ΗΑΔΕΣ (underworldly) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-12-27 09:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, hades, hazel levesque |
Who: Hades & Hazel (with Arion)
What: Birthday breakfast turns into present time, and then 'oh hey, there's a horse' time
When: December 17th
Where: Their Laguna Beach home
Rating/Warnings: Nada, though Hades is kind of weirded out about a horse being his sorta nephew
Status: Complete
Hazel had been feeling a little weird recently because of her mom’s sudden appearance. The shopping trip had been good, though. She’d gotten some clothes and her mom had surprised her by taking her somewhere for a cooking lesson and they’d made some gumbo that was almost right. There wasn’t really anything that could be done about it, though. She’d actually enjoyed herself...even with the knowledge that it had been her wishing for it that had caused her mom to change. She was actually smiling and laughing, though. She’d hugged her and told her that she loved her. That was the hardest thing, because Hazel couldn’t help but wonder if she meant it or if it was just the nature of the wish. She knew, deep down, that her mother loved her, but the OC seemingly had a way to make her mom say and do all the things she wished she’d do. But she’d still come home feeling warm and happy. This morning was about her and her dad, though. She’d woken up early, which wasn’t actually that abnormal for her on a Saturday. Later there’d be more people, but for now it was just her and Hades and she made her way to the kitchen, purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt on, a pair of snowflake pajama pants, and a pair of grey slippers. She rubbed sleep out of her eyes and tried to get her hair to look a little less like she’d just rolled out of bed. It was not a successful endeavor. “Morning, Dad. Tell me there is hot chocolate in my future and I’ll swear my undying love and devotion.” Which was mostly a joke. She already loved him more than enough. He was her dad and he’d taken care of her when her mom couldn’t. That meant more than anything else. In the dreams, he’d tried, but there was only so much he could do when her mom took her to Alaska. There was only so much he could do in general. She understood that. Her dad in the waking world wasn’t even the dad from the dreams, so somehow it just made it matter even more to her that he’d cared enough to get her and take her home. Hades was already in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast for his youngest - who was now the big one-eight, age eighteen, and right there on the verge of adulthood. Wasn’t an easy age though, that was for sure, but Hazel was a good kid and he wanted to surprise her with something fitting for the occasion. Also since he hadn’t been there while she was growing up, kept away by Marie and her particular brand of crazy (the fact that he’d been married at the time didn’t exactly help either), he felt the need to make her birthdays with him extra special. And speaking of Marie, she was holed up in a hotel - distinctly not at the Laguna Beach mansion, not since she came into town. Hades could tolerate a lot of things in the name of keeping a smile on Hazel’s face, but hosting her mother - who would probably try to pocket the knick knacks she thought she could sell, he wouldn’t put it past her - was absolutely out of the question. She seemed happy though, Hazel did. Peaceful. It was going to be good day. “Sure thing, Curly,” he chuckled, flipping the pancakes he had sizzling on the griddle. “It’s simmering right now. Homemade, none of that packaged stuff. What do you want to put in it?” Hazel carefully noted the fact that her dad was making breakfast. She smiled a little before sitting at the table and pulling her knees up to her chest. She knew that eighteen was a big step. Or at least that’s what people always said. She was supposed to know what she wanted to do with her life and what she was going to do for work in the future, but the only clear idea in her mind was that she wanted it to be working with horses. She didn’t really want to work with any other animals. She liked Cesare and Cerberus and Regina’s cat, but she was happy not to have to work directly with them outside of cleaning up after them. And the cleaning up was just with the dogs. “I’d have settled for the packaged stuff, but I’m perfectly okay with the whole simmering stove hot chocolate, too.” She thought about what she wanted in it. There was whipped cream, but then she knew there were oversized marshmallows, too and she was always in the mood for marshmallows. “The big marshmallows, please.” Marshmallows (the big ones) it was. Hades grabbed the bag from the cupboard, then poured them both two mugs of the steaming hot cocoa - it was rich and velvety, just the way hot chocolate should be. He didn’t really cook all that often, no time to do it really, but he had skills at whipping up some delicious dishes here and there when the occasion was important. Like