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The rhythmic sound of wings flapping in the air echoed softly through the many halls of Olympus. It was drowned by the sounds of music, chit chat and feasts that were happening all at the same time in the many chambers in the mountaintop. There was always something happening above the clouds, be either celebrations between gods or simply entertainment without a reason.
Still, Iris ignored it all as she quickly flew through the golden halls. Her many wings (more than Hermes’, mind you) beat in coordination, allowing her to fly perfectly through the air. There was a time, where she only had a pair of wings. Adapting to the many others she regained was difficult, though she would never admit that. Should you ask her, Iris would pride herself that she never had any issue with the extra appendages.
The goddess carried a heavy bag on her hands and she was very careful to not let it touch the ground. Its contents jingled with the movement, and she was also cautious to not move it to much lest the fragile items break.
She passed multiple demigods and gods but she paid no attention to them, her one task being her main priority. They all just watched as she flew through the air, knowing better than to salute them.
Iris did not care.
Sweat rolled down her brow, and she jerked her face wildly until it slid off her face. Sweating was not appropriate for goddesses.
Finally, she reached Queen Hera’s chambers. She touched the ground, using one hand to ruffle up her hair and make sure not a single feather was out of place. Once she made sure she was presentable enough, Iris knocked on the large marble doors, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet
“Your Majesty Queen Hera, it is I, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the-”
“Come on in”
The Queen’s voice interrupted her abruptly, voice stern. Many would be terrified but Iris was instead giddy, opening the giant doors just enough for her to squeeze inside of Hera’s private quarters.
Queen Hera was the biggest of the goddesses and was almost as big as King Zeus himself. Iris just barely reached her hip, but she was never intimidated by her, even if she had to tilt her head to look at her face.
“Good afternoon My Queen, I have finished the task you have assigned. I’ve gathered all the tributes that have been left in your altars!” Iris presented the sack, already walking towards the Queen.
The goddess was brushing her long wavy auburn hair, staring at her own reflection in the mirror. It curled up softly, reaching down her lower back when let loose. Her green eyes were the same color as her peacocks, golden freckles shimmering under the sunlight.
She glanced at Iris just for a second, acknowledging her presence. She nodded softly, barely noticeable but Iris understood quite perfectly, already mastering Queen Hera’s body language.
Iris leaped into the air and flew, perching herself on the giant vanity sized for the Queen herself. The tiny goddess started pulling out the mortal offerings for Hera, explaining each one of them.
“My Queen, the mortals have offered you many things in exchange of their blessings- perfumes, honey and jewelry.” She pulled out the exquisite gold necklaces and rings, too small for the Queen but if she accepted, they can be sized accordingly.
The Queen looks down at the gold on Iris' hands, picking some of them with her lange fingers. Necklaces looked like bracelets in the Queen’s grasp, as she inspected them bringing them up in front of her face.
“Tacky.” She says, letting them drop to the vanity. “Perhaps Hephaestus can melt them into something nice.”
“I thought they were pretty, but well- I don’t have the taste My Lady has!” Iris says softly as she picks up the abandoned golden ornaments and shoves them back inside her bag. “Shall I take away the perfumes and Honey?”
“Hm. Leave them here.”
“Of course! Of course! Anything else My Lady may wish?”
“My husband tells me one of those wretched people of the Underworld will come. I would abscond for the meeting yet as a Queen it is my duty to foresee these events.” Hera speaks, her thin cherry red lips glistening. “The Chthonic wretches… they reek. I do not wish to be bothered by this smell as we’re in their company, do you understand?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Iris quickly flew towards a small chest made out of marble. A golden censer laid carefully on the bottom, along with several exotic and pungent incenses. She pulled several of the incenses out along with the golden censer, taking the chain on her hands and dangling it a little.
“May I ask, what is the occasion My lady? Very rarely do Chthonic wretches come visit us here.”
“My Husband seems to have a request for him. The reaping of a specific soul of a tricky mortal, it seems.”
“A mortal? Huh.”
Whoever this mortal was, they must be someone of great significance. Heroes had come and gone, but to reap a specific soul…? That was beyond Iris comprehension. She didn’t bother to try to decipher it, that was not part of her job, even if curiosity did eat her up just a little bit.
“Please wait for him at the entrance, I do not want the stink to linger.”
“Yes My lady!”
Iris wasted no time, leaping into the air and making her way towards Olympus entrance. She lightened the censer as she waited, shoving the various incenses inside of the golden urn, the pungent smoke already leaking out of it.
It was a very strong mixture of scents, but if that was necessary to prevent Olympus from reeking of Underworld stench, so be it.
Iris did not have to wait for too long before someone arrived. When she saw the blur of someone coming by, she immediately started waving the censer around, littering the air with the white thin smoke.
“Hey- hey!” An unfortunately familiar voice replies. “What gives?”
Hermes.
Iris clenches her jaw when she sees the god standing in front of her, having the gall of being confused. He must be coming from the Underworld, which prompted Iris to wave the censer even harder, basically shoving it at Hermes until he was covered in the pungent smell.
“Hey! Cut it out!”
“You stink! You’re going to stink Olympus up!”
He leaps into the air and away from Iris and her golden censer, but smoke clung to his clothes. “Well, now I will definitely stink, no thanks to you!”
“What do you know! You’re just used to the stench-”
Iris was interrupted by a sickly green flash that flooded everything for a second, along with the tolls of bells.
The Underworld Wretch, god of Death Thanatos appeared in front of them.
Iris wasted no time as she started waving her censer like early, making sure his smell wouldn’t penetrate. Thanatos stares at her strangely, but she could barely see him through the white smoke.
“I beg your pardon…?” He asks, confused at the scene. This is the first time they do meet, after all, but Iris did not want to waste greetings towards an Underworld Wretch, like Queen Hera called them.
“Sorry Than, Iris here can be quite…” Hermes bites his lip, as if he was trying to be cute. Gross. “Anyways, I’ll escort you to Lord Zeus.”
“Very well, thank you very much.”
Hermes starts flying slowly through the hallways of Olympus, slow enough for Thanatos to catch up. Iris immediately follows them as well, waving the golden censer on the air and covering the path with the incense smoke.
“Excuse me, what are you doing?” Hermes asks, turning to stare at her quizzically.
Her wings puff, showing them off to Hermes, making sure he knew that she had more wings than he did. “My Lady Queen Hera asked me to make sure the Underworld Stench does not linger in Olympus- I am but fulfilling My Lady’s request.”
“Lovely,” Thanatos says, but she can’t quite recognize if he was being sarcastic or not. Hermes rolls his eyes and continues to lead him through the halls, and Iris wastes no time to follow them.
She focuses on Thanatos as they move. He had his back to her, but he was dressed in black robes with golden accents, and they seemed too fancy for him, too expensive for a creature of the underworld. She wonders if he stole it from some demigod. His scythe was massive, disgusting and horrifying- fitting for such a creature like him.
