lina_musebox | ;rey&poe

Finn was a little worried when the flowers seemed to draw in on themselves but a smile peeked through when she sent along her own compliments. Fun to talk to. He liked that.

"Really?" he asked regarding Demeter. Finn didn't know her so well as to assume she was or wasn't scheming things but he shrugged. "Whatever it is she has in store, I think you're already amazing at what you do. And you should do what you like. You're one of us, after all."

Fun to talk to....to be around, and to be close to? Was it possible to feel such things after one meeting? It was confusing but....exciting? Or maybe another moment where she was over thinking things. The flowers began to open their petals again, feeling more comfortable in Finn’s presence, taking their cues from their mistress.

“I would like to think so. She’s...” how could Rey put it without giving much away? “She has her reasons. At least from what Artemis has told me.”

Another clue that mother and daughter weren’t close, if Rey had to hear things from another goddess.

“I suppose. I can’t claim to be a goddess when not many know who I am, but it doesn’t bother me.” A shrug of her shoulders. “But....thank you. If you ever need something to brighten the Underworld a little....I could give you more flowers or maybe a tree, if you want.”

"Of course you're a goddess, whether they know of you or not." To say otherwise was preposterous to Finn, which is why he jumped in there so quickly. It wasn't right for anyone to put down Rey. Even herself.

Though he did catch the bit that Rey must not see Demeter very often at all, Finn didn't react and tucked the information into the back of his mind for later. For now, he was preoccupied with being awed by a gift again, a complete shift from his protective attitude just a moment ago.

"Is that possible? Do you think something like that could thrive in the Underworld?" Probably, if he and Poe wanted it to, but they had never tried something like this before. "I would love that. I- I would very much appreciate it. Poe would love it, too. I know he would."

It did strike her as odd that Finn would defend her so quickly about her status as a goddess. Then again, not too many people have defended her. So this was a new experience and Finn was making quite a name for himself in her eyes.

“I could try? As long as the soil or ground is healthy enough, it should work.” Death and decay could lend itself to enriching soil and providing food for the plants. It all depended upon if they could take care of it—water and some sunlight, if possible. That might require her going into the Underworld but....only for a little bit. Surely no harm would come of it.

Though, her more rationale side became a bit louder her, warning her Demeter would not approve. So she would have to figure something else.

“We could start off with something small to test it out and see what happens.” Hopefully it would work....if it got Finn to smile and be happy...that’s what she would like.

His smile was slow and tentative but also pretty bright once he really started picturing it. Life in the Underworld. It would beautiful. And she was right about their rich soil. They had plenty of riches in all aspects except for the living. Poe and BB kept Finn pretty warm, that's true, but it wasn't the same as greenery and life spreading beneath his fingers like it could on the surface.

"That sounds amazing," he murmured wistfully. "I-... Yes. If I can help you test, I'd love to try. You shouldn't have any problems with the soil."

There it was. The smile she was quickly falling for, whether she knew it or not. A smile she would come to love and cherish, along with another’s. Her own smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“I can give you something small now and work on crafting other plants that you may like—something with a lot of color?” Something with blues and purples. Maybe reds or yellows to change things up and bring some life there.

“I could start on it tomorrow and have something for you when you next visit.” Which, in her mind meant the next season...because who would want to visit her again so soon?

"That sounds perfect." She was going to create plants for him. Just for him. Finn had to bite his lip to keep from smiling like a goof.

"Hopefully I'll be able to come back as soon as tomorrow but there's no rush, obviously. For such a great gift, I can be patient."

“Tomorrow?” Rey repeated, a bit surprised and confused.

“You’d want to visit tomorrow too?” Because that was a first and she was hopeful and excited, but she wanted to make sure she heard him correctly.

It would be a first to have company for two days in a row!! That hadn’t happened in eons.

"Ah-" Was too much? Was he already being clingy?

"I thought I might, yes. Only if that's okay with you, though. Whenever you like." The last thing he wanted to be was clingy and scare her away. Poe had never complained before but one never knew.

“N-no..” ahh, how could she put this without sounding childish?

“I didn’t think you’d want to visit again, so soon.” Or be worth the trouble of it. He was Hades, he had a role to play in this world whereas Rey was still young and trying to carve her own existence more or less....or at least live up to Demeter’s expectations.

“It’s more than fine with me,” she reassured him, her smile returning to her face.

“I’d...I’d like that.”

His smile bloomed over his face again, all of his features lighting up. "Thank you. I'd like that, too."

