Chapter Text
Maia
Human World, modern days
Taking another walk around the human world, the queen of the gods tried to distract herself with anything that caught her attention. Realizing she was in front of the entrance to a zoo she entered. Paying for the ticket with the money she had collected beforehand, hoped for something positive during the visit.
The animals were beautiful, but they didn't catch her attention that much. Some animals still slept because they were creatures of the night, but in less than four hours they would wake up. It would just be a quick visit.
A commotion caught her attention. People took photos of the animal and laughed at whatever it was doing. Curious, she approached and once close, smiled at the scene.
A peacock and a tortoise.
The two animals shouldn't be in the same place. But somehow the peacock escaped from its cage into the tortoise's environment. A group of children disturbed the latter, the reptile had no other option than to hide in its shell. The peacock placed itself in the middle and opened its 'fan' to block the stones. The children laughed and continued to throw other objects until the peacock flew furiously towards them. Children ran screaming to their mothers. Zookeepers tried to arrest the bird, but it showed no fear and did not leave the tortoise's side. Hera deduced that the peacock thought they were going to hurt its friend.
The bird flew without hesitation. The zookeepers didn't give up either. While two of them distracted the majestic animal, two others sneaked up behind with a net. Just as they were about to cast the net, the peacock flew at one of the front guards and used him as a ladder to jump out of the habitat. Now the animal was in the same environment as humans.
Zoo visitors took different directions in response to the situation. The most stupid ones tried to catch the bird only to be cowed by its sounds. The sensible ones fled and the curious watched the scene from a good distance away. The guards ran with the net. With no alternative, the bird ran towards people. Hera quickly picked up her sacred animal in lap.
The guards were frightened by what could happen to the woman, but the peacock did not fight or make a sound in the goddess's lap. The animal no longer had hatred or fear in its body, on the contrary, felt safe and calm as if it knew that this 'human' was trustworthy. Hera smiled as she held the animal gently and care.
"You are a good friend." the goddess whispered to the blue bird’s surprise “Continue beside the tortoise.” The animal seemed to agree with her.
The guards calmly approached her so as not to scare the bird. They didn't want there to be a scandal and a lawsuit with a visitor being attacked by one of the animals. They could already imagine the articles in newspapers, television and the internet.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience.” a bearded employee apologized in advance
“Don't worry, that was nothing.” Hera smiled “It wasn’t your fault.”
The guards smiled in relief.
"Here." the goddess held out the peacock to the man.
Each part stretched out their arms, but before the peacock was handed over a sudden movement appeared between them, almost hitting the animal. Instinctively the goddess held the bird closer to her. Startled, she turned to see a woman with a haircut in a ridiculous way, face red with anger and with an umbrella with a broken tip in her hand. Before the queen of the gods could process what was happening, the woman lifted the object and threw it back at the bird. Acting quickly, Hera blocked the attack with her arm and used the body as a shield to protect the blue animal. Realizing that the woman was the mother of one of the children and her target was the being in her arms, the goddess maintained eye contact and walked away. People were scared by the scene. As before, some humans ran, others took out their cell phones to call the police or to film the scene.
Staff tried to calm the woman and when they tried to disarm her she launched another attack. Hera prepared herself and raised her arm to block the blow again. To the surprise of many someone grabbed the umbrella before any damage could be done. Hera turned to her savior and was surprised by a young man with an stunning muscular physique, a face that could only have been sculpted by angels, tall like a model and mesmerizing eyes.
"Hermes?" thought
The messenger god looked coldly at the woman without letting the umbrella slip out of his hand. The human tried to pull the object without success. As she became distracted, the staff managed to restrain her. Hera continued in shock as wondered how and why Hermes was here.
“Why are you trying to attack a woman and a defenseless bird?” Hermes asked calmly to the mortal.
“That stupid bird tried to attack my son!” the human growled.
“Hit the bird, mom!” a snotty boy shouted in the crowd.
“But it was the children who started it first, the peacock just tried to protect the tortoise!” Hera said, irritated by the madwoman's lack of sense.
“It was just a child’s play!”
“Is throwing stones at animals child’s play?” Hermes questioned her with an indifferent face, but his voice showed irritation.
"Nobody is hurt." the human trash tried to defend herself. Many people wanted to throw anything at the woman.
“The turtle could have been injured.” the goddess pointed to the animal in the area designated for the reptile. The peacock still on her other arm.
“But it seems like this is fine.” It was useless to reason with her
“Listen, ma’am.” Hermes asked for the other's attention. “I'm also a father, but I teach my children to differentiate right from wrong and hurting animals is wrong. And if I knew that one of my children committed such an act, he or she would be grounded.”
“That’s if the police aren’t called!” One of the zoo's security guards appeared on the scene holding the woman's arm. “We have already received complaints about children throwing objects at the animals and we have given you a warning not to cause any more problems or we would be forced to call the police.”
"Leave me! My son did nothing wrong!” she screamed and moved her arm to free herself.
“Shut up, Karen!” an employee with a ponytail spat
"My name is Laura!" the woman with the ridiculous hair corrected
“Shut up, Laura!”
With senseless screams, the woman hit the guard on the head with the umbrella and jumped into the tortoise's room to escape the police. People screamed in disbelief at the woman's boldness and madness. The peacock moved in the goddess's arms to free itself. It needed to save his friend. Understanding the feeling, Hera let him go, pretending that she was distracted. The bird flew towards the crazy woman. She shook the umbrella in defense. While the human was paying no attention to the bird, the turtle silently approached her and, to the surprise of many, even the gods present, bit the woman's heel. With a scream that would make any fan of any sport envious, the crazy woman scared away the peacock. Luckily an ambulance was called and the woman's leg could be saved, but no without consequences. But first, she and her family would have to report to the police first. Many people laughed as the crazy woman writhed in pain on the stretcher and how her son cried when he realized he would be in trouble.
Hera was no different from the humans around her, she also laughed at the scene. Nemesis could act quickly in some cases, but the results were always satisfactory.
"Need help?" one of the women who worked at the zoo approached her with a worried look. She forgot that had been hit in the arm. Entering the role she placed her hand on the ‘wounded’ limp.
"I am fine!" she smiled back to reassure the human “I’m more worried about the tortoise. Is it going to be executed for biting that useless excuse for a mother?” Hera has heard of cases where zoo animals were euthanized due to the stupidities of annoying humans hurting them or invading their environments.
“No, the woman entered the room and by coincidence the tortoise was practically under her foot. Anyone can understand that the turtle acted in self-defense.”
