I sigh and look at my mother, thinking about my own children. Many Gods thought for the longest time that Hades was this big heartless miserable guy. I expect some might think that's the same with my kids and the fact that my friends love my children because they see beyond that stupid stereotype makes me feel really great. I'm happy.
So, I smile at my mother, making my decision.
"We can't go with the truth, because telling you two that Hades is a God and that I became a Goddess was hard enough." I say and she smiles, knowing I'm taking her side on this one. "But, Hades is right; we can make a convincing story. It just might include me having children way early in my life with a guy that wasn't my boyfriend, making me sound like a total sleaze." I add and her eyes widen, looking down at my children, concerned with my language. Marcus and Savannah aren't fizzed. They know what I mean, since they're already way smarter than average kids.
"Steve wasn't taking the hint that you had already moved on. If they think he was always your boyfriend, it's not true." Hades says and I know this little lie makes him happy. He glances at my father who nods.
"We weren't taking the hint either, until Leland was pregnant with her new boyfriend, ready to elope if we didn't face the facts." My father says and I'm feeling so proud of him. He wouldn't have been like this before meeting Hades. "We realized our daughter was happy with this new guy who's name will have to be more modern or they'll think Hades is a gang name." He says and looks at a grinning son-in-law. "What about Hugh?" He asks and Hades actually goes blank. I know he doesn't like the name.
"We didn't saying anything, not because we were ashamed," My mother says, making me smile. "But because it wasn't their busy and Leland wanted just a small ceremony, wanting to focus on her pregnancy." She adds and glances at Hades who's liking this very much.
"I'm a successful guy, running a computer software business for other companies. Leland took a break from University, pampered with my riches." He says and I smirk because this is all sounding like exaggerated versions of the truth. It's kinda cool. Hades frowns a little at my mother, inquisitively. "Will your family actually want proof? Photos of my business, products, photos of our house, our cars, our vacations?" He asks and I know he's already thinking of making all that happen like it always existed.
"Probably." My mother replies and Hades looks at me, grinning.
"Your friends might want to join in on the fun." He says and I laugh a little, knowing he's referring to Aphrodite, Artemis, Phoebe, Asteria, Hecate, Persephone, Aura, Iris, the Muses, the list goes on.
"This does sound like fun." Savannah says and I look down at her, a little worried that my mother's family might catch onto the fact that my kids aren't normal, in the sense that they act older than they really are.
"Well, it might not be for you, my dear." My mother says, stroking Savannah's cheek. "These mortals are simple minded and you're much smarter than all of them put together." My mother says, making me laugh. Now that I never expected to come out of her. She looks at me and smiles.
"No, it'll be fun. Marcus and I can play a game." Savannah says and Marcus is excited to hear the details. "Who can fool the most people." She says and Marcus grins, agreeing.
"Well, what do you think?" Hades asks my mother and she smiles at him like she could hug him.
"We can work out the details after desert." She says, getting up, ready to collect our dishes. I help her and smile as both Marcus and Savannah help.
All we do is collect the dishes. My mother guides us in the direction of the fridge to pull out the desert. I point to the dishes on the counter, ready to purpose I help with dishes, but she just guides me out. Marcus and Savannah head out with a bowl of chocolate gelato, content to be bringing desert to their grandfather and father. My mother pushes me out, making it clear that I am not to do the dishes. I guess it would sound weird to her; a Goddess is washing her dishes.
So, I bring out two bowls, for Marcus and Savannah, and my mother comes out with a bowl for herself and me. I love gelato. I don't know why we don't have it in the Underworld. Probably because I never thought of gelato until now.
By time I start to eat my desert, Marcus is tempted to lick his bowl. He looks over at his grandmother who smiles at him.
"Come to the kitchen and we'll fill that bowl." She says, getting up with him. She hasn't even started her desert. Yeah, definitely mellowed out since becoming a grandmother. Then, Savannah goes into the kitchen to get more gelato. I glance over at Hades and we smirk.
"So they can eat our food?" My father asks, a little confused, remembering the last time we said they needed Underworld food. I'm sure he also remembers when I was pregnant, trying to eat at a restaurant with them.
