(a proud father of me you have already made)
Characters: Melinoe, Zeus
Date/Time: Shortly before Zagreus' arrival
Location: The complex, at first.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Angst
Summary: Melinoe finds out something she didn't want to know.
Melinoe was having a bad day. It was interesting how she felt her emotions come so easily being mortal than she ever had as a goddess--appeasing the ghosts that were given up by those who walked the earth wasn’t always simple, but it was what she was meant to do; she did it well and without much issue. But now, being mortal meant more frustration, more emotion as a whole. Someone in particular who’d gotten under her skin today had been a physically disabled man who could not function without help in life and who didn’t realize he was dead. He no longer needed the help, and yet he was yelling at her and begging her to help him up. She had to keep her voice down at work so they wouldn’t feel the need to cart her off to the asylum, but he eventually rescinded after some hours and went in much the same way that Cronus had when she saw him. By the time it was over, Melinoe was in the perfect mindset to drink and drink heavily, even though she never had.
Why couldn’t she possess the same stoic manner that her father seemed to have? It would have made everything easier. Or not. She suspected it would have mostly just frustrated the ghosts instead of easing their worry.
The elevator, being the finicky thing it was, was Out of Order as Meli came home from her rather long evening at work. She sighed heavily, still bundled up from the cold, and made her way up the stairs. She didn’t always enjoy the venture, but it would help warm her up tonight and perhaps get her mind wrapped around the events of the day. Melinoe absently counted the stairs and lost herself in her own thoughts, paying no mind to the surroundings.
§
Zeus was going out for the evening. Just a spur of the moment decision but he was bored of being cooped up by the weather. In truth, he was insulted by it. He should have more influence over the weather than this. He was pretty certain he hadn’t had anything to do with the recent blizzards and that was very humbling indeed.
He was engaged in pulling on his gloves and entirely not looking where he was going (damned elevator being out of order meant that he was getting far more exercise than strictly necessary) and, therefore, he walked straight into the young woman coming up the stairs.
Instantly, he stuck his hand out to grasp her wrist so she didn’t fall.
“Apologies,” he said, instantly. Whether his apology was sincere or not was still to be decided.
§
Her blue eyes went wide and blinked several times as she looked up at the body that she had bumped into and nearly gone back down the stairs head over feet. “No need,” she managed, once her balance was finally restored and she realized just who it was that had a hold of her wrist. “I am usually not so careless, and so the apology is mine.” Melinoe relaxed (just a bit--this was Zeus, after all--can’t let your guard down too far) and gently took back her arm. Somewhere, she was able to at least find a smile to offer, even if she wasn’t entirely sure just what it meant.
Being polite, she thought. “How are you this evening? What brings you to make yourself go out in this weather?”
§
He smiled just as soon as he recognised her. Persephone’s children were such a delight, it must be said. “Oh, I am quite bored by being confined to the indoors so I thought I might venture out.”
He frowned, then, again a reasonable facsimile of concern (fatherly or otherwise remained to be seen). “Though you are rather late back. You’ve not been out on your own, I hope? This city is not the safest of environments for unaccompanied young women, I gather.”
§
“Working late, actually.” She tugged at the rather silly-looking blue and black striped stocking hat on her head and covered her ears just a hair more, smiling slightly sheepishly, in spite of herself. “I’ve no other reason to really venture out on my own. But I do understand the want to get out of this building after being snowed in. I’ve begun learning arts and crafts from the internet just to stay occupied.” Melinoe wouldn’t mention her nightly visitors that would often keep her up, though it seemed to be getting better. As a mortal, she was learning different methods to keep their voices at bay. Maybe once that was kept in check, she would try to meet others outside of the complex and at work...
“At any rate, don’t let me keep you, Uncle. I hope you have a pleasant time tonight, whatever it is you find yourself doing.” Well, Meli, we know what that ‘whatever’ usually is. There’s just no need to reiterate it.
§
Zeus laughed. “I will have a pleasant time, I hope, though I’m not sure what I make of these ‘arts and crafts’. It is why I have Muses, you know. They may craft beauty and I shall enjoy it with so very little effort.”
His smile grew wider (Uncle, indeed) and he offered her his arm. “If you are not too weary after your day’s work, why don’t you accompany me? I promise not to be an utter tearaway and simple go to the coffee shop down the street. They do an excellent dessert, did you know?”
§
She chuckled at the mention of Muses. “Well, it keeps my mind occupied, just the same, learning new things in this mortal way of life. Perhaps I can create something, too.”
The slender eyebrow that shot up at his asking her to come with him was completely out of her control. Hades had essentially forbade any real association with Zeus, and truthfully, she hadn’t expected the man to extend the invitation. Normally, Meli didn’t follow her bit of a rebellious streak, but after the events of the day, she was definitely feeling the need to go down that road just to relax her mind, if nothing else. Shaking herself out of her sudden look of surprise, Melinoe shrugged lightly and turned herself so that she might take Zeus’s arm. “You know, I truly do not go to these places much, unless Mama wants to go. I think I shall join you. I might as well make the most of this mortal life, hm?” Her smile was genuine (albeit mildly suspicious), and despite her father’s warning, Meli was feeling pretty darned good about herself right in that moment.
§
“It is important to take this mortal life by the scruff of the neck, I find, or else we shall be old and grey before we quite know what to do with ourselves,” said Zeus, agreeably. While on the topic of agreeable, he couldn’t quite believe how amiable Persephone’s children really were. Well, Melinoe was his own child but he wasn’t sure what Makaria’s excuse was, for being quite so divine.
