Children of the Gods

Eridan rolled his eyes. "As if I could compete with you anyway," he responded, swatting Piattro's hand away just as playfully. "Ever since she met you, I can count on just one hand the occasions you've been separate from one another."

Piattro just gave him a smug grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Eridan snorted. "Just remember, I've known her for longer."

"Is this honestly happening?" Feferi muttered mostly to herself. "I'm going to go and have a shower before you get into an argument and decide to start comparing your manly parts. I don't need to witness any of that thank you very much." She stood from the sofa, dusting herself down before wandering over to the door.

Eridan watched her go, attention briefly turned away from Piattro so he could stare after her, smiling wistfully and sighing softly to himself, almost as if in defeat.

Piattro rolled his eyes at her before he looked at Eridan. "Care for a drink?"

"It depends on what you have. I'm not particularly ecstatic about the thought of having milk or juice to be honest."

"Kitchen's this way." He gestured for him to follow and he led him into the kitchen pointing out where the drinks were so he could choose.

Eridan followed him and immediately went for the whiskey, having seen Atropos drinking it before and, having tried it before, he was fond of it.

"Good choice." Piattro told him, passing him a whiskey glass.

"Mother has good taste, when she chooses so, of course." Eridan poured himself two fingers worth of whiskey and then downed the glass in one, ignoring the burn it must have caused. "To be honest, when Feferi declared her intentions, I'm surprised you didn't leap at the chance to join her. Is my being here ruining that?"

"What intentions have you heard?"

"She's going for a shower in the same building as you," Eridan pointed out with a laugh, pouring himself another drink and savouring it this time, instead of gulping it down. "I'm surprised you're still here is all." His voice was humoured, almost teasing.

"Don't tempt me."

"I'm not trying to, just stating a fact is all." Eridan leaned against the counter, taking a sip of his drink and closing his eyes.

Piattro rolled his eyes. "So how's things up top?"

"Everyone has become afraid of me overnight. Athena's child - Dirk? - has been chosen as Champion, the honour was supposed to go to you before you, well. Yeah. There was mass hysteria a few days ago, because someone was convinced they had seen Feferi, which sent Olympus into lockdown. But other than that, it's rather boring up there. Mother spends time with Poseidon and I spend time by myself. There isn't much I'm allowed to know."

"Don't you spend time with Sestia anymore?"

"I don't get time to. I have tasks to be done that Mother won't let me shirk, even with her time being occupied with Poseidon. It's a miracle I could even make it here, and I can't even stay the week, at that."

"How long can you stay for?"

"Three days maximum, gone by tomorrow morning at the earliest. It depends when I'm called back." Eridan looked into his drink. "Well, I never thought being the son of a Fate would be easy anyway."

"Nothing ever is."

"Something less than a god, and something less than a human. A being that stands on the sidelines and dictates the lives of those that walk the earth until they reach the beyond. Goodness knows how mother has time for a relationship. I bet they hardly see each other."

"You'd be surprised." Poseidon told him as he appeared.

"Uncle Poseidon, what can I do for you?" Piattro asked.

"Actually, I'm not. Your being here just confirms it. Mother isn't with you, so that's barely any time you spend together if you're here and she's not."

"Actually I have just come from being with her, she asked me to check on you."

"Really?" Eridan sounded suspicious. "What's happened? She never asks of me through a third party. Is it time to return already? Where is she?"