Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the plot
Title: Sincerely Untrue
Fuyutaro son: Thank you for comment. I hope you don't hold it against me for making the mistake. I tried to rectify this as soon as possible and I hope you will correct me the next time, too, when you see any mistakes, though I try not to make them.
Silence filled the air, as everyone gathered in the throne room. No one dared to make any movement, in fear it could break the silence around them and as they stood there, unmoving and silent, they could not ignore the tense air.
"Father, do you not believe that we should begin with our meeting?" Athena, his daughter, asked.
Zeus watched her with expressionless eyes. It amazed and filled him with proud to see his favorite daughter so strong in front of him, never squirming under his gaze, like many others would. But Zeus pushed his feelings aside, wanting to concentrate on what really mattered at the moment.
Everyone in the room followed their lord's gaze, as he turned to the seat next to Ares.
It was empty.
"Themis?" he asked.
"Yes, Zeus?" The goddess, also known as his advisor, replied to him.
"Whose seat is it that is left empty, the one next to my son?"
"If I am correct, it is Lord Hades' seat." Themis answered, although she and probably everyone else in the room knew that Zeus already knew the answer. Why he still asked confused many, but they did not dare to ask that question.
"Interesting and since you are rarely wrong, I wonder, why he is not here then." With that Zeus turned to Hermes, the god of messengers and whom he gave the task of delivering his message to every corner of the world and to every god. "Do you know maybe why Hades is not present, when I actually ordered all of our family members to participate to this meeting?"
"Well," Hermes began and though he appeared full of confidence and amusement over the situation, he still felt a small wave of nervousness roll over him. "I did give the message to Lord Hades, telling him to appear on this occasion, with the very same words that you have ordered me to deliver."
"You gave him the message..." Zeus hummed. "This means that you did not tell it Hades in person, but rather left him a message, very well knowing that it was urgent."
"It was told to me that your brother did not want to be disturbed and so, they made me leave my message. They claimed that Lord Hades had a very urgent and important matter to attend to and that they would deliver him my words, as soon as he is available, though I did mention that it was a matter of great priority."
"And what could probably of more importance than my meetings?" Zeus asked and half of the room shivered at the icy tone he used.
"Persephone, tell me, since you are present, what could it be that your husband is doing?" Zeus asked, the doublespeak could be barely missed.
"I don't know my Lord." she replied calmly.
"You don't know! You-"
"Zeus!" Demeter stood from her chair, not tolerating her brother's raising voice to her daughter. They both starred at each other, with none of them willing to back down. It was quite surprising to see Demeter defying him. She had not uttered one word when Zeus showed no willingness in helping her to retrieve their daughter back from Hades and yet, somehow, she stood against him, with her head held up high, when he wanted to shout at her.
Persephone rushed to her mother, rubbing her arm up and down, in an attempt of soothing her angering mother, while it was Athena, who stepped to her father and whispered calming words into his ear. It appeared that the daughters' words had some kind of effect on their parents, as both, father and mother, slowly sat back on to their chair again.
"Zeus, why do you not ask Hades himself for the reason of his absence?" Themis proposed.
"And what do you have in your mind how to do this? Apparently not even the messenger of gods manages to go through his staff."
"Maybe Aphrodite has an idea." Zeus looked at the golden beauty that was his sister. The blonde female looked surprised at Themis' proposal; her blue eyes widened and mouth agape.
"Care to elaborate?" he sighed and having guessed that Aphrodite herself had no idea what she meant. Why did everyone around him have to be such a disappointment, being a nuisance was already enough for him.
"Well, Aphrodite herself has demonstrated me a new trick of hers and it has proven to be quite useful. She learned to communicate with others through mirrors, much like Amphitrite's shells are able to communicate under water." she explained. "And I thought perhaps, Hades might have a vanity inside his bedroom, or any room he might be at right now."
"It is indeed the fastest way to reach him." Aphrodite smiled smugly, feeling proud of her ability being of any use.
"And we do have a mirror in our bedroom. In any case, I can order the servant to bring this message to my husband." Persephone agreed.
