Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the plot

Title: Sincerely Untrue

A/N: I know, I have not updated for a long time, but Iwas really busy in school and yeah, it bore fruits. But I promise, I will try to update more, since I have vacation now and as an apology, this chapter is longer (I just hope not too long... -.-')


Chapter 11: Same, But Different

The sky was furious.

This was the first thought that came to her mind, as Themis went to Zeus chambers, the place he first strode to, after the meeting ended and the place he inhabited and did not leave since then. The only sign, which indicated which mood their god was in right now, were the thunders over their heads. At first, everyone had settled on not approaching him, out of several reasons, the main being not wanting to attract his anger.

But as time passed and no signs of a cooling mood showed up, the gods decided to send someone to Zeus, in hope that person could calm him down. Of course, no one was found for that position. And in the end, they had opted for Themis, Zeus advisor and the very one, who persuaded Zeus into returning to Olympus. Themis was fine with the arrangement, for she was unlike those fools of cowards, who feared for their live and went around with their tail between their legs.

However, as she finally made her way towards his chambers, she had not expected Hestia to be present as well. The serene and mild-tempered goddess of hearth and home was standing in front of her brother's chambers and as Themis observed her, Hestia seemed to be pondering about her actions.

"Lady Hestia?" she asked politely, deciding to finally reveal herself.

"Oh, my dear Lady Themis, how land have you been standing here?" Hestia inquired with a gentle smile.

"Not long," the goddess of justice replied. Hestia threw another look to the great doors, which were the only thing standing between her and her brother, and remained disclosed.

"I guess you are here to talk to him as well." she turned to look at Themis again.

"The other gods and goddesses have sent me here, out of democratic reasons, I was chosen as the one to approach his highness." Themis explained. Hestia was still smiling herself, but she was aware of the meaning behind Themis euphemistic words.

"You came here for the same resume, I presume."

"Not quite. You came here to calm my brother down, my reasons, as similar as they are, they are not the same." Themis thought for a while what Hestia was meaning with her words.

"Then, perhaps-"

"I came here, because of my sister and brother. I am not here for my King."

"Is there a difference for you?" Themis viewed it as very difficult if not bothersome to try to keep things from each other. Usually, gods and goddesses held no regards in family relations, not like humans did, there was no restraint when it came to family, as many gods and goddesses has already proven with their offspring coming from the own family rows. Of course, at some time, they would refer Zeus as father or brother, but for most of them, there was no exception. Zeus was all in one, only the superior being to them, to whom they paid their respect.

"Yes, there is. Are you surprised?"

"I have to admit that I am. Is it difficult to keep your roles as subject and sister apart?"

"Sometimes, it is. Yet, at times like these, I have no problem with deciding which role to take. This is not a political affair, just to a certain extent; it is more of a family problem and me, as the oldest sister to both of them, only want to bring peace back into my family. And to some extent, rebuke them when they are acting out of line."

"It must be hard to try to hold everything together." Themis concluded.

"Yes it is. I thank you, Themis." Hestia looked at the walls again. "Everything would be much easier, if they or at least one party is less stubborn and more willing to set peace, to at least hear what the other has to say." Themis nodded, understanding very clearly what she meant. Indeed, their stubbornness was a burden to not only themselves and their relationship, but also everyone else.

"Do you believe that Lady Hera-"

"No. No, I don't." It amazed Themis how fast Hestia's reply came. Either she was very assured or she was in denial of the actual truth. Giving credit to the fact that it was Hestia, whom she was talking to, she opted for the first answer.

"No matter what people think of Hera, no matter how intemperate and at times vengeful she might be, she would never cheat on her husband."

"But she and Hades-"

"Both know what it feels like to be betrayed and humiliated." Themis nodded, getting what Hestia was pointing at. However, she, as the goddess of justice, knew that in order to find the truth does not lie in asking questions, but moreover in asking the right questions.

