The beach was perfect, the kind that even the gods wouldn't dare mess with. The golden sand was fine and warm underfoot, as if sifted by Apollo himself. Rows of light wooden chairs were aligned with almost military precision, each adorned with white ribbons tied to the backs and small sprigs of lavender discreetly hanging. At the center of it all, the altar under an arch of woven wood entwined with ivy and white flowers—daisies, lilies, and gardenias—looked like something out of a pastoral dream. A white carpet led to the altar, bordered by petals that danced lightly in the salty sea breeze.
In the background, the ocean lapped gently against the shore, and the sky was so blue it made you want to bottle a piece of it to paint a wall. Waiters moved silently, trays floating with glasses of peach juice and infused water, while a discreet group of musicians tuned violins and flutes under an elegant canopy.
Nico di Angelo was the first to step out of the limousine's shadow and onto the sand. The black of his suit contrasted with the sunny landscape, but somehow, it suited him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward a figure gazing at the altar with a calm, distant expression.
Bianca.
She had grown up. The stubborn little girl was now a grown woman, with dark brown hair cascading in loose waves down her back, her eyes still as intense as Nico's but more serene. The dress she wore was a deep blue, fluid like the sky at dusk, and her posture carried the grace of someone who had learned to live with hard choices.
"You came…" she said, smiling with a sweetness Nico hadn't heard in years.
"It's a wedding," he replied, shrugging as if that explained everything. "Of course I came to see the chaos unfold."
Before the conversation could deepen, Ikki appeared from behind, tall, relaxed, his blue eyes gleaming with that tranquility bordering on sarcasm.
"You guys look like you're at a funeral," he commented, leaning slightly. "It's not the part of the ceremony where we start crying… yet."
Walt and Carter went to find Zia and Sadie; they needed to teleport to where the girls and the rest of the bridal party were staying to keep the bride company and check if they were ready. Meanwhile, Leo went off to do his own thing, and his mother went to find his father, so he preferred to socialize with his two honorary little brothers.
Bianca laughed, a light sound. "Hi, Ikki. You're as… stylish as ever."
"He wakes up like that," said Jason, arriving right behind, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt under his suit. "I swear I saw him roll out of bed with his hair perfect and his tie half-tied."
"Protagonist curse," Ikki replied with a lazy smirk. "You get used to it."
As they chatted, a figure emerged from among the guests, coming from the side of the beach, stepping firmly and carelessly onto the sand.
Thalia Grace.
She wore a black dress with combat boots (obviously), but it was form-fitting and surprisingly elegant. Her black hair was longer, reaching her shoulders in soft waves, with a few strands loosely pinned back. Her electric eyes still sparked with intensity, but there was something different—maybe maturity, maybe a tranquility she'd never had time to cultivate before. She still had that "don't mess with me" vibe etched on her face, but now she carried it with an unexpected grace.
"You all look gorgeous…" she said as she approached, with a crooked grin. "And Ikki, as usual, looks like he stepped out of a cologne ad."
"Nice to see you too, Thalia," Ikki replied, crossing his arms. "The new 'punk evolution' phase is working for you."
She raised an eyebrow. "And you're still full of yourself."
"Only when I'm right."
Jason stepped forward and gave his sister a tight hug, which she returned with a light shove to his shoulder.
"Good to see you, sis," he said.
"Good to see you too, Jason. Three months, huh? Don't start crying over it," Thalia replied. "I didn't bring tissues."
Jason was Thalia's younger brother, son of Jupiter, the Roman aspect of Zeus, and the mortal actress Beryl Grace. Because their father had consecutively sired two children with Beryl, Jupiter's wife, Juno—the Roman aspect of Hera—was furious, not only for her husband's infidelity but for him pursuing the same mortal twice. In an attempt to appease Juno's wrath and indignation over his betrayal, Jupiter made her the guardian of the child. He also named his newborn son Jason, after Juno's favorite hero, just to please her.