"Very well then." Zeus nodded. At least, they were of any use at some time. "Aphrodite, what are you sitting here? Go and fetch your mirror or whatever else you might need. I do not have all time, you know."
As the goddess of night and one of the rare beings to have stood and experienced the creation of the world, Nyx has seen a lot of things in her life. More than humans' eye would ever dare to see, more than any god could claim to experience, more than what she wanted and less than what was going to await her. And if her experience has taught her something, then it was the cosmic principle, the order of the universe.
There were many words to describe what it was, but the most just word was Karma. She had once heard of this term, when she had been visiting other places of the world, it was somewhere in the east, when she first heard it and since then, it did not leave her mind, instead it imprinted itself there. It is quite easy to understand. Life is a cycle, especially one as immortal such as theirs, and your actions, whether right or wrong, are like the ball in this cycle, someday it will come back to you. If you have been good in your life, then be happy, however, if they are not...
Nyx shook her head.
Why was she thinking about subjects like these? she wondered.
She looked back to the hall she was walking through, her eyes falling onto the entrance, which symbolized the barrier between these walls and that of Hades' private chambers. And she knew the answer again.
Nyx sighed, but continued on her path. She should not bother herself over such things, especially when it did not concern her. Again and again, she told herself that it was not her business, that she had no right to tell her Lord what the right thing was, however, she knew better. Just because those tryst or whatever he is doing during his meetings with the Queen of Heavens, had nothing to do with her, does not mean that the consequences will not affect her. The universe was a too complex thing to say for sure.
"Sir, I deeply regret it, and I am sorry, but I received words from Lord Hades himself to not-"
Weird, Nyx wondered what it could be that put the poor servant to such distraught feelings. And moreover, why was she talking to the mirror she held in her hand? In the back of her mind, she had wondered whether this was too, a prank pulled by the cosmic universe.
"What is going on?" she asked in her authoritative and demanding voice.
"Mistress Nyx." The servant bowed, her hands still holding on to the mirror. It was a funny picture, the servant was still holding on to the glass and even put her above herself, as she bowed in front of her.
"What is the matter? Your screaming can be heard throughout the halls and in a way, which can compete with the screams of the dead souls."
"Mistress-"
"For my sake, I demand attention-"
The dark goddess stood silent, as she registered the shouts, surely coming from the mirror. However, this was not what had unsettled her, rather it was the owner of the voice. For it was an unforgettable voice, so demanding that it would allow no one to put him aside.
"Hold the mirror up, girl!" She demanded. The little girl in front of her shrieked at the harsh tone. Poor girl, to be shouted by them all the time, especially as demanding and fear-striking as them. But she did what she was told and held the mirror up, and Nyx saw the image of Zeus in the behind the glass, instead of the one she was used to.
"I had no idea when I have gained such manly features and such bright eyes." Her dark red lips turned into a smirk, thus concealing the surprise at her realization was it was indeed him, the King, who had disappeared for one year and refused to step one foot onto Olympus again. An act, which she suspected, was born out of pride.
"Nyx, what a pleasure to see you. I see you did not bother to come to my meeting either."
"I would have loved to, but I do not realize what my presence would be of merit to you. Besides, it was not quite the suitable time for me to appear." she chuckled.
"I see." he murmured. "Get me to Hades; you are not the one I want to talk with."
"I fear that it is not the most suitable moment. Perhaps I can help you."
"I thank you for your offer," Zeus said, however Nyx did not fail in seeing his insincerity. If she had been any other person, Nyx knew, he would have shouted at her for daring to intervene in his action. He was merely trying to be polite to her and of course, knowing he could not provoke her anger, since his powers were no match with hers. "I have already been informed to which circumstances my dear brother is being in and I cannot help but wonder what kind of matter could be of such importance that I, the King of the gods, have to play the second fiddle. My duty as a brother forces me to look after and when needed, to lend him a helping hand."
She breathed out an inner sigh, as she learned that Zeus did not find out, not yet anyway. But he might.
