Hera loved her gardens, as they were a place for her to escape. She had set parameters about the palace many, many years ago and one of the rules she had drilled into her husband, siblings and children was that she was never to be disturbed, argued with or beckoned for when in the garden. Most of them had agreed to the rule begrudgingly, as they did not have the same luxury, and assumed she would abuse it; however, Hera was rarely in the garden for long periods of time. Most often she would retreat into the garden after a fight with Zeus or when discovering yet another child by his infidelity. Even in these moments of high stress, the longest she had been in the gardens had been a day.
Hera was not a flighty goddess, something that's important to note: she did not use the gardens to flee from her problems or avoid those she was annoyed with, nor did she hide there to avoid a conflict or resolution. She always faced the problems before entering and proceeded to use the gardens to clear her thoughts and calm her mood. Though the argument between her and Zeus was not technically resolved, the Queen would have been amiss to not find some solitude in her gardens in the meantime. There, among a small gathering of trees and bushes, the goddess spread her arms out wide and a smile overcome her face so dramatically, anyone looking upon her would have been shocked she could curve her lips that much. Stretching her arms up into the air, she took in a long, deep breath akin to preparing to sing but then released it into a loud, content sigh.
Considering how happy this place had made her, it was no surprise then how different her mood became when she saw Poseidon entering the gardens. The smile had immediately vanished, her eyes became intense and her body stiffened into a much more formal stance. Granted, she had an open invitation to her family: she would never hoard something so beautiful from those she loved, but Hera was no stranger to Poseidon's motives; the god simply didn't roam gardens to feel better or enjoy the view. She raised her arms to her chest and crossed them stubbornly, refusing to move and expecting him to turn and leave once he spotted her.
Which, of course, he did not.
Poseidon grinned as his eyes connected with hers and he opened his mouth, putting his hands in the air to pretend he was surprised to see her. The motions were greeted with a silent glare as Hera was just waiting for him to break the rules of her garden. When he took a step forward and opened his mouth again to speak, Hera lifted a hand up and he paused, his mouth hanging open, waiting for her to rant about how in the wrong he was. She quietly sighed as she pointed behind him, near the main entrance of the gardens and walked passed, mumbling something under her breath in the process. Poseidon had to swallow a chuckle as he turned to follow her, realizing she was pulling him from the center of the gardens in order to speak. She went to such lengths to keep things as she wanted them.
In general, most of the gods had seen Poseidon and Zeus as extremely similar with the small exception of their views of mortals. Zeus had loved the mortals dearly, often causing discord among his family for taking their favor. Poseidon, however, had a very low view of the mortals. Created by the gods, they only served in his view for their amusement and egos. He didn't believe the purpose of being a powerful immortal was to love those less powerful and demanded a lot of those who prayed to him for refuge. His moods were much more violent and sudden than his younger brother, often reflective in the oceans. His rage would ripple through the water and create tides to over turn boats or blow upwards into the sky to create hurricanes. For all his anger and resentment of hubris, he was also known as a pleasant man with a hearty laugh and a love of terrible jokes. When in good spirits, he created beautiful creatures of the sea, all varying in different sizes, shapes and colors.
Hera knew better than to associate Poseidon with her husband. On the surface the two seemed remarkably similar, even in their fits of rage, but Poseidon was more often than not compassionate to his family over mortals. He had never broken a promise or swore an oath under false pretenses, at least none known to Hera, and he had never maliciously harmed a family member or other immortal. He settled his disputes in battles or contests and even though he may rant and throw the waters into fits, he never took his anger out on them directly. That was the qualifying difference in Hera's mind between the two and though Zeus was forced to punish his family as ruler, she had always noticed a hint of enjoyment in his actions.
Regardless of her kind thoughts of the god, she still harbored annoyances with him for his womanizing nature and, often times, inappropriate humor. Most especially now that he had interrupted her peace. Bringing a hand up to her temple, she rubbed it preemptively, awaiting the headache he was bound to give her.
"What?" she moaned impatiently.
"Now, now," the sea god condescendingly chided, pausing between each word as he casually eyed the feint beauty between each bud. "Must it always be about something to see you?"
