The Most Unexpected Wake-Up Call

I yawned, rubbing my eyes.

"Mom… I think I need to sleep."

The weight of everything that had happened finally caught up to me. The whole "claiming my birthright as heir to the Underworld" thing? Exhausting.

Persephone smiled gently, brushing a hand through my hair. "Of course, my love. You've been through a lot."

I sighed. "Yeah… I don't think I've ever been this tired before. Can you send me back? Back to the surface?"

Her smile faltered for a second. Just a second. But I caught it.

"You want to leave so soon?" she asked softly.

I hesitated.

It wasn't that I wanted to leave. But I had a life up there, no matter how ridiculous it was.

"…I have to," I said. "I'll visit. I promise."

She studied me for a long moment. Then, she let out a small sigh and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I'll hold you to that," she murmured.

I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of her arms. The feeling of not being alone.

Then, an idea struck me.

I pulled back, dropping to my knees dramatically, placing a hand over my heart like a knight about to swear an oath.

"Mother," I declared, "before you send me back, I have but one final request."

She raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

I reached out, grabbing her hands. "Let me sleep on your lap a little longer."

She blinked.

I doubled down. "Please, Mother, I must—no, I need to experience the warmth of a mother's embrace just once in my life before returning to the cruel, motherless world above."

Persephone covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Kael—"

"I must know the comfort of a soft pillow," I continued, voice filled with tragedy. "Just one moment. One precious moment, Mother. Please."

She rolled her eyes but gave in, sitting back on her throne and patting her lap.

Victory.

I flopped down, curling up with a satisfied sigh.

And let me tell you—best pillow ever.

Soft. Cozy. Warm. Like sinking into a cloud. Like every bad moment in my life had been erased for a little while.

I nuzzled into her lap, sighing. "This is the best."

Persephone chuckled, running her fingers through my hair. "You are so dramatic."

"Mmmhmm," I mumbled, already half-asleep.

I drifted, the world fading around me.

Somewhere in my dream, I hugged my mother tighter.

Her arms were warm. Strong. Protective.

And… muscular?

Wait.

Why were her arms so muscular?

A deep, gravelly voice rumbled through the dream.

"My what now?"

I hummed in response, still half-asleep. "Mother, your arms are so strong… so manly…"

A pause.

"Excuse me?"

That voice did not belong to Persephone.

Wait a second—

Why did my mother sound like a dude?

Something was wrong.

I tried to shift, but my head was resting on something firm. Definitely not my mother's lap. More like…

A very solid, very muscular chest.

A very manly chest.

A chest that definitely did not belong to my mother.

My eyes flew open.

And I found myself cuddling with Orion Aetos.

I blinked.

He blinked.

The world paused.

I processed what was happening.

I was in his bed.

Curled up against him.

My hand was on his chest.

I slowly turned my head and stared into his very unamused golden eyes.

He stared back.

Neither of us moved.

Then, Orion's voice, low and full of restrained rage:

"Get. Off."

My sleep-addled brain refused to function. Instead, I let out the dumbest possible response.

"No… five more minutes," I mumbled, nuzzling back into his chest. "Just a little more cuddling."

A muscle in his jaw twitched.

Then—BOOM.

The door BURST OPEN.

The Olympian Heirs stormed in, weapons drawn.

"THE PRINCE IS UNDER ATTACK!" Damon Reyes, heir of Ares, roared, already swinging his sword.

Elias Vex, heir of Poseidon, raised his spear. "Orion, we're here to save y—"

They stopped.

They stared.

At Orion.

At me.

Still tangled together.

Still in the same bed.

An ungodly silence filled the room.

Selene Ithaca, heir of Athena, stood frozen, mouth slightly open. Her brain had officially shut down.

Aria Voss, heir of Artemis, covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

Jasper Reed, heir of Dionysus, just grinned. "Oh, this is priceless."

Lucas Marlowe, heir of Demeter, smirked. "Didn't think you were the cuddly type, Orion."

Lila Sterling, heir of Aphrodite, outright cackled.

Selene collapsed to the floor, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

I blinked up at them, completely deadpan.

"Oh," I said. "Are we having a sleepover? Awesome. Come join us."

Orion looked like he wanted to die on the spot.

Damon finally managed to choke out, "So… what's the occasion? Anniversary? First date?"

Elias nodded. "Yeah, Orion, didn't take you for the clingy type."

I grinned, stretching out on the bed. "You thought you didn't wanna be my roommate. What happened now, huh?"

Orion threw me off the bed.

I hit the floor with a thud.

Selene screamed from laughing too hard.

Damon wiped a tear from his eye. "Man, I love this."

I groaned, sitting up. "Rude."

Orion, seething, ran a hand through his already-messy hair. "Someone. Get. Him. Out."

I gasped. "Orion! You're hurting my feelings! After all we've been through?"

Lila smirked. "So… you two a thing now?"

I grinned. "Not yet. But I have hope."

Orion slammed his head into the nearest wall.

Lucas wiped his eyes, still breathless. "I— I have so many questions."

Aria wiped a tear from her eye. "You guys are my new favorite people."

I turned to the others. "You guys wanna get breakfast?"

Elias threw an arm around me. "Absolutely."

Damon nodded. "I need to hear every detail."

Lila smirked. "I'll make pancakes."

And just like that, I walked out of Orion's room, leaving behind a fuming, traumatized heir of Zeus.

Orion let out a strangled noise that might have been a scream.

And then, chaos erupted.