Weeks passed by and neither mortal or goddess made an attempt to contact each other again after that morning. Adiya thought it to be extremely awkward whenever Hera caught her leaving her bedroom after spending the afternoon with Zeus, and Hera found it uncomfortable every time she shared meals with Zeus and Adiya. The two seldom spoke to each other but that was hardly a problem. The real problem was the gossip.
It was remarkable to hear all the rumors spreading around even without having the fuel to start the fire. Some said Hera was biding her time, meticulously planning Adiya's downfall. Others said Adiya finally put Hera in her place. While very few said Zeus and Hera were in the midst of a divorce and Adiya and Zeus were actually engaged.
They caught on so quickly they made the front cover of Olympus Weekly, a tabloid magazine that specialized in publicizing the private drama within the Olympians' lives. At reading this, Zeus finally decided it was time to put the tittle-tattle to an end. Once again he proved to Hera how much control he had over her life. He made the morning stroll she took with Adiya all those weeks ago a mandatory thing and, of course, she had to oblige.
That's how she found herself walking to her gardens to meet Adiya the next morning. She sighed, she was gonna go there anyway, she wanted to check on how well her poppies were fairing. She heard from Demeter and Hestia that when mixed in a tea they could help the drinker feel at ease and make any ache go away. She was hoping this to be true. Maybe Adiya would disappear if she drank a cup. Maybe Zeus would stay faithful if she took two cups. Artemis and Aphrodite would probably move away or disappear if she took three or four. Maybe if she took ten Athena would finally shut the fuck up and Ares would get married and she would finally have legitimate grandchildren.
The thought about the poppies immediately left her mind as she found Adiya waiting for her at the fountain, reaching into the water. The sun glistened off her beige dress. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and, as always, she was barefoot. Who did this girl think she was? Snow White?
She cleared her throat in order to catch the mortal's attention and the latter sprang upright, water dripping from her closed hand.
"Leave those coins there. Unless you want me to label you as a thief, too."
~o0o~
"So what's up with the accent? Is it aesthetic or were you actually born with it?" Adiya wondered. The two women had sat down at a bench to rest up a bit, they were already sweating from the morning sun's heat. Hera could already tell today was gonna be a bitch.
However.
At the mention of her accent Hera's usual frown turned into a very small smile.
"Some years ago, I wanted to go to England, but I never found the time to go and just tour around. I wanted to visit on good terms, too. So my first time with it wasn't tainted. And then, Zeus found out and as an anniversary gift we went to live in London for a year," Adiya nodded in understanding. "You caught the accent."
Hera nodded, letting out a soft sigh, and then she shook herself gently out of the memory. She looked over at Adiya,"Have you ever visited another country?"
Adiya shook her head,"What about another state?"
Again, she shook her head,"City?"
"No. I've never been outside of LA in my life. Let alone Reseda."
Hera rose her eyebrows in shock. She always seemed to forget that mortals couldn't astro travel the way gods could. She almost felt sorry for the poor girl. She looked over to the rising sun deep in thought.
"But...I have always wanted to visit Sweden. I hear it's a very nice place...is it?" She looked up at Hera hopefully.
Hera shrugged,"I...suppose. Probably a lot of IKEA stores there."
"Yeah, probably...wait. Probably? You don't know?"
Hera stayed quiet,"But you're a goddess. You've been alive for years and you've never gone?"
Hera huffed,"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was required to visit third world countries."
Adiya rolled her eyes,"Not all third world countries are as bad as you think."
"You say that because you've never gone outside of LA or Olympus; the southern hemisphere is even worst," Hera scoffed.
"You do realize Greece is a third world country too, right?" Adiya rose an eyebrow.
An awkward silence followed and then Hera cleared her throat,"I believe we're done here."
Hera stood straightening the wrinkles in her dress while Adiya suppressed a smile. As Hera walked away from the young girl she suddenly turned back to her,"Would you like to visit it sometime?"
Adiya looked up at her confused,"What?"
"Would you like to visit Sweden sometime?"
Adiya stared on in shock. Hera looked her in the eye waiting for an answer. Adiya, unsure as to how to respond, nodded. Hera mimicked the gesture,"Alright." And walked away.
