The Queen || ✔

Chapter 13: A Broken Queen

Hera

The air was cold and the scent of the fresh rain usually calmed me down but now, I was over the edge.

I looked at my pale mother in her bed, looking like death. Chapped lips, eye bags and a sombre atmosphere surrounding her. She was dying.

"And my sister, Athena. How is she?" Zeus asked. I completely forgot that she was feeling sick, all that mattered to me in that moment was my mother, who had just suffered a severe heart attack. The family P.D. and my mother's best friend, Bhavani Indurjeeth, said that it almost killed her, but because she was such a strong woman, she made it out alive. The tears in my eyes just kept flowing, I had never seen my parents fight that viciously, my father express so much hate for my Ma or even see my Ma break into a million pieces and almost hardly live to tell the tale.

"She had a virus, the norovirus, but should be better with hydration, rest and no contact from anyone else except the nurse I'll assign for her. It's pretty contagious so steer clear of her for now. She'll feel better in a couple of days. I will assign a strict diet for her to follow and I will send a psychologist over to help her deal with her situation thoroughly. Please take care of her."

"Ok Bhavani. I will do so. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure. And make sure that once Claudia gets up, she takes her medication. She needs it in order for her to keep her blood pressure and heart rate at a normal pace. She shouldn't be stressed under any circumstances. This was a very lucky moment. Next time we might not be that lucky."

Zeus agreed with her as he walked her out. I was left in the room with my Ma. I had so many questions.

"Ma. Ma, listen. Look, I know you can't talk at the moment but at least you can listen."

I sighed loudly and let the tears flow. I was so heartbroken.

"Ma, who is Matthew? And Sarah, Charlene and Cynthia? Who are these people and why did you fall apart after hearing about them. Ma. I didn't know you were capable of doing that to dad. The plan was to make it seem like you gave up but you went ahead and migrated them. And I know for a fact that they aren't in Barcelona like we agreed. You took them somewhere else. Ma, you took my whole plan and changed it to better suit you. The plan was simple Ma. Register TsiTsi as your child and that you gave him to Hilary, who was unable to make her own babies, and then they'd be well away in Barca. TsiTsi would still be your child and you'd be able to take him away at anytime. Ma, where are they? A full globe with so many places for them to go, where on Earth did you place my brother, Ma?"

"What did you just say?"

I turned my head towards the door and gasped out loud. He heard everything. I forgot that Poseidon was in the bathroom and now he heard the whole plan.

"Did you just say what I just heard you say?" He asked me.

I was so scared, anxious to know exactly how much of that he had heard. My heart began to race again, and my mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out.

"It's not what you think?"

"Are Hilary and Mason in Barcelona? You know this and you chose not to tell dad?" He questioned me, pushing me into a corner with thorns, for heaven's sake, Poseidon had such horrible timing.

"I-I..."

"... don't just stand there. Go tell him now." He insisted, but I couldn't. They weren't in Spain. "Why are you hesitating? You saw how dad was just a few hours ago, a boy can't even sleep in his own home anymore because of this. It's two AM and we have school tomorrow. We don't have time to be arguing about Ma and dad's stuff. Just tell dad and get it over and done with."

"I can't." I mumbled.

"What?"

"I said I can't." I said clearer.

"Why not?"

"Poseidon..."

"... Hilary and Mason are in Spain. You know where they are, now I know too. I don't know why on Earth I'm wasting my time trying to convince you to do the right thing. You'll always do the 'Ma thing'."

"What?" I asked him annoyingly.

"Oh please Hera, don't act like you don't know yourself. You always take Ma's side. You're always in her corner. You're the apple of her eye, for heaven's sake. Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"No no, I really didn't know what you were talking about." I said, realising an opportunity to be exploited.

"Yeah, you do. You always take Ma's side. Always right next to her curve."

"Poseidon, you are never on Ma's side. If not me, then who else? I mean look now, here you are accusing Ma of favouritism when you know for a fact that she'd die for all of us, Auntie Mona included. You saw the fight that they just had. If dad can do and say that to his wife, imagine what he'll do to you once he finds out you knew all along where they are."

"But I just found out." He tried defending himself.

"Poseidon, you are so blind. Did you not just see him freak out? You really think that dad would believe what you have to say? He probably thinks that we are all on Ma's side and that whatever we tell him will be a lie. Like seriously?"

"But I'll be telling him the truth."

"And how many times have you lied to Ma and dad?"

He kept silent and thought carefully. He actually looked deep in his thoughts, but I knew for a fact that he was just debating on whether to eat pizza or pie for lunch at school. Poseidon never took anything serious.

"Ok, I'll keep my mouth shut. But for Ma. And because my allowance has already been depleted so I need to tread carefully or else I'll never get back to my usual amount. I cannot keep living like a barbarian." He fussed.

"Thank you." I said, grateful to the universe for giving me good persuasive skills.

"You are literally such a Ma's princess." He mocked me, and I threw my slipper at him. "Ma's little lamb!" He screamed at me before shutting the door behind him.

That name, little lamb. And the names Sarah, Charlene and Cynthia. Who were these people?