SCENE 5:
The Fates’ complex. The Fates and Nemesis are in their living room, Demeter is curled up on a couch with a blanket sipping at a cup.

Demeter: Thank you again. I really didn’t know where else to go to get away from them all.

Nemesis: They’re a nosy lot.

Lachesis: Hermes is looking for you. He could come here, you know.

Atropo: If he thinks about it.

Clotho: If he thinks at all.

Demeter: He won’t come here. I won’t stay terribly long, just past Christmas, they’ll forget about it then. I really hate them all. This baby is never going to meet any of them, they won’t be able to take her away.

Clotho: Thinking it’s a girl already?

Demeter: I hope not, she’ll just get humped on by all of them.

Atropo: That will happen no matter who or what the child is, that is the nature of gods.
(voices laughing come in from the hallway, Psyche and Eros enter, giggling and natural, they see Demeter and straighten up a bit)

Eros: Ah, heya, Demeter, what a surprise.

Demeter: I’m not here. If you talk to anyone else, you’ve not seen me.

Psyche: Got into a fight with lover, eh? Wish I knew how that was.

Lachesis: How was your trip?

Eros: Good. (looks at Demeter as if trying to figure out how much to say) It was informative. I think the issue we were worried about won’t come to pass for some time.

Demeter: I’ll go and put the kettle on, anyone for tea? (chorus of yeas, she leaves)

Clotho: That was rude.

Eros: We can’t be letting just anyone know, especially not Zeus and Hera.

Lachesis: She won’t be talking to either of them, or anyone else. She’s gotten pregnant with Zeus’ child.

Psyche: Hera forgave her for Persephone ages ago.

Atropo: She won’t forgive this one so easily.

Eros: She’s pregnant now?

Nemesis: Well, aren’t we intelligent today?

Psyche: We’ve been gone for quite a while, my dear. I’m sorry we can’t go skulking about spying on everyone like you do, we actually admit our presence to our fellow gods.

Nemesis: That’s very clever, Psyche.

Lachesis: Enough. What did Gaea have to say about Tartarus?

Eros: I told you, she thinks things will hold as they are. Hades has given up communing now that he’s on Earth, and Cronus isn’t strong enough to get out on his own, yet.

Clotho: It will have to open eventually. We have made it so.

Eros: I can’t ask about your plans, but Gaea is happy and sends her love.

Psyche: It was good to be home. I’m trying to get this one (Eros) to come out with me and stay, but he’s too attached to this rathole planet. Can’t imagine why. Wanted to come home for the pathetic little gods' Christmas party.

Eros: I’ve spent a lot of time with them all, they are my family.

Psyche: They’re a bunch of losers. We need to go back. After Christmas, we’ll go back?

Eros: If it makes you happy.

Psyche: Good, then I might be able to survive the next few days.

Clotho: I think you will find it easier than you imagine, there will be some interesting things afoot.

Lachesis: Sex, drugs, and violence. A good mix for that crowd.

Nemesis: I’m going to be down there as well this year. Minos invited me.

Eros: So anyone else besides Demeter not showing up?

Atropo: Zeus is hardly speaking to the rest of them right now. Persephone was off sulking, but is coming back for it. They all plan to attend. It is well. The more there are, the more chances they have to make a disaster of things.

Psyche: That might be something to look forward to after all.

SCENE 6:
Aphrodite’s bedroom. Ares is clipping his toenails on the side of the bed while Aphrodite stares at his back with enmity.

Aphrodite: Were you planning on doing that all night?

Ares: Just want to cut them down, I was starting to get an ingrown toenail the other day.

Aphrodite: And you couldn’t get rid of it?

Ares: I did, but I want to prevent it from happening again. Prevention is the key to proper hygiene.

Aphrodite: I’m getting very bored over here.

Ares: I’m sure you can amuse yourself for a few minutes.

Aphrodite: It’s been a few weeks.

Ares: Yeah, well, things are busy at the office. I hate it when mother’s the CEO, she becomes this psychotically focused business machine and has to eat up every other company in sight. We’re going to merge with, get this, an airline. A fucking airline! What the hell are we going to use an airline for. She couldn’t merge with a chocolate company, or a knife manufacturer or anything useful, noooo, she needs to get the most worthless company ever and get into bed with them.

Aphrodite: Why don’t you get a job on your own instead of always being under your mother’s thumb?

Ares: I tried that, it got very boring. The problem is, I have to be around an aggressive environment full of heavy clashes, and the best place for that is anywhere Hera is.

Aphrodite: I’ll second that.

Ares: (done with nails) Look, we’ve got the next week with each other at the beach. I can’t think of anything better than that.

Aphrodite: I can, but it involved loads of glycerin and matches.

Ares: Sounds terribly exciting, tell me all about it.