For who could ever learn to love The One who doesn't know love?

By Asso

Chapter Nine

Light goes out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Wife! How do you dare? Nobody, not even you, is granted to..."

Hera did not even hear the words of her august groom.

A furious she-cat, hissing and puffing, with bristling hair. Heedless and forgetful of whichever rule, of whichever deserved or undeserved owed respect. Of whichever fear.

This she was, at that moment.

And Zeus retreated.

He withdrew precipitously.

The scratches of that she-cat could really do harm.

Hera snapped forward.

Her hands stretched forward as claws.

"I will tear you one by one every hair of your ridiculous, pompous beard! I ..."

Zeus's hands jumped like rams. They grab his wife's wrists, blocking her crazy gesture.

"Hera!"

His voice was a low and deep thunder.

And angry.

And threatening.

But turned to deaf ears.

"Let go my wrists, damn you! Let go them! I must..."

Beyond, one couldn't go.

Nobody could.

Not even Poseidon.

Not even Hades himself, as much as he might be an extremely tough adversary to counter.

And certainly not Hera.

Not even she.

The mighty rumble of Zeus's roar overhung everything.

The Olympus, the Earth, trembled.

The sea shook.

People, peoples...

Everyone.

They were on their knees.

Terrified.

Mute in dreadful awe.

Even the children were quiet.

Even their weeping was silent.

And the beasts, too.

Big and small. Monstrous and beautiful. Tame and feral.

What was happening?

What was...?

What was that dark?

That dark darker than night?

And... and that wind?

That frost...

Which wrapped all up?

And suddenly the earth trembled.

And the seas shook.

And a rumble, a roar, a... a voice, immense and powerful, angry and furious...

Which all overhung...

As only the voice of the supreme Zeus could do...

The hands clasped one with the other; the bodies clung to each other.

In dread.

What was happening?

WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

Hera found herself on the floor.

Flattened in a corner.

The mighty Zeus's wife was lying naked on the ground, curled up on herself. As a helpless kitten.

Amazed and disbelieving.

Her beautiful and disbelief eyes rose toward her husband.

"You..."

Nothing more trembling and astonished will be heard anymore.

Nothing.

Nothing, like the shivering voice of the Lady of the Gods at that time.

"...you've..."

Zeus took a deep sigh, his eyes fixed on his wife, lying on the floor, in a corner of the great hall.

Hurled there by him.

Zeus...

Zeus felt shame.

Within him, he knew that his wife was right, that she had all rights to call him... traitor.

But he was Zeus. The Lord of the Gods.

His authority could not be questioned.

Not even by his wife.

And nobody could discuss his decisions.

However...

However it was difficult, really hard, not to feel ashamed - at least a little - at that time.

He had physically raged upon his wife. Had silenced her with the violence.

And this...

This was...

Zeus tried to redress.

As far as possible.

And if possible.

He kneeled before her. He snapped his fingers.

A snow-white and regal peplum appeared and, gently, it rested down on Hera and enveloped her to cover her defenceless nakedness.

The voice of the Lord of the Gods was a soft whisper.

"My wife, forgive me. I've reacted a bit too much impetuously. I... I apologize."

But within himself Zeus knew that it was not entirely for the behaviour he had showed at that juncture that he was apologizing to his wife. That was grave, of course. But graver it was...

The real reasons for his excuses were...

They were the ones that, as she absently wrapped herself in the peplum, the low and sad voice of Hera put in the clear.

"You had promised, husband. You had promised."

Zeus stared at his wife. Then he shook his head. Slowly he rose. He turned, giving his back to Hera.

He felt her eyes fixed on him.

He crossed his hands over his back.

"I've promised, I know. But there are promises that can not be honoured. Or..."

Zeus turned around.

He looked down at his wife with mortally serious eyes.

His voice was a low, heavy murmur.

"... or that can be honoured only partly."

Hera's eyes scrutinized her groom.

"Partly?"

Zeus nodded severely. "Partly, yes."

"Husband ..."

Zeus raised his hand. But it was not an irate or imperious gesture.

It was...

It was a strenuous request.

That Hera understood.

She stood silent.

Waiting for.

Seated on the floor. Wrapped in the peplum. Her eyes fixed on his. She stood silent.

Waiting for.

Zeus sighed and shook his mighty head slightly, as if to look for strength and courage.

And for the right words.

"I made a deal with Hades."

"You ..." Hera had difficulty even articulating the words. "... you made..."