He kept pace with her, walking back down the stairs. “What is it you do, to pass the time here?” he asked. “I assume my father and his allies gave you some sort of occupation that they deemed appropriate.”
§
It interested Melinoe, for some strange reason, how short she was as compared to him. What was that the mortals often said? Had being a resident of the Underworld ‘stunted her growth’? She doubted it very much, and not many of them looked just like they did in their own times and places--especially not Melinoe. The lack of her half-white, half-black skin had not gone unnoticed. There were times when it felt strange to see herself with her current fair complexion, but found her dark hair to be quite lovely with her eyes. “I am employed at a mortuary,” she answered, turning the last corner around the stairwell before they reached the lobby. “I prepare the dead for their funerals in whichever manner that their beliefs dictate I should. I often work later because, well...” She looked up at him and shrugged lightly. “Because they come and speak to me as they would any other time, and I have to be mindful when I speak to them to not reveal too much. My employer is sometimes concerned, but I think he finds my, erm... eccentricity endearing. He’s very nice, but I am not interested in anything beyond work or friendship, so I’ve started working later.”
Why did she simply spill that all out? It made no real sense, other than she was satisfying his curiosity about what Cronus had done with all of them. No harm in that, was there? “What about you, then?” She pushed open the door to the chill outside. “What does he have you toiling
at?”
§
Zeus reached over Melinoe’s head to push the door open too and to hold it open for her. He frowned. “That sounds rather draining. Having to hide who you are yet be unable to have any respite while at work. Do they come and speak to you very often?”
He smiled, rather grimly. “Oh, my father has given me some position suited to my station, I suppose. I am, allegedly, a rather high-powered CEO. I have money and companies and staff though it is all terribly wearisome at times. Meetings with people who think that I have any interest in being remotely democratic in how I run a company.” He was rather amused, though. If he ran Olympus (or the world) the way he was expected to run his companies, he would have quit a long time ago and settled in some off-planet tax haven, if such a thing could only exist.
Zeus offered Melinoe his arm again. “Do be careful. The paths are very slippery in places.”
§
“They do,” she replied. “Most times, they’re quite pleasant and happy to be going wherever it is they could be going to. Sometimes they do not know they’re dead. The times I try to sleep seems to be the worst, though I am getting better at ‘tuning’ them out. It’s tiring, but it appears to be working. I’ve slept more than five hours a night this week, so that’s good.”
Melinoe canted her head gently at the mention of his position in this mortal life. “Well, no one said any of this was meant to be easy, but I doubt you would have been given something you weren’t capable of handling, Uncle. Handling Olympus could not have always been wine and roses--” She stopped herself, a rather sardonic grin resting suddenly on her pretty features. “Well. Maybe it was for you.”
Her arm tucked neatly into his and, for once, she was glad of the warmth coming from her current companion as they walked. “Oh yes. I found myself on my rear more than once in the last week. I am learning the art of ice-walking, despite the bruises I have to prove my inexperience. Thank you for your concern.” The sincerity behind anything that Zeus did was often to be questioned. For now, though, Meli would take the company happily.
§
Zeus frowned. “That sounds all rather tiring.” Of note, he didn’t say tiresome. Zeus knew not to question or belittle the gifts of other gods. He knew enough to be grateful for his own blessings and not to comment on the curses of others.
“Handling Olympus is a walk in the park by comparison,” he said, a smile restored to his face. “At least in Olympus, I am not questioned. My word is law. There are no board meetings, thankfully, and with Dionysus and Demeter, I never want for wine and roses, you know.”
Zeus guided Melinoe into the coffee shop which was quiet, though not empty, and was pleased when the hostess guided them to his favoured table, towards the back, in a quiet corner. “I know I have dragged you out but being inside is certainly more favourable then sliding about on the ice,” he said, cheerfully. “A change in scenery is often welcome, though. How do you find this city? It must be terribly different to your home.”
(Zeus’ experiences of the Underworld were limited, of course, save for that time when in Hades’ guise, he had begotten the girl who sat in front of him now. A sweet victory over a humourless brother.)
§
Melinoe slid into her seat easily, finally becoming warm enough to pluck off her mittens. “I find it intriguing, I must admit, although it’s all very mechanical and gray. I am appreciative of the color that I have found--and that’s a nice change from being at home.” She tucked her mittens into her pockets. The place was cozy, and she found herself enjoying the atmosphere despite her current company. This was the most time she had ever spent with Zeus and could likely count on one finger any conversation she recalled ever having with him. “I am trying to decorate my apartment to lessen the drab. I’m finding myself rather addicted to blues and greens.”
Her blue gaze rested on his features easily. “So, Uncle... what’s this dessert that you find so delicious here?”
§
“Blues and greens? Your Uncle Poseidon would be so very proud.” Zeus smiled as he picked up a menu. “You should see Olympus sometime, though. Wine and roses and every bursts of colour imaginable. Hestia does a fine job.” Some shadow passed over his face, briefly, as he thought of the gentlest of his sisters and he wondered how the remaining Olympians were faring. “Though I daresay your mother must be a help in decorating? She always had an eye for brightness.”
He slid the menu across the table towards her. “Banoffi pie. I do not know why but I find it utterly enchanting.”