They reach the royal chambers where King Zeus and Queen Hera must be waiting. Hermes opens the door for Thanatos and moves out of the way, smiling that little disgusting smile of his. He is so smug. Who does he think he is.
She puts her head high as she enters along with Thanatos, not even bothering to glance at Hermes’ reaction. She continues to wave the censer around Thanatos, careful to not let his stench escape her smoke.
Both the King and the Queen are sitting down, the Queen in a beautiful red velvet chaise, her hair flowing down and decorated with beautiful garments and golden adornments. Her dress had peacock feathers sewn into it, and it shimmered under the sunlight.
King Zeus sat on a couch, his long beard flowing like the clouds in the sky. He looked at Iris, brows knit together and turned at his wife.
“Hera, Honey?”
“I told her to come.” She says, staring off at a far away wall, not gracing the horrible wretch with her sight.
“Very well, then.”
Iris feels so excited she could fly in circles around the room. Queen Hera wanted her there enough for her to stay there, because Hera likes her. But instead, she shoved those feelings down, still waving her censer in the air around the Wretch.
The meeting in itself was boring. King Zeus asked the Wretch to fetch a specific soul and to make sure he was sent to the Underworld, Lord Hades (king of wretches)’s domain. This mortal must have done something really bad if King Zeus wanted it to be dealt with immediately, but hopefully Hera would tell her more about it later.
She followed him closely as he left the Royal chambers, still making sure to cover him with incense smoke. He completely ignored her, directing himself to Hermes who waited outside.
“Hey boss! Need a lift?” He asks, and Iris scowls.
“No need- I can leave from here. Thank you very much. Until Next time.”
With that, The Wretch known as Thanatos disappears in thin air, a flash of green light briefly flooding the room.
Once he is gone, Hermes is on the move again. “Where are you going?” She asks, censer now hanging from her hands and hovering just few inches from the ground.
“I got work to do! No time to lollygag!” Hermes giggles, and waves a goodbye at her. “See ya, boss!”
“Don’t call me that!” She yells, stomping on the ground just a little. She bites her lip, ruffling her own hair making sure it was presentable for her Queen. She slips inside just barely, a big grin splitting Iris’ white face. “My Queen, do you require anything else?”
Hera is in the same position as she was before, lying down on the chaise and looking lazily at the horizon. Her eyes briefly jump to her, and she suddenly feels so small.
“Come here,” Queen Hera says, so vast and beautiful. Iris immediately follows her command, Zeu’s heavy eyes staring down at her all the while without expression.
“Yes, My Queen?”
“Prepare my things. My husband and me will be leaving Olympus for a while.”
“You’re… leaving?” Iris asks, the chain of the censer shaking in her grasp. “Why?”
“That is none of your concern.” She suddenly says, her voice far more stern and angry. Iris shrinks on herself, suddenly feeling very guilty for the intrusion.
“My apologies, my Queen.”
Hera reaches over, rufflying Iris hair softly. She always misplaced her feathers when she did this and leaves them a mess, but Iris will never admit it, even if she will have to spend the next five minutes rearranging the feathers correctly.
“My little bird,” Queen Hera says, and it melts the sadness off Iris’ skin. “We will be leaving for a month. Please prepare my things.”
“Yes, of course My Lady.”
Iris bows to both of them, then flies away to Hera’s personal chamber. She grasps the chain on her hands tightly, suddenly feeling very, very lonely in the vastness of Olympus Hallways.
Both Queen Hera and King Zeus leave Olympus soon after, and would not return in a month’s time.
Iris had a number of tasks to perform while Hera was gone, but all of these were quick and easy, leaving the messenger to idle around with nothing to do the first day once he finished most of them all. She had only one more task to go, and it involved taking the jewelry that the mortals had gifted her to Hephaestus’ forge.
She figured she should get that out of the way quickly, too.
Iris gathers all the undesired jewelry in her satchel, carrying it away on her way to the forge.
On her way there, while traversing the many hallways that made up for Olympus labyrinths, she encounters Hera’s other son- Lord Ares.
Lord Ares is significantly bigger than Iris herself. His white armor is all smeared in Ichor and blood, surely coming back from a battle. It makes her scrunch her nose, worrying if the stench of mortal blood would linger on the halls.
“Ah, hello little goddess,” he called out to her, raising his palm softly.
Ares was one of the few gods that still regarded Iris with some respect. Everybody should respect her, as she is Hera’s personal messenger- yet only few did. This made her stop, greeting Ares even if the concept of human Blood was disgusting to her.
“Good day, Ares,” she says, eyebrows knitting together as she stared at the crimson in his armor.
“I see you are running tasks for Mother, Queen Hera?”
“Oh yes!” she suddenly beams up, voice proud and mighty. “Queen Hera has tasked with many things to do during her absence! It is a very important job, you see!”
“Absence?” Asks Ares, his head coked to one side. “Is the Queen not present at the moment?”
“She left with Lord Zeus just yesterday- they will be back in a month.” She grumbled now, suddenly upset at the fact that Lady Hera was not around and Iris couldn’t dedicate her day to serving the Queen.
“It seems… I was not informed about this fact.” He looks down pensive, tapping his lips with a finger.
“She didn’t tell you she was leaving?” Iris asks, slightly incredulous.
“I was not informed.”
Suddenly something surged inside of Iris, a wave of pride that she couldn’t shake down. She couldn’t contain herself as she flew above Ares and looked down on him, smiling wide at him.
“Queen Hera likes me better, obviously. She wishes I was her daughter! She doesn’t like you at all!”
The way Ares stares up at her makes her feel something weird, tight in her chest. He doesn’t curse or swats at her, instead nodding softly and smiling at her.
“How blessed you are, little goddess, to gain Mother’s love.”
Iris stops smiling, the pride in her chest turning into slimy shame. She bits her lip, nodding, and realizing just what she has done.
“I… got to go,” she says, zipping away.
The knots on her chest and throat didn’t go away. Why did she say that? Ares was one of the few who didn’t curse her on sight. And yet she basically insulted him- to prove that his own mother loved her more than she could ever love him.
She didn’t know why she did that.
Iris lowered her gaze to the ground watching the floor as she moved. She didn’t have to look ahead to know where she was going. She had been at Hephaestus’ forge so many times she had memorized the path by heart.
She could already feel the heat from beyond the doors. The forge was shoved away from everybody’s personal chambers, the excuse being that it gave the god more solitude to work his art.
Iris suspected it was because the Queen and King did not want him near, however.
The goddess knocked, still staring down at the floor, the bag in her hands heavy. Normally she would just enter without knocking, but her previous interaction with Ares weighs her down.
“Come in!” A rough voice calls from inside.
Iris slipped inside silently, closing the door behind her. The heat hit her like a wave, her skin prickling slightly at it. The air was stuffy with sulfur and coal, fire burning in one of the many fireplaces. Anvils were littered across as well as projects in various stages of completion, automatons that the god had been working on being thrown around the floor, discarded for one reason or another.
The heat was already starting to make her sweat, her hair getting damp as she walked towards Hephaestus.
