Persephone smiled as her daughter cooed in her lap, the slight bouncing of her knee keeping Malinoë calm. Persephone only wished she could be kept calm so easily especially when dealing with hard headed Gods.
"I don't see why we need to revisit the deal," Zeus said, shaking his head.
"Because, as has been stated multiple times, there is a child in the mix," Persephone said firmly. "And I am not going to leave my infant alone in Auradon for six months, Zeus! How irresponsible do you think I am?!"
"But the deal—."
"The deal originally impacted only myself and Hades. Now it impacts my daughter."
Grimsby nervously cleared his throat in the corner of the room, acting as the regent de jour as Eric and Ariel were once again by their daughter's side. Persephone couldn't necessarily fault them for that but at the same time, this was a conversation where she wished they were present for.
"Now, I'm sure we can come up with something that suits everyone—." Grimsby started to say.
"Yes, we can," Persephone nodded. "My daughter comes back and forth with me."
"And what's to stop you from taking someone else off the Isle and just never returning?" Zeus asked and then paused as a cold blast of wind hit him right in the face.
"Ah mother, I see you've arrived," Persephone smiled as she turned to the door.
"Did you really think you'd have a conversation about the deal that takes my daughter from me for six months and I wouldn't be involved?" Demeter asked as she walked in. "But don't worry Persephone, I won't butt in too much. I figured you would want some assistance in looking after Malinoë during the meeting."
"Mother, did you just want to hold your adorable granddaughter?" Persephone asked with a small chuckle as Malinoë cooed and gave what could be charitably called a wave to her grandmother.
If your first word sounds anything like 'grandmother', I think my mother would invent a new season and find a way to name it after you, Persephone thought with a small mental chuckle as Demeter smiled at her granddaughter.
"I mean...if it's not too much trouble," Demeter said and Persephone shook her head, still clearly amused by her mother's not so subtle hints of wanting to hold her granddaughter. She stood up and gently placed Malinoë into Demeter's waiting arms.
"Mind her head..."
"Persephone, believe it or not I know how to hold an infant," Demeter said though her voice was light from amusement. "I promise, Malinoë is in perfectly safe hands with me."
"I know, I know," Persephone said though there was a small part of her that was loathed to give up her daughter even to her mother. Yes she knew that her mother wouldn't let anything happen to Malinoë but...
Demeter gave her daughter an understanding smile as she went off to the corner, Malinoë in her arms cooing happily. She wasn't offended by Persephone not wanting to be separated from her daughter; she understood that want completely.
Hell, she was the Goddess who created a season because her daughter was taken from her.
"Now then," Persephone said as she turned back to Zeus. "I'm going to explain this one more time. I am never going to be separated from my daughter. I don't care what the original agreement said, as long as Hades and I are having kids they will come with me to Auradon when I leave the Isle for Spring and they will come back with me when I go to the Isle for Fall. My child will know her father. Is. That. Understood?"
"I would say yes if I were you, Zeus," Demeter said from her spot in the corner. "I think you know better than anyone why it's a bad idea to anger a mother, especially a new mother."
"I just don't see why the child has to go to the Isle," Zeus said. "My niece has done nothing to earn being sent to the Isle and should get to spend her life with her cousins in Auradon."
"And what of her cousin born on the Isle?" Persephone said cooly. "Is Malinoë never to know Uma? Never to have a cousinly bond with her? What has Uma done to earn living her whole life on the Isle, never to know her family on the other side of the bridge? Because the way I see it, the only thing Uma has done is be born."
"I—."
"You know what I think this is, Zeus? You're not looking out for my daughter but instead you're looking for yet another way to punish my husband," Persephone said, narrowing her eyes at her brother in law. "What? Because you never got to see Hercules grow up, Hades should never get the chance with Malinoë? How petty do you have to be to deny my husband the chance to see his daughter grow up? And not only are you punishing Hades but you're also denying Malinoë the chance of knowing her father!"
Zeus looked over at Grimsby. "Are you going to jump in here?"
"I think for the sake of my blood pressure and my overall health it's better if I just stay silent," Grimsby said. "I know King Eric has said that whatever gets agreed upon, he'll support. Though he also did say he hopes Princess Elle will get a chance to see her cousin."