§
“Actually, I did the decorating on my own.” She found herself smiling just a little because of that. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t have wanted her mother to help, but it was her own space, and she wanted very much to make it hers. “Mama is very fond of her springs and summers. Sunlight and flowers.” Melinoe sighed softly. It was interesting how she did spend her nights for so long leading the dead, making them happy when she rarely took the time to do such a thing for herself. It wasn’t that she never experienced daylight or took in a fresh summer day... but it was so few and far between. Now that she was mortal, there was a certain sense of bliss she’d not quite experienced before, and even though she still needed to tend to her godly job, things seemed brighter, now. Meli wanted to enjoy things... the things mortals would talk to her about like kissing and coffee and the beach.
She snorted softly at the name of the dessert Zeus provided to her. “What in the world is that made of?” The smile on Melinoe’s face only exued her good-natured tease. “It sounds... fun?”
§
“Sunlight and flowers are rather beautiful. Wait until spring and you’ll see the true beauty of spring.” Zeus tapped his fingertips on the table top. “I supposed this little trick of the Titans isn’t all bad.” He didn’t quite believe it, of course; he thought that being trapped in a mortal body in 21st century New York was on a par with being stuck in Tartarus. Still, it seemed appropriate to encourage his daughter’s unexpected optimism. “At least we are discovering new experiences. Life outside the Underworld isn’t so bad, no?”
Zeus laughed at the expression on Melinoe’s face, again strengthening his opinion that she was considerably sunnier than any child of Hades could be. He was pleased that her upbringing hadn’t spoiled her. (Of course, their upbringing had produced the entirely lovely Makaria so it can’t have been all bad.) “Banoffi is a wonderful combination of bananas and toffee. I highly recommend it.”
§
“Well, then,” she finally announced. “I think I will try that. I’ve never had either, so it’s a good way to start, perhaps?” Meli was, indeed, trying to figure out modern food. It had changed quite a bit over however many centuries or millennia she’d passed over from the last thing she remembered until Cronus (or Khaos or Gaia or whoever was having a bad day) brought her here. Meals seemed quick-prepared and one plate seemed far too much for one individual. So far, her favorites were milk chocolate and fried chicken (not together, thankfully).
Melinoe tucked a rogue lock of hair that was threatening to poke her in the eye back up and under her hat. She wasn’t sure why she liked it, and no one else seemed to mind... In fact, several people had their hats or whatever they wore to keep their head warm still perched on their heads. “So, Uncle, I do not mean to offend, but why do I have the feeling you have motives other than just a friendly chat over a slice of pie?” Her gaze lingered on Zeus’s face for a long moment. “I do not recall you ever wanting to take a moment to talk, but then, I suppose I can understand with you and Papa not exactly seeing eye-to-eye.” Oh, Meli. You really don’t know. Her gaze dropped to her folded hands sitting quite prettily on the table. “But then, I suppose I never really spoke with anyone outside of my home, other than the ones who follow me.”
And she hadn’t. Melinoe’s friends truly consisted mostly of any of the Underworld league and whatever ghosts she couldn’t seem to shake. In truth, she had an itching to at least try to make a friend in this strange place; someone from the complex, and not necessarily the mortals she worked with. Not that they were bad, but they would never understand.
§
Zeus watched her carefully; the girl was thoughtful, clearly, and where that trait came from was anyone’s guess.
“Must I have other motives?” he asked, his expression neutral, though it took some effort. Another tactic might be required. “But you are right. Hades and I are not desperately close, it must be said. I am not particularly close to your mother, either.” He bit his lip, affecting an air of pensiveness. “Though we usen’t be particularly distant.”
§
She shrugged good-naturedly, but declined to comment. He was Zeus. When didn’t he have an ulterior motive? At least, anything she knew about him seemed to indicate that he did and he definitely wasn’t shy about it. At his latter comment, Melinoe canted her head with an eyebrow lift to follow. “Are you speaking of my parents as a whole? Or perhaps one or the other?” Why did she have the inkling that there was going to be far more to this situation than he was letting on?
Probably because with Zeus, the general consensus is that, well... there usually was.
§
Zeus grinned, somewhat pleased by her curiosity. “Both of your parents. Either or. In truth, I haven’t ever been close to my siblings, Hera aside.” He shrugged. “Demeter and I - Well. I haven’t been close to my brothers, at any rate.” He didn’t mention Hestia because it was unnecessary; Hestia was a goddess unsullied. “I haven’t been close to many of my children, either, but your mother is one of the few-”
He paused. The waitress had come with his coffee. Coffee was one of the few things that pleased him these days. Stirring sugar into it, he looked up at Melinoe, wondering how well she was following the implications of his words.
§
Melinoe asked the pretty waitress for the pie that sounded so delicious and appealing, though she was beginning to debate whether or not she wanted to stay to finish. It didn’t take much for her to gather that her uncle had laid with her mother. Things like this were not uncommon in their world, especially when it came to Zeus. She held a hand up and forced an uncomfortable smile. “That will do, Uncle.” While she knew how these things worked, she wasn’t exactly versed in them, and any lessons Zeus was looking to give... he could keep right on looking. “Whatever was between you and Mama is in the past, and it is done.”
Isn’t it?
§
He picked up his coffee mug, cradling it between his hands and continued to look at Melinoe. “Oh, you are right, to a point. What was between us is done but it is hardly over. There is cause and there is effect.”