“Little Iris!” Hephaestus smiles down at her, leaning on one of his work tables. Parchments with various designs were littered on the surface of the table, but he put them all aside to pay attention to her.
“Don’t call me that,” she pouts, flying to stand on the large table.
Hephaestus was larger than her (but who wasn’t really? She was only taller than Hermes), almost as tall as Lady Hera herself. One of the larger gods, Iris wondered if it was because he was a complete descendant of the Queen.
Yet he did not share the Olympian beauty the others did, at least not the traditional way. He was balding, the little hair he had was long and reached his shoulders. His face was big and scarred, one eye blind and milky. His hands were massive and calloused, product of his love and passion.
“I see you got something for me eh?” He points at her bag.
“Oh um. Yes. Queen Hera asked me to give you these.” She pours the contents at her feet, several dozens of golden jewelry spilling at the table beneath her. “Queen Hera wishes to have these melted down into something appropriate for her.”
“Ah, good ol’ mom,” Hephaestus sighs, taking one of the necklaces and inspecting it closely in front of his one good eye. He clicks his tongue, scooping all the golden jewelry up in a big palm. “I think this is enough to make a brooch, you think she might like that?”
“Yeah, that’s fine” she replies back without thinking about it.
Hephaestus falters, looking down at the goddess. With one finger he ruffled her hair softly, careful to not askew the two pairs of wings sprouting out of her head.
“Hey!” She complains, even if she actually enjoys it. Apart from Ares, Hephaestus is the only god that respects Iris, and she respects him back. How could she not? He was Queen Hera’s son and he was so skilled in his realm. It was foolish to not respect him.
“Something wrong? You’re different today.”
“Nothing! Nothing is wrong!” She petulantly says like a child, swatting at Hephaestus finger. “I don’t want to talk about it!”
“Well,” he stands up, already moving. “Mind accompanying me while I melt these?”
“I am busy!” She says, crossing her arms across her chest, but then she very much realizes she actually isn’t busy at all. She had finished all her tasks, this being the final one. But rather than to correct herself, she just puffs her chest. “But! I will make an exception today.”
“Ha! Sit down then, kid.”
She didn’t like being called a kid by anyone really, but it was especially egregious coming from Hephaestus. She was not only older than him by millenia- she was older than all the gods currently residing in Olympus. A titan, in fact. But it’s something that Lady Hera hated about her, so she never mentioned it, even if it did piss her off.
Iris sits down on the table, watching as Hephaestus leaves the jewelry on the table in front of her, fetching some of his more delicate instruments. It was a small and fine job, his giant hammer would not do.
The goddess’ hand touches the necklaces and rings, examining them closely.
“Queen Hera disliked them, but I thought they were really pretty…” she sighs, her fingers pressing against the gold of one of the rings on the pile. “Shame they’re getting melted down.”
“I’m sure Mum’ won't care if you take a ring or two” Hephaestus says from afar, hands full with tools.
“What? No! It was Queen’s Hera’s orders to melt all of these! I would never defy her! They will all be melted!”
“Pity,” he says, placing a toolbox next to the pile of gold. “I think they would look lovely on you.”
“You… think?” She stops for a moment, but shakes her head. “Queen Hera’s orders.”
“Okay then!”
He starts getting to work, but while Iris would be paying attention and making questions about what he is doing, she instead is staring at nothing in particular, her gaze down and counting the little scrapes that are on the table in front of her. Her unnatural behavior does not go unnoticed, as Hephaestus looks back at her with his head cocked to the side.
“Everything alright, junebug?”
“Don’t call me that!” She says, but its obvious she doesn’t care. She actually likes the nickname, but she would never let Hephaestus know that- at least not directly. Still, she drums her fingers anxiously on the table, biting her lip and looking at Hephaestus. “Did you know… Queen Hera is away?”
“Mum is away?” He questions, his eyes pointing at the ceiling in thought. “No, she did not tell me.”
“She left with King Zeus, won't return in a month.”
“Is that why you’re upset? You miss her?”
“No. I mean, yes- I miss her. But…” she doesn’t look at Hephaestus, chin between her hands as she refused to look up, still staring down at the table’s surface. “Ares didn’t know either. And… I told him it’s because his mother loves me more than him.”
“Oh Iris, why did you do that?”
“I don’t know! It felt good for a moment to say it, but then it didn’t! And he didn’t even get mad or sad! He just told me he was happy Queen Hera loved me!” She leaps and stands on the table, her arms extended in exasperation. “What does that mean?!”
“Despite what pops says, brother Ares is a kind soul, Iris. Did you want to hurt him?”
“No! Yes! I don’t know!” she stomps. “I didn’t want to hurt him, I was just happy that… that-”
“That Mum loved you more than him?”
“Not… exactly? I don’t know!” Iris presses the heels of her palms on her eyes until it hurts.
Hephaestus gently coaxes her arms down and smiles. The scars at his lips twitch a little, smooth skin glistening in the dark of the forge. “I think it’ll do you good that Mum isn’t around for a while.”
“What? Why?”
“It’ll be good for you! You spend the entire day following her whim. Do something, like dancing or painting! Flying around- consider these your vacations! Talk with my siblings!”
“They aren’t your siblings. Zeus is not your father,” Iris clarifies, the mention of the other Olympians making her tongue thick with hatred.
“They are my siblings at heart, and I am sure they would love to have your company.”
“They hate me, Hep! They say I am Queen Hera’s snitch!”
“Well, are you?”
“I- That’s... “ she crosses her arms once more. “It’s my job.”
“Iris,” he says with a playful tone, looking at her softly. “Is it your job to tell her about every single piece of gossip that you hear that has to do with them?”
“...No.”
“Well, then you need to stop doing that if you want them to enjoy your company.”
“I don’t want to enjoy their company!”
Hephaestus tilts his head at her slightly.
“Well… maybe I do. I don’t know.”
He chuckles, going back to work. But before he starts melting all the gold, he retrieves a particular ring and places it on Iris' hand. It’s beautiful, with an intricate design on the band carved surely by master blacksmiths.
“Uh? What- but Lady Hera’s orders-”
“Let this be our little secret, eh?”
“But if Queen Hera knows-”
“I won’t be telling her. Will you tell her?”
This was a start. A secret to keep from the Queen, something between Hephaestus and Iris. There were no secrets between Iris and the Goddess, everything she learned she would immediately tell her majesty. But this- this was Hephaestus secret, and Iris’.
A start on how to keep secrets.
“No. No I won’t.”
She places the ringer in her finger, marveling at how beautiful it looks. She can’t help but smile as she inspects her hand, watching Hephaestus from the corner of her eye as he goes back to work.
Iris laid down lazy on the ground, surrounded by all of Lady Hera’s peacocks. They pulled at her curls, not hard enough to hurt but she could feel the pull at her scalp.
She pet them softly, her fingers caressing the delicate feathers.
They were beautiful, though Iris found all their eyes on their plumage to be, honestly, very creepy.
Not that she would ever admit it, however.
