In the dark of the night. (Melanie)

It was nighttime.  Aimery had closed up his jewelry store in what the Concordians called the mall for the day.  Business had been good, as usual.  The majority of his customers had been children of Aphrodite who never ceased to be eager about dolling themselves up with nice jewelry, and boyfriends eager to please their girlfriends with a dazzling gift.  Some of them actually planned on getting married on the island and bought engagement rings.  Others had enough money to spend on a finely crafted object bejeweled with precious gems.  For whatever reason they came to his shop, he didn't care.  He provided quality customer service but at the end of the day when all was said and done, he really only cared about the profit that came out of the business.  Aimery was proud of how beautiful and valuable his wares were, of course, but being rich was what mattered the most to him.  He had born rich and was intent upon living rich on Concordia.  He loved that he could focus on just that without having to worry about that fighting nonsense. 

No one would doubt that Aimery Girard was one of the wealthiest demigods on Concordia.  The mansion that he resided in with his siblings was truly the most splendid estates to be found.  Not many had the resources he and Melanie had to build that thing within a span of five years.  It helped that their families were wealthy as well, and pitched in to help.  This was one thing he loved about Concordia, too.  He was free to live like a king here in a home befitting a king.  Back at Camp Half-Blood, while the Hades cabin had been one of the nicest, it had been just a small little replica of his father's palace in the Underworld.  However, on Concordia, he pretty much lived in the real thing.  Any greedy young lordling of the likes with him wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyways, Aimery had gone home to the House of Hades where he lived with his sisters.  Had it ever struck him how ironic it was that only three people resided in what was pretty much a castle? Well that was the point of being noble.  You were a rare number but possessed more than anyone could ever posses.  Afterward, he had decided to do his own thing.  There was plenty of things he could do inside such a huge home as this.  He could play his piano in his study, he could take a nightly stroll on the beautiful grounds (trust me, a son of Hades isn't afraid of the dark).  He could play a game of chess with either one of his sisters--they had an expensive chess board and pieces made of ivory.  He could also read, and that was what Aimery had decided to do.

Aimery had headed over to the library.  He wasn't adverse to reading.  He had only disliked it before he realized he could read Greek because of his dyslexia.  Of course, his tutors helped him get past reading English words--his mother had even gotten a bloke to help him read French too, but he read Greek without a pain.  It came naturally to him, something that he hadn't experienced until now.  Well, he actually realized that he liked to read when he read in Greek.  He had ordered a bunch of Grecian books from the outside world and bought his own collection from the bookstores in Concordia to fill up the gigantic library.  It was a library that any scholar would envy, which was what Aimery wanted when one laid eyes upon any aspect of his wealth--envy.

He grabbed the novel that he had been in the middle of reading where he had left it on the small table in front of the hearth, sat down on the leather high back chair next to the table.  Settling against the chair while still keeping his back straight and crossing one leg over the other, he opened the book to the page he had bookmarked it and proceeded to read the Greek words.        

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The Grand Entrance was just that. Grand. Just like the rest of the house it was regal and daunting. Though Melanie came from a wealthy family with large multiple large houses, they had never felt as empty as this one. Then again, everything felt empty these days. Even when she had been crammed into that small apartment with Aimery during the immigration and construction of the house, she felt lost in the sea of empty face. Of course, neither of them really liked to be in such close quarters, but if they had to do it with someone it might as well be each other. Maybe that was why Aimery had suggested her suite, even if he didn't approve of her choice of decoration and refused to let her put it on the ground level. All of the residential areas where on the top floor, far enough apart that they didn't have to actually see each other or feel cramped but in the same area. Something about aesthetics and pretenses.

Ascending the staircase, Melanie thought about how many there were and the kind of workout she got every day just walking around the house. Eventually, she reached the suite and laid her bags down on a table by the doors. The day had been a long one and she had decided that she could use a night of rest and relaxation. A book would be extremely helpful, but she had read all of the ones in the suite. Melanie would have to make her way down to the library to procure some more. In the meantime she decided to pull out something for dinner, so that she would be able to finish it when she returned.