He shrugged, again, waiting to see what she would take from that. “I do love my children,” he said. “Some more than others and, yes, I play favourites. I am not a good father.” He flashed a smile. “But I’m a very effective father.”
§
Melinoe narrowed her pretty eyes and straightened in her chair. She wasn’t entirely sure if her lack of sleep was getting to her, but something hit a nerve. The man had been dropping words pertaining to his children all night. That last phrase made her take pause. “An... effective father? What in Tartarus does that even mean?”
Right about then, the young waitress returned with the pie Meli had ordered with a somewhat disgusted expression, but her tone was lighthearted as she spoke: “We, uh, don’t serve tartar sauce here. Sorry.”
§
Zeus waited for the waitress to depart, flashing her a truly charming smile which caused the youngster to blush very prettily.
“Effective? I am very good at becoming a father, though I suppose acting a father is something else entirely, or so I gather. It is strange. Most of my children know me.”
§
As he began to speak, Melinoe almost picked up the fork to take the first bite of her pie. But as he continued, she instead rethought the food portion of the program and decided she suddenly wasn’t all that excited about the dessert. She set her line of vision at Zeus’s eye and gave something of a short and quiet laugh, very little amusement held within it. “All right, Uncle. I’d much rather you stop tip-toeing around and say what it is you mean to say. None of your children that I have knowledge of have denied you as their patriarch, so your telling me any of this is simply reiteration on your part.” Meli had a sneaking suspicion of exactly what it was that he meant to say; he’d certainly hinted around about her mother enough.
So why was she getting that sinking, sick feeling in her stomach that she’d only really experienced when she had the feeling that something she feared was closing in?
§
Zeus was solemn. His easy smile had slipped away and there was something rather cold in his eyes. “I daresay your mother will not be pleased. I am surprised that you do not know. I wonder if you ever-?” He paused.
Not unkindly, he said, “I’m your father, Melinoe. Did you not suspect?” Thoughtfully, he tapped his fingertip on the table. “Arms of black and white, daughter of the Underworld and Olympus. I do not know why you have not been told.”
§
Meli wanted so much to call him out on some great lie that Zeus’d built up just to mess with the family, but she couldn’t. Zagreus, she knew, was his son--that fact had never been hidden, but no one ever gave her reason to not believe Hades was her father. The thought that he might not be had never crossed her mind until just before Zeus began dropping hints.
Her jaw clenched in sync with her stomach and she frowned deeply. Melinoe felt immediately cold and physically ill, inwardly devastated because she knew what he said was true. She wanted to scream at him, call him the liar she hoped he was. Wanted to throw that stupid pie at him, bloody his nose with the small china plate that it sat on. She had known he’d had other motives and hated herself for giving in to the want of something of a break from the day instead of just going home and attempting to sleep. Why would he make up her being his daughter? What gain would he have in this?
Instead, Meli grabbed her gloves in a very calm, but angered way (were her hands shaking?). ““I want to say that I do not believe you, but I have no reason to do so. Why did you tell me?” she whispered as she looked down, fighting back a sharp burn of tears that threatened to overflow. Why didn’t they tell you? “Things were fine as they were. He’s the only father I have ever known, and I love him more than almost anything. You have plenty of children, including my brother. Isn’t that enough?” Never mind that currently Hades knows practically nothing of you, Melinoe. She pulled her gloves on very deliberately and forced herself to look up at Zeus. First one tear... then a few more blurred him out. Melinoe never remembered actually crying before, but she tried to blink the flood back. She suddenly hated her parents and brother for never saying a word--at least that she could remember. To her knowledge, Makaria had none of this knowledge either, but who knew? “What about my sister?” She grabbed her scarf and began to bundle up, feeling less than worthy of a lot of things as she stood to slide on her coat. She needed to get away from him.
§
Zeus’ response was entirely calm. “Your sister remains your sister. No more and no less.” He reached out and lightly grasped her wrist. “I am not asking you to love Hades any the less but I would not deny my own child. You are a creature of the Underworld and there is nothing I can or wish to do to change that. I would have you know the truth, though.”
He smiled then, almost kindly (almost pityingly). “It is not the worse thing in the world to be a child of Zeus.”
§
She tried not to recoil at his touching her, but the contact made her jerk her arm away from him almost immediately. Melinoe finished putting her coat on as he continued talking, her miserable attempt at ignoring him allowed for his words to seep in. “What purpose does it serve you for me to know? You said yourself that you’re a terrible father. What, other than my newfound disdain for you, changes? Nothing. Do you think you deserve some sort of reward for your efforts, now?” She kept her voice low, but it was far from easy.
Melinoe zipped up her dark winter coat as he said his last piece. If looks could kill, those blue eyes of hers would have been throwing poisoned daggers and fire at him. “You’ve not given me reason to believe otherwise, Zeus, and I lack any sort of faith in your ability to provide proof of it.” Without fanfare or farewell, she simply turned and walked for the door. Meli was not overly enjoying the stares and whispers she was getting about what had just transpired between the gentleman and young woman--especially since she was exiting in tears and heading out into the freezing night.
To where, she did not know. Once outside, Melinoe’s composure completely dissolved into quiet sobs. It took her a moment before she traversed down the treacherous and now blurry sidewalk with no destination in mind.
§
Zeus had half a mind - quarter of a mind, perhaps - to go after his daughter but he had established enough to realise that she wouldn’t appreciate it. He turned his attention, instead, to the Banoffi pie and the waitress. He learned that her shift was over in half an hour.
