Who: Zeus, Demeter, Haru What: Re-taking the sister Where: The Jube Hotel When: BACKDATED to Sunday Warnings: Swearing, violence.
The day had been slow. Slow enough that Zeus simply couldn't stand his desk anymore, and had gone down to the front desk to watch the people coming in, looking through the book of recent incomings to see if there was anyone he knew. Yes, he was aware that this was a whole new level of epic boredom. Stan Coulter... Jeff Bridgeton and family... Snore...
Sitting in the back of the limousine with Haru, Demeter was quietly contemplating the passing scenery without paying much attention to where they were going. It had been a very long time now since she'd been taken by the Subrosa. Though Haru treated her well enough, the other members of the organization always left her feeling uneasy. So many questions. So many tests. She tried to avoid answering things too specifically, but there was little she felt she could do when they asked for things such as a sample of her ichor or other things of a more physical nature. It had gotten to a point where she felt relieved to go out with Haru at the end of the day, as if the young man were, in his own way, rescuing her from the invasive existence she lived through daily.
Which was just as Haru wanted. Though part of him did genuinely still care for his former godmother, it was part of the grander scheme of things to get the Greek immortal to further trust him. It was alright for her to fear and mistrust the Subrosa as a whole, so long as it forced her to seek trust and comfort in his presence. It would and had made it much easier to get her to open up about aspects of her personal life that were of great interest to the organization as a whole.
"We're here, sir," the driver said over an intercom to the back seat. The car stopped and a moment later the door was opened. After stepping out of the vehicle, Demeter's eyes widened a little bit when she realized where she was. Every day or two Haru moved from hotel to hotel, paranoia about being "hunted" keeping him from staying in one location for any significant period of time. The reason for this was because he refused to have bodyguards hover over him or Demeter during this resting time of the evening. They both had separate rooms adjacent to one another, though they would often share dinner and tea afterwards together.
"Is something the matter, Aunt Theresa?" Haru asked, always purposefully referring to her by the name he previously knew her by, despite her having returned to her current mortal facade.
"Oh... Nothing. Just admiring the scenery here," Deme replied quietly, keeping her eyes on the landscape now. "They take better care of their plants than the last hotel we were at."
As they stood for a moment in the foyer of the hotel, their driver, also Haru's personal assistant, went and took care of their check in at the front desk. Once the keys were recieved, he delivered them to Haru and Demeter before the two of them went to the elevators.
Zeus looked up at the slight chink of keys and then back down to his book. Theresa Hilton... Francis Griff...
Wait a minute.
His head snapped backup, eyes wide. Was that... it was! He stood up immediately, hoping to at least catch his sister's eye before she disappeared. Demeter!
Unfortunately, Demeter missed catching her brother's eye. In fact, she was trying her best not to look around too much, keeping her eyes cast downward even as she was mentally trying to figure out if her brother would even be working here today, and if so how she could send word to him that she was here without raising her escort's suspicions. The elevator doors opened, and Haru let Demeter walk in first before he followed.
Damn. Zeus eyes narrowed as he caught the face of the man he recognized from her dreamscape. Immediately, he began thinking of ways to eviscerate him. "Mary? What room are those two in?"
"Um, room 247 and 248, sir."
"Give me the spares to whichever one the woman went into."
"Why?"
He gave the girl a Look and she handed over the spare keys to the room like they were on fire. From there, he stormed to the elevator and up to the floor they were on. Was it just them, he wondered, or had others come before them? Was he walking into a trap? It was too much of an opportunity to waste. Taking a breath at the door, he opened it.
Demeter had been pacing her room when she heard the door being opened. It caught her off-guard and she jumped in alarm, backing herself up till the backs of her legs hit the foot of the bed. Haru never just "opened" the door. He always knocked even though he held the key to her room.
"Theresa...?" Zeus opened the door slowly, peering around for enemies before he stepped in, his eyes finally finding her. "Oh gods, is it you?"
A lump rose to her throat at the sight of her brother standing there in the doorway. Never in her life had she ever been so relieved to see him.... save for when he was able to deliver her eldest daughter back to her all those years ago. Tears welled up in the goddess's eyes and she nodded, unable to speak for the moment.
"[Oh sister.] Zeus closed the door behind him. Before he knew it, he was across the room and holding her tight against his chest. And she was real, it wasn't a dream or distant wish... she was there with him. Safe again.
Demeter clung to Zeus, burying her face against his chest as she sobbed softly with relief. She'd missed her family so much over the last several weeks and felt so alone. "[Brother...]" she choked out finally. "[Zeus... thank Gaea...]"