"Fortunately." the goddess sighed in relief
“But you are injured!” the woman, Lena as it was written on her badge, looked at her, or rather, the striking bruise on the injured limb. “Are you sure you don’t want us to call an ambulance?”
“Are you talking about that?” Hera looked at the purple spot on her arm “It’s no big deal. I’ve suffered worse.” She wondered if she caused the wound to appear too quickly. There were also days when she didn't practice metamorphosis.
“But what if you have a broken bone? You will need to go to the hospital.” the human was kind, even too much.
“I can take her.” Hermes appeared before Hera could answer anything. She was grateful that the messenger god appeared to save her from spending an hour arguing with the human.
“Are you someone she knows?” another employee, by the name of Carly, asked
“We are co-workers.” the god clarified “Actually, she is my superior and I have contact with her family.”
"That is true?" the human turned to Hera.
"Yes."
“Come on, Lily!” Hermes called her by another name, after all Hera was a very rare and strange name for current times. “My car is parked a few blocks away, so we’re going to have to walk a bit.”
“Goodbye and thanks for your help.” the queen of the gods said
“Take care of yourself and I hope your arm gets better.” Lena returned the smile. “And thank you for protecting Blueberry.”
"Who?"
“The peacock.”
“What a sweet name!” the goddess smiled “And the name of the tortoise?”
"Tangerine."
“Whoever named these two must have been hungry.” Hermes pronounced.
“It’s a theme at our zoo. We have our Pineapple, the rhino and Mango, our lioness.”
“I’d like to see them, but I think I’ll leave it for another day.”
“Due to the incident today and how you protected one of our animals we would like to reward you with a free entry.”
“But it won’t be long before I get back.”
"Goodbye."
“See you another day.”
The two gods left the place without haste and walked along the sidewalk. Hera continued to hold her injured arm closer to the chest. It wasn't a serious injury, it wasn't even an injury. The stain on her arm was just an illusion so that no one would suspect that she had escaped unharmed from a blow that would damage an ordinary human. Once away from prying eyes could relax and make the swelling and bruise go away. For an hour they didn't say a word to each other until they found a deserted park. Dropping the masks of friendliness, they showed their true feelings.
"Why are you here?" Hera crossed her arms waiting for an answer.
“Today is my day off. I’ve worked way too much lately.” Hermes replied cordially
“And what did you come here to do?” she referred to the human world.
“I'm tired of wandering around in the highest circle. And it’s also been a while since I visited this place.”
“Did someone send you to message me or follow me?”
“No, like I said I’m on my day off and I would have to hide if I was spying on you.”
Hera believed him. Acting on his own or being ordered by someone, Hermes would have ruined the mission by saving her by showing up. And the god was too professional to make a rookie mistake.
“I approached the area because there was a lot of commotion.” he explained “I was curious about what it was and I was surprised how the peacock defended the turtle. And I was more surprised when you picked up the peacock.”
“I still haven’t thanked you for defending me and the peacock.” the goddess smiled, embarrassed for having forgotten something so important. “Thank you very much.”
"It is not necessary. I just didn’t want things to go off track.”
“You didn’t have to worry about me. I’m not fragile.”
“I became more worried about humans.” the messenger god corrected her.
Hera looked at him offended and irritated. Hermes looked back at her defiantly.
They both laughed.
They took chance of this free time to be happy, instead of wasting it with unnecessary fights. And to tell the truth, Hermes was right. She would kill all the humans if the peacock or tortoise had been injured or worse.
“I’m glad the peacock and the turtle are safe.” the god exclaimed, catching his breath.
"Yes. Their friendship is a very beautiful thing.”
The two didn't say anything else. The silence was as if they had done something wrong and the guilt and shame weighed on their minds in the form of reflection.
"Good." the goddess stood up “I have other plans for this afternoon. See you on Olympus later.” She had no definitive plans, just wanted to take a walk in the human city and have fun. She have nothing left to talk about with Hermes.
“Why didn’t you ever hurt Maia?” The goddess froze at the question. Regaining her composure turned to him. Hermes kept his gaze focused on an expressionless face. It was such a random question asked in such a strange time. However, the queen of the gods felt the need to respond, even though it brought back painful memories.
“Because she was the only one who didn’t laugh at me.”
Before the titanomachy.
Before marrying Zeus, Hera was a much more cheerful, optimistic and kind goddess. Compared to how it was now, many would doubt that they would be the same person, they were so different. She couldn't blame them, she herself couldn't understand how it was ever like this.
At this time she aspired to be the goddess of marriage, be a good wife, a loving mother and to help humans and other gods have a good marriage. She laughed with the little strength left at the irony of the present.
Also had a god in mind to be her future husband. Wasn't Hades, wasn't Poseidon, and he definitely wasn't Zeus. He was handsome, funny, powerful and had other attributes that attracted her. Despite being the most extroverted goddess, she still didn't have the courage to confess her feelings and was afraid of ruining everything to the point where he would reject her. First of all, she trained day and night to be the ideal wife, she trained how to clean the house, sew clothes, cook and other things. Always training in secret to express her love.
Like a shadow followed him without being seen or heard, watching every step he took with his feet. She liked him so much that could tell just by looking at the footprint belongs to him for the shape of foot and toes. In the light, in the eyes of everyone, she appeared at the parties he participated in, at each sports competition she was among the spectators and whenever possible she approached him to give a food she had made or fill his glass with water.
Now seeing her past behavior the goddess realized that she had already developed disturbing tendencies long before her horrible marriage.
During the most tense moments with her marriage to Zeus she always found herself dreaming about what her life would be like if had married her beloved….
"Hera." the young goddess woke up from her dream “Daydreaming again?” Leto joked. At that time they were friends. And also of Asteria, Themis, Styx, Selene, Echo, Mnemosyne and so many other goddesses and nymphs that mortals do not know or have forgotten after millennia, but she remembered.
“Sorry, I was just looking at…” she tried to apologize as was looking for an alibi to avoid revealing her interest in…
“Oh, forget it. Don’t tell me you forgot that we agreed to cool off in the new fountain near the oak trees?”
On the way to the fountain she encountered a small, thin figure. In the eyes of the other gods, it was an insignificant existence that would make no difference if it was seen. Hera was the only one to notice the presence of the pleiad.
“Hi, Maia.” young Hera happily called to the other. Maia jumped a little in fright and turned around with her black eyes looking at the group.
“H..hi.” she spoke in a voice that should have been calmer, but showed the nymph's nervousness.
“We’re going to cool off in the new fountain, do you want to come with us?”
