After Zeus there has to be Hera!
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Hera:
They were her children. So long ago Hera would have been disgusted at the thought of Zeus' illegitimate children would be occupying her home. But that was so long ago Hera sometimes looked in the mirror and barely saw the shadow of the vengeful god se had once been. She had changed, and by her own free will. Now she felt more like a mother of the gods rather than their queen.
All the gods had changed from the days of their… youth. Hermes had not been a day old when he pulled that cattle-prank on his brother Apollo, and now he was connecting calls and keeping himself busy among the tasks given to him. Artemis, still proud, but pulled herself out of the woods of her forest to be with her brother and family. Apollo had let himself go, no denying it. But he was much less the proud, possessive god he had been when he and Pan challenged each other to that music contest.
Hera's role as a mother and queen allowed herself to age more gracefully. She and her husband were both old and their powers waning, she no longer had to stay young for him. His transformation made Hera the most proud! She had been cheated, betrayed, and fooled by her husband so many times, and thought Hera always got revenge she couldn't deny the pain his actions did cause her. But she had stayed. She stayed for such a long time; it gave her something to work on through the long years when the stories of her terrible acts of revenge and jealousy become nothing but myth to mortals. The man before her was the kind and strong husband she had fallen in love with, and he was here to stay.
Hera still held the respect of every Olympian. Their power was no longer needed, but it remained. Thus she was queen of the gods. It had taken a great deal (truly great) for Hera's temperament to cool down, ultimately no one now listened to her who did not want to. Hera likewise acknowledged that her past reputation was of her own making, there was nothing she could do to erase it. So she learned from it.
Jay more often came to Hera for council than any of the others. Since Zeus did not initially introduce himself to the children Hera took the role. She easily decided that she liked all of the young heroes. If they truly believed who they were, then they knew of her deeds upon their fore-bearers. Yet none of them looked at Hera with anger, fear or disgust. They listened and respected her from when each of them first came. Hera was truly touched by this. She had been planning to give each of them, particularly Herry, an explanation/apology for what they might have known about her. But instead they all seemed to give her a blank slate without question.
Hera was moved by their understanding.
When Sybaris appeared Hera feared the discovery of her past deeds would lead to the children fully realizing the extent of her past and curses. When she went to see them, she did not hide the fact that Sybaris held a vendetta against her. Neither did she hide the sympathy in her voice, Hera knew she had taken a loving mother from her children. Hera's new found strength was in her character, she needed to repair what she could. For the first time in so long, Hera awaited what judgments someone else would give her. It was Jay, the child of a hero she abandoned, who looked at her with understanding. The others quickly began their plans to rescue Herry. With that kind of acceptance, how could Hera resist joining them to face the monster?
When Sybaris was defeated Hera returned to Olympus High with renewed resolve. She would be a better goddess than she had been. The world had shoved her and her family into the stuff of legends. But to those seven, she was real. They had protected her, forgiven her, and trusted her. They were more than just heroes to Hera, they were her children.
How was it?
Who should be next?
Hermes? Artemis? Apollo? Persephone? Hercules?
