Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the plot

Title: Sincerely Untrue

.xKrys.: Thank you for your review, I loved it. I am glad you liked the Hades and Hera parts of this story, personally, I loved writing it, even though it is intended to be a Hera and Zeus fanfic. However, I cannot promise on who is going to end up with whom or whether there is going to be a couples ending up with someone.

Interim Solution

Hera and Zeus: 38%
Hera and Hades: 23%
Hera and Hades, but happy ending with Zeus: 38%


Chapter 12: The Lethal Weapon of Passion

There is this feeling in this world, it enables men to conquer the world and it prevents humanity from reason. More than often, it had been the ruin of many great kingdoms and the cause for as much to arise.

Was it just an infatuation? Or was it real passion?

Passion, this was what Hera would say to describe their relationship. They had been indeed very passionate. Of course, they had their tender moments, times, when they just lied in the bed, wrapped up in each other's arms, just enjoying the moment as it was and she appreciated them a lot, however, it were the passionate moments during their marriage, the fire, the things done in the heat of the moment that made her heart jump a little bit more and the tingle in her stomach a little bit more tingly. And it was also the fire, which never ceased to die out that made her heart still warm up at the memory.

Passion had always been what defined their relationship, even when there had been none. Even when she had still been in love with someone else, when he was still married and she only considered him to be a brother, rather than her husband, there had been this little flame that attracted her to him. And he returned her feelings, feeling the attraction between the two of them. He had done everything he could to nurture that little flame, until it became a blazing fire that could not be erased by cool waters anymore.

But now, she wondered whether the passion between them had been mutual.

She had always assumed that he held the same amount of passion for her as she did for him. After all, it was him, who stubbornly pursued her with endless devotion, even when she never encouraged it, despite the attraction she felt for him. He had been the one, who wanted her in the first place, so she was wrong in her assumption?

She began to doubt that. His mistresses had rejected him as well and he still pursued them, he still took them, even with force. Hera could as well be put in the same category as his mistresses. And when she finally realized that, she began to think that what he felt was mere infatuation. He was infatuated by her beauty, by her chastity and perhaps even by her personality, she hoped, but in the end, it was not meant to last, as their situation proved. It was just a question of time, until he tired of her.

His infatuation for her had died long ago.


It was during a late summer afternoon. The sky was clear and bright, the air was heavy and taking one breath felt like taking water in. It was a terrible weather, too hot, too sticky, too wet. He wanted to return home, where Themis waited for him. But he still had to pay his visit to Oceanus and Thetys, the foster parents of his sister Hera. His mother had ordered him to look after her every now and then and considering that many decades had passed since Rhea had put Hera into the care of Oceanus and his wife, so that Hera would not forget her own roots. During those decades, where he had to establish his empire and deal with a few personal issues, he had completely forgotten about his promise, until the recent encounter of Themis with Hera had reminded him again.

Suddenly, a soft female voice broke the natural silence. It was not something unusual for females to wander around during such a day, and surely not something that Zeus had not encountered before.

But something drew him in.

The voice was just a voice, like any other and yet,... it was not. That voice was enchanting, it possessed a deep sensual tone that gave him shivers by just listening and at the same time, it was light with serenity and carelessness.

Forgetting the purpose and any other thought he possessed, pushing everything to the farthest corner of his mind, he made it to his goal to pursue this female. He tried to follow her voice, which never stopped humming, as though she lured him to her. By the appearance of it, with Zeus losing almost his mind with determination for this woman, it could almost be true. Except the fact that he was a god, the King of gods. No one would be able to lure him in with magic.

Her voice got louder and louder, with each step he took and before he knew it, she was standing before him.

Her lower body was engulfed in the little river. She was a magnificent sight, even though he could not decipher her completely, since she had her back turned to him. But from what he could see, she had to be beautiful. She was blessed with a fair skin, milky and soft, glistening through the light, which mingled with the water drops. The contour of her body was elegant, with a neck, which was inclining to one site, as though she was seducing him and long fragile looking arms and her legs must be long too, given that the river was quite deep and he could still see her upper body. But what he find most beautiful on her were her strawberry blond hair, which clung on to her skin and the back. He felt the need to brush her hair away from her back, gently, while stroking the skin of her long back. He never felt more attracted to one woman, just by looking at her back.