“No..No, thank you.” the pleiad apologized. “Maybe another day.” and without ceremony ran in another direction.
Hera let the smile fall. She didn't understand why she ran as if she was in danger. Had she done something wrong?
“She’s so weird.” Asteria grunted offended
“And it feels like any minute it’s going to collapse.” Echo laughed
“Hunp. And are we some kind of monsters for her to run away from when she sees us?!” a naiad spat on the ground
“Hera, why do you keep asking her to come with us?” Leto asked.
“I just wanted to be kind.” replied dejectedly. “It’s more fun with more people.”
“But she never accepted your invitations the last few times.” the titan huffed tiredly “I don’t know why you continue to bother including her.”
“Maybe because I want to be friends with her.”
Maia was both a nymph and a goddess. The oldest of the Pleiades. She was considered the 'ugliest' of the group by the opinion of the other gods due to the stupid fact that she had a small chest and was very skilful. In his opinion she had a humble beauty. Her most valuable attributes were her orange hair, perfect skin and her beautiful, lovely black eyes. So lovely.
Her personality was as simple as the appearance. Maia spoke no louder than a whisper and only to respond when asked or convey an important message. And with a unanimous vote the shyest goddess in the entire pantheon. It was difficult for her to get close to people. And the others had difficulty getting close to her. Many became irritated or uncomfortable when trying to talk to her.
“I ended up forgetting about the lily crowns.” Hera slapped her forehead for forgetting.
“Can’t you make others at the source?” Dione asked.
“I promised a friend I would bring her a crown and I took my time creating the lilies.”
Her friends sighed in unison how could she be so clumsy.
“But don’t worry, I can find the crowns on my own. You don’t need to wait for me until you get to the place.” Hera smiled at them
“See you there then.” the other goddesses continued
Hera returned to the place. When she arrived it was an empty spot compared to a few minutes before, leaving her with slight discomfort. Started searching in order not to miss anything from the conversation.
“What a coincidence to see you here.” A male voice gave the young goddess goosebumps.
When she turned around she looked at one of the most disgusting and despicable gods that existed. He smiled at her in a strange and perverse way. The blue eyes of an animal looking at its prey.
“Hi, Hera.” the thunder god asked in a calm voice, but she could sense the ulterior motives in his tone. And they weren't good.
“H..hi, Zeus.” the young goddess stammered.
“Looking for something?”
“N..no..I mean yes, yes I am.” tried not to show fear, but she wasn't a good actress.
"Need help?"
"It's won't be necessary."quickly protested. “I can do this alone.”
The god continued looking at her, without taking his focus, making her nervous.
"I founded." she exclaimed in relief. “Now I'm going.” didn't look back. But before she could leave the god of lightning grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. with horror Hera let a sharp scream escape.
"Hera." Zeus hummed “You are so beautiful.”
“Th...thank you.” the woman thanked, trying not to panic. “Now let me go.”
"I like you." he said, indifferent to her ansiety. “Have you ever thought about being queen?”
"No, I do not want!"
"Are you sure?"
"Let me go!"
"Hera!" a loud, unfamiliar voice appeared in the air.
The two gods looked in the same direction. The person who shouted was….
Maia?!
The ginger-haired, dark-eyed nymph ran towards them. Not used to running, she took a deep breath when stopped.
“What do you want, nymph?” Zeus demanded irritaded for being interrupted.
“Zeus, I don’t want to offend you, on the contrary, I came to deliver an important message.”
"What is it?"
“Hades and Poseidon require your presence, they said they need your help immediately.”
"What is the problem?"
“They didn’t tell me, they just told me to deliver the message as quickly as possible!”
Zeus remained in place.
"Please, go now." Maia raised her voice in exasperation.
"I understod." the god finally let go Hera's arm and headed to meet his brothers.
“And Hera.” he looked at her.
Hera felt her heart freeze with distress.
“We will continue our conversation later.” This phrase was both a warning and a threat.
Hera felt relieved. She thought that would die from whatever Zeus was planning.
"Are you well?" Maia approached the brunette goddess
“No, I mean yes.” Hera responded, catching her breath
“Did he hurt your arm?”
“He just grabbed.”
“Let me see.”
Hera did as the other asked. Maia assessed the reddish spot.
“Do you feel any pain?”
"Not so much." she wiped the tears from her eyes
“It will take a while to go away, but luckily there are no broken bones.”
“What could be so important for Hades and Poseidon to be so worried?” the goddess asked, wanting to know if there were other problems besides Zeus
"I don't know." the pleiad confessed “I made up that message on the spot.”
“You mean you invented all that to send Zeus away?!” Hera opened her mouth in surprise and amazement. How a nymph could deceive the most powerful god on Mount Olympus.
"Yes."
"Why?"
“Because he was hurting you.”
“Thank you very much, I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up in time.”
"You are welcome. Want to go with me to your friends in case he tries to show up again?”
"Yes I want."
The two walked peacefully. Hera's heart calmed down a little.
“I can’t understand why you always invite me.” Maia broke the silence. Hera looked at her with surprise and curiosity, as this was the first time having a conversation with the pleiad.
“I am not beautiful like the other goddesses and nymphs.” the redhead lowered her head embarassed.
“But of course you are beautiful.” Hera smiled at her. “Any god would be happy to make you his wife.”
“Even if there was a god who liked me, our marriage would never work.”
“And why do you say that?” the brunette goddess tilted her head in confusion
“I only like women.”
Hera went silent for a few seconds, absorbing the information. Maia felt bad about how she said something she shouldn't have said.
"But you are beautiful." Hera resumed stating in the same cheerful tone. “Any woman would like to make you her wife.”
"You don't need to lie."
"I'm not lying." It was true. Hera was a terrible actress. She was so emotional that couldn't fake emotions when she having the opposite feeling.Because of this, she rarely disguised herself when interacting with mortals and other divine beings.
"Thanks." the nymph whispered. Maia felt comforted.
“And besides, don’t you want to wear one of the crowns?”
"Are you sure about that? Won’t one of your friends be missing a crown?”
“But of course I do if I hand over my crown to you.” and without warning Hera placed her crown on Maia's head.
The yellow and white lilies matched the nymph's orange locks. And she didn't know what expression to take.
“You look adorable confused.” Hera joked
With great shame the nymph responded.
"Thank you very much."
Back to modern days
“Maia always told how you invited her to parties and that you had lots of friends. I thought she was your only friend, due to her relationship with the other goddesses. But I think I was wrong.” “You are not the first and will not be the last to doubt my story.” the goddess wondered what her fortune would be with each doubt accumulated over the millennia. Would it be enough to surpass the fortune of the richest human family?
