Author's Note : Sorry about the delay. I'm not going to go into the same rigmorol as I've written in my other updated stories. I've had problems that really delayed me and I hope that everything goes all right from this point onwards. Yes, there is a bit of seemingly anachronisms but these concepts had to come from somewhere, though not in the forms we know them in today.
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Hera was with Demeter and Hekate, chatting at lunch when Hestia passed by, a worried look on her face. "Come and join us, 'Tia," Hekate invited, sliding over just a bit. The shade of the oak tree kept her pleasingly cool while allowing her to enjoy the sunshine.
With a regretful shake of her head, she refused. "His highness wants to see me about the inclusion of another race of gods from the North West."
"Hope it works out better than his last merger," Demeter muttered, still fuming about the damage done to her fields and hives. Rich golden hair glistened in the sunlight, reflecting the layered cut she had only recently taken to wearing. Grass green eyes flashed wrathfully before she regained control over herself and turned the conversation in another direction.
Going over what had happened would not undo the damage. "How goes the hunt for King junior's personal assistant?"
Though a snicker escaped her, she forced herself to look stern and disapproving. "You know he hates it when you call him that."
"Should've thought of that before he knocked me up and left me high and dry," she retorted. "I think making me a single mother gives me the complete right to call him whatever I want to."
"I thought the break up was a mutual thing?" Hera whispered to Hekate.
"It was. I would've been terrible at being a Queen of the gods – but I get the right to act offended every once in a while," Demeter responded, straightening to glare at them. Though she was the tallest of the new generation, her voluptuous curves prevented her from being ignored by the male population. She would argue with Hekate that that wasn't always a good thing.
"As for the other," Hestia sighed, "It doesn't."
"It's been forty-five years," Hera observed, taking a bite out of her chicken salad. "I thought you had several candidates lined up and ready for interviewing."
"I did – and he rejected them all," she scowled, pushing back a strand of hair. "What does that man want? I find candidates that fit his requirements and he refuses them all. I'm running out of both patience and immortals."
Hermes' interrupted, "Sorry to disturb the cat fest, ladies, but Lord Zeus wants to see Hera."
She rolled her eyes, not moving to do anything more than wipe her lips. "Tell his little lordship that I'm on lunch and will see him when I'm done, not a moment before."
Blinking, he stared at her, utterly shocked. It was something he knew he should've expected but as Hera still had temp status, he hadn't thought to prepare himself for the reality. "You…you aren't going?"
"Not at the moment, no. If he has a problem, he can take it up with Liber."
"Well, okay, if you're sure." He backed away slowly, almost waiting for her to call him back. When she didn't, he realized that she was serious and turned around to reenter the complex.
She became aware of three sets of eyes staring at her, each one filled with shock. "What?"
"You're a cool one, Hera. Most wouldn't make Zeus wait – not even I would try it. And I dated him," Demeter's voice was awed, even slightly envious.
"Why? Because I stand up for myself?" she asked, puzzled. "Just because he's heir to all of this does not give him the right to step all over my rights – and I simply refuse to let him. If he doesn't like it, tough. He knows exactly how to solve that problem."
Hekate snorted. "He's not likely to do that."
"You better believe he won't. I'd sue him for wrongful termination," Hera agreed. Putting her stuff back into her bag, she missed the knowing looks the women exchanged.
Demeter looked at her, "You'd actually try to sue him? Such a thing has only been recently created. I hardly think you want to set the example."
"That's more my specialty," Hekate quipped.
"Perhaps so, but I can't let him think that he has the right to dictate to me. If he gets away with it now, he will always get away with it. I cannot allow him to think is right. Liber arranged for us to have breaks for a reason. As such, I intend to use them and enjoy them."
"Still, it doesn't seem quite right," Hestia said, glancing over at the sundial. "Oh, mercy. I'd best be on my way. As it is, I'm already late. Father Kronus is going to be so mad."
"At you?" Demeter asked. "I doubt it." But her words meant nothing to Hestia as she ran across the grounds, ignoring the flowers and trees in her dash. "She'll kill herself one of these days running like that."
Hera laughed, before stretching her arms out. Standing up, she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'd best see what his little lordship wants now." Making her way through the complex, she walked up the stairs, greeting all those she saw by name. For all her blasé attitude, she had a feeling that something was wrong.
Zeus would not have interrupted her lunch for no reason. Not after she'd threatened to walk out on him the one and only time he'd tried. So, there must be something going on that he couldn't reveal in front of others. The question was, what could it be?
"Lady Hera," a familiar voice greeted her as she started down the hall towards her office.
"Lord Poseidon," she greeted him with a warm smile. The dark haired god with his sea blue eyes, with his eyes similar in color to his mother's but as changeable as the sea itself, was a welcome sight. It had been far to long since she had seen anyone that she associated with home. Letters and cloud calls just didn't bridge that distance and she found herself missing home at the most inopportune times.
It would've been different if Métis had felt the same way.
