The Queen || ✔

Chapter 23: Queen's Fear

Claudia

"Claudia..."

I mumbled in response, feeling my eyes peeling open and my body moving slowly. I woke up and saw Blade standing beside me, with a tray in his hands.

"What time is it?" I asked while sitting up and he placed the tray of food gently on my lap.

"Five."

I choked on my tea, realising how late it was and I looked at Blade who seemed calm.

"Why do you look so calm, we were supposed to be out at one?!" I asked him, and he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Hera didn't want me to wake you up because you looked so peaceful. We'll visit them tomorrow morning, I promise. For now, just relax. It was a very long flight."

I nodded my head and he began to exit my room, but I called out to him before he could open the door.

"Blade..."

"... yeah?" He responded, turning his head around.

"Thank you." I said warmly. He smiled at me and took his shades off, as a sign of respect.

"It's only my pleasure."

He left my room and I looked back at my tray.

At least this gave me more time to think everything through. Tomorrow morning, we'd go shopping and then after that, we'd go to them bearing gifts.

Someone knocked on my door gently and I let them in. It was Hera, dressed in a floral purple jumpsuit and black Converse sneakers.

"My little lamb." I signalled for her to come closer and she came forward, stopping right next to my bed. "You're so far away though." I pouted at her and she looked at me confusingly.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. She obviously didn't know what I meant so I did it myself. I pulled the blankets off of me and grabbed her by her waist, pulling her onto the bed and tucking her next to me. I sat back down and also covered myself in the blankets.

"Right next to my curve, that's how close I want you." I said, pulling her cheek while she giggled.

"But Ma, your curve is so sharp, it's stabbing mine." She teased me, pulling my cheek too.

"Wait, Hera... what curves are you talking about? Where did you get curves?" I asked, then saw her widen her eyes in anger.

"I have curves. I'm not like Athena, she's so skinny, she's practically a skeleton with skin." She said, folding her arms in front of her.

"Hera... that's not a nice thing to say about your sister."

"Considering what she said..." She said, then stopped. I looked at her and saw her looking the opposite way, trying to avoid eye contact. What was she talking about?

I heard her mumble a soft 'dammnit' and I became worried. She knew something I didn't, and now I wanted to know it.

"Hera..."

"... she said that I was just coming with you so that I could be on your good side." She blurted. "She said that you weren't dying, that I was supposed to let you go by yourself, that dad is on his death bed while all me and you could worry about was your family. She said that you're not a saint. She said that it's your fault that dad doesn't have his family. She said that since you have your family back, why doesn't daddy get back Hilary and TsiTsi? She said that nobody can change somebody else... that you changed yourself."

"When did she say this?"

"Last night, when I was on my way to the car."

"And what did you say?"

"I tried everything that I could to defend you. I don't know, I honestly think that she only said that because she was upset. Maybe because Daddy fainting frightened her, she spoke without thinking and... and maybe she regrets saying that."

"No."

"No?"

"When someone shows you who they really are... believe them."

Her voice caught in her throat and she looked at me fearfully, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. Finally something came out, but I still kept my vision forward, staring at the black flat screen TV in front of me and thought carefully.

"Wh-What do y-you mean by that? Wh-What are you thinking Ma?"

What was I thinking? Funny she asked because I was actually thinking about my daughter, Athena.

I was thinking about how I was slowly losing her. She had never really been against any of my decisions, then why was she saying such things about me?

Athena wasn't one to keep her thoughts to herself, she spoke up for and against anything that either enticed or bothered her.

She never liked her father that much during her upbringing. He was never there. She always complained about how if he didn't want to raise them, he could just fuck off. But now she was on his side. I knew that all he was trying to do was make me the bad person, but now if he had Athena on his side, what on earth was he telling my sons?

Zeus couldn't be able to bear something he didn't know, because of his curiosity. I told him everything, just to get him off of my case.

Poseidon on the other hand, knew who I was, but not to what extent. He didn't fully understand how far I would really go for him and his siblings.

And Athena. I wanted to have a talk with her. If she hated me, my biggest fear would come true. My kids couldn't hate me, I couldn't let happen.

"Ma."

Hera broke me out of my thoughts. I looked at her baffled self and swooned. My baby looked so cute when she was nervous, but she just felt so lost. It was all on her face. Her fear, worry, anxiety, stress. All on her face. She was such an open book, she wore her feelings right on her sleeve, silly little lamb.

"Ma... what are you thinking?"

"Nothing... come here." I said, pulling her into my arms for a hug and she cuddled in them. It felt good having her so close, it comforted me.