"[Shh, shh, don't cry, sweet rose.]" The younger god held her like he feared her disappearing, but not before he gave an ass kicking to anyone who made her do so. "[You're safe, you're safe. Everything is going to be fine.]" It took a few moments, but resting there surrounded in her youngest brother, her former lover's strong protective arms finally calmed the goddess enough to speak more coherantly. "[I wasn't sure if you were here or not. I was trying to figure out how to contact you if you were."
"[I saw you coming in. Oh, Demeter. If it weren't for all the mortals watching, I would have called for you then and there.]" Ah, but there had been someone else with her then, hadn't there. A growl built in his chest like thunder in clouds. "[Where is he?]"
Demeter's eyes widened a bit. For the moment she'd forgotten all about her escort.
Unfortunately, almost like clockwork there was the sound of knocking upon Demeter's door. "Aunt Theresa?" a young man voice quietly said with some familiarity, despite the fact that it wasn't the name she was supposed to be currently going by. "Are you ready to go to dinner?"
The growl burst out of Zeus' chest into a yell as he heard the voice. The voice that had been haunting his thoughts for over a month now in his determination to bring Demeter back... and his shame that he hadn't been able to. Now all of the pent-up frustration burst into his characteristic anger as he pulled away from Demeter as he flung open the door and quickly found his hand wrapped around the mortal's neck. "[You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy the sound of your spleen bursting,]" he snarled down to him. Haru was a dead man.
The Asian man barely had time to gasp before the door burst open and a vice-like grip found his throat. "What the-?!" His hands reflexively went to try futilely to free himself. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. An unfamiliar sensation of fear and panic stirred in his chest as his lungs strained for air.
Demeter, cried out in alarm. "[NO! Zeus! Brother! Stop!]" She moved as quickly as she could to grab her brother's arm. "[Let him go! Please don't hurt him!]"
"[Why should I?]" snarled Zeus, his tone dangerously low and calm. To prevent witnesses, he stepped back into the room, locking the door behind him. A darker side of him delighted in how the Japanese man's feet barely dangled over the floor. "[This man damned himself the second he laid hands on you and Hestia.]"
Black spots were flashing in Haru's vision as his normally pale face was starting to turn an unnatural shade. He managed to turn his pained gaze towards Demeter. "A....A-aunt ...." he choked out hoarsely.
"[Because he's my godson!]" Demeter cried, pulling on Zeus's arm. "[His name is Haru! I knew him as a child in California before the twins were born! Please let him go!]"
There was a moment of silence in the room, aside from Haru's desperate gasps for air, before Zeus relented. But not gently; 'letting him go' consisted of tossing him away onto the bed with a bounce before the mortal settled on the mattress. Zeus didn't waste time to face him, wings appearing with a gust of sharp and angry oxygen to make him look even larger than possible and ten times more intimidating.
Haru wasn't quite sure what had happened. One second he was having the life choked out of him, the next he bounced upon the bed and actually rebounded off the headboard before settling on the mattress. Though his back was now screaming with pain, the fact that he was now able to breathe through his aching windpipe was more important. He gasped for air desperately as Demeter went to his side.
"[Haru! Are you--]" Then she shook her head. "Are you--" But even in English she could not continue. He'd just barely survived an encounter with her enraged youngest brother and he was certainly not out of danger yet. Haru was definitely not alright in this case.
Still lightly gasping for air, Haru looked first towards Demeter, then turned his eyes to the one who threw him. His dark brown, nearly black eyes watched the winged figure warily. "One of your brothers, I presume?" he said in a hoarse whisper. Inwardly his mind was whirling. This was the first time he'd ever had such a close encounter with a very angry immortal and he knew from the mythology of his godmother's family that his very life was most assuredly in danger, so he had to tread very carefully.
"How dare you." Surprisingly, the question was directed to Demeter not Haru. His eyes, impossibly blue with their disbelief and just a tint of hurt, were focused on hers now, unblinking as a hawk's. "How can you go to him, after all that he's done? Godson or not, he's caused harm to your family," he growled, as if to remind her who she was supposed to stand by.
The goddess flinched visibly at Zeus's tone. Haru took note of this. His mind worked. There were very few figures who could possibly cow the goddess of the earth as this one could. He had a relatively clear concept who Hades was, and Poseidon had been easy enough to deduce considering where Demeter had been living after her home was destroyed by the Egyptians. That only left one logical male immortal among the Greek clan left.
As Demeter opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Haru's voice cut her off. "You must be Zeus," Haru murmured as he shifted himself into a sitting position upon his knees there on the bed. "Please allow me to explain. It was not our intention to bring harm upon your family."
Zeus snarled again and spat at him. His aim wasn't as good as it could be when so emotional; it landed on Haru's shirt instead of his eye or mouth. "You have no right to speak my name, you little stick in the mud. But whatever words you have to say, you'd better say them quick. I am he who enforces the law, so you'll get your chance for a statement. But gods help you if they're not enough."