Though Jason didn't remember much of his mother or Thalia, he and Thalia were very close as children, playing hide-and-seek in their apartment. Beryl tried to tell Jason about his father, showing him a storm on the beach and saying it was his father. When he was two, Jason tried to eat a stapler, earning a scar on his upper lip. At that time, Jason was the only reason Thalia stayed home with their mother.
After Jupiter left Beryl and Thalia, the actress grew resentful of his departure and began acting recklessly again, causing Thalia to increasingly doubt her ability to care for Jason. Beryl blamed Hera for Zeus's departure, claiming she was coming after them and that two demigods from the same god and mortal was an insult.
When Jason was two, Beryl took Thalia and him on a family vacation. She brought them to Wine Country, insisting she wanted to show them a park. When they arrived, she showed Jason a large building in the park and told Thalia to grab a picnic basket. Thalia didn't want Jason left alone with her, but she thought it would only be for a few minutes. Beryl wanted to keep him, but Jupiter and Juno gave her no choice. When they reached the House of the Wolf, she hugged him one last time in the ruins of the Wolf House, promising everything was okay and that she'd see him soon, her eyes full of tears. But Jason knew something was wrong. He cried at the House of the Wolf, waiting for Thalia and Beryl, but they never showed up. Instead, Lupa and the wolves came. Because of this incident, Jason wanted to follow rules and keep promises so no one would be abandoned as he was.
Later, Thalia found Beryl crying on the stone steps of the House of the Wolf, saying Jason had been claimed by Hera and left to die. She was inconsolable for days. Thalia searched for him but couldn't find him. She called the police, who questioned Beryl for a long time. Thalia and Beryl fought for a long time afterward until Thalia ran away, now that Jason was gone. Thalia never knew the truth about her brother and thought he was dead until she reunited with him when Camp Half-Blood merged with Camp Jupiter.
Thalia and Jason were still trading sibling jabs when two figures stood out among the arriving guests. The first was Piper McLean, and even the sun seemed to tilt slightly to admire her presence.
She was stunning. Piper always had a natural beauty, with eyes that shifted colors like the sky before a storm and chocolate-brown hair with fine braided strands decorated with golden ribbons. Now in her mid-twenties, there was something even more striking about her: a quiet confidence that radiated from her posture. She wore a sleeveless white dress that flowed to her ankles, fluid like silk, with a V-neckline that hinted more than it revealed, adorned with a handmade amber and coral necklace that reflected the light as if forged by Aphrodite herself. Golden armbands coiled around her arms like elegant snakes, and her tanned skin seemed kissed by summer itself. She walked with the grace of a princess and the sharp gaze of a warrior, her perfect curves capable of making any man lose himself with a single glance.
Beside her was Annabeth Chase, her long blonde hair loose, falling in soft waves down her back, with some strands curling gently over her shoulders. She wore an elegant, form-fitting dress in shades of gray and silver, reminiscent of Athena's eyes. She walked with the confidence of someone always three steps ahead in any conversation. Her glasses gave her the air of a university professor who could save the world or teach Latin on a random Tuesday, her body now fully developed and perfect.
"Look who decided to show up," Thalia said with a lopsided grin.
"We couldn't miss the chance to see you in a dress," Piper teased.
"I'm still not used to it," Thalia admitted. "But I'll admit, combat boots help."
Jason opened his arms, excited. "Piper! Annabeth!"
The group gathered, exchanging hugs and greetings with the ease of those who'd survived battles together.
Ikki just watched, arms crossed, a discreet but attentive smile. Piper noticed him first, of course—she always did. And even now, after so much time, her heart still skipped a beat when she saw him.
Annabeth, on the other hand, hid it better. She was always good at that. But her eyes lingered on Ikki's for a second longer than necessary. And they both knew what that meant.
"You still manage to draw attention without even trying, huh?" Piper said with a smile that wasn't quite flirtatious but carried something deeper. Admiration. Maybe longing.