Apparently, she took no notice of him, as she continued to hum and giggle, while playing with the water. Every action and every move she made had him captivated. And again, he wondered whether she was doing this on purpose, for nothing could be so gracefully done and yet be natural, without having anything planned. His heart began to race, in a way he had never experienced it before, as she began to twirl around in the water, with her arms wide open, while laughing from the bottom of her heart. Maybe it was the sincerity of her voice, the carefree attitude, which he had never seen before or the way the water caressed her, but he felt more desire for any other woman.

Who was this woman? Maybe a nymph? It would explain her alluring presence. Perhaps an Oceanid? After all he was walking on the grounds of Oceanus and his daughter were said to be quite charming and beautiful. But those words did not describe this female in front of him, she was fare more than just quite beautiful and quite charming. She was alluring, she was enchanting, she was sensual and innocent, she was aesthetic, she was perfect.

He caught his breath, when he saw how she slipped the sleeves from her body, freeing her upper body from the cloth. She then stepped towards a small waterfall, his eyes glued on her back, however, before she took the last step, before becoming completely surrounded by the falling water, she put her dress back on. Disappointment rose inside of him. He was sure it would have been wonderful picture, something that he would never forget in his life.

He was so caught in his imaginary visions of what could have been that he had not noticed how she swam to the riverbank, grabbing the bow and arrow, which she must have disposed there earler, along with her other belongings. He only took notice of her attack, when it was already too late and the arrow flew past him, it was a close shot, with only few inches missing.

"Reveal yourself stranger!" she ordered with her melodious voice. "How dare you to peak at an innocent maiden during her unsuspecting bath, a daughter of Rhea no less!" She took another arrow and drew the bow, aiming for another shot.

Zeus stepped forward.

"Dear maiden, it was not my intention-" Wait! She was a daughter of Rhea? Before he had time to react, he felt himself engulfed in a pleasant warmth, along with the wetness that came from her recent bath.

"Zeus!" she giggled heartedly, having deserted any thoughts of shooting him with the arrow apparently. She tightened her arms a little bit. Meanwhile, Zeus wondered, whether this could be Hera, the little girl that he wanted to pay a visit to and even more, he wondered whether she was pressing her body to his on purpose.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking up to him with big wondrous eyes, which, as he noted, were actually the most beautiful thing about her than any other part. They were big, with long lashes and dipped in a color that had the capability to melt any male if she desired so and yet, appeared to possess the purest kind of innocence.

"I-" Suddenly she let go of him. Her action left him disappointed. He had almost reached out to her and taken her back into his arms. Almost.

"My Lord, I... I must apologize for my action. I -"

"No, the blame lied on me. I should have revealed myself, however, I did not want to disturb the beautiful scene, which was offered to me." he smiled. A deep red color appeared on her cheeks, breaking its way to her collarbone and maybe even deeper, he could not say for sure, since she covered her breasts with her arms.

He could still remember the time they spent together on that day. He had completely forgotten his pervious want to return to Themis. Every thought, every need, vanished completely in her presence and the only thing that occupied his mind was her. This continued on for days, always visiting her at the same spot he had seen her, her being his only thought, even when she was not there.

He was obsessed with her.

And the more time he spent with her, unlike what he had intended, the more she captivated him. At some time, it was not her beauty alone, which held him captivated, but also her wit, her smile, her eyes and each and every word, which were spoken by her voice.

This was how their courting began or rather, how he began to court her. At first, it was one-sided, she claimed she only saw in him a friend. However, he was not sure when it happened, something changed. The defensive wall, with which he was always met when he overstepped her line, was suddenly gone and she welcomed him into her world with a warm embrace.

They had been happy. But then...

What role did Hades play in her life? She had not revealed him much of her life during Oceanus' and Thetys' care. He had only known that Hestia visited her quite often, but could it be that Hades and her...?

Are you friends with Hades?

