In the kitchen, Ranma had drafted Kaname and Eija to cooking for the surprise influx of visitors.
The red-head was both relieved by the delay at speaking to her children and firmly aggravated. A fact that Kaname and Eija had both noted.
Usually, Okaasan is a very good cook. Eija noted.
Yeah, I've had dinner here before. Kaname agreed. Found another piece of cutting board.
These were new kitchen tools, Eija noted as she threw away another knife.
"Okay, not exactly my best work," Ranma said with a flat tone that Eija recognized as her trying not react emotionally. "But it should be edible."
"Oh, it looks fine Satomi-san," Kaname said.
"Yeah," Ranma said, doubtfully. "I believe that."
She looked out of the kitchen to the living room where her other daughter sat with Sousuke and the other two "guests."
Sousuke was overlooking the situation and finding it somewhat reminescent of times when he'd been on hand as security for the meetings of officials from opposing factions.
Currently, they were picking at the fruit their host had put out and staring at each other across the table. The demoness was, to Sousuke's eyes, notably more nervous, but still refusing to back down.
"Enjoying probation?" Persephone inquired.
The demoness picked up a piece of fruit and held it out to the Queen of the Underworld.
"Pomegranate? Mara asked.
"No, thank you," Persephone said, looking over Mara's outfit. "That's a lovely white trash look, by the way."
"Really," Mara responded. "I suppose a trophey wife would be an expert on all things skanky."
Both other-worldly women narrowed their eyes and continued glaring. Though the sweat at Mara's brow left no doubt who was getting the better of the staredown.
Yes, this was a very familiar situation, Sousuke reasoned.
At about this point Ranma walked in from the kitchen and set down the prepared food.
"Okay," she said and then moved on before anybody could respond. "Who here knows what happened with me a decade and a half ago?"
"I do," Persephone noted.
"A little," Eija said quietly from Ranma's side.
Very quietly, almost trying not to attract attention, Mara wincingly raised her hand.
Persephone stared at Mara, noting her hesitance with the human martial artist and arched an eye brow in consideration.
For her part, Ranma was mostly looking at Eija, a grimace clearly on her face.
"And the facts of the matter are important to what you're here to talk about," Ranma said with a fake, smile. "Am I right."
"Unfortunately so," Persephone noted.
"Okay then," Ranma said, rubbing her forehead. "Naiki, Eija, we're going to my room. Everybody else, enjoy the food. This is my house. All smiting privileges are mine."
With that said she turned around and walked through the practice floor towards the stairwell leading up to her bedroom and study, Eija following. A little behind her, Naiki stood up and followed looking completely lost.
"Smiting privileges," Persephone said. "What an amusing joke."
"That was not a joke," Sousuke said. "I have found Miss Satomi to be rather glib with her threats, but she tends not to bluff."
"It's really not a joke," Mara said in agreement.
****
Ranma sat down on her bed and crossed her arms and legs as she considered how to break the news...to Naiki at least.
"I was going to wait to tell you all this for a little bit," Ranma said. "But, at least two of you already learned."
"Learned what?" Naiki asked as she snagged Ranma's office chair before Eija could, ignoring the young goddess's irritated sigh.
"I have to tell you something about your other parents..." Ranma said.
It was a few minutes to tell the story and Ranma watched the reactions of her girls.
"I thought it was just the one," Eija said quietly before moving hesitantly to sit down beside her mother and wrap her arms around the red-head.
Ranma sighed and patted Eija's arms, amused by the girl's attempts to comfort her.
Naiki was another story.
"The Gods did this?" Naiki said angrily. "Heaven. Source of love, justice and all that crap?"
She paced over to Ranma's window and cracked open one of the blinds to look down at their guests.
"You let one of their mothers in the house!?" Naiki demanded. "A bunch of hypocrites."
"They are not!" Eija protested, standing up. "Anything that can think can be prone to bad decisions."
"My actual quote is," Ranma noted. "'Anything with a brain can fuck up.'"
"Err, right," Eija said.
"So why don't we go down there and kick her out right now?" Naiki said.
"The Gods didn't obscure facts from one of my daughters that there were two options for fixing a problem she was having," Ranma noted firmly. "Or deny me the chance to really see her off. So forgive me if I think both sides have their faults."
Naiki hopped from one foot to another, trying to keep her temper on hand while thinking things through.
"But, they..." Naiki said, uncertain. "And you never said anything."
Ranma walked up to her and laid both arms on her shoulders.