It suddenly occurred to him that he needed to bring a gift. She was working on something for him. He had to do something for her. "I'll bring you a present, too. We can exchange them at the same time." He's seen mortals do that before, and Poe sometimes spoiled him with finery. It'll be fun!

"Perhaps I should get going for now and leave you to your work, though. I don't mean to be a distraction."

Receiving a gift was the last thing on Rey’s mind. She would have been happy if Finn showed up tomorrow, and the next day. She wasn’t hard to please and honestly, she valued his company over any gift.

“You don’t have to?” Honestly he didn’t. “I mean, not if you don’t want to. And you’re not a distraction. This....this has been nice.”

Wonderful, nice...same thing, right?

“You can stay as long as you would like. It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of.”

"I'd love to bring you something," he said with a little more confidence than he felt. This has been nice, she said. Their time together was nice.

And it was. Finn smiled warmly to her, already thinking through gift ideas.

"Thank you. I... think I'd like to stay a little longer. So long as you don't mind. I like listening to your ideas."

A faint blush danced along Rey's cheeks and she had to fight hard not to look away or bow her head. Finn was insistent on bringing her something, so she couldn't object. It was nice....and a nice feeling to know someone wanted to do something for her. NO strings attached, or lessons to learn. Nothing conditional.

She let out a soft chuckle, tucking a strand of dark hair behind an ear.

"If I did, I would've said so. But...." she paused for a moment, debating about which idea she wanted to share with him. Eventually she settled on talking about the different flowers she had in mind for fall. A few that were bold in color to help with the cooler season.

Finn listened raptly, nodding when he liked something in particular and asking questions when he got lost. His forte was the souls of the dead, not flowers. He didn't know much about what Rey could create but he was eager to learn more.

Eventually, the hours stretched long and he began to wonder if Poe was missing him. "I... suppose I should get going," he said reluctantly, glancing to the ground that was very far away suddenly. "I'll see you tomorrow, though?"

[ooc: It went okay! I flew down, and my car got to Orlando before I did, but hubby is still in the west coast. So....physically, I'm okay, emotionally? Nah. Also, let me know if you wanna time skip to Rey being in the desert because Demeter said so.]

Time flew by faster than Rey expected. As immortal beings, time meant nothing, but in this case, it meant that Finn had to go. He had duties to attend to, as well as his other half. While Rey understood why he had to go....she didn't want him to. Which, was odd, considering they had only met, but, she had been lonely for sometime and having someone else to talk to...she wanted to hold onto it for a bit longer.

"Probably....wouldn't want Zeus or any of the others to start questioning things.." she tried to hide her deflated mood, which picked up hearing that she'd see him again tomorrow. Not next season...but tomorrow.

"Y-yeah. That's fine, I look forward to it." Honestly, she did. At least between now and tomorrow, she might be able to create something for the Underworld. She didn't want to disappoint him.

And as if sensing how nervous Finn might be with climbing down from the tree, Rey coaxed more branches to appear beneath the two of them, acting as stairs for them to climb down on.

"Be safe on your travels."

Finn wasn't totally sure why Zeus would question this or why what he thought even mattered. Perhaps it had more to do with Demeter, though, and Finn didn't ask. He certainly wasn't going to let himself worry about Zeus.

In a stroke of extremely hesitant bravery, he reached for Rey's hand and pecked a kiss to her knuckles. It was fast, though, face aflame as he skipped down to the ground again. "I-" He paused to clear his throat. "Thank you. I'll see you soon..."

But he had to go now. At least it wasn't too much of a hardship since he was so excited to talk to Poe.

He walked a bit away and, like a shadow, he was there and gone again practically with the whims of the wind.

The kiss to her knuckles made her cheeks flare up. Rey was left stunned by the act, unsure of how to process it. If it was an innocent gesture or affection, or if it meant more. But....it felt nice. She watched on, her heart beating hard against her chest as Finn left her, fading into the night and disappearing.

She looked back to his vacant spot, already missing it. She enjoyed talking to him and just....being near him. A feeling she had with Artemis but not this strongly? Or maybe she was over thinking things. Either way, she eagerly looked toward for tomorrow....

Which, sadly didn’t turn out the way either God intended. Demeter found out her daughter had a visitor. She scolded Rey for getting close to someone she didn’t know and as punishment, sent Rey to the deserts. The young goddess was tasked with surviving in such a harsh climate and creating plants that would thrive too.

So when Finn went back to the same spot, he would find the land bare and tree withered.

The sight of the withered tree and no Rey in sight was the most pain Finn experienced in a very long time. He rarely got worried like this for anyone, but something clearly happened to her. Something was wrong.

