Vetiver looked over all of her options carefully. If she were to have a bedazzled Switch to her liking, she would have to choose wisely. Her greatest fear, thinking a design is cute then later having regrets.
She groaned, figuring out that she couldn't make up her mind. "Maaamaaaa. This is hard…" She pouted as she complained.
Audrey, who was handling a rather large pink opal, blinked and looked at her. "Do you need some help with the gems or the design?" She asked, smiling before she looked down and placed the opal within the center of the back of the switch.
Vetiver kept her pout as she looked down at her blank game. "I can't decide and I can't choose and I can't think. So many ideas, but none of them are right." She said with a grumble.
Audrey nodded before waving her hand as she made a small pile of diamonds in every color appear. "Well, you could pick what you like from the pile and I can pick some gems that would look good with it. After that, we just need a design." She said, getting up to go retrieve something while she set her own switch on the table.
Vetiver smiled at the piles before glancing around the room. "Yeah. A design. The very thing I am sucking at right now."
Audrey chuckled at that as she walked back with a large drawing tablet. "It just depends on what you like. I did mine in flower designs using pink gemstones and I'm planning on doing Heidi's with flames in mostly shades of blue." She said as she turned the tablet on and picked up the stylist that was attached to it.
Vetiver blinked in thought...then confusion. "...What do I like? I...I like a lot of things. I like animals and fish and flowers and...and clouds and bugs and colors. Don't forget things like the stars and ice and…" The girl said as she continued to speedily ramble in a panic.
Audrey shook her head in amusement before calming down the girl with her magic. "Hey, why don't you google a few things while I sketch something up? You can then pick what you like better. Sound good?" She asked while tilting her head.
Vetiver froze before smiling as she calmed down significantly. "Okay, mama." She said with a nod.
Audrey handed the girl her phone before turning her attention back to the drawing tablet and continuing on what she was working on.
Vetiver searched through the web by use of Audrey's phone. She looked around before saying, "I can always go with flowers. Flowers have never let me down." She began to talk to herself. Then she saw another picture. "Ooh! A butterfly! I can do butterflies! Oh, wait. What about bees? I love bees. Hm." She tapped her chin. "Wow, look at that peacock pattern..! But I still want the bees...then there are the butterflies...Ah! I'm not even to the food category before I got myself confused! I hate choices!" She said dramatically before flopping backward on the bed.
While Audrey speedily designed, there was a yawn from the 'Kirby Corner' before the boy himself awoke and rubbed at his eyes. "What's goin on?" He asked in a sleepy manner.
Vetiver answered in exasperation. "Bedazzling Nintendo's. Now, allow me to be dead in peace." Her arm lazily fell over her eyes.
Kirby blinked in confusion as he got up and walked over before climbing on the large bed. "Can I get mine in gold with diamonds?" He asked in a casual manner while going to grab a pillow.
Audrey looked up with a smile. "Same pattern as usual?"
Kirby sleepily nodded as he nabbed a pillow and laid down. "Yeah…" He said as though he was about to doze off again.
Vetiver scoffed at that. "Patterns!? P-p-p-p-patterns!?" She asked again in a horrified manner.
Audrey nodded with a smile. "Yeah, we designed a pattern for Kirby's collar and now he just likes it on everything." She answered, not looking up from her tablet.
Vetiver cringed at that. "But...patterns are the same thing over and over again. There's nothing new. Very repetitive…" She thought for a moment.
"They look cool in gold…" Kirby mumbled out as something appeared in his hand. Lifting it up, it ended up being one of his collars. "See? Flattering pattern with diamonds and everything." He said, showing off the, admittingly, beautiful collar.
Vetiver looked at the pattern with a raised eyebrow before nodding. "It is good looking, sure. But I prefer something more...diverse." She flipped through the phone.
"Diverse makes it hard to pair with…" Kirby said in a yawn while stretching out on the bed.