But her sister had recently become Zeus' wife. As such, she had become more a part of him than the world under the water. Neither by word nor expression had she ever allowed anyone to see that she missed home. It wouldn't have surprised Hera at all to know that she didn't. "This is quite a surprise. What are you doing here?"
"Can I not just be visiting the most beautiful goddess in the world?" It wasn't just a flippant comment. There were beautiful goddess and then there were goddesses who redefined the term – Hera was one of those women.
His wife was yet another one. He could still recall the day he'd first seen Amphitrite, her glorious mane of dark hair fanning out around a face that was pale as the moonlight. Delicate but full of character, her eyes a deep black so dark they appeared to be purple.
It hadn't taken him more than a second to fall in love – and another second to make such a complete and utter fool of himself that she fled from him. Fled so fast that he had not even tried to follow her, sensing that she wished to have nothing to do with him. But his heart knew what it wanted and in the end, he could no longer ignore it. He'd sought out the aid of a good friend to advise him and help him speak to her.
Thankfully, her heart had softened towards him and they were wed.
It was both the most difficult thing he'd ever done – and the easiest.
Hera scoffed, "Not when you know of my deepest respect and fondest regards for your wife, 'Si."
He shook his head, long hair flying out about his face. It had grown longer since the last time she'd seen him for he couldn't stand anything that tamed his locks – no matter how much Amphitrite complained about it. Though in Hera's opinion, the long hair suited Poseidon far more than short locks did. "Can you not even pretend to be flattered?"
"I make it a policy to never be flattered on company time, sir," she replied primly.
"So, it's true? You are Zeus's personal assistant," his voice was awed.
"For now," she agreed calmly, opening the door.
Poseidon's head shook again. "I know my little brother well. If he hasn't sacked you by now, he's not going to."
She frowned only slightly, "That was my estimation of things as well. I do wonder why when he was so against me in the first place. And you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"
"We found another goddess," he yielded. Unlike Zeus, he felt it best to warn Hera of what she was expected to take care of. The goddess in question was…rather unusual as far as they went. Undeniably and quite possibly the most beautiful goddess he'd seen in a while – his wife and Hera excluded – but flighty.
She chose not to stay on any topic for long but her observations stopped one from thinking of her as a complete fool. "She seems to have neither mother nor father. From what I've heard spoken of her, she was born out of the foam that floated towards the Island of Cyprus."
"Does she have a name?"
"Not yet," Zeus answered the question for him. "So kind of you to grace us with your presence, Hera." His voice dripped with sarcasm and his look between them asked questions that she couldn't quite decipher.
She just looked at him, ignoring what she saw. Those strange questions were often in her boss' eyes and she found it far easier on her mind to just pretend she didn't see it for she had a feeling that she wouldn't like any answer she came up with. An eyebrow rose in disdainful inquiry, "If you have a problem, take it up with Liber."
"You know I won't do that."
"Exactly," she replied bitingly. "And for good reason for you know he'd side with me."
"It could have been an emergency," he pointed out.
"Had it been so you would have told Hermes," she replied, moving past him to put her stuff in the lower drawer. "Or you would have come down yourself to see me. It's not as if you haven't done so in the past."
Poseidon watched all of this with amusement. Zeus' consternated expression spoke of his deep irritation – and yet, he accepted Hera's scolding easily. While her attitude towards him may have annoyed him, he didn't seem to mind it at all. Had he gotten that kind of attitude from his personal assistant, the woman would have been out on her ear faster than she could breathe in.
They almost seemed married.
He wondered what Métis thought of their relationship.
"I could hardly leave a newborn goddess alone in my office without some eyebrow raising," he said. "Nor did I think it best to leave her alone when she is so new to this world of ours."
"I'm not a child, dad," she petulantly said.
Hera looked past him to see the goddess, her cascading curly brown hair surrounded a dusky face with startling blue eyes with some trepidation. She wasn't particularly tall but she definitely had the curves that men dreamed of. It was the intelligence in her eyes that caught Hera's attention and she knew instantly that this was one bundle of fiery energy that would be hard to contain, much less control.
Visions of fighting between the gods filled her mind and she made a mental note to get in touch with Métis. There had to be something they could do to preserve the peace from a goddess who was so totally at one with herself that she felt comfortable being completely nude in a strange place.
With an eyebrow raised, Hera looked at Zeus.
Zeus glowered at the girl. "I know you aren't stupid. I have already explained that I am not your father. And why have you not gotten dressed?"
"One, the clothes are itchy. Two, they totally clash with my complexion. Which leads me to my third reason, they aren't my style," her voice was matter-of-fact, as if she couldn't believe he'd even asked the question.
"You still can't walk about unclothed," he snapped.
"Zeus, where did you get her outfit?" Hera asked, feeling somewhat sorry for the girl. And there was a tiny part of her that pitied him for he had been dealing with her ever since she arrived.
"I just asked the nymphs to send up something from the gym," he said.
"The gym," she repeated, rolling her eyes at his apparent ignorance, even though she knew he couldn't be that blind. With a flick of her wrist – and, yes, she knew she was showing off – she called up Iris on a cloud. "Iris? Could you bring up a bolt of silk in sea green? And a cord of silver? Thanks."