He could wait.
Date/Time: Shortly before Zagreus' arrival
Location: The complex, at first.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Angst
Summary: Melinoe finds out something she didn't want to know.
Melinoe was having a bad day. It was interesting how she felt her emotions come so easily being mortal than she ever had as a goddess--appeasing the ghosts that were given up by those who walked the earth wasn’t always simple, but it was what she was meant to do; she did it well and without much issue. But now, being mortal meant more frustration, more emotion as a whole. Someone in particular who’d gotten under her skin today had been a physically disabled man who could not function without help in life and who didn’t realize he was dead. He no longer needed the help, and yet he was yelling at her and begging her to help him up. She had to keep her voice down at work so they wouldn’t feel the need to cart her off to the asylum, but he eventually rescinded after some hours and went in much the same way that Cronus had when she saw him. By the time it was over, Melinoe was in the perfect mindset to drink and drink heavily, even though she never had.
Why couldn’t she possess the same stoic manner that her father seemed to have? It would have made everything easier. Or not. She suspected it would have mostly just frustrated the ghosts instead of easing their worry.
The elevator, being the finicky thing it was, was Out of Order as Meli came home from her rather long evening at work. She sighed heavily, still bundled up from the cold, and made her way up the stairs. She didn’t always enjoy the venture, but it would help warm her up tonight and perhaps get her mind wrapped around the events of the day. Melinoe absently counted the stairs and lost herself in her own thoughts, paying no mind to the surroundings.
§
Zeus was going out for the evening. Just a spur of the moment decision but he was bored of being cooped up by the weather. In truth, he was insulted by it. He should have more influence over the weather than this. He was pretty certain he hadn’t had anything to do with the recent blizzards and that was very humbling indeed.
He was engaged in pulling on his gloves and entirely not looking where he was going (damned elevator being out of order meant that he was getting far more exercise than strictly necessary) and, therefore, he walked straight into the young woman coming up the stairs.
Instantly, he stuck his hand out to grasp her wrist so she didn’t fall.
“Apologies,” he said, instantly. Whether his apology was sincere or not was still to be decided.
§
Her blue eyes went wide and blinked several times as she looked up at the body that she had bumped into and nearly gone back down the stairs head over feet. “No need,” she managed, once her balance was finally restored and she realized just who it was that had a hold of her wrist. “I am usually not so careless, and so the apology is mine.” Melinoe relaxed (just a bit--this was Zeus, after all--can’t let your guard down too far) and gently took back her arm. Somewhere, she was able to at least find a smile to offer, even if she wasn’t entirely sure just what it meant.
Being polite, she thought. “How are you this evening? What brings you to make yourself go out in this weather?”
§
He smiled just as soon as he recognised her. Persephone’s children were such a delight, it must be said. “Oh, I am quite bored by being confined to the indoors so I thought I might venture out.”
He frowned, then, again a reasonable facsimile of concern (fatherly or otherwise remained to be seen). “Though you are rather late back. You’ve not been out on your own, I hope? This city is not the safest of environments for unaccompanied young women, I gather.”
§
“Working late, actually.” She tugged at the rather silly-looking blue and black striped stocking hat on her head and covered her ears just a hair more, smiling slightly sheepishly, in spite of herself. “I’ve no other reason to really venture out on my own. But I do understand the want to get out of this building after being snowed in. I’ve begun learning arts and crafts from the internet just to stay occupied.” Melinoe wouldn’t mention her nightly visitors that would often keep her up, though it seemed to be getting better. As a mortal, she was learning different methods to keep their voices at bay. Maybe once that was kept in check, she would try to meet others outside of the complex and at work...
“At any rate, don’t let me keep you, Uncle. I hope you have a pleasant time tonight, whatever it is you find yourself doing.” Well, Meli, we know what that ‘whatever’ usually is. There’s just no need to reiterate it.
§
Zeus laughed. “I will have a pleasant time, I hope, though I’m not sure what I make of these ‘arts and crafts’. It is why I have Muses, you know. They may craft beauty and I shall enjoy it with so very little effort.”
His smile grew wider (Uncle, indeed) and he offered her his arm. “If you are not too weary after your day’s work, why don’t you accompany me? I promise not to be an utter tearaway and simple go to the coffee shop down the street. They do an excellent dessert, did you know?”
§
She chuckled at the mention of Muses. “Well, it keeps my mind occupied, just the same, learning new things in this mortal way of life. Perhaps I can create something, too.”
The slender eyebrow that shot up at his asking her to come with him was completely out of her control. Hades had essentially forbade any real association with Zeus, and truthfully, she hadn’t expected the man to extend the invitation. Normally, Meli didn’t follow her bit of a rebellious streak, but after the events of the day, she was definitely feeling the need to go down that road just to relax her mind, if nothing else. Shaking herself out of her sudden look of surprise, Melinoe shrugged lightly and turned herself so that she might take Zeus’s arm. “You know, I truly do not go to these places much, unless Mama wants to go. I think I shall join you. I might as well make the most of this mortal life, hm?” Her smile was genuine (albeit mildly suspicious), and despite her father’s warning, Meli was feeling pretty darned good about herself right in that moment.
§
“It is important to take this mortal life by the scruff of the neck, I find, or else we shall be old and grey before we quite know what to do with ourselves,” said Zeus, agreeably. While on the topic of agreeable, he couldn’t quite believe how amiable Persephone’s children really were. Well, Melinoe was his own child but he wasn’t sure what Makaria’s excuse was, for being quite so divine.