Vetiver nodded at that point. "True. Very true. Hey! Why are you talking sense into me!" She said with a pout and a giggle.
"Heidi always told me to fix fashion disasters before they crash into you. Though, she was mostly referring to jewelry and dresses...Not bedazzled game systems." Kirby explained with a small shrug.
Vetiver blinked at him before saying, "Huh...maybe I should just see what mom came up with. Hey, mama, did you get anything yet?" She asked curiously before sitting up.
Audrey didn't answer for a moment before smiling. "Annnd, done." She said as she laid down the pen and stood up.
As the woman made her way over, Kirby yawned before slowly dozing off. Once Audrey noticed him, she giggled. "You would think Heidi was running him wild...not taking him through IKEA." She said in amusement.
Vetiver tilted her head. "Wow. I guess he's gonna miss both lunch and dinner then. I'll just have to eat with him tomorrow. Gotta keep my promises." She said with a shrug.
Audrey sat down before placing the tablet in front of the girl. On the tablet was a design of what appeared to be a field of multicolored roses with a large rainbow one in the center. Small butterflies were scattered about in every color while the sky, which appeared to be of a sun setting, was in hues of pink, orange and red as a few petals blew in the wind.
Vetiver looked at it blankly before saying, "...Oh...Why didn't I think of that?" She tilted her head before smiling.
"You were thinking too much," Audrey said with a giggle before taking the tablet back.
Vetiver grew a small smile before scratching her head. "Yeah, I guess I was a little...design happy." She chuckled.
Audrey shrugged as she looked over the design again. "Oh, it's fine. If I didn't add roses to most of my things, I probably would have done the same." She said with a smile.
Vetiver giggled. "Panic time is over! Time to make the real thing!" She said before getting to work on the piles of gems.
Audrey nodded as she summoned more piles in each color. Getting off the bed and dragging a chair over, the woman sat down and smiled at the girl. "Just pick out whatever catches your eye and I can make more of it."
Vetiver nodded while keeping her eye on the game. "Okay, mama. Oh. If I stop talking for a bit, don't be scared! I'm just in the zone." She said with a smirk as she bedazzled her game.
Audrey chuckled before grabbing her own switch and getting back to work on it. "Fine with me. I have to finish mine and then move onto Heidi's. Wonder when she's gonna return?" She asked aloud while tilting her head.
Vetiver shrugged at that. "I have no idea, but the longer she takes the more awesome you can make the switch!" She smiled.
"Oh, good idea. Maybe I can even customize the buttons." Audrey said with excitement in her voice.
Vetiver nodded at her mother. "Now, that's it!" She smiled brightly. "Okay. I'll shut up now." She said, keeping her smile.
"I don't mind chatter, I just have to come up with button colors now…" Audrey said, gaining a thoughtful look before smiling and returning to her switch.
"Blue and gold!" Vetiver shouted out the first two colors that came to mind.
"Ooh! I like that!" Audrey exclaimed happily before putting down her switch and running off to go find Heidi's.
Vetiver smiled at that. "Ahh...I'm a genius...and I love it." She said before continuing her work with a smirk.
88888888
It was so early that the sun hadn't risen yet. That's how early it was. Hazel actually woke up before the current time. She woke up an hour before. Because she couldn't sleep, she was outside, on the lower part of the hill, waiting for the sun to rise.
Hazel took deep breaths as she looked up at the many stars. She frowned just looking at them. Once upon a time, She had a fear of the dark. Now, she's just not sure. Especially since her temporary 'battle mode's powers have a lot to do with the dark.
Instead, she decided on closing her eyes. She would wait for the sun with her eyes close to keep her mind off of the night sky. She has enough problems. Thankfully, this helped her to clear her head. It continued to help once she moved into a meditative state.
Minutes passed before there was a soft rustle nearby and the sound of somebody approaching echoed in the area while the person themselves stayed silent.