now. “Happy birthday. Plenty of pancakes for you,” he grinned, sticking a fork in a pile of flapjacks and piling them high on a plate for Hazel. At the table he also had butter, syrup, other decadent topping options. “You want your present now or later?” It hadn’t been difficult to decide what to get for Hazel. She was pretty easy to shop for, but still, he hoped she liked what he had picked out. Hazel pulled the mug over before looking at the near mountain of pancakes on her plate. The weird thing about the dreams was that it definitely made her appetite a little more than it was before. She’d always been pretty good about eating, but now it was like she was eating for more than herself. It probably had something to do with her body constantly expecting to have to fight monsters. Usually she just used the energy to walk the dogs and most of the places she needed to get to. “Thanks, Dad.” She grabbed for the butter and syrup, almost thinking about whipped cream and fruit, but she could go for the somewhat healthier option on a day that wasn’t her birthday. Birthdays were all about eating too many sweets and cake and whatever else you wanted. It didn’t count when it was your birthday. She had her fork halfway to her mouth when her mind caught up and alerted her that she’d been asked about presents. Did she want to eat first or open presents first? It was a difficult decision. Still, she shoved the forkful of pancake in her mouth and finished chewing before she said, “Now, please!” A delicious carb-laden breakfast, Hades could get behind that. He didn’t really gain weight on his end, and he overall felt stronger and faster and just more empowered - likely the magic that he wielded as ruler of the Underworld, and also his immortality. Which was something that usually bothered him, but lately - and even after discussing it with Meg - it really didn’t. Instead he felt at peace about everything, so he’d take it (and a hothead like him feeling peace, what a Christmas gift). He had his own stack of pancakes, and a mug full of hot cocoa, but Hazel’s enthusiasm was obvious so he abandoned breakfast for a moment to bring back the present. Not like it was a large box or anything - just an envelope. “Hope you like it,” he said as he slid the gift toward her. “If you don’t, I guess we can exchange it for a few ugly sweaters or something.” Totally teasing. But inside the envelope she’d find vouchers for private lessons at a horse-riding academy in Orange County. They had all sorts of options, from beginners to adults who just wanted to improve their skills, and Hades had gotten a package which allowed for thirteen lessons. Maybe time at the academy would even open new doors for Hazel too, when it came to her future. Hazel enjoyed presents. She didn’t expect them from people because presents were sort of hit or miss before and it was probably easier just to wait until Christmas with her birthday so close. Still, she liked when she got them and it wasn’t really like she was difficult to shop for. She talked about horses practically all day. If you couldn’t figure out that horses were your best bet, that wasn’t really her fault. She took the envelope from her dad and quickly opened it. She tried to keep it from tearing, but you could only be so careful. So she did her best, but she was too excited to really care too much about tearing the envelope. And it was totally worth it in the end. For a moment, she was completely still, just staring at the vouchers before she looked up at her dad and back down at the vouchers. It didn’t take long for her to jump up from the table and throw her arms around his neck. “Officially the best dad ever. I don’t care what anyone says.” “Oof,” Hades laughed when Hazel flew at him. He hugged her to him, because she was the youngest, his baby, and she was growing up so fast. Maybe he’d have more kids one day (he really did love being a dad), it really depended on what Meg wanted, but he wasn’t about to push for it or anything. “Officially, huh? Well, that sounds good to me. I’ll mark it down, for next time you’re mad at me.” He was glad she seemed to like the gift though. And he fully supported her embarking on some kind of equine career - she’d never been one for hitting the books, but as long as she finished high school, then the sky was the limit. Hazel didn’t have to go to college, not if she didn’t want to. Basically, her father just wished for her to be happy - the dreams and their baggage brought enough strife as it was. “Your Christmas gift isn’t horse-related though,” he added. It was maybe a fancy carrying case for that sword of hers. Something so that she could lug it around and actually use it, not a case meant for display even if the spatha was made of gold and was an impressive sight. And he believed in separate Christmas and birthday gifts. No one wanted to feel like their birthday was insignificant, after all, and having something to open on Christmas morning was important too. Hazel laughed a little. “Well, don’t do