old money

*Jupiter I* · 08-31-2014, 10:03 PM

She had found it.

Oh, gods, she had found it. And the moment it graced her senses she had begun to hunt it down so relentlessly that it could have fallen off the edge of the earth and she would have dove down with it. Heartstrings ached with the most mournful of chords, bleeding the most nostalgic of thundering blues that filled every last fiber of her quivering being. Paws scoured the earth and she blinked back tears she never thought she would cry again, hauling Mercury between her large shoulder blades, knowing he would be unable to keep up with the speed in which she charged. Celestial bodice barreled through every obstacle with brambles leaving angry scratches upon her legs.

But Jupiter proved numb to this pain. For a very long time now, Jupiter had been just that--numb. So terribly numb.

Nose had found his scent. Stagnant, but there--hardly recognizable but she had known that scent the moment she'd cleansed the slippery sac from his damp fur, stimulating his small, fragile body until he took his first shuddering breath in the terrible, lonely world she'd forced him into.

She stumbled briefly as her throat tightened, fighting back the smallest of sobs. A deep breath quaked violently through her as she battled for her composure. How, in the midst of Ludicael and her hormone-induced paranoia and stupid-ass Kaios, had she let herself neglect her children? How had she possibly she prioritized that over t h e m? She had been so determined to protect them and offer them every bit of security she'd never enjoyed that she had deprived them of something much more valuable.

Perhaps Marvel leaving truly had been her fault. They'd both promised to be parents for their children and though his departure scarred her heart horridly, she wielded the power all along. She could have done something. She could have been there for her children.

Jupiter could have been more careful. Could have not fallen ill.

Paw pad split open and trickled crimson as she arrived at the deluge, his scent--the one that had haunted her conscience for years now--breath-takingly strong. Aware of the danger, she slowed her pace drastically, drying some of the moisture in her eyes and allowing Mercury from his perch to pick his own path along the unstable ground. Head lowered and she worked her way carefully, following the exact pack her son had taken to the step.

Attentions were so terribly focused that she didn't notice the river until she was nearly upon it. What she did notice was him.

Her only son. He was here.

It was dim, but she could make out the alabaster tones of his underside. Lower jaw quivered as lips parted but for the life of her she could not force out words. What could she say?

"Oberon."

Her voice did not quiver until the last syllable. Every last muscle in her body remained infinitely tense, aching with the stranded force there. "Hi." This was quiet, slipping out before she could stop it. So casual but thrumming with everything she couldn't say. What if he hated her? She could not blame him. She had lost everything. Her home, her pride, her rank, Ludicael, and had nearly lost Medusa.

Jupiter wasn't prepared for this. She had never been prepared for any of it--not Ludicael, not Marvel. Not motherhood, not Medusa. Not murdering Kaios and not robbing her children of their only remaining parent.

But for once, to the scarred firebird, t h a t was okay.

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me

old money

Jupiter I