AN: Greek mythology has always been a topic of great interest to me, after all what there not to love? it has exciting action and epic quests, compiling drama and tragic romances, and of course, morally dubious gods and heroes to root for(or to curse).
Perhaps what most surprising(at least for me) is that my first story diving into this amazing world of myths and monsters, is center around the most dysfunctional relationship of them all.
Of course, it should be noted, to avoid any confusion, that this fan-fic is less geared towards retelling any particular myth but more towards dealing my interpretation regarding the overall relationship between Hera and Zeus.
Anyways without any further delays, Please enjoy.
It was only when she took a bite of her sandwich that Hera truly became irritated.
It had been nearly a whole hour before a waiter had bother showing up at her table and taken her order (in a very unpleasant manner, she may add.).
(No doubt, she thought drily, choosing to deliberately ignore the strangely dressed young women in favor of attending other more promising customers that carried more cash.),
And it had taken another hour before her breakfast finally arrived. Worse, everything on her plate looked quite unappetizing and cold, and the tea was barely lukewarm.
Idiots, idiots.
She sighed as she waved her hand impatiently. Immediately the food transformed from a frozen leftover to a splendid brunch, her cup now streaming with heat. If I were not their queen, I would have half a mind to burn this entire restaurant to ashes... but alas.
…
Then again, look on the bright side, she thought as she took a cautious sip from her cup, it could have been much worse.
"Ah, well now, isn't this a lovely surprise?"
Startled out of her thoughts, she quickly looked up to find a well-dressed man staring back at her, his fiery blue eyes sparking with amusement,
Speak of the devil...
He was remarkable tall and muscular, hovering over her own small figure as he were a giant. Incidentally, he was astonishing handsome, his tan face shining with a healthy glow of good health and strength. Judging by the small streaks of grey found within his long blonde hair, wrapped neatly in a tight bun, it was obvious that the man was long past his youth, most likely to be in his early to mid thirties.
A fitting image, she mused to herself, for the high and mighty king of Olympus.
And for a notorious womaniser.
"Zeus."
"What a pleasure it is to see you, my darling." The king of the gods said with a dazzling smile as he took a seat across the table, "My humble apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you like that, my dear."
"No, no need to apologize, little brother, you didn't frighten me."
"Ah. Good, good! What a relief to hear, for a moment you were- I- eh, never mind that! Where are my manners? It has been ages since we last spoke here in the moral realm, much less Olympus. Everyone has been so anxious to receive news of your good fortune and eventually return, my sweet darling."
Upon hearing this, Hera nearly snorted in a very un-lady like fashion. Indeed, it had been close to a hundred years since she had last seen Zeus and the rest of her dysfunctional family before she had embarked upon her latest self-exile from the court of the gods. But for a deathless goddess such as herself, a century or so was worth absolutely nothing in her perceptive. A merely little pebble in in vast ocean that was the existence of eternity.
It was practically the same as watching one's own child going out and coming back in after throwing out the trash.
Perhaps because of this, a small smile flickered across her lips as if she were amused by the mere thought of her family's suppose concern for her. A wily (and rubbish) lie in which only an utter idiot would ever consider to be true.
Oh, my foolish brother, what nonsense you allow to slip through your crooked teeth.
Still, mindful of whom presence she stood in, she simply offered a polite nod, "Ah, how kind of them. I do so miss my family so terribly. I would love nothing more then come back home, but alas; I am far too busy. Please do give them my sincerest regards."
"Hmmm? And what exactly my dear, are you so busy with?"
"Eating." She replied seriously after a pause, taking a large bite out of her eggs, "I am eating."
At this, the king of the gods blinked. He stared at her with an unreadable expression before erupting into an uncontrollable fit of laugher, his entire body shaking and hurling as his arms wrapped themselves tightly around his chest.
"Hahahahahaahahahahaahahahahaahahahaha!"
Well, this was quite… unexpected. Then again, is it really that surprising? My brother is the sort of fool to laugh himself to death over the most trivial matters…
"Hahahahaha, Ah how shameless, how shameless indeed!" Zeus finally cried out in between laughs; tears were beginning to form at the corner of his eyes, "I had forgotten what sort of nasty creature you can be at times! Have you no ounce of shame, my dear?"
"No, I am afraid not." The goddess replied calmly, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement, "It would be against my very own nature to give up so easily this silver tongue of mine."
"Indeed, indeed. Who am I to deny my own wife's own talents?" The king of the gods said with a light chuckle, "But enough of that, tell me the truth now, no more of your cunning words from that sharp tongue of yours, what are you exactly doing here in such a lonesome place?"
…
"Come on now, do not take me for a fool. There are no mortals for you to 'bless' their unions with your infinite wisdom here."
…
…
"… I do trust that you're not getting into any unpleasant mischief?"
"No brother, I am not."
"Truly? Because if I remember correctly, the last time that you were here in this lovely little country over four hundred years ago, you came up with that shameful plan to avenge yourself against poor Fat Hal*, roped our sweet Eileithyia* into your revenge scheme and wrecked utter havoc upon that man's family for nearly ninety years!"
"Indeed." The golden eyed goddess said with a small shrug, her fingers lazily playing with the curls of her black hair "Although, if I remember correctly, you were the one who granted me permission to pay him back for his insults to my honor."
