Note from the authoress: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. I appreciate each comment and the time you all took to write your thoughts on this story.
This chapter is written from the perspective of Juno, or Hera if you prefer the Greek name instead.
In Handel's opera she doesn't make a vocal appearance until Act 2, nor does Jupiter. So these last couple of chapters have been my attempt to introduce their characters into the story, before getting into the plot of Act 1, which opens on the day of Semele's wedding.
As always feedback is appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
She had known this day would come since the first offerings and prayers had been spoken in her honor. With cool indifference she had listened to the prince of Beotia beg that Semele would return his love and grace him with strong sons. Amusement had briefly been kindled within her essence as she heard the petitions of the daughter of Cadmus. Their had been no joy or expectation in the words, simply a dignity and practiced reverence which any priestess would have been proud to offer her goddess.
And if there was one thing which Juno queen of heaven appreciated, it was dignity and the respect every mortal owed her as queen. And yet beneath that calm and unruffled surface, was a goddess filled with resentment and hatred for the ruling house of Thebes. How dare this girl offer up prayers for prosperity and joy, when her very existence made a mockery of the queen of the gods. Countless mortal girls had spoken the same ritual phrases, and yet none of them had ever angered her as much as these recent petitions from the princess of Thebes.
Despite the fact that Semele had given each word no more than the expected reverence, not bothering to hide in each thought the contempt and cool indifference she felt for Beotia's prince, Juno resented and loathed the daughter of Cadmus. It was a bitterness she had carefully cultivated over countless centuries, until it had not only cloaked her essence but any form she chose to assume. And like a skilled mortal artisan she had shaped it into an impenetrable shield, armoring herself against every indiscretion her consort and brother had reveled in, smothering all humiliation and pain at his betrayal beneath its layers of protection. In time, she became known throughout the mortal realm for her hatred of all the women her consort had loved.
And yet no tale or song could truly give voice to the cruelty and darkness of which the queen of heaven was capable. It had always been a part of her, ever since the bloody battle with the Titans for the right to rule the mortal world. She had fought side by side with her fellow Olympians, reveled in the freedom to use her power without restraint and the thrill of the final victory.
And she had been drawn to Jupiter by the bright flame of his power, as he ended the rule of Saturn, and smoothly took up the reins of kingship over the universe.
For 3 mortal centuries she had skillfully eluded his advances, only allowing herself to be claimed when she knew he could offer her the mantle of queen and the right to rule at his side. She had taken her place with pleasure, accepting her role as consort and monarch with haughty arrogance and the belief that she of all goddesses was destined to wield such power. But unlike her consort she had been content with her lot, never seeking as he had to gain more knowledge or influence.
It had been his first mortal conquest which had kindled the fires of vengeance, cruelty and bitterness within her essence. Fury, hatred and malevolence became the emotions she craved to give her existence meaning, helped her to forget the fresh pain of each betrayal whenever Jupiter took another mortal lover. Never once did she think of reconciliation, though mortals had long ago cast her as a goddess who oversaw the fates of those joined in marriage. For to do so would require that she sacrifice her pride and dignity, open her soul to all that was Jupiter.
And that was a path she shrank from walking. For even she, his consort knew little of the power he commanded, or the secrets he carefully guarded deep within the core of his essence. Indeed she suspected that no immortal being could ever look upon the true face of Jupiter without being scorched by the sheer power he effortlessly wielded. She had tasted that power on the night of their joining, and though he had chosen to come to her in his immortal form she had suspected that he had veiled his true glory from even her keen eyes.
A part of her resented the strength of that suspicion. Was she not his queen?
Didn't she alone deserve the right to know the true face of her king?
Hadn't she fought at his side in the war for the universe?
And yet deep within her she knew the truth. Though she possessed great power, she could not hope to comprehend the immensity of her consort's knowledge and influence. Nor could she hope to ever become his equal in power or glory, for the simple reason that it was not her birthright to carry such responsibility.
Over the centuries of her existence, she had caught many glimpses of the power her husband commanded, and knew that even she would be unable to withstand its full weight if Jupiter allowed her to share in the sight of his glory unveiled. She was a goddess who commanded with ruthless precision all that was hers by birthright, wielding her power with a control which many an immortal deity envied.
Her brother and husband was restless, a being driven to seek something she could not grasp though her intellect was formidable. She knew only his passion and fury, and both were as wild and untamable as the storms it was his right to command. And so she fought against the truth and the pain by pouring out her anger on the mortals her king preferred to her embrace.
In the secret depths of her mind, she devised a thousand torments for any mortal woman who had ever captured his interest.
And Cadmus's house had long ago earned her wroth. For the firstborn of that line had been a son of Jupiter and the princess Europa. She refused to let the hatred she bore the ruling house of Thebes die, for it was one of the emotions which gave her existence a purpose.
And so when Semele had offered up the expected prayers for a fruitful marriage, Juno swore that she would do all she could to make the princess regret ever invoking her name. For though Semele had addressed the queen of heaven with great respect and reverence, Juno was not deceived. Despite all her efforts, Semele could not conceal her true thoughts from the queen of the gods. Juno had easily glimpsed the truth of Semele's thoughts, secretly laughed at the girl's attempts to appear pious.
If it were not for the fact that she resented Cadmus and his offspring, Juno might have admired the daring it took to boldly offer the ritual prayers with that combination of reverence and controlled fury. But her hatred for mortals had become an integral part of her essence, and she could not have relinquished it even if that choice had been offered. And so she sat enthroned at the right of her consort, to await the coming of Eos, the ritual sacrifice, and the omens the fates would present which would determine the destinies of a princess and her betrothed.