Hazel, whose concentration broke, turned around as her glowing eyes looked around the sloped area. She stood defensively as she continued to look around.
"Sorry, I stepped on a stick…" A voice said softly before the person peeked out from behind the bush the reveal that it had been Heidi.
This causes the glowing eyes girl to blink before saying, "Oh. It's just you." She said casually before turning away and sitting back down.
Heidi shrugged at that before walking over and sitting down next to her. "So, why are you up? I couldn't sleep." She said, resting her lightly glowing face on her knees.
Hazel's eyes changed a few colors before she said, "Same. I've been up for the past hour."
"I haven't slept a wink. Went out to catch Pinky...and I've been out here since." Heidi responded with a small sigh.
Hazel nodded at that. Feeling that Heidi's reason for not sleeping is private, Hazel adjusted herself to a more comfortable position. She turned her attention back up to the stars with a slight frown.
A minute or so of silence passed before Heidi let out another sigh. "Um...Do you think I could talk to you about something?" She asked in a hesitant tone.
Hazel blinked before looking at her. She looked around for a few seconds. "...Um, sure." She said with the smallest of smiles.
Heidi glanced up at the sky before looking down. "Something has been bothering me for the longest time...and the kids convincing me to take them shopping only made it worse." She began with an upset look on her face. "So...I was out chasing Pinky because she was using her powers on me...and she just said that I needed to calm down, called me a mama bear." Her eyes dimmed a bit as she looked at her knees.
Hazel tilted her head before asking, "I'm not sure I see the problem." She shook her head the slightest.
Heidi wiped at her eyes and shook her head. "I...It triggered something. I just stopped and froze while she flew off. I...don't like the title mom or mother…" She looked at Hazel with a sniff. "Mainly 'cause I didn't want kids. I-I don't think I do at least..." She whispered out with watery eyes.
Hazel slowly nodded. "Oh...that explains it…" She looked back at Heidi. "You didn't want kids? Then...why are you having them?"
"A-Audrey wanted one so bad...so I figured I could manage one at least and fake it," Heidi admitted with a shake of her head.
Hazel sighed at that. "Oh, Heidi. Raising kids is a team effort. If your heart's not in it to win it, your kids might end up screwed up...like me." She said the last part with exasperation.
Heidi held back a soft sob. "I-I never wanted kids...not after I failed to take care of my own sister. I could have done so many things...y-yet I left her with a woman that manipulated and tried to use her." She said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Hazel nodded at that. "I understand that. You feel like you've failed her."
"I-I did...I could have burned that old crone's house down and given her a life with a parent that a-actually loved her." Heidi said while wiping at her tears to no avail. "I-I didn't...I did nothing…"
Hazel said nothing. She didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could say. However, that didn't stop her from opening her arms and offering a hug.
Heidi looked up before pulling her into a large hug. "I-I could have given my only baby sister a good life...But I didn't and I live with the fact that a demon raised her. Why...Why should I have a kid when I couldn't even care for my own sister?" She asked softly before breaking into a sob.
Hazel glanced at Heidi before calmly looking back up at the sky. She patted the woman up. "Heidi, if there is one thing that I've learned through life is that we can not change the past and...that the past is better unchanged." She says softly in a comforting tone.
"B-But I can't b-be a parent...I can't. Audrey visited and cared for babies...the most I did was watch the one in my life fall to darkness. I come from a line of people that shouldn't have kids...and history is just repeating itself." Heidi whispered out with a quiet whimper.
"Heidi, listen to me," Hazel said as she parted a bit. "You can and will be a great parent only if you believe that you have the power to become one. You do come from a line of people that shouldn't have kids. That's true, but for the sake of your family, you need to be determined to be the first to do right." She says in a motherly tone before patting Heidi on the back with a smile. "I really think you can do this, Heidi."