He kept pace with her, walking back down the stairs. “What is it you do, to pass the time here?” he asked. “I assume my father and his allies gave you some sort of occupation that they deemed appropriate.”
§
It interested Melinoe, for some strange reason, how short she was as compared to him. What was that the mortals often said? Had being a resident of the Underworld ‘stunted her growth’? She doubted it very much, and not many of them looked just like they did in their own times and places--especially not Melinoe. The lack of her half-white, half-black skin had not gone unnoticed. There were times when it felt strange to see herself with her current fair complexion, but found her dark hair to be quite lovely with her eyes. “I am employed at a mortuary,” she answered, turning the last corner around the stairwell before they reached the lobby. “I prepare the dead for their funerals in whichever manner that their beliefs dictate I should. I often work later because, well...” She looked up at him and shrugged lightly. “Because they come and speak to me as they would any other time, and I have to be mindful when I speak to them to not reveal too much. My employer is sometimes concerned, but I think he finds my, erm... eccentricity endearing. He’s very nice, but I am not interested in anything beyond work or friendship, so I’ve started working later.”
Why did she simply spill that all out? It made no real sense, other than she was satisfying his curiosity about what Cronus had done with all of them. No harm in that, was there? “What about you, then?” She pushed open the door to the chill outside. “What does he have you toiling
at?”
§
Zeus reached over Melinoe’s head to push the door open too and to hold it open for her. He frowned. “That sounds rather draining. Having to hide who you are yet be unable to have any respite while at work. Do they come and speak to you very often?”
He smiled, rather grimly. “Oh, my father has given me some position suited to my station, I suppose. I am, allegedly, a rather high-powered CEO. I have money and companies and staff though it is all terribly wearisome at times. Meetings with people who think that I have any interest in being remotely democratic in how I run a company.” He was rather amused, though. If he ran Olympus (or the world) the way he was expected to run his companies, he would have quit a long time ago and settled in some off-planet tax haven, if such a thing could only exist.
Zeus offered Melinoe his arm again. “Do be careful. The paths are very slippery in places.”
§
“They do,” she replied. “Most times, they’re quite pleasant and happy to be going wherever it is they could be going to. Sometimes they do not know they’re dead. The times I try to sleep seems to be the worst, though I am getting better at ‘tuning’ them out. It’s tiring, but it appears to be working. I’ve slept more than five hours a night this week, so that’s good.”
Melinoe canted her head gently at the mention of his position in this mortal life. “Well, no one said any of this was meant to be easy, but I doubt you would have been given something you weren’t capable of handling, Uncle. Handling Olympus could not have always been wine and roses--” She stopped herself, a rather sardonic grin resting suddenly on her pretty features. “Well. Maybe it was for you.”
Her arm tucked neatly into his and, for once, she was glad of the warmth coming from her current companion as they walked. “Oh yes. I found myself on my rear more than once in the last week. I am learning the art of ice-walking, despite the bruises I have to prove my inexperience. Thank you for your concern.” The sincerity behind anything that Zeus did was often to be questioned. For now, though, Meli would take the company happily.
§
Zeus frowned. “That sounds all rather tiring.” Of note, he didn’t say tiresome. Zeus knew not to question or belittle the gifts of other gods. He knew enough to be grateful for his own blessings and not to comment on the curses of others.
“Handling Olympus is a walk in the park by comparison,” he said, a smile restored to his face. “At least in Olympus, I am not questioned. My word is law. There are no board meetings, thankfully, and with Dionysus and Demeter, I never want for wine and roses, you know.”
Zeus guided Melinoe into the coffee shop which was quiet, though not empty, and was pleased when the hostess guided them to his favoured table, towards the back, in a quiet corner. “I know I have dragged you out but being inside is certainly more favourable then sliding about on the ice,” he said, cheerfully. “A change in scenery is often welcome, though. How do you find this city? It must be terribly different to your home.”
(Zeus’ experiences of the Underworld were limited, of course, save for that time when in Hades’ guise, he had begotten the girl who sat in front of him now. A sweet victory over a humourless brother.)
§
Melinoe slid into her seat easily, finally becoming warm enough to pluck off her mittens. “I find it intriguing, I must admit, although it’s all very mechanical and gray. I am appreciative of the color that I have found--and that’s a nice change from being at home.” She tucked her mittens into her pockets. The place was cozy, and she found herself enjoying the atmosphere despite her current company. This was the most time she had ever spent with Zeus and could likely count on one finger any conversation she recalled ever having with him. “I am trying to decorate my apartment to lessen the drab. I’m finding myself rather addicted to blues and greens.”
Her blue gaze rested on his features easily. “So, Uncle... what’s this dessert that you find so delicious here?”
§
“Blues and greens? Your Uncle Poseidon would be so very proud.” Zeus smiled as he picked up a menu. “You should see Olympus sometime, though. Wine and roses and every bursts of colour imaginable. Hestia does a fine job.” Some shadow passed over his face, briefly, as he thought of the gentlest of his sisters and he wondered how the remaining Olympians were faring. “Though I daresay your mother must be a help in decorating? She always had an eye for brightness.”
He slid the menu across the table towards her. “Banoffi pie. I do not know why but I find it utterly enchanting.”