Haru swallowed hard. He glanced at Demeter, but she was now standing quietly off to the side, her gaze averted to the floor. The Asian man realized then that though she'd stopped her brother from killing him before, there was nothing she could really do now for him. He took a measured breath. He would have to choose his words carefully.
"I work for an organization that has been monitoring the trail and activities of various immortal clans," he said guardedly, but truthfully. "Our focus in Miami was to monitor the Egyptian clan that had taken root here. It was only through their activities that we learned of the existence of your clan, sir." Though a part of Haru wanted to look up in order to attempt and read Zeus's expression, his instincts told him that the best thing to do in this situation was to keep his gaze downward and his posture submissive. Direct confrontation and trying to see eye-to-eye with this god while being perceived as a "mere mortal" was not conducive to continued existence, he theorized internally.
"We learned of the movement of the Egyptians against Aunt-- Demeter, but were unable to implement a plan to divert the attack. When we learned of another imminent attack upon her and quite possibly the pregnant immortal who she was living with at the time, we moved to prevent a second attack from occurring. We know what the Egyptians have been collecting other weaker immortals, and wanted to prevent them from taking any more." He paused here for a moment to let his words sink in.
"So instead of warning us that such an attack was coming, you decided to go and stun them in their sleep, drag them out to some unknown location, put them in separate rooms under heavy guard even when you knew one was a small child and the other a heavily pregnant woman?" Zeus scoffed. "That defense is so idiotic, I pity you."
Haru closed his eyes. Carefully... Carefully... Like walking on eggshells... "I admit, it wasn't the best plan of action, looking at things after the fact. However, at the time we had intel that stated the Egyptians were on the move, and we needed to move fast to head them off. The attack did not happen that night, it turned out.... However..." Haru opened his eyes and glanced up at Zeus briefly before turning his gaze back downward. "We do know that an attack was attempted later."
Zeus' own eyes narrowed. "And how exactly do you know all this? If it is indeed true? Why shouldn't I believe instead that the two of you are in league against my family?"
Eggshells... Eggshells... "The organization I work for has spent over a millenia observing and following the movements of immortals after the rise of Christianity. Our primary concern is monitoring those clans who pose the greatest threats to humanity. The Egyptians are at the top of that list. Their activities threaten everyone, and a rise of their power is something we have been actively attempting to prevent." Here Haru raised his head and looked upon Zeus, attempting to meet the immortal's ominous gaze as he spoke with more emotion than he had been previously. If there was one thing he felt most strongly in his life it was protecting humanity from threats like the Egyptians.
Or maybe from the Greeks. "What is your relation to my sister?" Note, his sister. Zeus was, if anything, a possessive little shit.
Well, it would be a falsehood to say that the Greek clan was not somewhere on that particular list...
Haru dropped his gaze again and glanced over at Demeter, who had been listening intently , but saying nothing until now.
"He is the son of a dear friend I knew in California over twelve years ago," the goddess said softly. "His name is Haru Sasaki. His father was my business partner in the vineyards and winery I owned during those days. I was under the mortal guise of a woman named Theresa Evans back then. When Haru was born, I was asked to be his godmother by his parents, we were that close. "
Demeter swallowed hard and now looked up at Zeus, a peculiar expression in her eyes. "Before my twins were born, Haru's father had been murdered by some East Coast mafia that had been trying to extort money from us. I'd wanted to stay with the family, but I couldn't because of my pregnancy."
Would Zeus be able to read between the lines? Would he understand now why she'd acted as she had when he was choking the life out of her godson?
The sky god looked from the mortal to the goddess and back. Ah. That explained it a little. "So you protected Demeter and Hestia from an attack that never came, provoking the labor of the latter and terrifying her to the point she was willing to let her infants die than rather be born into your hands, and possibly permanently traumatized a favored nephew. What do you intend to do now?"
The wheels in his head were turning. Haru didn't have many options set before him. He hadn't intended to have a face-to-face encounter with the leader of the Greek clan of immortals himself so soon, and most certainly not like this. He sighed a little. For the sake of the Subrosa and his continued assignment here in Florida, he had to make some attempt to appease the leader of the Greek Clan as best he could under the situation.
"The obvious, sir... I have no choice but to allow your sister to go with you. I'm certainly not in a position to keep her under the custody of the organization. I do apologize for the actions of the people I work for in what happened with them. If it would be acceptable to you, I can send to you files from our own intel regarding the Egyptians here and abroad. If there is anything else I could do to make amends to your family in the name of my organization..."
Demeter looked at Haru quietly, not quite believing what she was hearing. She was going to be freed? But what about her vow? What about her godson? What would her brother do?