"I-I can't...I should just throw myself in the Styx. That's where people are thrown when they have nothing, nobody...because being this parent will just make me only lonelier once everyone leaves…" Heidi managed out with watery eyes as she sniffed.
Hazel tilted her head at that. "What do you mean?"
"P-P-People you thought knew you...just leave when you are a parent. I have almost nobody...a-and I can't survive losing what little I have." The goddess whispered out while her tears seemed to multiply.
Hazel frowned deeply at this. "Heidi...You have me. You have Ara. What are you talking about..?" She asked in confusion.
"I-I only have three...counting Terra, that probably won't leave me...Everyone else is either gone...or going to be gone once the hype dies down." Heidi said while lowering her gaze and burying her head in her arms.
Hazel slowly shook her head. "...I'm not sure I understand…"
"You three...won't leave because I am only a parent and nothing more...but I am just a parent to everyone else. Not Heidi, not the daughter of Hades, just some chick with kids! And those people are the first to go in a group…" Heidi said with sadness lacing her tone.
Hazel nodded in understanding before playing with her fingers. "...They don't know you like we do."
"T-They probably just see me as everyone else does...scary and can barbecue you if you upset m-me...A mini version of my father...The woman who saved a princess but probably spelled her...and overall a menace who is destructive." Heidi mumbled with a sniff.
Hazel quickly shook her head. "Nah. That's not it. We're not from your world. Before we ran into you, we didn't even know gods were so close to humans."
"It doesn't matter...nobody wants to b-be friends with this." Heidi said, referring to herself as her hair glowed.
Hazel blinked before sighing. "Being honest, Heidi. I just don't think they are focused on you like that." Hazel said as she thought. "Crazy things have been happening around here lately. There is no peace. Something is always happening."
"Y-Yeah, but I'm nobody. They shouldn't have to focus on m-me...They have their own friends." Heidi said with a shake of her head.
"There's a saying." Hazel started. "You've got to put something in it...to take something out of it. If you want to be noticed, you've got to do something."
"It wouldn't work for me...Audrey is the social butterfly...me?" Heidi lifted her head up and gestured to her glowing skin. "I-I'm a freak. Nobody wants to interact with a weirdo when they could talk with a perfectly normal individual. Not to mention...they just see me as someone on Ama's level or something." She said with a head shake.
Hazel tilted her head the other way as she parted from Heidi. "This is all very weird to me. We thought you were trying to separate yourself from us." She said with a blink.
"I didn't...If I was trying to do that...I wouldn't be sitting here." Heidi said with a sniff as she closed her eyes and wiped at her tears. "I-I try to join things but you have your world...and I am not in it."
"Heidi, you've got to make your way in it." Hazel said as she punched her palm. "Here's how our group works. You get out attention, spend time, and bond with everyone. Only if you have a bond with everyone, will you truly feel like you belong. You need to be friends with everyone." She explains. "This is a family too. It's a family that Ara and I have made since we all have never had our own. Families take work and we don't just let anyone in...we have trust issues." She shakes her head. "We let you in, now it's time for you to build the bonds. I'm not saying be like Audrey. Try to at least wave at someone once a day."
"Y-You think I haven't tried the little things? Sometimes I get a response with a nod or a smile...b-but most of the time they are focusing on, guess what, Audrey. I can't do anything if they'd rather hang out with a princess instead of the terrifying-looking woman she's married to." Heidi said, miserably shaking her head.
Hazel nodded as she processed this information. "Do you want me to let you in on a secret?"
"I-I guess...I doubt it will help me from not being socially repulsive." Heidi said with a soft hiccup.
"If you haven't noticed, the ones who like Audrey the most are the boys." Hazel said to her. "The girls? Not really. They like Audrey, but the boys love Audrey. It's because every single one of them never had an active mother figure in their lives and Audrey reminds them of what being around a caring mother feels like."
"It's a princess thing…" Heidi mumbled out with a shaky shrug.