Few days have passed since Queen Hera left, and after Hephaestus made her a broosh in the shape of a peacock feather, Iris had nothing else to do with her day. She lazed around her room and the gardens, lying down with the peacocks until she fell asleep, admiring the ring in her finger. It was beautiful, but it still gnawed at her the fact that it was a secret she would have to keep from the Queen herself.
She hears two familiar voices outside as they walk past the garden. She recognizes the voices as Leto’s twins, Artemis and Apollo, chatting about something or another.
Iris focuses, trying to make out what the voices are saying.
“...Spartan, too”
“...his name?”
Iris stands up, hovering on the air and getting closer to the hallway, sure to not be seen as the twins passed by.
“His name is Hycacynthus,” Apollo says. Artemis chuckles happily, and Iris watches them pass by without noticing Iris listening to their conversation.
Apollo has a new lover? That wouldn’t be new, the bastard went through lovers rather quickly not unlike the King himself. Iris was already thinking of informing Hera of this the moment she got back, a slimy anticipation growing on her stomach.
Hephaestus' words suddenly weighed on her mind, however. These gods didn’t respect Iris at all… she shouldn’t have to respect them, either.
Though, perhaps he was right? Maybe she could stop with all the snitching around.
Normally she ignored these kind epiphanies, but Hephaestus cared for Iris. He was the one that gave her the ring, despite his own mother’s command. And he was so smart, too. Maybe… maybe he has a point.
Iris bits her lip and exits the garden, hovering above the air behind the twins. They turn to her, their smiles dropping the moment they see the goddess.
“Oh, it’s you.” Artemis sneers, her lax stance suddenly turned tight and stern. Apollo frowns, taking a deep breath.
They were the exact mirror of each other, if they were wearing the same clothes it would be impossible for Iris to tell which was which. Even their mannerisms were near identical, their faces twisting the same way in anger.
“I uh,” Iris says, suddenly realizing this may have not been a good idea. “Heard about a Hycacynthus?”
Apollo’s eyes went wide and he stepped back for a moment. Artemis barks out an angry chuckle, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Why is it your business? So you can rat out whatever he tells you to Hera?”
“Queen Hera is not here at the moment,” Iris sighs. “She will return in a month.”
“Huh! No wonder Olympus has been so lovely lately, if the Queen herself is gone. Wish she would leave for longer.” Artemis dares say.
“That is Queen Hera for you! Do not tarnish her name or-”
“Or you will run and tell her?” Apollo interjects. “Oh, wait. She isn’t here. Are you going to just stand and wait until she returns, like a pet?”
“Agh!” Iris groans in anger and exasperation. She huffs, remembering Hephaestus words, but it was so difficult when the twins were being this annoying. “I just wanted to ask. I was not going to tell Hera anything!”
“How do you expect us to believe that? That’s the only thing you do. Come on, Art.”
The twins turn around and walk away, leaving Iris to stew in her own anger at being accused of such a thing.
They were right, though. Everything Iris heard, she would tell the Queen.
She huffs, flying away to nowhere in particular.
A week has passed since Queen Hera left, and Iris was bored out of her mind.
She tried to approach various gods, children of Zeus but all of their reactions were the same as the Twins, expecting her to tattle to the Queen as soon as she arrived at Olympus.
It made her so angry, especially because she knows they’re right. She itches to tell the Queen the snippets of conversation she has heard around, wants to tell her about Apollo mentioning a certain Hycacynthus. Wants to tell her about the ring on her finger.
She misses Queen Hera. Misses being with someone all day, being attentive to her needs at any given moment. That was her job- make sure that the Queen was taken care of, comfortable and happy. Now that she was gone, Iris felt like she had nothing else to do all day, just lounge around and talk with peacocks while the other gods avoided her.
Right now, Iris was lying on the floor in one of the gardens, staring up at the glass ceiling above, letting the sunlight warm her feathers. She sighed softly, the sound of birds chirping around her lulling her into sleep.
However, before she could truly fall asleep she heard the flat of two pair of wings coming fast towards her, footsteps accompanying them as fast as thunder. She sat up in an attempt to get out of the way and it seems Thankfully, Hermes was just about to skid and stop short next to her, almost running her over.
“Whoa whoa whoa! Careful, I almost ran you over!”
“You be careful! I was here first! Look where you’re going!”
“I’m sorry for not expecting you to be just lying on the grass,” Hermes chuckles out. Slowing his pace as he hovered above the trees, looking for something. “Having a good time without Queen Hera around?”
“Wh- how do you know she is not around! She only told me!”
“And you told Hep, Ares, Art, Apollo, and other more gods. World travels rather quickly around here, boss! You can’t expect me not to know at this point.”
Iris clenched her jaw, jumping in the air and making sure to beat all her wings, showing Hermes just how superior she was to him. But he didn’t even notice, looking through the fruits that grew from the trees in the garden, inspecting them closely.
Before Hermes was born, it was Iris the one who was the messenger of the gods. And she was damn good at her job, you know. But then one day Hermes and his whore mother appear on Olympus and then he is made to be messenger, and a psychopomp and god of fertility commerce and other useless things he shouldn’t be god of.
Why him? So what if he was fast? Iris was better. Iris has been here before Hermes’ mother was even born. Iris has had far more experience as a messenger than him- so just because he had two pairs of wings compared to Iris original one pair, and just because he is fast, he gets the job? he gets to go to the Underworld?
Iris puffed her wings even more.
“What are you even doing?” she finally asks after being ignored for so long, while Hermes just plucks an apple from a tree, throwing it in his satchel.”
“Had some craving for fruit, you know.”
“You’re lying”, she says while Hermes plucks an orange from another tree.
“How do you know?” He says, not even looking at her as he stuffs a pear on his satchel as well.
“You’re the god of liars, no? Then you’re lying!”
“Probably.”
It irritates her to no end the fact that he just ignores her like that. Who does he think he is?
“You’re going to the Underworld again, aren’t you?”
Hermes glances at her and smiles, content with all the fruit in his satchel. He shrugs, hands behind his head. “It is my job to go there-”
“How come you’re allowed and I am not? Why can you get inside?!”
“Do you even want to go to the Underworld? I thought you hated the place, you’ve said it plenty of times.”
“I hate it! But still I should be allowed to go!”
“Why don’t you go talk to Artemis or Dionysus? I’m sure you can figure out some way to pass the time that isn’t sleeping on the floor while Hera isn’t here.” Hermes ignores her spiel about the Underworld, but he was already used to this. He wasn’t particularly as rude as the other gods were, but that just got under Iris’ skin all the same.
“You all hate me, no one wants to hang out with me.”
“Because you’re a snitch.”
Iris stared daggers at Hermes, who was now eating the apple he plucked early. He tilted his head towards her, daring Iris to deny it.
She was going to bark about how that was her job, but she remembered Hephaestus once again. It wasn’t her job to gossip about everybody else to the Queen.
“I don’t want to be a snitch anymore,” she says softly to herself, she is actually surprised that Hermes caught that.
