synkomidí.

“What?” Demeter blinked in surprise but then immediately shook her head, positively horrified by that thought. “No. Gods no. He kidnapped my daughter and is even now holding her hostage, refusing to let me see her. Love is the very last thing I feel for the man.” If anything, she loathed him beyond compare.

     “YOU’RE PREACHING TO THE WRONG CHOIR, LADY,” was his blunt reply, uttered in a matter-of-fact tone. Not only was Lucien completely for using operable vehicles of any kind, but he didn’t think Las Vegas was the kind of city where you could get by on either a bicycle or your own two legs — since so many … unique and, dare he say, dangerous characters called it home. “AND I HATE TO BURST YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL ENTHUSIAST BUBBLE, BUT THIS WORLD’S ALREADY PRETTY FAR GONE. CHANGING YOUR MODE OF TRANSPORTATION NOW WON’T DO ANYTHING.” 

“You’re quite ... pessimistic for one so young.” Not quite fatalistic - but on the brink of taking that unfortunate plunge. “What is broken or damaged can be fixed,” Demeter assured the man, wanting only to guide him onto a healthier pathway than inevitable destruction. Such benevolence had once been hers to give, and no mortal would take that away from her.

— Surprised, Hades glances askance at Demeter, recognizing her from the sound of her voice even before he permits his gaze to shift toward her. Of all the goddesses to stumble into, she’s the last person he expects to see. But that may be wishful thinking on his part, since he’s never gotten along with his mother-in-law in all the years he’s known her; she can’t seem to comprehend the idea that her daughter chose to marry him rather than believing wholeheartedly in the offensive thought that he forced it on her. For Persephone, though, he tried to find common ground with a woman determined to despise him for what she perceives as his audacity for taking her daughter from her. Tried to establish an amicable relationship with her, which — naturally — ended in failure. To her, he will always be the villain in the story, and nothing he says will ever change that. He learned that centuries ago.        “Were we ever needed?” It’s a normal thought for someone whose own pantheon treated him like a pariah from the moment he was appointed lord of the underworld. The mortals seem quite capable of taking control of their own lives, from what he can tell. So obviously they would be unneeded.

Hades, her dreadful son-in-law - through no choice of hers.

Eyes narrowing as soon as his voice - that deep, courtly modulation that only he was capable of producing - registered with her, Demeter slowly turned to face the god, age-old resentment beginning to rise to the surface the instant she laid eyes on his face, and scoffed at his words. He was obviously referring to himself. A male who would willfully abduct a goddess and force marriage on her would only ever think of himself. “In your case, someone had to oversee the spirits of the deceased - make sure they didn’t stumble over a rock or two on their way to their judgment.” It was a snarky comment, even for her, but she just couldn’t help herself. This god had taken everything from her; the least he could do was stand there and take the buckets of salt she heaped upon his head. 

    ▎“ that’s one way to look at it, ” thetis acknowledged with a sad shake of her head. her own contribution to their pantheon hadn’t been all that much or great, but it still stung — the idea of no longer being needed for the world to thrive. “ but you could also look at it as an opportunity to experience new things. ” without the responsibilities of a goddess weighing her down, new doors were guaranteed to open.

“ it may not seem like it now, but a silver lining exists somewhere, ” she continued, her tone earnest as she followed the other goddess’s gaze to a pine tree — the root of her woes. “ it’s only a matter of finding it. ” 

She never would have considered it in that vein - but Thetis had a point; a point she wasn’t so sure she wanted to stand by. What fun was there in experiencing new things when she didn’t have her beloved daughter by her side to share her experiences with? "New experiences can be charming in their own right, but unfortunately, my mind isn’t in the right place to enjoy any new experience that may come my way.” That was the only concession she was willing to give; the love she felt for Persephone was her own personal affair - she wouldn’t permit anyone else to take that from her, even in conversation.