~o0o~
The throne room was replete with cheer and music. The gods danced, clapped, and skipped to the rhythm coming from the instruments of the Muses. Apollo let loose his voice as he sang a song in homage to one of his grandchildren, some famous singer called Vicente Fernandez. Hestia didn't really know who he was, but as Apollo sang Por Tu Maldito Amor, she couldn't help but fall in love with the lyrics and music. Even if she didn't have a clue as to what they meant.
She looked over at Adiya as the mortal sang her heart out,
"Prefiero la derrota entre mis manos
Si ayer tu nombre tanto pronuncie
Hoy mÃrame rompiéndome los labios"
"What does that mean?" she asked her.
"Oh, it's a song about heartbreak and betrayal and-"
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I asked what the lyrics meant," she said rather impatiently.
Adiya rubbed her neck,"I'm not the best translator. Especially, with Spanish songs, but the part I just sang, translated into English, is 'I prefer defeat in my hands/Yesterday your name I pronounced so much/Today look at me breaking my lips.' "
Hestia gained a thoughtful glint, pondering over the words for a moment. She made a connection to the song with Hera's relationship with Zeus and felt herself become upset. Containing her composure she opened her mouth to respond when Hermes' gleeful voice echoed.
"Welcome gods, major and minor! We thank you all joining us here tonight on July 17, 1995! Especially considering whose birthday it is today!"
There was a low rumble of chuckles as Hestia squirmed in her seat a little.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate our very own, Queen Hera's birthday!"
There was a polite sound of applause. Now it was Adiya's turn to become upset. The past two years she noticed the lack of enthusiasm and energy in the days that honored Hera. She remembered the cheers of glee when Olympus had been celebrating the birth day of Apate, the goddess of deceit whose personality was just as hateful as the subject she personified. In fact, Apate appeared in many Zeus and Hera stories, she even praised the goddess when Hera disguised herself as an old hag and tricked Semele, Dionysus' mother, into having Zeus reveal his true form to her. Her thoughts were interrupted as Hermes resumed his speech. "Well, gods and goddesses, Zeus should be arriving with his lovely bride any moment now, remember! Stay classy and smile!"
As Herme left the stage Adiya and Hestia could hear the bitter whispers of the other gods nearest to them,"Smile? Why do I gots to smile when she ain't ever as so much as given me a kind word."
"Stay classy. She's a queen. Why can't she go buy herself some. Stuck up, bitch."
But one phrase Adiya heard that really struck a nerve came from Artemis herself,"Lovely bride? With Adiya around, that won't last long."
Adiya stood from her chair, but Hestia grabbed her by the hem of the dress and pulled her back down. Hestia sent a chilling glare in the direction of Artemis who looked down at her plate rather guiltily. Hestia then directed her gaze toward the mortal. Adiya stared at her rusty eyes. They complimented the red headband that decorated her short, black hair. Adiya looked away from those blame ridden eyes down at the Greek robes that hung loosely from the goddess.
The giant oak doors of the throne room creaked open.
Everyone's gaze flew over to the entrance where the royal couple stood. Zeus in all his glory dressed for a meeting and Hera next to him.
Any bad word of her ceased immediately as she stepped into the room with a confident stride. Her brown hair was done in a high bun with a few strands hanging underneath it like spider legs and she wore a sparkling, wine dress which flowed behind her with every step she took. She held her head up high as her golden crown gleaming elatedly. Zeus held her hand, guiding her to her seat behind the long table that was reserved for the Olympians.
It was probably a span of two minutes. But to Adiya. It felt like thirty as everyone gawked and admired the goddess. A young, redheaded woman of blue eyes and freckles cleared her throat. Adiya recognized her as Iris, the girl she would see Zeus flirt with and fail every time she passed by the temple to have a meeting with Hera. No one had payed her any mind so she spread out a pair of golden wings hidden behind her back and flapped them, the wind gust causing napkins to fly.
