On her lofty throne, she sat, watching the eons go by. Every ten years or so, she would bother the hated demigods… the ones who ruined her married life and rep.
She would always wonder… what it's like, being with a human that she won't hate, talking to someone else… staying loyal to someone other than her husband.
Alas, she could not, forbidden to her by her own laws, the rules most sacred in a marriage. But what if… only a look, a talk. Some chitchat but not a relationship to have anything to do with love or lust or even mutual liking.
Just some small friend's talk, someone to talk to.
Yet even as she thought it she knew it would not happen. Especially now that her relationship was blooming, since to her knowledge he had not touched another woman for… what was it now?
Twenty-two years.
And she had eyes everywhere. If something was going on in the world and she did not know it… it was either unimportant, or somebody else's fault. She brushed all those thoughts aside. He would not dare upset here again.
Never would he dare.
She ignored those little doubting voices in the back of her mind and set towards her daily work. For the rest of the day she groomed herself, checked on her favorite marriages, destroyed some she hated, built "warm" families, welcomed some new lives into the world, checked on pregnant women and so on and so on…
A normal day just the way she liked it. It would have been perfect if it wasn't for the little buzzing in her ears that told her when something had gone horribly wrong, when it was her concerns on the line. The buzzing usually varied between codes: Green- matters of politics and world events, red-annoying demi-trouble; insults and such. But worst of all were the alarms that have not been sounded in twenty two years, the Code Black.
The code that warned her of Zeus's "business associates".
Of his affairs.
The system used for these alarms was as long as the marriage itself.
Began with Argus, continued with peacocks and finally a system of eyes so secret, it was never mentioned anywhere in writing, stories or anywhere near myth. It was that scary, horrifying system that invented paranoia, that made humans feel watched, mostly because they were.
It was the first version of Big Brother.
"Big Mother".
Right now there was such an alarm in her ears.
Code Black.
She ignored it. She would deal with it in her daily review of the world. In the presence of the guilty party. The rage bellowed inside her, like a horrifying beast. She was a force to be reckoned with. Not just a trophy wife as Zeus would have liked to ask her son in law and all of her husband's "business associates".The rest of the day was a nightmare. And not only for her. Every god and deity suffered off her bad mood. Yet Zeus failed to show.
And then a second day she waited for him, her rage like a boiling kettle.
A third and fourth followed and only on the fifth day did he show up, ready to be welcomed as the king of the gods should.
All that time she had ignored the horrible buzzing that could not be stopped. She wanted to hear it in his presence for the first time.
Yet manipulation was her second name.
She welcomed him in open arms, smiling at him and pretending she had missed him so.
All the gods of Olympus waited for the explosion.
And it came.
Hera took him to the main chamber, sat on her chair and motioned for him to do the same.
In her most sickly sweet voice she asked him where he had been for the past five days.
She knew his answer by heart. And her memory did not fail her.
"Ah… um… right… Five days? Wow, how time flies… um… well I was at ah…um… a business conference. Yes a business conference in Alaska. Long time flying from there… um… How were things here?"
The awkwardness of a cheater that knew he had been caught.
He did not know of her system… she was sure.
"Just fine here. Nothing much. But why are we wasting our time? Why don't we check what's up with the world? The way we always do after the end of the day. Now lets see. Been through environment, Animals, human rights, politics and celebrity news. But I just seem to have a certain feeling that we're missing something.
Got any idea… Sweetie?"
Zeus's eyes moved from side to side, searching for a possible escape route of the situation.
"No? really? Oh well… I guess we can assume nothing happened. Oh by the way… how was your meeting? oh wait actually, don't answer that. I can tell you. I sent some friends of mine when you were on a "business lunch" at the zoo to check up on you.
They have some very interesting news. Lets watch 'em together shall we?"
Hera picked up the remote control for the portable screen developed by Hephaestus and pressed play. Apparently, the "Hunchback" really did have some use after all.
The scene played slowly, from the peacock's eyes, all the camouflaged one hundred of them. It showed a small park, the zoo, lot's of trees, apparently the dining area. On a bench/table sat two individuals who could barely be recognized since they looked like they were snogging the life out of each other.
Yet for a minute, they separated, while he caressed her hair.
It was by no doubt Zeus. The long black hair with tufts of gray, the beard of the same color and even the lightning blue eyes showed through.
The girl herself was insignificant of-course. Although Hera did memorize her dark, black/gold hair, the dark green eyes, the rest of her facial features and even the perfect white teeth. No one made out with her husband without a deadly price. The girl would literally try to kill herself by the time Hera finished with her.
She was sure of it.
And Hera would not let her.
"So… honey... who is this?" she asked.
Zeus Gulped.
"You know… funny thing. Last week, I saw this someone in my peacock mirror. Cute young lad really, messed up dark brown hair, very skinny yet with some small muscles, cute, non-too concealing clothes… I think he was an actor… or at least a model. How would you feel if… say… oh I don't know… we hung out together, and liked each other and… oh I don't know… performed certain acts together?" she whispered coldly in a deadly manner which had already chilled thousands of female bones.
Zeus frowned, his bushy eyebrows coming together."You wouldn't dare…," he hissed back.
"Oh yeah? watch me! You old... bearded... man-whore!" she yelled, disappearing in a fury of icy rainbow light, her true form, the marble floor shaking in her leave.
For the first time since his reign had begun, Zeus was truly worried.