"…Yes, I suppose I did do that." Zeus murmured timidly, shaking his head in annoyance as his mind wandered back to those old unpleasant days, "Still, what a terrible mess you made back then. And it was a terrible mess I needed to clean up."
…
"Oh, how awful it was! Absolutely awful! Just thinking about it is causing me another headache. How many times did I needed to listen to them bicker and moan like spoil little children? Apollo, Athena, all our(your) sweat lovey children, all treating me if I was some lowly slave, I swear-"
And it was here that she lost complete interest in the conversation and begin tuning out Zeus's voice. A part of her felt some pity for ignoring him in such a manner, but in truth, she wasn't in the mood to listen to another his needless tirades. She had already spent a lifetime listening to her brother sulk and whine about the terrible burden that the throne brought upon him every passing day…
Pitiful really.
The more and more he went on talking, it was becoming quite obvious to her that the mighty and high king of Olympus, despite his overbearing presence, was only here out of a wild whim. There was no hidden motive, no grand scheme that laid underneath his words.
It was only just empty banter, the type that someone would use in a half-heart attempt to reconcile themselves with anyone kind (or foolish) enough to listen to them and their hollow words.
Oh.
Upon realising this small epiphany, for the first time in many, many years, Hera laughed.
"By the gods, you're just lonely, aren't you?"
She had said it so bluntly and reckless that it caused the king of the gods to nearly to tumble out of his chair.
"I-I, What? What? What nonsense!" The king of the gods cried out, "What on earth would make you say that my dear?"
"…"
Again, she found herself staring at her brother. This time however, upon a closer examination, it was easier to spot the little details that shattered the illusion that he was desperately trying to maintain in front of her; the fake smiles that he kept plastering upon his face, the dark rings that hide under his tired eyes, the way his body stiffed at her accusation.
And there is the fact you are here, all by yourself talking with me instead of wasting your time chasing some poor unassuming women.
"Call it an educated guess."
"…If that was supposed to be one of your jests, I dare say that it was made in rather poor taste." Zeus said after quickly regaining his composure. Despite his smile, his eyes however refuse to meet her own,
"Me lonely? Ridiculous! I would have you know that if I hadn't spotted you here, I was going to go on head and enjoy a nice morning brunch with Poseidon and Hades!"
"Zeus-"
"Yes, a lovely morning brunch for some good old brotherly bounding. And after that, I think I will pay a visit to our lovely boy Hephaestus and-
A faint smile played upon her lips, "Zeus, you really, really are a terrible liar."
His face turned quite pink upon hearing that. How cute.
…
For a while, they sat in utter silence. Hera hummed quietly to herself as she watched several customers entered in and out of the small restaurant, her fingers taping impatiently upon the table's wooden surface, waiting for Zeus to finally throw in the towel and-
"And what if you're right?"
She froze, "What?"
"I said, what if you're right?" Zeus said earnestly, his blue eyes were staring at her with such intensity that it nearly caused her to blush in shame and look away from his piercing gaze.
It was the first time since he had arrived, she faintly noted, that was no trace of any smile on his face,
"That I'm a miserable lonely old man has been an utter fool his entire life. A bitter old man who has no one left in this cold unforgiving world to love him or to love."
"What would you say then?"
For a brief second, she was left speechless, shock even. It had been a very, very long time since she had seen him this way, humbled and regretful. Two words she would never consider assorting with the high and mighty king of Olympus.
To think that he would humble himself in such a manner.
All for my sake.
It almost made her to believe him. That he was indeed sorry, sorry for everything that he had put her through since they had exchanged their wedding vows all those millennia ago…
But alas.
In end, it was only when she looked up to the bright blue sky that stood above them, and remember how dark it had been nearly a few mere hours ago that she closed her eyes and found the resolve to give her answer,
"I would say that I would feel very sorry for you little brother."
…
When she opened her eyes, Zeus was gone. She was alone once more.
…Coward. As always, you could not even mutter up the courage to accept my rejection.
She stood up and was about leave when she noticed a small white note that she had not seen before lying on the edge of the table. Briefly, she toyed with the idea that it was a message that Zeus had scramble in writing for a last-minute attempt to soften the blow of his abrupt departure. For a lingering moment, a fragile hope entered her heart.
Instead, it was just the bill for her meal.
£ 25…* for an egg, one breed, two sausages…and tea.
…
Screw this. Screw all of this.
With a snap of her fingers, black smoke began pouring out of the restaurant. She calmly sat back down and took another sip of her black tea. Her pale fingers strengthen their tight grip around the cup.
Then again, perhaps it was unfair of me. I really should not have expected anything new from you, Zeus.
Soon, people began tromping and screaming their way out the building as it quickly became engulfed by flames. The ringing fire alarms howled loudly into the empty streets.
Monsters like us can never hope to change their nature .
AN: Thanks for reading.
Some notes;
*Fat Hal is a reference to Henry VIII of England(1491-1547 AD), Most famous(or infamous) for marrying six times throughout his life, most ending in sketchy divorces or beheadings. Not a very nice guy. He also somewhat kick-started the Protestant reformation for his country after the Pope refuse to grant a divorce.
* Eileithyia was the Greek goddess of Childbirth & Midwifery. She is considered one of the few trueborn children of Zeus and Hera.
* £ 25 is roughly worth around $43 in Canadian dollars