Henlo, Everyone! :)

First of all, I am terribly sorry for the terribly late update! Uni has resumed for me and it's been a struggle to find the time to write. I hope this extra-long chapter makes up for it somehow hehe. I'm really excited at the moment because this is where things will begin to start. I'll do my best to update the next chapter asap. Feel free to let me know what you guys think in the reviews. ;)

Lots of love,
FluffyClutchie :

. .

. .

. .

IV

The night had long fallen by the time Hera reached the pantheon. It didn't come as a surprise to her considering that she had been at the realm of the Fates. The concept of time is distorted in their void. She entered the realm around midnight but by the time she left and made course for Rhea's home, the sun was way past zenith. She was just glad that she was not gone for more than a day otherwise it would have invoked suspicion.

Though perhaps, her absence for the entire day was already suspicious as she does not usually leave the palace without reason. Even so, Hera could care less. With the ring on her finger, all that they have built over the centuries will all be but a forgotten dream. There will be people whom she will never see again and only she will feel that grief. Hera walked the lonely and solemn halls of Olympus one last time before she banishes everything into oblivion.

She stopped in front of her daughters' chambers and felt her heart sank. It has been so long since she had last spent time with her daughters. She couldn't be anymore grateful that they grew closely knit to each other, but that doesn't make her a good mother. She was too busy in punishing Zeus' lovers and mistresses that she had forgotten who mattered more. Before she knew it, she was estranged from everyone, even her own children. She couldn't blame them. Even she hated what she had become.

From the bottom of her heart, she wished that she could redo it all from the start. She would love them without restraint and let them feel the motherly warmth that she wasn't able to give. She opened the door slightly and softly to prevent it from creaking. She gazed at her daughters' peaceful slumbering faces and imbued the serene image in her memory. In this time, they won't die but it will probably be the last time that she'll ever see them.

"Why don't you just go in?" A low, commanding voice spoke to her which caught her off guard. It didn't take long for her to regain her bearing as she knew who it was. Despite the coldness of his voice, she knew her son meant well. She couldn't exactly blame the God of War for not being gentle.

"Ares." She acknowledged him and quietly closed the door. Brief silence ensued between them as Hera struggled to answer her son's question. He was right, she could have definitely just done so but the guilt was too overwhelming. After being absent for most of their lives, she had reasonably lost the right to call herself their mother. Ares was somehow another story. Their frequent interactions due to their roles as members of the 12 Olympians brought them significantly close. More than that, they both bonded over the fact that they are more than what most perceive them to be. They saw and understood each other in a depth that no one else did.

"Were you off hunting?" Ares inquired as he walked towards her. He felt the something was amiss with his mother. Being the God of War made him perceptive towards tumultuous emotions. He could sense it if someone is afraid, angry, confused, and the like. At the moment, Hera still has turmoil in her heart but it is no longer fill with resentment. It was almost like she was grieving for reasons that he could not, for the life of him, discern why.

"No. What's the point?" Hera calmly replied. She couldn't help but smile sadly. The recent events gave her a clarity that she wished she had before. Looking back, she realised how hunting Zeus' lovers was really just a waste of time.

"Is something the matter, mother?" Ares asked, his tone dropped a subtle hint of concern. He had never felt this atmosphere around her before. He felt his rage swelling. He hated the quiet resignation that his mother emanated. He had always seen her rise up to fight whatever life threw at her. Not even Zeus could subdue that part of her. Whenever his father does something stupid and hurts her, you could count the Hera's already scheming her way to retaliate back. But now, there's none of that and it pained him more than he expected. Whatever his father did nailed the coffin for good this time.

Hera sensed Ares' rage and knew that he would probably go and pick a fight with Zeus on her behalf. But she would have none of that before she goes. She walked towards her son and embraced him.

