Bewailing
Disclaimer: I do not own Kid Icarus Uprising. Technically I own my interpretation of Ceres, Ares and Persephone but alas.
Summary: No matter what Viridi did, she would always be second best compared to her.
Pairing: Implied love triangle of Dyntos/Ceres/Ares and Hades/Persephone.
Rated: T (for teen)
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort and Drama
Warning: Child neglect, unintentional OOC and spoilers for Uprising.
The second idea that came to mind and its Kid Icarus. Like the Hades one-shot, this one would give a backstory for Viridi to explain her personality. Obvious Higurashi song is obvious here.
The most hated Goddess in the world was dead. Or at least to Viridi Persephone was on the top of her list of hated Gods. Her sister made sure that she was the unfavorite child of Ceres, the Goddess of Love and Nature. (She would lose the title of Nature in the near future). It was always Persephone this and Persephone that. The fact that Ceres tried to destroy the world because that jerk Hades took her as a wife showed how much Ceres favored the girl over her. If Viridi was the one taken, she wouldn't even bat an eye. Persephone was the innocent one going to take over as the future Goddess of Nature (even though she wanted that title more than anything with her love of plants.)
And Persephone was selfish. Despite her oh so kind hearted nature, she disobeyed her mother constantly once she hooked up with Hades often breaking the promise that Zeus and Hermes set and going to the Underworld early. It's why the seasons change quicker with no regard to humanity.
In order to be entertained, humanity needs to be kept alive. Despite being an older Goddess, Ceres' entire purpose is to starve humanity because her daughter decided to go hang out with her uncle. And because she's a love Goddess, she screws with the other Gods and humans too when Penelope isn't around.
Honestly, the fact that Ceres wouldn't tell Viridi who was her father said something. Ceres could have cheated on Dyntos (who looked younger back in the day) to go with Ares. She hung out with the stupid war God so much to make Palutena jealous that Viridi wouldn't be surprised if she was the bastard child of Ares. She acted like him now especially on her view with humanity.
Speaking of humanity, Viridi had to watch the humans become greedier as time went on. With the Gods neglecting their duties, humans did all they could to get their attention. Some Gods ignored their cries for help while others just did what Viridi set out to do. Destroy portions of the human section with her Reset Bomb. In theory, the bomb is meant to calm the humans down if things get out of hand. With time though, with multiple reset bombs, you can start fresh without the puny humans.
She could say to Palutena that she's only killing humans who destroy nature and being tricked by Hades (who she now hates because even if she hated Penelope, Hades was still on the top of the list of hated Gods. He killed her after all) but she would be lying to herself. The only way to avert the blame though was to make accusations of what the Goddess of Light did instead (too bad her angel wouldn't shut up).
Regardless of what Viridi did though, it was amazing how she wasn't punished for her actions. The sad truth was that she was ignored by her mother despite the havoc she was causing. Her love affairs were more important that her daughter throwing a child tantrum.
For the next three years after the world gone to hell once Palutena turned her back on humanity, Viridi actually decided to help the humans instead of harming them. No God would call her out on her hypocritical actions because the fighting was between Palutena and Hades with the humans in the middle. Viridi took this time to revive one of her parental substitute Phosphora.
That's right; Phosphora may have been a couple hundred years older than her and a demi-God at best but she and Arlon were the closest things she had to a real family (Cragalanche is really pushing the idea of family but at this point, Viridi would take anybody that listened to her as family).
Viridi was still a young Goddess therefore her resurrection skills were not as good as Palutena or Hades. It took three years to revive Phosphora as her trump card but even then it would not be enough to stop the humans.
Even with her helping the little angel save his precious Goddess, Viridi did not help the angel because of the kindness of her heart. She just wanted her mother to notice her achieve something no matter how big or small the issue was. From having her army capture the Chaos Kin which the other Gods failed to do (and she ended up failing when Arlon refused to tell The Goddess of Light what he was guarding), assisting the humans and Pit ward of Palutena and Hades, saving Palutena from the Chaos Kin and then later on helping defeat Hades, the sworn enemy of her mother, Ceres still didn't acknowledge her. No…she was too busy making her own army known as the Guardians. Everything she had done up to this point? Worthless in comparison to saving poor unfortunate souls and turning them into immortal beings separated from the ones they love and turned into the element that got them killed in the first place.
So a couple of months after Hades was taken out of the picture, Palutena found herself up against Ceres who finally decided to take center stage against humanity…and for what? Not enough love? Tempted to help a man out of love? Because she was bored? She didn't give a straight answer why she would plunge the world into war against unless it was to turn Ares on. Whatever the reason was, Palutena would be forced to send not only Pit and Pittoo but the other angels known as the royal bodyguards against her (compared to Hades, she was going all out on the get go.)
Viridi wanted one of the Guardians dead. The Guardian of Love known as Juliet. Ceres treated Juliet like she was her beloved Persephone even if she wasn't. She was a just a young girl who had no memory of her past unlike other Guardians could not understand love yet was in debt to Ceres for getting a second chance of life. Juliet was a pathetic Guardian who deserved to die a second time around. Viridi made it clear to Palutena that she wanted this Guardian dead.
It was no use though. Not only was Juliet immortal but she easily destroyed Viridi in battle. The shining tip of her sword was pointed against the Nature Goddess' head. Ceres was behind her beloved Juliet applauding her victory.
"Good job subduing the traitor Juliet." She hummed. Her long yellow dress draped down to the floor as she stared at her daughter with a menacing stare.
