Chapter Text
"Ares, would you please stop touching my poppies and moving them away from the sun?" Persephone growled, watching her older brother look at her with a small, mischievous smile before placing the poppy pot near a shelf that faced the sun.
"Oh, dear sister. Did Hades not give you your good morning kiss, or why are you so bitter?" Ares laughed mockingly, watching as Persephone glared at him. "You're always in a good mood, and today you're not even a bit chilly."
"Ares, I'm not up for your nonsense! I have a lot of errands to run today, and I'm too busy to put up with you," Persephone said, sighing and taking a small notebook out of her pocket to cross something out with a blue pen.
While Persephone was moving around in a hurry and sulking, Ares followed his sister with his eyes, a little worried but more amused. He had never seen his sister like this before, well, except for when it was her wedding to Hades or when it was his nephews' birthdays.
Speaking of nephews...
"Hey, sis?"
"What do you want now, Ares?!" Persephone growled as she arranged her flowers, moving the orchids away from the sun Ares had placed there.
"Did Zagreus tell you that Melionë, Macaria, and he will be staying with us for the weekend?" Ares asked, wincing as the clay pot filled with soil his sister was holding fell, breaking into pieces and scattering dirt all over the floor.
"THAT THEY WILL WHAT?!"
"Persephone, dear, what happened?" asked Demeter, Persephone's mother, entering the flower shop's terrace, observing the pottery box and the broken pot on the floor.
Persephone, hearing her mother's voice, turned to look at her, seeing Demeter with a cart filled with four bags of soil for the flowers.
"Oh? Nothing, Mom. I just found out my kids are going to stay with Ares this weekend, and Zagreus didn't tell me anything. That kid's going to give me gray hair someday!" Persephone muttered, starting to pick up the broken pots with Ares.
"Don't be mad at him, little sis. It was actually my idea," Ares replied, watching as his sister paused what she was doing to look at him accusingly.
"And explain to me why you thought it was a wonderful idea for my children to spend the weekend with you? Don't you remember that the last time I let them spend the weekend with you, my children came home with scratches because you decided you were going to take them on a little mountain hike with my nephews; and Aphrodite and I almost died when we saw our children like that?!" She pointed her finger at Ares, watching as Ares laughed, then put on a serious face when Persephone glared at him.
"Sister, this time I promise we won't go on any excursions. I'm just going to take them to the movies and then to the fair. In fact, Aphrodite will be there with us," Ares said with a smile as he mentioned his wife, looking at Persephone.
"Are you sure you're only going to take them to the movies and the fair?" She looked up and down at her brother, who just nodded, placing one hand on his chest and raising the other.
"Big brother promise."
Persephone just sighed and nodded with a small smile. "Fine, I'll drop them off at your house this weekend. I just have to let Hades know the kids will be at your house."
Ares nodded as he finished picking up the broken pots that were on the floor, as Demeter had started sweeping the dirt. "Okay, sis," Ares replied, checking the time on the watch on his wrist. "Well, darling, I have to go. Talk to you later, okay?"
Persephone just nodded as her brother kissed her on the cheek as if in farewell and also said goodbye to Demeter with a kiss on her hand before leaving the flower shop.