"I guess." I say and he looks at Hades.
"It won't nurture them as much, but it won't hurt." He replies just as or kids and my mother come back from the kitchen with way more gelato than I ever would have had at their age. Well, when I was younger because they're not as old as they look. I'd feel a little envious if I wasn't happy that my children are seeing a more softer side of my mother than I did my whole life. If she had stayed that way, we wouldn't be here.
"So, Hades, have you visited with your family?" My mother asks and I feel a little panicked because I'm thinking she's trying to ask about his mother.
"No." He replies just so casually. However, my mother seems a little disappointed, not wanting to really let this go, but knowing that she can't push Hades into answers like she did me growing up.
"He's not very close with his siblings." I say and my mother nods, understanding. If answering for him upsets Hades, he doesn't show it. Of course he never would. I don't think he can ever get mad at me. When he did, it was because he was falling in love with me and he was angry at himself.
He meets my eyes and smiles, knowing very well I'm thinking of something.
Always.
"Will you sleep here the night?" My mother asks and I'm not sure how to answer that.
"I promised my associates that I would be back in the Underworld to work." Hades says, but then I sense he's going to add something due to that little smirk on his face. "But it can wait. We'll stay the night." He adds, thrilling my mother, but I know he's just weaselling his way out of work. I frown at him, but then look down at Marcus and Savannah, excited.
"A sleepover!" Savannah says which also thrills my mother.
My mother had prepared their guest bedroom into a room for our children and left my bedroom just the way I always had it before moving into my apartment. She gave us the time to settle in before going back downstairs into the foyer for some classic family game fun.
Marcus and Savannah are enjoying their room. It seems my parents anticipated them growing out of baby things, so they got a bunk bed and some toys for different ages. They're happy.
Hades and I are looking at my room. He's probably trying to figure out what kind of teenager I was while I'm reliving some old memories. I grin as I still have some Evanescence posters up on my closet door along with my tiger and unicorn posters. I even had ads from magazines that I liked and some Archie comic strips on my walls.
My dressers were still cluttered with figures, jewelry boxes and nail polishes. My drawers still filled with some clothes. My bed, still covered with lilac coloured sheets and my big throw blanket of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"So, what kind of teenager do you think I was?" I ask Hades as I look around my room. You'd never think I had moved out into an apartment; there's still so much stuff here. Unimportant stuff, I guess.
"The type that was trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs." Hades replies, pretty spot on I have to admit.
"Going to talk to the Furies?" I ask, turning my eyes to him. He smirks and pulls out his cell phone. "Yeah, or call them." I add and he smirks.
"No, I'm going to text them." He replies and starts texting.
"You can't just text them." I say and he grins, his thumb moving about so quickly, it's nothing but a blur.
"Just did." He says, showing me the text he had sent.
We will not be returning as promised due to an fulfillment to Leland's parents.
"Seriously?" I ask and go to take his phone, but he holds it away from me. I close the gap and try to yank it out of his hand, but he swings it behind his back, amused. "You can't just put it like that." I say and his grin becomes a sinister lustful smile.
"And how would you put it? Apologize?" He asks and I glare at him, unconvincingly of course, despite my efforts.
"We told them we would. Yes, I would apologize. It's the decent thing to do." I say and as I go to reach for his phone, he holds it above his head, way out of my reach.
Why am I doing this the hard way? I'm a Goddess for crying out loud.
So I will his phone in my hand which he catches onto rather quickly, but I hold out my hand to him, the other texting.
This is Leland. I'm sorry we can't keep our word. It came up and it's important. As soon as this is over, we will work as a family, longer than usual.
I actually texts just as fast as Hades and return his phone to him. He didn't even try to stop me, but as he reads the text, I see he wishes he had.
"Seriously?" He asks, staring at the text, his voice hinting at his disappointment of dreadfully longer time to work.
"Sorry." I say, getting a small grin out of him. Then I hear his phone buzz. I watch as he tries not to frown. "Let me guess, they're responding nicely thanks to me?" I ask and he tucks the phone back into his pocket.
"More like they responded just to you." He says and I laugh a little. "Yes, Milady. No problem, Milady." He adds, mockingly. I just can't help but laugh, getting a little smirk out of him.
