sucker4flowers (sucker4flowers) wrote in olympian_rewind, @ 2008-04-18 11:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | dahlia little, demeter, madeline scott, persephone, zale scott |
Who: Persephone, Zale and Demeter
What: Family visit
When: After Dahlia's message to her husband
Where: Demeter's house
Warnings: None
Persephone sighed, removing the scarf that she'd had wrapped around her hair as drove out to the countryside in her favorite convertible. Frankly, she found the Florida landscape a little unwelcoming--burnt by the sun, marshy, attracting all kinds of dislikable insect life--but as she approached her mother's home, she noticed the difference in nature all around her. Everything around her was more welcoming and gentle.
So she had a smile in her face as she walked up to the door, even when her stiletto heel got mired in the dirt for a second. She rang the doorbell and called out. "Momma~"
Though Florida's natural landscape did leave some to be desired at times, Demeter what she did best, and her touch was evident on the flora here. The house itself was far smaller than Poseidon's grand mansion, but visibly warmer and more inviting. It was also on more land. Behind the home there could be seen a well sized grove of fruit trees and other gardens full of vegetables and flowers.
"[Dearest!]" Demeter exclaimed when she opened the door and saw who it was. She hugged her eldest daughter warmly.
"Sis!" Another happy voice exclaimed from inside the house. Zale had come thundering down the stairs to see who'd come to visit. When he saw Persephone, his face lit up brightly.
Dahlia hugged onto her mother tightly, pausing only to wave hello to her half-brother. "How've you two been holding up? Not bored to death out here in the country?"
"We're doing fine out here," Demeter said as she welcomed Dahlia into her home. The house was in order, though a few boxes still rested in corners of the rooms here and there, waiting to be unpacked.
"It's nice out here," Zale added. "There's lots of room to ride and explore... although it gets too quiet sometimes." He shrugged. It didn't really bother him, so long as his mom was happy.
"Quiet could be nice..." she smiled, looking around at the boxes. "Room for one more? At least, for a few days..." Dahlia really hadn't planned her actions very well in advance.
Demeter looked at her daughter with a bit of surprise. "But of course. Always for you... But... Why? Aren't things alright at home?" Of course there was another question there hidden between the lines, but she wouldn't voice it aloud in front of Zale, who was looking similarly confused at his sister.
"Oh my goodness, yes! It's just...I needed a break. Fresh air. Slow life. Things are too busy in Miami," Dahlia laughed, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Plus, I was missing my mother...I'll just pop out to the car and get my things."
She returned in a few minutes with a rolling luggage and a small duffle bag.
As Dahlia got her luggage, Demeter had already set to work looking in her pantry and refridgerator for ingredients to her daughter's favorite foods. Something she had definitely missed during her captivity and even after her rescue was living with the knowledge that her daughter might not come back to see her despite it being springtime.
Meanwhile Zale hurried outside to help his sister with her things. "Here! Let me carry that," he offered as he reached for her bags.
Dahlia smiled. Zale was a little too small for her rolling bag, but she handled over her tote. "Thank you."
She didn't keep any pomegranates in her home, but Demeter had many other good things to make a delicious greek meal with and was starting to set them out on the counter as her children returned.
"So how long will you be staying here?" Zale asked curiously as he carried his sister's bag.
"I'm not sure...I think I'll know when I'm ready to go home," Dahlia replied, dragging her suitcase towards the guest room.
Zale gave his sister an odd look as he led the way to the guest room upstairs. Demeter had been about to ask her daughter what she might like to eat when she overheard her children talking. She silently watched the two go up the stairs before returning to the kitchen to ponder what might've really driven her daughter to come home to her, and why she didn't want to go home. Did it have something to do with Hades? Hestia and her children, perhaps? She mused silently as she began to peel some vegetables.
Dahlia shrugged, putting her luggage in the corner and shirking off her coat and kicking off her heels. "Let's go see what mom's cooking up downstairs sweetie."
"Ok!" Zale chimed back as he led the way down stairs. "Mom! What're you cooking?" he asked as they got within earshot, being the typical kid and yelling before he even got to the kitchen.