Hazel shrugs. "I'm a princess. Ara's a princess. Do we get that? No! We get 'Hey, guys. You wanna go to the skate park and catch some air time?' Audrey gets 'yes ma'am's and good behavior." Hazel said with a shake of her head As she made her best boy voice.
"Funny how I usually get neither and I'm the Princess of Hell. T-Though...I guess the name is a dead giveaway that I am probably out to retrieve doomed souls or something for my father." Heidi said with a shake of her head.
Hazel winced before saying, "As I said. Stick to the smiling, waving, and even saying hello. I don't know why you don't think it's working. Chirpy and CJ really seem to like you. When was the last time you've spoken to one of them?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Heidi shook her head. "IKEA made everything a big blur…" She said with a look of almost shame entering her eyes.
Hazel shrugged. "I'm gonna jump on a limb here and say...not recently." She folded her hands. "Why don't you try visiting one of them? That's what friends do. They go in hopes of hanging out." She said with a smile.
"But I don't even know what to do. It just gets...awkward." Heidi said with a shake of her head.
Hazel tilted her head. "But the last time you and CJ hung out it wasn't awkward at all. Ara told me. She was in a distant tree with her spyglass." She chuckled.
"All I did was tell her how Audrey and I ended up married, nothing else really." She said while looking away for a moment. "And...I can't just go and babble on about everything that happened to me and think it will work out well...Even though I tend to babble in awkward conversations…" Heidi said with a soft sigh.
Hazel nodded before saying, "Then, you let her speak this time. Believe it or not, that's bonding." She smiled. "You tell her something about you, she tells you something about her. You keep doing that and she'll be as close as you and me." She gestured to herself and Heidi.
"B-But what if it just ends up being one of those awkward silences? I wouldn't know how to even start that without babbling off for an hour about something completely irrelevant." The goddess said with a sigh.
"Chirpy? Maybe. CJ?" Hazel chuckled a bit. "Sorry. It's just...CJ and silence don't belong in the same sentence. She is a huge extrovert. Awkward silences are never a problem with her. Usually, it's ear overload." She said with a smirk.
"I made it awkward last time and just started yakking on...Who's to say that good ol' Heidi's social repulsiveness, won't do it again?" The bluenette asked with a worried look.
Hazel waved it off. "Ah, Heidi. You've just got to get in the swing of things, and I of all people know it's not easy to deal with others. Don't worry. You'll be buried in hugs in no time." She explained softly. "Besides, that was only your first time talking to her. She hasn't had time to warm up yet. Don't be too eager though. Once you get her started, it's hard to get her to stop." She chuckled before bringing Heidi into another embrace.
"Y-You must have forgotten the chatterbox I call a cousin...Hermes doesn't shut up for days sometimes." Heidi said with a shaky chuckle. "Yet I still usually listen...mainly because he's a fun trickster."
Hazel chuckled once more. She thought for a moment. "Start slow, alright? I mean, for both of your families. Get a feel for things." She explained. "If you want to get noticed more, start small. Speak to the people who have taken an interest in you. If they like you enough, they'll share their interest with their friends. When everyone's interested in you, that's when you'll see some changes." She said, referring to the group.
Heidi nodded in a shaky manner. "O-Okay. But that doesn't change the fact that...I'm not the type to be a parent and, besides Audrey, I doubt anyone will help...My dad is afraid of kids under the age of ten, Persephone is a bonafide puppy mom to hundreds, I wouldn't trust most of the idiots up on Olympus to be within ten feet, and...I highly doubt my therapist Aunt could do anything besides throw emotion pillows at me." She said with a small smile at the end before shaking it off.
Hazel's eyes flashed white before she shook whatever feeling she felt away. She shook her head one more time before speaking, "Well...Ara is...terrible with kids in general, but loves them. The fact that Ara is awful shows that Chirpy would be awesome. The boys, not mature enough. Chester is good if you hide his phone. Susanoo is an experienced father. My mom is the good parent. You have...a few good options." She said, purposefully excluding herself.