Had he really forgotten that this was the first question that she asked of him, when they first met. Was this not an indication of their close relationship? Had he been so blinded by love and attraction for her that he had overseen such an important sign? Had he put too much trust into her, given her too much credit that he had overseen the proofs of her infidelity?


Rhea was not really a role model when it came to parenting. She knew that. She had done a lot of bad decisions, decisions, which affected especially her children, like in robbing them their childhood, their innocence or condemning them to a life in the belly of their father.

But she had seen her mistakes in the end. She had tried to do her best in correcting them. And in her opinion, she had done the best and as much as she could. Or at least, that was what she told herself in her lonely strange bed in which she slept for one night before carrying on her world tour. Because in the back of her mind and in her heart, she could not ignore the nagging that slowly ate her up inside.

It was the doubt and the guilt.

For a long time, she had wanted to tell herself that she had done the best and that it could have been worse for her children. Zeus and Hera were married now, her gloomy son had finally found love, the wild and ever-changing Poseidon had been tamed, Hestia was the sound of reason and Demeter was... herself. All in one, everything was alright.

But now came a moment, where she could no longer deny the truth. She could not ignore the problems in the marriage between her favorite son and daughter that went beyond marital difficulties and brought the both of them to ruin, neither could she deny the stolen glances between her beloved daughter and Hades, which went unnoticed on both parts nor the growing dissatisfaction of Demeter and Poseidon. She had read the letter, sent by Hestia, in which she asked for her mother's advice, but Rhea decided it was not enough. Finally, for the first time, her motherly instincts came out to tell her what to do and they told her to step up and get things done personally, instead of just letting things happen.

And so, here she was. On Mount Olympus, the place, which her children and grandchildren shaped into the new kingdom, the new home of the gods and goddesses. It was an unfamiliar territory to her and yet, it appeared so open and welcoming, probably due to her daughter's choices of furnishing and which displayed Hestia's character. However, she was not here to inspect the decorations, but to help her children.

The first issue: Zeus and Hera's marriage.

Now the problem was only finding them. To her fortune, she spotted Hermes, the god of messengers and one of the most well-informed gods in this realm.

"Hermes!"

"Grand-! I mean, Lady Rhea, er..., what a pleasure to see you here." Hermes, not having many encounters with his grandmother, was still unsure how to address her.

"Cut this out. Tell me, have you seen my daughter Hera and her husband? I would like to speak to them."

"Your timing is rather inconvenient, my dear lady. Your daughter has just recently arrived after quite a long absent and I am sure, she and Zeus have a lot to discuss, especially given the recent-"

"I do not care! I am their mother and now, lead me to them!" Hermes sighed, guessing that her temper would not differ much from her son or daughter. "And while we are doing this, you might as well enlighten me what you meant by the recent activities or whatever word you might have wanted to use." she proposed. The temper he did not know, but surely their attitude.

Rhea listened intently to Hermes' detailed and sometimes vague explaining from the first argument, which set everything on to Zeus return at the following events. Hermes had watched her during the time and he noted, she did not seem to be fazed by any of his revelations, there was no surprise in her eyes nor a frown on her face when he mentioned the possible affair between Hades and Hera, of course skipping his own recently retrieved knowledge of the situation. He concluded that she was either a composed person or she had known or suspected it in any way.

"Both of them should be inside there. Although I must advice you to be very careful when entering his chamber." It would not surprise him if furniture and other things would be found in the air or at areas where they were never intended to be.

"You need not to tell me this." she replied and opened the door. She was aware of the temper her off-springs possessed, given the temper of Rhea and especially Cronus. She was braced for everything, she had played every possible scenario in her head and she told herself that no matter what she would find, no matter in what kind of state the both of them were and no matter what they say or did, she would react composed and calm.

However, as she stepped inside, she felt herself lose all her resolutions, along with the composure and calmness she had collected for this and she could not help, of course after waking up from the shock, shout into the room.

"What in everything that is holy has happened?"


~ Moments ago ~

"Zeus, I beseech you, listen to me!" she begged him.

"Get out of my room!" he ordered her.

"Not until you hear me out!"

