Wine for a queen

" Will you take this to the royal couple, sweetheart?" Dionysos had filled an amphora with the reddest of liquids. Pristine wine, the first quality drops of the season. These were by tradition sent to Zeus and Hera to enjoy. Ariadne rose from her place where she had been watching her beloved regard, sniff and taste the newly made beverage, swirling the liquid around in a delicate, lily-shaped glass. She had seen him using a chalk crayon to make signs on the oak barrels – which were going to storage, which were going to the Palace, which he would keep for himself and which he would sell or trade with the other gods and pantheons.

It had been a fascinating sight, Dionysos in full concentration, performing his work with a sparkling passion and with every movement filled with skill, knowledge and love. She had heard him mumbling for himself about 'filth on the bottom' and 'bouquet' and 'better than last year at least'. He had been making notes on large sheets of papyrus, all the time behaving like he had forgotten everything about time and room around him, it was just him and his treasured red gold that existed in the whole wide world.

Even Ariadne had been forgotten but she had not despaired. She had been given a few cups and asked to taste and judge.
" But I hardly know anything about this."
" That's why I value your taste, lovely one. You have no prejudices, you simply tell me which one you like the best."

So Ariadne tasted and then Dion had tasted it too.
" You're right. It's the Eastern grapes that taste the best this year. Must be because of the sparse rain. When dad forgets to bring in rain Eastern grapes are the ones that handles it best. The northern ones are the best if there are some cold nights in the beginning of the season and the Western grapes are the best ones to handle wet summers."
" And the Southern ones?"

" They are the easy ones. The average. That's the kind the mortals use, since these grapes work most of the time, so I don't have to listen to mortal prayers constantly. At the same time they are never as delicious as a good barrel of Eastern on a dry year."

¤¨¤¨¤

Soon Ariadne found herself in the private chambers of Zeus and Hera with her amphora of Eastern wine. She hadn't been there since she became deificated a few months back, and once again she was stricken by the magnificent home. And how strange it seemed that a place could feel both large and airy and cozy and welcoming at the same time.

The page had shown her into a large living room spanning over two stores, with the second store being a catwalk rounding three of the four walls and with a spiralling staircase of dark oak finding its way down to the first floor. The fourth wall was one single large window with a splendid view over the sea and the mortals' land below. She was so high up that she could see some stray clouds beneath her.

I'll be right with you, dearest, she heard a voice in her head. Queen Hera. Ariadne looked around but the queen was nowhere near, instead she got an impression of Hera by a large mirror, a nymph helping her with her hairdo. That would take a few minutes, Ariadne figured and went looking around in the large room. There were soft sofas and coaches and tables crafted by exotic woods. There were chandeliers and lanterns for divine fire, exotic plants in pots, a miniature pond and waterfall against one of the walls and a fireplace against the other.

At a table Ariadne spotted some drawings and she went over and had a look at them. Art had always interested her. A centaur, looking almost alive as he reared, long tail and hair flying around him, and his strong right hand swinging a battle ax. There was Apollo with his lyre, half-finished, and a still life of arms; the crested helmet showing signs of batter and wear while the sword beside it looked pristine and new.
" Hmm, skilled artist", she mumbled to herself. "Who can that be?"

Then she spotted a painting of a familiar-looking naked man sleeping on soft sheets, his magnificent, muscled body in tranquil rest and his long hair surrounding a face of divine masculine beauty. Broad shoulders, strong arms, hard belly muscles and sinewy legs. All too familiar.
" Dion? "

Yet a closer look revealed that it was not her husband who had been portrayed in a way that left absolutely nothing for the imagination. The angle of his cheek, the size and shape of his hands and the way the hair curled and whirled around his face soon revealed who Ariadne was looking at. Zeus. The King of the Gods in all his glory. Reddening Ariadne laid down the drawing among the others.

" Now you know what he looks like out of his togas and tunics", someone said in her ear, and Ariadne turned, facing her queen. Hera smiled and resumed:
" I assume you can figure out why he is so hard to resist – for me as well as for all the others. And he uses it, he sure uses it."
" I'm sleeping with his son," Ariadne stated as a matter of fact. "Like father like son, so I'm not really that surprised. "

Hera placed a silver plate at the table. It held some shiny, dark-brown objects.
" Here, she changed subject. Have one!"
" What is it?" Ariadne took a piece, it was soft and sort of warm in her hand.
" Chocolate," Hera replied. "We trade it for Dionysian wine with the Azteq Pantheon on the large continent south-west of the Atlantic. Taste it!"

