Keeping Darkness

She is exhausted; the early weeks of motherhood are not easy. She worries constantly, a young mother and one who is concerned. She is concerned that the gods will smite her children for her own weakness, that they will curse her with some defection. So far, however, the Empress has yet to notice anything. Most are golden of fur and beautiful, with her perfect little heiress being the only exception (which, how can she see her firstborn as a defect). She refuses to notice the obvious hints of blindness in Gaia; she simply tells herself that the girl?s eyes are slow to develop, that soon she will be able to see as well as the rest of her siblings.

She wakes up and panics, feeling the absence of little bodies by her side. She hears words outside the den, and she moves, head peeking out as she observes what occurs. ?Hephaestus is right, my loves,? she tells them, a gentle reprimand as she goes to nuzzle her son, before seeking to press affection on all of her children. She is not truly bothered by the exploration; she was about to take them out to see the world anyways. Soon they would leave for Olympus, but before that they needed to learn of the outside.

She proceeds to seek to press affectionate kisses to the head of each child. ?Do you want to explore?? she asks them. She won?t take them too far just yet, but far enough to sate a child?s curiosity.