The cuckoo incident
Hera liked animals. And Zeus used her compassion against her.
Zeus was not a good husband. Metis, her first wife, was devoured when pregnant with his child, as it was prophesied that she would have a son who would dethrone him. He acted exactly like Chronos.
Hera once met her. Métis was as smart as she was beautiful. And she saved her from being trapped eternally in Chronos' stomach. The queen owed her a lot.
Fortunately Athena managed to be born a few centuries later, although Zeus managed to survive the 'birth'. Another positive fact was that she was the goddess of wisdom, always helping Olympus when challenges with difficult complexities appeared or to establish treaties beneficial to most parties. Of course, they didn't always understand each other, but respected her as an advisor and battle companion, as happened in the Trojan War.
Mnemosyne, Titaness of memories, was the second wife of the Olympian god. Her salvation was the Titanomachy taking the side of her fellow Titans facilitating their divorce. The nine muses sided with their mother, but they were always one of Zeus' favorites children.
Themis, the goddess of divine law and order. No one understood how she married Zeus in the first place as they were so different. It didn't take long for the union to fall apart.
Demeter was not spared either. As the fourth wife she was unable to deal with the stress and constant abuse from the god. As a result of these horrible conditions, her several pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Core, or better known as Persephone, was the only child to be born alive and healthy.
Due to the trauma Demeter focused all her attention on her daughter, often neglecting her duties as queen, wife and even herself. Angered by the goddess' lack of attention and scarce work, Zeus separated from her. A great opportunity in life for mother and daughter. The dedication was so much that Demeter could never give up Persephone, even though she grew into a beautiful goddess and often wished to have her own independence. The mother's obsession didn't change when she married the god of the underworld. The moment her daughter disappeared from her sight went crazy with grief and caused famine in the human world. If Zeus had not managed to reach an agreement with Hades, all of humanity would have been extinct within a few years.
Her mind was so disturbed by the kidnapping that she did not take care of her children sired by Poseidon, Despoina and Arion. Persephone was the only child in her thoughts.
It was another reason that Hera did not show much grudge against Persephone for boring a child by Zeus as the underworld's queen as also a victim of Zeus'tricks and abuse.
And she was also Hades' precious wife, so angering him was not an option.
And now Zeus was looking for a new woman to be his toy, also known as wife and queen. And a young, dark-haired goddess and aspiring goddess of marriage became his next target. She was shaking with chills at the thought of marrying someone so selfish and cruel.
“Hera, are you listening to the conversation?”
“Oh?” the goddess woke up from her trance “What did I miss?”
“Oh! Nothing, maybe the whole conversation.” Dione rolled her eyes.
The other women laughed.
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else.” her face turned red with embarrassment “Could you repeat what you said, please?”
Before Dione could respond, confusion took over the place. Not wanting anyone to get hurt Hera intervened.
“Stop, stop.” she demanded calmly “What’s going on here?”
“It’s the pomegranates.”
"What about them?"
“We want to eat pomegranates, but there are three of us and there are only two fruits left.”
“Can’t you get something else to eat?”
“There’s not much left and what there is I don’t like.”
"Me neither."
“Can you suggest anything?” the naiad asked. Everyone waited for the answer.
Hera didn't know what to do. The only solution in mind was to look for more fruit. Before opening her mouth felt someone touch her shoulder. Turned around to find Maia.
"I have an idea." announced calmly “But I’m going to need a knife.”
She felt a shiver pass through her body. But trusted the nymph with whatever she planned. From the plate she took a knife used to peel the fruits and handed it over.
Maia took one of the fruits and cut it into three pieces and did the same thing with the second.
“I cut it into six parts. Each one can have two pieces. No more or less.” the redhead explained, handing each of the women's shares. Everyone was satisfied.
“Maia, that was incredible!” Hera looked at her in admiration and gratitude for having saved the party. “How did you manage to come up with that solution?”
“I am the eldest of seven daughters.” Maia replied “Sometimes I have to take care of my sisters if my mother needs help or is very sick or busy. Solving problems like this is a common thing in my daily life.”
“Oh.” the brunette sighed “I would never come to that conclusion myself as I am a younger sister.”
Since the day she was saved by Maia, the same began to participate in parties and meetings with other goddesses and nymphs. At first it was a struggle for the pleiad to get used to it and open up to others, but little by little began to be tolerance on both sides. Maia wasn't one to talk much and when she did, everything was always interesting, intelligent and polite, attracting the admiration of many. Including her.
“Hey, Hera.” one of the nymphs called her
“Can you help our friend find a groom, please!”
"But of course." Hera smiled
"Thank you. Thank you very much!" the dryad thanked him excitedly “I want a very handsome and kind fiancé.”
Even though she was not married or engaged at the time, many nymphs and goddesses sought her out to find perfect partners. Hera loved this, like she loved having friends, having fun on dates and being happy.
Hera spent hours talking, arranging and laughing. And speaking of marriage, she wanted to ask what kind of women Maia liked. She looked around the corners to find the pleiad. For a while she thought Maia had left until found her taking something from the table and putting it in a bag. Without attracting everyone's attention, the orange-haired pleiade slipped silently out of the party. She carried a small bag made of old cloth in hands, but with valuable contents she was very careful not to attract the attention of other divine beings.
Curious Hera followed her.
Maia arrived at a small den and opened the bag. It wasn't a jewel, a weapon, or any kind of precious item. It was leftovers. Mainly fruits and vegetables.
A stone approached the nymph. The young woman was amazed at the sight. But she soon realized that it was not a rock, but an animal similar to one. The small being was dark with reddish spots on its back, legs and heads were covered with scales. The animal had no teeth when biting the lettuce leaves.
Maia had a very beautiful smile. Hera always liked it when the other smiled.
“Do you always pick up leftover food to give to a pet?”
The red-haired nymph jumped, but didn't scream as fear wouldn't let her do. The creature hid in the shell due to the reaction. Eyes wide, she looked over her shoulder.
"Oh sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!” Hera nervously apologized
"W...what are you doing here?"
“I was looking for you. I saw you from afar and followed.”
“You should have called me.” Maia looked irritated
"I'm sorry."
“But I can’t blame you, I should have told you I was leaving sooner.”
Hera sighed. She turned her attention to the small animal.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend? Your…” Hera tried to find the word, but didn’t know what animal it was.
“It’s a tortoise.” Maia answered the brunette's question. “A kind of turtle. Have you heard of it?”
