Before they started to walk off, Harmonia gave one last order over her shoulder, “tell Cadmus where we've gone so he doesn't fret. Please.” For all that she may not have wanted the husband she had, or the child growing within her, she didn't wish him to worry needlessly either. He was a kind man, which partially made up for the complete lack of physical attraction she had toward him. Telling Eichon to inform his King preemptively avoided Cadmus from pacing and wondering if she'd finally abandoned him in her misery and taken their unborn child with her. Telling him exactly where she was going also provided the option for him to go see for himself that she'd not left for good.
It was a valid fear and Harmonia knew that she hadn't done much to prove that she would never just abandon him outright. It was far too late to get out of it honorably now and no matter how much she hated her new life thus far, she could not bring herself to dishonor him so. He'd done nothing to deserve it. He'd not even requested a bride of Zeus, that was her grandfather's own decision. When she got back to Olympus, she was going to have a bone to pick with him about using her as a solution to resolving a debt. Later, though. Much later. Harmonia certainly couldn't go now, not while carrying a mortal child. It would be mortal, wouldn't it?
As they walked through the market toward the edge of the city, she said quietly, “things have to change, Lottie. I know.” With each person that got near, a greeting was spoken to her and Harmonia knew that her smile was forced, but the people deserved at least that much from her. She couldn't give them genuine happiness. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. But they deserved a smile.
“I can't hide away in my rooms forever. It's not good for anyone,” she nodded to the elderly woman who was smiling at her. Where was she from? Thebes was a very young city. Many of the residents were either nearby country folk or transplants from another city. “But my strength and courage has abandoned me. I fear everything. Nothing is familiar. I don't know how to do this...”
Suddenly a young child was beside them. Harmonia smiled at her as best she could and kept moving forward, but the child kept in step. “Any of it, Lot...” she continued but was interrupted by being cut off by the child who stood in front of them, smiled up at the two goddesses and held out a wheeled clay horse attached to a thin rope.
Harmonia stopped and looked from the child, to the toy, to Philotes and back. What did she do now? What did the child want with the toy that it was being held up? “I...” Again her eyes went from the child, to the toy, to Philotes and back to the child. “I don't understand.” The people were watching, she could feel it even without seeing them. If she did something wrong or made the child cry, somehow, she was going to bring unnecessary trouble onto her husband. She had hoped that Lottie would have had something sweet or eloquent to say, but before anything further could be said, the child lifted the toy a bit higher and said, “for the baby.”
Something in her tightened just a bit, though Haromina wasn't sure what exactly it was. But it had her clenching onto her best friend just a little tighter for support. What now?