AN: Another soft sweet one for ya. Not writing as much fanfic these days. I'll post when I can.
A Crowd
"Alright." Hades sighed, laying his hand on the table. "Let's get this meeting started." He eyed the empty chair to his right, wondering where its normal occupant might be. She'd been so distant recently. She didn't even turn to say goodbye when she left for her emergency meeting. He cleared his throat. "Right. Charon," Hades addressed the table. "Any updates on the route exchange?"
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A waiter had just brought a basket of bread and ambrosia butter. Before he left, Hera caught his arm. "Another gin and tonic, will you?" So what if it was only 11am.
"Of course, your Majesty." The waiter responded with a polite nod to Hera. "Anything else for you, your Majesty?" He offered to Amphitrite.
She shook her head at first and then, "Oh, I'll take some water, with a little bit of salt in it, if you don't mind."
"Of course, your majesty." The waiter nodded, as if it wasn't an absurd drink order. Amphitrite watched the waiter exit to the kitchen.
"He's kind of cute." She commented absently.
"Hmm." Hera looked at the clock on her phone. "She's late. She's never late." Just then a black vehicle screeched to a stop outside and a pink hand tossed the keys to the valet. Persephone then turned back around and apologized to the valet for being rude.
Amphitrite waved her over to their table. "Oh!" She waved back enthusiastically and made her way through the obstacles of tables and chairs to the empty seat at their table.
Before she could even open her mouth to apologize, Hera asked with suspicious slitted eyes. "And where have you been?"
Persephone blushed and began nervously fiddling with her hair. "Well," Persephone began.
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Persephone flipped through the old magazine. The overhead fluorescents cast a glare from the glossy pages. Tea spots stained the edges and the crossword puzzle was full up with smeared ink. The corner of a page got caught around her diamond pave wedding band. She wrangled the paper loose then jumped as the door opened, but it was just some random gorgon leaving. She waddled out with a hand on her stomach. This was not the person she was looking for. Persephone moved the sunglasses further up her nose, hoping not to be noticed. No stranger to the flames of rumors, Persephone didn't want to start another fire. Not yet at least. She scrunched down into the sticky chair and held the magazine to her face.
There was a commotion beyond the door. Hurried voices, shuffling paper, fast footsteps, and then the door opened revealing a plum colored goddess with frazzled hair pulled haphazardly into a makeshift bun. Hera and Zeus's eldest daughter had pushed past the nurse, grabbing the clipboard from her hand and read the name on the chart one more time to be sure. It was her. The Queen of the Underworld. No words passed between them, but an understanding did. Persephone rose from her chair as gracefully as possible, though her insides were squirming. No going back.
She was ushered out of the waiting room.
"Queen Persephone." Eileithyia curtsied, respectfully.
"Oh, please." Persephone waved her hand. "It's fine, Eileithyia."
"My mother speaks so fondly of you. I'm sorry I couldn't attend your wedding; I was on call that weekend."
"Oh, pssh, don't worry about it." Persephone grinned, not at all offended. "We didn't want a big to-do anyway. Besides, that was quite a few years ago." It seemed like such a short but also long time ago all at once. In some respect, she felt like they had always been together, for millennia, and in other ways it felt like they were just starting out in their relationship.
"Oh was it?" Eileithyia tapped her chin. "Oh dear. I'm sorry. I'm so busy all the time, it's hard to keep track. Well, I'm honored you came." She guided the dainty queen to her office. "But, you should have called. I can do house visits. You didn't have to come all this way to Olympus when-"
"Oh, I know." Persephone blushed. "I just-" She shrugged, not really sure how to finish that sentence. She didn't want Eileithyia to come to her house. Because she didn't want to have to explain it. Not yet. Not when there were too many variables. Too many what ifs and unknowns.
Another understanding passing between them.
"I just. . ." Persephone fiddled with her hair. ". . . want to make sure."
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"Well," Persephone took a deep breath back at the restaurant. "I'm sorry. I know I'm the one that called this meeting." She sat down and caught her breath. "Thank you for coming."
Amphitrite politely bit off a bite of bread, then soaked it in the water glass in front of her. "No trouble at all. I love these little get togethers."
The Gathering of Queens. Is what they had begun to call their little chats. Their husbands had their own family meetings, now, so did their wives. Around the table, this is where issues were resolved. The ladies around this table were all capable, intelligent badasses, carrying the three worlds on their shoulders. Trade wars settled, blood baths avoided, the minutiae of mortal ongoings handled, organized, dispensed. A think tank of wit of power, strength, gentleness, tenderness, and authority that only the wives' perspective could bring.
Though, sometimes they got together to just bitch and gossip over mimosas. Truthfully, they actually enjoyed each other company. The women beside them at the table, though completely different, no story the same, but they all had something very much in common that no other person in any of the realms did. They formed a community in each other. It was nice to know that, that in their shared experience as Queens, they had formed a natural sisterhood.
"Anything for you, your majesty?" The waiter appeared with the new arrival. Persephone was the new one to the group, but without her, there had been no gathering of the Queens. Hera and Amphitrite only meet at soirees and parties, but never sought each other out. Not until Persephone. She was the real operator and the glue to the group
"I'll take a mimosa please." Persephone answered, then she bit down on her lip. "Actually, hold the champagne, just orange juice is fine."
As the waiter walked back to the kitchen, Hera grabbed Persephone's wrists, staring into her eyes. "Is there something you want to tell us Persephone?"
