I am going to challenge everything you know about the known characters of Greek Mythology.
My second encounter with the spring goddess—peculiar as it might seem—happened in Mount Olympus, during the council of the gods.
It was one of the few times I was ever received in Olympus with so much warmth. Had I appeared out of notice, it might have been enough for the others to assume the beginning of a dethronement. Poseidon was already there when I arrived, and on the sight of me, Hera removed herself from Zeus' side to sit near me. Poseidon gave me a humored smile that seemed to imply that had he not been in deep conversation with Zeus, he would have probably followed Hera's example.
"I cannot believe you've waited so long to pay your visit. Have you forgotten that you have a sister here?" Hera jested.
"I did not. I believe I have other brothers and sisters here as well." I replied with the same entertained tune. "But come, onto other matters. I did not come here without a purpose."
"Yes well, what do I have to expect from the Lord of the Underworld. We must truly be lucky to have this whole hour with you considering the everyday concerns of your realm." She rolled her eyes but still maintained her smile. "Tell me how busy is my eldest brother?"
I looked at her and saw the glint of teasing in her expression. "Busier than you would ever care to imagine."
"Can't say I'm surprised."
I shook my head fighting off the grin. "How is Zeus, my sister? How has he been? Come, tell me."
She scowled at me. And for a brief second, I thought I had offended her. Before I started mouthing out my apology though, she quickly said. "He's the same as always—still in good health, still considerably temperamental." She cut herself short and I took it as a sign not to inquire any more. "It's of little concern nowadays. We all learned to cope with his ways."
I did not respond to this. If there were any problems regarding their marriage I did not want to be an active participant on setting fire on their coals. Besides the topic would only break the happy atmosphere the both of us were invested to create.
"So, you tell me. What is becoming of the Underworld these days?"
Our conversation continued. Hera and I talked of the most trivial things to the most serious. True, she was not as intelligible as Athena when it came to recounting anecdotes of the wise but Hera had her own charms. She was the goddess of good marriage and she talked a great deal of the matches she was proud to have seen to the altar. I knew she did not have much company here in Olympus. Aside from Hestia and Aphrodite, I doubted if she had anyone to talk to of her designs. I was more than willing to listen if such an act brought my sister joy.
"Speaking greatly of matches and marriages, Hades, when will you ever settle down to get yourself a wife? All of us here in Olympus are looking forward to it."
Her tone was teasing but her eyes were sincere. I had every reason to believe she meant well but never—or so I did suppose—would I ever be comfortable in speaking of marriage for myself. "Everyone is too dedicated to know more about my life than I'm willing to share, I'm afraid."
"Come, everyone is just curious to know who shall be the future Lady of the Underworld." Poseidon said as he and Zeus approached. Poseidon took the other seat beside me. While Zeus took the one beside Hera—this, I found not at all surprising. "May we join you?"
"Please do. Perhaps you can recommend some worthy ladies of your acquaintance to take our brother." Hera answered for me.
"I don't believe brother would need any help at that, my dear." Zeus smiled while looking at his wife. "He's already a handsome man with all the recommendations that goes along with being the god of the dead."
"You have too much faith in me, Zeus." I said taking a sip from my ambrosia. The usually intimidating table of Mt. Olympus seemed like a small coffee table when shared between the four most powerful.
"We give you what's your due, Hades." Poseidon said with a full grin. "Besides it will be nice to see the stiff eldest brother fall desperately in love for a change."
"Did I really come here all the way from the Underworld to have my personal life meddled with?" I asked in a tone of annoyance. Yes, I was becoming impatient. The subject did not appeal to me. The three of them looked amused though.
"You must admit, it was a nice ice breaker." Poseidon laughed heartily. "Off to more important matters, I suppose?"
"I guess. You are to be the bearer of bad news?" Hera frowned as she rested her back fully on the supporting chair.
"You can say that. Had any of you heard of the Greek rumors?" I raised my brow. I was called to discuss rumors? "I know your look Hades. And no I am not going to make a busy-body out of anyone of you." I looked at him curiously. Poseidon had always been most clownish among us—full of smiles and bursts of laughter. Sometimes, I envied him. Other times, I thought him foolish. In the end of the day though, he was still my brother and in that setting, I respected and trusted his judgment. "But I cannot leave any of you uninformed of the current matters of the Mediterranean."
Zeus sat back in a more comfortable position. Hera crossed her legs below the table. I took a moment to contemplate on Poseidon's words but before I could come up with a reasonable conclusion, he was already speaking. "The fishermen near the borders of Greece are becoming quite noisy chatters. They ruin my afternoon naps and I hate it." I couldn't help my groan. Hera shook her head in amusement. Zeus sighed. Poseidon composed himself and continued. "They are talking greatly of wars and prices—on how the fall of one country could greatly affect the economies of those surrounding it."
"Do the words of mortals bother you, Poseidon?" Zeus mocked. "Do they unsettle the god of the seven seas?"
"Had they been of normal mortals, it would not even pass my ears." Poseidon bit back. "But they were not. It came from a much respected woman, a priestess even—an oracle of Delphi."
"Wait, an oracle of Delphi? Apollo's oracle, you mean?" Hera asked in bewilderment.
"Yes. She is Apollo's in a way at least."
"Well then, I'm confused aren't there some rituals needed to be done before she can share her prophecies, a purification process if I remember correctly?" Hera's question made sense but the whole affair was inconsequential to me. Why should we be concerned of a mortal's thoughts, words or deeds? I looked back at Poseidon.
"Ah! It was her words but it did not mean she was aboard with the merchants and fishermen, my sister." He sipped from his cup and turned to us, wanting us to fully absorb what he had to say. "You see, a king went in disguise to consult the oracle of Delphi about warfare. He was met with a fairly favorable answer, vague as it was. He shared his good fortune to his crew who happened to be regular customers of the seaside trade. And well the rest of it, you three can easily guess."
