Chapter One: A Leap of Faith
Hera sighed from her throne. The Queen of the Gods was angry. Her horny husband just couldn't keep his hands off mortal women, and after millennia, her patience with the god was finally drawing to its end. From her chambes, the Goddess watched a mortal woman named Anne struggle with her self-loathing. The woman needed someone to pick her up. Hera watched in ager as the woman was slapped by her father. The man blamed Anne for his wife leaving and ignored his own gross negligence. Anne was legally able to leave the house and her father's abusive hand with no repercussions, but fear kept her locked in, fear which Hera determined to break. As the Queen of the Gods disappeared from the Olympian throne room in a human guise that was a knockout with chestnut brown hair and a popping green gown lightly split to be conservative but at the same time show a little skin, Apollo smiled. "History is about to be made." Apollo mumbled with a broader smile at the bravery of his stepmother.
Anne ran into the goddess as tears made her vision useless. "Woah! Easy." Hera said gently as the goddess' hands took the woman in a gentle hug. Anne looked up at the goddess' touch. "What's got you in such a rush?" Hera asked Anne kindly as she led the woman to a bench. The woman brushed her jet black hair out of her green eyes and spoke. "My father, he thinks I'm the reason Mom left, and I'm starting to think he's right." Hera's eyes widened and settled in anger at Anne's self-destructive attitude. "What's your name, beautiful?" Hera could have face-paled. Why was she so nervous?! Anne blushed. "…Anne. Yours?" Hera thought for a moment. "Helen. Listen to me, Anne. You are not the reason why she left. She left because of that asshole that reminds me of my husband." Hera's eyes glowed threateningly as she thought about Zeus. "…but he…" Anne tried to protest. Hera took the woman's hand and squeezed it. "HE told you that you couldn't live without him and makes you feel like you are perpetually a child?" All Anne could do was nod. "How did you know?" Anne asked as her pale blue eyes sparkled with tears which she quickly wiped away. "Experience is a great teacher." Hera said with a kind smile.
Anne smiled, and Hera saw Cupid's fog come over Anne's eyes and silently cursed. Cupid only chuckled. "What, Lady Hera?" He asked. "I'm only trying to help move things along." He told her with an outright laugh this time as his form vanished into the night and out of Hera's sight. Hera looked around as she saw Anne react to a cold blast of air. Hera took her cloak and put it around Anne. The young woman blushed in response to the act of kindness and looked at Hera. "Thank you..." Anne said to Hera, suddenly very shy. Hera smiled in return and quickly materialized a cabin in rural New York not far from where they were now. "Come on. It's a cold night, and I have a warm place for you to stay not far away." Anne nodded and finally found the strength to look Hera in the eyes. What she found in the goddess' eyes was surprising. The eyes of a hurting mother greeted Anne, and she decided to try and help the one who was helping her as much as she could.
When the pair came to the cabin, Anne was blown away at the sight of the cabin and felt tears brim in her eyes. These tears tugged at Hera's heart and made her sad. Why? Hera could not say. It was odd that Anne had that effect on her. "What's wrong?" Hera asked as worry crept into her voice. "Nothing…" Anne managed as she stared at the raw beauty of the dwelling. Peacocks were sparse, but it was clear to Anne that they were part of a larger motif of harmony in the house. It had a very cozy feeling and made Anne want to curl up on the love seat on the back wall of the living room and read a good book. It was then that Anne noticed a bookshelf she could have sworn hadn't been there before on the left side of the loveseat. She went to look at the spines and found mostly romances. Anne sighed and shook her head. "Someone likes Romance…" Anne said as she gave Hera a grin. Hera blushed and looked away with a shy smile. "Actually, most of those are my daughter's." Anne nodded. Then, she walked up to the goddess. "Oh…" Anne said in a voice that was suddenly sweet and tempting. "You just read them to get ideas?" Anne asked with a grin that had no hidden intentions.
"…ideas of what love could be." Hera finished as she looked away from the bookshelf in sadness. Anne frowned when she noticed the pain in Hera's eyes anew. Anne smiled and brushed Hera's cheek with her left hand which caused the goddess to look up in surprise. No one touched the goddess so tenderly in all her existence! "I can help you learn what love is." Anne promised softly as she closed the distance between their lips. Hera brought herself out of the daze and stared at Anne in shock. "I…can't, Anne. My husband will kill you!" Anne smiled. "You let me worry about that. Just relax." Anne said softly. As their lips touched, Hera felt neglected need being satisfied and cried in happiness at the sensation. Then, her mind caught up and rationale took over. Im the Goddess of Marriage! What am I doing kissing a woman?! Anne noticed the frightened look in Hera's eyes and smiled. "Don't be scared. All it takes is a leap of faith, Helen." A leap of faith… Hera's mind repeated as she let herself fall into Anne's gentle embrace as the goddess let woman of her rapture hold her in gentle arms that would never intend harm.
Please Read, Review, and be nice. This is my first PJO fic.