Hated
Summary*
Almost the entire fandom hates her. A lot many more blame her for every wrong that was done to the heroes, be they Heracles or The Seven. Perhaps, after all these years, she has repented, but does that still mean she must be hated?
Queen of the heavens. That's what they call me. A queen. What comes to your mind when hearing that word? Luxury? Power? Respect? Sure, I have all that, but the last, though it is that which matters most. Do not tell me, mortal, that you respect me. I know how well you claim to do so as do all of your kind, but you respect my power and position- not me as a person or goddess. Know this, that fear and power are two very different things. A lot of you hate me for what I have done, but think once for a moment, and perhaps you will realize that I was not all wrong.
It started soon after the Titanomachy. You have read stories of that time- do not deny it. You know much of what happened then, but not all of it. Perhaps I related best with Hestia, the eldest of us all, yet you see now where it got her. They call me the fairest of the eldest, yet it got me nowhere. Sometimes, I'll agree with you when you say beauty is a curse. In those days, the Greeks of whom we were patrons expected their womenfolk to take the highest bidder. I was sent to live with Oceanus and Tethys,so that they could 'tame' me. Women had no choice, yet the fact that I refused brought me nothing but talks of my 'haughtiness'. Is that what it is called these days, to want the right to decide the course of your eternal life?
You demigods know much about being toyed about with. Have you once thought that perhaps I feel that way too? That maybe the only time I interfered, it wasn't because I wanted to, but because I had to? Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty. You say with pride that he'd give up anything to save the ones close to him. Has it not occurred to you to forgive me when I act with the same intentions- to save my family? You live now in times where a woman can demand her rights, but such is not our custom. I am the goddess of marriage, yet it is ironic, is it not that I have been tricked into marriage and shackled by it? It is true. I was seen as nothing more than a conquest, as are so many others. I am not cruel. I respected the laws, yet he stole from me what matters as much to a woman as a man- my pride.
For many a millennia, I cursed every woman or titaness he took a liking to, but it did not make me feel any better. I had thought that the pain of losing them would drive the lesson home, but I soon learnt that it did not matter. The were as much as a conquest as I was. As much of a victim as I. I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end, so I try my best not to bother any longer. I pretend I am not watching, but it still hurts, and even eternity is a time to short to forgive every offence that has been done to me.
When I finally decided that his power was leading to our ill- treatment, I helped stage a rebellion. It is true that what I did was not entirely right, but can you fault me for wanting some happiness and freedom in my family? I wasn't the only one either, but my punishment was most severe. For days he chained me above the Void, threatening to cut the chains off. Is that how I am to be treated? It is true I did not truly appreciate Hephaestus before, but can you fault me. Have you once thought how hard it would be for a mother to cast her own son off so that she wouldn't be ridiculed? I do not justify that act, but know that I did it all because I was hurt.
You, mortal, may speak of the time when Annabeth offended me. I know you have read of those accounts, and I do not deny anything, but know that there is another side. With every tale that is told, one goes untold. I spoke to let Thalia and Percy live when they were to turn sixteen. I helped Annabeth on her quest so that the two of them would not have to face anymore pain that was already fated for them, yet she threw that kindness back at my face. Every single incident that had to do with my sacred creatures- she blames them on me, though in fact, it was nothing more than an illusion that I created. After all, she did stoop low when she taunted me about my family- it is not a wise thing to do when I already have a lot to regret when it comes to them. I helped them even at the end, yet all she could do was accuse my statue of trying to kill her. Is that what I would do, if I could have already killed her so long ago?
Do you speak of the time when I stole Percy's and Jason's memories for six months? It was so that I could help stop the giants. The two camps had been divided far too long. Our aspects were splitting over and suffering, and if they didn't help each other, we would have gone down anyway. Have you never thought of the fact that Jason and Thalia found their lives because I took him away from his alcoholic mother? Or the fact that Percy found himself, learnt much and made new allies in those six months? The first war had begun with my capture and the same went for the second war too. Have you not wondered what I felt like as a pawn, or a victim of their politics. No. Of course you wouldn't have thought of all that, for isn't this the way you make me feel? Hated?