Here he is... Maven. Enjoy this chapter. Hope I got his character right!- 😈

I sigh. Samos, yet again requesting funds. I don't think that family will learn that I do not fall for their puppets. I shift through the papers, my eyes shifting and resting on the most recent portrait. Mare looks radiant, as usual. Despite of the years of Silent Stone, she never seems to age. She glows with beauty.

I feel guilty as I think about the interrogation. But it had to be done. To keep her safe. Like every threat, every drink of the ancient potion from before we existed, every smack. This is all to keep her safe. Everything is for her. She doesn't understand. Everything is always to keep her safe and with me. She will always hate me for my love and protection, and I  just wished she'd see sense. The Slivers of court or the Scarlet Guard, however small it still is, would take her away or kill her.  Why must she hate me? Is it because of her punishments when she so clearly does something wrong? What is it?!

Why does the red rat matter? Your heir is the good thing she has provided, Mother tells me. That cannot happen. Suddenly, a Sentinel bursts in. 

"Your Majesty, your children have requested to see you."

"I will see them. But watch your urgency. I would have thought the Scarlet Guard attacked." He nods his head, glad not to be the object of my wrath today. He is lucky mother interrupted my thoughts.

"Of course your Majesty." My children enter. They fiddle with their hands and pace. Somethings off. And I sense a lie coming.

"Yes?" They look up at me. "Well, what is it? You certainly didn't come to visit me," I say harshly, still a bit frustrated. Elara speaks first.

"We would like to visit mother."

"And why would you?"

"We miss her. And we need advice," Hestia says before clamping her hand over her mouth.

"What kind of advice?"

"Like, how to temper our powers. Sometimes it's really hard to control and we would like her advice," Zeus says.

"And she had a unique experience in discovering them, so she would understand about learning to understand it," Samson continues.

"Plus, we are studying how you both met. We want her perspective and yours," Elara finishes.

"Okay. You may visit your mother, but I must inform her, as to not frighten her. She is incredibly reclusive as you know. Come visit her in an hour," I state.

"Of course, Father." The children leave. I don't trust what just happened. They sound like it's something else, that I shouldn't know, rather than just seeing their Mother. One thing is for sure, they don't have their parents' lying abilities.