All of Me. (Wifey/Nattie.)

Commander Theocritus Locke, Ironhand, The Wild Wolf.   He had quite the reputation, being the Second Commander to follow their deceased one, and being a known figure even back then.  He had accomplishments that he rarely spoke of, like defeating an entire horde of Scythian Dracanae, Cyclopes, and even besting a Sea Serpent, and a Drakon, bringing their heads back to Camp Jupiter. Perhaps however, his greatest accomplishment...was meeting a certain Natalia Lynn

Of course; if you only knew the Commander by his name, you'd not know why. See; being in Concordia had it's perks.  Theo actually found Concordia to be homey, and accommodating. Of course; when they first landed with these steamer ships,  Concordia was a mystical island, much like Ogygia, only instead of a hot witch chick, there were monsters,  lots and lots of them. And even when they made their foot holds, monsters are still present on the Deeper parts of the Island, and the occasional horde tries to puncture through their borders. Maybe it was his war-blood, but he actually found these challenges and monsters to be obstacles that strengthens their resolve, and sure; Concordia, at times, was a hard place. But hard places breed hard people. And hard people rule the world.  Or at least; this island. And one of the perks as well; was that you had so much opportunity. For occupations, for wealth, and even for some, second chances at love.


Evidently, by how he met his wife there.  Funny, that a little more than some years ago; Theo was the First Centurion, the finest warrior in Camp Jupiter. He had women crawling for him. But none really met his fancy. And their defeat at the hands of those damn Demititans and Egyptians only pushed him further to depression, that he never really thought about his love life, much less what he has now. Perhaps however, that his love's mother never left them. The way they met was very memorable. He was the guest in the Kindergarten's class, and he was playing with the kids, him being the Big Bad Wolf, and chasing the kids around. He was buried underneath the kids, when he popped out after a kid approached their teacher.. It was the beautiful start, really. After a mere year, they tied the knot. The marriage wasn't spectacular, what he loved was their life, though.


See, a year of getting to know each other didn't cut it in the mortal worlds. However; Demigod Romances were very different,.A theory he had was that Demigods  loved rarely; but when they do, it's forever, if not long lasting.  That was what happened with them. Their...marriage never really left the Honeymoon Period.  Four years into their marriage, and they rarely fought. And the times they did; he'd rather not look back. It ended up with his own Garrison came to their house, after a report on an assassination attempt. Thankfully, they made up almost immediately, after he made sure she'd see the Mr. Lincoln flower underneath her pillow.


Now; freshly out of tons and tons of paperwork from the Garrison's Offices, regarding boring ledgers and charts about the military spending, He's thankful that he's nearing home. Pulled by the sleek black chariot, pulled by two mechanical horses, made of screws and steam.  The moment he pulled the whip on the mechanical horses, they made a whinnying sound, before the steam disappeared, and the chariot hummed low, and the engine finally stopped. He stepped out of the chariot, running a hand through his curly hair, and wiping his  sleek, white suit.  Taking his sunglasses off, and hooking it near his collar.  His eyes came and took in the sight. The Colonial Revival-styled house. A mix of modern and classical. At the age of twenty three, the son of war  found home.


He made sure to keep his stealth in his steps, dropping the attache case of paperwork around the open windows. Slowly sneaking pass the wall, he made sure to be unheard,  Theo stepping near the gardens, where flowers of different colors pass their tiny walk way, right near the  swing, hanging by the two, leafless trees. Once he saw here, laying there, as beautiful as always, he jumped.  Pouncing through the air, down the wide swing. It held them, thankfully. And so there he was, right besides her, surprising her with a kiss on the lips. "BOO!" He started, and his hands went into his pockets, taking out a small, rectangular box, with a pink ribbon wrapped around. He placed it right on her forehead. "Happy one thousand, eight hundred, and twenty eight day of marriage, Nattie!" He stated, and pecked her on her forehead. 

There was something about the way the sun was filtering through the trees, the way the wind sang as it blew her long dark hair in wavy curtains around her face, that drew Natalia outside. She laying out, letting the swing sway her back and forth as she listen to a wind chime shimmer in sound from her neighbors house. What a peaceful day. Natalia closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar smell of flowers that brought her back to the day that Theo surprised her with their new home.

For the first few months after they were married, Theo had moved out of the Barracks inside the Garrison and into Natalia's small studio apartment. Needless to say, it was cramped. Of course, she didn't mind too terribly much, except for the constant desire to have more space so that, one day, she might have kids. She made sure to subtly drop hints every now and then but it didn't seem like it was helping at all.

Then one day, Theo blind folded her and spoke to her s a distraction until finally she had walked into the most aromatic place she'd ever been. Flowers and the sound of running water. That is all Natalia could pick up. Honestly, she would have been perfectly happy if he had just filled up their small hole in the wall with roses and told her he loved her, but this was so much more. When the blindfold came off, Natalia couldn't hold back the tears that spilled down her cheeks.

Suddenly she was shaken from the memory by someone jumping her and yelling. Natalia squeaked and, upon feeling his lips on hers, calmed down. She giggled and shook her head, "What would your soldier say if they knew you counted the number of days we've been married?" She teased, taking the box into her hands and shaking it next to her ear curiously, "But seriously, Theo, you didn't have to get me a gift!"

The way she smiled, the way she squealed, the way she felt huddled up against him.  It all reminded him that not all his choices were bad. Out of everything that he did; she was the star above all else. Call him delusional, but their relationship, as he thinks of it, is a healthy blend between young, innocent puppy love, and mature, dedicated love.


