The air was completely still.
Even though Abaddon's newest baby girl had just been born, he was already contemplating the very real possibility that he was going to die before she learned to drive.
"Why does she sound like that?" Valerie raised a brow.
"N-No idea-" Abaddon began.
"Our husband thought that it wold be a good idea to let Nyx's son fight Satan." Erica snitched.
"WHAT!?"
"I didn't think it was a good idea! He wanted to do it on his own!" Abaddon clarified.
Another series of bangs rocked the bedroom door and the family decided that it was better to open it on their own before the Night Goddess just knocked it down.
When Abaddon opened the door, he found Nyx standing all by her lonesome in a dark hallway.
The hallway shouldn't have been dark, she was just sucking in every particle of light around her like a beautiful black hole of rage.
"Do you care to tell me why I can feel my only adoptive son in the entire multiverse using the power that links him to me?"
Abaddon sighed. "...One of Satan's drunken tirades gone too far. You know how he is when he sees warriors with noteworthy weapons."
Nyx's face went from suppressed madness to blatant incredulity.
"...You let my son fight that madman all by himself...? What were you thinking!? You are supposed to be my friend, Abaddon! I'm supposed to be able to trust you with my children!"
Abaddon narrowed his eyes.
"That's not fair, you know they will always be safe with me. But Malachi is not a child by mortal standings. He made a clear, thoughtful choice under his own power. It wasn't my place to tell him to stop."
Nyx scoffed and folded her arms. "Oh, please. I don't want to hear that from the most overprotective father I've ever known."
Abaddon placed his hand on her shoulder and forced her to unfurl her arms.
"That is exactly why you should take it from me.
I've spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to prevent my children from growing up and they all did it anyway as soon as I wasn't looking.
Being overprotective didn't keep them safer, it just made them feel like they had to hide things from me.
And I am urging you not to make my same mistakes now."
Nyx barely seemed like she was going to listen to him, until she heard an unfamiliar fussy noise in the room.
She finally looked past Abaddon towards the bed; where Lillian held a brand-spanking new baby in her arms.
Nyx faltered; clearly taken by surprise. "...I... When was she born?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago. You're her first visitor." Abaddon smiled.
Nyx shuffled back and forth a bit before staring up at Abaddon awkwardly. "Well... Can I see her?"
"That depends. Are you still going to try to hit me?"
"If you tell me that I can't see her."
"Then please, come inside and say hello." Abaddon held out his arm like he was welcoming Nyx down a red carpet.
She tried not to smile. She was mad at him right now, so she couldn't let him know that he was even the faintest bit amusing.
There was still a very real chance that she would try to rip his handsome head off before the day ended.
Nyx gradually closed the distance between the door and the newborn.
The baby was bundled up in a soft white blanket as she slept peacefully.
She had mocha colored skin, with a small bit of dark orange colored hair atop her head.
Audrina smiled softly at everyone's apparent fears.
"I doubt she will suffer any adverse health effects, but who knows how her shadow will react to her emotional stress as she gets older. We'll have to keep an eye on both of them and see how they grow."
Needless to say, everyone seemed the tiniest bit worried.
Since Odessa was human, there was a large chance that she, like Courtney, would want to go to school on earth one day- just to be around her peers.
What if she had her heart broken by some snot-nosed kid and as a result her shadow destroyed a whole town in a rampage?
The group didn't know if they could put everything back before Yesh realized and freaked.
It was easy to tell that everyone's minds had sort of gone to the same negative place judging by the sudden somber mood.
"Honestly, I'm surprised by all of you." Audrina chided.
"We've just welcomed the birth of another very beautiful daughter together. She is healthy, she is strong, and most importantly, she is resting
quietly
."
It was then that everyone remembered Odessa was a
human
newborn. They could say goodbye to full nights of sleep for the foreseeable future.
Bekka was especially heartbroken by that not-so-gentle reminder.
"We should be appreciative of that instead of worrying about futures that aren't even certain. So for now, will you please come get into bed and get to know our new daughter better?"
Audrina found a space next to Lillian, and she patted the bed like she was gesturing for everyone else to do the same.
"Ah, not you." Sif stopped Nyx from pulling off her dress an getting into bed.
"But WHYYY!?"
"Because we need this family time, just us." Lailah smirked. "Besides, don't you have something important that you are supposed to be doing?"
Nyx didn't know what she was talking about.
She just assumed she was using it as an excuse to keep her from seducing everyone here with her body.
But at that moment, a horrifically loud and familiar roar came from far away in the distance outside.
It shook the walls of the room, and just like that Nyx remembered exactly why she had come here.
"...I'll be back." She said grimly.
Once she vanished, Abaddon breathed out a sigh of relief.
'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!'
Everyone sort of jolted and looked at little Odessa, who had been unjustly awkened by a distant roar.
Her red eyes were full of tears as she voiced her displeasure.
Only she didn't
voice
it.
Her mouth wasn't moving. She wasn't actually making any sound.
The group glanced towards her shadow on the bed, where the small dragon could be seen wailing with it's entire chest.
And they could all hear it inside of their minds.