Who: Hepahestus and his three automatons. What: Plans for the future Where: Stately Lugosi Manor When: Just after the previous 2 scenes in the sequence Warnings:
Hephaestus stood before the door to his own kitchen, afraid to enter. To any outside observer, it would look patently ridiculous, but what Hephaestus was about to do was going to be hard on him. Not only that, it was but the first in many difficult situations he would endure in the name of change. He would run no longer.
Releasing his anxiety in one great breath, Hephaestus pushed open the door to the kitchen.
His entrance was met by three women with very expectant looks on their faces. Caiera, Betty, and Jarella all sat at the kitchen table. Barely touched breakfasts and cups of cold coffee sat before them. It appeared he had kept them waiting. They would wait no longer.
“I--”
“We heard what you did to Jarella,” Betty said sharply. Her eyes were like daggers as she interrupted Hephaestus.
“I--”
“Don’t think you’re getting away with a mere apology just because you are our ‘Master’,” added Caeira bluntly, disgust heavy in her voice. “After what you did, you can barely be called a man.”
“I--”
“Give us a good reason why we shouldn’t go tell Hera what you did.” commanded Betty.
“I--”
“Or Freyra,” added Caiera threateningly.
“I’m giving you your freedom!” Hephaestus finally managed to squeeze in. The words tumbled from his mouth in a rush. The girls stared at him in stunned silence. He took the opportunity to compose himself and forge ahead.
“What I did to Jarella, how I hurt her, there’s no excuse for that,” Hephaestus admitted, “All I can do is heal her injuries and hope she’ll forgive me. But there’s something else I’ve done to her, to each of you, that I cannot fix. I created you to be my crutches, to carry me where my legs would not. I realized today that I never stopped using you that way, even after I married Aglaia, even after I crafted my new legs. I lied to myself. I told myself that you were free to leave at any time, yet every day I was piling more responsibilities on you. I was fettering you to me with chains of duty and guilt.”
“But that ends today,” Hephaestus continued. “I cannot give you back all the years I’ve taken from you. All I can do is give you what is rightfully yours: your futures.” Hephaestus had more prepared, but the words left his mind as Caiera stood up suddenly from the table and moved to the door.
“Where are you going?” Hephaestus asked, confused.
“I’m getting my bags,” she answered simply. “You said we were free as of today, right?”
“Yes,” Hephaestus said, still trying to come to grips with the situation.
“Then I’m leaving,” she continued in the same plain tone. “I’ll stay at the hotel Alana used to work at.” She gave Hephaestus a look. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be in touch. I’ll need your help establishing a new identity. I like the name Cathy, short for Catherine. However, I’m leaving now. This has been a long time coming, and I thank you for recognizing that, Master.” Without another word, Caiera slipped out the kitchen door.
“Cathy?” Hephaestus asked rhetorically.
“What do you expect, Master?” Betty asked. “We’re currently named after comic book characters, and we have no names except what you give us.”
“I like comics,” Hephaestus defended weakly, “but I see your point. Will you be changing your name and leaving me today, too, Betty?”
“Actually, I rather like my name,” Betty admitted, “but I think I’d prefer to be called Elizabeth. And I won’t be leaving today, but soon. There are a lot of places I want to see on my own, without being your chauffeur. I think I’m actually going to start planning. Thank you Master, for everything.” Betty stood and walked over to Hephaestus. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek before leaving through the same door as Caiera.
Hephaestus walked over to the kitchen table and sagged into the seat vacated by Betty. He found himself sitting across from Jarella. He looked at her, and she looked back at him. The tableau stretched several long moments before Hephaestus could stand it no longer.
“Please say something, Jarella,” he asked, almost begging. “I’m so sorry. Sorry for hurting you, sorry for keeping you here, sorry for all of it.” He put his head in his hands. It felt like his world was falling apart.
“I know you are sorry, Master,” Jarella said soothingly. She reached across the table to run her fingers through his hair. “And Betty and Jarella do, as well. We don’t hate you. We forgive you. But we couldn’t make it too easy for you. You had to take responsibility for it. And you did, as I knew you would.”
“You’re too good to me,” Hephaestus said, smiling weakly at Jarella.
“Probably,” Jarella said lightly before chuckling. “But you never had a mother, so I suppose someone had to spoil you.”
“Thank you,” Hephaestus said, taking Jarella’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I would be nothing without your support.”
“When you talk like that, it makes it hard to think of leaving,” Jarella said teasingly.
“If only my wives felt that way,” Hephaestus said, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Will you be leaving me soon as well?” His smile became strained as he thought of Jarella leaving.
“No,” Jarella said tentatively. “I will be staying. For now. I really am spoiling you, now. It must be a flaw in my programming.”
“I’ll take it up with the manufacturer,” Hephaestus replied, his good cheer returning.
“Now, now,” Jarella chided, “I don’t plan on staying around forever, but I’ve spent too much time taking care of you to simply leave and let you fall to pieces. Also,” she continued, her tone becoming more serious, “I have a favor I want to ask of you.”
“What is it?” Hephaestus asked. He was curious what Jarella would ask of him.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Jarella said. “For now, I have to see to your schedule for the day.”
Hephaestus handset chimed as if on cue, indicating he had received a message. However, he did not look at or even reach for the device. Instead, he continued to look at Jarella.
“Don’t look at me with those eyes,” Jarella said, walking over to him. “I’ll be here when you need me, but I think one day you won’t want your ‘other women’ hovering so closely around you.” Jarella took out Hephaestus’ handset and looked at it, a small smile appearing on her face. “Maybe even sooner than you think.” Jarella handed Hephaestus the device and headed toward the door.
Hephaestus finally looked at the handset. The phone indicated that the text was from Freyra. He looked back to Jarella once more.
“What should I call you, now?” he asked. “Do you have a name in mind?”
“Jarella,” she answered simply. “It wass the name given to me by a beloved friend.” Without another word, Jarella slipped out of the kitchen.
Summary: PART THREE: Hephaestus apologizes to his girls and gives them their freedom. To his utter shock and dismay, they all immediately take him up on it. As the comfortable world he had created for himself crumbles around him, A few kind words give him a glimmer of hope.