"Yet, we do not know what the relationship is between them. Hestia is-

"They would never fall into the hollow fleshly desires and giving in to the physical passion, very well knowing the risk of getting burned might be. Unlike other gods, they have devoted their body to their spouses."

Yes, they have devoted their body to their spouses, Themis thought. Only seconds later, she began to laugh. Hestia watched her, wondering what the reason was. Then, she saw Themis close her mouth, her lovely cheeks turning up.

"In the end, they are the same." The goddess of harvest frowned, still not understanding, but later on, when she did, she could not help, but laugh as well.


Hera was leading the way, as she and Hermes went back to Olympus. It was quite funny, since Hermes was the one to take her back home, thus the one leading their walk. But this seemed to work either way, Hera shrugged. However, what she could definitely not stand was the stare, which Hermes fixed her with. There was no need for her to turn around and see it, she could feel it. If she were human, she was sure that her back by now would be imprinted with a big hole.

"Is there anything you want to say, Hermes?" she asked.

"Was it that obvious?" he grinned. Hera did not answer his question; however she knew that she would have never taken notice of this, had she not been aware of him and the debt that she still owed him.

"Why do you not tell me right away in which way you want me to repay the debt?" she suggested.

"Why? Can you not stand the suspense?" he teased her. If he had looked into her face, he would have seen the fire i her eyes, which he had ignited.

"Do not test my patience, boy." she threatened.

"I can do whatever I want. Don't forget, mother, you are in my debt." Hermes eyes shone gleefully, knowing very well how he was her anger, but cannot do anything to punish him. However, on the contrary to how he had expected her to react, she became silent, probably giving him the silent treatment.

"OH, come on, Hera. We are not children, anymore. Well, at least not you." he snickered.

", I am not a child." she agreed. "The only one, who is, is you. None of us are children, we are old, we have seen many things and we will never go back to the time again, when we were young or are we ever going look at the world like we used to do. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky."

"Hera? Do you have anything you regret?"

"Again, this only shows that you are still a child. If you were older, mentally seen, then you would know that everyone has regrets in their lives you might not be aware of, even you have a few."

"On the contrary, Hera, I am very well aware of what my regrets are." he said.

"Well, it is not my business nor harbor I any need to know them. So, do not start on telling me of your life story. I am never going to hear the end of this."

"But I want to hear yours." She halted abruptly in her walk and had Hermes not been fast in reacting to her movement, then he might have walked directly into her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"What did you just say?" That was when his mind finally clicked.

"Oh that. No, Hera, I am glad to inform you that your ears not defective." he smirked.

"And what is it that you want me to tell you?" she narrowed her eyes. Hermes pondered for one moment; he had to phrase his words very carefully. Hera was one of the cleverest women he had ever encountered and probably will ever encounter in his life. And he was surely not going to waste such a chance, when he was the one to maintain the upper hand.

"I want to talk about you and Hades. How is your relationship? How has it begun? Do you love him?" Hermes asked all these questions that were overwhelming her.

"Wait! Why do you want to know about mine and Hades relationship?"

"Why not. It sure is one of the most interesting gossips I have heard of in this century and Athena knows for how long I went on without any real interesting stories."

"You just want to attain useful information that you can exchange for my assistance in whatever you might do in the future." she accused him.

"You are a sharp woman, Hera and who am I to accuse you of making false views. But, besides what you just said and what I have claimed to be my reason, there is also another motive you have missed and perhaps this is where I'm might be of some use. It would be in your interest, if I know the true history between you both."

"Care to explain what you mean with your words?"

"You might not be aware of this, since you your last time on Olympus had been a year ago, however, since the meeting and the" Hermes coughed a few times. "Incident, there had been rumors."

"What kind of rumors?" her eyes narrowed, while asking the question.

"You know, I could exchange my information for another debt, however, since you can easily imagine what they are whispering, there is no need for me to say the unsaid." Hermes smirked, as he watched how Hera bit her lower lip. Undoubtly disturbed over the possibilities.

"You will not share this with your father?"

