𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 ─── nightmares
trigger warning : mention of attempted rape, stalking, harassment
𝕿hough it was to the disdain of many a god, who had their eye on the goddess...
"Delia." Hermes' voice was soft, sitting up with a wince so that he could reach for her hand gently. She was clutching onto her staff, her fingers so tight that Hermes feared she would leave indents in the wood. His hand found hers, gently prying her hand away, as Leto watched them with wide eyes.
"What is Zeus talking about?" Leto asked again, as Hermes shot her a glare and hesitantly touched Delia's shoulder. She barely glanced up, twirling one of her many rings around her fingers. "Tell me, please."
"She doesn't have to." Hermes pointed out, as he saw how Delia's face paled and her fingers trembled in his hold.
"Do you know what is going on?" Hermes shook his head at Leto's questioning, turning back to watch Delia with puppy dog eyes. "Delia, I am carrying Zeus' children, if something happened then surely I should know."
"It's because you are carrying his children, I do not wish to say anything," Delia murmured, looking up at the auburn haired woman with sad eyes. "Do not make me say it, please."
"I need to know," Delia began to shake her head, as Hermes shuffled closer to her and watched her with worried eyes. "Delia, just tell me! I can handle it. I swear I can."
"You think you can handle it? The truth?" Delia glared at the auburn-haired woman. "Fine, you want the truth. Zeus is a manipulative rapist and stalker who preys on innocent woman, then gets them pregnant so that they can't escape him. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Leto's jaw dropped, her face turning red as she stood up, her hands trembling.
"That's not true. That is not true." Delia stood up, and Hermes looked between the two women with wide eyes, unsure of what to do, of who to placate.
"Take a look at Hermes' face and tell me that the person who did it is a good man," She thundered in return. "Have you never thought to ask why I do not allow male gods on the island? Or why there is a barrier surrounding us? Or why I patrol nightly to check all of the beaches? Or why everyone on this island avoids you like the plague?"
"Stop it." Leto cried, throwing her hands in the air and storming off, as Delia shot off in the opposite direction and Hermes was left looking between the two and wondering who to go after. The decision took him seconds, as he grabbed Delia's staff and stepped out of the house to try and find where the petite blonde had disappeared to.
He hurried after her, walking past the grove of fruit trees, the rivers and the Satyr camp, but still he could not locate her. She knew this island better than anyone, so if she wished to disappear, he doubted that he would find her.
"Who are you?" Hermes spun around, bowing his head at the naiad who was watching him with narrowed eyes.
"Hermes, god of messages. Have you seen Delia?"
"Why do you wish to know?" Others began to appear around the eldest naiad, all of them looking angry.
"I promise, I mean her no harm, I just need to talk to her," He backed away slowly, tightening his grip on Delia's staff.
"What happened to your face, boy?" A satyr trotted over, his grey beard almost brushing the ground as he looked up at the god.
"Zeus and I..." The gathered crowd all began to mutter to each other, relaxing immediately as Hermes watched them in confusion.
"She's in the Yew Groves on the west side of the island. She'll be in the oldest one, watching the sunset," The naiad smiled, waving him off as Hermes left in confusion, jogging towards the grove of trees that he faintly recognized as yew.
In the distance, he could see a figure perched in one of the trees, and as he got closer, Hermes realised it was Delia.
"Maia." His shoes flittered to life at his muttering, and he hopped into the air, landing on the tree branch beside Delia, who barely flinched. "Hello."
She hummed, as he placed her staff down beside her and carefully lowered himself so that he was sitting beside her in the bough of the large tree.
"Are you alright?"
"Should I not be asking you that question?" Hermes muttered, watching as Delia's hands trembled. He reached over, and threaded their hands together, rubbing the back of his thumb along hers in, what he hoped, was a soothing manner. She did not pull away, so that was a good sign?
"Zeus saw me bathing one day, that is when he fell in love with the idea of me," Delia murmured.
"You do not have to tell me. I am not on the edge of my seat to know." Hermes shook his head, but Delia looked at him with sad eyes.
