We encouraged the children to keep walking or else they'd dig up the whole beach looking for gemstones. Once we got closer, the Furies gave Marcus and Savannah their undivided attention. They got all giddy with oohs and awes, like someone would with puppies and kittens. Meanwhile, Marcus and Savannah are intrigued by their appearances.
"How adorable." They say, reaching out to their cheeks, giggling. "So pretty." They add, delighted. "What a pretty box." They say and Savannah tells them all about the stones she found, and the ruby Marcus found. They listen like it's the most interesting story they ever heard. Well, it might be because Savannah tells a good story.
"Cool wings." Marcus says and reaches out to Megaera's wing. I want to tell him to stop, but she flexes her wing lower to him so he can touch it. Tisiphone flaps her wings, getting him to ooh and awe. Alecto widens her wings to full length, even impressing Savannah. "I want wings." Marcus says and they giggle, finding him too cute.
"You, Little Prince, will have your own power, much better than wings." Alecto says, holding up his chin and giving him a sinister smile. "You'll be powerful, as a child of Hades, and compassionate, as a child of Leland." She adds, making us proud parents.
"And me?" Savannah asks and Megaera moans a little.
"Of course Little Princess, you will be powerful and justly." She says, making Savannah smile. "You will be your brother's counterpart." She adds with this strange expression in her eyes. Tisiphone nods and strokes her head softly.
"Like Artemis and Apollo, the Moon and the Sun; but more Underworldly." She says with a smile and our children glance at each other with little grins. However, Hades and I arch our eyebrows at the Furies.
"How do you know what we don't?" I ask and Alecto raises her eyes up to me with that sinister smile.
"A wild guess, not that we're ever wrong." She says and grins at me. "But you'll know. You'll feel it before they come into power." She adds and glances at Hades with a smirk. "And they'll grow powerful as they grow fast." She concludes.
"Awesome!" Marcus shouts, making the Furies giggle.
Savannah jumps up and down in her dress, giving Alecto a high-five. It's adorable to see. Even fearsome Furies love Marcus and Savannah, as everyone else.
"Next time Mother and Father come to sort souls," Tisiphone says, her eyes narrowing a little on Hades specifically, making him sigh. "The children should come and see how it's done." She adds and then we have Marcus and Savannah looking at us with excitement. Yeah, there's no way we can put that off.
"After we see your grandparents, we'll be back and show you what we do." I say and they give the Furies high-fives, while the Furies grin at Hades, as he frowns without our children seeing his expression. I guess after centuries of sorting souls, you get tired of it and it feels more like punishment. Poor Hades.
"Have a good visit, Little Royalties." Megaera says and they awe as Marcus and Savannah hug them. They might be children of the Underworld, but they're so happy and friendly. Must be thanks to me. I look at Hades and see him trying not to dread the fact he has to come back to work. He meets my eyes and seems to think more positively.
"A family business." He says softly so only I hear.
"That's it." I say and kiss his cheek. Marcus and Savannah wave goodbye to the Furies, looking up at us, ready to go.
Hades and I take their hands and teleport to my parents' foyer. I really should call ahead rather than assume they're doing nothing, waiting for me. For all I know, they could be having a dinner party, or a book club. Not that my mother ever joined a book club. She might join Tupperware… that I could see.
I hear some footsteps from the kitchen, coming out to the foyer and see my mother taking off her apron with a smile.
"I thought I sensed someone at the door." She says and I arch an eyebrow at her and then she laughs. "I'm kidding. We installed a camera at the door so we'd know when you drop in." She adds and I laugh awkwardly. My mother looks down at my children and gasps a little. "Oh my, they've grown so much. It's only been a week." She adds and they go to hug her, scanning the foyer, probably sensing where Grandpa is in the house.
"Human time, mother. It's more like yesterday to us." I say and she seems like she didn't hear me as she hugs Marcus and Savannah back. No doubt this has to be overwhelming for her; seeing her grandchildren go from baby-toddler to preschool-school age. Mortals have such short lives and these are the only grandchildren she has. She's seeing their childhood go by quickly and she might feel like she has nothing to contribute to their development.
That's probably what Rhea was trying to tell me. It's not just hard on our children, but on my parents.
Well, too late to do anything now.