anything to make me mad, then.” Which wasn’t too difficult. She hadn’t gotten upset with him for much outside of the normal kid stuff, but even that wasn’t all that often. Mostly she’d been the one concerned that she was going to make everyone else mad. Especially when her dad was still married to Nico’s mom. She was the kid-shaped proof of her dad’s infidelity. But no one had been really upset with her about it. “I don’t want to have to revoke your title.” She pulled back to look at him and let out a small laugh. “Do I get a hint or am I waiting till Christmas to find out what it is?” She didn’t really mind one way or another, but she was pretty sure that she would still try to see if she couldn’t get a clue about what it would be. She sat back down to eat more of her breakfast. “You got the breakfast part down. This is great.” “No hints - okay, one hint. It’s bigger than a breadbox,” Hades stated, returning to his own morning sugar and carb fest, but it was meant to be a joke - hey, no revealing the present, this secret was locked down. Hazel only had a few more days to wait anyway, and all would become clear. “Glad you like the pancakes too, Curly. What are your other plans for today, after breakfast?” Something special by way of birthday shindigs with friends, he guessed. People probably wanted to see Hazel and celebrate with her. Oh yeah, her mom probably wanted to see her too - which Hades would distinctly not be there for if he could help it. Hazel rolled her eyes. “That could be anything.” Which was probably why it was the only hint that she was getting. Bigger than a breadbox. She guessed she could wait till Christmas to find out what it really was. If she had to. “Well, I think I’m going to see a few other people who wanted to give me presents and cake. Probably some other stuff, too. Killian said something about cake.” Back when she’d talked to him about her mom showing up. She ate a few more bites of pancake when she noticed something flash past the window. She stood up and peeked out the window before turning to look at her dad. “So...there’s probably something you should know about because I know this wasn’t you.” She moved to the door and opened it, looking outside at the horse standing in her yard. She felt once more that she could understand him. Instead of wondering when she’d get there, though, this time he looked like he couldn’t quite figure out how he’d gotten here. She waited for her dad to come to the door before she said, “Surprise?” and motioned to Arion standing in the yard. What the...? Hades got up from the table, though when he got to the door the last thing he was expecting to see was a horse. A very regal-looking horse, yes, but still a horse all the same. “Definitely wasn’t me - glad I just decided to get you the lessons as opposed to the actual thing you ride,” and both his eyebrows poked up. They didn’t exactly have a stable or a barn on the property for this thing. Not planned. Then again, when the fuck was anything actually planned around here? Crap surprised them all the time. “From your dreams, I’m guessing?” he asked. “What a beauty.” Now where did Hazel intend to keep him, was the question. He wasn’t about to tell her that she couldn’t. “I know it wasn’t you. This is Arion. Dad, Arion. Arion, Dad.” She stepped forward out of the door to go see the horse. It hadn’t actually been that long since she’d seen Arion, given the dreams. He didn’t run off like he had in Alaska, so she moved a little closer and ran her hand over his muzzle. “Yeah. He’s from my dreams, which means I already know his favorite treat.” She reached out her hand, focusing her energy enough to pull a piece of gold from the ground. It had taken a moment due to the depth she had to summon it from, but once it was out, she bent down to pick it up and held it up to Arion, smiling a little as he ate it. “It’s obviously not going to be an everyday thing. But it’s what he likes.” She glanced back at her dad as she spoke, offering him a hint of a smile. “Do you want to meet him?” Well, hell. A horse that ate gold? Hades had never heard of such a thing but he supposed it made sense, given the climate of Hazel’s dreams. She had always loved horses and she was getting better and better with her geokinetic skills. “Good job, Curly,” he sounded so proud, when she summoned that gold. He really was though, she’d come a long way. “We’ll see if he likes me.” Hades stepped forward and, not wanting to summon from thin air (because everything came from somewhere, if you thought about it, and he didn’t particularly care for upsetting the balance of things too much) he simply swooped down and grabbed for a rock on the ground. Then a puff of smoke, the rock in the palm of his hand now transfigured into a small cube of gold which he then fed to Arion as well. “Think I’m a hit with him?” So far, so good. He even pet the horse’s muzzle too, unable to resist a little of what could be classified as baby talk. “Aw, aren’t you a good boy - “ Shit, his house was