“Yes, I have heard, I even saw a turtle actually. Poseidon showed one to me when I, Hestia and Demeter went to visit him on the coast. But the turtle had flatter legs and a smoother shell.”
“The tortoise is a turtle made to live on land, not water.” She held out a lettuce leaf. Slowly the turtle let its head come out of its shell and bit the leaf. “I call her Agapi.”
“It’s a very beautiful name.”
"Thanks."
The two continued in silence.
“Since when have you come to give her food?” the brunette goddess asked to eliminate the feeling of discomfort.
"Some time ago."
“And why do you keep it a secret?”
“It’s just that I’m embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed of giving food to an animal friend?”
“It’s just that I can’t get along with my peers.”
"Why not?"
“I'm afraid of them. I don’t know what they might like or if they’ll hate me.”
"And for what reason?”
“I’m not pretty or lively.” Maia reminded her
“As I told you once and I told again,you are beautiful, you are just humble. And you don’t have to be so excited for someone to like you.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think I can muster up the courage yet.”
Hera was upset, how could she help Maia see that she was beautiful? Then an idea came into mind.
“Male peacocks are very colorful birds, but females are simpler compared to them. And yet the males sing, dance and spread their tails to get their attention.”
Maia paid attention, waiting for what the other wanted to say.
“And it’s not just peacocks that have this difference between colorful males and simple females. Most birds have this pattern. And not just birds, but mammals, insects and fishes. In most species the female is larger than the male. Do you know what that means?"
“Hun, no?”
“The males still approach them despite the differences.” Hera pointed out “This shows that even if a person is not very attractive or has some attribute considered different, they can still catch the attention of another person and fall in love. In other words, you might be able to find someone who likes you and thinks you're beautiful even though you don't think so.”
“I think you’re right.” she laughed “But I think if the person is really ugly I wouldn’t be able to get too close to them.”
"I think that too. Even though I said that I'm kind of a hypocrite. If the person is very, but I mean very ugly, I don’t know if I could love them.”
They looked at each other in silence.
And then laughed.
They could be divine beings, but also possessed horrible qualities such as hypocrisy and superficiality.
“We are horrible, but unlike other gods we admit our faults.” Hera struggled to breathe and speak “I often had to roll my eyes when the most hypocritical gods called themselves humble.”
"But I like you." Maia added the laughter “You are sincere.”
“And you are smart and kind.” It was Hera's turn to return the compliment. Maia blushed embarrassed.
“But aren’t you friends with Argus?” the redhead asked, recovering from the outburst. Many gods commented on Hera's strange friendship with the multi-eyed giant.
“I don't think he's ugly. Well, at first I thought so, but now I don't think anymore. He has many eyes and they are all beautiful. And he adores animals. From time to time I see him tending to injured animals he finds.” the brunette goddess smiled. Hera enjoyed the sound of the nymph's laughter. She looked at the tortoise. Thought what a cute creature it was.
“The turtle looks like you.”
Maia was taken by surprise.
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?” the redhead questioned
"Is there a problem?"
“You practically called me a reptile.”
“It was not an insult. The turtle is a cute creature.” the brunette defended herself.
“Hera, you don’t know how to praise people.” Maia snorted offended
"I am really sorry. I just wanted to say that you are similar to being shy, like a hiding in your shells when you feels threatened.”
"Its alright. I’ve been called worse.”
“Worse things?! Wich for example?”
“Oh, nothing much.” lie and Hera knew it
“Were they really bad things?” asked again
Maia did not respond, increasing suspicions of harrasament.
“Who said that nonsense?” the goddess took on an angry face. She might be a cheerful and friendly goddess, but she could wreak havoc when angered.
“Oh, no one important actually.” the redhead tried to dissuade her
"Tell me!" Hera continued with a voice full of anger. With a flash she grabbed Maia’s wrists forcing the nymph to look at her “Who was responsible for spreading these ridiculous rumors?!”
“They are nobody! They are nobody! I don’t care about revenge!” the nervous nymph let out a scream out of fear. She tried not to lose control, but as was not used to confrontations, she was scared by the goddess's anger. Instinctively lowered her head and closed the eyes.
Realizing the Pleiade's discomfort, Hera calmed down, with a heavy conscience for making her friend uncomfortable,
“I’m sorry, I can’t stand still when someone precious to me gets hurt.” She let go of the redhead's wrists, massaging them so they wouldn't leave marks. She wanted to hit herself for acting crazy. “They need to pay.”
“I don’t worry about them, I worry about you!” Maia exclaimed. Hera put her hatred aside, surprised.
"I am really sorry."
"It's fine."
Maia turned her face to the other side.
"What it's wrong?"
"Is that…. I thought I saw something there.”
Hera let her smile fall. Her heart racing in chest.
“Do you think it’s Zeus?” whispered firmly
"No." the redhead stated. “It was just a mistake.” The brunette breathed a sigh of relief. After that day became repelled by the god. She could barely relax at the slightest idea of him approaching her once again. Also lost nights of sleep.
The wind came over them. Stronger and colder than usual. The treetops swayed with intensity and a smell od wet earth appeared.
“It looks like there’s going to be a storm today.”
"I gotta go." Maia got up and put away her bag. “My sisters will be worried if I’m late. See you later.”
"Goodbye."
That was the last happy memory being single she had.
When she got home planned to rest, prepare dinner, take a relaxing bath and then sleep until the sun rise.
With the strong wind hitting her face she remembered the open windows and the approaching storm. |Still tired went to the railing to close it. As she placed her hands on the wood noticed a dark stain almost hitting her face. With a slight fright looked at the object. What was that? A leaf?
A cuckoo.
She observed the small animal. The poor thing had wet feathers and appeared to have one of its wings broken.
With pity she gently held him in her hand so as not to aggravate the injury. It felt so good not to move away from her. So cute. And he was shaking. Her fireplace would take a long time to light, so she held the bird closer to chest to warm it until the fire reached a suitable temperature.
Taking that bird into her home was her biggest mistake.
It didn't take long to feel a growing weight in her chest. She couldn't understand what was happening with something or someone holding her arms and then….
The goddess lost track of the time. The torment was timeless, she thought it would never end. Once finished, Zeus stood up and said an abominable sentence more to himself than to her.
"It was fun."
Hera didn't say a word. Horrible feelings rising from her violated spirit and body. Zeus sat on the single bed and ate some fruit from the basket as if nothing had happened or caring about a young woman shaking on the floor. Then he ate another. And other. And another one until the basket is empty. Seeing that he finished all the food, the god was content and waited a while to digest the snack.