"Do you think I ever wanted to put this sort of burden on any of you?" she asked. "I knew it would come back on us. I knew I'd have to tell you. I was just hoping it wouldn't be until after college."
"You're going to let these people who hurt you in our house," Naiki asked grimmly.
"These people haven't hurt me," Ranma said, lying a little bit in the case of Mara.
At least from Ranma's perspective.
"And...my...that woman," Eija said. "She's a criminal. She stole relics from heaven and ran. There's something more to this than just a..." she glanced at her human mother helplessly.
"Someone's been pulling our strings," Ranma said. "And it's probably not them out there."
"What if they try something again?" Naiki asked.
"Then we'll fight back," Ranma promised. "God, Demon, Human or whatever, we stand together. You with me?"
"I agree," Eija said firmly.
Naiki paused a moment, trying to juggle the emotions that were telling her to march out there and beat the hell out of Persephone and the resolution to think before acting.
Her mother was saying to wait and see who was really behind things.
"I don't have to like them," Naiki said. "Well, except for Eija."
****
Tessa paused in her work. She'd need to double check the design with Kaname anyway, but that wasn't why she was pausing.
The intensity of emotion coming through her link with Naiki was almost overwhelming. And they were hardly pleasant emotions.
Setting her drafting pencil down, she slowly unblocked her link.
It was like opening the door to a sound-proofed room and finding a TV blaring at full volume on the other side.
Naiki, she thought firmly. Calm down.
Calm down! Naiki snapped. I just learned that I was born because the fucking Gods raped my mother.
The Gods... Tessa repeated. In general?
No...three specific ones, Naiki said. The mother of one of them is here. Persephone. She came with Eija.
Do you think your mother would mind if I listen in? Tessa asked, leaning back. You'll need to think about everything people say so that I can hear it.
'Kaasan, Tessa wants to know if it's okay to listen in.
'Kaasan, Tessa wants to know if it's okay to listen in.
'Sousuke will just report it anyway, so why not.' That's what she said.
Tessa opened her desk and pulled a notepad out, picking up a pen.
Thank you, Tessa said. Maybe I can help you untangle some of this.
****
"Miss Chidori, are you okay?" Sousuke asked as he noted how pale Kaname was getting.
"Likely she's getting Eija's side of the conversation taking place above," Persephone said.
"You mean about your husband's games?" Mara asked snidely.
Sousuke frowned as he listened to the conversation. He'd seen Ranma's file, including the reported sexual assault. But the report in the file indicated a female perpetrator. Granted, these were supernatural beings, they might be able to change gender.
"My husband," Persephone said a bit surprised. "Is that what she wants you to think?"
Mara looked back at the Iron Queen in confusion for a moment.
The conversation was cut short as the Satomis came back down into the living area.
"Okay," Ranma said. "Everybody's up to speed."
Naiki sat down next to Mara, glaring hatefully at Persephone as she did so.
"In that case," the grey-haired goddess said. "I should note that Zeus and Poseiden were both taken into custody and are now being held in Tartarus. Hecate, unfortunately, seems to have prepared for this and has left."
"Hecate," Mara said. "Hecate is behind this?"
"And took a bunch of weapons too," Naiki said. "Right?"
"That is correct," Persephone said reluctantly. "I see having a grand-daughter with a demon for a sister is going to be...interesting."
"No better than a grandmother with a rapist for a daughter," Naiki said. The grey-haired goddess's eyes narrowed as she started to rise from her seat.
"Naiki," Ranma said firmly. "And, lady, you're a guest in my house, so watch what you say about my children here."
"My apologies," Persephone said, sitting back down. "You're right, I am the one that owes you. And your...child is correct about mine."
"What sort of person is this Hecate?" Sousuke asked. "It sounds as if she is the sort to prepare things carefully in advance and not prone to doing things simply for the thrill."
"That's accurate," Persephone said. "She's been handling Yggdrassil security for millenia."
"But you guys had the wrong information," Kaname noted. "In fact, I recognize Geisthexe-san from school, and she'd been around for almost a month. So they knew about you guys a long time before the...Gods did."
Mara looked around at everybody.
"They were also given false information," Sousuke said.
"I understand where you're going with this," Mara said. "You're saying that Hecate is working with some of our people. That's impossible."
Naiki's head seemed to be switching between whoever was talking, half mouthing what they were saying.
"My daughter made no secret of her dislike of demons," Persephone said. "She has even refused to acknowledge Heaven's demonic citizens. It would be very unlike her to cooperate with any demon, much less one still within Nifelheim."