"No," the goddess replied strictly as she turned around to face him, an eyebrow lifting. "But it always is."
Poseidon let out a low and short laugh, nodding his head as if to say she caught him. He lifted a hand out to pluck a white flower from its home, causing Hera to wince slightly and he turned to her, revealing the flower as if she had never seen it before. The goddess didn't bother to glance to it and merely stared at her brother, waiting for the reason he had come. He shrugged when she didn't seem impressed by his small effort to please her and the fingers seemed to twist the flower. The white petals crumpled downward into his hand and as his fingers enclosed it, a muffled noise leaked from between his fingers. A little nose pushed through the gap between his ring and pinky finger, causing him to open his hand to reveal a small, white seahorse. He smiled at the fragile creature, proud of this specific species and he kneeled down to place it in the pool of the fountain. The corner of Hera's mouth twitched despite her efforts.
"I'm worried about you," he offered as an explanation, taking a step closer to her yet facing towards the fountain in the center. "Your first fight with Zeus since you woke up and he hasn't even cheated on you."
"Oh –" Hera slipped out in a surprised tone, never once thinking this might be a topic between them. Her surprised face was replaced with anger of being simplified to a jealous, bitter wife and she shook her head, trying to shake the image out of her mind. "Is that all I am to you? A wife obsessed with her husband's infidelity?"
"To be fair, you were rather obs –"
"This is not appropriate conversation," Hera snapped over his voice, her eyebrows rising up in a facial hint to stop talking about it. She had never once discussed these matters amongst her family and was not about to start with him.
"Please," Poseidon grinned as he faced her, noting such act caused her more annoyance. "You never hide when you're mad at him. All of Olympus knows when the two of you are having problems and you don't think it's appropriate to talk about it?"
"All of Olympus knew because his children were always great heroes," Hera lowly explained through her teeth, clenching her jaw in an attempt to remain calm. "Or gods."
"And now?" Poseidon asked with a lifting of his chin, causing his eyes to strain to look down at the goddess.
"There are many reasons a husband and wife will fight," Hera explained extremely calmly, suddenly having a sense of self-awareness rush over her. Whether or not Poseidon was here to rattle her, she would have none of it. The best and often times worst characteristic of Hera was that she never thought she was wrong, not even when her actions caused great pain, war or death. She was always justified in some manner and being married to a man who believed the same thing, there were bound to be arguments. "And none of them are your business."
Poseidon nodded with a look of defeat on his face, momentarily turning away to face the water, hearing only its noise throughout the garden. Reaching a hand out, the drizzling water from the fountain started to pool in his large hand. As the pair stood silently in the garden, watching the water from the fountain rise up in his cupped hand, Poseidon reflected on the nature of keeping things private. Despite having built a large palace under the seas for privacy, he was not a private god. He let the world know when he was angry or happy and the marital problems he suffered were never a private matter. He and Amphitrite would wreck havoc on the open seas whenever they fought, causing all creatures living in or crossing the waters to know their problems. His loud voice would boom from their room when they argued and she would inevitably tell every creature that passed her how awful of a husband he was later on. For someone who was so open about his life and had little privacy in his own marriage, the idea of maintaining that seemed petty and futile. When the water had come close to overflowing in his hand, he spun his hand around and the water had vanished. Turning to the blonde goddess, he sighed as he took a step closer to her and placed that same hand on her shoulder. She eyed it carefully making sure it wasn't wet before looking up into his eyes that were bursts of various blues.
"These are delicate times, Hera," he quietly started, trying not to be too loud though that was often difficult with his voice. "The prophecy still lingers in all of us and threatens our stability more than the Sleep. The last thing we need is panic and stress because you two are unable to get along."
"Coming from you, that means almost nothing," Hera retorted quickly, often a master at sharp and hurtful replies. Unfortunately, Poseidon was not fazed by it and simply laughed.
"I'm not King Olympus," the sea god noted, that grin creeping across his face once more. Unfortunately, the grin was indicative of an upcoming thought that would send him into a roaring laugh, "And Amphy is no Queen Mother."