Upon entering the library, Mel began to search for the books she had in mind.  She didn't want to spend her valuable time browsing right now, since she didn't know when exactly she would be called away again. Moving towards another shelf, she realized that she wasn't alone in the room. Peaking towards the edge, she could see Aimery lounging in a chair below. Trying to avoid disturbing him, she went on ahead to the next shelf and decided to leave after finding her next book. Of course, that was the plan until one of the books she was reaching for fell of the shelf with  a loud thud which she knew her brother wouldn't ignore

Aimery had been reading from the page where he had left off of and was about to go onto the next page when he heard the thud of a book right above him.  Being the quick-witted and alert being he was, that immediately got him to tear his gaze from the book and look upward behind his shoulder.  He still sat in the same position that he had been sitting on the chair, though--it was only his head that he moved to get a look of who was above him. 

He definitely wasn't alone, but the good thing was that, this was no intruder.  This was his sister, Mel, who obviously lived with him along with his other sister, Lilith. In fact, she was the one who he had worked together with to make the existence of their spectacular home possible.  Ah, so Mel had the same idea as him to read.  That meant that, at the moment, she was going to be staying home--at least, before she went off to do her job at any unexpected time. 

Honestly, Aimery preferred that his sister stay at home and enjoy their wealth to the fullest.  He understood that he and his sisters had powers that really was useful for intelligence--heck, he had the power of invisibility that ever super agent would envy (even the lord of the ring).  But serving Concordia meant nothing to him.  However, being financially prosperous and wealthy meant everything.  Being one of the few noble, worthy beings out of all those commoners and peasants was what he and other children of their father were meant for, so he thought that it was foolhardy of Mel to go out there and risk her neck with those unimportant folk while she had every right to--or rather, she should stay out of it and enjoy her fortunes while other people did the dirty work, people who were born with little to nothing.  But, alas, that was for her to decide for herself, and there was little he could do about it accept to disapprove.

"Mel," he said her name in acknowledgment of her presence, actually summoning up a faint smile--well, more like a slightly smug one.  He felt alright showing some expression around his sisters.  And, as he was about to show it, wry sarcasm was added into the mix.  "Paying the library a visit for once? I take it that this means you aren't in a hurry to run off into the night at the behest of our precious Commander."                    

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Melanie froze momentarily at the sound of her brother's voice. She hadn't intended to disturb his rest, as he generally didn't enjoy the company of his sisters. If he had wanted to see her, he would've sought her out or called her to let her know he requested her presence. It wasn't always a good arrangement, but it worked and kept the conflict to a minimum. He seemed to be in a decent mood tonight, so instead of simply ignoring his question and retreating to her sanctuary, she decided to turn and answer him.

"No, not tonight. Not unless he comes up with some sort of emergency." Melanie explained, setting her books down on a bannister while she talked. It's not that they were heavy, but if Aimery went off on a tangent she could be here for quite some time listening to his objections to her career. He had never understood why she did what she did, even when she had explained that it was all for Damien. The boy deserved justice, and he wouldn't get it while the people who caused his death still lived. Maybe once that had been accomplished, she could rest or join the "family business" as Aimery tried to convince her the jewelry store was.

To her, she was already in the real family business. She helped the people who helped take her brother from her meet her father on a regular basis. Death, not wealth, was the trade they dealt in. All of them so far except for Aimery.

"I didn't expect to see you here, or I wouldn't have intruded. My apologies, Aimery."