"There aren't any demons that would work with her either," Mara said. "She's got too much of a reputation from before the truce. And we're fairly certain she hasn't reincarnated once since before the truce."
"What? No, I'm sure she's reincarnated at least once recently," Persephone said. "She was out of touch for some years."
"Whatever. I've known people that would kill each other without thinking about it," Ranma said. "Work together to get rid of a bigger problem. Or at least try to. And I've known people who play tricks to make others dance to their tune."
"Hecate prefers a...personal touch," Persephone noted.
"I know," Ranma said harshly. "I've felt it."
"But she does have a manipulative bent," the Iron Queen added, shifting in shame at Ranma's statement. "Unfortunately, without knowing what her goals are, there is little we can say about her plans."
"You're being quiet suddenly," Eija noted to Naiki.
"I'm trying to keep track of what's going on for Tessa," Naiki explained.
"I get the feeling there's something missing that's right in front of somebody's face," Kaname said.
"I have to agree with Miss Chidori," Sousuke said.
"If I may, where is your son, Miss Satomi," Persephone asked.
"He eavesdropped on a conversation I had with an old friend," Ranma said. "Went off on his own the same night these two did."
"Then I am still at a loss," Persephone said. "It seems more and more as if she has simply gone insane."
"Go too long without reliving life, that happens to a God or Demon," Mara noted.
Persephone glared at Mara for the comment.
"Maybe you should check," Naiki said suddenly. "On when she last reincarnated."
"I will, if only to disprove that woman's ridiculous theory," the Queen noted before leveling a look at Naiki as well.
"So, are we getting any answers?" Ranma asked.
"It doesn't seem so, Miss Satomi," Sousuke said.
"Then maybe everybody could head home and I could have a night with my daughters," Ranma asked.
"Yeah, we're getting nowhere," Mara said quickly as Ranma suggested that.
"I shall take my leave as well," Persephone said, standing up herself. "One thing however. Ranma Satomi, my daughter has done you a grave disservice. If you wish, my husband and I would be pleased to accept you in her place."
Mara froze from where she was in the middle of standing up.
"You're offering to adopt me," Ranma said.
"And give you a place as a goddess," Persephone said. "Full standing as mine and Hades' youngest child. Granted, you'll still have to earn a standing in Asgard."
Naiki listened cautiously, and feeling a bit of relief that she hadn't given in to her first impulse to attack the goddess on hearing what her daughter had done to Naiki's mother.
Of course her mother was strong, it only made sense for the Gods to want to recruit her.
"I think I'll stay human," Ranma said.
"I understand," Persephone said, standing up and looking at Naiki. "However, you and yours shall still be considered family regardless of species. And one other thing."
The goddess reached out and lightly touched Ranma on the head with a cold wind and grey light surrounding her.
Naiki took a step forward, narrowing her eyes, but was stopped by Mara who shook her head with a reassuring look.
When it ended, Persephone brought down her hand with a brief smile.
"That might be easier to live with now," she said.
"Mara," Persephone said. "Try not to spark off any more armaggeddon programs."
Ranma frowned and stood up, crossing her arms as she watched Persephone walk out of the house.
Naiki chased out of the house to go confront Persephone, Ranma tried to stop her at the doo, but Naiki was already out in front of the leaving goddess.
"What did you do to my mother," she demanded.
"I fixed something that was broken, little demon," the goddess answered. "It's not my place to say more. Though your mother might find that the trigger is different from what she was used to."
"Used to, what?" Naiki demanded.
She looked back toward her mother and noticed a wide-eyed thoughtful expression on the red-head's face. Then she turned back to face Persephone.
"It better not be any...." Naiki started to say.
"Before you continue this accusatory tone," Persephone noted. "You might be interested to know that your mother and I share an unfortunate relationship with Zeus."
"He's done this before?" Naiki asked.
"Don't you know your Greek mythology, Naiki?" Persephone asked before turning toward Ranma and bowing. "Again, good night."
The goddess continued walking and, as she reached the intersection of the roads, vanished.
"Gods are always fond of their dramatic exits," Mara said shaking her head.
"Speaking of dramatic exits, Geisthexe," Ranma said narrowly, turning to face the blonde demon.
"Right," Mara said, quickly. "See you in class tomorrow, Naiki."
She vanished into a puff of smoke.
"'Kaasan," Naiki said. "Did you threaten to beat up Geisthexe-san?"
***************
AN: Yes, at least once, Zeus impersonated Hades to get a shot at Persephone. Not the only time he's done that. Heck Zeus even impersonated Artemis once to get at one of her maidens.
