Title: Raising Mischief - Care
Fandom: Hercules The Legendary Journeys/Xena Warrior Princess
Characters: Strife
Prompt: #59 Food
Word Count:
Rating:PG13
Summary: Erin gets some TLC.
Author's Notes: Sixth in the Raising Mischief series.
Hera flashed into Ares' temple and smiled at the sight that greeted
her. Ares was lying in his bed curled protectively around Erin
stroking the sleeping boy's hair. He eyed his mother but made no move
to get out of the bed.
Hera smiled and approached the bed. It was then Ares noticed the extra
energy she had with her and the distinct signature of Eris.
"What did you do?" Ares asked intrigued.
"A little punishment, a little gift for Erin," she said extending her
arm and feeding Erin the excess energy before sealing Discord's power
symbol in her temple and sealing the entire structure off for the next
few decades. Knowing her daughter Erin would claim it long before she
ever did again.
After the energy boost Erin woke peering around the room. Looking at
Ares who smiled at the young boy, Hera gave him a small smile and
stood back to watch the interaction. Ares watched the wary child and
stood up.
"There's something I want to show you," he said as he rotated his
shoulders. Smiling he unfurled his own wings. Black as pitch, he
rarely used them. Fanning them out on either side of him he smiled at
Erin's gasp of delight.
"Would you like to touch them?" Ares asked and Erin nodded so rapidly
Ares feared he would hurt himself. Sitting down on the bed he waited
as he finally felt tentative touches to his wings. Glancing at Erin
over his shoulder he smiled at the look of wonder on his face. Ares
fluttered his wings and Erin giggled. Liking the sound Ares fluttered
faster brushing his wings against Erin who let out another burst of
giggles.
Hera smiling to herself softly called her sister, who appeared moments
later a tray of cookies in hand, her brown hair wrapped up in a bright
red scarf that matched her simple dress.
"Who's that little darling?" Hestia asked as Erin climbed onto Ares'
back and the war god took off flying around his temple.
"That is Erin, Eris' son."
"He looks a little thin," Hestia said shaking her head. Though she
said the same to most of the other gods, except Zeus, she usually told
her brother he was looking portly.
"He is, Eris was not the best mother," Hera said before regaling the
story to her and her current punishment.
"Hmm, I may have to visit that cave," Hestia said a cold glint her
usually welcoming hazel eyes. "Ares dear come down here and say hello
to your aunt."
Ares who had moved Erin to his arms, dived quickly to the ground
pulling up at the last moment and landing softly on his feet. Smiling
down at Erin he was worried when he noticed that he was all eyes wide
and unblinking.
"Strife you okay?"
"Do it 'gain," he said as a huge grin spread across his face and Ares
let out a booming laugh. Hestia and Hera exchanged a glance and
smirked at each other as Hestia offered her sister a cookie.
"Hello Aunt Hestia," Ares said smiling as he shifted his hold on Erin
so he was held by a single arm but did not place the child on his
feet. Despite the energy boost he was not going to take any chances
with the weak child. Reaching for a cookie he handed it to Erin.
Erin took it and turned it in his hands then sniffed it. He gave it a
small lick and then looked at Ares to confirm. "Food?" Ares'
flabbergasted expression only vanished when the hearth flared to angry
life. He glanced at his aunt and was sure if the tray wasn't a gift
from Hephaestus it would have shattered in her grip.
"It's a cookie, give it a taste sweetie," Hera said and Erin took a
small bite, quickly followed by a much larger one enjoying the cookie
immensely if his expression of delight was anything to go by.
"You never had one of these before?" Hesitia exclaimed exchanging her
cookie platter for Erin so quickly that Ares never knew what hit him.
Blinking he decided to take a cookie watching as Erin finished his
cookie.
"Have you ever had cake?" Erin shook his head. "Cupcake?" Head Shake.
"Ice Cream?"
"Ice? Cream?"
"I'm taking you home with me right now. You are going to try
everything, what did your mother feed you?"
"Lumpy, whites."