"What is this matter, which bothers you so much? Since I cannot intercept with Lord Hades' business, I would like to offer you my help, as I had wanted to do so, before you interrupted me with your speech, my dear King." she told him.
"I doubt that you can help me." she heard him utter.
"Doubt is, but an opinion set by your own belief, who knows, maybe what you believe might be wrong." she smiled. She knew that she was playing a dangerous game with Zeus, the one, whose power rivaled hers, even despite the fact that she lived much longer than he did and she even stood a chance at losing, in case he decided to be tired by her games, but she could not help it. Hades had become her friend, a very dear friend and not only this, but he was also the only good thing that came out as a male out of the matrimony between Rhea and Cronus. He was the only god that made her think that not all hope was lost for the immortals.
"As much as I appreciate your helping hand, I believe there is nothing you can do to help me out. And thus, I would like to see my brother. Would you be kind enough to step aside and order this servant to bring me to my brother."
She opened her mouth, intending to give a respond to him, however, something stopped her from doing so. At first, she was confused at what it was. But then, when she gazed into the sky blue eyes, which were usually clouded with determination or burning with loud fire, she saw an emotion, she had not done so before.
Desperation.
The one emotion she had once thought she would never see, not in his eyes nor in any way in association with him. The man, who was once known for its pride, which bordered and sometimes, crossed this border and turned into arrogance and who was also so sure of himself and more spoilt than one King should ever be, was desperate.
The first question, which crossed her mind, was of course the reason, which triggered this outcome. She was just too curious to learn what this might be, but when she thought about it a little longer, she would realize how silly it was for her to even ponder about it. It was the very same reason, which fueled his pride and which prevented him from coming back to his throne for an entire year.
Hera.
He was searching for his wife. And he was probably searching for her, because he finally realized that he could not sit around any longer and wait for things to find the proper way, but he has to do something. But what he did not realize was, that it might actually just be a little too late for this. She was not that sure, but when he would learn where she was, and especially whom she was with, then this thought could not be pushed away.
Nyx was still pondering on what decision she would have to make. It was the best solution if she tried to play out more time, hoping that Hades would soon come out of his chamber and see them or that Hera would leave the room, so her husband would not notice her presence. Peace would still remain, relationships and trust would not be broken and everything...
"Go to Hades." Nyx whispered. It was funny, how her lips moved and how her voice whispered those words, yet it felt unreal, as though her body was doing actions on its own accord.
"What?" The girl shrieked.
"Go to Hades and take that damn mirror with you." Nyx ordered again.
"But-"
"Do not make me repeat myself." For she feared she might break down and take those words back. "I don't care what he said and if anything, I would take it upon me!"
At first, the servant seemed to think about her words, she still feared the consequences, but then she nodded. If the mistress told her so, then she had nothing to fear, she decided. She ran to the door, knowing that Zeus would not tolerate any more minutes of waiting. Without thinking about what her actions might mean, she pushed the door open. She ran to the bed she knew that her master and his wife usually resided in. And like she had predicted, her master was sitting in the middle of the bed, wearing half buttoned shirt, which revealed most of his chiseled chest.
"What is the meaning of this!" he asked with an irritated voice. She noticed the silent anger behind his eyes and the darkened expression, with which he was fixing on her.
"I am sorry for the intrusion, my Lord Hades, however, the god messenger Hermes came down here to deliver your message. It had been delayed, but now Zeus requests to know about-"
"Just give him the damn mirror, servant!"
"Zeus?" Hades knew the voice of his brother, although he wondered how it could be that it appeared from the mirror the girl held in her hands. "Give me the mirror!" Hades then ordered. Without any hesitation, the girl gave it to him, and bowed, before leaving the room as fast as she could, probably fearing for the small life she had left.
Hades did not pay any attention to the girl, instead he ordered the shadows around him to hold the mirror up in the air, so he could look directly into the smooth glass.
"Zeus, may I learn of the reason for this... unusual way of communication?" Hades asked with a frown.
