Philotes stopped and looked at him, a long, wondering just where that assessment had come from. She wanted to demand how he'd come to that conclusion since he'd barely been down here long enough to make his presence known. She wanted to defend her home, her family, and her way of life, all of which he'd attacked in his little rant just now. But she didn't. Not immediately. For once, Lottie held her tongue and considered what she was going to say next. Because this was important.
“You're wrong,” she told him after a long moment. Probably not the best place to start, but she'd always been a horrible liar. And lies would help none of them right now. It was best to just lay things on the table, as it were. He certainly hadn't hesitated to do so.
“You're wrong about a lot of things,” Lottie continued. “My home is not a mess. My family are not unimportant divinities that should be forgotten, belittled or dismissed. They are the foundation on which you and your siblings are intending to build your grand kingdoms, and it would be a very grave mistake to dismiss them that way. The way your brothers seem to be doing. My mother is Night, my father is Darkness. My brother, Aither, is the air they breathe on that mountain, my sister, Hemera, is the brightness of the day. My siblings are Sleep, Death, Pain, and the Fates. How long will you, any of you, last without their support if you alienate them?
“Just because you are displeased with the kingdom you have been given, does not mean you should take it out on the people who live there, people who are independent and self-sufficient. Because we have had to be. Because you are wrong about something else: we did not have a king. We had some petty Titan that called himself king and did nothing for or with us. Do you want to be the petty Olympian that calls himself king and does nothing for or with us either? Or do you actually want to be a god that leads the people that live in the Underworld?
“You have not been here long enough,” she argued, her voice still calm and reasonable, “to know if we are a barely functional mess or not. You are judging before you have had a chance to get to know who we are or how things work. You are coming in with a heavy hand demanding change before you even ask us if we are willing to make those changes for you. If you walk into a situation looking for a fight, how long do you think it will take before you are given one? You are all but daring them to challenge you, claiming you'll take on all comers, instead of trying to start off on the right foot. You can win without making it a fight.
“Look.” Lottie sighed, looking away for a moment, then back at him. “Some of them are going to be difficult. It's in their natures, it's how they function, but that doesn't mean they won't or can't be loyal if you give them the opportunity. You have had to fight, because you didn't have a choice. But you do now. You have a choice. You have a chance. A chance to do something really fantastic, really great, here. Something unprecedented. Something I don't think either of your brothers could manage, but I think you can.
“You can rule them. You can be their king. Not because they fear you. Not because you force them. But because they want to. Because they respect you. Because together, the sum is greater than it's parts, it's more than them, it's more than you, it becomes something that all of us can be proud of. You can be a king they can be proud of. And this place is not yours yet. You haven't earned it yet, any more than your predecessor did. Just because it was given to you by someone that has no say in what happens here, doesn't make it yours. You will do that, by your actions and how you treat people. Be strong. Be firm. But also be reasonable. And always remember, we were here first and we are owed respect if only because we are living beings, and all living creatures deserve that.”