When you give a goddess a chocolate...

Part 4: Protectors

Lucilla sits at the wooden kitchen table with her robot beside her the following morning. She kicks her feet happily while munching a bowl of cereal. Her grandmother eyes the robot with a smidge of amusement as she nurses the coffee in her hands.

"You're sure your toy won't get you in trouble?" Grandma asks for the fifth time.

Lucilla shakes her head. "No, I will only bring it out during recess. Those are the rules."

Grandma nods and shifts her attention to the window. Edges of the rose bush shift slightly in the wind as the morning sun shines through. The cream walls and white window sill compliment the view like a perfectly framed photo. Demeter must have blessed their garden. Perhaps, even her granddaughter.

She can feel the shift in her granddaughter's spirit. That doesn't bother her. The lightness and joy are things she has missed. Finding the right words to form her questions is bothering her. Considering how long it'll last without making Lucilla aware of her concern makes her feel like she never retired as a psychiatrist. Back when she wasn't simply grandma or mom. She was merely Dr. Zoe Pappas, who cared for her patients and left her clinical brain in the office. Now, Dr. Zoe Pappas can't seem to turn it off.

Zoe sighs, closing her eyes. It's okay to want to protect her. It's what grandmothers do.

Lucilla slides out of her wooden chair before grabbing her empty bowl off the table. She goes about the routine of placing dirty dishes in the sink before returning to the table. Lucilla tips onto her toes to clutch her robot's hand tightly. "I'll brush my teeth, and then we'll be ready to leave."

Zoe nods to the empty chair. Her nails tap the porcelain in thought. Who knew opening the door to find her granddaughter cleaning her room would make such an impact. Then, she wouldn't let that robot leave her side... and how she held onto it. My gods and goddesses, it wasn't even one of the toys Lucilla's mother bought her.

Her son enters the room in a button-down light blue top and navy pants. "Luci already went to brush her teeth?"

"Yeah, she's ready to go."

"So, maybe we don't need to call the psychiatrist?" Her son asks with a hint of hope as he pulls down a coffee mug.

"Nico," Zoe sighs, watching him pour his coffee. "One good day doesn't negate the rest. You asked me here for a reason."

Nico nods while opening the silver fridge door. He knows his daughter has been sad. Hades knows Nico has been as well. He didn't want to think about how it would be if his mother didn't decide to come to stay with them.

"I—"

"I'll call someone myself, Mom. I don't want to talk to one of your old work buddies."

The older woman holds a hand in mock surrender before rising. "The hazards of being the son of a retired psychologist."

Nico shakes his head with a small smile. "Just go lecture at Luz University already. You'll become stir-crazy if you stay around this house much longer."

Zoe waves a hand in dismissal. Ignoring her own hypocrisies with that simple motion. "Maybe in the fall."

Nico snorts, finishing his cup of coffee before dropping his mug in the sink. "Have a good day, Mom."

His mother offers her cheek for his goodbye kiss. Her brown eyes watch him send her one last smile as he grabs his keys off the hook and disappears out the navy blue back door.

The cream walls of the kitchen seem bland for a few moments. Maybe Zoe should become a lecturer? Or, perhaps, go find a therapist for herself?

Psyche hovers in the corner of the room. She glides forward and touches the older woman's shoulder. Zoe gasps, feeling her mind and heart lighten.