§
“Actually, I did the decorating on my own.” She found herself smiling just a little because of that. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t have wanted her mother to help, but it was her own space, and she wanted very much to make it hers. “Mama is very fond of her springs and summers. Sunlight and flowers.” Melinoe sighed softly. It was interesting how she did spend her nights for so long leading the dead, making them happy when she rarely took the time to do such a thing for herself. It wasn’t that she never experienced daylight or took in a fresh summer day... but it was so few and far between. Now that she was mortal, there was a certain sense of bliss she’d not quite experienced before, and even though she still needed to tend to her godly job, things seemed brighter, now. Meli wanted to enjoy things... the things mortals would talk to her about like kissing and coffee and the beach.
She snorted softly at the name of the dessert Zeus provided to her. “What in the world is that made of?” The smile on Melinoe’s face only exued her good-natured tease. “It sounds... fun?”
§
“Sunlight and flowers are rather beautiful. Wait until spring and you’ll see the true beauty of spring.” Zeus tapped his fingertips on the table top. “I supposed this little trick of the Titans isn’t all bad.” He didn’t quite believe it, of course; he thought that being trapped in a mortal body in 21st century New York was on a par with being stuck in Tartarus. Still, it seemed appropriate to encourage his daughter’s unexpected optimism. “At least we are discovering new experiences. Life outside the Underworld isn’t so bad, no?”
Zeus laughed at the expression on Melinoe’s face, again strengthening his opinion that she was considerably sunnier than any child of Hades could be. He was pleased that her upbringing hadn’t spoiled her. (Of course, their upbringing had produced the entirely lovely Makaria so it can’t have been all bad.) “Banoffi is a wonderful combination of bananas and toffee. I highly recommend it.”
§
“Well, then,” she finally announced. “I think I will try that. I’ve never had either, so it’s a good way to start, perhaps?” Meli was, indeed, trying to figure out modern food. It had changed quite a bit over however many centuries or millennia she’d passed over from the last thing she remembered until Cronus (or Khaos or Gaia or whoever was having a bad day) brought her here. Meals seemed quick-prepared and one plate seemed far too much for one individual. So far, her favorites were milk chocolate and fried chicken (not together, thankfully).
Melinoe tucked a rogue lock of hair that was threatening to poke her in the eye back up and under her hat. She wasn’t sure why she liked it, and no one else seemed to mind... In fact, several people had their hats or whatever they wore to keep their head warm still perched on their heads. “So, Uncle, I do not mean to offend, but why do I have the feeling you have motives other than just a friendly chat over a slice of pie?” Her gaze lingered on Zeus’s face for a long moment. “I do not recall you ever wanting to take a moment to talk, but then, I suppose I can understand with you and Papa not exactly seeing eye-to-eye.” Oh, Meli. You really don’t know. Her gaze dropped to her folded hands sitting quite prettily on the table. “But then, I suppose I never really spoke with anyone outside of my home, other than the ones who follow me.”
And she hadn’t. Melinoe’s friends truly consisted mostly of any of the Underworld league and whatever ghosts she couldn’t seem to shake. In truth, she had an itching to at least try to make a friend in this strange place; someone from the complex, and not necessarily the mortals she worked with. Not that they were bad, but they would never understand.
§
Zeus watched her carefully; the girl was thoughtful, clearly, and where that trait came from was anyone’s guess.
“Must I have other motives?” he asked, his expression neutral, though it took some effort. Another tactic might be required. “But you are right. Hades and I are not desperately close, it must be said. I am not particularly close to your mother, either.” He bit his lip, affecting an air of pensiveness. “Though we usen’t be particularly distant.”
§
She shrugged good-naturedly, but declined to comment. He was Zeus. When didn’t he have an ulterior motive? At least, anything she knew about him seemed to indicate that he did and he definitely wasn’t shy about it. At his latter comment, Melinoe canted her head with an eyebrow lift to follow. “Are you speaking of my parents as a whole? Or perhaps one or the other?” Why did she have the inkling that there was going to be far more to this situation than he was letting on?
Probably because with Zeus, the general consensus is that, well... there usually was.
§
Zeus grinned, somewhat pleased by her curiosity. “Both of your parents. Either or. In truth, I haven’t ever been close to my siblings, Hera aside.” He shrugged. “Demeter and I - Well. I haven’t been close to my brothers, at any rate.” He didn’t mention Hestia because it was unnecessary; Hestia was a goddess unsullied. “I haven’t been close to many of my children, either, but your mother is one of the few-”
He paused. The waitress had come with his coffee. Coffee was one of the few things that pleased him these days. Stirring sugar into it, he looked up at Melinoe, wondering how well she was following the implications of his words.
§
Melinoe asked the pretty waitress for the pie that sounded so delicious and appealing, though she was beginning to debate whether or not she wanted to stay to finish. It didn’t take much for her to gather that her uncle had laid with her mother. Things like this were not uncommon in their world, especially when it came to Zeus. She held a hand up and forced an uncomfortable smile. “That will do, Uncle.” While she knew how these things worked, she wasn’t exactly versed in them, and any lessons Zeus was looking to give... he could keep right on looking. “Whatever was between you and Mama is in the past, and it is done.”
Isn’t it?
§
He picked up his coffee mug, cradling it between his hands and continued to look at Melinoe. “Oh, you are right, to a point. What was between us is done but it is hardly over. There is cause and there is effect.”
He shrugged, again, waiting to see what she would take from that. “I do love my children,” he said. “Some more than others and, yes, I play favourites. I am not a good father.” He flashed a smile. “But I’m a very effective father.”
