nevermore_logs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

demeter,
persephone

(no subject)

WHO: Persephone and Demeter (Maybe Hades? I can't remember if you wanted him there, Charlie. OPEN TO HADES!)
WHAT: Hey, I made a baby. With Hades.
WHEN: Probably backdated but like...it's 6am, I dunno
WHERE: Demeter's place

Persephone knew she couldn't keep the news of her child from her mother forever. Demeter was bound to find out and it would be better coming from Persephone herself. She sent her husband a text to let him know she was going to break the news to Demeter, and then she went in search of her mother.

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The balcony of Demeter's apartment was long and wide, stretching along the length of her spacious apartment. That was where she could often be found, as she made the area into a garden, views of the city cast across the greenery.

She heard the sliding door behind her open and she turned and smiled at Persephone. "Hello, my love."

When he'd received the text he'd gotten the car and driven out to Demeter's home. He knew he'd be the last person she'd ever want to see, but he wouldn't make Persephone go through this without him.

So it was with a sigh he knocked on the door and waited.

"Hold that thought," Persephone said, and she withdrew to go answer the door. When she pulled it open, she gave Hades a shy little smile. "Come on in," she said softly. "And brace yourself."

All thongs considered, it was nice to see Persephone. And it would give Demeter someone to blame. So he smiled at his wife as he stepped inside.

"I brought wine," he offered the bottle, "I hope it's a good second. Shall we? "

Persephone leaned up to give him a quick kiss, and then she led him back out to the balcony where her mother was. "Mother, we have something to tell you," she said quickly before Demeter could toss Hades out on sight.

Even before Persephone was finished speaking Demeter's hands had risen, the golden scythe of Cronus manifesting in her hands, dragging itself from nothingness in preparation to protect what she loved.

To draw the scythe took so much energy, but she'd barely even thought about it. She only knew that Hades was here in her home, that he was too close to Persephone, that she had to protect her.

"It isn't winter!" He words came in a rush, her eyes locked on her brother in fury and sudden fright as she held the scythe ready to strike He couldn't take Persephone! Not yet!

Persephone had said something, but Demeter already couldn't remember what it had been.

When the scythe came out, his instinct was to throw his arms in front of Persephone. Death was a doorstep to him, and a rather annoying one, but he'd rather be harmed then Persephone. "Relax, I know it isn't winter. I'm not here to take her away. Styx woman."

With a sigh he glanced to Persephone in a definite 'see?' movement. He turned to Demeter, but kept himself in front of his wife. "Demeter, for once in your life realize that even though I've hardly earned her love, she has given it to me. Freely I might add. So put the damned weapon away."

He glanced back to Persephone to make sure she was alright before taking her hand. "Sorry. But I told you so." With another sigh he glanced to Demeter. "I'm here under invitation of my Queen." To that he smirked, "so you get to argue with your daughter about that one. Now, love," everything about him turned gentler as he looked to Persephone, "do you want to tell her? And did you eat?"

Persephone felt torn between her mother and her husband, but she simply put herself between them and held up a hand. "Mother, he's right. I asked him here." To Hades, she smiled and said, "I did eat. I've been taking very good care of myself."

She turned back to her mother, but not before reaching out to take Hades' hand. "Demeter, we have news. I have been seeing Hades on occasion since leaving his house. I love him and being without him for half the year is so difficult, though we know the consequences if I stay with him. So we have been trying it this way and it's been working. And now I'm with child."

The scream inside Demeter's head was entirely silent outside of it, but her eyes widened in horror and she thought that she was actually going to be sick. Her stomach lurked and Demeter brought her hand up over her mouth to stop it. (Although, she thought later, she should have thrown up on Hades.) The scythe had dissipated back into the air, gone the moment she'd been surprised into letting go of it.

Seeing Hades. Pregnant. Demeter's quick, dragged breaths behind her hand were making her lightheaded and she grabbed for the railing of the balcony to keep from falling as the wave of dizziness joined the wave of nausea.

She managed to move her eyes from Persephone to look at Hades instead, her expression shocked and a little afraid. "What have you done?" she demanded at a disbelieving hiss and then, louder and in anger, "How have you done this to her??" There was no doubt in Demeter's mind that Hades had somehow tricked Persephone into feeling this way, into 'seeing' him as she'd put it. She saw every year her daughter's fear of her uncle and yet here Persephone was calming saying she'd chosen to be with him.

He was half tempted to strangle Demeter, but settled for glaring at her instead. After a few moments of that he looked to Persephone. He couldn't imagine how hard this was for her. Demeter ought to be happy about this, and here she was blaming him.

He half worried she'd have done something about the pregnancy, had he not been here to take the ire off.

He took Persehone's hand in his and raised it to kiss her knuckles. "None of this is you, or the baby. Both of that are good things." He smiled to his wife before lowering her hand.

Then he looked at Demeter, "for once in your life, stop it. If I hear or know of a word breathed wrong against this child for the sins I committed ages ago, I will not tolerate it. Do you hear me?" Unlike his brother,s his anger was the quiet sort. He had no storms like Zeus, or waves like Poseidon. "No matter what, leave the child out of it. This isn't something you can blame."