And not for himself.
Ω
Hera wandered the streets, eternal bliss in her every move feature. She had not felt as free as she did now since before her marriage; and that was three thousand years ago. For once, she did not have a true set goal, besides meeting a man and performing union with him that is. She enjoyed the sights for the first time, the buildings, the flowers the trees and the air. Years seemed to flow off her, making her look younger and prettier by the moment. In a short time she returned to the look she had before Zeus got hold of her; the most beautiful goddess in the market, and she did not need a belt like a certain love goddess to make men fall at her feet. She ignored most, flirted with a few, toyed with many others and ignored the loud thunder coming occasionally with a lightning and no storm.
Yet she only toyed with the men. Not even one kiss, hugs if they were lucky and they indeed called themselves lucky if hugged.
That was a whole week toying until she met her target; the young brown haired boy, with dark brown eyes the little yet cute muscles and the sarcastic smartass nature that Hera knew from Hermes.
Twenty-eight at oldest.
He winked at her, she licked her lips at him and before they knew it he was buying her a drink at the local bar. He did not drink; never had really. They began dating, taking the slowest steps possible. She introduced herself as a business student coming from high society family.
Not a total lie.
He was not a model despite what she thought at first; too thin, and with not a very good complexion. He was a writer, a director and producer despite never acting or even learning the first thing about camera work or going to any famous university for high arts and theater. He had manuscripts, hundreds of them filled with ideas, suggestions, stories, plots, lists and even poems. If he died, animal associations would inherit half of them along with half his bank account, the rest going to his dog Smeyer that in his death will be transferred to somewhere where she could be well taken care off.
They spoke well into the nights, running a half romantic, half friendly relationship. They kissed, many times, hot passionate kisses, yet never quite reaching that level when they could go off to bed together. A month passed, and another yet he is still her boyfriend, they are a couple and still they had not slept together nor had she returned or was called back to Olympus. She learns the most intense and small parts of his personality from his unpopular school days to his love of animals to his passion of writing to the smallest detail of knowing he wears boxer briefs with embarrassing designs on them.
Yet finally, it has to end.
Zeus is patient, she knows, because of his knowledge of their situation and he gives her time.
But not forever.
So in her last night she prepares to open herself to him fully.
They prepare and she does not tell him they would not meet again. He strips to his white boxers, that on the backside say "kiss my Butt" on the left cheek with the small lip sign underneath, that just turns her on, and she to her undergarments. It is the best night of both their lives, and for the first time she does it by choice and mutual lust. She suspects Aphrodite but ignores, letting it not ruin their evening. In the morning she wakes up to the sound of cheerful birds outside the window, feeling her lover's head rest on her naked abdomen, lying on his stomach in his boxers, and she caresses his messy brown hair, for the last time. She lays his head against the pillow gently and quietly as she finally retreats home, in all her true form of royal shining feathers, leaving him behind still sleeping.
Ω
She finally knows why Zeus cheats on her, the smell, pleasure and freshness of humanity burning in her and knows that the vengeful Hera is gone and a marriage it shall stay yet an open one. She checks on her first lover after a week, to find him crushed, the tears of losing her burning through him. He considers suicide but decides to try to stay strong for just a little while. She has her first demigod child and he is a beauty she has never known and loved as much. She cares for him for a few days, much to the dirty looks given from her second son, the essence of jealousy.
She then travels back to California, the sun shining on her perfect form after three long months, and she hands the baby boy over to the father, now promoted to the position of executive producer, and main writer as well as a professional author, his career in the clouds yet depressed to levels of suicidal tendencies.
He takes one look at the baby, the splitting image of himself, and smiles, his worries forgotten and ready to relive life. She explains everything to him and he looks mystified. Yet he loves his son and is ready for fatherhood despite his young age.
However when she is done talking, he is not.
He makes it clear to her that he will always love and cherish her no matter what but he will never again be willing to see her and she better not show up again. She abounded him, he does not want her ever again.
Ω
She cries in Olympus, not knowing what to do… angry at herself and at the universe for having to make her choose. She stays with Zeus yet remains exactly as her boyfriend had acted when abounded. She became closed to the world, sad and suffering beyond measure. She tried talking to anybody so she could feel better but knew Zeus would not understand… nor will any of the other Olympians. She turned to her children. Her firstborn simply did not care. All others after the second despised her for her numerous acts and even Hebe left her because she tortured her husband. With no one to talk to she entered a cave of despair darker and more brutal than before.
Then came her salvation from the person she expected least to help, the imperfect son, the one of mutual hate.
Hephaestus.
He watched her with pity, sitting next to her under a big willow tree.
He began, a look of understanding upon his features "I know it all, you are sad, betrayed, lonely and missing him. I felt that once." His voice rough and full of pain."But I got over it, I overcame and I conquered. For a while I forgot the pain and those I've hurt forgave me, nothing to do with you mother. I was happy in creating something new, a friendship."
Her son has never looked as beautiful as he was now, his voice warm and calm and friendly.
"But I had something you'll never had" he said, letting her doubts sink in.
He leaned in his lips a hair's breathe from her ear, and whispered...
"Forgiveness."
He left, her tears running like blood, the blood her frozen heart was pouring, as it shattered into a million pieces, leaving her sobbing.
Her forbidden fruit; her symbol of power, the pomegranate.
An: For the critics, those who noticed "snogging" that is... I've watched way too many British shows.