Her ears rang. Her body stang. She couldn't see. Tears blurred her vision. She held Adiya close to her. She looked up. She could see the sky darkening with smoke. Off in the distance she could see the news vans. The sounds of sirens and screams mixed together and added onto the ringing. On her back, she could feel the eyes of the ethereal watching her. Her knees scraped with the rubble of the building. She let out a cry of pain and held tightly onto Adiya. She didn't care if Zeus saw her. She didn't care who saw her. She wanted Adiya back. It's my fault. This is all my fault. She's gone, and it's because of me. Why-why-why did it have to be this? Of all the ways...why like this?

Hera let out a simian cry and she sat up in her bed. The moon's rays shone through the drapes again but it did little in lighting the room tonight. Her heart pounded in its chest. Her hair was a disheveled mess on her head and she had her hand over her stomach again. She let out a quiet sigh, the room was cold tonight giving her shivers due to her sweaty body.

She looked over at Zeus. His back was to her. Blankets covered both of their lower halves. His breathing had a steady rhythm to it. Similar to Adiya's breathing, calm and peaceful. What did he dream about that made him sleep so peacefully and deeply?

She was cold. She was tired. She wanted to see Adiya, but the blankets were so warm. She lay back down next to him. She hugged his waist. She wanted to feel the comfort of someone else. Someone she could lay with without consequences.

"Zeus," she croaked. The god didn't make a noise. "Zeus," she said a bit louder. Nothing. She placed her forehead on the small of his back and sighed. Her hand ran up and rested on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, her hand rose with his breathing.

She was beginning to fall asleep when she felt his hand fall on top of hers. She looked up at him and she could see his eyes, they glimmered like two pieces of coal, in the dark, "Hera?"

He turned over and she separated from him, "What are you doing?"

"I, I had woken up from a nightmare."

Zeus rose a brow, "Oh?" Her cue to continue.

"I-I had dreamt that I-that I had lost the-the love of my life. It frightened me awake. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I didn't mean to distur-" she was cut off with him hugging her.

She took in his scent. She could never describe it, but it was pleasant. It reminded her of the times Zeus could be loving and kind. He would kiss her forehead and she'd have an arm or two wrapped around him. They'd kiss and talk. They'd never leave each other's gaze lonely. The nights were warm, they would spend them watching the big screen TV in their bedroom. Often their cuddling would turn into something more erotic and they'd find themselves naked under the sheets in the morning.

She rested her head on his chest and the two cuddled together. They hadn't slept like this in awhile. Hera smiled, her mind was at peace. She had forgotten the reason she had woken. She began to close her eyes when she felt his hand on the back of her head and he began to caress her hair lovingly. She sighed and held him tighter, taking in more of his scent.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here by your side, always," he chuckled. "Until I die."

Hera felt herself go cold. Adiya's limp body was in her arms. Metal, glass, and concrete dug into her skin, biting away at her pain. The ringing in her ears returned and all she could take in was an acrid, burning kind of smell. A mixture of vaporized, burnt plastic, electronics, paper, wood, steel and concrete, fuel, and ozone. It stung her eyes and irritated her nose. She buried her face in the mortal's neck, trying to remember what it was like to breathe in crisp air. When she opened her eyes she was back in her room.

Zeus had fallen asleep again still holding onto her. Her eyes scanned him. Until he dies, he was immortal. That was the punchline. They'd be together forever, whether she liked it or not. Adiya didn't have a punchline. If she dies that was the end of the joke. She had no redos. She couldn't have the luxury of just being patient enough to outlive her least favorite humans. She couldn't wait until the next audience came in and gave her a second chance with the joke.

Whatever it was Hera dreamed of, it was a bad omen.

But...

What if it wasn't? Dreams often had meanings to them. Maybe it was one of those things that was symbolic in a depressing way. She stretched up and kissed Zeus tenderly on the lips and smiled. She'd go with Morpheus. Ask him about it. If anything, she could make her immortal. She wouldn't ask the council for permission, she'll just take her. Zeus had done it. Artemis does it all the time, to this day.

She just needed to make sure Adiya stayed a virgin, just enough time to figure out whether immortality was a way out of the situation. Just enough time to figure out whether she needed diplomacy or impulsiveness to solve the problem. She began to formulate a plan to see how she'd get Adoya to spring and everything that was to happen after.

Once she had a solid idea she began to slip out of Zeus' arms when she felt them tighten around her. She looked up at him and his eyes had opened again, "Where are you going this time?"

She froze. Did he know? Had he known since the first day? She opened her mouth to say something in her defense but was cut off with his own dialogue, "Everytime you and I are like this. You and I are together. You leave. Why? Lately, you've been leaving me stranded. Are you trying to give me a taste of spitefulness? What you feel? I don't know what you're doing, but it's pissing me off."

Hera looked up at him, stupefied. Really? When she's not trying she makes him jealous? What kind of fuckery was that?

"Do you still love me?" He asked. Hera went silent. She could only nod.

"I don't believe you."

"I do, Zeus. I swear it. I do."

"I don't believe you," his embrace loosened.

She felt her heart begin to constrict. She was close to tears. Why did she care? He had done so many things. She had Adiya now. Why did she care? She took in his fading scent again and remembered the good he had done when he was with her and her only. She didn't want to forget the few moments of happiness she had gotten from her life as queen. Especially when most of them involved him.

She held onto his shirt tightly and pressed herself on him, "I do care. I do. I love you. Please believe me. Please."