Hera winced as the sound of his laugh deafened her and filled the garden. She was blind sided by the sound of his voice that she didn't have the time to get angry over his comments and instead, put a hand on his chest and tried pushing him away. Looking to the side to avoid his laughs slapping her in the face, Hera's face of shock and pain was the first thing Demeter saw when she entered the gardens. Blinking a few times as she looked at the pair, Poseidon laughing loudly and Hera trying to shove him away, the harvest goddess only had a few seconds to wonder how this scene had even come to this point. When Hera finally noticed her sister enter, she sidestepped the sea god and pulled her hands off his chest, causing him to calm down and glance to the newcomer.
Now the relationship between Poseidon and Demeter had been strange and tense since the story of her alleged rape. Both sides were fairly determined that is was not as the other portrayed it and no one was willing to do much about it. It was no secret that Poseidon was not the most sensual lover and he had forced himself on many women before meeting Amphitrite, but they had almost always been mortals. The link between his lack of compassion for mortals and raping them was justified in many gods' minds, but when Demeter claimed he had raped her, it didn't sit well. It was before he had married and he had been pursuing Demeter for a wife. The harvest goddess resisted marriage but was no stranger to love. After quite some time of pursuit, Poseidon was suddenly not interested in taking her for a wife anymore. Demeter claimed rape and he blew up at the idea, sinking a few islands in the process. He claimed she had teased him, taking him to secret places and then rejecting him. Since Zeus refused to intervene and Hera attempted to marry Demeter off to protect her, nothing had been truly solved and their relationship deteriorated. Poseidon had since come to forget the occurrence and Demeter begrudgingly acted like she forgave him, but they still were often awkward and snapped at each other in council meetings.
It was not uncommon, then, that Poseidon glanced to Demeter and smiled, only to receive no polite look in return. Hera's glance to the sea god affirmed that he should leave and he nodded to both of them individually before walking passed Demeter. Her head remained still while her eyes followed him and when she glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was gone, she sighed as she turned back to Hera, placing her hands over her face.
"She finally told the truth," Demeter mumbled through her hands. Hera's mouth pinched together as she tried to fight off any immediate comment that would mostly likely not go over very well. The struggle between Demeter and Persephone had lasted much too long in her mind. She understood the lesson Demeter had been trying to teach, but it seemed much more exhausting than it was worth. Trying to be sympathetic, Hera stepped forward to pull her sister into a hug, sighing as she placed her chin on Demeter's bowed head and looked up into the sky.
"This is for the better," Hera tried to reassure her, though that idea had been difficult to instill in the goddess for years. Demeter shook her head within the hug, causing Hera to roll her eyes upwards, trying desperately to control her patience. Just when she thought she might chastise her sister, the harvest goddess' arms wrapped around Hera's waist and pulled her into a hug. Hera's eyes widened suddenly as her suddenly sobbing sister gripped her tightly.
A sudden rush of guilt washed over the Queen's face and she closed her eyes, letting Demeter press her face into her robes. Hera had never known the strong bond between a mother and child, especially not a daughter. She had taken all of the gods and goddesses of Olympus up as her own children, even those of Zeus' and another woman, and thus had a difficult time giving a specific and endearing attachment to her own. She would on occasion side with her children over someone else's, but more often than not they were in the wrong (such as Ares) and she had no choice. Hebe had come the closest to establishing a permanent relationship between them, until Hera was forced to accept Hercules onto Olympus and thus accepting Hebe's marriage to him. Hera had simply become used to children growing up, marrying and seeing her as a Queen rather than a mother. Her eyes grew heavy and sad as she thought on about how lucky Demeter had been to have had this long with Persephone, even if under strained circumstances. Pulling her sister tightly into her arms, the pair stood in the garden with the wind and Demeter's sobs echoing through the solemn trees that mourned every mother's worst day.
Poseidon scratched his jaw line as he wandered the halls of Olympus, searching for something to help pass the time. Hades was no where to be seen, Dionysus was most likely still asleep and Hestia was a crafty goddess, hiding from public sight better than any chameleon. One of the more surprising gods to be hidden was Aphrodite, someone who the sea god had come to know as a nosey goddess who enjoyed the company of many. Yawning loudly, he turned down another empty hall and was briefly reminded of how hallow the place had become the last time he visited just as the Sleep was happening. It had been unnerving to see so many of his family unmoving and forced into a perpetual nap. Within the first few months, he recalled being paranoid every time his wife or son would take a nap or go to sleep. After a few years he had settled with the idea of his family being immune, but it didn't make the event less troubling.
