03
Banana Flavored Eskimo
Her vision swam before her eyes as she fought the urge to focus. Colors mixed together as consciousness came forth. Her body protested the movements, her mind wanting to stay in the deepest recesses of sleep, but she fought on.
Urging her eyes to open, a low moan escaped her lips.
"Easy child. You exhausted yourself."
Her brow crinkled as she tried to place the voice. It was a low long baritone that caressed each syllable in a sweet embrace. It commanded and lulled at the same time, a feat not so easily accomplished. She did not know the owner of that voice. Surely she would have remembered such an amazing voice.
"Hermione? Can you hear us dear rose?"
This was spoken in a light tone, the pitch like the tinkling of bells. It was said in an airy sort of way, as if the words blew with the breeze. Yet, despite the bright tone, it offered comfort and warmth. She wanted to bask in that voice and never leave the light.
"Hermione. Focus. Look at me."
She could not deny such a request from that low voice. Frowning, she concentrated on regaining her focus upon her surroundings and immediately found herself looking upon the most intense set of eyes she had ever encountered.
Those deep orbs of obsidian bored into the depths of her soul, yet she found herself oddly at ease on the receiving end of such a powerful stare. Against her better judgement, her hand reached out on its own accord and gently traced the bridge of his nose.
Shock was something that many Gods – most of all the mighty Hades himself – rarely felt. However, when his daughter reached out her hand to run her fingertips down the slope of his nose, his only response was absolute stillness.
He did not move as she continued her curious exploration.
Persephone smiled as she watched the precocious young woman trace the features of her sire with a curious sort of reverence. She knew that she was still somewhat unstable from the amount of energy she had exerted earlier, so she was most likely not truly aware of her actions. The Goddess knew that had the witch been in complete control of her mind, she would have never been so forward with a stranger. Most likely, she and her husband would be on the receiving end of her wand.
"Your nose is like mine."
Hades knew that then and there he was lost. With such a simple proclamation from his already adult daughter, he knew that he was hers. Whatever she'd ask, he knew he would not be able to deny.
What would his brothers say if they knew how easily this slip of a girl was able to wrap him around her finger?
"My Lord. She's not all there yet."
Hades sighed as he chanced a glance at his wife, Hermione now coiling her fingers through his ebony tresses.
Turning his attention to his daughter, he saw the slightly glazed expression in her eyes. No, she was not completely right as of yet. The energy she expended coupled with the breaking of the seal proved too much for her – both mentally and physically.
She still needed time to adjust and rest. As much as he wished to get to know his daughter, the Lord of the dead knew that she needed to sleep first.
"Hermione. Sleep child. Let Morpheus bless you with pleasant dreams and come back to us when you're whole."
The brunette witch merely cocked her head to the side silently before her eyes grew heavy with sleep. Yawning, her world faded to darkness once again.
"You adore her."
"She has your eyes."
Persephone smiled at her husband as a feeling of absolute completeness washed over the duo.
Settling down beside the slumbering brunette, she gently ran her fingers through her wild curls. "She grows so quickly. Seems as if only yesterday she was running about and picking flowers from her neighbors garden."
"She never did get caught," Hades commented easily with a trace of pride.
"She's much too smart," replied the Goddess with a fond grin.
"Father? Persephone?"
Persephone sighed as she watched Nico stand patiently in the doorway, waiting confirmation to enter the room.
She liked Nico, honestly she did. She just didn't like what he reminded her of.
Nico wasn't hers. He belonged to Hades.
Despite the fact that she knew Hades loved her, he held an affection for Nico's mother that left her feeling somewhat awkward and betrayed.
Her Lord never picked women based off of care or lust. He actually picked women he knew to be healthy and of good standing. Whenever he lay with another, it was for the sole purpose of procreation, nothing more and nothing less. Yet, with Nico's mother there had been something more. It may not have measured up to his feelings for her, but it was there. He did have two children with that woman after all.
However, despite the unwanted tension she felt whenever she initially caught sight of Nico, she learned to temper her emotions with calm and accept the young boy as part of their small family. She would not be his mother. She would never dare take that place and Nico would never allow her to, but she could be a mentor of sorts. He did prove to be quite interested in literature and other forms of music – something she enjoyed immensely and Hades held in mild indifference.
"Nico, enter."
Persephone noted that he bowed slightly at the waist at the acknowledgement, years of etiquette ingrained into every movement.
"Nico. What brings you here so late in the evening?"
"Is she alright?"
Hades merely regarded his eldest carefully. "She exerted a large amount of energy this evening."
"She damned a number of souls to Tartarus," Nico replied matter-of-factly.
Hades cleared his throat at the statement. "Yes, well that wasn't intentional on her part, but I believe deserved. The souls she damned attempted to kill her."
Persephone gasped.
Nico went still. "Excuse me?"
The dark God set his lips into a firm line. "Your sister is unique. She is what mortals call a Witch."
Nico drew in a long breath, his mouth drawing into a concentrated frown. He knew all about witches. He had read about them in his father's expansive library. Their world was hidden from those not gifted with magic.
They grew and flourished in their secret communities with their own set of laws, governance and currency. It was actually quite fascinating to him.
To learn that his newly revealed half-sister was actually a magic user was certainly interesting. He was most correct in his initial assumption about her being a fine addition to the house of Lord Hades.
The power of their father coupled with that of magic was a potent gift indeed. She would be amazing.
"Witch and demigod."
Persephone sighed as she watched that excited glint take in Nico's dark eyes. She hoped he wouldn't fall prey to the lure of power.
