Amity

"But that would ruin the surprise. Just know that I expect to see them wearing their…gifts in the future, even if they hate them.” In truth, she wasn’t the best at assuming what people would like. But she smiled at the girl regardless, letting out a soft chuckle.

"But it's not my own surprise," She laughed along with the woman, "They will, everyday they're washed, I'll make sure o' it myself, Naveen. Thank ya', really, none o' us will be able t' say that enough."

Dion wasn’t sure how the curse worked, or how he broke it exactly, so he was at a loss on how to help Harmonia break it. Telling her the truth, that he was her grandson, and that she was leading a life without knowing who she truly was probably wouldn’t bode well for him. She’d think he was just having an episode, so he decided to take an indirect approach, an approach he wasn’t really looking forward to, but if there was a chance it’d cause Tessa’s inner Hamonia to stir he was willing to do anything. “I’ve been having dreams. With this woman. One second she’s fine and the next she’s burning in flames, and screaming and there’s nothing I can do to stop it, or to help her, or to make it less painful. I know it’s just a dream, but I see her sometimes when I’m awake too.” It was partially true, Danny did have dreams about Semele even if he didn’t know the woman to be his mother, but watching her burn wasn’t the worst recurring dream he had. That was just the one he chose to mention because he was hoping Tessa might have had dreams about Semele too.

It would be a lie if she said she hadn't had the same dreams, but her's were of another aspect of the nightmare. Her dreams focused on the screams and only those she had heard before in the hospital when a mother had be restrained by the nurses as she tried to claw her way towards a corpse. Tessa dreamed of those screams, pleading to every god there was until her voice wasted into nothing to change the past, to take her instead if their child could live in their place as a part of the mother already died in that moment anyway. It was only as she recalled the nightmare in that moment that the screams began to sound as her own. Thinking of this as Danny spoke broke everything that was inside of her, there were her bones and veins, but they held no substance. Something hard began to eat away at her heart as she stared someplace beyond Danny's shoulder, as she had to bite back her tongue from repeating her thoughts: I see her everyday. It was rather she couldn't say anything, partly in the fear that her voice would give away, her own thoughts that she would rather escape. Still, she acted in part of recklessness as she closed the space between the two and hugged him, her head on her shoulder, an attempt to hide her face. "Do you know her name?" She didn't expect the words to fall from her lips, but she felt the need to know, to make their dream real.

"Your mind must have been somewhere else, thank god you’re still sane," she said, actually looking relieved that some of her friends were still normal. "I wish I knew too, I hate not being part of something."

She looked at Aaliyah for a moment, pondering her words and what would be best to say in return, "Ya' could ask Arlo when ya' see him next, he sees more o' the town than I do. I still do want t' know what ya've been hearing though?" The last question referred to Aaliyah's first mention to mythology, how it had to do with everything else she said.

"My name is not Williams, it’s-" Hera stopped, and looked at her granddaughter in surprise. "You bought me a present?" 

"O' course I would, why wouldn't I?" She paused, "Although, I can't buy it yet, it's one I needed t' save up fer, and I still am."

The flowers weren't for him, but she pulled one of the roses out anyway and offered it to him, "The red works fer ya', if ya' ask me."

"Now that the holidays are over...

"Ya'll just have t' tell me what ya' had in mind."

"I will always help you in any way I can. You know that." She smiled at the girl’s attempt of changing the subject. Nemesis looked towards the door, and the three decorated gift bags she’d left there when she came in. "I have something for you and your brothers. I, um… I’ll just leave them with you when I go."

"You shouldn't 'ave, ya' know that?" Despite the words, she grinned at the woman, showing her gratitude as she moved over to the gifts, wondering how she didn't notice them until now. "Ya' 'ave t' tell me what ya' got Ram and Ronan, and I'll tell ya' the look on their faces when they open them."

"Can someone explain to me why some of us remember and some of us don't?"

"Remember what, Elise?" The question was an honest one, to put it simply.

"So you are referring to people as family members? What is going on in this city?" she said, giving the young girl a strange look.

She paused at Aaliyah's first words, her mind reeling to review what she said to her. "I didn't- I didn't even realize-" she cut off again, running a hand through her hair for a moment, catching herself, "I only wish I knew."

She smiled at the girl’s kindness, instantly regretting what she’d said. “No, Tess, it’s okay. I’m sorry, it’s just… It reminds me of something.” She sighed. “Every Christmas, her…my adoptive parents would kiss under the mistletoe at midnight. They always looked so happy, like nothing could ever go wrong in the world…” She looked down sadly, and then looked back up only to smile. “It’s really okay, you can put it back up.”

"Then let's remember them fer something they should be remembered fer," she said, turning the mistletoe in her hand, returning the smile and searching for a why to lighten the subject. "I never really got t' decorate fer Christmas, it might become a bit crazy in this household, ya' might hear me calling ya' sometime because I might need an expert's help around here."

"There isn’t much to do anyway. You can help me put the wreath up if you want."

"Ya' may just 'ave t' tell me where ya' want it."

"Why are we still doing this Christmas thing?"

"Because it would mean I would 'ave t' find another use fer the present I'm givin' ya'. It only comes once a year, Mrs. Williams, we should as well enjoy ourselves."