Fic Dump #5
It's been almost two weeks and I still want to marry this post.
Oh my gods guys two weeks until my dissertation is due HOW AM I STILL ALIVE I should be dead of exhaustion right now I am not even joking. LET ME PROCRASTINATE BY POSTING FIC.
Characters: Hera, Demeter
Content Warnings: There is some awfully clunky writing at the start here. Also the OH SNAP count is through the roof.
Setting: Past
Word Count: 904
Hera woke up in the middle of the night for no real reason. Annoyed, she turned over onto her side and tried to get back to sleep, ignoring the nagging voice in her mind that kept trying to remind her how long it had taken to get to sleep in the first place.
She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but her mind wouldn't settle. Her ears began to tune in to even the smallest of noises. Hestia was sleeping in the next bed, and to Hera her soft breathing sounded like a hedgehog. The small hearth fire in the middle of the room was low, but it was still hot enough that the wood bark crackled and spluttered. A breeze picked up and scraped an olive branch across the wall outside. Beyond that was the sound of a nightingale.
The memories of the day were playing through her head, stuck on a constant, fast-forward loop. Breakfast, the weaving she had done all morning, the picnic they had for lunch, she and her sisters collecting water from the spring, the argument her brothers had gotten into over knucklebones, the slow evening listening to her mother's stories, and everything in between.
And now she was far too warm. With a huff, she sat up and turned down her top blanket. She lay down on her other side and was trying to ignore the memory of Zeus running his hand over her thigh under the dinner table when she noticed the bed next to her was empty.
Where was Demeter?
Hera frowned and sat up slightly. Maybe she just couldn't see her sister? But no, the bed was definitely empty. She pursed her lips and lay back onto her pillow, the gears in her mind spinning furiously. Demeter had not covered her tracks, so she must be expecting to be back well before any noticed she was gone. But the small oil lamp was gone from her bedside table, and why would she have taken it unless she planned to be gone a while? Hera knew what she herself would have been doing at this time of night if she had decided to slip away, and she was in no doubt that Demeter was doing exactly the same thing.
Thoughts of sleep were driven completely from her mind. Even if she hadn't wanted to catch her sister out, her curiosity was burning intensely. Now she lay awake, listening closely for any sign of Demeter.
How long she waited she didn't know, but finally she heard the soft scuff of the door as it opened, the rustle of fabric, and the gentle click as the door closed once more. Hera listened to the footsteps as they neared the beds, and she waited for the exact right moment before sitting up.
"Where have you been?" she whispered. Demeter started and nearly dropped the lamp she was holding. Hera eyed her hard.
Demeter recovered in a moment, and drawing herself up she met Hera's steely glare. "What does it matter to you?"
"I know where you've been," Hera replied, ignoring the question, "and you know Mother won't like it."
"What makes you so sure you know what I've been doing?" Demeter asked. When Hera hesitated, she smirked. "I thought so. You've assumed I've been doing what you want to do. Tsk." She set the lamp on her bedside table. "Not so above wanton thoughts as you would have us all believe, I see."
Hera bristled. "You're one to talk," she spat. "Maybe you should tell Poseidon not to leave a mark next time." Demeter made a show of rolling her eyes, but she touched the light bruise that was blossoming on her collar. It was Hera's turn to smirk. "Really, anyone would think-"
"Oh relax, I'm still a maiden." Demeter unwrapped her stole from about her shoulders and pushed off her sandals. "Though maybe you should look inwards before you start throwing those kinds of accusations around."
"What on earth do you mean."
Demeter scoffed. "I've seen the way you act around Zeus. You pretend to be all high and mighty and above it all but the second he's in the room you're like a bitch on heat."
"Excuse me, at least I conduct myself with some propriety."
"You're frigid, you mean." Demeter yawned and stretched. "Maybe Zeus wouldn't have such a wandering eye if you gave him more than chaste kisses."
Hera flushed. "It's no concern of mine who he spends his time with," she retorted.
Demeter rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever you say. Denial."
"It's not!"
"Please, you care. Your poker face is good, sure, but still."
"Like you're so clever and innocent!" Hera whispered fiercely. "Coming home after hours without any sign of you with grass stains all over your robes-"
"You're just jealous because you're too scared to do anything fun!"
Hera scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Why on earth would I be jealous of you?"
Hestia made a noise behind them and they both jumped. Hera looked over to her sister, but she was still sleeping. She muttered something unintelligible and rolled over. Hera turned back to Demeter, glaring.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't tell Mother," she whispered.
"You won't," Demeter replied, slipping under her covers. "Even if you do I'll just deny it and it'll be your word against mine." She lay down and turned her back to Hera, ending the conversation.