"Why you-"

"Zeus." Themis intervened calmly. "Why do you not try to hear your sister out?"

"Why would I do that? I can already imagine what it is." he shouted back at Themis. Then he turned to Hestia. "You want to convince me that your beloved sister is innocent, that she has not betrayed me and you want me to calm down, because of whatever pseudo explanation you might offer."

"I know what you believe and though the situation purports a love affair-"

"-purport? Hestia, it was a proof! What else would she have done with Hades between the sheets, but the act of-" Zeus did not finish his sentence, in fear he would not be able to keep his fury, which would flare up once again at the reminder, in control.

"You never know..." Hestia tried to reason.

"I know!" he shouted at her. "I am Zeus! I know everything and I see an affair when it is right in front of me. Just wait, when Hermes will deliver her to me. I will make her regret-"

"If you want to make any threats concerning me, then you might very well be directing them to me in person, instead of speaking to her!" All three heads turned surprised to the opened door, with Hera standing at the spot in all her glory. She was leaning against the wall, with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrow raised in a challenging manner.

"Why? Surprised to see me, darling?" she asked in an overly-sweet voice, as Zeus starred dumbfounded at her without speaking any words.

But hearing his wife speaking in such a disrespectful fashion to him finally got him back to his senses.

"So, it appears that you are finally gracing us with your presence again. Oh, but I remember, it is not on your free will, no, I have to send out my son to get you out of Hell and back to Heaven!"

"Don't delude yourself, Zeus. My actions are my own will and nothing and especially no one can force me to do anything I do not consent."

"So, you are saying that you consented in sharing your bed with Hades!" he accused her and taking his step towards her. Hera, also enraged, as could be seen by her hurried paces, stood now in front of him, with her head held high to him.

"You-!"

"Insolent wench! You humiliated me in front of my subjects!"

"Who do you think I am? Who do you think you are! To throw such accusations at me!"

"Do you know no shame? Shaming yourself and more importantly me in this way!"

The two goddesses, standing outside of this war of words, heard what they threw at each other's heads; however, they wondered whether they heard the other themselves. For they continued on making accusations, yet never defending or responding to the other's words; that and the fact that they never made any pause in their shouts to really listen.

"How dare you!" The both of them shouted. They took one step away from each other and rose their arms, putting themselves in a position in which they were able to fire an attack. This was the signal for Hestia and Themis to intervene, before anything got too out of control. Hestia rushed to her sister and Themis rushed to her King, both getting a hold on their partner's arms, in an attempt to block their attack.

"Zeus, I beg you, do not make any mistakes!"

"The only mistake I ever made is not showing that wench her place!" he bellowed.

"Why you-!" She was ready to throw her fireball to him, if it were not for Hestia, who was still holding on to her arm and thus keeping her from carrying out her resolution.

"Hera, do not make any rash decisions you might regret later!" she tried to persuade her.

"It is not rash if it is something I have considered doing for a long time!" Zeus growled, earning a glare from Hera. "Besides, the only decision I ever regret doing is agreeing t-" Before she had any chance to finish her sentence, she felt herself being thrown against the next wall or at least something hard. She could not tell, she only felt something hard and cool against her back. She closed her eyes.


"What..." Rhea blinked. "...is the meaning of this?" she asked, pointing at the couple.

...


There is this feelings in the world, it enables men to conquer worlds and it prevents humanity from reason. More than often, it had been the downfall of many great kingdoms and the cause for some to arise. It lives in all of us and each day, it grows and it dies. But every now and then, perhaps next to you, perhaps just some random guy that passes your way or maybe even in front of you, there is this moment where we learn that the passion, which we have considered to be dead, arise again and the epiphany that it had it may have never died, strikes us with the intensity of 200 volts.


(A/N): I always wanted to make a cliffhanger for this story. I love them, but whether you love them is probably a different question. Well, what do you think of this chapter? Was it too fast? There are not a lot of inner-interaction between the characters, well not as much as I have wanted to be, but I promise, in the next there is going to be a lot.

PS: If anyone want to get the picture of what might happen in the next chapter, listen to Before it Explodes, by Charice. It inspired the next chapter.