Serendipity - Hermes

IV.

.

So...maybe antagonising the Queen of the Heavens wasn't Amara's smartest move. But something about her just irked Amara.

She hated how calm and polite Hermes always stayed when it came to Hera. He refused to be angry about anything she did to him or to his siblings.

"It's not her fault my father strayed," he had told her, clearly seeing that she was upset. "Over and over again."

"It's not yours either."

"No. But I am the result. And every day, she sees his infidelity whenever she crosses me or my siblings up on Olympus."

Hermes was forgiving and understanding. So Amara was angry for him. And for her father. She had heard Hera's betrayal to him too. In fact, it was probably the answers to one of the first questions Amara ever asked her father.

Amara paced her room that night. She should have been more careful. Hermes had told her to be careful. And the first thing she did was she go and mouth off to Hera. Wife of the year, she was.

"Mara ?"

The young goddess turned to her door, kneeling down. "Meli ? What are you doing here, sweetheart ?"

Her sister was rubbing at her eyes as she crept into the room. "Can't sleep," she mumbled.

Amara smiled softly at her younger sister. "Come here," she beckoned her over. When Meli had reached, the young goddess pulled her into her arms. She swiftly picked her up and walked her over to her bed.

The two girls laid there, Meli snuggled in the goddess of curiosity's arms. "What happened to your shoulder ?"

"What ?"

"Your shoulder." Meli poked at the bruise from Amara's afternoon with her husband.

Amara blushed. "Nothing," she waved off. "I must have run into something."

That excuse seemed to work pretty well as Meli was a child who didn't know about such things yet. She only tiredly nodded. She snuggled closer, her little arms wrapped around her big sister's middle.

"Why can't you sleep ?" Amara asked. She stroked her sister's hair gently.

"I don't want mother to leave again."

The goddess of curiosity sadly smiled. The end of Winter was approaching. That meant, soon enough, Persephone would soon have to leave for Olympus again as per the terms of her deal with Demeter. "I know, sweetheart."

The two sisters stayed there. They held each other for comfort. Amara wasn't sure how much time had passed when there was a gentle knock on her door. She glanced over, finding her father peeking in. He softened as he often did at the sight of his daughters.

"Father," she breathed, pushing herself up. She was still on her side, leaning her weight on one hand.

Meli turned around, getting out of bed and running towards him. Hades hugged her to him before whispering that her mother was looking for her. Meli ran off then, leaving the Lord of the Underworld with his eldest daughter.