Sighing loudly just to make some noise in the hallway, he actually caught the attention of Psyche who had been around the corner. The goddess slipped out from behind the wall, seeing the god's back and cleared her throat quietly, causing him to spin around quickly. His wide eyes softened and he smiled when he looked upon the hazelnut colored hair that cascaded over her shoulders. She smiled back but reluctantly, as she was more worried than happy to see him.
"Do you know what's going on?" she asked quietly and he looked at her inquisitively, wondering exactly what she was missing out on. Often the council was pretty lousy at handing down information to the other gods and unless Hermes was directly ordered to do so, he avoided it. Poseidon smiled briefly at her and nodded, motioning her to follow him down the hallway, which she obliged.
"That's a heavy question," he started off casually, not exactly sure where to start. "What is it you know?"
"Well," Psyche started as she looked up to the ceiling, trying to recall all that she heard and sort through the rumors. It had taken quite awhile for her to wake up and by the time she did, so much had already come to pass. Tapping her finger on her lip, she nervously smiled as she glanced to him and shrugged. "Besides what people are whispering and Zeus yelling down the hall for Ares and Athena, not much."
"Ah – they're defending Artemis," he mentioned quietly, scanning her face for a reaction. When she nodded, frowning slightly at the thought of Artemis needing aid, he placed his large hand on her shoulder and winked. "Don't worry so much, my dear. If it was serious, Hades and I would be down there with them."
Of course, Poseidon wasn't entirely aware of what was happening enough to know that as fact, but it was a decent guess. He enjoyed a good brawl and would gladly step in to help out, but he often created more problems than Zeus was willing to take on – Poseidon's collateral damage for the mortals was always catastrophic. Hades never stepped in to fight unless asked to do so – it simply wasn't his style, which the sea god found unfortunate because he was a skilled and strong fighter. Should the situation be more than Zeus and the others could handle, Hermes would have been sent for them. That's when they would know things were bad.
"Where is Eros?" he asked suddenly, looking about as if the winged god would be lingering about. Psyche sighed, shaking her head, obviously not happy with her husband currently.
"He thinks things are too boring and serious up here," she moped. She took the events with a heavy heart, worried for them and their future while her husband had seemed to jump right back into his normal routine and attitudes. "He's on Earth, 'working'."
"Ah," Poseidon grinned at her tone, recognizing the subtle emphasis on certain words to get her opinion across without actually saying it. Females, in his experience, had such a marvelous way of expressing everything they thought and felt without ever saying a direct word of it. It was both amazing and frustrating at the same time. Just as his mind wandered to his wife and how she could wield words like a hero with a sword, he heard a female clear her throat behind the pair. Both turned to look back behind them, Poseidon's hand still lingering over Psyche's shoulder and they both saw Amphitrite at the same time. The goddess had her arms crossed and she was tapping her foot, staring Poseidon down like he had just stole something from her. Psyche immediately moved away from the sea god, pulling her shoulder out from underneath his hand but he didn't seem to notice: Poseidon smiled, lifting his hands into the air.
"Amphy, I was just thinking about you!" he exclaimed loudly as he took a step towards her and she hummed something, lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah?" she asked in a fake surprise. Not immediately understanding her annoyance, he glanced over his shoulder to look back at Psyche who had disappeared and he suddenly connected the dots. Laughing slightly, he extended his arms for a hug and was greeted with a snort.
"Come on – you missed me," he teased, beckoning her into the hug with his hands and grinning at her. Her nose curled up for a moment, resisting the urge to laugh at his foolish looking face and she shook her head.
"No, of course not," she tried to spit out harshly, but it came out more defensive than anything else. "But something's going on and you're not telling me."
"Oh?" he rhetorically replied, lifting an eyebrow. He was greeted with a glare.
"What's going on? Why haven't you come back?" she demanded with her arms on her waist.