“Then don’t be? Sounds like a very easy solution, boss.”
“No you don’t get it! None of you have Queen Hera’s love- you lost it and you don’t want it back. I have it, and I don’t want to lose it!”
“Is that love, though?”
“Of course!” She says almost angry.
Of course it was love. Queen Hera loved her, that’s why she made Iris her personal messenger once Hermes took her job. She loved her, and that’s the reason they didn’t kill her unlike her twin, Arke. Queen Hera loved her, that’s why, even if she forced her body to be small (so she would not champion the Olympian’s heights), she still gave her more wings than Hermes, to prove that she was better than him. Because Queen Hera loved her.
Right?
“While you figure that one out,” He reaches into his satchel, pulling out a bottle of ambrosia from within. Her eyes go wide and for a moment she wonders if he stole it from someone else. Imagine her surprise when Hermes shoves the bottle at her.
“What? F-for me? What?” She reaches to grab it, but Hermes pulls it back, his smile gone and eyes very serious.
“Iris.” He says, his hazel almond eyes fixated in hers. She doesn't think she has ever seen Hermes this serious in her entire life. “Do you really want to change? Do you really want to stop betraying all of us for Hera’s love?”
“I-”
Did she?
These past few days have been truly lonely for her. Her only company had been peacocks and sneers from the other gods.
Queen Hera… she made her feel wanted, made her feel like Iris was loved. She prides herself on it, but then she remembered what she told Ares days ago, saying that his own mother didn’t love him.
The way he stared at her made her heart clench.
“Yes. Yes I want to stop. I don’t… want to do that anymore.”
“Okay then.” He smiles again, shoving the ambrosia on her hands. “Take this to Dionysus- he is having a party tonight. Tell him I’m vouching for you. Maybe you can take that stick out of your ass for at least a night.”
Iris blinked rapidly, not even registering the insult as she stared at Hermes. “You’re vouching for me?”
“Yes,” he says, finishing up his apple and throwing the apple core on the grass.
“Why?”
He shrugs. “Hephaestus asked me to help you. He vouches for you, and I trust him.”
“Hephaestus… did that?”
Hermes nods, and she just stares down at the bottle of Ambrosia in her hands. She nods quickly, suddenly feeling very secure of herself.
“Okay. Okay. Okay!” She turns around and flies away with the ambrosia. Hermes shouts a goodbye, and Iris waves him slightly, far too distracted to think that she waved at her worst enemy.
Her heart pumped had in her chest. Hephaestus was helping her connect with the others. He somehow got Hermes to help her. He didn’t have to do that, yet he did. He did!
Dionysus quarters always smelled of alcohol. She banged on the door, already hearing the soft music coming from inside.
The god opened the door to his chamber, surprised to see Iris floating above the ground just outside his room.
“Ehhh?” He says, hands on his hips. “What is this?”
“Oh, I-” She shoves the bottle of Ambrosia at him, heart on her throat and trying to not have any negative thoughts in regards to Zeus’ alcoholic son.
“For me?” He smiles in confusion, his head tilted as he stared at her, wanting answers.
“I- She bites her tongue, unsure of what to say. “Hermes told me you were having a party. I brought this, for you, for the party I mean.”
“Hermes told you-” His confusion deepens, but takes the ambrosia from her hands. “He trusts you?”
“I- I think so. He said… Hephaestus vouches for me, so…”
She feels very small under the god’s gaze. He was one of the most joyful gods, but he still was stern and tended to just avoid Iris, knowing the kind of person she was. The person she was trying to change.
“You’re not going to snitch to Hera about this, right?”
She grits her teeth, but shakes her head. She still has many doubts about all of this, but she followed the flow at the moment.
“Okay then! Come on in!”
She had only been in the Queen’s private quarters. Dionysus’s bedroom didn’t look like such, most likely expanded and modified for the celebration he was planning for that same night.
Exquisite cuts of meat and fruit were prepped up for consumption along ambrosia and nectar in bottles and cups for anyone to drink.
Beautiful nymphs were lying around with alcohol in their cups, eating grapes delicately.
“What is, um, the occasion?” Iris asks, standing around awkwardly not knowing what to do. The Nymphs giggle at her, and suddenly Iris is very flustered, her face getting warm.
“There doesn’t need to be any occasion at all! Sit down, sit down!”
She obeys, sitting on the floor on top of a quite large pillow. The nymphs eye her in a strange manner and it makes butterflies flutter on her stomach. Iris sits cross legged and places her hands on her lap, unsure as to where to put them.
It didn’t take long for more demigods and gods to pour inside. This was the first time Iris had been at one of Dionysus’ parties, since Queen Hera called them “disgusting affairs”. Apprehension grew in Iris’ stomach, recalling the disgust Queen Hera had for these reunions, but… it seemed okay. They were all dancing and laughing, drinking and eating from the offered beverages and foods. Music played loudly, courtesy of the god Apollo.
He had slipped inside at one point and stared daggers at Iris, who remained seated in the same spot all night. She didn’t say anything, watching as the god pointed at her and talked to Dionysus, but the god of wine shrugged and said something. Apollo sneered at her and walked away, sitting on a corner with his lyre and playing. Occasionally, he would stare directly at Iris, making sure she didn’t do anything funny.
One of the Nymphs offered her a drink and Iris accepted quietly. It was alcoholic, but sweet with a hint of citrus. She quite enjoyed it, and all the Nymphs accepted her into their little circle, talking between them. Iris was silent, but occasionally they would goad an answer out of her, asking things such as “Would you believe it?” “Isn’t that wild?” “Don’t you think so?”
Iris noticed the gods making rounds trying to make sure she didn’t do anything. But the night went on, and everyone was starting to get pretty alcoholized.
At the dead of the night, Iris was probably the only individual who wasn’t completely drunk. Even Apollo laid on the carpet, completely asleep with the lyre on his hands.
Iris was not sure if she should stay or should go, until Dionysus approached her, sitting down next to her.
“Been awful quiet here!” He says, and he smells like alcohol yet doesn’t seem as affected as the others. It was his realm, after all. “You doin’ okay?”
“Yes, I-” Iris looks around, the nymphs that had been accompanying her all night completely asleep on top of each other in a giant cuddle pile. “I had a good time, I think.”
“Well, good, good! You want to crash here? Everybody is pretty much gone.”
“No no- that is quite alright. I think I’ll be going.”
She stands up, flying in the air. She bows slightly to Dionysus. “Thank you for the invitation.”
“See ya later, Iris!”
She nods, and leaves.
She feels a strange warmth in her body, something comfortable and nice as she flies to her personal chambers. Even if she didn't talk much, just feeling included felt…
Nice. It felt nice. They were all wary of her and the other gods did not approach her, instead demanding answers from Dionysus.
Iris didn’t know if the warmth in her body was the alcohol or something else.
“Have you seen Thanatos?”
The question startles her, and Iris almost drops the vase with water she was using to water the plants with. Some of the water spills and splashes on the floor, leaving a puddle underneath her.
