The Golden age.

Chapter 9

"No!"

"Please? It's only for a few hours!"

"River I said no!" Clay hissed.

"You're the god of fatherhood, you're supposed to love children!" River pointed out.

"I'm the god of fatherhood, yes but does mean I'd make a good father? Definitely not!" Clay retorted. "Can't Hemera watch your brats?" River shook his head, he placed a hand on his boyfriends shoulder, they had gotten together a few weeks after the Pallas situation. Six weeks ago to be exact.

"Please?" River pouted giving him a type of doggy eyes. "It's only for a few hours, while I help Poseidon under the sea." 

"Can't Oceanus help him? Your mother?" Clay was desperately trying to avoid the little monsters known as toddlers, immortals aged quicker physically and mentally, with the exception of thr major primordial gods and goddesses, now the three Hearts of the river could speak and walk, like any other immortal they could use their powers.

"They're dealing with attacks further out at sea, your dad wants me and Poseidon to defend the waters nearer to Othrys."

"Do you rule over your own sea? Besides sharing your father's I mean." Clay asked, he had noticed that River had been spending more time in the sea than usual since they started dating, at first he thought it was because of him.

"These past six weeks I've been working on taking the Ionian and the Aegean along with the rest of the Mediterranean, its been a slow process however as it's mostly still under the command of Keto, as she's a minor protogenoi, if the megalodons and the Kraken are anything to go by I'd say she isn't taking my invasion lightly." River shrugged. "I don't want to be anywhere near my father, much less be trapped under his rule, the sea is as much my Domain as it is his or Poseidon's."

Clay nodded and tried to hide the fact that he was terrified, he had good reason to not want to be with children, something that happened during Tartarus, he was shown the future of his children, by Chronus in an attempt to establish the fear of returning back to Othrys. To keep him out of the war. they'd hate him, turn on him, for all he knew the three children he saw could very well be his now step children, Rivers kids could very well be psychopathic without him knowing.And Clay knew better than most that patricide ran in the family.

"And Rhea?" a last ditch effort, Clay knew this.

"With Kronos, negotiating with Grandmother." River shuddered at the thought of meeting Gaia, Clay didn't blame him, when he was younger Gaia went crazy and tried to impale him with a tree branch while he was with his mother, he was lucky Rhea was there to jump in between him and the tree, Gaia wouldn't risk harming her favourite daughter. She had claimed that either he or Hestia would be a threat to Kronos, she had tried to kill Hestia as well, Kronos promptly sent her on her way with her sliced off hand in a box as a parting gift.

River suddenly smiled slightly, his eyes glinted And Clay' eyes widened, he knew he was about to do so thing evil. River whistled and all three of his children came stumbling down the corridor, latching onto Clay's  legs, one of them jumping up onto his arm. Clay stiffened at the physical contact and glared at River who just grinned.

"Have fun kids, but please, try not to piss Clay of too much." he dissappeared in a royal blue flash and Clay scowled as he tried to move with all three of them.

"Well, isn't this a sight to behold." Chronos mused,"if only I hadn't seen this image many times before in the past." Clay looked at the Primordial of time and bowed his head, he knew his father had a friendly relationship with the Primordial god, a father son one if their interactions where anything to go by, it made sense, they had Time in common, and acording to his father Chronos had practically taught him everything he knew about the domain and how to manipulate it, Clay didn't know if that was his intention or a lapse in his judgment.

"Lord Chronos." it wasn't the only time Clay had seen the god, he visited him every birthday when he was younger, always with some crazy gift or even when he was really well behaved a blessing, Clay's control over time had been strengthened many times due to three of those blessings, Chronos was like the grandfather he wished he had, he was fond of the other immortal, one of the very few he actually treated with some messure of respect. 

"What brings you here, my Lord?" Clay asked as he quickly caught Aella as she fell from his arms, he heard soft snores come from Actaeon and sighed irritably as he saw the boy was fast asleep on his left leg, Persa stared up at him smiling widely as she clung into his right leg, she scowled at her twin brother calling him an idiot in the old tounge.

"I've come to offer my congratulations, you're technically a step father now." the god of time smiled as if the thought amused him, it did, a tight smiled formed on his lips as Aella hovered out of her step fathers arms in a gust of wind, she had wings, though they hadn't fully grown enough to support her flying yet.

"Can you not?" Clay grumbled as he pulled her out of the air and back into his arms. Aella giggled in amusement her sky blue eyes sparkling. 

"I also came to remind you of the immortal laws regarding marriage." Chronos said softly, Clay paused for a few seconds as a frown crossed his face he seemed to snap out of it and eyed Chronos curiously.

"I haven't forgotten them, if that's what you're getting at." Chronos chuckled as Clay whirled around as Persa giggled as she dropped from the time gods leg and ran away squealing.

"You have a year before you and River must make that decision." Chronos said sternly.

"Can you hold these for me?" Clay asked his grandfather figure desperately completely ignoring the marriage law talk from Chronos.

"Sorry, you're on your own." the primordial smiled, his eyes full of mirth. "You once did that, I had to chase you throughout Othrys. Consider this payback for making me work so hard." Clay glared at him as he carefully picked up Actaeon and placed him under his arm, he did the same to Aella and ran off to find the eldest sibling of thr two.

Chronos made it his job to annoy Clay using his powers over time to make Persa find this little game of hers amusing for a full twelve hours, she didn't tire thanks to Chronos also making her energy last longer, but Clay didn't have as much luck as his step daughter he trecked throughout Othrys alone, having put the other two to bed so he didn't wake them by running around, he had been searching Othrys for twelve hours, he tried looking into her future to predict where she would head next but Chronos was blocking him on perpose, yes. The Primordial of time was still here, making the twelve hour game of hide and seek drag on for what seemed like two days. Clay leaned against a marble wall, he needed a break.

"Looking for someone?" a familiar voice asked. Clay sighed in releif as he saw River standing there with a sleeping Persa in his arms, he was begining to think a primordial had killed her. River smiled when he saw how tired Clay looked, about ready to drop dead. "She was hiding in a puddle of water outside."

"That was a few hours!" Clay suddenly exploded. "you know a few is usually two or three right? And not twelve!" River smiled sweetly but shrugged.

"Myself and Poseidon were attacked by the Kraken, it took longer to kill than either of us expected." 

"How long?" Clay yawned as his eye lids grew heavy. 

"The full twelve hours." River flashed himself and Clay into their now shared bedroom, they both collapsed into their bed, their children in single beds in a room that was connected to their own by an open door.

"I'll admit, kids aren't that bad." Clay murmered as he drifted off into a deep sleep. Chronos chuckled softly as he watched through their door that was ajar, he had done his job, righted his wrong doing. Clay no longer had a fear of his own children. The fear that he had instilled long ago, their door closed with a soft click and Chronos left them to Hypnos, the Primordial of sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------

A shorter chapter but I found this one was my favourite to write.