Eat, Play, Laugh!

Surprisingly, after the prophecy episode, there was no significant change to Lycée's life. It was true that it had made her realize the importance of her future. She was going to become a key figure whether she wanted to or not, as most demigods did.

It was not entirely unexpected but hearing the words coming out of someone else's mouth – and having them directly delivered from the Fates themselves, had certainly made it more daunting. The entire prospect had intimidated her at first.

After all, right now, Lycée did not feel like she would ever have a big enough impact on people that would go as far as drastically changing their lives. The brunette was merely seven years old and as much as she pretended to be a hero, she was not one.

In the end, as expected of her character, Lycée did not linger on the matter for long. The present was for the living and questions like 'what ifs' or 'when I will' did not belong there – at least, not according to the seven years old. What did it matter what she was going to do tomorrow when today had yet to end?

Most people, starting with her family, would definitely find faults with her way of thinking. Lycée was aware she liked taking things as they come, not worrying about the repercussions of her every actions. She lived in the now and was neither scared nor worried about tomorrow, and that, despite having received a rather ominous prophecy.

Speaking of the present, Lycée was currently preparing the food stores for the winter, mainly by making pickles. It was something her father would usually do by himself every year but Lycée had asked to join him in organizing the food stores last year.

This was her first time doing it by herself but she was confident she would do a good job, albeit a much slower one. If her father was here, Lycée knew he would take half the time do as much as she.

However, since Endymion had needed to go down the valley to talk to the farmers, he had let Lycée in charge of the food stores and Lucien to take care of the sheep.

For some unknown reason, Lucien despised helping out with the food stores. Last year, the seven-year-old boy had followed his twin sister's example and tried his hand at preparing food but he'd made a mess of things. It had been completely unexpected since out of the twins, Lycée was evidently the more rambunctious one. If someone was likely not to be able to sit still, it would have been the sister.

The olive-skinned girl couldn't say she minded though. Working on her own could be fun, sometimes. It was a change of pace for sure as Lycée and Lucien tended to stick to each other both physically and liking-wise. This was the first time Lucien had shown a strong dislike for something and Lycée was glad.

The brunette knew they would have to part ways at some point, and not just because of the prophecy. They simply had different aspirations in life. Lycée was born with wanderlust and adventure in her blood. She sought thrill and was infinitely curious about the littlest things.

Lucien, on the other hand, was the opposite. While it wasn't certain he would become a shepherd like their father – it most likely would not happen anyway what with the godly blood running through his veins, Lucien was more grounded. He did not feel this pull to go out there and explore the world.

It was good for her twin to start coming out of his shell and become his own person away from her. Lycée was not a crutch he would always be able to fall back on.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Lycée was able to make good progress and by the time her father and brother came home, she was nearly done with it. Endymion naturally joined his daughter, leaving Lucien standing awkwardly by the door. In the end, the twin boy sighed and decided to reluctantly partake in the family bonding activity.

"The two of you are really odd. Who even likes getting stuff all over their hands?" Lucien mumbled, under his breath.

However, as the family of three was sitting close together, both his sister and father heard him. Endymion laughed.

"You must be the cleanest boy in the world, Lucien. Other kids your age would think you are the strange one. Wrestling and playing in the mud are like a coming of age ceremony. I did it too when I was younger."

Lucien's face twisted in disgust as if the mere thought of it was giving him a second-hand feeling. He did not appreciate it. His twin sister on the other hand seemed to enjoy his discomfort.

"Dad, do you remember this one time Lucci and I were playing near the pond? Do you remember his face when I pushed him and he landed on the banks? It was hilarious!"

In fact, just remembering it now made a smile bloom on Lycée's face. Lucien had looked like a feisty wet cat. It was the only time the twins had gotten into a physical fight too. Although it was Lycée's fault, funnily enough, she ended up winning their wrestling battle. Lucien was the angrier for it and he gave his twin the silent treatment for a week.

Endymion laughed at the memory. The rest of the winter food stores preparation went smoothly, with merry banter lasting the entire process. Thankfully, Lucien did not sulk long, being used to his sister's teasing. He was not passive either, dishing back as much as he got and to be honest – there was much more to poke fun at Lycée than there was for him, an unavoidable downside to being a bold and curious person.

After wrapping up with their preparation, it was time for what the twins loved doing the most with their father – storytime. Endymion was a naturally talented orator and he had no difficulty enrapturing his children's attention. Maybe it was even more accurate to say he'd become this skilled because of Lycée and Lucien's short attention span.

Either way, storytime began. Today, Endymion was recounting the story of Pygmalion and Galatea. Pygmalion was a sculptor, as well as a devout follower of the goddess of love, Aphrodite. In a land where the goddess was not particularly worshipped, Pygmalion was a bit of an odd bird. The goddess, however, decided to grant him a wish and thus, Galatea – the statue Pygmalion had created with his own hands and with whom he had fallen in love – was breathed to life.

This was Endymion's favourite tale as far as love story went, for it was sweet and spared by conflict. Unfortunately, love rarely ever was. He had experienced it himself, not to forget love and war, were opposites sides of the same coin.

The now experienced father ended storytime by teaching the twins how to read and write parts of the story. It was certainly a challenging endeavour but Endymion had somehow managed to teach Lycée and Lucien the basics, despite them not being the best pupils. They were certainly bright enough, Lucien more so than his sister but neither had the patience.

Finally done with today's task, Endymion tucked the twins into bed. As part of their daily ritual, he kissed both of them on the forehead goodnight and he was about to leave when he heard Lycée sleepily call out to him.

"Dad, I love you." It was echoed back by Lucien, although his words were muffled by the blanket.

Before he knew it, Endymion had started tearing up.

"I love you too, Lycée, Lucien."