Hermes hovered in front of her, his eyes big with questions. They should probably put a bell around his neck.
“What? Who?” Iris asks, not recalling any Thanatos.
“God of Death- you pretty much asphyxiated him with incense.”
“Oh! The wret-”
Iris has to bite her own tongue to stop that thought from coming out.
It has been two weeks since Queen Hera left, and that was the same day Thanatos had come to visit. She hadn’t seen him around after that, she supposed he was back in the Underworld.
Ever since Dionysus had allowed her to be at his party, she had been invited to be at more things, not only by the nymphs but by other demigods. Dionysus would occasionally chat with her however, but apart from him, Ares, Hephaestus and Hermes, the others paid no attention to her. Still, Iris was not feeling as lonely as she used to before.
It was… nice.
“So? Have you seen him?” Hermes brings her back to reality.
“Oh, um. How would I know? I’m not his mother.” she starts watering the plants again. “Last time I saw him was when he came here, King Zeus’ orders, remember?”
“He has been missing since then.”
Iris stops watering the plants and stares at Hermes. Death? Missing?
“What do you mean he is missing? Death can’t be missing- it’s death! Wait- how do you know he is missing?”
“His brother asked me if I had seen him.”
“Death has a brother?”
“That’s-” Hermes shakes his head, trying to not get away from the point. “So you haven’t seen him?”
“No. Don’t know where he is.”
Hermes is… worried. She rarely has seen him worried, but Iris didn’t care much for that. She still felt the nasty jealousy climb up her throat when she saw his satchel full of letters. The reminder that he was the messenger made hier pour more water than necessary on the poor plants.
“Fine- If you see him, can you tell me or Ares, please?”
“Ares?” She stops, making Hermes wait before he leaves. “Ares is… looking for him?”
“Yes, he is. He is very worried, too.”
Iris presses the vase tight against her chest. Why would Ares care about some random Chthonic wretch from the underworld? Why would it matter? Hermes, sure, he spent most of his time there as a psychopomp- but Ares?
Now she felt strangely invested in this scenario, and she did not know why.
“Wait- I don’t know where he is and I haven’t seen him, but-” Iris licks her lips. “I… know what his last assignment was when he came here two weeks ago.”
Hermes’ eyes go wide. Before Iris could say a thing however, Hermes grabs her by the wrist and pulls her with him, flying away. She screams in horror, letting go of the vase as it shatters on the ground.
“Let go of me!” She screams in the air as she is pulled. Hermes’ speed is extraordinary, but she will never admit it. The way he zips around Olympus and out of it, dragging Iris all the way while she screams is exhilarating, if very terrifying.
Her throat is starting to get raspy by all her screams when Hermes stops.
“What is wrong with-”
She yanks her arm away from Hermes, and realizes where they are.
The battlefield is raging close by below them. Soldiers stabbed and tore each other apart, but they Did not Die.
Death was missing, after all.
“Hermes?” She asks, suddenly reminded of the violence she witnessed during the Titan war. Crimson blood poured out of the mortals like waterfalls, but they kept going.
Hermes dragged her again inside a golden tent with a very recognizable insignia in it.
The inside of the tent was dark, very few candles illuminating the area. Red like human blood, casting a red light on Ares’ form.
Ares was kneeling on the floor, his sword stabbed the ground and it propped his upper body. His white hair cascaded down his head. He stared down at the ground, face hidden. The god of war, mourning.
“Ares?” Iris’ voice sounds so fragile, and she doesn’t know why.
Ares stirs if only a little, turning his face to stare at the two messengers in front of him.
“Little Goddess, you are here.” He smiles weakly at her. “I did not expect you in such a place like this.”
“Ares, Iris says that she knows what Thanatos’ last assignment was before he went missing.”
The god of war unfurls, standing up to his full height in an instant. He moves quickly, grasping Iris by the shoulders gently but tight, slightly shaking her in the process. His crimson red eyes are puffy and she could truly see just how much Ares was suffering.
“Little Goddess, where is he? Where is my gentle Death that has been taken away from me?”
“I-” Iris stutters. She takes a deep breath trying to recollect all her thoughts, the temptation of over analyzing Ares’ reaction strong, but she could do that later. “His last assignment was to capture the soul of a mortal- a King. I… can’t remember his name”
“Do you remember which was his Kingdom?”
“I,” Iris tries to remember, rolling the words on her tongue, until she can finally recall it, Ares gently holding her all through it. “Ephyra”
“I know where that is,” Hermes says and, once again, grabs Iris and Ares by the wrists, pulling them up into the air and far away.
Iris tried her hardest to not scream at the suddenness of it all, the sound of them splitting the air drowning every single thought she had. She glanced at Ares who looked stern. His eyes were calling for murder, and it was something Iris had never witnessed before from the Lord.
Thanks to Hermes’ cursed speed, they arrived in Ephyra not too long. The King’s abode was not difficult to locate, a massive building on a mountain overseeing all his kingdom below. Of course- it was not as gorgeous or as high as Olympus, but he must be trying to imitate it.
Hermes wasted no time, diving down towards the house. The force of the wind he carried forced open the doors and it was all a blur as Hermes quickly went through the rooms with Ares and Iris in tow. Ares was fierce, staring ahead and with no complaints, but Iris was starting to feel like the air was leaving her lungs. Her head was spinning, unable to focus on the things that were happening around her, only feeling as Hermes kept dragging them through the King’s home.
They finally stopped in one room, and Iris kneeled on the ground trying to catch her breath. The world kept spinning around her, the blurs on the wall very slowly taking shape once more, and she could finally see that they were in a trophy room.
Several types of animals were perched around on the walls and mounted on the floor, having been stuffed up, dead eyes staring at nothing. Bones were mounted to replicate the skeletons of other animals, decorating the room with their corpses. An array of different weapons were hanging from the wall, a dangerous sight.
“Oh, sweet Death. What have they done to you?”
Iris’ gaze immediately turns to Ares and the figure on the center of it all. The God of Death, Thanatos, was chained tightly, chains sprouting from the ceiling and floor, pulling at his body so tight he was hanging mid air, his head hanging back and limp, long silver hair shining under the light.
Iris watched in horror at the dead Death- was he dead? Could Death die?
Ares pulled out his sword instantly and it glowed red. He screamed loud and terrifying, a sound Iris had never heard before in her life, He hacked at the chains above Thanatos, freeing them from the ceiling.
Thanatos’ body fell but Ares caught him in his arms. One arm cradling Thanatos, the other one he used to hack at the chains at the floor, freeing them as well. He continued to hack at them until there was no more, yanking the chains softly away from Death.
“Oh, Death. My Sweet Death.” He cradled the limp Thanatos in his arms, burying his face on the deity’s neck.
She shouldn’t be here.
Iris quietly steps back, careful to not make any sound. Her eyes were fixated on Ares, who held Thanatos’ body close. She used to believe she knew everything about the Queen’s son, but as it turns out, she knew nothing about him, or the gods beneath. She had been so stupid to even believe she knew it all.