Her name came from her grandfather Tom, who noticed her strong voice and hoped she'd one day learn all the great Cherokee songs, including the Song of the Snakes. Unlike many of Aphrodite's children, Piper never cared much about her natural beauty and had a tomboyish style. At one point, she helped her actor father research Greek mythology (for a role he was preparing for in a movie) and learned a lot she found interesting.
Her father also told her old Cherokee stories he'd heard from Grandpa Tom. From time to time, Piper and her father played a game called "Any Three Questions," where Piper could ask three questions of her choice, and he had to answer truthfully. Her main goal was to learn more about her mother, who had apparently abandoned her after she was born. However, Piper didn't uncover much about her mother. Later, she recalled how her father drove her to a meat processing plant in Chino when she was little. The smell was enough to turn her vegetarian. Since then, just thinking about cows made her feel ill. Piper broke her arm at six after falling off a horse.
Additionally, Piper always had the ability to use [Charmspeak], unknowingly using it to get her father's attention by "borrowing" things from vendors, which got her in trouble with the law when people reported her for theft. At one point, she convinced a car salesman to give her a BMW and drove it away from the lot. She only stole items to get her father's attention, believing he wasn't spending enough time with her. The salesman filed a theft complaint after Piper took the BMW and realized he'd been tricked. Her father's assistant, Jane, made a deal to send her to Wilderness School, a place for delinquent kids, instead of jail. There, she met Leo Valdez, and they formed a friendship; she even trusted him with the truth that her father was the movie star Tristan McLean, something she kept secret from most people.
She was also one of the older campers to arrive at camp, at sixteen, alongside Leo. Somehow, they escaped monster detection, unaware that Ikki had essentially manipulated this world's narrative to ensure all demigods had the luck to avoid monsters unless certain conditions were met, like learning of their demigod heritage. He could have eliminated all monsters from the world but thought this was better. Regardless, he ensured no demigod died at the hands of monsters after becoming a [True God].
Speaking of which, Ikki was the one who introduced Camp Half-Blood to both of them, back when it hadn't yet merged with Camp Jupiter, and one thing led to another.
Well, Piper ended up falling for him naturally. A new motto in his life was that he wouldn't alter anything that happened naturally, allowing some normalcy in his life as a [God]. So, he didn't do anything to change it. When you have the power to do anything, know everything, and be everywhere, everything loses its thrill, leaving only loneliness. He tried to live normally to fill that void.
But how exactly did this happen? The natural attraction was strange. Piper had always been skeptical about relationships. Her mother was Aphrodite, yes, but that only made her more wary of forged emotions. She never wanted to be shaped by a romance crafted by fate, prophecy, or divine intervention. She wasn't foolish. She didn't want a pretty lie.
But Ikki… he wasn't part of any of that.
The feeling that grew there was slow, like embers under snow. It started in late-night conversations at camp, after long training sessions, when they were too tired to pretend anything. He always had a sharp comeback ready, but Piper learned to see through the wall of sarcasm and coldness. There was pain there. There was truth.
And when she thought of someone who understood her, who saw her as more than the daughter of a beauty goddess, who didn't expect her to be perfect, it was Ikki's face that came to mind.
He didn't try to win her over. He never treated her as something fragile or a prize to be won. He was just there. And sometimes, that was more than anything Piper had ever received from anyone.
As for Annabeth? She was an old case of having a crush on him. Speaking of her, after Piper spoke, she adjusted her glasses and commented, "He's got a knack for it."
Ikki shrugged, the same old carefree charm, eyes hiding more than they revealed. "You two should stop complimenting me in front of my girlfriend. It'll start a fight with a goddess."
Everyone knew by now that he was dating Artemis, though there hadn't been an official wedding or anything like that. Everyone knew they were together (blame Percy for spilling the beans).