"After you have delivered me the information, it will also be considered my knowledge and what I do with this is mine to decide." Hermes declared, however, to Hera's defense, one must mention that she has already counted on such an answer.

"Before I tell you anything, you have to understand that your uncle, Hades, he is not as anyone imagine him and he is not the bad one, no matter how you might view him now. There is nothing going on between us and if anything ever causes any trouble, it will be my responsibility, not his." The god was astonished to what lengths she would go, to assure his safety. He heard the meaning of his words, and he had to admit that his eyes and ears had never disagreed more than to this matter. He heard a woman assuring that there was no affair between her and him. But his eyes saw a married woman, a proud and usually calm and collected woman, who was married and yet was able to take all the blame upon herself, if only the safety of this man was guaranteed, who was not her husband and a married man in his own right and especially, whom she had not spoken for a long time.

"I am hearing." he spoke. If anything, he had put fuels to the fire that was his curiosity. Hera sighed, knowing very well that there was no way for her to avoid this. She had to tell him, her stepson, of something that she almost views as her dark, she was not sure about that, secret, something she had not even told those, who were the closest to her, like her daughters and sons.

"Hades and I go way back. I had known him longer than I did your father and I am the one who knows him the best." she closed her eyes. "You know very well that everyone, except your father, had been swallowed by your grandfather Cronus. Zeus had been the only one sparred from this fate. He grew up, forced his father to disgorge us and for ten years, we led war against the Titans. It was during those ten years that I met Hades."

It was a beautiful day, she decided, as she felt the warm light shining above her, engulfing the field she was talking through in a beautiful halo. Hera took small steps, her gait was slowly for she wanted to enjoy the beautiful view Gaia offered her, and take everything in as much and as intense as possible. With a smile she stopped and took a deep breath; the sweet scent of flowers filling her nose.

She giggled.

Suddenly, the need to move came over her and Hera was not someone to resist her needs and so, she began to twirl through the sea of beautiful plants. The whole time laughing wholeheartedly. But her little dance did not last long, for soon enough her head began to spin around her, the world around her began to move and she felt herself fall and be caught softly by the grass. Either way, it is not as though it would have hurt her. She was a goddess and on the contrary to human, she would not get hurt by just falling.

She sighed contently and starred into the sky, not desiring to stand up and dust herself off from any dirt.

Indeed, it was a beautiful day.

If only every day could be as careless as today, she thought.

She intended to enjoy every waking second of her free time, for she knew that it this is one of the rare days. For the moment, the Titans have retreated, nursing their wounds, but when they have gained their strength back, they were going to be more vicious and cruel than before, they wounds may take its toll on their strength, but the wounded pride will drive them to more.

She shook her head. She should not waste her time by making such thoughts, rather she should enjoy the time she had left. There were still so many things for her to discover in this new world. So many beautiful things that brings her happiness.

Suddenly she heard a crack.

"Who is it?" she shouted, startled by the unexpected sound. Hera looked around anxiously. Her mother had warned her from going too far, danger lied in every corner. Hera wished she had listened to her mother. What might happen to her? What if it was a Titan?

"Who dares to interrupt me?" she asked, trying to sound more authoritative, less fearful.

There it was again!

Hera heard some rustles behind her. As she turned around, and dark outline she could not identify clearly due to the shadows of the tree.

"I warn you stranger, come forth or I will-"

"There is no need." a smooth, yet dark voice answered. The man stepped forward, he did not seem to be about to attack her, however, Hera was still wary enough not to approach him.

"Who are you? And why are you following me?" He did not appear to be a Titan, but not mortal either. As the man made one more step, he left the shadows behind him and went into the sunlight, finally enabling Hera to see his appearance. She was right, even if he was not a Titan, he was no mortal either. For that he possessed too much charm, too much of the alluring aura that only a god could possess and only another immortal could feel.