Aimery understood that his sister felt the need to avenge Damien's death.  That wasn't something that Aimery would take lightly, for he had loved his brother.  He hadn't been warm to Damien the same way as she was pretty nonchalant with his sisters, but there had always been a special bond between Aimery and Damien, what with them being both boys and the same age.  When he had been slain in the Egyptian-Titan attack upon Camp Half-Blood, Aimery's heart had been broken.  He grieved for the loss of his brother. However, even if he still mourned his brother, he had been able to move on easily.  It wasn't that he didn't are for Damien.  It was just that he was facing the truth: Damien was dead, and any amount of revenge was never going to get him back.  Sure, maybe they would have the concept of "revenge", but revenge was still an idea that didn't existed.  Keeping alive was something real, though.  He didn't like Melanie and Lilith risking their lives for a mere idea.  He wanted them to live for something that actually existed in front of something, like what he was doing.  He doubted that Damien would want anything to happen, either.  Last time he heard Damien was also pretty safe.  His soul was with their father, and there couldn't be any better place for him to be.  There was no need to risk getting injured or killed when Damien was already at peace.

But then again, wasn't death one of the things that had to do with Hades, too? For some reason, the wealth part of Aimery affected him more.  He didn't want to do something that would cause his death to happen sooner.  He wanted to live.  He only touched the Underworld if it was necessary for him to do so, or if it served in his interests, but other than that, he left it alone.  But who said that being a child of Hades meant that he had to look forward to death, or to center his attention on it? After all, his father was king of the Underworld.  He ruled over the dead.  They were his subjects, and the leader could be far different than those he ruled over.  But Hades was the god of wealth, and he centered his influences on that.  At least, that was Aimery's philosophy. 

"Hopefully he doesn't conveniently think up an emergency to shove in your face for the next two hours, at least," he continued to say sarcastically.  Aimery normally wasn't sarcastic, but it seemed that when he was annoyed with something that his siblings did, he became just that.  He lifted an eyebrow when she apologized for intruding.  "This library doesn't belong only to me, Mel.  I don't mind you being in here at the same time as I inhabit it."  This mansion was the property of all of the children of Hades.  He didn't hold dominion over it.  They were equally entitled to it.  He didn't see why Mel couldn't roam around any of the rooms as she chose, regardless of whether he was there or not--just as long as she didn't invade his study or his bedroom without his knowledge.  He didn't have any right to stop her otherwise.                       

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"You know how it is. Someone sneezes wrong and I can end up in Timbuktu on a month long mission." She retorted, ignoring his sarcasm. She knew how her brother was, and today he was slightly annoyed with her. He was always like this right after Melanie came home from a mission. Some days she couldn't quite blame him.

"And what am I doing for the next two hours other than reading this and making something for dinner, unless you want to join me back in the suite?" She asked, grabbing the book off of the floor and putting it back on the shelf before walking down the steps so she would be on the same level as her brother. Of course, the book he was reading was written in Greek, the only language they could all read without difficulty. She had trained herself to read in English almost as fluently, though it came and went sometimes.

"Is the book any good?" She asked before resting on the arm of a chair, trying to place the title in her head. She believed she had heard of it before somewhere, but she wasn't sure when or where. She forgot trivial details sometimes about non-work related issues, so it wasn't quite surprising to her when she eventually gave up on the enterprise all together.

Aimery smirked, actually finding her sarcastic quip funny, even if he generally didn't like her going on those silly missions no matter how she put it.

She was going to be reading and making dinner.  She even invited him up to her suite.  Good, she wasn't going to frolic off into the night and dance attendance to the Commander anytime soon.  He had to be satisfied with that, at least.  He considered going up to her suite...it was simple and modern.  High class modern, and kind of his mother's style, although she would've made it more colorful.  It wasn't that bad, but Aimery just had a more regal, kingly taste, which was why his room was like a king's bedchamber.

But sure, why not? He didn't have anything to do in particular, so a visit to Mel's room didn't sound that off-putting.  "Alright," he said simply.

