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[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

Characters: Erato, OPEN
Date/Time: Wee hours of the morning, Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Location: Living room of La Maison Jeu Ancien
Rating: TBD
Warnings: TBD. Depends on how it goes and who shows up.
Summary: Maternity hormones make it hard to sleep some nights...

Erato sighed. She didn't know what time it was. In some respects, that was probably a good thing. She knew it was very dark. The house was quiet. Most of the people were asleep, though, she was sure, a few of the godlings prone to night-owlishness would still be prowling around. Erato was bound to be one of them tonight. Her back ached, the baby was kicking, and her hormones were going nuts. She didn't want to wake up Achilles again, though.

Instead, she wandered downstairs. Maybe she could get a cup of hot cocoa from the kitchen and see if there was anything worth watching on the DVR.

Comments

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

Erato calmly took a bite of sandwich.
"Every year, Apollo would go north for a few months. We always begged him to stay because we missed him so, but he said he had friends up there that he needed to visit. Are you one of his friends?"

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"I never met Apollo before a couple days ago," she admits, flushing a little, but does her best to cover it up.

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"Oh. I always hoped to meet one of his northern friends. They were obviously very important to him. I mean, he gave up a lot just to ensure he made that visit."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"I admit I'm curious as to who these friends were," Frigg admitted, curious. "I knew most everyone in the North."

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

Erato shrugged.
"I don't know. I only know what he left behind in Greece." She shook her head. "Poor Koronis."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"Who's Koronis," Frigg asked.

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"She was my daughter's daughter, back in the day. Apollo was absolutely gaga over her. She was about halfway through her pregnancy by him when he made his trip up north and was gone for a few months. That was all it took for her to think that Apollo might not come back for her--never mind the fact that she had Muse blood in her--and fall into the arms of another man. Apollo was devastated when he found out she had left him--heartbroken enough that he condemned her to die for her infidelity, and asked his sister to carry out the sentence," Erato explained, "He did, however, rescue their son from her womb right before she died."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"Dios mio!" Frigg gasped in horror. It was hard to believe that Apollo would be capable of that kind of cruelty. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything, but now she was angry with herself for having sex with that..that..! She took her cocoa and started drinking it down hard.

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"It was a different time then. Women were chattel, and death was considered a perfectly acceptable option in a lot of places when it came to handling a woman who slept with someone she shouldn't have. Koronis was one of few women that Apollo really and truly loved. He would have married her if she had stayed true to him. But for her to outright flaunt her new lover in Apollo's face... he couldn't bear it. He loved her so much it might have killed him if he hadn't been immortal. So much he couldn't even carry out the sentence himself in his rage and grief. He realized he'd made a mistake, being so blinded by his emotions, but by that point, it was too late. All he could do was save their child, and he remains one of Apollo's favorite sons to this day."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

Frigg puts the cup down, taking a couple deep breaths to settle herself.

"I'm..I'm sorry. My parents always taught me not to judge others lest I be judged myself. I'm not a perfect Catholic, but I try. Just with kids..I get a little protective." She doesn't mention her own personal reasons for why it would have upset her.

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"Being Catholic doesn't necessarily mean compassion will rule the day," Erato said, "After all, I come from an Irish Catholic family, and they turned me out because of this baby."

"Apollo is very protective of children. They're sacred to him. And especially when it comes to his own. His children are some of the kindest and gentlest people you will ever have the pleasure to meet. Don't judge Apollo too harshly for Koronis's fate. He's learned from his mistake. Love and jealousy can cause people to do some very irrational things--believe me, I've recorded thousands of stories showcasing just that. He still regrets what happened, and he would change it if he could. His son long ago forgave him for what happened to his mother, I assure you."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"That's true," Frigg conceded. Frigg takes a small breath before smiling lightly. "Then I guess I can do no less than his own son." She looks at Erato's cup. "More, hon?"

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"Yes, please," she said, "I'm sure Dr. Oram would be able to tell you about it better than I could if you had questions. My role in the story ended when Koronis died."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

Dr. Oram? Oooooh, she realized. She had to buff up on her Greek mythology.

"That's okay, I can't imagine it's a comfortable subject," Frigg says, pouring Erato another glass.

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"Thank you."

Erato took a long sip.
"I suppose not. But, it does mean he tends to be especially attentive toward me if I need anything. Last year, he took me to his own home to care for me after that horrible incident in September. Such a sweet man. I feel bad that he's so lonely these days."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"Lonely? What do you mean?"

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"It's been almost a year exactly since his beloved disappeared. He hasn't had anyone since. He only sees his children every other weekend. So, it's just him and Sunshine and Pendragon in that big house most of the time. He keeps busy with his work, sure, but he misses having a family around."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"I see," she said with empathy. "Ever since I first started getting my memories back, I remember my time as a mother and a wife. I can understand what he must be feeling."

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"I wish I could do something for him, but I'm only a Muse. My abilities only go so far."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

"Hey now," Frigg scolded. "none of that 'I'm only' baloney. As soon as you start doing that you add restrictions to yourself. Everybody's capable of more than they think."

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"Yes, well, having people overestimating your abilities isn't any fun either. There are several people in this house who treat me like I'm a walking time bomb or something."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

Frigg raised an eyebrow. "Why would they do that?"

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

Erato blushed a little.
"I can't control my powers at all. They just are what they are. As the Muse of Lyric Love Poetry, I was given the ability to charm the sight. ...meaning people tend to be a lot more receptive to things around me. It's harder for them to want to say no. And I tend to be.... susceptible to the synergies around here, so when I get mixed up with people like Dionysus or Aphrodite..." She shook her head. "But on my own, I'm not very strong. I can't create feelings in people. I just make them more accepting."

[the-all-mother.insanejournal.com]

Frigg listens, taking another before speaking. "It's still something." She gave Erato a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short. I can think of a lot of things that power could be used for."

[roseredheart.insanejournal.com]

"Such as?"