She finally exits the room, taking a deep breath. She steadies herself a moment before she exits, before a hand pulls her back gently.
Terrified that she would be yanked away into another terrifying ride, she rudely extracts her arm from Hermes’ grasp.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be whisking you anywhere anymore.” Hermes smiles tired. “Sorry about that by the way, but there was no time to explain.”
Iris nods, rubbing the tip of her sandal on the floor beneath, feeling the pebbles scrunch under her foot. “Is… he dead?”
“Don’t think so. Just passed out. He’ll be fine pretty soon.”
“What… are you going to do about the king?”
Hermes chuckles, looking back at the trophy room. “We will see.”
Hermes is shaken too. For a mortal to be able to trap death- that was unthinkable. Unheard of. Completely unprecedented. Iris was slightly terrified, if she may say so herself. She used to think Humans were just these stupid hunks of meat that only lived and died- but if one of them was powerful enough to catch death- what else could they do?
“Anyways, thanks for the help. Much appreciated.”
He pats her shoulder, and Iris is too shaken up to remember her hatred for Hermes. “Okay. Yeah. Sure.”
“Iris,”
His voice is serious and stern. It didn’t drip of the personality Hermes normally carried with him, instead replaced by something very, very personal.
“Do not tell Hera about this.”
Iris falters for a moment, but nods. Hermes nods and leaves her, entering the room with Ares and Thanatos.
Iris takes flight, all the events of today playing back in her mind. She rubs the ring Hephaestus gave her with her thumb as she flies back to Olympus, watching all the mortals below her, wondering if they, too, had the power to fool death.
The next time Iris sees Hermes, she asks him if the mortal had been dealt with. He confirms that he is no longer a problem but she doesn’t ask what happened, as she is still too terrified of the concept of that mortal existing at all.
She also asks if Thanatos is okay. A weight lifts off her shoulders when Hermes assures him that the Chthonic deity is fine.
Both Hermes and Ares must have spread the fact that Iris helped them both in locating Thanatos, because for the next few days all the gods and goddesses are far more open with Iris. It is strange- she was used to them calling her names and treating her with disdain, yet this time they would wave at her, ask her about her day and even invite her to various activities.
Iris liked it. She liked it very much. Still, she had to stop herself from making ugly comments, the urge to rub Queen Hera’s preference of her still present in her tongue- but she stopped herself.
Sure, Queen Hera loved her, but… maybe the others could lover her, too.
Queen Hera would be home in two days. She was excited, but in a way, she didn’t feel as lonely lately.
She even thought it would be nice if Queen Hera didn’t return for a while.
Iris kept that thought inside of her, however. A secret, to never come out.
The goddess is flying through the hallways with a bag of food for the peacocks in her hands when she notices loud sobbing coming from one of the doors.
It’s door is ajar, and Iris cannot help herself as she peeks inside.
It’s Apollo’s room. She recognized it by the various paintings and busts thrown about, as well as the musical instruments lying against the walls.
Other gods were surrounding the bed at the center, their hands folded in front of them as they watched Apollo cry in the bed, muffling his screams with a pillow. His entire body was contorted on itself, his back muscles tight as he screamed desperately into the silk sheets.
Iris could make out a name in the middle of his screaming. He screamed for Hycacynthus, the name she had heard weeks ago.
She lifted her gaze to spot Artemis who laid next to her twin, her arms were holding Apollo tightly, and the god turned to his sister and buried his face on her shoulders, sobbing loudly and with desperation.
Artemis locked eyes with her.
Not unlike a predator hunting for prey, her pupils were constricted, her face expressionless as she waited for any excuse to strike Iris down right there.
Instead, Iris walked away, without saying anything. She went to feed the peacocks, leaving the sounds of wailing behind her until they were nothing but a whisper in the air.
Iris feels excited as the day comes and Queen Hera and King Zeus finally arrive back to Olympus. She is there to greet them of course, but mostly to greet Queen Hera herself. She fidgets with the ring Hephaestus gifted her, barely able to contain her excitement as the Queen finally arrives.
The doors of Olympus open automatically, letting both its Kings come through. There is no one else to greet them, however, not even Ares or Hephaestus who are far too busy with their tasks to greet their parents.
“Ah! It’s good to be back!” Zeus boasts, taking a deep breath once inside the hallway. “What a wonderful vacation that was, wasn’t it dear?”
“Why yes, my dear husband, it was.”
Queen Hera seemed the same, however. Her face stern and eyes unfocused on her husband, as if she was just going through the motions of their matrimony, her eyes full of something akin to rage.
The Queen stares around and spots Iris. Iris almost leaps in the air to greet her, but instead bows to her Queen. “Welcome back home, My Queen Lady Hera. I do hope you had a wonderful time.”
“Only you?” She says, the corner of her mouth twitching. “None of your sons are here, Zeus. And you said they were not bastards? They are not welcoming his father at all.”
“Yours isn’t here either, you know” Zeus barks back, already making his way inside to god knows where. Hera sneers, walking past Iris. The goddess follows closely.
“One of those is yours too, unfortunately. That bloodthirsty wretch-”
“Well, I don’t see Hephaestus anywhere either, do I?” Zeus scoffs. “Don’t pretend your kin is better than mine.”
They remained silent, going on their separate ways. Iris looks for a moment as Zeus leaves somewhere, entering a random room and slamming the door behind him. She wondered what their time alone was like, if they were so high strung the moment they returned home.
“Iris?”
Her thoughts are interrupted as Queen Hera calls her, and Iris follows her voice. “Be nice enough to carry my things to my quarters, will you?”
“Yes, my Queen!”
She wastes no time, retrieving all the bags that Queen Hera had returned with. She could have sworn they were far more than the ones she left Olympus with, but it wasn’t any of her business.
She dragged them all back inside, having difficulty with the luggage as it dragged her down. It took her a few minutes to be able to take them to the Queen’s quarters, sweat rolling down her brow when she finally was done.
“Here, my Queen! Your luggage is here.”
“Very well.” The Queen glanced at her vanity, which had a box with a golden ribbon on it with Hephaestus’ mark. The queen opened it, pulling out the brooch her son had smelted from the unwanted gold. “I presume this was done with the jewelry I commanded you to take to Hephaestus?”
“Yes, my Queen,” Iris replies, hands behind her back as she touches the golden ring in her finger. She wasn’t lying- the brooch was made out of most of the jewelry sans one ring.
The Queen places it on her dress, and the brooch sparkles to life, a beautiful shine accentuating Queen Hera’s beautiful dress.
“Tell me, Iris. Did something happen while I was gone?”
“No, my Queen. I fed your peacocks and watered your plants every day, as you commanded.”
Half a lie. She did do those things, but she also did many other new things.
“Is that so?” Hera sat in front of her vanity mirror, brushing her long hair once more. “Come here, Iris.”
Iris followed her command, flying up to her standing on the massive vanity, not unlike a month ago.
“Tell me, did you have a good time?” Queen Hera asks, and Iris’ heart swells in pride.