Evident now, by how the woman he called his wife was giggling the way she always did, when he did something goofy, or when he tried to be all serious with her but failed.  Her question made him smile like a goof ball, his lips curling from ear to ear, his teeth nearly showing, and the dimples by his cheeks seen. "Well; they won't say anything, but I bet you they'd understand why I'm great at keeping timetables and charts." He stuck his tongue out, ruffling her hair."You're too cute to be true,  Nattie. I love you, by the way." He'd never get tired of saying that. Funnily enough; he remembered why he was once the Iciest Garrison Guy. It was a sad story, really. But a proverb from one of his fellow veteran Soldiers. Kill the Child, and let the grown and weathered man be born. He never left that proverb. He always thought of those little words whenever he was faced with tough decisions.  But not Nattie.


Nattie did not need a cold, and harsh man. She did not need him as hard and unbending like Iron. She needed him as Theo. She needed a husband like he needed her. One who'd understand and care for her. He knew the vows he swore at the Garrison, but he feels that the vow he made for her weighs more in his heart. To protect, and love her. And he could do that just as well as Theo. She was one of, if not the only person to ever saw his brightest side. She had the power to bring out the best in him. Sounds poetic and cheesy, but it was true. Theo knew that very well. Hence; his soldiers would not expect him to show such affections.  "And, like it or not. I'll get you gifts every single day. Because seeing you every single day is a gift, as well." 


Of course; with his sly little wink, he knew that he still had some certain allure, a certain cold charm. He knew how to appeal to people, despite his firm and cold attitude, the reason his men chose him for Commander, aside from skill and competence, was his charisma in leading. He knew how to appeal to his soldiers, which translates here. He knew how to appeal to Nattie's little Child of Venus feel.  "And Blessed Hades, you look even prettier than yesterday." He stated, letting his head fall on her forehead as he pushed the swing side wards, watching as they idly swung through the air, the aroma starting to fill his nose. Both her smell, and the garden. "What did you do today? The kids gave you trouble?" He whispered right into her ears, his nose buried on the chocolate of her hair. "Hopefully they haven't stressed my perfect woman too much. She's my delicate little flower, well, until..." He gave her belly a slight pat. "Also; open the gift. I hope you like it." Of course; even five years married, he was still frightened whether she would dislike his secret gifts.

The object encased in the box was a small necklace. Diamonds, though. tiny cut diamonds in the form of circle ringlets, with the pendant itself being the shape of a crystal heart.  A small gift. Jewelries were expensive, yes.  But being the Commander had it's  benefits. Aside from that,  jewelry reminded him of her, for some reason. "Remember the first "big" gift I gave you?" He asked her, an arm still curled around her shoulders as he waved  an arc towards their home.  "It was beautiful living in that apartment, really. It felt homey. But you wanted space. And since I'm whipped and totally heart-eyed in love, I started to work for it. The Drachma was easy, you know? The plans weren't. I scrapped...a dozen, complete sketches of the layout, and fifty incomplete ones. I wanted it to be perfect. Like you. I was the happiest man alive after that," He nodded his head. It was a beautiful story, really. One that made gossips run around the Garrison. That he ruled the Garrison with an Iron Hand, but at home, he was ruled by his wife. True enough. And he was proud of that fact. Though he was heavily influenced by his wife; he allowed it so. After all; he trusted her completely. She wouldn't tell him to do anything that would harm or embarrass him. And, he still felt love and respected. "Anyways, aside from me being talkative and the like, how was your day besides the kids? Anyone giving you a hard time?"  He inquired through whispers, which appeared more as kisses on her ear. 

Natalia crossed her legs and felt his breath tickled her neck. She averted her eyes slightly, looking up at the sky and wondering what exactly she was supposed to tell him. She never lied to Theo and if she didn't come clean, today would be a first. When he asked he about school she finally buckled, turned her face to see his and backing up to make sure he knew the conversation was serious, began to speak, "Hey Theo..." She started, feeling the nerves bubble in her stomach. This was a completely new feeling for her, "I actually didn't go to work today..."

She smiled and shook of any nerves she was feeling. Surely he would be happy. Surely he wouldn't get angry. Right?

"I had an appointment with that Apollo girl, the OBGYN. I can never remember her name..." she chuckled slightly, like what she was saying wasn't really news. Natalia wrapped her small fingers around his larger, calloused hand and placed it on her stomach, not sure how to make the words come out.

The way she spoke to him made his eyebrows bump together.  See; Nattie was never the shy type. Whatever she wanted, she asked for.  And as he was never the greedy type. She always got it. This time, however, he felt how she was filling. Five years of living under the same roof did that to him. He knew how nervous she was. Which didn't make a whole lot of sense. A hand scratched the side of his head, down the slight stubble of his beard.

  So what if she didn't go to work? He'd rather not jump to assumptions, because ugly ones were forming in his head. Was someone bothering her at work? Possibly. Considering how she answered after he asked her whether someone was bothering her. Or...was she seeing someone else? He'd rather not dwell on that idea, lest she sees just how furious he could really be. So he decided to take a rather subtle answer. "That's alright, love. You've been working too hard this past week. You can take a rest. It's no big deal, really, or do you want me to st—"


He blinked. The OBGYN? "Claire? What about her?" The small chuckle indicated something else. And, Theo would be ashamed of himself if he didn't find out what she meant by that. He blinked. And before he could reply, his hand was placed, right on her tummy. He ran his hand across her tummy, trying to ease her feeling. He was...conflicted; to say the least. But he wouldn't jump to conclusions. That was his one rule when it came to Nattie. "What, are you...pregnant? Or...am I infertile or something? Fuck, Nattie.  I hate surprises like these. You know that, right?" He hated being kept in the dark. Being idle. It made him feel....useless. And he had no patience for useless things, much less the patience for feeling useless himself. "Nattie, no matter what the news, I'll still love you no matter what." He whispered, and kissed her, just for a moment. Because he had a gut feeling that it might be the last kiss. Just to silence her, before pulling away.