Greetings!

My sincerest apologies for the turtle update. As much as I wanted to update sooner, life keeps getting in the way. I'm missing my high school days where I get to update every week but oh well.

Also, you guys might notice that in this story it was Prometheus who revealed to Zeus that a son from Metis would overthrow him from the throne. In the mainstream mythology, it is actually Metis herself who reveals this but for the sake of making the plot of this story work, I went with the less popular rendition of that story. I just thought of noting that to avoid confusion for my readers who might be studying Greek Lit in their subs or something haha.

Okay, enjoy!

Lovelots,
FluffyClutchie :)

II

Time flows differently in the void where the Fate resides. It constantly changes its location within the planes of existence and tracking it is virtually impossible. One needs all the luck in the world to stumble upon the place by chance. The only exception to that is Zeus. The three ladies gave him a device that could help him pinpoint where they were in cases of unexpected events. Even with the device, however, their elusiveness is not diminished in the slightest because there are realms that even immortals dare not to tread. Long story short, one will never find the Fates unless they themselves want to be found.

Hera still couldn't believe her luck as she felt the weight of the ring on her thumb. Finding the device was easy as she was Zeus' rightful spouse and confidante. It may be hard to believe but the king of the gods, perfidious as he may be, actually confides everything to his wife everything save for his follies with other women. Zeus also hardly stays in Olympus for too long so finding the time to learn how to use the device was not that difficult. Knowing how the device worked and using its teleportation feature was the real challenge. The device was only a guide to where the Fates were and those three ladies definitely knew it if they were being pursued. It was a wild goose chase. Hera spent centuries chasing the Fates until the day came when she finally met them in the flesh. To her, there was no sweeter victory than that.

Obtaining the ring, however, was only the first step. If she were to get the life that she had always wanted, she would need to start from the very beginning. Immediately transporting herself back to her childhood days would be rash. It was imperative for her to learn as much as she can in the present to see where the bud of the problem is. Hera decided to make a course for Knossos where her mother resides.

Rhea was currently tending to her garden, somehow oblivious to her surroundings as she gazed at her lilies in bliss. That bliss would soon be overcome by sudden wave of fear and surprisingly, longing. She quickly turned around and found a cloaked deity standing by her fence. She could not distinguish whose presence it is, but what alerted her was her Chronos' faint aura. It was faint but she couldn't be mistaken. He was her husband after all, and they have spent eons together despite falling out of marriage. Her emotions were in turmoil as it conflicted with logic. It couldn't possibly be Chronos. And yet, she somehow hoped that it was him while fearing its consequences.

"Mother, it's just me. Are you all right?" Hera spoke as she lifted her hood. The bewildered and worried look on her daughter's face made Rhea instinctively turn back to her flowers.

"Yes, I'm fine. What brings you here, Hera?" Rhea replied defensively. She took a deep breath as she released the tension that built up inside her.

"There are some things I'd like to ask you about … the past." Hera hesitantly answered as she recalled her mother's unusual reaction. Rhea unlocked the fence with a swift hand motion and began making her way back inside her manor.

"Come inside."

Rhea instructed her attending nymphs to go far away from the manor and return by sunset. The things that she and Hera often discuss are confidential nature given her daughter's status. Hera would usually come to her for advice. The queen has her own counsellors in the pantheon but there are things that only a fellow queen would understand. All that aside, there is simply a bond between them as mother and daughter that surpasses all.

Hera began brewing tea as Rhea took the scones that she was baking from the oven. Hera loved these little moments. In her mother's home, she's simply her daughter. There are no formalities to be followed and she doesn't need to constantly weigh her words. Her chores were far less tedious too. There are days where she would rather help with the gardening than making sure that all the deities were doing their work and settling conflicts amongst them.

The two ladies made their way to the parlour and for a while, none of them spoke. Rhea would always let Hera lead the conversation and give her the space she needed. She can tell from her daughter's expression that something serious happened … or about to happen.

"I want to know more about father's curse." Hera stated, breaking the silence between them.

"Your father was cursed by Ouranos to be dethroned by one of his children. Nothing more, nothing less." Rhea replied in a matter-of-fact tone. It was common knowledge but Rhea withdrew her judgment and tried to see where her daughter was going.

"Did Ouranos himself say that to father?" Hera pressed and Rhea's eyebrow couldn't help but arch at the question.

"Mother, please." Hera pleaded as she sighed. She knew how odd her question was, but nothing would change even if she phrased it differently.

"How did father come to know about his curse? If Ouranos really wanted to doom him from the start, then wouldn't it be wise if he inflicted the curse in secret?" Hera supplied further and the intensity of her delivery confused Rhea even more. It has been eons since the Titanomachy.

"Before I answer all that, something has been bothering me from the start." Rhea interjected. Hera was slightly surprised by this as Rhea rarely interjects unless it is a vital matter.

"I sense your father's aura on you. It is barely there but it is there."

Hera did her best to hide her shock. Hera was certain that the ring barely emitted a faint aura because even she wasn't able to detect it until it was up close. She should have known that her mother would have been more perceptive in detecting her father's aura. Or could it be that the ring's aura was enhanced when worn by a blood relative? Either way, Hera knew that she ought to find a way to conceal the ring's energy.

"Wasn't it you who told me that out of all my siblings, I'm the one who reminds you of father the most?" Hera cheekily replied as she tried to slip her way out of the situation using humour. She almost let out a sigh of relief when she saw her mother's features soften. She was out of the woods. At least for now.

"Anyways, why does it even matter to you how your father got his curse?" Rhea retorted.

"Mother, are you ever going to answer my question?" Hera replied with the same energy and Rhea sighed in amusement. She just doesn't understand why it was so important for Hera to know the nitty-gritty of something that happened in the far-off past. She let out another sigh. Her daughter's question, odd as it may be, didn't seem to pose too much as a threat. Rhea felt that she might as well just entertain it.

"Indeed, Ouranos did not explicitly reveal the curse to your father. Otherwise I would not have borne any of you. Prometheus told your father about the curse."

"Prometheus also told Zeus that one of his children would depose him if he does not act."

At that moment, a realisation struck Hera. Before Zeus pursued her, he was still married to Metis. It was well known that Zeus swallowed Metis because a male offspring from their union will usurp him. Did Zeus marry her because she was less of a threat? Because her children will never be good enough? Questions kept racing inside her as she felt a tremendous amount of anger well up inside. As if his blatant infidelity was not enough insult, he dared think of her as someone far less inferior.

Did he even love me at all?

"Are you all right?" Rhea asked. The serious look of concern on her mother's face shows that she wasn't able to hide her rage at all. She needed to get out of there.

"One last question, mother. Who else had the gift of prophecy among the titans?"

"Phoebe and no one else that I could think of."

"Thank you, mother. I won't take up much more of your time. The pastries were lovely as ever." Hera spoke with all the politeness she can muster though it may have been in vain anyway. She hastily made her way to the door and grabbed her cloak.

"My dear." Rhea tenderly called out and Hera stopped briefly in her tracks. Her soft spot for her mother was touched. Now she could not leave without hearing what her mother has to say. No one else has that effect on her.

"Take care of yourself." Rhea tenderly bade. She could never truly tell what's going on in her daughter's head. She might not always know what burden her daughter is carrying, but at the end of the day, all she wants as a mother was for her daughter to be well.

Hera gave her a wistful smile and headed back for Olympus.