Zeus swelled his chest. His hand rose again, to make Hera shut up. And this time it was imperious.

"That night, the night of Persephone's consecration, after everyone had gone and I was left alone, he came to me."

"He..."

"Yes. And I knew he would come."

"You knew it!"

Zeus looked at his wife almost pityingly.

"Hera, my wife. He is Hades."

Hera had no need of any other words, of further explanations.

Of course, the stupid that she had been! Stupid! Stupid! Who had not reflected about that!

That was Hades. Nothing to do with the second Big of the three Big Ones. Nothing to do with the Lord of the Seas, with Poseidon, who was happy to stay put to bask in his water kingdom, forgetful about any other thing which were not pretty and decidedly small skirts or jugs overflowing with wine. He was Hades. Whose gaze competed with that of her groom. And maybe was even more acute. If only he had been interested in using it in order to see everything it was to be seen.

And, evidently, he had been interested, this time!

Hera gave a deep sigh

She spoke in a low voice and laboriously.

"What deal has Hades proposed to you, husband?"

Zeus sighed in turn.

"He did not propose any explicit agreement to me, he simply told me in clear letters that he had perfectly understood that I had tried to subtract Persephone from his knowledge and that the reason was clear to him. And he told me he was not disposed to give up her, to renounce the chance destiny had set for him. And that the price I would have to pay to prevent him from having her would be… war."

"War!"

"Yes, war, Hera. Between me and him."

"And... and you..."

"A war between us and him, wife. Between us and his undoubted power as well as all the monstrous beings and fierce deities he has at his command. A war more perilous than the war against the Titans. And..." Zeus sighed again. It was not easy to say. "...and with an extremely uncertain outcome."

Hera's eyes flashed.

"And you yielded!"

Zeus stood up suddenly in all his imposing stature.

"Zeus does not yield, wife! Never!"

Hera's voice resounded soft. Her gaze seemed to apologize. It was apologizing for real!

"Forgive me, my husband and Lord, please! But... so... how... what...?"

"What has he proposed to me, Hera?"

"Yes"

"Nothing, in fact."

"Uh? But... but..."

"He told me that, on the day Persephone would have her eighteenth birthday, he would..."

Zeus paused shortly, to gather his courage. You can also be the Lord of the Gods, but saying things like that requires a courage that even for the mighty Zeus it was hard to find.

"…he would kidnap her."

"Eh?"

"Subtracting so her from her mother's influence and sweltering protection."

"What?"

"Hera, Hades is not a stupid one. He knows very well who Demeter is. He is aware of her stifling character. So then ..."

"Oh, sure, he knows it! Certainly, not like you do, but anyway..."

Zeus did not want to pick up his wife's sarcastic banter. That was not the time. However, certainly, she had hit the mark. Demeter... it had been really nice to make love to her, but she... she would have liked him to harbour for her something more than a mere sexual desire. And she had become insistent. And stifling. As only she knew how to be. Yet she had known very well, when she had surrendered to him, who he was! And how he was! But, nevertheless...

Oh yes. Demeter really knew how to be exasperatingly asphyxiating and suffocating.

With everyone. Including their daughter.

And, indeed, with her more than with anyone else.

And Hades was not a stupid one.

No. He was not at all.

Zeus went on undeterred, as if his wife had not even spoken.

"Hades, Hera, in telling me that he would kidnap Persephone, had it well clear in his mind that only in this way he could circumvent Demeter and make so that Persephone could be free to choose. And... and, honestly, I couldn't blame him about it. "

Hera's eyes widened.

"Free... to choose?

Zeus nodded severely.

"Yes, wife. Exactly so. Free to choose. Her own destiny. "

"Her own destiny!"

Zeus nodded again.

"Yes. He said it to me clearly. That he would not force Persephone to do anything she did not want to. That the choice of staying with him or not would be entirely hers. And that he would not oppose this choice. No matter which it was."

"He... he did tell you this?"

"Yes, wife. And he made me understand that it was up to me to choose whether to oppose or not to the abduction, knowing that my opposition would mean war. "

"And... and you..."

"And I chose."

Hera remained silent for a while, while her mind processed the words of her groom.

Then, finally, she managed to talk.

"So, this was the deal."

"Yes, Hera."

"And you believed him."

Zeus's eyes blinked dark.

"Hades never lies, Hera!"

Hera opened her eyes wide, hit at the core.

