Chapter 23:

After they had returned to Olympus, they had taken Helia to her room. She had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of her spout earlier and the storm she caused. She looked somewhat disturbed while she slumbered, but they assumed it was because she may be dreaming of what had taken place, so they had laid her down to rest while they went to finish up any work they hadn’t gotten to earlier. Hera didn’t want to leave her daughter but knew there was some business she had to take care of, so she sweetly kissed her forehead and left her sleeping daughter behind.

Helia was dreaming, but it wasn’t a pleasant one like the others had been. Instead, this one made her uncomfortable. She was in a room pitch black and could see nothing in front or behind her, not even to the sides of her. She was becoming more afraid as time went by.

“It is okay, child, do not be afraid.” Helia turned around in a panic and saw three women surrounded by a bright light. They looked to be triplets but at different ages and stages in life. One seemed to be in her twenties, the other in her forties, and the older-looking woman looked to be sixties or seventies. The energy she felt from them was surreal, and she wondered just how powerful these three were and if they would harm her.

“We are not here to harm you, child; you must trust us. We are the Moirai, or Fates if you will. I am Lachesis. I see the things that once were.” She was beautiful. In their own way, they all were, but she had blonde curly hair that was waist length, and her eyes were purple like her sisters.

“I am Clotho, and I see the things that are in the very present.” She had brown wavy hair that reached the middle of her back.

“And I am Atropos, and I am the one who sees the things that have not yet happened but of things that will be.” She was the most striking for her hair was shoulder length and as white as a dove’s feathers that contrasted beautifully against her eyes’ color.

Helia knew just how powerful these three were from the tales that her grandmother and aunt had told her. She wanted to show them the utmost respect, so she kneeled in their presence.

“Please rise, dear child,” said Clotho.

Helia stood, confused as to why they were visiting her of all people. “Thank you, I do not mean to come off as rude, but why is it that you are here? Have I done anything wrong?”

“No, my dear child, quite the opposite. You see, we have been watching you from afar and are quite impressed by you,” praised Atropos.

“You are?” Helia wanted to make sure she heard them correctly. “But why? I have not done anything to deserve this praise.”

“Yes, you have done things that no other person but one could do, which is truly love Hera for who she is,” Clotho spoke.

“Well, I mean, she has been kind to me, and it wouldn’t be right for me to hate her after she took me in.”

“That’s true, but that is not the full truth, is it?” asked Lachesis. She elaborated on what she meant to the confused child, “You love Hera like that of a child who loves their mother, don’t you?”

Afraid of how her voice would betray her, Helia simply nodded her answer. She was embarrassed, not of what she felt towards Hera, but how the Fates may look at her. She was unsure why she clung to the goddess for dear life and wanted her love and affection so much. Helia just wanted to be loved like a daughter, but not just by anyone. No, she wanted Hera to love her like a daughter.

“Oh, child, it is okay. You have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. We know and see how much you struggle with the thought of not being wanted and loved, and it is okay, for we know Hera truly loves you.” Lachesis tried to comfort the child and make her feel better.

“Does she really?” All three sisters nodded their heads in agreement.

“Why would she love me, though? I am nothing special. If I were, then I would not have been left behind by my parents. They would still be here with me; they would love me, but they aren’t, and they don’t,” Helia screamed. She was tired of feeling this way and couldn’t contain her emotions anymore. Yes, she wanted Hera’s motherly love, but a part of her thought that it would not be true; it would be from a place of pity, and that is something she would never want.

Clotho had done something that she had never done before. She stepped to the crying child and hugged her. She could feel the sadness and turmoil the child was feeling coming off in waves, which troubled her.

“Listen, dear, I cannot speak to you about the things of the past and why your parents left you, but I can tell you the things, in the present, right now. You have people who truly and deeply love you. Ares, though he comes off as a brute, loves you like no other. He cares for you and is protective of you more than he has any of his siblings. He sees you as his baby sister and just wants you to see him as family as well. As for Hera, there wouldn’t be a better pick of a mother for you than her. There is a reason why you are both in each other’s lives, and it is not for me to read the future for that is Atropos job, but I do know that if you were to let your guard down, you would be able to see just how much she loves you.”

“My sister is right, little one, for she sees the present, and I can assure you that everything will make sense in the future, for I have already deemed it so, you just have to trust us and let things come to pass,” shared Atropos. She wanted to let the child know the truth, but it was not time, so they had to continue letting things play out as they have ordained.

“Your past is one of deep sorrow for the loss of ones you don’t know, and I know it haunts you, but it had to happen, and I am sorry. Just know it happened for a reason greater than you or anyone could imagine, and it will have been worth it down the line.” Lachesis added.

“It is time that we must go, for we have threads to continue weaving, but just remember it is okay to let your guard down to those who love you more than themselves, and it is okay to return that love. Enjoy it now, for, in the future, those memories and that love will help you through. Remember, everything happens for a reason,” Atropos added before the sisters faded away into the darkness, leaving Helia there to contemplate everything she had heard.