"Lumpy whites? What are lumpy whites? Picture it for me sweetie,"
Hestia said taking another cookie and handing it to Erin. "Oh,
porridge. Very bland porridge, that..that…Ares dear let me know when
you are done with her."
"Alright, do you want to spend the rest of the day with Strife?"
"Erin dear, call him Erin, if you like Strife so much you can use it
for his official duties, once he is of age to take them all."
"Yes Mother, so Erin, do you want to spend the day with your Aunt
Hestia and Grandmother? She's going to show you what else there is to
eat besides porridge."
"Oh much more, I'll find your favorite food yet."
"I'll send you to E-R-I-S now dear, call me when you are done."
"Alright mother," Ares said lowering his head for the required kiss to
his cheek.
"Now remember Ares she is only immortal, no reason to be too savage.
We wouldn't want her unconscious too soon now would we?" Hera said
coldly as Hestia distracted Erin by describing different foods the boy
had never heard of or experienced.
Ares was about to retract his wings when he thought of something a
plucked a black feather from his left wing and handed it to Erin.
"I'll come have dinner with you all, be good for your Aunt Hestia."
Erin nodded and was flashed to Hestia's home temple on Olympus where
he was instantly greeted by many different smells.
The place had a completely different feel from Ares' marble temple
instead, made of wood and lots of open spaces. The most dominating
part of the temple short of the enormous dining hall had to be the
kitchen. Large even for Olympic standards, the rectangular room was
filled with tables and supplies. She had an entire wall devoted to
cooking utensils, pots, pans and trays. Arranged neatly on shelves or
on pegs that hung off the wall. The opposite wall was a long oven
that could be lit in sections or in one long row of cooking food.
Enchanted so that it was safe for children and so that no flavors ever
blended no matter what was cooking side to side.
The other wall was a series of shelves open to Olympus and its
constant steady breeze used as cooling center for cakes and pies.
Lastly on one of the longer walls opposite of the fire she had it
divided in sections. One section had cold air rising from it, a gift
from a visiting god from India Himvatt who loved her chilled deserts
so much he refused to make it necessary to flash in ice from the tip
of Mt. Olympus. Next came most of her baking supplies from visiting
deity's and even mortal traders who had passed outside of Greece.
Finally were the supplies she always had on hand if someone else
wanted to prepare something.
"Well my dear, we have some work to do," Hestia said as she settled
Erin on her hip and lifted a tray. Filling it with samples from around
her kitchen, she decided that just this once Erin could have a meal
that was leaning strongly towards sweets though she did add fruits and
some stew she had been making for Apollo and Asclepius who she
realized were also dropping by for dinner.
Smiling she sent out Invitations to nearly all the gods of Olympus and
beyond not one to forget her brothers and began planning Erin's
impromptu coming out. She was sure to add that the gods should bring
their children.
Sitting down at one of her smaller tables she sat Erin in her lap and
held out the tray before her. She would break odd a small piece of her
already small samples and gauge Erin's reactions. Complete with a
large goblet of chilled milk to wash it down. For cakes, other cookies
and even a bit of frosting he seemed to have the same reaction, he
clearly enjoyed it but it was not `it' yet. Hestia smiled and broke
off a piece of chocolate cake and held it out to Erin. He tasted the
moist cake and was frozen in his spot for a moment.
For the first time since the taste test had begun, Erin ignored the
next sample that Hestia was holding for him and instead went for the
rest of the bit of cake finishing it off and liking his fingers.
"Of course, it's always the chocolate. Would you like a little soup
now?" Erin nodded touching the still warm bowl as he took the spoon
and took a taste. Once he had finished the stew, Hestia rewarded him
with another small piece of cake and now warm milk. She smiled as he
yawned and carried him to the bath to wash his hands and face, before
tucking him in her bed.
"Take a little nap; if you wake up without me I'll be in the kitchen,
making dinner, you can come join me." Erin nodded sleepily already
drifting off and Hestia materialized a small stuffed Ares doll
complete with wings, sure it was just what Erin needed after seeing
how he looked at his uncle. She had made a similar one for Cupid ages
ago.
Erin clutched the plush war god with a smile and drifted into the
realm of dreams.