He had a fair skin, which appeared even paler under the bright sky, something she had not encountered, given the fact that they lived in a southern country. His hair was a midnight black or a midnight blue, she could not decide. He possessed a lithe body, with chiseled chest and the right proportions. But what intrigued her the most were his eyes, they were a pale blue, almost as cold as ice and yet, the way he looked at her, it was anything but cold.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

"I apologize if I had insulted or disturbed you in any way, milady, for it were not my intention. I have merely searched for a place to ease my mind." Hera narrowed her eyes, still suspicious to the man.

"Then why did you try to conceal your identity and hesitate when I asked for you to step forward?"

"Again, I must apologize. I was mesmerized by you. You seemed so careless and it was such a pleasant picture that I did not dare to interrupt you."

"You talk so smooth and fluent." Usually, her words would have been a compliment, however, her tone was everything but. Instead of feeling insulted, he began to chuckle.

"I do not know what you find so humoring in this situation." she sulked.

"Do you really believe that I pose any threat to you?" If she continued on, then her eyes will turn into slits forever.

"I do not know of any reasons why I should believe otherwise."

"But I do." he replied. "I am your brother."

This was undoubtley something that she had not counted on. Actually, this was something that took her completely by surprise. But if she thought it thoroughly, it would not make little sense for the man to be her brother. From what her mother and sister told her, Cronus had swallowed two brothers of hers and she had already make acquaintance with Poseidon.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Hades." he replied. Yes, her mother had indeed mentioned a brother, either way the name sounded quite familiar and judging his appearance, he could be her brother.

"Why haven't I seen you before, like in the battles or during meetings?"

"There are several reasons for this, I suppose. For one, from what I have gathered, you and your sisters do not engage a lot in the battles, and even if you did, mother would ensure that your position will bring no harm upon you, whereas I and Zeus fight at the forwardmost. Besides, I have suffered an injury from the last battle and thus, making me unable to participate in the meetings, not that I ever do so. I find them too boring and thus, it gives me more time for myself." he smiled at her. "So, you see now that I mean no harm, which also means that you can let go of the dagger in your hand." he pointed at her right hand.

Hera had not noticed that she had taken her dagger out nor had she noticed how tightly she was gripping at the little weapon that her mother had given her for her protection.

"It does not matter; you can still harm me if you wish." Family ties meant almost nothing in the world of immortals. That was one of the first things her mother had taught her and even if no one had told her so, history had too many examples to offer to be ignored.

"If it is my wish, but it is not." he insisted.

"No need to mention that our first meeting did not go well." Hera chuckled. Hermes was indeed humored by the story. After hearing her, he had to admit, he developed a new perspective of Hera. No matter how hard it was for him to imagine such an innocent, young and fun-loving Hera, who did not give a thought about how she was perceived by others and who was so careless in her behavior.

"Was this the moment you fell for him?" he asked.

"No, be patient. I may have decided to tell you my story, but nevertheless, I will still do it in my own way." she scolded him slightly. "That had been our first meeting. I still wonder what had intrigued him that much that day, and even when I asked, he avoided the answer. He only told me that this was the moment he decided to become my friend. He told me that I was something special." Like a flower, too beautiful, too natural to be plucked and be robbed of life.

Hermes eyes her, while wondering whether she was even aware of how she put her hands over her chest lightly and the sweet and shy smile had crept in her face.

"That day was when our friendship begun. He had been my first and my longest friend, more than Hestia or Demeter at that time, more supportive than my mother. He had taught me so many things by just being with me. He was a lot of my first..." she whispered, getting lost in her thoughts. However, she snapped out of it very fast. "At that time, I did not know your father. Of course, I had heard a lot of him, how could I not, he was after all the hero everyone in our camp celebrated, the leader of our war and the one, who had rescued us. But, we never had a lot of contact, I barely saw him, he was always together with mother or with Metis, discussing the tactics and war or with Poseidon and Hades. It is funny, now that I look back. While Hades had joined Zeus, I always went to Demeter and Hestia. I wonder what would have happened if we saw each other earlier..." she began to laugh and shake her head.