He looked her in the eyes. She felt herself shrink under his gaze but she held it. Her bottom lip quivered. Something inside her was panicking, it wasn't ready to lose two people she had learned to care for. She was ready to drop the gaze when she realized that it was probably to late to convince him when he had pulled her closer. He kissed her.

It was passionate. It made her feel hot. She forgot about the dream. Her previous plan. They both seemed to have forgotten that across the hall there was a mortal guest.

He lay her on her back and continued to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her waist closer to his. She felt his lips trace her jawline. Down her neck.

She shivered. He knew her too damn well. He lingered on her neck, slowly driving her out of her mind. She felt his hand wander from her waist to her bottom and she jumped when she felt him squeeze.

She tilted her head back in pleasure as he went lower. She moaned loudly as his mouth worked on her, entangling her fingers within his hair, she pleaded him to give her release.

And he did, finally rearing up over her and thrusting into her welcoming body. He kissed her deeply and with the combination of his thrusts and her tightening around him in pleasure he was sent over the edge.

In the morning they were still together in union. The sun's rays lit the room. Hera woke first. She found Zeus still on top. His head resting on her breasts one hand over the right nipple.

She sighed. That's when she remembered Adiya. She looked towards the door. Had she heard? Did she sleep through it? Hopefully she hadn't heard Zeus' name being called. Hera still had plans for her. Although sleeping with Zeus was incidental, maybe it'll make her scheme easier to play out.

She felt Zeus stir. She looked down at him. He smiled up at her sleepily, "Good morning, wife."

Hera returned the smile, "Husband."

He reached up and kissed her just as passionately as the night before, his fingers playing with the nipple they found underneath then. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't done. It would be another hour before the two separated again.

She can wait, she thought. There are more pending matters at the moment.

o0o

Adiya walked through Hera's garden. All the plants within seemed to slink away from her, leaning towards the mansion behind her. Adiya smiled as she looked up at the window of the master bedroom. Hera hadn't visited her last night, maybe she didn't have another nightmare last night.

She hadn't run into her in the hallway in the morning. Maybe Hera was sleeping in for once. Fates knew she needed the extra sleep.

She continued strolling through the gardens. Every now and then she'd water the plants with a nearby hose. She eventually made her way back to the fountain and sat on its edge looking into the water at all the coins inside. She felt strange. Like she wasn't alone. She looked up past the fountain down a path that led to the front gate. A figure stood there, blocking the exit.

"Hey!" She called to them.

The figure turned to look at her. It was a young man. He had on a clamide, a form of cape that she commonly saw Hermes wear from time to time or in very old pictures and paintings. He made his way to her and Adiya felt a sense of danger, but she couldn't leave. She had been frozen in place. The man approached her. He was handsome. He had curly brown hair and sun-kissed skin. His red lips were plump and they were pulled into a frown. His eyes entranced her. They were purple, like the grapes she saw growing in Dionysus' vineyard.

He approached her and she couldn't run. He seemed upset. He looked her up and down and scoffed, "You don't seem any different from his usual lot he picks from. What makes you so special? Living amongst the two like if you were their progeny. Didn't Leto warn you not to let it get to your head? Do you think you're actually important."

Adiya went red. She wanted to speak, but her voice had run. He chuckled and cupped her chin, "From one lover to another. He'll forget about you as soon as the next person with a pretty face comes along. You'll be cast aside. The only reason Hera 'likes' you is because she has to. Trust me. She'll make you a trophy on her wall when Zeus forgets you exist."

Adiya wanted to scream. She wanted to say it wasn't true. Who was this person to say what Hera's intentions were. That's when she noticed his bare arm. A long, deep scar ran down it. It was jagged. It traced from his forearm to his inner wrist. He had caught her gaze. She heard him chuckle, "I tell you from experience. She did this once Zeus ran off after Elektra. This is only the surface of what she's done to me. We all have our scars. We all have our stories. Call me when you finally get yours."

He began to turn away and suddenly Adiya's voice came back to her, "That's not true! She cares about me!"

He stopped to look at her, "Why? Because she talks to you?"

"She does! She's given me presents for my birthdays. She and I have visited the world together. She tells me her thoughts, her secrets, she confides in me and she let's me confide in her! She uses the gifts I give her! She wears the dress and sandals I've bought her! She's a wonderful person! She's kind, caring, thoughtful, intelligent. She's beautiful. It's a shame Zeus can't remember that when he's off with people like me, or you."

The young man laughed. It echoed throughout the garden and the plants seemed to tremble with fear or anger or maybe both. His laugh bounced off the wall towards Adiya and she felt her knees become weak.

"You sound like you're in love with her," he looked her in the eye. Adiya held his gaze, she could feel herself go red with embarrassment. He stopped laughing, he seemed to understand.

"How cruel. At least I got a physical torment. But you. That's what makes you special. She had something in mind for you. An example," his eyes were no longer stony. They had melted into a pool of pity. "She plans to break you, you poor thing. At least I had the privilege of her touching me, but you. You'll only be deprived of such an honor. Eventually, you'll die, knowing Hera never wanted you. She only wanted to see you suffer as she dangled herself in front of you. I think I'd prefer the physicality of her cruelty compared to what she's giving you. Welcome to the club."

He turned back around and made his way out of the garden, and then he stopped. He looked back at her and added, "Pray that it won't be eternal, dear mortal."