"Well, dear brother," Zeus asked and Hades could see that Zeus felt insulted by whatever he had done in his eyes. "Since you believed that whatever matter it was that you were busy with, it was more important than I and my problems, although I wonder whether it was more shameless than state affairs should be by the view, which is presented at me. I wonder what your wife must think." By the look of it, it seemed that Zeus had arranged a meeting, a meeting which Persephone or at least Demeter would surely participate in. But he did not care what the others might think, he had done nothing wrong and he was sure that Persephone would know this.
"Cut it, Zeus. I do not have to justify my actions to anyone, especially not to someone like you, when my marriage is concerned. And now, if you do not have any important things to say to me, then I would ask you to leave me alone and refrain from ordering my servants around, since you have your owns to bully around." As Hades was about to let his shadows carry the mirror away, Zeus put a hand on table.
"Wait!" he called. "There is something." Hades raised an eyebrow, it was quite a sight to see his brother like this, he had to admit.
"I-"
"Hades, what is this whole noise about?" A grumpy voice asked. Hades turned to the side. Usually, women hated their looks when they just came out from bed, since they claimed to be so imperfect in their looks and yet, the sleepy and half annoyed look in her eyes, mixed with the deep and husky voice of her, did not made her unappealing in any way, if anything, it made her appear sexy and seductive, even without wanting it. And it surely did not help that the light nightgown, which could not even be called as such, since it would belittle and erase any decent meaning of the very word, was slipped from her shoulder and with the blanket covering her and in this state, not even Hades could blame anyone, if they ever got the wrong impression.
"Hera?"
"Hades, what is-?"
"Hera!"
"Zeus!"
Nyx leant against the wall, her voice taking notice of the whispers and small voices behind her and while she tried to listen to them, she wondered about the choice in revealing the truth.
Had it been the right choice? she wondered.
The question was hanging in the air and constantly repeating in her mind, even though she already set the answer for herself. She knew it, from the moment she had made the decision and it was not like that she did not know what the consequences of her action would be. Nyx knew what impression the other gods and goddesses must have on the situation right now and she could not blame them. This was like adding fuel to the fire and she could almost hear the gossips already reaching the underworld.
But did she regret them?
No.
It might have not been a wise choice for the parties, but it was the only one that could be made. What was she to do when Zeus himself made threats of destroying the underworld. It was better revealing the truth now, rather than delaying it. Well, at least this was what she was telling herself, but whether this was the truth was a questionable thing.
And this was the only thing that came the nearest to regret; hurting, with no intention of doing so and taking part in the play of breaking hearts, which is prettified under the term love. In her mind, it was unfair of destiny to make her play the string-puller, when she had nothing to do with any of them, other than Hades, in whom she recognized a friend. For the rest of the group, they were nothing to her than labels and emotions, which a viewer had for the actors in the movie.
Persephone, the sweet and naive goddess and Queen of the underworld, through her marriage with Hades.
And then there was Hera, the Queen of sky and wife to the mighty Zeus, the scorned wife to a serial-adulterer. And perhaps this was the reason why Zeus remained to be the only one in this twisted game, whom she felt no pity towards to. Nyx knew that she had no right to judge him, aside from the fact that he was her King and thus his subject; she knew nothing about their relationship.
However, aside from being a goddess, she was most of all, a woman. And no matter what kind of woman Hera might be, no matter how unjust and angry she was, she too, at the end of the day, she, too, was only a woman. And Nyx could only guess what she had to endure in her time of being tied to Zeus. Unlike the other gods and immortals, who had suspected that Hera would one day leave him, she knew that it would happen.
Because this is how the universe works.
Someday, everything is going to come back to you. And yet, she had never expected for Hera to search comfort in Hades' arms, the brother of her husband. Maybe this is his punishment, to see her in another man's arms, especially the man, who he despised. Maybe Zeus will finally feel what he had put Hera throughout their marriage, the heartbreak and the loathing and the inability to do anything. It will hurt him. She learned this in her long years of life.
It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else, but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.
