InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Yummy!"

Lethe (oblivio) wrote in forgotten_gods,
@ 2009-03-14 15:03:00

Entry tags:

eris, lethe

Who: Lethe and Eris
Where: The Highway
When: Saturday morning
Rating: TBD

She'd put it off for as long as she possibly could. There had always seemed to be a good excuse for every time an opportunity arose. She hadn't known where Eros had taken her mother after he had snatched Eris out of her uncle's arms that night in Central Park, and while she could have inquired-- well, it was best not to interfere with whatever plans Athena had in mind. Or so she told herself. The same excuse had held after she had learned for certain that Eris had been delivered to her grandparents. They would punish her mother as they saw fit, and she oughtn't involve herself in the affair any more than she already had.

Then she had discovered her mother's punishment, some sort of binding in servitude to Marijuana, but who was to say Lethe would even be welcome at the Highway any more? Marijuana had been so kind to her, so understanding-- yet at the end of the day, she was still his killer's daughter. And for all his kindness, she could not forget poor Dave's frantic typed messages of that night and Tracer's clipped, sharp responses to her questions.

Still, Lethe couldn't quite banish the image of her mother as she'd last seen her - still, unconscious, almost frail-looking. The memory stirred some uncomfortable emotions that felt strangely close to guilt. And when Marijuana had told her she was welcome to visit any time... well, she couldn't justify delaying it any longer.

Perhaps what had kept her away more than anything was the fact that Lethe wasn't sure herself how she felt about the whole fiasco. She found she couldn't bring herself to hate her mother for what she'd done no matter how much she might be sickened and repulsed by the actions themselves. Eris acted on her nature, as ever she had. It didn't excuse what she had done, not by any measure, but it was who she was and Lethe had long ago resigned herself to that reality.

But how was she supposed to reconcile that Eris - the Eris who had lashed out at her pantheon and nearly caused Lethe to be erased, who had indirectly caused her daughter's death, had sent the Phonoi after her own sisters and after the very god who had given Lethe shelter - how could she reconcile that with the Eris who has borne her so long ago, the Eris who had held her so tight and so close amid the rubble and promised to protect her?

Thus it was with trepidation that Lethe stepped into the now-familiar shop, uncertain of what sort of welcome she would receive.

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touslejour
2009-03-16 07:55 pm UTC (link)

Lethe need not have worried.

"Lethe!" Called a shrill, uneven voice from an open door that led to the basement. Quick as a flash, Eris was racing up the steps, eyes wide and bright, her smile large and oddly inviting. She let out a cry of joy at the sight of her daughter and scampered with an uneven gate to lunge at the girl. Eris' thin arms twined around Lethe's shoulders tightly, and she pressed two kisses each to her cheeks. "My baby-" She cooed. "Oh, you did come! I am so happy to see you!"

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oblivio
2009-03-17 07:08 am UTC (link)

Taken by surprise, Lethe stiffened momentarily before tentatively returning the embrace. "Mother," she said softly.

Her last words to Eris had been ones of anger. The last time she had seen her mother had been when she and Morpheus had sought to capture her, an act more than one of Lethe's siblings would have seen as treacherous.

Eris didn't seem angry, though. On the contrary, she looked overjoyed.

But there was something different about her... something missing from her presence. It was weakened, diminished. Indeed, everything about Eris seemed smaller, although part of that might simply have been the new, slighter form she had adopted.

"How are you?" she asked carefully, after a slight hesitation.

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touslejour
2009-03-17 12:06 pm UTC (link)

If Eris even remotely noted that Lethe seemed at all uncomfortable, she made no effort to care, instead she squeezed her daughter a little tighter, and when she did withdraw, it was only enough so that they were not pressed together. She grinned madly at the question. It was true, she was weak. There was no power in her except for the most base healing and, of course, the unique signature that allowed her children to recognize her, to find her. She was glad that she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, though, if Lethe had been able to see the bruises on her arms from Wes' constant grabbing, her daughter might have worried.

"I'm fine, lovely." Eris said happily. "Peachy. But tired, and a little bored. Safe! But bored, yes. A good thing for the drug gods."

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oblivio
2009-03-17 09:25 pm UTC (link)

And she did seem it. Tired, but grinning despite her diminished presence. Lethe wondered what it was she'd been expecting. Anger? Resentment? Her mother was impossible to fathom. And when Marijuana had told her there'd been an incident-- well, perhaps she'd gotten used to expecting the worst.

She studied Eris' face uncertainly. "I heard... Marijuana said one of his mortals pushed you down some stairs."

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touslejour
2009-03-17 09:30 pm UTC (link)

"Is that what he's calling it?" Eris let out a barking laugh and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Nothing, sweet, nothing!" Why was she not telling Lethe all? Perhaps it was that teeny tiny piece of her that allowed her to love her children that seeked to hide the truth from Lethe. What could her daughter do if she knew that Eris was being mistreated, anyway? The other gods would say she deserved it. No, no, better to keep silent. Eris raised a hand to affectionately stroke her daughter's hair. "I'm alright, alright, fine. Just an accident. Tell me about you!"

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oblivio
2009-03-18 05:55 am UTC (link)

Her curious reaction brought a slight furrow to her daughter's brow. But Lethe had no reason to suspect any ill intent on Marijuana's part - indeed, he had told her himself that his mortals were under instruction not to hurt Eris, and that the one responsible had been punished. He'd been so apologetic.

A quiet nod. "Well, as long as you're alright."

It felt strange to be talking so... so normally after all that had passed in the last couple of months. On the other hand, what else was she supposed to do? Yell? Reprimand her mother? Justice had been done. Lethe had lost none of her disgust for Eris' crimes, but arguing further wouldn't undo them, and she doubted it would draw much remorse from the perpetrator.

"There's not much to tell," she continued with a shrug. "Somebody killed me. My river replenished by strength, and Mnemosyne's restored my memory. I don't think anybody at work noticed I was gone. One of the benefits of being so forgettable, I suppose."

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