Piper let out a short laugh. "If she's handled being a huntress for millennia, she can handle a few compliments from us."
"Besides…" Annabeth said with a sly look, "we're just being polite. No ulterior motives, right?"
They locked eyes for a brief moment, and the silence spoke louder than words.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Gods… this is starting to feel like a reunion of exes with unresolved emotional tension. I'm going to grab a juice."
"Get one for me too," Jason said.
"You've got legs, walk…" she replied, already walking away.
Jason muttered something about "disrespect to younger brothers" and shoved his hands in his pockets, but the smile on his face didn't fool anyone. The truth was, he was genuinely happy to see everyone together again, and the atmosphere was starting to feel as cozy as an old blanket, the kind that still smells like childhood.
Then an explosion of laughter (and literal sparks) announced Leo Valdez's return. He'd been busy checking the sound system and preparing for the party later.
"Did I miss anything? Like romantic tension thick enough to cut with a celestial bronze sword?"
Annabeth huffed. "You're late. And yes, you missed it."
"Knew it!" Leo pointed at Thalia, who was returning with two juice glasses. "You bet Jason would cause the first awkward moment. I said it'd be Ikki. Pay me five drachmas."
Thalia just raised an eyebrow, as if saying, "Try taking it from me and lose a hand."
Jason, pretending to be offended, crossed his arms. "Hey! I'm being the responsible brother here."
"For now…" Leo murmured.
"Where's Hazel and Frank?" Thalia asked, tossing a juice glass to Jason with impressive precision.
"There," Leo said, nodding toward the path. Hazel Levesque was walking hand-in-hand with Frank Zhang. She was stunning, as always, her dark hair braided with Stygian gold ribbons and a blue dress that seemed to absorb light. Frank was in a classic black suit that miraculously wasn't drenched in sweat—a feat worthy of a Canadian demigod.
"Look at that, the most stable couple of our generation…" Leo said, pretending to wipe an imaginary tear.
Hazel smiled warmly. "Hi, Leo."
Frank just nodded, with his usual reserved demeanor, but his eyes shone seeing his friends.
The group was now complete, reunited, laughing, teasing each other, sharing the silent language of those who'd faced the world and survived.
Nico andBianca stood silently, arms crossed, eyes watchful. They weren't entirely at ease. Social gatherings weren't exactly the di Angelo family's strong suit.
Then a cold aura swept through the area, accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground. The flowers around wilted for a brief second, and the sky seemed darker, as if someone had dimmed the sun with a cosmic remote.
And there they were.
Hades, imposing and silent, dressed in a black suit that seemed sewn from shadows, his eyes as ancient as death itself. Beside him, Persephone, in a vibrant green dress made of living leaves and spring flowers. A perfect contrast, death and life side by side.
Nico took a deep breath, his heart beating faster. Bianca touched his shoulder lightly.
"Let's go," she said.
They walked toward their parents with determined steps. Persephone opened a sweet but powerful smile. Hades didn't smile—he rarely did—but there was a glint in his eyes few would notice. Nico did.
"Father…" Nico said with a respectful nod. "Persephone."
"Son…" Hades replied, his voice deep like a cathedral bell. "Bianca. You both look… alive."
"We're trying to keep that habit," Bianca replied, and for a second, Hades's expression softened.
"It's good to see you here…" Persephone said, her gaze resting fondly on Bianca, then Nico. "Today is a special day."
Nico didn't know exactly how to respond, so he just nodded. But inside, something settled. A piece of eternity felt less heavy with that encounter.
And somewhere behind them, Leo craned his neck to spy and whispered, "I bet ten drachmas Uncle Death steals the show at the next dance."
"Leo…" Annabeth said, exasperated.
"What? He's got presence."
Leo was still laughing at his own Uncle Death dance joke when a new stir began at the clearing's entrance. A group approached, elegant and imposing, with that "this-is-important" aura only magical Egyptians carried naturally.