“Why- yes Queen Hera, my Lady. I hung out with the peacocks and spent my days in the garden.”
“Nothing else you did? Anything else you may be forgetting?”
“No, my Queen.”
The Queen stops brushing her hair, placing the hair brush on the vanity. She turns to face Iris, her thin lips turning into a very rare smile.
“Iris,” she ruffles her hair with her fingers, tickling the little goddess. She can’t help but laugh at the movement, feeling that same warm feeling she had when she was sitting at Dionysus' party. “You are my favorite, do you know that?”
“Yes, Queen Hera.” She chuckles.
“You are my favorite. Why won’t you tell me the truth? Do you not love me anymore?”
“The truth? I- I’m not sure what you’re talking about?”
The queen continues to ruffle her hair, but her nails scratch at Iris’ scalp rather harshly. “Come on, Iris. Either you’re not telling the truth, or you are just too stupid to know what is happening around you.”
“I’m- I’m sorry?” Her chuckles turn fearful, and Hera starts pulling at her hair lightly.
“These bastards always do something. Zeus’ children, those wretches always destroy everything and ruin the magnificence of Olympus. Did nothing happen, truly? Did nothing really happen in the month we were away?”
“I- No, no, nothing-”
The fingers in her hair then pull up her hair, yanking it harshly and sending a wave of pain down her scalp. Iris whimpers, and Hera’s free hand pulls at one of her wings harshly, almost breaking it under her grasp.
“Iris, have you forgotten how we love you? Me and Zeus. We love you, you know?”
“I-I-” She bites the pain as her hair is tugged even more, nails digging harshly against her skin.
“Technically, you were part of the titans. And we should have killed you, like we killed them all. But we didn’t, did we?”
“N-no, Hera-”
“Queen Hera.”
“Q-queen Hera, You didn’t, you allowed-”
“We allowed you to exist here. And I give you so many gifts. I gave you these wings.” She yanks hard at the wings in her head, Iris thinks for a moment they were going to come off. “We made you small, because a creature like you does not deserve to be so tall. When that bastard Hermes came, I made you my messenger, even when my husband suggested we kill you.”
“He- He what-”
“And I didn’t. Because I love you, Iris. You’re my favorite of them all. Zeus’ children are bastards, Ares is a monster and Hephaestus is not worthy of being an Olympian. You are the only one who I can trust. You are my favorite, after all.”
“Queen, I-”
“Do you remember Arke?”
Iris stills. Even if Hera is pulling at her hair and wing harshly, Iris freezes at the mention of her twin’s name.
“Remember what we did to her? Tell me, Iris. What did we do to her?”
“You-” She swallows dry. “You ripped off her wings. Mounted them on your wall.”
“And? What else did we do, Iris?”
“You-” Tears were gathering up at the corner of her eyes, her knees going weak and not able to prop her weight anymore. Queen Hera’s tight and painful grip in her head forced her body to stand. “You chopped her up and spread her body through the Underworld, along with Kronos, Hyperion and the others-”
“That’s right! You do remember, Iris. You helped us so much, which is why we allow you to be here. But- If you no longer feel safe here, or no longer wish to live here, that can be arranged.” She twists the wing in her grasp, causing Iris to cry out in pain. “I can take these away easily, Iris. Do you want me to take these away?”
“N-no, My Queen.”
“Do you wish to reside along with your sister?”
“No, My Queen.”
“Then, tell me everything you know. Because I know you’re lying, Iris. I know you must have seen something happening here. And If I find out that you missed something-”
Queen Hera clicks her tongue.
“Well. Let’s just see you should get used to how the Underworld reeks.”
She lets go of Iris and she drops to the ground. Tears started falling from her eyes, but Queen Hera lifted her chin tenderly, swiping the tears away. “Don’t cry, my little bird. Aren’t you happy that Queen Hera loves you so?”
Yes. Yes she is. She is very happy that Queen Hera loves her so much.
There was a twisted amount of pride she felt when she told Queen Hera about everything that happened. The queen nodded and made remarks at the events. She cursed Dionysus under her breath for being a degenerate drunkard, as well as all the gods and creatures that attended.
She wished for Hermes’ death when he stole fruit from the trees of Olympus.
Queen Hera seethed at her son Lord Ares saving a Chthonic Wretch.
The Queen laughed at the demise of Apollo’s lover.
Yet Iris did not laugh. The bottom of her stomach shook and it was cold, her throat in knots as she spoke. She couldn’t stop staring at her reflection on the mirror in front of her, watching Queen Hera’s expressions at the corner of her eyes.
Once she was done, Queen Hera dismissed her coldly. She complied, pretty much running towards her own room.
Gods and demigods greeted her as she walked by but she couldn’t bear looking at them in the eyes. Her gaze was on the floor, the wings at her ankles too weak to take flight. Her head hurt from the inside out, her scalp bruising from Queen Hera’s rough grip.
She entered her room and slammed the door behind her, sliding off to the floor. Iris cried, pulling harshly at the cursed wings in her head until she started to pull the feathers out, curling up on herself and wailing in her room, alone.
The gods were not gentle.
Artemis shot arrows at her on sight. Aiming to kill, and they pierced the golden wings in her back. Iris left a trail of ichor on the floor. Artemis told her, she knew how to flay birds.
Dionysus stared at her with hate. He slammed doors on her face and, at one point, threw a bottle of wine at her head. She barely just evaded, but her curls were tainted in wine.
She had not seen Hermes in weeks.
Ares stared at her, the kindness of his eyes gone. He did not say hateful words but Iris could feel the disdain he felt towards her. That hatred that Iris had only experienced once, when he realized a mortal had trapped his sweet death.
It didn’t matter. She was Queen Hera’s favorite. That’s all that mattered. They were all just jealous that Queen Hera loved her more than any of her step children. She was her favorite.
She enters Hephaestus forge silently, carrying another bag of golden jewelry that Queen Hera wanted to be smelted into something else. It was the first time she had seen Hephaestus since Queen Hera returned, and the god stared at her with pity in his eyes.
“Oh, junebug.” He whispered. “What have you done?”
Iris’ face turns into a sneer, angry tears forming from the corner of your eyes. “What do you care? You’re just jealous because Queen Hera loves me more.”
Hephaestus shakes his hand, returning back to work. Iris doesn’t even bother placing the bag of gold on his work bench, just leaving it on the floor and running out of the forge.
She laid down with the peacocks once more. They pulled at her hair gently as she petted their soft feathers.
Iris did not tell the Queen about the ring Hephaestus gave her.
She touched the band with her fingers, a sudden anger washing over her.
Iris was a messenger of the gods. She survived the war because she was smart, because they loved her. Her duty to Queen Hera was of utmost importance.
She took the ring off and jumped into the air. She flew towards the railing of the balcony that led to the clouds surrounding Mount Olympus.
Iris threw the ring away into the horizon, and she saw it disappear between the clouds.
Her name was Iris. And she was Queen Hera’s favorite.