He tilted his head at Demeter, "and I have done nothing. Ask my Queen. Recall, perhaps I am not a King. I am only the gatekeeper. A Judge. She rules me. Get that through your skull. For once." He crossed his arms, "the rules are different. As long as she does not come to my house during summer, we are allowed to see one another. She requested we work on our marriage, as she feels lonely during summer. As do I. So we're working on this. I get to know Kore." He shrugged, "the fear is there but lessens. I made a vow Demeter, on Styx itself, to never harm her. I want this to work."

He turned back to Persephone, "sorry." He extended his hand with a smile, "may I?" He did like to greet his child, in his own way.

"He did swear on Styx, mother," she said firmly. "And he has also said I am his Queen and he is at my command. He didn't trick me into this, I wanted it. He is my husband, and no matter how that came to be...I love him."

When Hades asked to greet his child, Persephone was glad she didn't hesitate. That probably wouldn't have helped their case, were it witnessed by Demeter. "Of course," she smiled to her husband.

Demeter stepped towards her brother, narrowing her eyes on him. "How dare you suggest I would harm any child of Persephone's, no matter how it came about. She is my blood and my life."

Demeter hated this. She hated the ease with which these two moved around each other, there in her very own house. Hades had come walking into her home and shown, without a shadow of a doubt, that he believed Persephone belonged to him. And if Persephone agreed so readily... what could Demeter even do to protect her?

And when Hades said she feels lonely during summer there came no argument from Persephone. Her own beloved daughter was lonely in her presence. Demeter had tried, so hard, to be everything she could to Persephone, to give the girl everything she could possibly desire. But Persephone was lonely with her.

It cut Demeter more deeply than anything else her brother could have said.

The only comfort she could take was that there was on oath made on the black waters. It would bind Hades. Persephone would be safe.

"I love you," she told Persephone sadly. "I wish you every happiness that this world has to give."

She didn't look at Hades again. Holding her breath Demeter walked past them back to the door.

He ignored Demeter's words, unwilling to have the argument snowball even worse then it already was. He kept his opinion about petty Olympians to himself. It'd just be petty of him either way.

Instead he set his hand over Persephone's stomach and smiled. He said nothing just brushed his fingers along the fabric of her shirt before glancing at Demeter's retreating back. Often, he just felt sad for her.

He lowered his hand with a sigh and stepped back, "maybe you should speak to her," He offered Persephone. "Try and see if she will understand. I'm not doing any good here. Can I see you, soon?"

Persephone breathed a heavy sigh and then she nodded to her husband. "I would like that. I'll call you," she said with a smile. Then, before he left, she planted a kiss on his lips.

She wasn't entirely sure where Demeter had retreated to, but she went searching either way. "Mother?" she called, wondering just why Demeter had such a problem with this.

Demeter had removed herself to the kitchen where, unsure of what she even was thinking now, she'd began moving a basket of oranges into a different basket. She let Persephone find her but didn't look up from inspecting each orange in her hand.

"You brought him into my home," was the only thing she could find to say, her voice quiet. She couldn't help the betrayal in her tone.

Persephone chewed on her lip and then she leaned up against the wall. "I'm sorry," she said with feeling. "He wanted to be here to tell you about the child. It won't happen again, mother."

"He wanted to be here, and you let him," she said, looking slowly at her daughter and trying to understand who she saw there. "The weather is still warm, yet you cared more for his comfort than my own today. This is my home," Demeter said, slamming her fist down suddenly on the bench. "I have made myself a shelter free from my brothers and you invited Hades into it to tell me you have been seeing him! That you're to have a child together! What do you want me to even say to you, Kore?" Her voice was raised, her tone hard. She wanted anger because it shielded her from the pain, at least a little.

"It's my house too!" Persephone finally hissed back at her mother. Didn't Demeter understand this wasn't about her? "He came to protect me because I was terrified to tell you this! And clearly I was right to be afraid."

"Protect you? From me?" Demeter just stared, horrified and sickened. Persephone trusted Hades more than she trusted her. What had become of the world and the turns of the seasons? "I have never harmed you and he-" She pointed accusingly toward the balcony where they'd been, although she could feel he was no longer there. "He-"

But she couldn't even think of the words she wanted and threw her hands up. "I don't even understand anymore what this world desires!"

Persephone felt like pulling out her hair in frustration as Demeter continued on her tirade. "He is my husband!" she finally said. "And you're my mother! I love both of you, and you hate each other and neither one of you ever thinks about how that affects me!"

"And what did you expect of me?" Demeter demanded. "Did you expect me to embrace him and congratulate you both? To say how glad that I was? I am not glad. You and he are disturbing the natural order and it will only lead to agony for all." Demeter shook her head violently. "I will not encourage this. I will love you and I will love this child despite its parentage, but I do not support this choice and I do not and will not ever believe my brother hasn't coerced you."

What had Persephone expected of her? Exactly this. "No, of course I didn't, and that's why I wanted someone here who was happy about this like I am!" Persephone said with a frown. "This is my choice. He hasn't coerced me and by believing he has, you're making it sound like I have no free will!"

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