"Traitor…you're the one who won't even talk to me about anything!" Viridi cried out. The strength she lost trying to fight Juliet one on one suddenly came back when it pertained to her mother. "No matter what I did, you were off in your own fantasy chasing after men and making these stupid Guardians! Why didn't you do anything when I attacked those damned humans?! Why didn't I get praised for helping get rid of Hades?! Why-"
"Gods don't die." She said darkly. "He may have been vaporized but give him a couple of years and he'll be back to his awful ways."
"Gods can die…" The little girl corrected. "…suicide is the only way…"
She was rewarded with a smack to the face sending her on the floor again.
"Suicide…don't make me laugh. Hades killed her. Hades is a cold blooded killer that kidnapped by beloved Persephone and married her against her will."
"She still killed herself."
"Wrong! Hades murdered her! I will never forgive Hades! He will never die no matter how many times he's shot at. The only way to have revenge is to tell him that he got her killed…but he doesn't care…so…so…"
"Ceres…" Juliet began. The girl's voice was low and monotone. "If the goal is to revive Hades to kill him again then why hurt your own child?"
"Child? She's hardly a child and hardly a child I raised. The only child I had was Persephone."
It was always Persephone this and Persephone that…no matter what she did…she was always second best…but…there was a time where that didn't matter. When all three of them were together more than 2000 years ago and when things weren't as dark and gloomy as it was now.
"Mother…"
"What? Are you going to cry now? A child of mine would never cry. A child of mine would be obedient, not rebellious. My child would be Persephone."
"Mother…please…"
This went against her nature but Viridi found herself on her knees. "Please mom…I want…"
"…Fine. I'll let you prove yourself." The Goddess of Love interrupted. "On the occasion that you take out Palutena's angels."
"W-What?!"
"What are they more important to you than your mother's respect?"
"No mother…I…"
Ceres turned around preparing to leave. "Find, from this moment on, you are not-"
"Wait! Stop!" The Nature Goddess cried out. She didn't realize that tears were falling down her face at this point. "I'll do it! I'll fight them…I'll fight Palutena and her angel's to the death! Just please…please!"
She was begging now. The usual pompous Nature Goddess was no more. The love Goddess just smiled as she bent down and pet Viridi on the head like she was a dog more than her own child.
"Of course you will. You'll make me proud by making my life easier. Kill the angels and eliminate the threat and maybe then I'll recognize you as my own daughter. You understand?"
"…Yes mother…I understand…"
"If you are, then get ready. Meanwhile, Juliet and I were take a well-deserved break. Let's go my beloved Juliet."
Ceres chuckled evilly as she turned her back on her daughter. Walking down the halls of her fortress, Juliet did not follow immediately. She glanced at the little Goddess who was wiping her eyes trying to stop herself from crying in front of the Guardian that messed her up. Juliet opened her mouth to say something but couldn't. She didn't understand why Viridi was so upset…and she never will. Juliet turned and followed her savior leaving the little girl behind to comfort herself.
Viridi knew that Ceres will never acknowledge her as her daughter now even if she were to complete her mission. It was ironic that the Goddess of love showed no compassion to the only family member she had left. Instead she left her only blood relative crying in her own tears with no one to comfort her this time around.
If you'd notice, those days when we laughed and cried
Have been scattered into pieces of something unrestorable
Only the sadness and pain
Of just having one lie stacked on another lie
Even if we forget the cicadas and scent of summer that follow behind
We can't erase them
The vanishing place is being dyed red
Before we knew it, the approaching sound comes
Only my memories that were cleaved apart
Shine unchanged
Within the bewailing of this dusk
Even if I destroy them, you'll be waiting
They are being pulled off and turning invisible-
Sadness, and even pain, too
Ah, even if we lose the cicadas and scent of summer again
They won't disappear
Me: Done with 2463 words.
Li: Why did you make it so sad and confusing?
Me: Because I involved the game's canon with my headcanon of why Viridi is such a bitch in the game. I feel like this one-shot is all over the place in comparison to the Hades backstory but...notes!
1. Because I combined Aphrodite and Demeter into one Goddess (to explain why Viridi is not just called Demeter) there might be some confusion. Ceres is the name of the Roman Goddess of Nature (so I don't use Demeter) but the character's appearance and personality is based on Aphrodite. The backstory of the two Goddesses are combined meaning that Ceres had Persephone with Zeus and then after Persephone dies in my headcanon, Ceres goes all Aphrodite neglecting her child and having an affair with the other Gods and men. Since Palutena has angels on her side, Viridi has the forces of nature and Hades has demons, I decided that Ceres would have her own army with the main forces being called Guardians. Ceres' army would look similar to Viridi's except the coloring and the fact they would all be heart based.
Also the Guardians are beings (either human, animals or even deities) that have died an awful death and are revived the same way they are died. For example, the fire Guardian Scorch death involved fire. The intelligent Guardian Shimi committed suicide because intelligence equals isolation and loners are freaks. Juliet is the Guardian of love so she died from heartbreak of some sort…
2. Because my headcanon is Dyntos is Hephaestus, he would technically be married to Ceres, but because of how Aphrodite hates her husband and goes running to Ares, the same could be the same. To add to that though my headcanon is that Dyntos is cursed to appear older than the majority of the Gods despite being around the same age as them hence why he's an old man instead of a young God or Goddess. Ceres only wants young men so Ares is perfect for her.
3. Ares…hmm…he'll show up in another fanfiction one day, but let's say he has a rivalry with Palutena and he's kind of stupid and he has his own faction.
This is pretty much it for this one-shot. Use your imagination to what would happen afterwards. I already have an idea on how well this will turn out but I'll leave it to the leader to decide. Reviews are appreciated. Now I work on my next one-shot and Fallen Angel.