"I want to tell you." He settled back down, allowing her to draw comfort from his presence as she mustered the courage to speak again. "He saw me bathing, and that's why he fell in love with me. I did not know that and I would not for a while. He began to follow me around whenever he could, watching me bathe, watching people come and pray to me, watching me tending my gardens and watching me sleep. He finally revealed himself to me, and told me that he had grown to love me and that I simply must love him back and we could have children together."
Delia's voice faltered, as she shook. Hermes watched her with sadness, though he was starting to wish that he had punched Zeus. How dare he?
"I told him no and his ego could not handle that." She sighed, gnawing on her lips. "He promised me that I would fall in love with him and from then on, he took to showing up at my temple every day, asking me the same question every time. Will you bare me children? And I always told him no. He would not take a hint."
"No, he is not good at that." She let out a sad chuckle.
"Then, one day, I finally got so annoyed that I shouted at him to leave me alone, that he was disrespecting me and my privacy and that I was never going to fall in love with him, ever," Delia huffed, shaking her head. "He got angry. Really angry."
"Did he...?" Hermes licked his lips, as he turned to look at Delia. "Did he force himself on you?"
"I dropped a temple on his head before he could get the chance," Delia replied quietly, brushing at her eyes. "That's why my temple was destroyed so badly. Then, I ran as fast as I could. He sent scores of monsters after me and I thought that I would die. But Poseidon found me, and took me to his underwater palaces to heal me. I only survived because of that, but the scars have stayed with me ever since."
"That is why you are on Delos, because it is on water which is Poseidon's domain." Delia nodded. "And the barrier is to stop Zeus or any monsters getting back in."
"Yes," She sighed, shaking her head. "I'll never be safe, not whilst Zeus still feels scorned. So I made my peace with never being able to go back to the human world, and I set up residence here. I created this safe haven for all that have been wronged by Zeus. That is why I was so reluctant to have Leto here, and to have you here."
"You are so brave," Hermes murmured, squeezing Delia's hands in his. "So, incredibly brave."
"Thank you," Delia murmured, leaning her head so that it hit Hermes' shoulder as the sun set in front of them.
"Can I see them?" Delia raised an eyebrow. "The scars, I mean."
"I..." Delia trailed off, sitting back up again, before turning away from Hermes. "Just, do not...do not be shocked."
She held the front of her dress to her chest, before pulling it off of her back and letting the glamour fall. Hermes held back a gasp, taking a deep breath as the scars revealed themselves.
Jagged claw marks marred her pale skin, raised from the surface in a criss-cross of harsh lines. Hermes' hands trembled as he reached out to brush his hand across one of the larger ones that ran across the centre of her back. She flinched, as he drew his hand back and helped her pull her dress back over her shoulder, the glamour reappearing over the scars.
"You are still just as beautiful with them," She watched him with wide eyes, the twilight sky lighting her eyes up like stars. "They are what makes you, you. Now, come on, I want to go and raid your kitchen and see if you have done anymore baking."
"There is a peach pie somewhere," Hermes grinned, hopping down from the tree and holding his arms up so that he could help Delia down once more.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Hermes tugged Delia back before she could walk off, pulling a small bouquet of crocus flowers and tulips from nowhere and presenting them to her. "I was going to leave them on the beach for you to find after I had left, but seeing as I am here, I can give them to you personally."
A small flush ran up Delia's face, before she leant forward to press a kiss to the corner of Hermes' lips, giggling as his entire face went red.
"Thank you, for listening and for coming to find me, and for the flowers," She smiled, and began to walk off, leaving him in a shell-shocked state. "Are you coming?"
Hiya,
So, Zeus is a dick, a stalker and the only major joy I bring from Delia's backstory is her dropping a temple onto his head. Leto is upset because she's giving birth to Zeus' kids and I doubt that's something you want to hear about your baby daddy. Hermes and Delia are the cutest thing in existence and I'm so hyped for them to be a cute godly couple that annoy Zeus together.
Let me know what you think and if you need to talk to someone, I'm always around,
Love Li xx