[ Cordelia's eyes immediately narrow as she takes in the both of them. A glance back - there's a second figure in the room, just out of sight and out of earshot - before she leans back in. ]

"It is you. Miles, what's going on? Who's your friend?"

[ Miles just. Has to swallow for a moment, recovering less quickly than his mother. ]

Mother. Er - it's a long story.

[ He goes into a truncated summary of the story so far. Percy showing up out of nowhere, monsters, shrine of Poseidon, spiders, and now the Iris message. He skips over the part where he's seriously considering the possibility that he could be a demigod until the very end.

Cordelia, on her side, listens patiently to her son. At some point through the proceedings, Aral comes in too - so now there are two people staring at Percy with familiar steely-gray gazes. Miles starts over after the first question from his father, until they finally get to the real question at the heart of this. ]

Is it possible - er, for Mother, I mean - [ Does he just mean Cordelia? Could a goddess take on a male form? But somehow his mother feels more possible than the Butcher of Komarr. This is too much. ] You aren't a Greek goddess, right?

[ Cordelia, in all her grace, manages not to laugh. There is a wicked glint of amusement at the corner of her eyes though. The resulting slow but steady barrage of questions mostly hinge around on delving into why Miles has mistaken his mother for a goddess while Aral considers his wife with thoughtful smile.

At least he's given them enough of the truth to convince her that his concerns are entirely literal. Either way, her answer is no. ]