"It would not have changed anything."

"Why do you think so?"

"At that time, I was but a silly little girl, unaware of the world and any game of love, leave alone seduction and other things beyond that. I doubt he would have noticed me, add the fact that we were amidst a war and that his attention was solely placed on Metis and you will see reason. And if you had not known, Metis is the mother of Athena."

Hermes knew that little information, but he still doubted it. The attraction Zeus harbored for Hera was as immeasurable as uncomprehend able and surely beyond anything that was healthy. If Zeus had really seen her, instead of overlooking her as his father tended to do sometimes, then perhaps Athena might have not been able to come to this world and Metis would still be among the livings and not some other things.

"But this is not something that we should talk about or what you want to hear. As I have already told you, our friendship grew increasingly. Now looking back, our friendship was really something special. It is really hard to imagine how fast and how deep friendship can grow in such a short little time. Perhaps it was because of the situation we were in, because we enjoyed and appreciated small little things. I have no idea, but it just was. And I was too happy to care."

"And how did you fall in love?" Hera overlooked his pestering curiosity.

"During that time, we got to know each other more. We were each other's only confidante, the only one to be trusted. You know, by developing such a relationship, giving one person so much power of you and be given so much power, is dangerous, because by doing so, you are also giving this person a place in your heart, no matter how much you want to love him or not. He becomes indispensable. And so, here is one advice for you, boy, don't give someone so much power over you, if you are dispensable to him."

"He did not love you?" Hera smiled bitterly.

"Hades was everything I wanted in a man, and if not, then it became so." she explained. "He was gentle-"

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, smelling like flowers, probably because he had just arrived from the field, where he gathered flowers for her.

"Caring..."

"Do you want to tell me what is bothering you so much?" he whispered softly in her ear.

"And thoughtful."

"Is it because he has forgotten your birthday?"

Hera looked at Hermes, smiling knowingly.

"I know it is probably hard for you to imagine what I just told you, but it is the truth. He may not have been a talkative person, or someone who shows his emotions well. Even if he failed in those areas, he was perfect in everything that mattered. He was understanding, he never pestered me with anything, he always seemed to know what I needed and he never judged me for my action. And if he believed something, he would fight passionately for his faith, no matter what it was or how hard to achieve. He was a closet poet."

"And this was the reason why you fell in love with him?"

"Why, the way you say it, make it sound as though it was no reason."

"Those can be the reason for friendship as well."

"Your statement makes it clear to me that you have never truly fallen for someone." Those trysts he has had and the mothers of his children were probably nothing more than a fleeting attraction. "Would you not fall for the one, who is your only your tower of strength, on whose shoulder you can lean and cry on. The one, who understands you better than anyone, who accepts you when it seems as if no one else can and who makes you happy, even when you feel lower than the lowest and you keeps you tied to earth, when you believe yourself to be on top of the world." Hera closed her eyes.

"But you are right, too. The line between a deep and good friendship and true and innocent love is very thin. Sometimes, so thin that it can hardly be defined, leaving those persons confused and more often than not, we only realize it later on, when it is too late to do anything or worse, when this knowledge has no meaning anymore."

"And he did not return your feelings." Hermes concluded.

"Everything had happened so fast. After the war, the world was divided into three realms. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades became the King of the underworld. I was not sure what had happened, but over the time, we spend less and less time together. It was as though he was distancing himself from me, I had no idea and it was also during that time me and Hestia grew closer. We had different priorities. I wanted to get to know the world, travel and find new things, but he had his responsibilities. He could not just leave, whenever he wanted to, especially since this job demands him every second. And so, I was even grateful for the smallest second he spent his time with me. It was pathetic." she chuckled. "But I have loved him and I have thought that he loved me, too, or at least, he will."

"But he never did."