"They probably do that just to spite you." I say and he nods in agreement with this exaggerated expression like Ah, no fucking shit. I grab him by the collar and bring his attention to me, to my seductive eyes and charming smile. Immediately, his chilled silvery blue eyes glimmer, making his eyes frosty and piercing. It runs a shiver of anticipation down my spine. "Did I tell you how much I love you?" I ask and he raises an eyebrow despite the delighted expression on his face.
"Where is this coming from? We go from talking about the Furies to you loving me with all your being, an endless love that makes hopeless romantics envious." He adds, making me laugh a little. "We have all eternity together. Telling me you love me isn't necessary. I feel it. I know it. However, I sense this is your way of saying your immensely happy that my relationship with your parents is going smoothly." He adds and I smile, nodding my head. "Well, they might be annoying at times, but I prefer them to my mother." He concludes and I frown a little. "Oh, she can't hear me. I'm fine." He says, reassuring me.
"She heard you last time." I say and then his expression goes a little blank.
"She'd hardly be insulted." He replies, realizing that I'm right and that he probably got himself into a heap of trouble with Rhea.
At that moment, Marcus and Savannah come into our room, a little concerned. Immediately I release Hades and go to fix whatever problem they have. I bent down to their eye level and reassure them with strokes and compassion.
"A bird hit our window." Savannah says.
"I think it's dead." Marcus says, not nearly as upset as his sister. I glance up at Hades who has this sinister glimmer in his eyes. I'm guessing this is what the Furies meant. We might be seeing their powers beginning to rise to the surface.
"We'll go outside and see." Hades says, following a rushing Marcus, already going down the stairs to the backyard where the bird probably fell just below their window, in my mother's flower bed.
"I know it's upsetting, but maybe there's something we can do about it." I say and Savannah nods her head, trying not to cry. I kiss her forehead, inspiring a little hope in this slight moment of despair. She takes my hand and we head out to the backyard.
As we reach the first floor, having to go through the foyer and the kitchen to go outside, my parents are curious as to what is going on.
"A bird hit the window and we're going to check on it." I say and my mother seems to want to add something, but hesitates. "They're children of Hades. They're going to know Death all too well." I add and look down at Savannah who doesn't seem upset anymore, like my little kiss of hope is indeed giving her hope.
"It's sort of morbid, isn't it?" My mother asks, trying to whisper but failing to notice that my kids are too smart for that.
"Not for us." I say and we walk out the door, outside and hear Marcus talking around the corner. We join him and their Daddy to learn that the bird is indeed dead. Savannah sighs, hope fading away.
"I was right." Marcus says and Hades looks at me with that same glimmer.
"It would appear our son can sense when something is dead." He adds, but I can't tell if he's being serious or sarcastic. However, judging by the pride on Marcus' face, I'm going with serious Hades.
Savannah lets go of my hand and looks at the bird with a slight pouty lip.
"It's not fair." She says and Marcus snorts, earning a frown from me.
"Savannah, death is not the end." Hades says, kneeling down beside her. "Death is a continuation, just in another form." He adds and I step beside her, a hand on her back, again giving her hope.
"Things die, Savannah." Marcus adds, sounding like a little expert. "Things aren't made to live forever; plants, animals and people." He adds and she sighs again, feeling that despair. Damn, she's a hard one when it comes to offering hope.
"I know. But it shouldn't have died that way." She says, staring at the dead bird.
"It's Fate." Hades says, getting her to look at him. "Sometimes, bad things happen, but life is a balance of good and bad. You can't have one without the other." He adds, also trying to offer her hope. Yeah, good luck with that. "It's seems like a cruel fate, but the Fates do everything with good reason." He says and I know where this is going. "It's a cruel fate that lead me to your mother." He adds and I know both Marcus and Savannah are intrigued to hear the story. I guess their old enough for it.
"That doesn't help with the bird." Savannah says, shockingly. I grin a little and kneel down beside her, whispering in her ear.
"So what can you do about it?" I ask her, giving her the hope she needs, as an independent girl.
The power of relying on her own ambition and possibilities.