Page 88 of Reaper

“Let’s not make a big deal out of this, Nico. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

He looks at Athena with a hurt expression.

“Can she not hold him?”

She laughs softly. “It’s not me she’s concerned about.”

He looks at his brother. “Bones?”

Bones nods. “Go ahead. Hold your nephew.”

I gasp, and as Nico places Atlas into my arms, my entire world shifts, because I feel something I’ve never felt before.Acceptance. By my family. We aren’t all born into families that love us, and accept us for the weird people we are. Maybe we don’t need to be, if we find the ones that take us with all our flaws.

Looking down at baby Atlas sleeping in my arms, I feel a sense of peace, of belonging, and somehow I know, I’m finally home.