Heidi nodded before looking at her. "And I bet you are like my dad...Just an inner gut feeling. My dad would rather jump out a window straight into a lava lake than even discuss the subject. That's why Persephone chose the puppies instead because my dad is the biggest chicken ever…" She said with the smallest of smiles before shaking her head.
Hazel looked at her before turning her attention to the lightening sky. "I am." She shook her head. "The sad part is...I love kids. I just can't be in the same room as them."
Heidi nodded in understanding. "At the moment...I can't even look at Audrey without turning tail. I know we had to drag my father out of the Underworld just to meet his granddaughter...because he said he was gonna stay back in Hell. Mal requested it though...so my chicken of a father stared down a kid that ended up adoring him at first sight." She explained softly.
Hazel nodded at that before looking up at the sunrise. "Well, that's good that he got rid of that." She said as she watched. "He got farther than what I would have before passing out." She shrugged.
"Hazel...Mal's daughter is the only exception. Babies...paralyze him. You should have seen how he reacted when he uh...found out about Audrey. I mean he commented on the size, he has no filter, then he just paused and crashed into me. Almost like his brain shut down. He had been doing pretty well with Mal's kid before everything happened...yet he hasn't made a comment on if he is worried." Heidi said before sighing. "Probably the reason he's trying to hide out at a casino instead of being around others."
Hazel shrugged before folding her arms. "Well...I don't know, Heidi. He's your dad so you know him better than I do...what were we talking about before we got on this topic?" She asked as her eye color shifted.
Heidi shook her head. "Hazel...You know I can sense your emotions. You are doing exactly what my father does if he can't throw himself out a window. Trying to make me babble." She said in a gentle voice.
Hazel turned away from her with a frown and a fold of her arms. "I just don't see how this is about me now. This was supposed to be about you and good babysitters."
"I'm only concerned because...I can't change my father. I just can't. He's as stubborn as a goat and will do anything to avoid the topic. I...Don't want to see my friend end up like my dear old dad who nearly screamed like a girl when a baby grabbed his pinky." Heidi said with a soft sigh.
Hazel sighed before saying, "I'm probably worse than him to be honest." She shook her head.
"Hazel, my father heard Mal was coming down with her baby one time...and caused the entire Underworld to shake because he is such a chicken. Not to mention he probably fried hundreds of demons when he got angry and threw a fit. I had to slap him out of it, not like it stopped the shaking, but it did save a bunch of demons. Anyway...If my father could shake an entire realm out of sheer panic about a baby...then I think he takes the cake." Heidi said with a soft chuckle.
Hazel looked at her emotionlessly before looking back up at the sun. "My lifestyle as a child taught me to temporarily suppress my magic in, a not very healthy, but effective way. You've seen me do this once in your world. I either pass out or blackout. I'd rather pass. Who knows what kind of panic I am in when I blackout."
"As somebody who knows emotions, aka knows them like the back of my own hand, you had an emotion overload. Your powers are emotion-based, mine are, my father's definitely are, and speaking from experience...you can't stay on them and regret every single decision. I mean...I stole a kid's soul when I meant to steal something completely different. All because I wasn't concentrating and I was boasting a bit about how easy it was. It changed me, yes, but I didn't let it affect me negatively...instead, I just took the time to control my pride." Heidi shook her head. "Anyway...Whatever happened, and I'm talking my level of haunted by accidentally killing a kid, you can't let it take over. You let it take over and allow your emotions to take the wheel and...you'll end up like my father by choosing a lava lake instead of dealing with his emotions." She gently placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.
Hazel flinched at the touch at first before seeing Heidi and calming down. "I would much rather go my separate ways. You just...wouldn't understand." She looked down, playing with her fingers.