§
Melinoe narrowed her pretty eyes and straightened in her chair. She wasn’t entirely sure if her lack of sleep was getting to her, but something hit a nerve. The man had been dropping words pertaining to his children all night. That last phrase made her take pause. “An... effective father? What in Tartarus does that even mean?”
Right about then, the young waitress returned with the pie Meli had ordered with a somewhat disgusted expression, but her tone was lighthearted as she spoke: “We, uh, don’t serve tartar sauce here. Sorry.”
§
Zeus waited for the waitress to depart, flashing her a truly charming smile which caused the youngster to blush very prettily.
“Effective? I am very good at becoming a father, though I suppose acting a father is something else entirely, or so I gather. It is strange. Most of my children know me.”
§
As he began to speak, Melinoe almost picked up the fork to take the first bite of her pie. But as he continued, she instead rethought the food portion of the program and decided she suddenly wasn’t all that excited about the dessert. She set her line of vision at Zeus’s eye and gave something of a short and quiet laugh, very little amusement held within it. “All right, Uncle. I’d much rather you stop tip-toeing around and say what it is you mean to say. None of your children that I have knowledge of have denied you as their patriarch, so your telling me any of this is simply reiteration on your part.” Meli had a sneaking suspicion of exactly what it was that he meant to say; he’d certainly hinted around about her mother enough.
So why was she getting that sinking, sick feeling in her stomach that she’d only really experienced when she had the feeling that something she feared was closing in?
§
Zeus was solemn. His easy smile had slipped away and there was something rather cold in his eyes. “I daresay your mother will not be pleased. I am surprised that you do not know. I wonder if you ever-?” He paused.
Not unkindly, he said, “I’m your father, Melinoe. Did you not suspect?” Thoughtfully, he tapped his fingertip on the table. “Arms of black and white, daughter of the Underworld and Olympus. I do not know why you have not been told.”
§
Meli wanted so much to call him out on some great lie that Zeus’d built up just to mess with the family, but she couldn’t. Zagreus, she knew, was his son--that fact had never been hidden, but no one ever gave her reason to not believe Hades was her father. The thought that he might not be had never crossed her mind until just before Zeus began dropping hints.
Her jaw clenched in sync with her stomach and she frowned deeply. Melinoe felt immediately cold and physically ill, inwardly devastated because she knew what he said was true. She wanted to scream at him, call him the liar she hoped he was. Wanted to throw that stupid pie at him, bloody his nose with the small china plate that it sat on. She had known he’d had other motives and hated herself for giving in to the want of something of a break from the day instead of just going home and attempting to sleep. Why would he make up her being his daughter? What gain would he have in this?
Instead, Meli grabbed her gloves in a very calm, but angered way (were her hands shaking?). ““I want to say that I do not believe you, but I have no reason to do so. Why did you tell me?” she whispered as she looked down, fighting back a sharp burn of tears that threatened to overflow. Why didn’t they tell you? “Things were fine as they were. He’s the only father I have ever known, and I love him more than almost anything. You have plenty of children, including my brother. Isn’t that enough?” Never mind that currently Hades knows practically nothing of you, Melinoe. She pulled her gloves on very deliberately and forced herself to look up at Zeus. First one tear... then a few more blurred him out. Melinoe never remembered actually crying before, but she tried to blink the flood back. She suddenly hated her parents and brother for never saying a word--at least that she could remember. To her knowledge, Makaria had none of this knowledge either, but who knew? “What about my sister?” She grabbed her scarf and began to bundle up, feeling less than worthy of a lot of things as she stood to slide on her coat. She needed to get away from him.
§
Zeus’ response was entirely calm. “Your sister remains your sister. No more and no less.” He reached out and lightly grasped her wrist. “I am not asking you to love Hades any the less but I would not deny my own child. You are a creature of the Underworld and there is nothing I can or wish to do to change that. I would have you know the truth, though.”
He smiled then, almost kindly (almost pityingly). “It is not the worse thing in the world to be a child of Zeus.”
§
She tried not to recoil at his touching her, but the contact made her jerk her arm away from him almost immediately. Melinoe finished putting her coat on as he continued talking, her miserable attempt at ignoring him allowed for his words to seep in. “What purpose does it serve you for me to know? You said yourself that you’re a terrible father. What, other than my newfound disdain for you, changes? Nothing. Do you think you deserve some sort of reward for your efforts, now?” She kept her voice low, but it was far from easy.
Melinoe zipped up her dark winter coat as he said his last piece. If looks could kill, those blue eyes of hers would have been throwing poisoned daggers and fire at him. “You’ve not given me reason to believe otherwise, Zeus, and I lack any sort of faith in your ability to provide proof of it.” Without fanfare or farewell, she simply turned and walked for the door. Meli was not overly enjoying the stares and whispers she was getting about what had just transpired between the gentleman and young woman--especially since she was exiting in tears and heading out into the freezing night.
To where, she did not know. Once outside, Melinoe’s composure completely dissolved into quiet sobs. It took her a moment before she traversed down the treacherous and now blurry sidewalk with no destination in mind.
§
Zeus had half a mind - quarter of a mind, perhaps - to go after his daughter but he had established enough to realise that she wouldn’t appreciate it. He turned his attention, instead, to the Banoffi pie and the waitress. He learned that her shift was over in half an hour.
He could wait.