The rain fell outside, wetting the world of gods and humans. It was a night of long rain. Dark and cold. Much more pleasant than this dry, stuffy room where a monster rested near its injured victim.
"Good." the god of lightning stood up bored “I’m leaving.”
"Why?" the young brunette murmured
Confused, the king of the gods turned to the goddess.
"Why did you do that with me?" Hera murmured louder for him to answer the question
“Because you keep rejecting me.” Zeus nonchalantly revealed “I am not a patient man. I get what I want no matter what.”
"But what about me?"
"What about?"
“I am the goddess of marriage.” Hera raised her head to look at him. Her dark browm eyes begging for mercy “I didn’t want to lose my virginity before getting married.”
"No one needs to know."
“I can’t live like this.” the young woman raised her voice “What about my reputation?”
“I can marry you.”
The idea disgusted the goddess. With a sudden movement threw herself against the wall creating a distance between the two. If she could, she would run even faster to never see him again.
"No, I don't want do."
“Then good luck finding someone to marry a non-virgin goddess.”
Hera thought carefully. Yes, she hated Zeus and didn't want to marry him, but who wanted to marry her after what happened? Unlike modern times, losing your virginity before marriage in ancient times brought a more serious and heavy stigma. Even though the woman was a victim of sexual violence as occurred at that time. And there would always be excuses to blame the woman. She would be judged guilty of allowing him to take advantage of her body because she was weak or threatened by a knife near her neck. Guilty of letting him enter her house even though he was disguised as an injured animal or as an acquaintance, friend or relative she trusted. Blamed for ‘seducing’ him even though she showed no interest in him or declared her fear or disgust out loud. The penalties for this ‘aggression’ were the death penalty or ostracism. At least she could keep her honor and be happy when Zeus died.
"I accept."
"What did you say?" Zeus smiled. A hateful smile. She didn't see him keeping his head down, but she knew it was a horrible smile.
“I didn't hear what you said. Say it louder." he sneered. The smell of fruit escaping her mouth and falling on her. Hera struggled not to puke.
"I accept to marry with you." she hated repeating it as saying it the first time was humiliating enough.
“Oh, Hera.” the king hugged her. The goddess felt disgusted by the touch.
“I promise to make you happy.”
Hera didn't smile at the promise. She knew it was a hopeless thing.
Moderm Times
“And that was it?!” Hermes asked "You only spared her because she fed a turtle and the fact that you two were shallow women?"
"No of course not!" Hera looked up at him indignanted and confused. He was smart enough to know that these memories alone wouldn't be enough for her to have respect and admiration for Maia. How could his intelligence decline to that level? Although it was not well known to mortals, the cuckoo trick was known to most of the gods. Talking about the rape was bitter, but unfortunately easier in relation to the events that followed. The most hateful and painful of her life.
The engagement, her married life, her first pregnancy and her reign.
First Years of Marriage
Zeus treated her no differently than his other wives. Hera also didn't expect him to treat her with respect. And as queen she needed to carry out several important tasks.
And her work as queen started out as a mess.
She married the king of the gods and as queen had to perform several important tasks. At first it wasn't easy. The idea of being a queen was fascinating and enchanting, being a dowager queen was a more pleasant dream. The only similarity between the expectation and reality of being a regent ruler was just the word. Duties were complex, long and troublesome. She had to run for a long time to avoid falling behind in tasks and keep peace on Mount Olympus. Stress, lack of time to take care of herself, eat and not do any of her activities were her daily routine. It took ages for her to be able to walk calmly with her current routine. She did not blame Zeus' other ex-wives for divorcing him because of the demanding and exhausting responsibilities on top of his repulsive personality. Zeus would only have married her with the intention of keeping someone capable of taking care of all the work while he had fun with his lovers and other nonsense.
Her plan was to marry him and kill him when he fell asleep. Or at least dethrone him. As a wife she would have more opportunities to be close to him and exploit his weaknesses. Which was difficult as she tried to reign in and live with him at the same time.
Horrified by the idea of spending eternity married to this monster, she spared no effort to overthrow him. She had the option of divorce, but that was not a good option as a goddess of marriage. She knew that Zeus would not be faithful, everyone on Olympus knew that. Becoming a widow was the only route. That or die and did not wish to die. Holding the pillow close to her chest, the goddess found herself caught in a dilemma. She would kill Zeus. Yes, he was a monster. But her being the one to take his life was something else.
Yes, she fought in the Titanomachy and trapped most of the titans in Tartarus, including her own parents. But the situation was not the same. The Titans were tyrants and enemies. Zeus was a god, an ally, without him she and Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter would be still trapped in Chronos' stomach. She would be a traitor and an ingrate. Bah, who cares!!! Zeus was a terrible husband and a negligent king, he only got involved in matters that caught her attention. Everyone would celebrate her death. But still….
With bitterness in her mouth she pressed the pillow against Zeus's sleepy face. Her arms shaking as she pushed with all her strength at the moment. Fear manifesting itself in deep breathing and a racing heart. Despite having energy, she felt weak when committing the act.
The next morning Zeus woke up calmly.
Tried other methods. She poisoned the god's ambrosia and nectar with all the poisons existing on the divine and mortal plane, from sacred plants and abominable monsters. Stabbed him with weapons made by the Cyclopes, the same creators of Poseidon's trident, Hades' bident and helmet, and Zeus's own thunderbolts. Covered him in fire and immersed him in water for hours. Sent plagues to make him sick. Animals and monsters to devour him. Toppled mountains and buildings on his head.
All in vain.
Despite not being bothered or noticing the attempts on his own life, Zeus took out his frustration and anger on her every time when things didn't go the way he wanted, had a bad day or Hera wasn't a submissive enough for his taste. Hera wans't a submissive person and she filled him up with insults and blows. At the beginning of the attacks she cried because of the pain and humiliation, as time went by tears were not as frequent as her heart became cold.
The cheerful young woman had died and was reborn as a depressed, angry, and bitter woman. Hera was the goddess of marriage, but her own marriage was unhappy. She envied the other god-human couples. Already imagined what life would be like as she was the wife in these marriages. Be loved. Be admired. Have respect. Build a family. Receiving a kiss without feeling disgusted afterwards. Being hugged and not having the urgency to free herself. Sleeping in the same bed without the threat of abuse and death. Being in the same room without the need to keep guard in case he gets violent. A love blooming like a colorful field of lilies.