Hera directed her attention to Iris, but Iris' words were lost on Adiya as she kept her gaze on Hera. The room around her became a blur until Hera was the only thing in the room she could see. Her plump, red lips were in their usual scowl but somehow that frown made her seem even more beautiful. Her large, brown eyes gleamed with pride and Adiya couldn't help but sigh. A heavy weight that had gotten caught in her chest, was let loose and Adiya felt herself melt on the table. Resting her head in her hand and her elbow on the flat surface she admired the goddess from afar a small smile spreading on her own lips.
Hestia wasn't paying much attention to Iris either. She was watching Adiya. She assumed she was staring at Zeus and could feel the anger rise in her. It was quickly replaced with confusement as Zeus stood and made his way to Iris to recite his own speech venerating Hera, and Adiya's eyes didn't follow him. Realizing who had really caught her attention, Hestia gave the mortal a pitiful smile and gave back her attention to her brother.
~o0o~
All night long, Hera received compliment after compliment. She had never felt more loved. Usually, she could tell the hint of sarcasm or irony in the voices of the gods she spoke with, but not one. Not one. Gave her any kind of trouble. She knew the goddesses she wasn't speaking to were giving her the evil eye and were talking about her while her back was turned, but for once. For once. They were the ones filled with envy. They were the ones who were jealous. And they were jealous of her.
She didn't smile. She didn't have to. Anyone who looked her in the eye could tell they seemed a bit softer today, with a bright glint. And that was enough.
As she held up a conversation with Iris, she could see Hestia walk up to Apollo out the corner of her eye. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded in response. As Hestia walked away, he relayed what he had just been told to the muses and they nodded as well.
The muses played their instruments and Euterpe and Apollo began to sing together,
"Simasia den mou dineis
kai trelainesai
paristaneis oti pineis
alla fainesai."
Hera looked over at Hestia who was currently speaking to Adiya. Why this song? Why would Hestia want to listen to this song? She excused herself from her conversation with Iris and inched closer.
"Esy gia mena tha patheis erota
ki ego gia sena tha kindynepso.
Me ta vremena kai t' asiderota
tis aliteias tha vgainoume exo."
"That line means: 'You will fall for me/and I'll be in danger for you./With the wet and rough-dry clothes/of the vagabonds we'll be getting out.' " Hestia explained.
Adiya nodded,"What about that verse?"
" 'You pay no attention to me/and you talk/continuously to the person next to me,/you're getting exposed.' "
"What about-"
"Does there seem to be a problem here, sister?" Hera intervened. Hestia looked back at Hera with a very gentle shake of the head,"No, sister. None at all. I was simply translating the lyrics of this song to Adiya. She still hasn't learned our mother tongue despite living with us for at least two years."
"Is that so. We should send her to Athena, fates know she'll educate her. Especially if she goes on another one of her rants. She'll be forced to learn the language."
Adiya gave a slight blush,"I would learn. But all the books are in Greek and no one has the time to take me to the mortal world so I can take classes there."
"Why not ask me, child? You know I would've taken you away in a heart break," Hera responded.
Adiya gave Hera a small, amused smile,"I didn't want to bother you."
Hera nodded,"How considerate. Well, let's go now."
"Hera," Adiya chuckled.
"No, I'm serious. I've been meaning to show you something I found down there, anyway. It'll only take a minute."
Adiya gave Hera a suspicious gaze. Hera sighed and held up her hand as if taking an oath,"I swear on the River Styx that no harm will come to you if you were to accompany me to the mortal world."
There's was a muffled rumble of thunder outside which signaled the legitimacy of the promise, and with that, Adiya and Hera walked out of the throne room together.
~o0o~
I am very sorry for the long update. I had such a bad case of writer's block and when I did write something the two main characters sounded like completely different people. You all also have to remember that I have school to look after, doesn't help much that my phone was taken away so I can't exactly work on the chapter if I can't access the website itself. But I still would like to thank everyone who has stuck with me so far and supported me and encouraged me to write this chapter.
The two songs I have referenced in this chapter are called Por Tu Maldito Amor and Tha Patheis Erota by Vicente Fernandez and Haris Alexiou, respectively. I recommend you go listen to them!
~LionCub 101