Who: Erato and Hades (cameo by Freyr and the triplets) What: Inspiration Where: Val's House/a dark field When: *severely backdated - after Hades/Hera discussion and before Hades/Perse engagement* Warnings: Nada
Valentine sighed, rubbing her eyes when she hear Fred crying over the baby monitoring system. She stood, shuffling her way to the children's room. She scooped Fred up, taking him to the changing table. She started to coo to him, gently calming his tears as she changed his diaper.
Jarrod peeked around the door frame and shook his head, “Are you running to them again as soon as they cry?”
"He needed to be changed," Val replied simply, picking up her dry and now happy baby and putting him back in his crib.
“Alright,” Her husband shrugged and turned. Babies do need to be changed, even when it was passed midnight.
Val lingered by the crib, singing softly to Fred. She wanted to make sure that he was able to happily get to sleep again. Sweet songs made for sweet dreams.
Again, Jarrod peeked his head around the doorframe.
And when Fred was asleep, she checked each of the other two cribs to make sure the children were sleeping peacefully and that nothing was wrong with them. "[It 's a little cold in here...]"
“Hun, what are you doing now?”
"Just making sure they're comfortable..." she tiptoed, trying to reach the ceiling fan pull.
He edged into the room and reached up to grab her hand before she pulled the ceiling fan pull. “They're fine. They were fine when we put them down. They were fine the hour after that, and the one after that, too.”
"They're still so tiny, and they need to be watched..." Maybe what her sister had just gone through had effected Erato more deeply than she realized.
“And you need to get out of this house before you lose your mind.” Freyr wrapped his arms around her and whisked her away from the nursery. He carried her through the house's hallways, nearing closer and closer to the front door, “They'll be fine. You need to remember who you are apart from them.”
"Oh this is just silly. I know who I am without them. I just want to keep an eye on them," Val protested, frowning at her husband.
“Well, then think of this as a way to keep it that way.” The Elf-god half-dumped her on the front porch and handed her shoes and cellphone. “If you need me, call me.”
Val stared at her shoes and her cellphone, blinking uncomprehendingly. "What--"
“You need a break from this house.” And with that, Jarrod closed the door and locked it. He hadn't given her her keys.
Val stared, gaping, at the front door. She gave it a good kick. "This is unbelievably stupid!" With a huff, she turned and started to take a walk around the block.
Elsewhere, away from the lights of Miami, the Delmar domestic squabble and his own family, Hades sat deep in the shadows of a field, with a pile of rocks at his side. Most people skipped rocks along lakes, but he was not most people. He skipped the rocks along the grass and dirt of the field, watching with his perfect night vision where it came to rest. Truly, it was an act of a frustrated man.
Valentine walked for what felt like forever before her anger cooled. She took assessment of her surroundings--a dark field. The stars were out, and she sighed, plopping down on the ground. She hummed softly to herself, picking at blades of grass.
Hades skipped another rock. It tumbled and stopped just inches from where Valentine sat. It was only after he skipped it that he noticed she was there. “Valentine? That looks a lot like her from those wedding photos I saw... ”
Val turned her head at the sound of the rock. She couldn't see what it was in the dark, and then all kinds of terrible thoughts swirled through her head. Poisonous snakes were at the top of the list.
Meanwhile, he could see clearly that she was concerned. One of these days he would stop scaring people in the dark. One of these days. Hades stood up and approached, hands up. Suddenly, he remembered so long ago when he busted into her apartment. She was a different person then and he was taking a dead body out of her emotional hands. “You don't got to worry.”
Valentine jumped anyway, peering at the man in the moonlight. "...who is it?"
Now, Hades was positive it was Valentine. There was no doubt in his mind. “[Your uncle.]”
"[Oh! Hades!]" Erato squeaked, quickly getting to her feet. Luckily, her eyes were starting to adjust. "[What are you doing here?]"
Hades smiled softly. It never got old when people were happy to see him. He then looked around the field, “[Came out here to think. It's a pretty field. What are you doing out here? Mysterious night journeys are much more my thing than yours, I would think.]”
"[My husband kicked me out,]" Val answered flatly. A few moments later, she thought better of that statement. "[He wanted me to get out of the house. I guess he thought I was giving all of my energy to the kids and none to myself.]"
Watching her carefully, Hades couldn't help but to ask, “[Which one of you are right?]”
"[I am a good mother, thank you very much,]" Val chirped, letting out a little laugh. "[And the wife is always right...if the husband knows what is good for him.]"
“[He should learn that lesson quickly, or woe will be to him.]” Hades knew the duties of being a husband well. Even when they were right, it was usually better not to push it. It was rarely worth the aggravation. “[At least you're taking it in good spirits, it seems,]”
"[I walked it off...which brought me here,]" Val smiled, gesturing to the field. "[So what exactly were you thinking about at this time of night?]"
“Okay, okay, the Fates. I'll play nice and do what you seem to want. You have been kind to me lately. It's the least I can do,” Hades thought silently, his eyes lifted to the sky like a normal person would in prayer. Perhaps the Fates had somehow heard his conversation with Hera and were amused by it. He brought his attention back to the muse, “[... I was trying to come up with a design with the wedding rings I'm making. I thought a field with inspire me to something.]”
One could easily see Val practically frothing at the mouth from the words wedding rings on. "[Let me help!]" she squeaked. Muses loved to inspire. And this job was right up Erato's alley.
Hades wanted to take a step back. He viewed himself as a generally brave god, but when a muse was almost frothing, it was enough to make one think about backing away slowly. But he didn't move. He would play the Fates' game. “[What do I have to do?]”
"[You? Nothing.]" Val giggled, walking a circle around him and sizing him up. "[I just lay hands on you, work my mojo and all the ideas will come...]" She took a deep breath, reaching out to place her hands on the sides of his face.
Hades took a deep breath as he saw her hands coming toward him. He had been inspired by two muses while in Miami, but none of them were the muse of weddings and love poems. His instincts tensed him immediately. Love + Magic was not an equation that ended up being good for him and his mind couldn't help irrationally putting Erato into the same fearful category. But rational thought made him brave. After all, muses couldn't inspire something not already inside of him. “Can't believe you were able to translate 'mojo' to ancient Greek...”
"Well us muses always have a way with words..." She closed her eyes. She could feel her fingertips crackling with power as she touched his cold skin. Inspiration dispersed into him. "There. That should do it."
He couldn't feel the crackling, but it was almost like he could hear it. It began in the back of the skull and resonated all the way to the front in a deafening buzz. And then it was suddenly gone, replaced by a rush of thoughts and a contrasting extreme focus. His eyes widened and then narrowed. “[I... I need to get home to engrave or at least draw...]”
"Atta boy," Val smiled, patting him on the back. "Run on home and do that. It was nice seeing you, but I think I'm going to go convince my husband to let back into the house...or at least try to break in."
Normally, Hades would have been flinchy about the sudden touch to his back but right now? Right now, he was too lost in his own focus. He had work to do and with purpose and drive, woe to anyone or anything that stood in his way. He had already turned to leave the muse in the field, but glanced over his shoulder at her words, “[If you break in, try the second floor windows. People always forget to lock them.]”
Val's house didn't have a second floor, but she wasn't going to argue the point. It was the thought that counted. "Bye-a~"
Summary: Overworked mommy Val is kicked out of her house. She bumps into Hades and gives him some musey help with a romantic dilemma.