Hesitating Ariadne bit in, it didn't look that tempting. But after her first bite she didn't waver anymore. Before politeness got the better of her she had eaten three of the pieces Hera offered.
" Oh, I'm sorry, my queen I just…"
" You fell in love, just like everybody else. They know what they do these Aztequas. Just like your fiancé. Come on, let's taste this season, my friend! "

Hera filled two cups and in the silence of sipping Ariadne's eyes darted again to the drawing of Zeus.
" You made these? "
" Yeah, it's a little hobby I indulge in when I need to rest from the usual queen business. "
" May I dare a question?" Ariadne looked at Zeus again.
" Go ahead!"
" How did it become… you and Zeus? "

Hera sighed and smiled, this time it was her cheeks that got rosy. She offered another piece of chocolate and began:
" Well, it wasn't your usual ballroom flirt. "

¤¨¤¨¤ Hera's tale ¤¨¤¨¤

I had known Zeus more or less my whole life, but all the way into my hundred-and-twenties he had been more like a big brother to me. Someone who was around, a good friend to talk to and spend time with. We had fought the Titans together and then we both came to live at Olympos. He wearing out marriage after marriage, me looking for true love in other directions. I hadn't even considered Zeus until that day…

I knew that Zeus had betrayed his wife Themis with cherry-lipped Leto, that was after all the talk of the town. I also knew that Leto was not interested in a relationship with the king. She had in fact left Olympos more or less together with Themis. But now whispers were heard that Leto was pregnant. Twins, they said. Zeus was the father, some said, while others claimed it had to be Poseidon.

Yet these things were hardly on my mind that early spring day when I was walking the wooden-clad mountain slopes, looking for a place to test my skill at growing flowers. The sun was playing peek-a-boo among fluffy clouds, making it too hot for my shawl when she was out, too cold for bare shoulders when she was hiding her sweet face.

After a while I found a good place, a south-facing clearing in the woods. No snow covered the brownish last year's grass, there were even signs of new, pristine strands. I started working, realizing it was only going so-so, and the next thing I noted was large snowflakes starting to fall. And fall and fall. I cursed loudly as the snowfall increased. Now it would be impossible to make more flowers. Better to return home, I thought and turned. And almost stepping on the little bird, an injured cuckoo dragging his wing in the snow, freezing in this sudden cold.

" Poor you!" I exclaimed. "Poor poor little you! I" knelt and lifted the hurt bird up and held him close to my chest, warming him while I tenderly healed his broken wing. There I sat for a moment until I suddenly got that well known feeling that someone had his eyes upon me.
" Wish I could trade place with that bird", a familiar voice was heard and I turned around, facing Zeus standing among the pines with hands on his back and looking at me with an odd-angled smile.

I should have come up with something smart to say, but of course one-liners like 'you broke a wing too?' came to my mind too late. Instead I just let out something stupid and let go of the now healed bird, which with a surprised twirl took off in the air. Then Zeus was standing next to me holding out his large hand for me to take. I let him help me up, dudes always want to play the gentleman after all.

" So what've you been up to down here?" Zeus asked conversationally.
" I was trying to grow flowers, but this bad weather surprised me. "
" I'm sorry about that," Zeus replied. "I was trying to make snow, had no idea that I interrupted with someone else's work. "
" I didn't really tell anyone I was doing this," I replied. "Seems you had better luck with your practice than I had with mine. "
" Perhaps I just got an earlier start," Zeus smiled. "You seem to have got a bit on your way in spite." He nodded at those yellow little ones that were growing in the clearing.

" Oh, those!" I looked at the yellow fluffs which were to become known as coltsfoots. "They're nothing, just ugly first-tries. Zilch compared to Demeter's roses and orchids. "
" Come on, Hera", Zeus smiled, "don't be so hard on yourself! Demi has had a life-time of practice. She probably made flowers before she knew how to walk. And I bet her first tries weren't that impressing either. "

Zeus bent down and picked one up:
" I think they are cute. And sturdy ones to be able to grow in this cold. "
" You don't have to be nice to me."
" Why not? Besides I'm not 'nice' to people. You know I say what I think. A king's privilege. But I'm really sorry for snowing on your work. Let me make it up for you by offering some heated nectar over at my place. You look a bit frozen, Hera. "

He was right, I was freezing in the increasing snow fall, a simple shawl did not help, and I had used most of my divine powers for flowers and for helping that bird, not thinking of keeping myself warm.
" You've always been putting other beings before yourself, even if it's just a little bird," Zeus went on. "I admire you for that, there aren't many who do that, especially not among the conceited immortals. "
" I try, at least", I replied, and he laid his arm around me at those words, sharing some of his own heat. I let him caress me, it felt so nice at the moment to just snuggle up and feel cared about. Faithes know that I hadn't had that many chances at physical contact.

So when Zeus' hands travelled down the small of my back, when he tried to kiss me I let him do exactly that. Before I knew it I was standing with my back against one of the stocky olive trees, feeling Zeus' kisses and hands all over me. Suddenly I understood why they called him "the electric god". It had nothing to do with thunderstorms. Nothing at all.