However, began to imagine the screams. The discussions. The furious faces of the men. The incessant insults, objects flying and breaking on the wall and floor.Wounds, bruises and blood on her body. Arms grabbing her as she tried to leave the house. Hands on her neck preventing her from breathing.The colorful lilies of dreams withered with the horrible reality.
She screamed as cried in despair. Hatred and agony became part of her being. Abuse was her routine. She could no longer give love to others.
As an insatiable predator Zeus demanded that Hera fulfill her role as wife every night. At first resisted fiercely and yet her efforts were in vain. Over time got used to it. And didn't know why she started to welcome him into her arms. Maybe it was a defense mechanism to not suffer anymore, as it was useless to resist.
Many tried to reassure her that things would get better when they had children. The thought of having children with Zeus made her vomit. He didn't take care of the children from his previous marriages, his mistresses and he even ate one before the child was born. What would say he would be a good father now?
Some time later the queen had her first pregnancy.
Her mind went blank with the news. A child. She would have a child. She would be a mother. With humble happiness smiled. She wanted to be a mother and goddess of family. She worried about whether she would be able to raise a child when married to a monster. Redoubled the assassination attempts. She didn't want her child to look at him as an example of father.
Had the dark hope that perhaps Zeus would waste so much time away from Olympus that he would miss most of the child's growth. Yes, it could be possible. Perhaps this was one of the few joys in her new life.
Smiled with both hands on the belly, wishing for the child to be born strong and healthy.
Part of her wish was fulfilled. Zeus barely stayed in the palace for the first few months.
On the other hand, her first pregnancy was horrible. A nightmare. A horrible nightmare. Her body underwent a disturbing change. Her beautiful brown hair fell in clumps, her smooth skin covered in pustules and spots, her body swelled more than it should have. Couldn't see herself in the mirror as she looked so horrible. Was disgusted by her own body. Barely left the house so no one could see her condition.
Got sick, really sick. The illness in her body manifested itself in her soul and mind. For a few months mumbled incomprehensible things, she couldn't see anything even though was able to see, the body moving with her mind blank. The other divine beings couldn't get close to when they seeing her. The face of discomfort and the silence hurted more than the shouts and insults.
She was the goddess of childbirth and due to misfortune of fate or as a bad joke she was unable to use her powers to facilitate the birth of the child. And other goddesses didn't get the knowledge to help her. Leto volunteered to help her through the process. She smiled hopefully upon hearing this. There were still people who cared about her even when she was a mess.
Another illusion to be broken just as a sick way to mock her.
As she was a new mother everything was new and didn't know how to react. Yes, she had helped birth animals, goddesses, and nymphs, but there was a line between the birth of others and her own birth.
Leto tried to help her as much as she could, but the process was different from what the Titaness expected. Hera writhed with contractions and lost a lot of blood. With each wave of pain she struggled violently and let out screams of pain, scaring the other. Leto tried hard to finish the task, but a few hours later with no progress she got up with an expression of shame and discomfort.
“Er… I’m not… really sure… what’s going on.” apologized, turned her back and walked to the door “I’ll get help from someone else.”
“Leto.” the queen called her.
The titaness accelerated her pace without turning back.
Hera couldn't believe what was happening. Did Leto just abandon her when she was having a baby?
“Leto? Leto! LETO!” called her “DON’T LEAVE ME ALONE! LETO! LETOOO!”
No matter how much shouted the titaness's name, she didn't come back. And not another goddess or nymph appeared to help her in the process. The birth was long. Hours and hours of pain, screams, tears and blood. Thought she would die that day. And sometimes wished she had died.
When the birth was over held her son in her arms. She really managed it alone and the baby was born alive. Laughed weakly. Now her suffering was over. Her little miracle arrived to save her. Her light, her hero, her..
Her smile fell when seeing her son.
The baby's figure was something taken from a nightmare or from Tartarus itself. The child had a deformed, thin, hairy body and one leg was shorter compared to the other. The little one's face was horrible. How was it possible for a baby to have the face of an old man?
And he looked just like Zeus.
It was as if the monster had been born again. What she did wrong to receive this punishment? Opening his eyes, the little newborn raised the head and turned around and looked at her. And surprisingly spoke his first words.
"Mommy."
Unable to bear the horror any longer, the new mother screamed and threw her own son out of Olympus. The little god's scream faded into the distance. By the time she realized what she did, it was already too late.
The news of what she did ignited a revolt on Olympus. The divine beings commented loudly on complaints. They just didn't lynch her at the behest of Zeus.
"Miserable."
"Monster."
“Murderer.”
“Not even wild animals treated their own young like that.”
“Poor child.”
“He could only have been born deformed because of the queen.”
"I agree. All the king’s other children were born perfect and healthy.”
“Why did she have to be our queen?”
“We are doomed!”
“What will become of us?”
Different from the angry crowd outside, a small nymph slipped into the royal palace. Avoiding the eyes of any god, she entered the queen's room carefully. She carried in her hands a basket with ambrosia, nectar, fruits and water.
The royal couple's room was dark and the queen of gods was huddled in the corner of the bed, seeking comfort, trembling with shock and fear. Her husband was nowhere to be seen or with any intention of worrying about his wife or son. In the darkness, two lovely black eyes watched her with compassion.
"Hera." the red-haired Pleiades whispered to her.
The dark brunette-haired goddess opened the eyes in terror. Who was there?
"Don't look at me." the goddess shrank further into the corner and sang. "I killed my own child."
"No, you didn't. He was saved by Eurynome and Thetys. They are taking very good care of him."
"He's alive?" Hera couldn't believe it. The child she cast to death lived and was cared for by other deities.
“Yes, and he was named Hephaestus and is receiving much love and care even though he is ugly.”
That was a relief. Her heart calmed down. The weight of guilt diminished, but she had still throwned her own son from Olympus and he had only survived by luck.
The nymph took other things out of the basket, such as cloths and bottles of water and divine medicine. Had she come to this place to take care of her?
“Don’t you hate me?” the queen asked, confused and curious that the other didn’t seem disgusted with her.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not the kind of person who would do something like that if you were in your right mind. And I saw how sick you got and I blame myself for not helping you sooner.”
Hera said nothing. Even after everything, there really was someone who cared about her.
“Everything will be fine.” The nymph was not disgusted by the queen’s appearance and gently brushed the brown locks from the goddess’s face with a smile. The nymph was evaluating what care was needed. “But you need to get better first.” She held out a cup of nectar to her.
“Thank you.”