He watched her silently as she walked down the stairs an down to his level in the library.  "It is," he replied to her question about whether the book was any good or not.  "Got any book in mind you want to read?" They had more than enough books to choose from, and he hoped his sister would find one what caught her fancy.  It was even more fun because most of the books were titles that they hadn't come across before.                          

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"Currently, no. I've picked up a few things that have been suggested to me, but the classics seem a little heavy for the night. I thought about looking in to the things we brought along for the children's library. A little escapist literature never hurt anyone, much." Melanie reasoned, pointing towards the shelves of children's and young adult literature that lined a section of the library. Of course, no one here was considered a child, but it was expected that someday one of them would procreate. She had her bets on Aimery, as he would want to preserve his lineage some day. As of now she didn't think he had a partner in mind, but he wouldn't take long finding one when he was ready.

"How has the shop been? I haven't been by recently. I've heard it's been more popular than usual with the Original Campers coming of age." The family business, as Aimery would have it called, happened to be a jewelry store of which Aimery was the sole owner. Melanie wasn't even completely sure that he had gotten around to hiring an assistant yet.

Sighing as she picked up her books, Melanie made her way towards the stairs, hoping that  Aimery would just take the hint and follow. Remembering that there was a missing member of the family, she called back behind her shoulder to ask a final question. "By the way, has Lilith come back yet? Her file wasn't in my paperwork before I left, so I wasn't certain."

The son of Hades lifted an eyebrow when Mel said that she wanted to read something from the children's library.  He glanced at the shelf that she was pointing to.  Aimery had long outgrown stories like that--or, rather, his interest in them had died down.  However, he had to admit that what she was looking for sounded interesting.  "Whatever suits your fancy," he said with a shrug.  At first, Aimery had been a little skeptical about having children's books in the library, but then again it would probably good to look ahead into the future, a future he was planning to have.  If he had a wife, she better be good looking and worth it.  He wanted a woman who was elegant, graceful, noble, prideful, and dignified, and who could match his luxurious lifestyle like a queen.  And if he had children, he would raise them to be future monarchs or something.

He smirked when she asked after his shop, particularly to the comment that she heard that it was more populated now that the original campers were coming of age.  "And falling in love more, by the minute," he added with contempt.  He thought it was stupid to fall foolishly into a blind infatuation.  Your judgment was clouded and you often did stupid things just because of one person who you had the hots for.  Not cool.  "But yes, it's doing well.  I'm not one to lose to competitors, after all."

Aimery frowned slightly when Mel asked if Lilith was home yet.  "No, she isn't," he replied.  "I'm afraid the Commander is having his own fun with her at the moment."  He didn't mean anything inappropriate by that--no, he knew that the Commander wasn't lecherous and that Lilith wasn't into that stuff.  Obviously, Mel should know what he meant.  It was simply just another jab at their job, again.  But then he shrugged again.  "Although, she could have gone home by now without us knowing.  After all, we're in the library."  No one needed to remind either of them how huge their home was.            

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Melanie chuckled quietly at Aimery's jab towards her sister's occupation. This was nothing out of the ordinary for him, so she wasn't shocked at the least. If she spent all of her time being mad about the smart comments Aimery made, she'd have no time for anything else. "I'll check the database when we get back to my room. That should at least tell me if she active or at base. I'll check in tomorrow if it doesn't." She added with a hint of seriousness. Lilith not being home wasn't cause for concern, but it wasn't necessarily a joking matter either.

"Come on then, dinner won't wait long." She ordered jokingly, turning so that Aimery would be able to see that she was teasing. The walk back to the suite was long, but sometimes it could be soothing if she wasn't going there alone. After unlocking the door, which she had been told more than once shouldn't be locked at all, she deposited the books on a table near the door and made her way towards the kitchenette.

"So, what'll it be tonight? We have all the time in the world!" She stated loudly, gesturing around her as she went. A little bit of quality time with her brother would be nice. She hoped.

