Hestia (heart_h) wrote in olympian_rewind, @ 2009-07-20 21:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | children, dante lot, hades, hestia, tessia sloac |
Who: Hestia and Hades, co-starring the twins
What: Packing
Where: The former-Lot, still-currently-Sloac house
When: BACKDATED to July 18th, afternoon
Warnings: Emo, love, the usual.
The boxes were sitting round, sitting in tidy piles and lines while they were organized. And they all seemed to be glaring at Hestia. Or, it felt that way. She sighed as she pulled Eric off one -- for the hundredth thousandth time -- and compulsively straightened one of the boxes that contained Hades' items.
This was real. He and Zale were leaving. Last time, she had not been around for this part. Now she stood in the living room, hands a little sore from packing and adjusting and digging through other things for things lost, and stared at them with a mixed feeling of dread and hope. Hope because it meant that maybe, soon, they could be past all this drama and settle down to normal lives at least for a time, where he could smile again and she could feel like she'd done something good in this relationship. Dread because it meant she was putting aside what she really wanted to make the other happy, while she lived in a home that was too big for one adult.
Again.
It still wasn't straight. A bit lumpy at the bottom though, too much at the bottom and not enough in the top part of it. Depositing Eric in his playpen with his twin, she took the clothes out of the box and refolded them. Again.
Hades had had a long talk with Zale about what was going on the night prior, and an even longer talk to his sleeping sons, not that they would remember it or understand. Walking down the stairs, he paused at the bottom step, "You didn't have to help pack, you know. And you didn't have to line them all up like that."
Squeak! Hestia jumped, surprised, but gave him a smile. It was a very tired, not entirely true smile. But she'd be damned if she was going to let him see her moping and weeping. Her sadness was her own. She wasn't going to push it onto him anymore. "I want to," the goddess said quietly. "It'd be rude to expect you to do it all." And, well, okay lining them up wasn't necessary. But he knew how she got when she was nervous and upset; if she could find something else to focus on, to clean up and make perfect, she didn't have to concentrate so hard on what was making her cry.
"I'll get the other stuff later. This will last us for a little bit," Hades continued down the final step and bridged the gap between them. He knew the smile wasn't true. He was a master of the false smile but he didn't expect a true smile from her; if she had, he wouldn't have known how to react. He offered his own, abet small and very forced, more forced than his normal smiles usually were, "Should I take the boys today, too, since its Saturday?"
Hestia glanced at the boys and considered. "Next week?" she asked a little pleadingly. The week was going to be hard. She didn't want to spend it entirely alone.
"Give me the Sunday next week, too, and we have a deal." Hades glanced at the boys as well. It had been a long time since he was forced to spend time away from his sons.
Hestia sighed. "I hate talking about them like bargaining chips..."
Hades lowered his eyes, "So do I." He then moved toward his precious little sons, looming over their playpen and tried not to frown at how they reached up to him with bright smiles. "[I won't get to play with them after dinner anymore...]"
Walking over, she opened up her arms a bit out of habit to embrace him before she caught herself, and put her hands on his arm. "[You can still visit whenever you want. I promise,]" she reassured him. "[I put two extra keys in your coat pocket.]"
"Just when they had gotten really used to Daddy being home." Hades sighed and smoothed his sons' blond curls from their faces, smiling for them only because they had begun to frown. They knew their parents weren't happy. They knew something was up. It was perfectly clear in their youthful eyes. "Nothing to be done about that. So, can I have them next Sunday? It's only fair."
"I got used to to it, too..." At his question, Hestia nodded firmly. "[I promise,]" she repeated quietly, looking down at the twins. They were going to be upset for a while. They were Daddy's boys for sure, whether Mama was there or not. She felt a jerk in her chest as she wondered, would they be angry with her later for this? Would they have her to blame that they didn't have a father at home but Delaney did? Her grip tightened on Hades' arm before she even realized it.
Sometimes, perhaps from years of having read shades' body language along with their souls, was surprisingly intuitive. Even without looking at her, just feeling the grip along his arm tighten, he knew her concern. "[They'll understand. They will see the silver lining. Thalia promised they always would.]"
"[Yes.]" Hestia glanced up to the clock. She'd been doing that alot today. It was almost lunch. "[When did you plan to lea-- to go?]"
"[Soon. Persephone said she was going to have lunch ready,]" Hades murmured in light reply before bending down and stage whispering to his eldest son, "Okay, Eddy, you're the man of the house while I'm gone." And then he leaned over to his other son and much the same told him, "And it's your job as youngest male to to usurp him and me. Get plotting, Eric."
Ahh. The idle thought that she kind of wished she could have fed him before he left reminded Hestia of something though. "Wait!" She ran, practically flew, into the kitchen and shoved a thick little box into Hades' hands. "Don't forget this!"
Hades looked down at the box that suddenly appeared in his hands. He swore that Hestia could teleport because no one but Hermes seemed to move as fast as she could when she truly wished to. Turning the box over in his hands, "What is it?"
"It's your recipes," she blurted. "I mean. They're mine, but, they're all the foods you like." She opened it up, showing how they were divided; breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and a little "??" section that seemed to be filled with ones she hadn't yet tried out on him. "I guess they're Persephone's now..."