Persephone smiled as she too looked over at Grimsby. "I can assure you, sir, Princess Elle will always get a chance to see Malinoë. Unlike some in our family, I am quite opposed to separating people who wish to interact."
"We have an agreement!"
"An outdated one!" Persephone snapped back at Zeus. "Which brings us back to the topic of our conversation, Zeus! We need to update the agreement so that Malinoë will be able to cross the bridge every six months."
"I don't—."
"Zeus, you are talking to the daughter of the Goddess who invented winter when she was separated from me. What do you think I'll do if I'm separated from my daughter?" Persephone growled.
Zeus shook his head. "So what is the point of us having these conversations, Persephone, if you're just going to make the decisions and then expect me to be okay with them? First your decision about Hades being there for Malinoë's birth and now this?"
"Funny, Zeus. I don't recall this amount of concern when my husband was sentence to the Isle without any trial," Persephone shot back. "Any parent would be loathed to be separated from their child for months especially right after they were born."
Unless they happen to be turned mortal. Then Lord Lighting Brain here is far too content to leave his infant son to grow up away from his family. Maybe that's why he's acting as if I'm insane for wanting Malinoë to be with me, Persephone thought.
"I think tempers are a bit too high," Grimsby said, looking as if he would rather be anywhere but the room he was in. "I think tabling the conversation for now would be a good idea."
"I concur," Persephone nodded. "For now, Malinoë will come with me every six months unless Zeus can think of an agreement that works better for a new mother."
"Persephone—."
"I will not abandon my child Zeus," Persephone said firmly as she stood up to walk out of the room; Demeter standing to follow with Malinoë firmly in her hands. As they left the room, Persephone could hear Grimsby let out a small sigh. Almost as if he was relieved no one had tried to smite the other.
Though Persephone couldn't blame the older mortal. She wouldn't want to give Eric anything more to worry about than what he had already.
"Mother?"
"Yes dear?" Demeter asked, picking up her pace so that she was walking side by side with her daughter.
"Have...have you heard anything from Poseidon? About Elle I mean?" Persephone asked.
Demeter sighed. She hadn't heard anything from Poseidon, in fact none of the family had heard anything from him. Hades' younger brother was opting to keep communications limited in case Ariel needed to reach out to him in the event there was an emergency with Elle.
She could understand Poseidon's thought process but it would still be nice to hear something from the God.
"No...I haven't heard anything," she said. "But you know, that's a good thing. It means that there hasn't been a negative change in Elle's status. I'm sure she's getting stronger and stronger each day."
"I'm sure you're right," Persephone nodded. "After all, she's one of our family and you can't say that our family aren't fighters."
"Exactly," Demeter said. "Now then, how about we go and get our minds off of Zeus and his stubborn stupidity? I'm sure Aphrodite would be happy to give you a spa day, as the Goddess of Beauty. And really maybe we should look into reassigning some of her titles, after all she's the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Desire."
Persephone snorted softly, only her mother would think a Goddess with three responsibilities would need to be reassigned. "Really mother? You would be okay with a spa day?"
"Did I say I'd be okay with it?" Demeter asked. "But...it's for you so I'll pretend like I am for today."
Persephone chuckled as she took her daughter from her mother's arms; Malinoë's purple hair faintly blowing in the light breeze.
Maybe a spa day wouldn't be such a bad idea after all, Persephone thought as she continued to look at her daughter. After all...I stand out a bit in the family with my brown hair. Hades has his blue flames and now Malinoë with her purple...I know some mortals have depicted me with pink hair? Pink is a member of the red family after all and red and blue make purple...
"Mother, I think a spa day sounds like a wonderful idea," Persephone said. "Why don't we find Aphrodite and we'll make it a girls' day? Just the three of us?"
Malinoë cooed before Demeter had the chance to answer, causing both of the Goddesses to chuckle.
"I think that's our answer," Demeter said with a small smile on her lips. "Come along, I'm sure the nymphs will be okay for a few hours on their own."
"And maybe after, the two of us can go and talk to papa on the portal? Does that sound like fun?" Persephone asked, looking at Malinoë who cooed once again in response. The three Goddesses made their way up to Olympus where some pampering and general frivolity were had by all.
And if Hades was surprised by Persephone's hair when he saw her on the portal, he didn't let it show.