Aimery, too did not think it was a joking matter about Lilith not being home throughout the night until tomorrow, especially if neither Mel or Aim knew where she was.  Of course, as a Daughter of Hades, and a stubborn and tough one at that, it wasn't easy to harm Lilith, but still.  After losing Damien, it seemed that anything ugly could happen.

Still, though, he wasn't too concerned, for he knew that it wasn't out of the ordinary.  Aimery nodded.  "I have no idea what that girl would be doing at this time of the night if not playing soldier," he murmured.  There was always the possibility that she had sought out some entertainment for herself, but Aimrey wasn't one for entertainments.  He was not a public person so you wouldn't find him attending some music concert or drinking to his merriment at a pub.  He preferred to be back in his extravagant domains, alone and not bothered.

He merely glanced at her when she playfully ordered him to have some dinner.  Well, to be honest, the notion of eating was so bad.  Aimery hadn't really eaten anything when he had gotten back home, and eating in the company of his eldest sister was rather pleasant.  He got along with her better, mostly because she was patient and tolerant with him.  He had to give her credit for that, knowing how unbearable he could be.

"No, it won't," he agreed with her.  He could read later; his interest in reading was gone.  He found it more interesting to talk to Mel.  Aimery set his book on the table beside the chair he had been sitting upon and got up to his feet, following Mel to the kitchenette.  

"We do, indeed," he said dryly when she commented that they had all of the time in the world.  "Especially when we live for ourselves without having to worry about commanders."  Aimery usually went for the dishes that were found in fancy restaurants; he was proud to say that they were his normal meals; the good thing, too was that he owned just about anything that he had a craving for.  There was no need to go out and eat or compromise his meals.  "I'd fancy myself some lasagna," he replied.  

     

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"Great minds think alike." Melanie replied approvingly. She had been considering making spaghetti for herself, therefore most of the ingredients were already out on the counter where she had left them before her sojourn to the library. After washing her hands and taking the pots out, Melanie began to work on getting the sauce ready, since she would be able to talk more freely once it was on to simmer. "So, what have I missed?" She asked instead of replying to his remark about the Commander. They had been over this a thousand times, so she wasn't as easily provoked on the subject as Lilith could sometimes be.

With the sauce finally set to a simmer and the water on to boil. Melanie turned so that she could face her brother, taking him in for the first time in a while. He was getting older, a thought that sometimes saddened her. Aimery wasn't twelve anymore, not that he had ever acted his age to begin with. He was an old soul if she had ever seen one.

"Has father contacted anyone recently?" she inquired, not quite hiding the glance she made towards a picture of Aimery and Damien that was sitting in the small living area. She could see it from almost every room in the house, even though it was small. She didn't have any of Lilith, and it had taken a considerable amount of bribery to convince the boys to stay still long enough for her to catch it.

Aimery was usually not cheerful or spunky, but he decided to give in slightly to his sister's good mood.  She deserved it.  She did a lot...not just for him and Lilith, but for Concordia.  He might criticize her job, but he couldn't deny that she was still doing the place a service.  He was of the opinion that she was not appreciated enough and that she was being used, which was why he wanted her to just live for herself instead of having to worry about those Concordians who barely knew who she was and that Commander.  Otherwise, he knew that she was a very competent and capable person.

He smiled faintly and inclined his head slightly when she said that great minds think alike.  "Indeed they do," he agreed with her.  He watched her in silence as she went about cooking.  To be honest, Aimery did have some cooking experience.  He would rather that someone serve him, but considering that it was only him and his sisters residing in this place, he would have to do some things himself.  But perhaps that was for the better, because Aimery wasn't fond of the idea of strangers infesting his home.