Oh my gods guys two weeks until my dissertation is due HOW AM I STILL ALIVE I should be dead of exhaustion right now I am not even joking. LET ME PROCRASTINATE BY POSTING FIC.
Characters: Hera, Demeter
Content Warnings: There is some awfully clunky writing at the start here. Also the OH SNAP count is through the roof.
Setting: Past
Word Count: 904
Hera woke up in the middle of the night for no real reason. Annoyed, she turned over onto her side and tried to get back to sleep, ignoring the nagging voice in her mind that kept trying to remind her how long it had taken to get to sleep in the first place.
She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but her mind wouldn't settle. Her ears began to tune in to even the smallest of noises. Hestia was sleeping in the next bed, and to Hera her soft breathing sounded like a hedgehog. The small hearth fire in the middle of the room was low, but it was still hot enough that the wood bark crackled and spluttered. A breeze picked up and scraped an olive branch across the wall outside. Beyond that was the sound of a nightingale.
The memories of the day were playing through her head, stuck on a constant, fast-forward loop. Breakfast, the weaving she had done all morning, the picnic they had for lunch, she and her sisters collecting water from the spring, the argument her brothers had gotten into over knucklebones, the slow evening listening to her mother's stories, and everything in between.
And now she was far too warm. With a huff, she sat up and turned down her top blanket. She lay down on her other side and was trying to ignore the memory of Zeus running his hand over her thigh under the dinner table when she noticed the bed next to her was empty.
Where was Demeter?
Hera frowned and sat up slightly. Maybe she just couldn't see her sister? But no, the bed was definitely empty. She pursed her lips and lay back onto her pillow, the gears in her mind spinning furiously. Demeter had not covered her tracks, so she must be expecting to be back well before any noticed she was gone. But the small oil lamp was gone from her bedside table, and why would she have taken it unless she planned to be gone a while? Hera knew what she herself would have been doing at this time of night if she had decided to slip away, and she was in no doubt that Demeter was doing exactly the same thing.
Thoughts of sleep were driven completely from her mind. Even if she hadn't wanted to catch her sister out, her curiosity was burning intensely. Now she lay awake, listening closely for any sign of Demeter.
How long she waited she didn't know, but finally she heard the soft scuff of the door as it opened, the rustle of fabric, and the gentle click as the door closed once more. Hera listened to the footsteps as they neared the beds, and she waited for the exact right moment before sitting up.
"Where have you been?" she whispered. Demeter started and nearly dropped the lamp she was holding. Hera eyed her hard.
Demeter recovered in a moment, and drawing herself up she met Hera's steely glare. "What does it matter to you?"
"I know where you've been," Hera replied, ignoring the question, "and you know Mother won't like it."
"What makes you so sure you know what I've been doing?" Demeter asked. When Hera hesitated, she smirked. "I thought so. You've assumed I've been doing what you want to do. Tsk." She set the lamp on her bedside table. "Not so above wanton thoughts as you would have us all believe, I see."
Hera bristled. "You're one to talk," she spat. "Maybe you should tell Poseidon not to leave a mark next time." Demeter made a show of rolling her eyes, but she touched the light bruise that was blossoming on her collar. It was Hera's turn to smirk. "Really, anyone would think-"
"Oh relax, I'm still a maiden." Demeter unwrapped her stole from about her shoulders and pushed off her sandals. "Though maybe you should look inwards before you start throwing those kinds of accusations around."
"What on earth do you mean."
Demeter scoffed. "I've seen the way you act around Zeus. You pretend to be all high and mighty and above it all but the second he's in the room you're like a bitch on heat."
"Excuse me, at least I conduct myself with some propriety."
"You're frigid, you mean." Demeter yawned and stretched. "Maybe Zeus wouldn't have such a wandering eye if you gave him more than chaste kisses."
Hera flushed. "It's no concern of mine who he spends his time with," she retorted.
Demeter rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever you say. Denial."
"It's not!"
"Please, you care. Your poker face is good, sure, but still."
"Like you're so clever and innocent!" Hera whispered fiercely. "Coming home after hours without any sign of you with grass stains all over your robes-"
"You're just jealous because you're too scared to do anything fun!"
Hera scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Why on earth would I be jealous of you?"
Hestia made a noise behind them and they both jumped. Hera looked over to her sister, but she was still sleeping. She muttered something unintelligible and rolled over. Hera turned back to Demeter, glaring.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't tell Mother," she whispered.
"You won't," Demeter replied, slipping under her covers. "Even if you do I'll just deny it and it'll be your word against mine." She lay down and turned her back to Hera, ending the conversation.