rapidly turning into an even bigger zoo. It was nice to hear the pride in his voice, like she wasn’t the freak she felt like she was in the dreams. Her mother had never sounded proud of her abilities. Just angry that Pluto hadn’t done something for her. Greed was a dangerous sin to be stuck in. It was part of why she was careful about who was allowed to know about it. At least a little bit careful. People were far too often in danger of being greedy when they saw things dangled in front of them like that. But Hazel knew what came with her abilities. Her mother had asked for all the riches in the world and she’d gotten it, only using the riches also brought great sorrow. She refused to cause people here harm because of her abilities. Hazel smiled a little at her dad and watched him with Arion. Arion seemed mostly okay with him, but she could tell from the look in the horse’s eyes and the way he looked at her that the baby talk was not a hit. She wished that she had Percy there to tell her what he was saying. Percy could talk to horses. He didn’t translate everything, but he’d told her that Arion had a pretty foul mouth. Hazel had no idea. “Probably stick to the gold and talking to him like a normal person. This is your...nephew.” She tilted her head to the side. “Double nephew.” She shook her head. “That’s so weird to think about.” “Wait, what??” His nephew? Hades wasn’t even sure he wanted to know. “In your dreams maybe, but as far as I know, my brother doesn’t have kids. Or horse kids.” Though even as he said that, he felt a pang of something in his stomach - it felt like a brick, something ominous there. It would be just like Zeus to have one or two illegitimate crotchlings, and it also wouldn’t be out of left field for Hades to not know about them. Not like he and his brother had talked in the last...twenty or so years. But moving on from that. “Alright though, thanks for the info - you can hang out here, Arion, whatever you want. Just don’t break anything or leave steaming horse turds on the lawn, if you don’t mind.” “Neptune...uh. Poseidon and Demeter’s son. She was looking for Persephone after you took her to the Underworld because Zeus said you could without mentioning that agreement to Demeter and Poseidon kept trying to have...umm….you know. So she turned into a horse to get away from him and then he turned into a horse and…” She motioned to Arion. “It might just be our mythology. I don’t know about your dreams.” She ran her hand along the horse’s muzzle again, lightly fanning her face and trying to stop feeling awkward about having just had to discuss her aunt and uncle having sexual relations to her father. “You’re welcome. I can’t talk to horses, but I can sort of figure out what his looks mean. Percy can talk to horses, but I’m not supposed to know that because he doesn’t know me yet. In the dreams.” She was quiet for a moment before she decided not to focus on that. “But I think you should be okay.” The fuck was all that? So mythological, to be birthing horses and shit. Poseidon definitely wasn’t his brother here though - but Hades vaguely recalled Poseidon being there in both dream sets, more so the first, just kind of a background figure. It made him wonder, sure, but how could his mother and father have hidden another brother from him? The idea sounded absurd, so he didn’t contemplate it for very long. “It’s a lot simpler what I happen to dream of,” he grimaced a bit. ‘Well - simple, yet complicated. There’s no Persephone either.” There was a Zelena apparently, a green witch whom Hades was head over heels for - he designed the Underworld as kind of a tribute to her, like her own little copycat world of the world her sister had that Zelena had always coveted. Romantic or sad? It was debatable. “Alright, let’s go back in - it’s cold, and there’s still birthday hot chocolate to drink.” He was pretty sure that Arion would be okay. Literally running like the wind helped him, no doubt. She didn’t mention the fact that Percy was a son of Neptune. Well, technically, he was a son of Poseidon, but she’d thought he was a son of Neptune for so long. Until she realized he was quite Greek. It was difficult to remember to say the Greek names instead of the Roman. Almost everyone was Greek or hated the Romans in the OC. She was the lone Roman in a sea of non-Romans. Luckily no one had seemed to do anything about that. “I guess that’s not surprising. I couldn’t expect everything to match up. We don’t even dream the same sorts of things. Dad - in the dreams, I mean - never had blue flame hair or yellow eyes. He just...maybe I can draw you a picture of him.” She wasn’t terrible with paper and a coloring book. She could improve, certainly, but she was more focused on horses than making herself into a better artist. There was a nod at his suggestion that they go back inside for breakfast and hot chocolate. “All right. That’s probably a good idea.” She reached over the run a hand over Arion’s muzzle again, her own goodbye. Then she went back inside. |