During all of this, the mysterious goddess had been studying her, coming to a conclusion. Even if her complexion wasn't as good as hers, at least she knew what a girl really needed.
"Can you recall any name you might've been called at some point? Aeolus is fond of nicknaming people," she said, "As is Zephyr."
She shrugged. Her name – or rather, her non-existent one – was of no consequence to her. "Nothing comes to mind."
"How about Aphrodite?" Poseidon asked. "It means foam born and that's where you were first seen."
Brown hair fell to the side as she tilted her head in thought. "Should work, especially since I can shorten it to become a killer nickname."
Iris walked in with the desired items, not batting an eyelash at the sight of a naked stranger. Light blond hair was pulled up, revealing the long line of her neck. Her blue eyes were focused on the ground. It took some effort to remain still and show no curiosity for the situation before her.
It wasn't often that the heir to the seas came for a personal visit. Even rarer was for him to bring someone along with him for Amphitrite did not like to be out of the water for very long. That wasn't her only reason but it was the one she usually gave.
Personally, Iris was of the opinion that it was because Poseidon drew the female eye. Constantly. She wasn't the only one who thought that he was far more attractive than Zeus – not that she would say that out loud.
"Thank you." Accepting the fabric, she turned to the goddess. "Aphrodite, please step back into the office." Iris followed her and helped her drape the fabric around her, just letting it flow to her feet naturally. Idly, Hera wondered what she would soon become.
As much as Aphrodite would like it, they couldn't just have her hanging around in the Pantheon, doing nothing. She'd have to find an empty spot somewhere – or apprentice her to one of the elder gods. Taking in her measure, her self-confidence, and her almost sensual pleasure in the soft silk, she thought of Eros. Perhaps she could be the feminine counter to his male dominated love style.
She certainly had the looks for it if nothing else.
Once done, they stepped back and watched as Aphrodite moved about the room. "Well, it isn't quite what I would've chosen but it'll do."
"You're welcome," Hera dryly said, turning to Iris. "Could you take her to see Ishtar?"
"Whose Ishtar?" the question was sharp. "I think I have a right to know a bit about this person you are foisting me upon."
"She's one of the goddesses of love and beauty," Iris replied.
"Oh, well, that's different," she shook off her irritation. "It'll be a relief to speak to someone who understands the finer things in life."
"Sex?" Iris innocently asked, opening the door and walking out. Only to stop dead at seeing Lords Zeus and Poseidon standing there, expressions of amusement on their faces. Her face went bright red and she ducked forward, allowing her hair to sheild her face as she squirmed, hoping the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
"What are you talking about, Lady Hera?" he asked. "As if I couldn't tell," he added, smiling almost suggestively at her.
"The finer things in life," she replied primly. "At least, based on a certain point of view. The question you heard was merely a speculation and not an actual discussion. Therefore, you cannot draw any reasonable conclusion about the entire context of our conversation based on one single word. The only word that seems to catch the male ear."
Rolling her eyes, Aphrodite scoffed. "Even I know that, dad."
"Get on with you," he ordered.
"I can take a hint – grouch," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Come along, Iris." Linking her arm through the petite goddess', they left.
"Shall I see you tonight at dinner? Métis will be upset if she missed you."
"I'm here for a few days," Poseidon said. Watching Hera sit down, he leaned over her. Aware of the hostile glare his brother sent him, a look which amused him to no end. "So, can I take you out to dinner sometime? Catch you up on all the news at home."
"You make it sound as if I'm completely cut off from my family," she laughingly replied.
"Well, only the more interesting action," he replied.
Removing the calendar of events, she looked it over. "I might be able to schedule you in at some point. But it may have to wait until the last day of your visit. Later on tonight, I am meeting up with Ra and Isis. Over the course of the next week, there will be more delegates arriving that I and my sister are to meet and show around."
Poseidon sighed, "A simple no would've sufficed."
"You've never taken no as a legitimate answer in all the time that I've known you," her reply was sardonic.
He snickered, tweaking one of her loose curls. Pushing it back over her ear, he stood up. "I'll have you know that I am a respectable, married man."
"Yeah, I'm sure that Scylla would agree with that," she replied.
A cloud formed in the center of the room, "Lord Zeus? May I borrow your secretary for an hour? Mnemosyne had to take a short break to deal with an issue of Terpsichore's – don't ask. I think it's one of those female things that the male mind will never be able to understand. Thank you." Kronus disappeared.
As they both knew that this was no request, she rose and gathered a few scrolls and some quills. She'd learned very quickly not to mess with Lady Mnemosyne's things. It made the goddess very twitchy and often led to high tension between them whenever they met, which was often because of their respective employers.
And then she picked up a cloak. The King of the gods' office was spacious, clean, and terribly cold. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told him.
Poseidon looked at Zeus, "He did say for an hour, didn't he?"
"Father will keep her there for the rest of the day," he sighed. "Luckily, we were able to take care of the urgent things this morning. So, I'm going to call it an early afternoon. If there's any emergency, they'll get a hold of me easily enough."