It was... it was true. Hades never lied.

There is no room for lies in the kingdom of the dead.

But fear and anxiety dug inexorably into Hera's heart.

And... and if, for once... for once... Hades had been lying?

With difficulty, the words came to her lips.

"Zeus, my husband and lord... but... but if Persephone's beauty and purity were such as to induce Hades not to keep his word in case she wouldn't want to be his?"

Zeus looked seriously at his wife.

He sighed.

He spoke.

In a low voice.

"It will not happen"

"But…"

"It will not happen, I tell you!"

"O... okay, my Lord! I do not doubt your word! "

"Zeus nodded solemnly. "Very well."

"But ..." Hera's voice was a sad whisper. "... but if she will agree to be his, her light - her new light - will be obfuscated in his darkness. And... and that was not what we, you and I, my husband, wanted. "

It was Zeus, this time, to be hit in his deep down.

But for once, he spoke in answer with true wisdom. The wisdom befitting the King of the Gods.

"But if she will want to belong to Hades, it will be because she wants it, Hera. So she will be happy. And this, both you and I, we want it."

Hera stared at her husband.

This time, she could not find anything to niggle over.

He was right.

And what he said afterwards still dug an abyss of new consciousness inside her.

"Hades does not know what love is, Hera. It is something totally foreign to him. As hatred, for that matter. As any real emotion. And he knows it. He is aware of it. And he suffers for this, without knowing how to give answer to this suffering. And he thinks - he hopes - that Persephone may be the answer. "

Zeus paused for a moment, then resumed with a heavy voice.

"I, Hera, strongly doubt that this may be possible. I strongly doubt... that Persephone can love him. "

Zeus slowly and sternly pronounced his subsequent words, stressing strongly each of them.

"For who could ever learn to love The One who doesn't know love? "

Hera now literally hung from Zeus's lips.

The immeasurable abyss of Hades' loneliness mighty reverberated in the words of her husband. Hera, for the first time in her life, really and vigorously perceived the desperate and lonely emptiness of the life of their maligned and ostracized brother.

She perceived his desolate and desperate yearning. Unknown to everyone. Very likely even to him himself.

But not to Zeus.

Not to her groom.

Who at that moment was showing that he deserved to be who he was.

"But Hera... why deny him this chance? It will not happen. You, I, we know it. But and if it were even remotely possible that a little bit of joy could be there for him too? If it were even remotely possible for him to learn to understand what love is, should Persephone be willing and capable of teaching him? If it were even remotely possible that, should this happen, besides iron righteousness, there could also be room for clemency, in that heart of icy stone?"

Hera was speechless. This was her Zeus! Her groom! And ... and moments like this could almost make her forget all his lies, all his infidelities!

Her eyes looked at him adoringly.

And he understood. And smiled softly.

And ruefully.

Because, in any case ...

"In any case, my bride ..."

Zeus bent over to his wife again. He looked at her with affection. She handed her a hand.

She took it, with a little hesitation, and let him help her get up.

They were standing now. The one in front of the other.

"... in any case, my bride, now it's late. There can be no more second thoughts. "

Trembling was Hera's voice. "What... what do you mean, my groom?"

"Hera, my wife, do you see this darkness? Do you feel this frost? Do you perceive this stormy wind? "

Hera looked around. She squeezed in her peplum.

Her eyes watched the thick hair of her husband violently get agitated, as well as his wide vestment, under the lash of that blustery wind, so strong, now, so violent, to overwhelm even his voice.

Yes. She felt, perceived, sensed, saw... understood ... all this.

It was…

"It's not me, Hera. It's not my wrath. I'm calm now. It's not my storm. "

Hera's eyes widened.

"Zeus…"

"And it is not the result, the effect, of my fury, this dull and bloodcurdling rumble that now is heard. It's the sound of... "

And what was this?

This dull rumble? Which increased more and more in tone?

This infernal stridency, which gave the shivers?

The crowds stood motionless.

Never anything like that had been heard before.

It seemed…

Could it be?

Could it be the creepy sound of the...

"... of the earth that splits, cracking. To receive her. "

"Zeus!"

"To wrest Persephone from the light of Helios."

"ZEUS!"

"To precipitate her in Hades' kingdom."

Zeus sighed heavily. His thick brows got frighteningly scowled.

"In his realm of darkness."

End of Chapter Nine

TBC

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Yes.

Light goes out.

Darkness wins.

It seems.