Bast came first, strutting in a black and silver satin dress that moved like smoke around her feline frame. Her eyes gleamed as if she knew all the party's secrets—and, to be fair, she probably did.
"You guys really don't know how to keep it quiet…" Nico commented as he returned to the group after greeting his father with Bianca.
"And miss the chance to make a scene? Never…" Sadie Kane said, appearing shortly after in a wine-red dress that seemed woven from sunset and attitude. Beside her, Zia Rashid was pure elegance in a golden dress with sapphire blue details, enough to make any goddess jealous. They'd become beautiful adult women since last time.
"Are we late?" Zia asked, scanning the familiar faces until her golden eyes lingered on Ikki Phoenix for a second.
The temperature rose a good three degrees in that moment. Or maybe it was just Sadie and Zia staring at Ikki with that glint in their eyes that said, "You don't know it yet, but your fate is to be ours."
"Of course not…" Annabeth said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, subtly positioning herself between Zia and Ikki. "The party hasn't even started."
"Exactly," Piper added, her voice sweet but firm, as she leaned on Ikki's shoulder with the ease of someone with more history with him than the world needed to know. "We're just warming up."
Sadie stepped forward, her smile sharp. "Good to know. Because when we show up, that's when things really start."
Jason coughed discreetly, and Leo whispered to Frank, "Wanna bet how long until the first magical turf war over emotional territory?"
Frank just rolled his eyes. "Pass. I've got enough dealing with dragons, gods, and in-laws."
Bast, who had heard everything, of course, laughed with an elegant meow and patted Leo's head like consoling a naughty kitten. "The tension is delicious, don't you think?"
Ikki, meanwhile, forced a casual smile, but anyone who truly knew him would see he was tenser than Apollo's bow about to fire.
"Zia. Sadie." He nodded to each, maintaining the composure of a Spartan warrior… which didn't help with the sudden heat that filled the clearing.
"Hi to you too. How long's it been?" Sadie asked, crossing her arms. "Months? Years? A geological era? Because that's what it felt like."
"It's been… complicated," Ikki said, his eyes softening briefly. "I missed you guys."
Zia raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because from where we were, it looked like you were too busy being heroic and vanishing off the map."
"It's a natural talent," he said with a half-sarcastic smirk. "But I promise: it wasn't personal. Being a writer isn't easy, you know?"
"Oh, great," Sadie said, smiling like she was about to summon a storm of scarabs. "So it wasn't personal ignoring our messages or forgetting our transdimensional Egyptian bonding anniversary."
"That's not even a real thing—" Ikki started but stopped when he saw the look she was giving him. "Alright. It's a real thing now."
Annabeth cleared her throat beside him, visibly annoyed but still maintaining her unflappable strategist demeanor. Piper, on the other hand, looked ready to invoke Aphrodite's charm and turn this whole love triangle (or pentagon?) into a Broadway drama.
Leo stepped in before the tension sucked the oxygen out of the clearing.
"Guys, let's take it easy," he said, raising his hands. "The wedding hasn't even started. And we need to save energy to dance after Uncle Death steals the bouquet, okay?"
"Besides," Frank added, "Ikki was competing for best book of the year and won, remember? And he was saving the world as usual. You can't reply to magical messages when you're fighting a sphinx with a Zeus complex."
Sadie chuckled despite herself. Zia crossed her arms, but the corners of her mouth twitched with the urge to smile.
Meanwhile, an older man approached—Uncle Amos, wearing a dark purple suit with subtle glowing hieroglyphs under the fabric. He looked like someone who could negotiate world peace before dessert and still find time to defeat a demon army.
Amos greeted everyone with politeness and restrained charm, exchanging quick words with Chiron and Hades (whose handshake caused a brief frost on the ground).
"It's a pleasure to finally be here," Amos said, observing the clearing with experienced eyes. "I hope there's no magical explosion before the ceremony. Though, with those two…" he glanced at Zia and Sadie, "…you never know."