"Oh, what a beautiful box." My mother says and Savannah repeats her story, practically word for word while her brother gives an eye open for Grandpa. And, as if on cue, my father walks in, his shirt a little dirty from spaghetti sauce, whipping a towel over his shoulder. Wow, my parents are cooking together.
"Wait, who are these kids?" My Dad asks, jokingly, but with real surprise at their growth spurt.
"It's Marcus and Savannah." Marcus says, going to hug him. I watch as my children interact with my parents and I can't help but feel happy. Screw what Rhea said. This needs to happen. It already did and I'm not preventing future moments like this.
"Oh, you grew so fast, I didn't recognize you." My father says, making Marcus laugh. He knows very well that my father was really stunned and is trying to cover it up. Savannah goes to hug him, leaving my mother to hug me and Hades, which was a little surprising.
"I hope you'll stay for dinner." She says and I expect Hades to say no in some way.
"We'd be happy." He says and I glance at him, at that little smile that has my mother totally charmed.
"Oh, perfect. I can't say that I have Gods over for dinner very often." She says and laughs, going to ask Marcus and Savannah if they want to help her prepare the table. They're delighted, of course. Hades meets my slight frown and his smile widens.
"Trying to avoid work?" I ask and he gives me a cheesy grin. "No wonder the Furies are furious with you." I add and get his real grin.
"Lame pun, Darling." He says and kisses my forehead before going to talk with my father. I really thought he didn't care much for my parents, but if he doesn't like them, he's hiding it very well. Very well.
I walk into the kitchen and help prepare the table. My mother used to correct my etiquette all the time, but now it seems the kids could put all the cutlery on the left and she wouldn't care. I should have had kids sooner. Man, she's mellowed out.
"So, how have you been?" My mother asks, taking out the homemade meatballs from the oven, checking on them as she gets the noodles to the al dente deliciousness. The sauce, as it seems, is ready.
"Busy." I reply, smiling as my babies sit at the table, having prepared the table. "Hades' Mom dropped in for a visit shortly after our last visit here." I add and she turns to me, taste-testing her meatballs. Her eyes wide, stunned. "Yes, Gods have mothers. She's a Titan. Nice, just a little intense." I say and she glances at my kids who are ready to eat, but at least they're polite about it.
"I sense you weren't thrilled about her." My mother says and I nod a little.
"She's very opinionated, which I understand, but she was pushing my buttons to see if she liked me." I say and she nods. "Hades and her had it out a little, which was necessary. I don't think those two saw each other much." I add, making sure I'm not being too loud for him to hear me.
"Well, that's good." My mother says, not sure what else to say. "What did she think of the little ones?" She asks, looking at them going through the stones in the gold box. I expect her to tell them to get that off her table, but she doesn't say a thing. I'm telling you, she's totally mellowed out. How is that possible in such a short amount of time? "Leland?" She asks and I give an awkward smile.
"She loves them. At first she was like a high-class snob, but she loves them. Everyone loves them." I reply and she's happy, putting her meatballs back in the oven for a little while longer, now testing her spaghetti.
"Are we going to have a party with Aunty Aphrodite?" Savannah asks and I realize I had nearly forgotten about that. Shit, another thing to do.
"Yes, I just don't know when." I say and my daughter is content with my answer.
"I want to meet everyone." Marcus says as he looks through the stones with one eye closed.
"Like who?" Savannah asks and they have their own conversation that makes me realize that mentally, they're developing faster compared to their physical growth. They're not going to be my babies for long. I'm going to miss this.
Fuck, I might want more kids just to hold onto that cute young stage. It's going by so fast.
"I'm surprised you're staying for dinner. I know you need food from where you live, especially the children." My mother says, showing me a bit of the woman I know to be my mother.
"They need to know their grandparents and I think we need this after Hades' mother driving us up the wall." I reply and I mother is totally content. I sort of expected her to feel like a resting place for in our divine lives, but she's not insulted at all.
"Well, one can be born in a family, but love is what makes a family." My mother says, making my children stop and pay attention. At that moment, my Dad and Hades walk into the kitchen, smiling at Marcus and Savannah sitting at the table already.
Yeah, this family has lots of love. My friends are family. The Underworld is family. Family is home, where there's love. Rhea might be Hades' mother, our children's grandmother, but I'm not sure about how she fits into our family beyond that. I know she loves Hades and our children, but actions speak louder than words.