Demeter just laughed softly and shook her head. "I don't know yet. Depends on what your big sister is in the mood for." She smiled warmly at her daughter. "Well? What would you like? I've got everything here, and whatever isn't in the kitchen we can get from the garden."
"I'll eat anything," Dahlia giggled, shaking her head in a similar fashion. "Just something...I don't know. Fresh tasting. Light."
"Then let's have a salad for lunch," Demeter said before giving Zale a knowing look. "Then have something horribly unhealthy for dessert. Maybe some strawberry shortcake."
Dahlia squeaked with joy, popping over to hug her mother. "I'm so glad I'm here..."
The earth goddess's face lit up with joy as well as she hugged her daughter back. "I'm glad too. I've missed you soo much dear!"
Zale watched the exchange happily. It had been a long time since he'd seen his mother like this, so he wanted to give the two goddesses some privacy for a few minutes. "I'll go get some vegetables from the garden, Mom." he said before grabbing a wicker basket and heading out to the back yard.
Dahlia squeezed her mother, perhaps a little tighter than the occasion warranted. However, she needed her mother's strength right now.
"What's wrong dearest?" Demeter asked quietly as soon as Zale was out of the room. She held her daughter as long as Dahlia wanted to be held. How could she not? She stroked her eldest child's hair soothingly.
"I don't know...I've just been on edge lately, Momma," Persephone murmured, shaking her head. "I've been having all these bad dreams."
"Bad dreams?" Demeter looked at her daughter before motioning to her to help prepare the spinach and lettuce for the salad.
"It's been mostly the same thing," she murmured, taking the greens and rinsing them lightly in a bowl. "That...one day he wakes up and decides he doesn't need me anymore..."
Demeter looked at her daughter, a melancholy expression upon her face. She sighed and reached for some mozerella cheese and started grating it into a small bowl. "I wish I could reassure you that it wasn't the case, that you had nothing to worry about..."
"But recent events seem to speak to the contrary," Persephone finished the thought. She understood this full well. Hades relationship with Hestia had been short, but it had shaken the foundation of her existence to the very core.
"There is that... and just the nature of the relationships concerning the men within our family." Demeter sighed. "Monogamy has never been a strong suit with any of them."
That stung. Persephone felt a twinge of anger well up inside of her. She wanted to point out that she was the one who held the stronger track record for marriage, but she kept her mouth shut. Her mother was only trying to look out for her. "It's silly though, isn't it? To think....I mean you know how he dotes on me. It's just that I can't shake off the feeling that on some level we're incompatible. That there's something I'm missing that he needs..."
Perhaps on a deeper level, Demeter was jealous of her daughter on that very fact. No matter how much she might've loved someone, or been told she was loved by them, marriage or anything like it always eluded her. Lovers tended to slip through her fingers like water, figuratively and literally at times it seemed. "I am not certain , love. I do wish I could offer you some sort of insight or greater reassurance on this matter, but really.... I'm probably the last person in the world to ask for advice on compatability with husbands. To me, you are perfect just the way you are."
Persephone smiled, shaking the leaves of the salad dry in a collander. "Thank you, Momma...I think I made the right decision coming out here to clear my head."
Leaning over, Demeter pressed an affectionate kiss on Persephone's cheek. "If you really need definite advice on your marriage, i'd turn to Hera. She must have some insight into what you are concerned about."
"Maybe....but then it would wind up another blip in the Olympian times for the family to gossip about. Especially if Daddy overhears anything..." Persephone sighed. "This. It's. Really? It's nothing. I'm just having some bad dreams, and who knows what they're really related to anyway?"
Demeter offered Persephone a bit of the cheese she was grating. "There is that.... Hmmm... how about speaking to Hypnos? Perhaps he might have some insights into your dreams?"
"Was never his department," she replied with a shrug. "Anyway, it was probably just stress. Things in Miami can get too hectic sometimes. I think all I needed was a little impromptu vacation..." She took the bit of cheese and popped it into her mouth, chewing before she placed a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Thank you for having me, Mama~"
Summary: Stressed out by bad dreams, Dahlia goes to visit her mother and brother for some family TLC.