Mother
Percy and Harry returned home in the least expected way possible.
And right now both of them were sitting together on the living room couch completely straight.
With their legs pressed together and their arms resting on top of them.
Like obedient children while Mor continued scolding them.
And every now and then she only paused long enough to wet her mouth before continuing the lecture.
Normally this alone would already be painful enough for them and made them feel pretty terrible.
But with Sally also standing there beside them, silently staring at them without saying a single word while Mor continued scolding them…
It only made everything worse.
While the two of them felt even guiltier, afraid their mother might never speak to them again, causing them to lower their heads even more.
"…How dare you travel halfway across the country surrounded by monsters just because a bunch of idiot gods can't recover their own toys themselves? If the neighbor lost her cat, would you two travel across all of Europe to find it?" Mor continued raging completely furious at them.
Percy slightly opened his mouth and muttered:
"Well… depends wha…"
"Don't answer!" Aunt Mor quickly cut him off, stopping whatever stupidity was about to come out of his mouth.
Causing Percy to quickly press his lips shut.
"I thought after your year at Hogwarts you would've learned something and at least tried to enjoy normal life for a few days, and instead you end up accepting quests just so two oversized whining children don't start fighting, putting yourselves in danger," she said while staring directly at them. "Do we need to hire a babysitter twenty-four hours a day to watch you and stop you from getting yourselves killed? Is that what you want? Maybe we should hire Amy again," she said while looking at them seriously as if she truly intended to do it.
"Well, she started university so…," this time it was Harry.
But one hard look from Mor also made him shut his mouth.
"Fine, whatever. You're not going back to that camp again," Mor said, already sounding exhausted.
That immediately made both Harry and Percy lift their heads, trying to say something.
But before they could, Sally finally interrupted while letting out a small tired sigh.
"It's alright, Morgana. Calm down. There's no need to go that far," she told her gently while stepping forward.
And from Mor's face, it didn't seem like she had truly meant that threat seriously.
She had only been trying to scare them a little.
Though it was strange, because supposedly they were only meant to attend the camp this year.
But it seemed something had changed.
Sally walked closer to them both.
She looked at them softly and, without saying a single word, simply pulled both of them into a hug.
Making both boys open their eyes in surprise for a moment.
"I'm so glad both of you are alright. I was really scared something had happened to you. You have no idea how much I prayed to Percy's father and Harry's grandmother to protect you," she said while her voice sounded on the verge of breaking down into tears.
Both of them, as if they simply couldn't hold it in anymore, finally felt all the fear, anxiety, and pressure they had accumulated throughout the adventure, together with every emotion they had ignored until now, finally explode all at once.
Causing both of them to show completely vulnerable expressions.
And suddenly, unable to stop themselves, both boys let out helpless cries while tears soaked their faces and they clung tightly to their mother.
"Waaaaah!" both of them cried like little children completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
Even the guilt of worrying their mother and indirectly dragging her into all of this ended up bursting out together with everything else.
While Sally hugged them even tighter, feeling just how much they had suffered during those days.
And also the helplessness of not having been there to protect them when they needed her most.
Mor watched the mother and sons crying together and couldn't stop herself from letting out a small sigh, letting go of the fear she'd been carrying these past few days over both of their safety.
Even if she had been scolding them just moments ago, it was because of all the fear and concern she had felt for them these past days.
More than anyone, she understood the pain of losing a child.
And never being able to see the other one again no matter how much time passed.
…
Several minutes passed before Percy and Harry finally calmed down.
And now both of them had red eyes and flushed cheeks from the embarrassment of crying like that as if they were little kids.
Even though they were about to turn twelve years old soon.
"I'm truly happy both of you are alright," Sally told them while also wiping away her tears.
But almost immediately, her expression turned serious.
"Even so, both of you are going to be grounded for a very long time," she added.
Both Percy and Harry had expected that.
So neither of them even complained.
They simply lowered their heads and said in unison:
"We're sorry."
Sally let out another sigh while looking at both of them with their heads lowered.
Because they truly regretted it.
But she also wasn't going to scold them as harshly as Mor.
Because she couldn't help feeling at least a little proud of them.
For stopping a possible war and preventing what could've become millions of deaths.
"And how did you get here? I thought the others were busy and were going to bring you back in a few days so you could enjoy some extra time at Camp Half Blood," Sally asked them.
"Oh, well yeah. When we went to the Underworld to return the Helm of Darkness to Uncle Hades…" Percy stopped and glanced at Mor for a moment, waiting to see if she would scold him for this part too.
Though Mor listened to this part far more calmly than everything else.
As if entering the Underworld hadn't actually been what worried her the most.
But before Percy could finish telling the story, suddenly he remembered something.
"Wait… the helm," he said while turning toward Harry.
Harry also widened his eyes after hearing his brother's words, remembering the exact same thing.
And both of them stared at each other silently.
Then they looked toward the fireplace.
…
Dred stood in the middle of the island with his gaze fixed on the sky.
Feeling the wind blowing around him and the sunlight shining over him, softly warming his skin.
His eyes were closed, and even both arms were spread open while he received the light over his body.
It had been so many years since he last felt the true warmth of the sun against his skin.
So many years since he last felt real wind moving around his body.
So long since he last heard the sound of birds flying freely across the sky during their seasonal journeys.
Some of them, noticing the peace of the island, had even begun descending toward the nearby trees to build nests while their soft songs filled the surroundings.
The smell of the sea.
The real sea.
Not the false illusion that had once surrounded him.
The smell of freedom.
After spending centuries trapped inside a prison that felt alive, a cage created solely to remind him that he would never again truly feel the wind, the warmth, or the sea…
He couldn't help feeling that all of it had now become absurdly beautiful.
So beautiful that even a tear slowly escaped from the corner of his eyes.
He heard footsteps approaching behind him, causing him to slowly open his eyes and turn around.
To see Harry and Percy standing there.
While behind both of them stood two women.
One whom Dred had never formally met, but could connect to every story and complaint the boys had ever told.
And the other…
Someone he could never forget for as long as he lived.
The person who gave him life.
The person who gave him everything.
"Mother…" Dred said, his voice trembling with emotion.
While Mor looked at him, now it was her turn to have a face covered in tears after finally seeing her son again after so many years apart.
Both aware of each other's existence, yet never able to approach one another after all this time.
Dred dropped to his knees the instant he saw her and lowered his head.
Like a knight before his queen.
"Mother. Queen. I… I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect your kingdom… Even Lancelot… my brother… he… died like a hero but I…" Dred's voice trembled while lowering his head further and further.
While images of Avalon being destroyed passed through his mind.
His brother being killed by the Knights of the Round Table.
And even himself being unable to stop his own father from the massacre he caused.
"I failed you, Mother," Dred said.
But before he could continue, Mor was already standing in front of him.
"Raise your head, Sir Mordred Pend… Sir Mordred le Fay," Mor said, stopping herself from saying the surname of that bastard.
And instead using the surname Mordred had carried during his childhood.
Mordred slowly raised his head until his eyes met his mother's.
Who was smiling softly at him while tears continued falling.
"You did well, my son. During all these years… you did very well. Thank you for surviving at least. I'm proud of you," she told him directly.
Mordred looked at his mother and his face, normally always calm in front of Harry and Percy, cracked for a moment while he tried with all his strength to hold back the urge to cry.
But that was impossible.
Meanwhile Harry, Percy, and Sally, who were standing not too far away, watched everything silently.
But Percy couldn't help adding:
"Well… at least this doesn't make us look quite as bad for crying earlier," he said.
While Harry gave him a flat look for a moment.
But deep down, he couldn't help feeling the exact same thing as his brother.