It's hard to say.
"Are we ready for dinner?" My mother asks and we all look at the two munchkins already at the table. They look up at my mother and smile, making us all laugh. My parents sit at the ends, leaving Hades and I to sit across from each other, each beside our children. Savannah puts the box under her chair, with my help, and we begin passing around the spaghetti. Marcus and Savannah are excited to eat at their grandparents. I just hope it doesn't make them sick. I glance at Hades to see him unconcerned, so maybe it's nothing. Maybe we'll just feel like this I just a snack, the real nutrients coming from Home. Good enough for me.
It's a quiet family meal with small talk. Everyone is happy.
And, like perfectly awkward timing, just after the Furies had estimated the power of my children, I look at them, feeling like I'm picking up on something. I think their personalities are settling. Marcus is somewhat of a Momma's boy, a shit-disturber, thoughtful and fascinated by the Underworld, naturally. Maybe I don't have him all figured out yet, but I'm his mother and I feel like he's going to be witty like his father, handsome like his father, but kind and gentle like me.
I glance at Savannah and know she's independent. It's funny how that one word seems to represent all of her. She's smart, strong and ready to try new things. She's fearless.
Now this one is going to be like her father, just taking her looks from me.
At that moment, Savannah looks up at me as if she knows I'm staring at her. Her beautiful frosty eyes glimmer when she smiles. I smile down at her, letting her know nothing's wrong.
"We're having a family reunion tomorrow that we weren't thinking of going to. But now that you're here..." My mother says and I look at her, sort of speechless. I don't remember the last time her side of the family came around. Since she married my father, her family seemed to cut their ties with her. My father's family are just too busy with their riches to have family reunions. "You haven't seen your Aunts and Uncles since you were a couple years old." She adds and that explains the lack of memories.
"Why now?" I ask and she looks at my father, not sure how to answer my question. "Mom?" I ask and my Dad clears his throat, taking the spotlight.
"Your mother's family was always good at making up rumours." He says and my mother frowns at him, unimpressed. "I guess they heard you went missing and now they are throwing this reunion, probably thinking that you're a rehab junkie. They like to stick their noses in other people's sh-" he adds and my mother gently tosses her napkin down.
"What your father is saying," she says, cutting him off just before he impresses me with the word shit. "Is that they sent me an email, thinking it's about time we reconnect and build bridges." She adds and I actually let out a laugh. Build bridges after they burnt them? Just the sound of it is too hilarious to take seriously.
"See?" My father asks. Since meeting Hades, my father has seem to relax more. He's way more fun. My mother glares at me and looks back at me. "They just want to see Leland and know our business. We shouldn't go. None of us are ready for this." My father says, getting her attention and this pissed off expression on her face. "What are we going to say? Yes, our daughter ran away, but she didn't run into drugs, she ran into the Underworld, into the arms of a Greek God. These are their kids, also Gods. Did we mention Leland is a Goddess now? Yes, they rule the souls of the dead and one day, we'll all be in the Underworld." My dad concludes, rather making a good point despite what my mother thinks.
"I know it's going to be hard, but we can't just cut off all connections to people because our daughter is a Goddess." My mother says, not really winning the battle although it's kinda true.
"Your family, yes we can." My father replies, making me hide my smile. "They never reached out to you until now. Why? Because they think our daughter is a junkie hooker somewhere and they want to know all about it." He concludes and I frown a little. Now I'm a hooker?
"Have you thought that maybe I want to prove them wrong?" My mother asks, not surprising me. She was always about showing and telling. I have been more the type to not give a shit what others thought.
"If I may interject." Hades says, only getting this somewhat impatient look from my mother. However, she lets him. "Leland and I would without difficulty be able to convince them of a story that explains her sudden disappearance. On the other hand, our children being much older than possible considering the timeline won't be so easy." He adds and my mother looks down at her plate as if slightly disappointed.
I understand what she's saying. Her family just wants to know about me because it's like real-life soap operas. It's juicy drama for them. To show them that I'm not a junkie or a hooker would make her feel satisfied to see their faces shocked, knowing they got it all wrong. I just don't care about any of it.
Hades looks at me and I know what he's thinking.
This is my decision.
So, do I want to help my mother to show her family or do I just continue not to care?