Starving for passion I let Zeus do all that I had been missing for so many years, ever since I kicked the god Azourael out of my life. 30 long years had passed since. 30 lonely years devoid of passion and tender love.

When we both were spent and pleasantly tired I asked Zeus:
" Does the invitation for hot nectar still stand? Because I think I can need something to wind myself down now."
" Sure it does", Zeus had smiled, helping me up one more time.

When Zeus closed his door behind us I noted how lonely his home felt. He had always been sharing it with someone. First with Metis, his first wife, and when she left Themis had moved in. And hadn't there been someone in between too? Eurynome? Yet now the place echoed with emptiness and it felt colder than necessary in the large marble hall with the shining staircase.

" I let the divine fire burn out", Zeus said when he noted how I shivered. "I didn't think I was going to return until late in the afternoon, I thought it would be harder than it was to make snow. "
"That's not what makes me shiver," I told. "You're lonely. This place is empty, void of laughter. You're not supposed to be lonely, Zeus. You're not supposed to live in a lonely, dark and silent home. You should have a family. "

" I can't keep one." Zeus suddenly looked so sad. "Everyone just leave. I had a wife, a daughter. As you know. However I drove them away. Metis took li'l Athena with her and left. And now my Themis have done the very same..."
" But it wasn't your fault."
" Yes it was." Zeus stared out of the large window where the snow was still falling. He had forgotten, or just not cared about turning it off.
" How?"
" Let's just say I had love, but I threw it away. Betrayed it. Don't want to talk about it anymore, let's make hot nectar instead!"

At that time there weren't as many nymphs around to help us with things. Zeus had to get his nectar by himself from a cold storeroom in the basement and then he brought it up into a rustic livingroom where he took out two cups from the locker and heated the beverage for us.
" Nice!" I sipped the hot drink. "Just what I needed now. "
" Me too. Thaws up the body, brings on spring in the soul. Hera, show me what flowers you had in mind!"

I made them in my hands and gave them to Zeus. Little purple and blue ones. Hepaticas, windflowers and anemones. And one single, red. Shaped like a heart. I don't know why I did it and I have never done it ever again. But Zeus looked at it with tears in his beautiful eyes. Then he put down both drink and flowers and took me in his arms.
" Don't count on me, Hera", he said, mouth to my hair. "I cannot give you that. "
" How do you know? "
" I have tried. "
" Try again!"

" I can give you one night. Or maybe two. I can give you pleasure you have not known before and will not ever know again. And what for? To break your heart just like I break everybody else's. No, little sister…"
" Cut that "sister" thing, Zeus! I'm not looking for affection of that kind."
" Then don't come looking here! "

" You wanted to trade place with a cuckoo? Now here's your chance! Deliver me those nights of extraordinary pleasure you claim to be skilled enough to deliver. Then let's take it from there!"

I have no idea where my bravery came from that day. If it was something with the nectar or if it was simply the case that I felt lonely too. Nevertheless I soon learned that Zeus was right. He could deliver like nobody else. In turn I warmed his heart, and when spring came for real that year Zeus was thawing from the inside too. And with him his home. I found love in that airy marble house at the highest point of the Olympos, warm love, friendship and compassion. And Zeus in turn found someone who fought for us. Someone who stayed in spite of his missteps.

All right I have been crying, I have been cursing and throwing every reachable object at him. But most of the times no such things are called for, most of the times he's all mine. Yet people around us keep remembering the bad times, the incidents with Maia and Io and Callisto and all the others he can't let be. Still I know Zeus loves me, and most of the time it's enough for me.

¤¨¤¨¤

" Now, what are you two ladies gossiping about?" a good-natured voice boomed out in the living-room where Hera and Ariadne sat. Ariadne turned to look at the king of the gods who was standing in the door-frame, casually dressed in a turquoise, golden-rimmed tunic, slightly red and panting, as if he had been flying fast all the way from Aegyptos.

" About you of course, darling", Hera smiled at her husband and Zeus came up and kissed her on her cheek, a kiss somewhere between lust and affection.
" Am I really that interesting?" Zeus asked.
" Guess you are", Ariadne said. "Look, I bought the prime drops from this season's wine. Come and have a taste, Zeus!"

" I sure will, miladies. And I see you've been in the chocolate box too. You trying to convert another poor soul, Heralove? This will be costly if we have to buy even more of the Azteques' goodies next time."
" No worries", Hera replied, "if Dionysos keeps producing this fine wine we will have treasures to barter with."
" I drink to that", Zeus replied and tasted the beverage. "Ariadne, Tell your fiancé that I'm more than pleased with this season's wine!"