"[I can't imagine her doing them justice, but if that ghost chef is still there, he might be able to do them well enough. Thank you, Sister.]" He placed the thick box inside one of the other boxes quickly and then returned to her, gripping her by both shoulders. "[I'm not dying and I'm not a world away. If you or they need me, I will be here.]"
"[I know... I feel like...]" She chewed on her lip, messing with the red lipstick there, her little hands moving up to rest on his larger ones. "[This is going to be better. It has to. But I still feel like I've failed you.]"
Yeah, I kinda feel that way, too. But he kept his thoughts to himself and instead kissed her on her forehead. He tugged her close to him, "[We'll figure it out, but I guess I should get going.]"
Oh, what she would have given for those thoughts... She sighed and closed her eyes at the kiss. "[Okay. There's nothing else you need here? I-I can help pack the car...]"
"[I'll get the other stuff later. Figure out what else I need and want. Maybe I should leave the things in the basement, in case I want stay the night...]" Hades looked around and sighed himself. He had redone this house to his own liking not too long ago. She had chosen this house for him. How many times had he moved out now?
She nodded. "[If you ever need just a place to stay, please feel free to come back.]" She paused, realizing how those words sounded. No. No, she couldn't hope for that. "[If you just need a place for the night or visit the boys, I mean.]"
"[I know what you meant.]" After all, if she was the one sending him away. Again. Hades shook his head and forced the thought away. This was very different and that fact made him want to think about it even less. Pulling away from her he kissed both his sons atop their heads, urging them to be good. "[Anything else?]"
Hestia, with her arms wrapped around herself for comfort, looked up at him with wide eyes. This was her last moment "[This is my last chance. Third time. I have alot of things I want to say. That I'm foolish, I have all these feelings I want to share with you and everyone forever, and others I don't know how to control or hide,]" she murmured. "[I did fail you, didn't I? I'm not strong enough to care for you like I should, not how you need to be loved. I want to fight for you, but I need to be fought for, too. That's why I'm letting you go. Be-because she's happy now. She doesn't need others to be happy to make herself happy. She just needs you. And if she's happy, you can be too.
"[So... so this is my chance. And I want it. I wish you knew how much I wanted it. I don't know how to make you feel what I'm feeling, and I guess that's where I've failed. I wish the two of you the world. I hope she realizes how lucky she is to have another chance like I did.]" And she was quiet. Not even little sniffles or tears.
"[I would have fought for you. I would have fought to keep both of you. I wasn't going to let either of you go unless you wanted to leave. Or couldn't stay, I guess.]" Hades took a deep breath and then took a step away from her. This time was harder than last time, he decided, but there was nothing he could do about it. For once, that sense of helplessness was a bit of comfort. He couldn't change events, minds or hearts so he would accept and handle it. "[But you are my eldest sister. Maybe you are wiser than me and have my best interests in mind. If so, then thank you. I did enjoy this time. You were there when I needed someone the most, on multiple occasions.]'
The goddess looked up then with a little smile. "[I'm glad... And I can never repay you for our children. Never. As much as an impossibility they were for you, they seemed as much to me.]" Stepping forward she closed the distance between them, cupping his face in her trembling fingers. She could feel tears, but she was smiling. "[Close your eyes, little brother. Former lover.]"
Hades hated surprises. He especially hated emotional surprises, but he obeyed and closed his eyes without argument.
Hestia closed her eyes, too, and began to whisper. And like, well, magic the whole house fell silent. The twins and the dog watched on in fascination as their mother glowed. Not like light, but like coals, deep and burning, as she moved in closer to embrace him. "[I bless you, Rich One, with a new home of happiness and warmth. May your hearth never go out, as the one I have for you never will. May your love never fail, as mine never will. Eat well, sleep soundly, be well. You are always welcome here, in whatever capacity. This house will never be locked against you unless I will it. I love you. Take care.]"
Hades had waited millenniums to hear that blessing upon his home and family with Persephone, but now it felt very bittersweet. Silently, he bowed his head and whispered, "[Thank you, Sister, but again... it feels like you're saying a very final goodbye. A chapter has finished. We didn't set the book on fire.]"
"[You're still leaving,]" she murmured. "[It's enough of a goodbye for me.]" She waited a long moment, her face buried in his shirt and her arms threatening to squeeze the life out of him in a clearly futile gesture that if she just stood there long enough, it'd all go away. But she sighed finally and pushed herself away. "[Okay. Let's-let's pack the car,]" she said. Her voice was shaking but it was firm. She'd be okay. Soon.
Hades hoped she would because she made her own bed with this. Picking up a couple of the boxes, he turned to the door, "[I'll do the lifting. Just open the doors for me.]"
Nodding, she picked up a few boxes of her own, leading the way to the door. The door opened quite obediently to let them past out into the sunlight.
Summary: It's time for Hades to leave. Again. This time, presumably for good. Hestia's none too happy about it but remains firm in her resolve, or so she thinks anyway. They part their ways as amicably and calmly as possible.