The Goddess frowned at her train of thoughts. No, not Nico. She and Hades had taught him well. As a son of the Lord of the Dead, it was important that he understood the precious balance between life and death. Nico knew that lesson well and respected it. He was most likely excited about the possibilities Hermione represented. If there was one thing that hadn't changed, it was Nico's insatiable curiosity.
Hades merely nodded his head at his son's words. "She will need time to adjust. It is only now that she came into her godly powers."
"Father? How can that be?"
"I sealed her."
Nico frowned. Sealing away powers was an incredibly risky task. Not only would it hinder the person being sealed, but would essentially leave them vulnerable and confused in some areas. In the case of Hermione, she wasn't able to tap into the powers that flowed naturally through her blood. With their father being the God of the Underworld, Hermione would have most likely felt the pull of souls around her, yet not able to address them properly.
Despite what many mortals believed, ghosts were very much real. In addition, she may have had a bit of trouble when it came to feeling extreme emotions. With her blood sealed, her magic may have been unstable and it would have taken even more effort and discipline to keep controlled. He wasn't sure exactly what the young witch felt and wouldn't be entirely sure until she woke up and told them – if she was inclined. He hoped she was. He was very curious now.
"Hermione needed to be hidden. She was not a child that I wished to claim. I only wanted to watch her grow and flourish from afar."
"We," Persephone cut in, "only wanted to watch her from a distance."
Nico raised a dark brow at the Goddess' interjection. It was no secret that she still was somewhat uncomfortable whenever his mother was mentioned and she could still be weary of his presence every now and again. Therefore, for her to be so welcoming about Hermione was a puzzle to him.
"You knew about Hermione?"
"She's mine."
Had he been anyone else, his jaw would have dropped open at her words. However, he had been trained to keep his emotions better concealed than that. Therefore, his only noticeable reaction was the widening of his eyes and somewhat stunned expression.
"I beg your pardon?" questioned Nico wondering if he had misheard. Surely not.
Hades smirked. Persephone did that on purpose. She knew it would result in that look and she had a dark streak in her and enjoyed displaying it every now and again. How he loved that side of his Queen.
"Nico. What she says is true and yet it's so much more than that."
Persephone nodded her head. "I wanted a child."
"Father can not sire children in the Underwold," replied Nico automatically.
This was true. It was not possible to give life in the land of the dead – God or otherwise.
"I could not deny her," said Hades as he cast a fond look at his Queen.
Suddenly, Nico understood.
"You visited her aboveground," he stated more than asked.
Persephone smiled serenely, recalling the evening that led to Hermione's conception.
"I yearned for a child and Hades admitted the desire to create life."
Nico nodded his head. As Lord of the Dead, his father ruled over those that went on. There was no life in his world, only death. Therefore, the idea of creating life – instead of taking it – held special significance with the dark God.
"Demeter would flay me if she learned I was visiting her daughter outside our allotted time."
The young man snorted. That was a vast understatement. The Goddess of the Harvest could be quite vindictive when in the mood – especially when it came to her precious Persephone.
"I was able to steal into the mortal world and take temporary residence inside a mortal woman by the name of Jean Granger. She desired children, but was not able to conceive. She was barren," said Persephone sadly as her hands returned to weaving their way through Hermione's curly mane.
"I lay with Persephone while she was still in control of the body and your sister was conceived."
Persephone sighed. "Jean was none the wiser. She had thought it a miracle that she was blessed with a child. She and her husband rejoiced. Hermione may not be mine biologically, but spiritually I am her mother."
"Hermione was born and it was only when I realized that the occurrences that were happening to her were not due to her being a half-god, did I seal her blood," said Hades.
"We checked in on her every now and then," chimed Persephone. "However, it has grown few and far between the older she got. The more time she spent in the wizarding world, the harder it was for us to visit."
Nico nodded his head in acceptance. Wizards were VERY aware of demigods and Gods and although they were accepted, magical folks also coveted them in hopes of sharing their powers and gaining favor. With a magical beings' natural ability to sense power around them, even the weakest would be able to sense the power of a God or Goddess. There could be no hiding when it came to them.
Persephone sighed. "The last time I saw Hermione, it was from a wide angle zoom lens in London. She was only fourteen then. She's grown so much."
"She's beautiful," said Hades with a rare soft smile.
"Will you tell the other Gods and Goddesses of Hermione?"
Hades gaze grew dark. "They will learn should I deem fit. Yet no matter the outcome, she is ours."
"Come now gentlemen. Let's leave my rose to rest."
Nico smiled slightly at the nickname. Trust Persephone to give her daughter the name of a flower. However, he supposed it fit. Hermione was most definitely a rose. An English rose. An English rose that he would care for dearly.
Yes, Hermione would blossom quite magnificently.
AN: Hahahahaha! Explanations done! Well, a few of the anyways.
So were you expecting that bit of a curveball? I know. It surprised me too.
For those who are still a bit confused, let's break it down easily. Hermione is the daughter of Hades. Persephone wanted a child so she took control of Jean Granger's body. She and Hades did the horizontal mambo and nine months later, Hermione is born. Make no mistake. Jean is Hermione's biological mother. However, spiritually Persephone is her mother.
No, this does not make Hermione a full Goddes, yet she is much more than a demigod (as we will later discover) Physically, Hermione takes more after her mortal mother, but there are definitely some physical characteristics she shares with both Hades and Persephone (ie: Hades' nose and Persephone's eyes.)
Review?
- Banana Flavored Eskimo