Not knowing what else to do except to keep calling out for Rey in a field he knew was empty, he returned home to the Underworld. He'd told Poe everything he could recall about Rey the night before. He wasn't sure if his other half could help but... what could he do? He was too panicked to even think right now.

"Poe!" He ran through the halls, quickly finding his beloved and latching on to his arm. "She's gone. Rey's gone. Something's happened. She wouldn't just vanish. Her tree- The tree she made was dead. Something's wrong."

Could she have died? No, that can't be. They would have heard of a God dying. They would be the first to know, right?

Finn had told him that he'd planned to go back to the surface to visit his new friend - "friend" - so he hadn't expected the other god to return so quickly. He started a little bit as Finn grabbed him - worried for half a second that he'd accidentally let a soul slip free from the river into their quarters - but then relaxed when he realised it was Finn.

That relaxation didn't last long, his brows furrowing quickly and a frown pulling down his lips.

"Slow down," He said, taking Finn's hand and gripping it.

"What do you mean, something's happened? She was just there yesterday. How does a tree die that fast?"

He already knew the answer as soon as he said it: they didn't. He may specialize in the souls of the sinful, but everything on Earth died. Sometimes easing the souls of animals and plants into the shadows of the afterlife was the only real peace Poe could find in his work. He always, always left the kind human souls to Finn. Without fail.

"Okay, look, just - just slow down and tell me exactly what you saw."

Slow down. Sure. He could do that.

Okay, but really, panicking wasn't helping. Finn took a deep breath and tried to gather himself.

"I went to where we agreed to meet, but she wasn't there. The tree she worked hard on yesterday, the one she said she created for nymphs, it was withering and dying. She'd never let that happen. I know she's not dead, but... who would take her? She mentioned Artemis, but she isn't-... Demeter?"

Poe's face grew darker as Finn spoke.

"... Yeah. That'd be my guess. I knew it was too good to be true." It was hard to keep that edge of real honest rage out of his voice, even low as it was. If it were up to him, Finn would have a high seat of honour on Olympus. He would be recognized and treated as equal among them. Instead, by whatever fate had bound them together in the underworld, he was reviled and mistreated and misunderstood. Finn was better than any of them, and yet Demeter had probably stolen Rey away simply for speaking to him.

He turned his head and whistled sharply for his dog.

"Okay. Look. You just stay here, and try to set it aside for now. I'll deal with it. I was planning on going topside to meet her anyway - Beebee and I can find out what happened and where she's gone."

"Poe-" Too good to be true? Deal with it?

... Was this his fault? "I could help. I could do something." Though, what, he had no clue. Beebee did have a good shot of tracking her down and someone had to be in the Underworld these days.

"I'll-" Dammit. He felt so useless. "If something changes here, I can let you know. The dead talk all the time. If they see her-"

"One of us needs to stay here." That was the rule. The dead flowed to them at a near constant rate. They couldn't leave the gates unmanned.

"If they see her, send word. But I'm sure between the two of us, Beebee and I can find her."

On cue, the huge hound appeared, its three heads bright focused at attention. Poe reached up and patted its flanks, as his own clothing changed. Black grecian armour, with a black cloak lined with a bright blood-orange stripe and a helmet with a blood-orange crest suddenly graced his person.

It would keep any mortal who dared to look at him from daring to speak to him, at least.

"I'll find her."

His eyes flashed purple and a doorway appeared and he clicked his tongue for the dog to follow him. He didn't turn back again - he didn't want to see Finn's face. Didn't want to know what lay upon it. Worry or grief or hopelessness - none of them were things he ever wanted to see on his lover's face.

Actually finding Rey was another thing all together. But the dog caught her scent at the tree, and time and space had no bearing on their hunt.

They'd find her. No matter where she had been hidden.

He wanted to say something. He should have said something. Instead, Finn watched as Poe and Beebee disappeared beyond their realm.

What if Rey really had been lost? What if he lost Poe, too? His lover left armed for battle. Finn couldn't lose him, too.

But what choice did he have now? There was nothing he could do except remain in the Underworld and hope they returned to him.

His hands gripped at his tunic and he fled for the river. If all he could do was listen to whispers, then he'd do it.

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sorry it's been so long and you get something so short D:

No worries!!

♥!!

❤️❤️❤️

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AAAHHHHHHHH HELLO

OH HI. Also I moved

east coast, best coast lol. are you doing okay with the move?

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♥♥♥♥ i hope it gets better soon ;; and yeah a timeskip would work!

Thanks! It gets better each day

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