softly kissed the skin under my hand, my heart nearly exploding with the pride that I was going to be a father.

The baby's kicks renewed my promise from the previous night, and my motivation to fulfill that promise. I walked through the corridors of the Ark looking for Clarke or Monty or Raven or anyone else who had played a major part in us making it this far – surely they'd be the ones working towards a solution once again. Or at least until Abby and Kane returned from Polis once things cooled down over there. Before long, I found Bellamy walking through the corridors in that quick and determined way he walked whenever he had a plan in mind. It felt like we had just learned about the upcoming radiation, could they really have come up with a potential solution to this problem so soon? I jogged a few paces until I was caught up to him.

"Bellamy." He looked at me, his face expressionless like a seasoned soldier. "Did you guys come up with anything last night, any ideas on how to save us all again?"

He nodded and looked around quickly before he continued, keeping his voice down low and stepping to the side of the corridor, signaling for me to do the same. "Raven says she'll be able to patch up Alpha station and use it against the radiation for the next 5 years until radiation levels are survivable again."

I suppressed my joyful smile and nodded slightly at the plan, ecstatic they already had one so soon. "What do you need me to do?"

"I'm taking a group out to Farm station. There's a hydro-generator there we need to use for water. We could really use your help-"

"Absolutely not!" Clarke's voice came from behind us, neither of us noticing she had been listening as we both looked at her with slightly shocked expressions. She quickly walked over and stood in between us, her short height appearing even shorter between Bellamy and mine's taller male stature. "Venus is four months pregnant. Now's not the time to be stressing her out by marching out onto Ice Nation territory." Her words had been directed at me, and now she turned to Bellamy. "Five people are more than enough, we still need guards here. If word gets out that people only have six months left to live, they could panic and start a riot."