"And after I kick you out of the hotel?" Preferably from the roof? "I want to be assured that you will not, under threat of your life most especially now that I know your name, Haru Sasaki, aggravate my loved ones again."
The Asian man ran over his thoughts. What could he do to satisfy Zeus?
Then a memory suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
Haru was having tea with his godmother a few nights after she'd been separated from her family. They'd been talking about the past and having a rather pleasant conversation when something he'd been curious about came to mind.
"Aunt Theresa. I was wondering something."
"Yes, Haru?"
"What is keeping you here, really? You're an immortal with a great deal of power. You could quite easily just get up and leave this place with little trouble. It's just you and me in this hotel after all."
"It's not that easy for me, Haru," She had said quietly. "I made a vow upon the name of Zeus to remain with you in exchange for my family's freedom. A vow made in his name is not something easily broken by anyone. Even when it's one of his elder sisters."
Haru straightened himself up slightly. He had no choice. "I swear, in your name Zeus, that I will not take any action that brings further grief directly upon your family. Should I ever knowingly take part in such an act, I swear here in your presence to save you the trouble and take my own life immediately afterwards."
Demeter's eyes widened in alarm. "Haru!" The thought of her godson dying before his time, and potentially by his own hand...
Haru was grimacing. He knew this was going to probably cause him challenges in his work in the future, but it couldn't be helped.
Zeus froze so completely, he could've been mistaken for a statue. The feathers in his massive wings bristled, and his eyes stared down hard at the mortal. "That is not an easy oath to take, little bug," he finally murmured. "But I will accept it. On only one condition. You will release Demeter from her oath, immediately, and allow her to return to her son. Do not, and I'll save you the trouble of killing yourself. Either way, you'll have Tartarus to pay."
As Zeus accepted his oath, Haru could almost swear that he felt something heavy settle upon his neck and shoulders, though clearly nothing was there. Still, he said nothing about it and merely nodded at Zeus's command.
"Aunt Theresa," he murmured after turning to his stunned godmother. "I am truly sorry for all the trouble I've caused you." Even surprising him somewhat was how true he felt these words to be. Though he had had a job to do, he couldn't seem to separate his personal feelings in regards to this goddess. He would later muse on these thoughts later. "I release you from the oath you had taken. You're free to return to your family."
And just like that the chains which had been tied to Demeter dissolved away into the aethers. The goddess looked upon him sadly before reaching out to gently touch his cheek. "I know, Haru. And thank you..."
The god between them scowled at the touch. Past history aside, this mortal and his ilk had put the Greek into an emotional tailspin, whatever his intentions. He couldn't fathom treating him like a favored child anymore than he could fathom giving him a kiss. "You will not speak of this meeting here, or of the oath that just passed your lips. I don't rightly care if you tell your superiors, if there are any, whom you met here. Let it be a warning to them -- this is my hotel, and any one of your people who step into it risk their hides in doing so. Got it, boy?"
As Demeter's touch fell from Haru's face, the young man firmly shoved his usual stoic expression to the forefront, though inwardly his own emotions were roiling. His superiors would want explanations that he would not be able to fully detail. It was going to be a very frustrating debriefing.
"Yes, sir," he said simply. Then he turned to make his way toward the door. "I should probably leave now. "
Damn straight you should. "I hope you enjoyed your stay at the Jube Hotel," snarled Zeus as a closing line, and was satisfied to swing the door as Haru walked out and feel it soundly whack him on the backside. Ha! If he could not kill you, he'd just humiliate you instead. Though a part of her wanted to go after Haru and have a more proper farewell, Demeter knew better. Sadly she stood her ground and watched as he stepped out of the hotel room. Once her godson was gone, the goddess crumpled to the floor, her face buried in her hands. She was so tired and heartsick and relieved and happy and grieved all at once. It made her head spin and she didn't really know what she should be feeling at that moment.
Whoa now! "Demeter!" Turning round, Zeus bent down and scooped her up to his chest. "[I'm so sorry, sister. For all of this...]"
Demeter cried a little bit. "[I'm just... so confused. Everything happened so fast.]"
"Shh, shh... [It's okay. We're going to get you a better room, a hot bath and some food, gods only knows what they've been feeding you... let you recover some before we let Zale and Persephone know what's happened.]" Still holding her against his chest, he headed for the door and to the elevator, reverting to English, "How's that sound?"
The goddess nodded numbly, staying as close to her brother as she could. Despite how she might feel at the moment, at least she could take comfort in the fact that she was with her family again. Soon she would see her children and her sister and all her nieces and nephews.
Summary: Still moving Demeter around to keep the Greeks off this tail, Haru makes what his arguably the worst decision of his career ever -- to take her to the hotel of Trystan Jube. Zeus spots her right off the bat and, after a tearful reunion with his sister, proceeds to get violent with her godson.