"You underestimate us, Uncle…" Sadie said. "If we were going to blow something up, it would've happened already."
"True," Walt muttered. "Probably before we got out of the car."
Zia smiled but didn't take her eyes off Ikki, who was now clearly aware of the attention he was getting—though, as always, he pretended not to notice.
"Well, I'm gonna go greet the others, guys. See you later…" Ikki said, trying to escape the romantic tension epicenter forming around him. Piper shot him a sidelong glance, and Annabeth straightened as if memorizing battle moves. Sadie and Zia exchanged a conspiratorial smirk.
The cold war was just beginning.
Ikki, for his part, walked calmly, with the confidence that comes from facing monsters, gods, vengeful exes, and 7 a.m. math classes. He was met with an explosion of laughter when the Stoll brothers practically grabbed him by the arms.
"Ikki!" Travis shouted while Connor already rummaged through the guy's pockets as if searching for smoke bombs or smuggled cookies.
"I swear it wasn't us who swapped the cake for a whipped cream sphinx," Connor said, raising his hands.
"This time," Travis added.
"Sure," Ikki said with that discreet smirk that made girls sigh and demigods go on alert. "But if the cake explodes with snake confetti, I know where to knock first."
They laughed, and Katie Gardner appeared soon after, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with the composure of someone clearly trying not to blush. She gave Ikki a quick hug and commented:
"If the wedding doesn't start soon, we'll end up planting a golden apple orchard just to distract from the hormonal tension."
Clarisse La Rue appeared out of nowhere, like a wall of muscle and pride, wearing a dark wine-red dress that made it clear she knew she looked good—though she was visibly uncomfortable with the idea of looking feminine. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and her arms were crossed as if she was about to punch someone for complimenting her look.
She gave Ikki a light punch (by Ares's standards) on the shoulder. "You're almost tolerable today, Phoenix."
Ikki raised an eyebrow. "Was that a compliment?"
Clarisse blushed so subtly only an Athena kid would notice. "Don't get cocky."
But before the tension could escalate, Drew Tanaka entered the conversation with a smile that said, "I'm used to getting what I want."
"Phoenix…" she said, gliding toward him in a dress that probably broke camp rules just by existing. "You don't have a date for after the ceremony yet, do you?"
Ikki sighed, stepping back half a pace with a polite but practical smile. "Actually, Drew, I'm more interested in surviving until the end of the day. With minimal drama."
"Pity…" she replied, turning with an exaggerated sway, though the glint in her eyes betrayed that the rejection only made her more curious.
After chatting a bit with his friends, he greeted several other demigods before it was Chiron's turn. The centaur observed everything with the expression only a millennia-old centaur could muster: a mix of nostalgia, pride, and paternal exhaustion. Beside him, Dionysus finished a glass of Diet Coke as if it were divine wine, which, technically, it was.
"Ikki…" Chiron said, smiling kindly. "Good to see you still have the stamina to face crowds."
"Crowds make me more nervous than a starving Chimera," Ikki replied casually.
"Ah, youngsters," Dionysus muttered, rolling his eyes. "Always so dramatic with these human affairs. Weddings, passions, emotional explosions… Why don't you just play a round of Mythic Solitaire and forget about it?"
The woman beside him—brunette, beautiful, in a green dress with leaf details—gave him a light tap on the arm. His wife smiled as if she knew far more than she let on.
"He won't admit it, but he's loving all this," she said. "Including the drama."
"Of course not," Dionysus said, but his expression betrayed the truth.
Ikki smiled lightly and chatted with them a bit before heading toward the other arriving guests, deftly dodging conversations, glances, and the inevitable romantic tension that hung in the air like an expensive, cloying perfume.
Hermes was the first to intercept him, appearing beside a tray of juices with the casualness of someone who could steal Olympus itself and get away with it.