"I love you … and your siblings … and even the bastards in this pantheon as much as I hate to admit it." Hera tenderly imparted. Saying those words felt like an elephant just took its weight off her chest. She didn't expect how liberating it was to show that kind of vulnerability, most especially to someone whom you knew would understand.

As much as he wanted to know what was going on, Ares didn't dare interrupt his mother. At that moment, it felt like letting her speak her heart was the right thing to do. He returned her embrace as it was the only way he knew how to reciprocate her affection. He wasn't exactly good with words like Apollo.

"Go rest. Everything will be all right." Hera bade as she slowly walked away to the direction of her own chambers. Ares waited until she was out of sight before taking his own leave. He hoped that one day this encounter would make sense to him.

"Where have you been?" Zeus greeted just as how she used to greet him whenever he came home. It took every ounce of self-control for Hera to stifle a laugh.

"What a weird reversal of things." Hera replied and to Zeus' surprise, he saw her smile. It wasn't a spiteful smirk or a grin meant to ridicule him. He couldn't remember the last time she genuinely smiled at him.

"I didn't mean it that way, sorry." Zeus replied and his facial features softened. Wherever she went suddenly didn't seem to matter. After all, he's the crooked one between them and not her. She was probably out taking care of palace matters, Zeus thought to himself.

"What brings you home tonight?" Hera casually asked as she began to change her into her night clothes.

"I've missed you." Zeus immediately replied. He felt like they were back in the first years of their marriage before he ruined everything. There were many questions that were running on his mind but for now, he just wanted to cherish this rare moment.

"Come." Hera softly beckoned as she entered their marital bed.

Zeus followed suit, lovingly cupped her cheek and kissed her. Hera returned his kiss and untied the knots of his robes. For the longest time, sex between them became nothing more than a formality of marriage. Hera tenderly gazed into Zeus' eyes and saw a deep sense of longing that reflected her own. Zeus gently undressed her and held her like she was the most delicate thing in the universe. He began to enter her and did so carefully as he knew that she had recently just bathed in the spring of Kanathos. With her virginity renewed, he didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily. At that moment, both of them felt that were both in union with each other. There was nothing else but love and the bliss it created brought them to a fruitful climax.

"Do you love me, Zeus?" Hera asked, breaking the deafening silence between them.

"I do. I love you, Hera." Zeus sincerely replied.

"But not as much as Metis, not even close." Hera proposed which stunned Zeus. The ghost of the pasts suddenly began to manifest themselves before him. Why was she even bringing up the past now? It had been centuries. Before he knew it, he was overwhelmed with the memories and emotions that he so desperately tried to suppress. Zeus gently rose from the bed and turned his back towards Hera.

"Don't mention Metis ever again. Please." Zeus merely pleaded in a low voice.

"I never really understood why you did what you did, Zeus. You loved her. In fact, you didn't love me as much as you loved her. You were so faithful, so loving-." Hera continued. There was no anger in her voice but he knew that there was pain behind it.

"Please drop it, Hera or else-."

"Or else what? You'll kill me too?" Hera cut him off and at that point, Zeus looked back at her and seeing her pained expression rendered him speechless.

He abruptly stood up and strode to the balcony. Seeing the vulnerability her eyes enabled Zeus to see how much pain he had caused her over time. The last thing he wanted was to add more and so he walked away. He may have been unfaithful to Hera in terms of chastity but she was the only woman that he would give up everything for. He wanted to comfort her and assure her of his love, but the old wounds that she unknowingly reopened were too deep to ignore. He clenched his fists in frustration as he tried to process everything that happened.

Hera didn't follow him and continued to lay in their bed, clutching Chronus' ring in her palm. It is hard to accept that while their love for each other is true, they will only cause each other scars. Perhaps, their marriage truly was a mistake. The ring was presented to her as a way to restore things to what they were supposed to be. Who knows how life might turn out for her but she could rest easy knowing that Zeus will end up with his true wife. She could save them both a lifetime of hurting.

"Take me back to the very beginning, Ring of Saturn."