A.N: This is inspired by the song "Angels" by Within Temptation. I've always thought that there is more to the character of Hera and that she is not just the jealous and bitter goddess everyone has depicted her to be. I wanted to show that being in a marriage like the one she is in would make her feel angry and upset, also rather resentful of Zeus' attentions towards others. Hera has always been my favourite goddess so I wanted to write for her. I do not own the song or the characters of Greek mythology (sadly).

"You took my heart

Deceived me right from the start

You showed me dreams

I wish they'd turn to real

You broke a promise

And made me realise

It was all just a lie"

Angels - Within Temptation

I knew of your lovers. The many you had bedded. Yet here I stand, your queen, your equal, your wife. Despite those who threw themselves at you, offered you their undying love, you chose me. I never threw myself at you, or offered you anything. Maybe that is why. To you, I was nothing more than another conquest, a challenge to overcome and take away the prize. Still you tricked me, shamed into this marriage and I fell for it. I fell for you, thought that maybe you would love me only.

At first, you were perfect. You were everything that I could have ever wanted and more. I forgave you for your deceit and loved you like no other. I bore your children, and yet you were disappointed. They knew of course, you never once tried to hide it. I heard others whisper, snicker whenever I walked past. Some even gave me looks of pity, but they quickly faded so only amusement was left. I did not know why, but now I do. It is all so painfully clear to me.

I should have known better. I was a fool to believe that I could ever change you, make you remain faithful to one person, to me. Your infidelities became legendary. Your bastard children became heroes in the mortal world, and gods in ours. Tell me, why were your children never good enough for you? Tell me, why was I never good enough for you?

When I confronted you, the only answer I received was laughter. You tell me you are king of the universe, entitled to anything you desire. You never understood the pain and humiliation you put me through. The embarrassment of being the goddess of marriage and yet not being able to keep my husband faithful to me.

Whilst you and your bastard children became heroes and favourites of mortal tales, I am left as the bitter, jealous and evil villain, who persecutes your lovers and your offspring. But I ask, who could blame me? Although I am called your equal, you are untouchable to me. I could not reprimand you for three simple reasons; I would be punished so severely it would be foolish to even try, I fear you too much and finally, and probably the main reason I leave you be, I love too much to harm a precious hair on your head. So I settle for the next best thing, the weak lovers and pathetic children you have.

I wonder sometimes, if you love or even care for them, more perhaps than you even love me? But the way you move through them makes me question if you have ever, truly, loved anything in your long, immortal life.

Either way I pity you and I do not. Love is nothing more than an agonising emotion. It tears the soul into a million pieces and destroys the heart. It causes us to be blind and fills us with the worst feelings until we are chocking, drowning in our own resentment. What makes love so fatal is that no creature is immune to it; from mortals to gods we are all infected with its barbed claws.

I often look at you whilst you are with them. I sit and watch from our home on Olympus as you ravish them with affection. Time and again you will look, seemingly at me, and a soft smirk will appear on your face as if you know I'm watching. As if you know that no matter what you do, I shall never leave you. I will always be by your side. Loving you forever.

Why am I still so powerless to leave you? I hate you for what you have done to me, what you have made me become. I hate myself for letting you do this to me. I hate my children for not being heroic like you desire, and I hate your's because they are. I hate you lovers for taking you away from me. I hate the burning love and desire that never goes away.

When you return to me, I want to scream at you, to tell you all these things, to make you listen and understand. But I remain silent and let you get away with it all. Letting 'us' slip into oblivion.

Despite the fact we are still husband and wife, our marriage is over. All that was good has been corrupted and burned to ash. All that is left is dreams of what could have been.

You destroyed our father in order to create a better world. You freed me and our siblings to help you do this. I sometimes feel that you are turning into him. With every passing day I see his cruel nature shimmer in your eyes. It is this dark side that I fear. The one that is taking over.

I feel no remorse any more when I attack your mistresses. I feel nothing now when I hear them cry with pain. I feel nothing because they never felt anything for me when they were with you, and I was crying with pain.

Just as I cannot leave you, you can never leave me. I know that no matter who catches your interest, it is only fleeting. You always return to me, and our bed. Despite those who throw themselves at you, offer you their undying love, you chose me to remain by your side. Always. And this gives me hope that, maybe deep down somewhere, you do love and care for me. Maybe even in the same way I love and care for you.

This gives me hope we will come back from the end, back to forever. Because I am Hera, your sister, your wife and your queen, and you are Zeus, my love, my weakness, my sparkling angel.

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