Realizing he was still standing there with his arms spread out wide, Poseidon finally dropped them to his sides as he stepped closer to his wife, still grinning. He was going to get a fond hello from her, one way or another. Her light green eyes peered at him, judging his movements with a questioning look until she realized what he was doing all too late: she let out a cry while trying to turn around to flee, but his arms were too long and fast. He had enclosed her in a tight hug and he leaned forward towards her, pursing his lips out for a kiss. She sneered playfully as she eyeballed his wet lips and continually leaned away, groaning loudly. She protested until his lips landed on her cheek and they turned into an 'aww', accepting defeat and sighing. Poseidon started to laugh with his lips still touching her cheek and when he pulled away only a few inches to laugh, she let out a groan and tried to lift a hand to her ear. When he didn't let go over her and she couldn't soften the blow of his laugh, she kicked him in the chin. Poseidon let out a small grunt, immediately letting her go to peer down at his leg and she put a hand up to her ear, closing one eye while looking at him.
"You're so loud," she explained exasperated. Even after many centuries of living with him, she could never get used to that powerful voice of his.
"Didn't have to kick me," he mumbled under his breath, which sounded a lot like a child pouting. Amphitrite finally softened her annoyed face to grin at him, glad to have obtained the upper hand in the situation. Having forgotten the reason she had angry with him, she sent a smug look to Poseidon, which sent him into a small frenzy of thinking how to get her mad again (a sport that was relatively easy, but always fun nonetheless) and he suddenly shrugged casually. "I guess you don't need to know what's happening."
"Oh -!" she said with a surprise, her eyes widening and her grin completely vanishing. She had gained and lost control within the blink of an eye and she pointed a finger at him, stepping forward to poke him in the chest. "This isn't the time to be joking about things like that! Tell me what exactly is going on!"
Poseidon only grinned in response to the poking, still playfully enjoying her antics a and upon demanding for information, he simply shrugged, knowing full well she hated to be left out. Amphitrite's eyes grew twice their size but this time not out of surprise – out of fury. She put her hands up next to her head, her fingers sprawled out as if she were going to tear the hair out of her head right then and there. Instead, she clasped her hands shut into fists and let out a frustrated half-scream, where she was loud enough to show her irritation but not loud enough to be serious. This was the moment were Poseidon began to enjoy their arguments the most, which would proceed to provoke her rage even more. He wasn't sure exactly what it was about her that was so endearing – perhaps the mannerisms she carried when angry or simply the fact that she would be so frustrated so quickly – but he lived for these moments. His lips curled slowly upwards as he watched her attempt to contain the boiling anger, which was pushed overboard by the smile.
"WHAT?" she asked loudly, her eyebrows high on their forehead.
"I love you," Poseidon calmly and softly stated, smiling at her as he stepped closer. All at once, the steam in her was scattered and her face calmed down, though the look of surprise was still laced all over her. Traditionally, they fought; they would argue, raise hell in the waters, argue some more and potentially destroy a boat or city. Only after a few days apart did they forget or forgive each other and return to their daily lives, until another argument a few days (or hours) later. Only a few times in their history did they ever forgive each other quickly and even then, it was begrudgingly or demanded of them.
Her hands were still in the air, as if she was ready to pounce, but they slowly started to fall as she blinked, staring into his blue eyes as if searching for a hint of a cruel joke. When no laugh followed, Amphitrite's lips curled into a small smile and she put her arms out, attempting to wrap around her husband though she didn't quite make it all the way around his large torso. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, hugging him tightly. He bowed his head down to kiss her forehead while his arms enwrapped her tightly. They held each other just long enough for time to pass and the world around them to spring to life again.
It was Zeus' voice that carried through the hallway and while Amphitrite pulled away first, Poseidon stood still trying to make the words out. He didn't sound panicked, a good first sign, but authoritative and demanding. He heard the names his brother called out for and he groaned. Amphitrite's nose curled up, offended at the constant isolation of the council from the rest of Olympus. Giving off an apologizing shrug, Poseidon turned from his wife and headed down towards the council chambers, where he and the original six children of Cronus were to discuss the current situation privately.