"Hm? Oh, not much," he replied when she asked him what she had missed.  Life for him and events going on at home were no different.  That was obviously because Aimery led a staid life and preferred it that way.   He shook his head when she asked him if Hades had contacted anyone recently.  "No, I haven't heard of him so far.  I'm not sure if Lilith has, either.  I doubt he did though, knowing how sparingly gods communicate with their children unless we can do something for them."  And so far, nothing was needed to be done.  Or so he thought.  But it was always sweet that whenever Hades contacted either one of them, he always added that Damien said hi.  "So I'm sure his silence means that we're free to do as we please at the moment."

He followed her gaze to the portrait in the living room, the one of him and Damien.  It was true that the two of them had felt uncomfortable standing so close to each other without moving a muscle for a substantial amount of time.  He usually wasn't adverse to staying still, but that was only when he was doing it on his own accord.  Doing so at the behest of others, like, for a photo, made him feel restless and awkward.  Yet, Aimery did believe in having regal portraits of himself and his siblings to show off with pride, so he gave in to those bribes and stood beside Damien, although Damien had been more stubborn than Aimery had been.  Good times...

Aimery looked at Melanie again.  "You and Lilith ought to have a portrait together sometime," he said with a smirk, knowing how not so simple that would be.  But then again, they were the only sisters around, so it did make sense.  Wait, but shouldn't there be one of the three of them, too? After all, they were the only ones existing at the moment and that should be something worthy of honoring.  It didn't matter if they weren't close, because distance was Aimery's thing.  "Actually, I think that it's time for all three of us to be in a portrait together.  We could hang it somewhere for visitors to view upon entering.  After all, we're the rightful owners of this place."  He also wanted to impress those commoners with a huge portrait of him and his sisters, looking aloof and indifferent as noble people usually did, dressed in expensive attire--maybe traditional Greek apparel--and striking regal poses. 

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Melanie pondered Aimery's suggestion for a moment, trying to decide whether or not such a task could cause a loss of limb for herself or either of her siblings. "While I do think it is a good idea," She began diplomatically. "I would like to point out that trying to get everyone together to do anything is almost impossible and generally ends in disaster."

Turning back to their dinner momentarily, Melanie smiled to herself. Of course, Aimery would want it hung in the grand hall. Chances were that he would commission it to be larger than life size and she would have to wear some form of traditional garb. Though Melanie wasn't a vain person, she couldn't stand wearing the robes for any amount of time.

"I'll make a deal with you." She said suddenly, turning back around to face Aimery. "If you talk Lilith in to this idea of yours, I'll go along with it on one condition. I don't want to wear the robes. I'll dress formally, but not traditionally. I even have an appropriate dress for the occasion." Finishing with a slight smirk, Melanie went on to start the next part of their meal while waiting for Aimery to respond.

((FINALLY I AM BACK! Sorry for late response.))

Aimery blinked. "Well, you and I both behave like civil grown-ups," he said.  "So two of the three 'difficult' beings won't be so difficult after all.  It just leaves Lilith, but I'm sure that she'll eventually be coaxed into it."  He rolled his eyes, sighing.  "Honestly, though, sometimes I think that only father's intervention is what is capable of getting her to do anything, but I'm not about to bother him over a mere family portrait."  Aimery had always thought that his younger sister was strangely wayward and difficult, and for no particular reason.  He just couldn't understand her.  Well, Aimery wasn't the most understanding of people anyway.  He was just so apathetic.  

While she tended to the dinner, Aimery, as usual, stood in silence, thinking about his own thoughts.  But then she spoke to him again and he glanced her way, listening to her words.  He nodded.  "It does make sense that I would be given the onus of convincing our beyond satisfying sister, as it is my idea after all," he agreed.  "Also, I'm not adverse to dressing formally.  We can go with that.  At least it's a decent theme."  No way in hell was he going to have them wear clothing so mismatched in one single portrait.  If they were going to settle on a style, then all three of them would go along with it.  Aimery was critical to appearance.  He also liked dressing formally in modernly formal garb.  After all, his mother was a fashion designer and he had plenty of fancy suits.  He would look like a count or duke or earl or something along those lines, and he liked that.