"I do hope I wasn't disturbing your lovely evening," Hera responded from her end, her voice as smooth and dignified as when she had sat upon her throne and unable to suppress a small bit of playfulness. "I don't suppose you've figured out how to put someone's number in your phone yet. Your handwriting hasn't changed, by the way."<br/><br/>Admittedly, Hera couldn't help but tease, just a little. Perhaps even in  her own heart she wanted him to feel less dejected and crestfallen. She set the phone down to put it on speaker and brought out her laptop. Always best to have her hands free, she had quickly learned.<br/><br/>"I believe I might have a place to meet tomorrow," she continued on as she booted up her computer and an image of Argos, her old sacred city, came to life on her screen. "Since you said you were interested in a bit of nostalgia, might I recommend<i>Έδεσμα</i>? I've had meetings with business partners there in the past and I think it might have the atmosphere you're looking for, provided you don't mind a view of the city with outdoor seating. Though personally I think the owners are starting to get suspicious about my age. Not that they would dare to offend a fairly regular customer with such an invasive question. Would lunch around, say 12:30 work for you? I can easily make the reservation in the morning."<br/><br/>Hera had gotten used to scheduling lunches and meetings to the point where she quite knowledgeable on the subject. By now most of the city's classier establishments were familiar with the name Hera Argéia and how uncannily both lovely and intimidating her presence was. There was always the subtle desire to please and obey her, gain her approval. But with time and passing years arose suspicion as to how a woman could possibly remain so youthful and ageless, not a wrinkle in on her face or a single strand of gray in her rich curls. In time, Hera always had to move the bridal shop or at least "expand" and provide another branch as a go-between. It was a shame really, she enjoyed this place in particular. Establishing another branch of the shop would also prove a headache, especially since just closing up the one here would arouse even more suspicion. After all, what reason would there be for a successful store to change locations so suddenly? None, unless there was something to hide.<br/><br/>She wondered briefly if Zeus even had a computer. It would certainly help if he were to look at the menu online and decide if it would be suitable, but odds were that of the two she was the more tech-savvy. Now there was something she never thought she would end up saying. Perhaps business forcing her into using new tech had been a good thing after all. Just as the thought to ask him entered her head, she heard the jingle of keys and the door open followed by the familiar bickering of her daughters. All her children had keys to her place, a bit of a safety net should they ever need it. Eris and Eileithyia were never far from each other these days, decline had seemed to bring her children somewhat closer, but then again Eileithyia had never been fond of living alone.<br/><br/>"Why use keys? I coulda just poofed us in." She heard Eris argue, the goddess of discord flopping onto the large couch in the living room.<br/><br/>"Because it's rude," Eileithyia responded her usual small timid voice. "And breaking into your own mother's house doesn't excuse it."<br/><br/>Eris tossed her teal dyed hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.<br/><br/>To see either of Hera's daughters was to see two very different people. Where small and petite Eileithyia wore skirts over pastel colored leggings and sweaters with comfortable boots, Eris had more or less embraced the style of "punk rock". She changed the color of her hair on what was practically a monthly basis and had a preference for combat boots and heavy makeup. Any tattoos decorating her skin weren't put there by a needle, but by her own design and were ever shifting and changing. Eileithyia also held the brown curls she had inherited from her mother in a ponytail in order to keep it out of her face when she oversaw her domain of childbirth at the maternity wards. No one ever did seem to notice that the shy helpful little nurse was never listed in the actual hospital records. Hera rolled her eyes at her girls and took Zeus off of speaker phone to hold her phone to her ear. Best this be kept discrete for now.