"Hazel...If I, the person who spent six years in Hell, the person who thought about doing the worst just because I wanted my father to be happy...not to mention the type of person who has failed many times to destructive results; can't understand you...there are only a few people who could and one is at a slot machine." Heidi whispered with a small smile.
Hazel shook her head before looking at her with wet silver eyes. "How could you understand me? You had a father. I survived alone. My room was a basement. I had no parents. I lived where I got beat up nearly everyday. I was hated because I had magic." She paused for a moment and took a shaky breath. "You wanted to destroy Auradon please your father. I wanted to destroy Auradon because I believed they deserved it." She said shakily, holding back her tears that threatened to fall.
"I...I only tried so hard to impress my father because...I thought it would make me feel better about my lack of a mother. I didn't think she was what she is...I just thought that she cheated my dad out of a huge deal and pissed him off. I didn't exactly have a room per say...mainly because he only made me a training room...and the looks and words were punches enough. I didn't go out much because I hated being called the demon child of Hades. Not to mention it...was never a good experience. Did I have magic? Yeah...But that equated no friends since heh...who wants to be friends with the girl who has Hades for a dad? Nobody. Not a single soul would look me in the eye because of what my father might do." Heidi admitted with a deep sigh. "And...I pleaded with my father to only go after Olympus...to leave everyone else out of it. He hated his brothers...not the Auradonians. He only hated the king and queen because they locked him up." She finished with a small shrug.
Hazel looked her up and down before saying, "You wanted to protect the Auradonians while I wanted to barbeque them." She shrugged. "You and I have always been on different pages."
Heidi shook her head. "When I was younger I...just went along and said destroy them since they locked my dad up. Then...I realized they had done nothing to me besides lock my father up. I...wanted to maybe pick a fight with the king and queen, but everyone else? They just...did nothing." She said softly while looking up as she laid down. "It just felt wrong to bring a war to a people that weren't apart of the first one."
Hazel shrugged before saying, "That's your story. I have mine. One thing for sure, we are too different to see eye to eye." She said while she looked away.
Heidi closed her eyes as she appeared conflicted for a moment before sighing. "...That isn't true." She said in a strained voice.
Hazel sighed for a moment. "Heidi just...think about it for a moment. We are completely the opposite." She said with a frown.
"No...There's something you don't know, and that's because I didn't know until my memory was restored." Heidi said with a troubled look on her face as she sat up.
Hazel sighed through her nose. "...What is that?"
"I...When I was in Hell, I fell to my darker emotions. I was dead, I hated everyone at one point...not just the gods. I always told myself, "First Olympus...Then I expand." and...I wanted to do what my mother is doing to my world. I wanted it all to be for whomever I loved and my true family. I was going to conquer using fear...my father's helmet. Then the gods would be able to abandon us, nobody would be able to. I...Almost became my mother over a few bad emotions. If Hermes hadn't thrown me into a wall...I would be where my mother is. Ruling through my own terrible way." Heidi explained, pain flashing across her face. "I didn't have a reason to hate the rest of the world...I just wanted them to...to suffer." She managed out, laying a hand on her head.
Hazel abruptly stood before she took a deep shaky breath. "Here is the reason why I can't be around kids. It's because I don't trust myself not to screw up anything since that's all I seem to do in life. I can even say that I hate myself to a certain extent. Now that you know, I have to prepare for the day." She said, preparing to teleport.
Heidi was up in less then a second as her eyes and hair glowed a bit with excess magic. "You are not a screw-up, you aren't. I don't care what you say, but in my eyes you aren't that screw-up. I tried to overthrow the planet because I was depressed and cranky. That is a screw-up...you aren't that." She whispered out, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder in order stop her. "I told you...I come from a line that shouldn't be parents...and that's because we are the greatest screw ups and idiots."
Hazel frowned, holding back tears. "You don't know what I was before I met you. There's a whole three sections of my life that, not only you, but my family don't even know of!" She said and turned away.