Hera was not hungry, or rather, she could not eat anything after the incident and this had consequences for her. Too much trauma to feel hungry or worry about food, because of this her stomach hurt and other ailments related to hunger and thirst. The nectar coming from a friend had a taste so sweet and warm as if it were the first time she had tasted this delicacy. Continued drinking even though felt the wounds on her lips burning with pain and almost choking from drinking so quickly. And repeated until the jug was empty. After quenching her thirst, the dark-haired goddess returned the cup. Still embarrassed, tried to find a topic of conversation to break the silence.
“Are you still feeding Agapi in secret?”
“Agapi died two hundred years ago.”
Hera felt her heart break a more time.
“I’m sorry.”
“It's alright. Now I have a new turtle named Filia, she’s Agapi’s granddaughter.”
“Granddaughter?! But how?”
“Turtles live a long time!” Maia explained. “Agapi lived to be a hundred years old, but she left me babies as consolation.”
“Could I see the baby?”
“Of course you can. Next time I will bring her here.”
And Maia kept her promise. Such a small thing. A mini Agape. And the little animal ate in her hand.
Every day, every month for a long time, Maia would come to visit her to take care of her. She would arrive well after Zeus left home or Olympus to entertain herself with humans, minor goddesses or nymphs. The queen couldn’t blame the nymph, her shy nature wouldn’t allow her to be in the same environment as a lascivious and violent beast like Zeus. And she didn’t even want to imagine if he found her. The redhead brought good news from the outside world, how she and her sisters were doing and how they were playing with the turtle. On some occasions, the nymph brought small but precious gifts in the form of flowers, fruits or things made by her own hands. Some were poorly made and she still loved them.
Little by little, the queen of the gods began to get her life back on track. Her body gradually returned to its original shape and she could see her image in the mirror without fear.
Her royal duties also improved. At first she had not made any progress. Seeing her difficulty with work, Maia helped her with advice, ideas and judgments.Even arranged a routine and task plan. Hera was so happy that asked what the nymph would like as a reward. Shy as always, she chose to remain anonymous and let Hera take all the credit. The queen tried to persuade the Pleiades to make her the royal advisor, but Maia insisted, saying that she would die of shame if everyone found out. Since all her attempts were in vain, the queen gave up, but promised to never forget her help.
Hera's reputation improved with the improvements in government. The gods softened their looks and opinions as she led disputes and work with prudence and wisdom. This did not mean impunity or erasure of her past mistakes. If they still had a negative image of her, they kept it to themselves, as they would have no evidence to underestimate her leadership or avoid punishment.
Her mental health was not completely restored, but it was more stable and healthy.
She would have been dead if it weren't for the red-haired Pleiad.
When Hera realized that her life had improved when the redhead reappeared in her life to help, the queen of gods realized something important: she had fallen in love with Maia.
Imagined her life with the nymph as wife. Days and nights of peace and harmony. Being loved. Being respected. Building a family. Well, that part was a little complicated. They could adopt one of the many children of another god or goddess and she could give the love that her parents didn't give her and her siblings. Maybe even raise Hephaestus if Eurynome would let her. Arriving home and having someone waiting for her with a smile. Receiving a hug followed by a kiss. Someone who would listen to her and talk to her about various things. Someone who would point out her mistakes calmly and rationally.
A flowery and beautiful world. She closed her eyes imagining the scenes. Couldn't remember the last time she had been able to daydreaming.
But like all other dreams, her image of a better life began to fade. The nightmares of disorder, chaos and violence that reigned in her life returned once again to destroy everything. Visualized scenes where she attacked the other, with words and blows. An innocent face, frightened and wounded. Blood, bruises, screams. She looked at her trembling hands. For a moment saw blood stains and a dead Maia in front of her.
Opened her eyes and breathed quickly. She was scared. Scared of hurting someone so sweet and kind. Scared of becoming a monster. Scared of being disappointed again.
Even if Zeus died, she would not be able to have a healthy relationship. As much as she wanted to, she had very deep wounds and scars.
“Do you think I’ll be a good mother?” asked in an attempt to divert her focus and thoughts. She needed to remember that was a married woman and could not make Maia her lover. And she was also the queen of the gods and could not waste time on an extramarital affair without any guarantee of happiness.
“Yes, but first she needs to get well.”
And Maia was right.
She was blessed with other children. Luckily, the pregnancies were not as torturous as the first one and the children were born with the most adorable appearance. And by adorable, meant less like Zeus.
Her precious Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia, Arge and Pasithea. Her only joys in this doomed marriage. And she had other children who did not manage to do well.
Ares, her little boy, was not a very talented god in the areas of arts, medicine or intelligence. Suffered seeing her son struggling for not having the domain to be called his own and to be the god of this attribute. Every day that he failed to find his passion he felt more useless and hopeless.
Until he found his first love.
The battlefield.
Like any mother, the queen of the gods was thrilled with the opportunity for her son to become an important god. It was a shame that some of his actions brought her shame.
To dispel the shame reminded herself of her son's virtues of being a loving father, a caring lover, a supporter of same-sex couples and the fact that he always asked for the consent of his lovers. He was different from Zeus in these aspects. A great joy. Of course she was furious with him for having an affair with her brother's wife, Aphrodite, but she already knew that their marriage would not last long because of the different personalities of the gods of the forge and beauty. She tried to warn Hephaestus that the marriage would not last long, but the god of fire did not listen to her and would not release her from the throne if he did not win the goddess' hand in marriage.
Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. She became the greatest blessing of the gods and goddesses. Births became safer and painless. It was rare for goddesses to report birth-related trauma or postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
Hebe, her golden girl, always volunteered to serve food and drink. In the early years her hardened heart melted at how adorable she was serving fruit and cups when she was younger and playing house. Was filled with pride as she became the goddess of youth. And she married Heracles. The hero was accepted into Olympus, but if he did anything to hurt her daughter she would not stand still and would take him to Tartarus herself.
Pasithea, her youngest child, was an elegant and graceful lady. She was the youngest Grace. A great candidate to be the queen of Olympus, however Zeus refused to even consider the idea saying that she was too inexperienced, lazy and silly. Of course, his opinion was worth as much as a chicken bone in soup, but unfortunately had to gave her in marriage to the god of sleep, Hypnos, for helping her put Zeus to sleep during the Trojan War. Did not regret the arrangement. Hypnos was a peaceful, rational and caring god and most importantly he loved his daughter. Pasithea also reciprocated the god's feelings. Pasithea became the mother of the gods of dreams, Morpheus, Phantasos, Phobetor, Icelus and many others.
Her suffering lessened with the arrival of her other children. It lessened, she did not know that other great problems would come to test her reign.
To be continued...