Hera knowing exactly where to begin her story let her words flow:
Thirty-four hundred years ago, the World of Man was a very different place. Not just technologically or hygienically, but the overall attitude. Gods were becoming less and less jealous and capricious. We discovered how to maintain our immortality without the prayers of men. We had solidified our greatness by anchoring ourselves into the stories of the stars and the history of mankind. We discovered new interests and new states of being and existence. All on Olympus were content, with the exception of one - Zeus.
Zeus' sense of humor has often been unkind. One day, noticing that no one in Egypt was praying to him, he decided to give them a reason to turn to him. He took the form of a wealthy merchant and compelled the ruling pharaoh to believe that enslaving the immigrant people would save his rule over Egypt. Losing interest in Egypt for the time being, Zeus let more than four hundred years of slavery pass before recalling his act. Still he received no prayers from that land across the sea. Posing as 'the one true god' Zeus gave his emissary, Moses, miraculous powers, including the ability to cause outbreaks of disease and destruction. Each time a plague happened, the pharaoh promised to let the Israelites go, but each time he changed his mind. Finally the pharaoh agreed to release them and Zeus had Moses order the Israelites to flee Egypt When he realized that there were over six-hundred thousand of them and not one had prayed to Zeus, during The Exodus, and still he was not vexed. He was finally enjoying the fruits of his labor. Since there was no actual rival god to challenge him, he decided to take the place of this new god and see what came from this game. He played an occasional mind-game with the mortals, fabricated a history for himself and man called Genesis, gave them commandments to live by and the Torah, tested their love and loyalty to him, and it fueled his power and ego.
Over a millennium had passed and Zeus was the father of a religion to himself without the other gods' knowledge, until the day that Poseidon sought out Zeus. It wasn't often that he visited his brother, as he preferred to keep to himself, but Poseidon did not like flying creatures (that he perceived to be spies for Zeus) that could travel deep into his seas and wished to discuss the intrusion. However, on this day, it just so happened that Zeus was Earth-bound. Poseidon was unwilling to wait for Zeus to return to Olympus and decided to follow him, where he discovered what his brother was doing. Being quite imaginative himself, Poseidon hatched a plan to embed himself into Zeus' religion. He didn't care about the affairs of men anymore, but he cared about what Zeus had and wanted his fair share of it.
Poseidon had many faithful fishermen who worshiped him, even though he had long since stopped listening for prayers addressed to him. They attributed their bountiful expeditions to his mercy and kindness. They were spread out over the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and he needed a very devoted follower to execute his plan. Fortunately, it did not take him very long to find Joseficus, the son of a fisherman.
Joseficus was a young man with absolutely no love for the sea. Distraught over a life as a fisherman, like his father, Poseidon offered him a way out. Poseidon visited Joseficus, where the god promised the man fame for all time as a hero in legend, provided he leave his life behind and play the role that was set out for him telling no one of the god's involvement. Not needing even the briefest moment to decide, Joseficus accepted Poseidon's offer and was whisked away to the obscure province of Nazareth in a bubble under the water to avoid prying eyes. Little did he know that his every move was being watched. And not by just one pair of eyes, but by two pairs.
In Nazareth, Poseidon needed a girl that could be manipulated as easily as Joseficus and fearful enough of his powers, so that she never exposed his plot. He found his next pawn in the form of a girl named Maryl. Poseidon planned to impregnate her with himself, while Joseficus publicly bore witness to the immaculate conception. By the time Zeus found out about Poseidon's activities it would be too late. Zeus could either expose himself as an imposter-god leading his followers to hate him or allow Poseidon to be the Son of God and they could then share the devotion.
Aphrodite being the beautifully vain, sweetly ill-tempered, and easily offended goddess that she is did not want her current lover impregnating any mortal without her expressed permission. And though she is married to Hephaesus and frequently unfaithful to her husband, she demands loyalty from all of her lovers. So before Poseidon can have the mortals married to one another, Aphrodite compels Joseficus to fill the sleeping Maryl with his child through her powers of lust and love, unbeknownst to Maryl. As the baby is in its initial stage of conception, Aphrodite then protects the unborn boy, so that Poseidon will sense a demigod in Maryl's womb, leaving Poseidon to assume that Zeus has foiled the sea god's plan. Poseidon would not dare murder the son of Zeus himself, Aphrodite reckoned, and her involvement in thwarting Poseidon's agenda would never be traced back to her.
Feeling detoured and far from defeated, Poseidon pursued his goal. He would wait for Zeus' bastard to be born, deliver it to Olympus for the Fates to raise and take the place of the demigod. However, nothing went according to plan. Poseidon shifted the brightest star in his constellation to the Nazareth skyline to signal the wise men's summoning. Zeus, noticing the repositioned star and the stirring in Nazareth, summoned Poseidon to court for questioning. As Poseidon was being interrogated, he realized that Zeus knew nothing of his plot and that the demigod he sensed inside of Maryl belonged to another. Poseidon skillfully dodged and deflected the questions from Zeus, returned the wayward star to its home in the sky and bid his brother a hasty farewell.
Hades, ever mindful of all activities near his only connection away from the depths of the Underworld, his beloved planet Pluto, felt the gravitational shift Neptune generated in moving Poseidon's star. He decided it was time to ask a favor from a god that only a few on Mount Olympus even knew was a god. Bubo, the god of wisdom, who is often perched on the shoulder of Athena, in the form of an owl. Hades, not able to use Hermes as a messenger like the other gods, had to make the trip to Olympus to converse with Bubo. Upon Hades unnoticed arrival to Mount Olympus, he found Bubo perched on a branch in his favorite tree. Before Hades could utter a word, Bubo took his true form, walked up to Hades and whispered, "I know why you're here."
Bubo, always thinking ahead, liked doing favors for Zeus, Poseidon and me (Hera) from time-to-time. One day, when he really wants something, no one would dare deny him his request. The only one he does favors for, without expectations of reciprocation, is Athena. He adores her and treasures her companionship, as she does him. So when Bubo saw an opportunity to barter information for a marker from the Lord of the Underworld, he jumped at it. To be owed a debt from Hades is arguably more valuable than being owed a favor from Zeus. Bubo, the only god with a clear picture of the antics of Zeus, Poseidon and Aphrodite had extremely valuable news to share. He had not meant to eavesdrop, but his perch in Olympus Hall, above the viewing portal of the Earth, was not a location to which the other gods paid attention. And in hushed tones, in a secluded part of a remote garden on Mount Olympus, Bubo began negotiations with Hades. What Bubo got from Hades, we may never know, but what Hades did with Bubo's information affected the entire world.