"Hazel, my family, my mother, father, everyone on Olympus, have done things that have gone down in history as being catastrophic. My father caused several plagues, my mother killed innocent out of greed, and I? I wanted to rule the world through fear! You may say that you are a screw-up, that you have done unforgivable things, but in my eyes, you are still better than my family will ever be." Heidi said with a serious look on her face. "You are not like any of the horrible people in my life, because they didn't feel regret about what they did."
Hazel turned back to look at her for a moment before her lip trembled. She looked down, trying to hide her tears. "...You mean that?" She asked in a whisper.
"As my oath as goddess of promises, I promise that I mean that with all my old lady heart and then some." Heidi whispered back with a gentle look in her eyes.
Hazel sniffed before giving her a shaky smile. "N-no one's ever told me that." She wiped at her eyes.
Heidi chuckled softly. "Well...I'd like to think that I'm not no one but that I'm one of a kind enough to be able to say that you are definitely not a screw-up. I could go on for days about why my family is full of the biggest screw-ups in Greek history, but you get the point." She said with a small shrug before bringing her in for a warm hug.
Hazel accepted the hug as she allowed a few tears to fall. "...I just...don't think of myself...as safe to be around...kids. I-I-I used to be like that...around people too, but I...learned how to put up with them...I view myself as dangerous and unstable." She said as she hiccupped and sniffed.
Heidi hugged her for a bit more before parting and shaking her head. "My dad is dangerous and unstable, you are far from that title. You...just have a fear. I have a fear of being a parent and you have the fear of yourself and what may happen. My dad has little to no fears that could cause his unstable personality, that's just who he is." She finished with a smile.
Hazel nodded as more tears fell. "I j-just don't know w-what to do...M-Minty t-told me t-that y-you m-may want me I-involved with yours b-but I j-j-just can't. N-not with this fear…! I-I'm s-sorry…" She said before she began to lightly sob.
Heidi nodded silently before bringing back into an embrace. "Audrey...She wanted to incorporate a part of your name as a sort of middle name. I'm not sure what else she has planned, I've been somewhat avoiding the subject, but knowing her...it'll be something special. I know I will have to face my fear whether I like it or not...but maybe I can help you with yours." She said softly, using a bit of calming magic to not only keep herself calm but to also help calm the crying girl down.
Hazel's crying had slowed down due to the magic. Eventually, she stopped, but had the deepest frown. "...W-What?" She asked, looking up at her.
"Emotions are my aspect and...if we can lessen your fear...maybe I can have you start out with small chats with Kirby. He has taken a liking to his child form due to Vetiver hanging around him. I think he honestly just wants a friend." She said before shrugging. "You can't hurt him, I should know since I raised him from birth and adopted him." She finished with a smile.
Hazel looked down before blinking. "...I don't know, Heidi. I don't think I'll be able to actually talk to him without bawling or passing out." She sighed as she hiccuped.
"Well...I could always join you. My powers can stop most emotion-related disasters and maybe a bit of company will make it easier. I promise you, though, that I won't let anything happen, if something does...you can turn me over to my father and he'll deal with me breaking a promise." Heidi told her with a gentle tone.
Hazel swallowed thickly as she thought. She closed her red eyes before saying, "Okay...I'll try." She said slowly before looking back at Heidi.
"I will help you with those emotions, okay? Maybe...it'll help me as well. That way I don't try to pull a dad move and throw myself into some lava." Heidi said with a bit of amusement.
Hazel gave her a small smile with a nod. "Okay...thank you…" She said, before hiccuping.
Heidi gave her a bright smile before tilting her head. "I was going to make myself some grilled cheese before I spotted you...if you want I can make you some. I find it's perfect after you can't sleep." She offered with a soft chuckle.
Hazel's smile grew before saying, "Sure, Heidi. I'd love to. Come on." She chuckled despite her voice wavering.
Heidi nodded before closing her eyes and teleporting them both in a blue flash of magic.