"If it isn't my favorite demigod," Hermes said, flashing a roguish grin and winking. "Still mocking death and gravity, Ikki?"
"Old habits," Ikki replied, extending his hand.
Hermes shook it but pulled that cheesy trick of leaving a shiny gold coin in Ikki's palm. Ikki just rolled his eyes and flicked the coin back with two fingers.
"Nice try."
"Worth a shot," Hermes shrugged, looking pleased just for trying.
"Brother-in-law!"
The voice, now louder and brimming with warmth, came with a glow that would make the sun jealous. Apollo appeared among the guests, wearing a white and gold suit that seemed woven from condensed sunlight. He had a sunflower pinned to his lapel, naturally.
Ikki opened his arms in a carefree gesture. "You're shining brighter than the altar, Apollo."
"You know I can't help it." Apollo laughed and pulled him into a brotherly hug. "Is the huntress goddess busy, or are you dodging my sister again?"
"I don't dodge. I strategically retreat."
"Like a good general would. Fair." Apollo let him go but stayed by his side. "You gonna sing something later? Please say yes. The instruments already know your frequency. Literally."
"I'd rather keep the glassware intact," Ikki winked. "But I might dance if you play something decent."
"Deal!" Apollo slapped his shoulder. "Oh, and don't forget I owe you that favor in Delos. Whenever you want, just whistle."
"Noted."
After Apollo went after a passing nymph, Ares came next, holding a glass of peach juice like it was beer and sporting his standard scowl. He wore a black dress shirt he clearly hated and a blazer that seemed to beg to burst at his broad shoulders. But upon seeing Ikki, he broke into a smile few had the privilege—or courage—to witness.
"Ikki…" Ares said, thumping his fist against his chest in greeting. "Finally, a decent man on this beach of flowers."
"Say that now, but I bet you cry at the end of the ceremony," Ikki teased.
"I'll punch you so hard you'll become a constellation," Ares shot back, but the laugh came right after.
Ikki just waved, his expression relaxed as if he were trading jokes in a diner line, not among immortal gods. He took a deep breath, and his eyes drifted to the other side of the beach, where Hades and Persephone had just arrived.
While everyone seemed to keep a polite distance, as if Death were contagious, Ikki walked toward them without hesitation, hands in his pockets and the same calm stride of someone used to chatting with entities that could snuff out a soul like blowing out a candle.
Hades, impeccably dressed in a dark gray suit that seemed to absorb light, was the first to notice him. And to no one's surprise, he gave a half-smile, one that would make a ghost recoil but to Ikki was a sign of approval.
"Nephew," Hades greeted with a nod. "Survived the war of women over you, then?"
"For now," Ikki replied, with the same respect he used with Chiron, though less formal. "Good to see you, Uncle."
"Likewise," Hades murmured, his eyes glinting with something that might be pride.
Persephone stood beside him, in a dark green dress that highlighted her pale skin and wavy brown hair. She smiled in a way that could make an entire winter bloom. Her eyes lingered on Ikki a bit longer than socially appropriate, and only those who knew her well would notice the slight flush on her cheeks.
"Ikki," she said, her voice sweet as nectar. "I was disappointed you didn't come greet me earlier."
Ikki gave a lopsided smirk, leaning slightly.
"Didn't want to monopolize your attention before the wedding started. I've seen what happens when someone steals the spotlight from a goddess."
She let out a soft laugh, one that made the air around feel warmer.
"You know I wouldn't mind."
Hades watched the exchange with a slight arch of his brow, but his tone was nonchalant.
"If you weren't my near-invincible nephew, I'd be jealous," he said, raising his glass of black wine as if toasting.
Ikki gave a light nod of thanks, his look saying, "Appreciate you not making this awkward."
"I'll try not to steal the show. But if Percy faints, I'm not promising anything."
Persephone laughed again, and Hades raised his glass.
"That's the spirit."
Ikki bid them farewell with a light gesture and returned to the sand toward the rest of the guests.