"I don't know." she huffed. "One day, I could not wait any longer. I was tired of waiting, possibly for something that might never arrive. I could not stand it, this not knowing. I was so tired of chasing and never reaching, I was tired of getting small splits in my heart. I thought, it's either break it all or ... well. So, I approached him, he knew that I was in love with him and if not, then he was not as attentive and knowing as I believed him to be. And then, when I said all the things I kept, when I spit all the poison that was my unsaid words that ate me up inside and he could not pretend to not know anymore, something broke."

"What did he say?"

I don't care.

She closed her eyes; those words had never left her in all those centuries. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it was existing like a dark cloud. She dreamed of them. Those three words, unlike the other three she had wanted to hear, had become the greatest words she feared.

"It does not matter what he said. The fact is that this had been our last conversation, the last time I really looked into his pale blue and yet so undeniably cold eyes and the last time I let him hurt me. Sure, we saw each other during events, festivals and meetings, but it was different from what we were used to. During those things, we avoided each other like a plague, we never saw each other, as we had done before, and we did not seek their presence. It was a good thing that not a lot of people knew about us, I could not have stand it, if anyone asked me what had happened and Hestia was smart enough to leave this topic."

"Did you want to cut ties with him?" He could not help, but ask. The way she said all those things, it sounded so regretful.

"No, at first I only wanted him gone. I was hurt, my pride was hurt. I could not face him, remembering his words and the heartbreak I felt. I just did not want to see him." she laughed bitterly. "I was so stubborn, I - I wanted to hurt him. But along the way, I guess, I have forgotten what I really wanted and I just ignored him, like he ignored me. I thought that he would approach me one day, when he could not stand us being apart anymore, at least be friends. I guess in my anger and heartbreak I have forgotten that he is not the type for such things. And I, in my young immaturity and juvenile blindness, have thought that he did not want to see me. And so, out of a temporal stagnation, it turned to be breakup for eternity."

"But you still love him." Surely, she must. What she had just told him, the way she told it and judging from her reactions, he must still have her heart. Then it must mean that she had betrayed his father!

Hera, reading his thoughts through his eyes, was amused by what she saw.

"Hades was my first love, I would never forget him, I would never forget the love I have for him, however, this does not mean that I love him more than I do your father. I do love him, really, sometimes more than he deserves and sometimes, not in the way he deserved. It is just... I love the dreams and the feelings I had for him, Hades, and this love can never surpass anything." she then explained.

"But now that you and Zeus are separating, are you going to go back to him? Or have you already-"

"Do not talk nonsense, Hermes. You, as we all, know very well that Hades is a married man, he has obligations to his wife, whom he loves, as his actions has shown." she berated him. And even if Hades had no feelings towards Persephone, which I doubt is the case, he would never humiliate and disrespect her in such a way, he has told me that himself and I know him good enough to believe him to be the honorable man among his brothers."

So defensive...

"And as for me..." She trailed off. "Zeus was and is and maybe will be the only one, who has ever reached out in the dark for me, the only man to have ever touched my body." She wrapped her waist with one arm and the other touched her chest gently.

Hermes was glad that he had asked Hera that question, all those. He was glad to know the truth, however, he had also learned of something. Just because you sleep with someone, share your body with him and both fall into the promise of passion, does not mean that you are giving your heart to that person. And just because you love someone, does not mean that you will have to touch each other.

He was not sure whether Hera loved his father, or if she loved him as much as she did before, but she was faithful to him, he was sure of that now.

He was not sure whether those women held any meaning to his father, but his heart had always belonged to Hera.

One stayed faithful with her body, the other with the heart.

What was better?

Three people, one god and two goddesses, could only chuckled at the realization.

Yes, in the end, Hera and Zeus were the same, only different.


A/N 2: I am not sure whether Hermes was as understanding or as poetic as he is probably portrayed in this chapter, but I needed one to sum it all up and he was the only one I found worthy enough to do this job, since he has wits and was cunning and the other, who I liked, were already or almost all used once. And if anyone is interested in what is going on Persephone's mind, I have written a small chapter in her point of view, as an outtake, if anyone is interested.