The Queen of the Underworld took a deep breath. "Well. I had some. . . questions I wanted to ask of you two." Her heart pounded and she could feel it in her throat. She could also feel Hera's intense gaze at her. Was it that obvious? Could she tell? "Especially you, Tritie."
"Shoot." Amphitrite leaned on the table.
"How exactly. . ." Persephone templed her fingers, trying to find the best way to ask this. She shook her head and started over again. "Did Zeus or Poseidon ever. . . have any. . . fears or doubts about. . ." Persephone bit her lip. A bead of sweat dripped down the back of her neck. ". . . Fatherhood?"
Hera and Amphitrite shared a glance then turned back to Persephone with a huge grin on their face. Before they could ask, Persephone plowed through. "It's just. You know, they didn't exactly have the best father figure growing up and well, all that stuff." Persephone shivered. "So, I was wondering if that had ever posed an issue with your husbands. If they ever, were. . . well, when they found out they were going to be fathers, if there was any resistance."
Hera swallowed down her jubilation for the time being. "Are you kidding? Zeus? Resistant to being a father." She barked out a laugh and took another swig of her drink. "That's rich. He loves it. He loves having children. He loves them so much, he made one by himself." She rolled her eyes, taking another large gulp of gin and tonic. Athena was a sore spot for Hera. Most of Zeus's children were.
"And Poseidon?" Persephone gulped.
"Eh." Amphitrite shrugged. "Poseidon's not really much of the worrying type. He goes with the flow."
Persephone slumped forward. "That's not my Hades."
Hera and Amphitrite shared another glance. "Persephone." Hera cleared her throat. "Persephone, are you pregnant?"
"Well," Persephone shifted in her seat a small frown pulling her lips down as she gazed out of focus. "Actually, Hades and I have been trying for a couple of years now. I thought something may have been wrong. I mean, what good am I as fertility goddess if I can't even-"
"Oh." Hera's eyebrows shot up. "I didn't realize." Her heart hurt for her young sister-in-law. She'd known before Hades and Persephone even started dating, how much Persephone wanted a family. That night at Rhoade's birthday party, the look in Persephone's eyes when Amphitrite asked if she wanted children. The quiet heartbreak in her reply as she was still part of the Maiden's at that time.
Persephone's voice was quiet, "I went to see your daughter."
"Eris?" Hera guessed.
"No, no- Eileithyia."
"Oh right." Hera nodded, momentarily forgetting about that one. "That makes more sense given the context." If Persephone wanted children, she was more than happy to let her have one of hers.
"I was just trying to get the final word. You know. So that, I'd stop being disappointed." Persephone shifted.
"Oh honey." Amphitrite leaned forward and grabbed Persephone's hand in solidarity.
Then Persephone's lips twitched up into a sudden grin, her smile more radiant than the sun. "But I got some good news actually. Only, I'm not sure how to tell Hades." She buzzed with energy, nearly hovering out of her seat in excitement.
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"Styx, these numbers are shit." Hades waved his cigar through the air. "Honestly, did you think-" A load thwack came from the window. Surprised and caught off guard, a grey moth sprouted from his shoulder. "The hell?" He looked up to see his pink wife pressed up against the window looking in.
"Kore?" Hades bounced to his feet immediately and unlocked the window.
Persephone barreled through and tackled Hades to the ground. "Hi." She breathed. "Sorry for ditching you earlier. And sorry for crashing through but I have something really important I need to-"
"Kore. . ."
"No, listen. I need to tell you something."
"Kore. . ." Hades tapped gently at her shoulder and motioned to the 9 other people in the room.
"Oh. Oops."
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"Oh my gods, YOU ARE PREGNANT." Hera's eyes shined yellow. "I KNEW it!"
"ShHHHHH!" Persephone hissed, looking around the restaurant paranoid. "Keep it down. I haven't told anyone yet. Not even my-" She stopped short. "Well, I haven't told anyone."
"AH!" Amphitrite got up and hugged Persephone, squishing her gills into the side of Persephone's face. "I'm so happy for you! Oh my gods, Hades a father." Amphitrite cackled. "Can you imagine?"
Persephone bit her lip, a warm smile lifting her face. Hades, the man who patiently picked out all the burs that stuck to Big John's fur. Hades, the man who stayed up all night just to take care of her when she got Pixie Pox. Hades, the man who would drop everything at a moment's notice to come wherever she called. "Yes." Persephone nodded. "Yes, I can."
"Then you have nothing to worry about." Hera spoke kindly.
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Through the glass window, the conference watched as their Queen spoke animatedly. They couldn't hear her, but they could tell she could barely keep her thoughts together. They watched as at a some final point in Persephone's rambling, Hades silently fell to his knees. He wrapped his wife into his arms and folded her into his chest. Their King and Queen held each other in a soft embrace, their chests heaving, for a long time. A quiet word whispered into her ear. A gentle kiss on his cheek. Another hug. A choked up laugh escaping out of Hades and he wiped something out of his eye. They cried, happy tears falling down both of their cheeks. They tangled up into each other once again.
After several intimate moments, secrets passing between only them, Hades returned to the conference room. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. "Sorry for the interruption." Hades started. A grin he couldn't hide kept twisting up his face. And then proceeded to say for the first time in his career, "You know what. Um. Everyone, go home. Take the rest of the day off."