Pride and Percabeth

Chapter Thirty-One

Juniper and Miss Titan visited Leo each day to check in on his father. They held Hephaestus's hands while the doctor bled him and helped Leo spoon-feed him his medicinal tea. Under their gentle care, Hephaestus slowly began to recover. He could sit up in his bed and feed himself broth and porridge after about a week.

"Who's that pretty young lady?" Hephaestus said as he lay down to take his afternoon nap.
Leo picked up his spoon and porridge bowl.
"Surely, you remember Juniper, Pa?" he replied.
Juniper sat by the bed, knitting a pair of mittens to give to her husband as a Christmas present.
"No, the other one, who was here last night."
"Oh. That's Miss Titan of Ogygia Hall in Spanish Town, Jamaica. She's staying at Skye Castle."
"Since when did you have such hoity-toity friends?"
"Your son's moving up in the world."
Hephaestus stretched out, rested his head on the pillow, and quickly began to snore. Leo walked over to the window. Farmer Underwood was stacking firewood inside of a lean-to. He put down the bundle of logs he held in his arms and tipped his hat to Leo.
Mrs. Europa's herd of Welsh Black cows grazed in a nearby meadow. The heifers were pregnant. Their bellies looked swollen, and their udders sagged low to the ground.