There were so many things Persephone had left unsaid. Melinoe had been her second child, but the first that was truly hers. She'd grown so much and just been one of the most wonderful and fulfilling things in her life. She had made friends and she never appeared to be alone. Melinoe had been raised as an only child and as much as she loved her daughter, she worried.
She'd seen what siblings could do to each other. It was horrible and ugly, and she needed Melinoe and Makaria to get along, she just needed it, because she wouldn't be there to try and buffer it if it went the other way. She wouldn't be there to try and comfort one when the other one upset her. She wouldn't be there to discipline. Yes, that's what Hades would be for, but it wasn't fair to leave him completely alone with both of them when he had to juggle the duties of being king as well. He had to rule alone for most of the year.
The tenseness in Persephone's shoulders subtly eased out as Lottie continued to reassure her. She believed in her subjects, but there were only a select few she'd actually trust around her baby. It had nothing to do with disliking them, but more so the influence they would give to her child. Some couldn't help who they were or what they did. Lottie was a positive, warm center and if she couldn't provide the light in the gloom, she most definitely could.
"I would just like you to keep an eye on her. Offer companionship," she wanted to say to them, but bit her tongue. Hades had his own friends and could make his own decisions, but now that the anger was starting to fade out, she was starting to acknowledge what he'd been showing her all this time. There were so many faults she'd had to come to face, even if she still half-heartedly clung to the notion that she deserved all the freedom she'd taken in the early years of their marriage.
The truth was, she wasn't her father and she didn't want to be. She could change. She could make things work. She could be a better wife, a better queen, and a better mother. She could start now. They did, have an eternity after all. He'd put in an effort on his end and it was her turn to do the same.
"Just be yourself," she said finally. There wasn't really a way to wrap up all the great things Philotes had done for her since her arrival. She leaned forward wrapping her arms around her, content to feel her warmth and presence. "Being yourself is enough," she said genuinely.