"But why must we upset ourselves with news of no certainty?" Zeus asked, clearly objected to the subject.
"Would you take greater concern of it once I tell you that the king was Priam?" I looked at the god of the seas dubiously. And I knew he was quite pleased of my reaction. "The young but truly worthy King Priam of Troy."
"He is of little consequence." Zeus muttered. I knew he was still upset having to be outshined by his own son, Apollo among the Trojans.
"What was the prophecy, Poseidon?" Zeus was not glad to see me engrossed in the conversation. Normally, I wouldn't even be the least concerned of human affairs. But this—this was an exception. "Did Priam imply anything about the start of a war?"
I knew fairly enough of what to expect in the future from the Fates. To have them living in my realms was both a blessing and a curse. They knew the life of each mortal or immortal that had or would ever come into existence; from birth to death, from glory to downfall. They were strange creatures who did not like to be disturbed in their never-ending work of creating, pulling and cutting human life threads. Though they might be vocal of their predictions they spoke mostly in metaphor—which I could sometimes decipher and which sometimes I could not.
Let the crown be removed from the unworthy head—be it done by the daughter once misled.
I remembered their most recent prediction. And it did not sit well with me. It was saying something of a revolution—a rebellion or most specifically a dethronement. If I guessed correctly, a king would soon be replaced because of a daughter's doing and this rumor from Poseidon only worsened my concerns. Wars were of no consequence to me, perhaps it might bring me more work to deal with in the underworld but I never did complain of my duties. No, it was not the warfare that interested me—it was Priam, the King of Troy.
He was an exceedingly generous man who sought only the best for his men and his country. Might he not be the best husband, he was undeniably a good father. I could not imagine any of his children going against him.
"Strife between gold will bring victory to the army with the finest steed—that is what my men have heard them say. Vague but still pointing out one thing clear—strife means battle and battle means—"
"War." I muttered uncharacteristically before contemplating on what Poseidon had said. It seemed related—the two prophecies from the oracle and the fates. A kingdom would fall—that I was sure.
"Vague, you say?" Zeus sarcastically. Hera glared at him disapprovingly but he ignored it completely. "It is obvious that the country with the best horses is Troy. As regards to war—it is certain that there will be one. But that should not concern us more than it already has by merely speaking of it."
I knew the god of the seas was infuriated by the carelessness of how the youngest of the Olympian triad spoke. I gave Poseidon a warning glance. It would not be proper to start an argument now. Olympus was Zeus'—we should not disrespect his authority here. My partiality to Zeus often earned me Poseidon's resentment. But the natural inclination of the eldest to the youngest could not be helped—I felt myself Zeus' protector. For regardless of his past offenses on Hera, his blatant rudeness to Poseidon and his great injuries to all the other gods of Olympus—he was still my baby brother.
"If you would excuse me, I still have my other daily affairs to attend to."
Zeus left us to our bidding. Hera moved closer to the table, eying me and Poseidon with a meaningful stare. "It is not that simple, is it, my brothers?"
Poseidon and I exchanged looks. In silence he asked for my approval and in silence I gave it to him. Our thoughts were preoccupied by the same concern. "If it had been that simple, I would not even call on Olympus. We are talking about the Oracle of Delphi, my sister—her prophecies are either too specific or too elusive. She didn't give us a detailed fortune; she gave us a riddle wherein the most obvious answer is not the real answer."
It was at this moment did Athena and Ares together with a twelve-year old Persephone and a five-year old Eris come from the doors of the dining hall. They walked over to us. And I did not miss the curve of Athena's smile nor the gleam in Ares' eyes when they saw me. I could not thoroughly explain my relationship with these two. But just as how I found a favorite in their father—I also found myself favoring them from all my other nieces and nephews. Ares was a well-built young man whose love for battle convinced me again and again to enter my retired arena while Athena's interests in strategic warfare and worldly knowledge brought her frequently to the deceased generals of the Underworld.
Eris and Persephone were engrossed in their small collection of flower petals to care for the world around them. It wasn't until the god of the seas took them simultaneously in his arms did the two realized they were in different company.
"Uncle Poseidon!" The two girls exclaimed in unison before giggling on his lap. Poseidon took the time to joke around his youngest nieces—his anger and seriousness now fully dissolved at the attendance of the two minor goddesses.
"The both of you—sit down." Hera said to the other two.
Ares and Athena looked at one another and I did not even need to be an oracle to know what had passed between their short glance. It was a question on who should be the one to take the seat beside me and who should be seated a chair away from me. I could feel Athena's foot stomping on Ares from the vibrations of Olympus' marbled floors. I heard Ares' hissing followed by Athena's quick advancement next to me. I tried my best not to laugh at their antics. But the picture of these two teenagers fighting over a seat next to their favorite uncle seemed like something only toddlers would do.
"Comfortable?" I teased looking at the downcast Ares who plopped his elbow on the dining table—his chin was on his palm while he faced me.
"Fine, uncle though I would be perhaps a little better without a sore foot." I stifled a chuckle from his allusion and I knew Athena was doing the same.
"That's a shame, uncle. He wouldn't accompany us then to those ancient ruins you promised to take us?"
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine, uncle. What is pain to the god of war?" The natural humor of it all didn't pass by my features unnoticed. I found myself grinning. Athena chuckled. Ares grumbled something unintelligible adding to our mild musings. After a few moments though, his expression turned from humiliation to concern. "Uncle, what did we hear about something of a war?"
The both of them looked at me for an answer but I could only shake my head to their disappointment. "We know nothing of it. Except of what the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi had told us." They urged me to repeat what I knew, and in hushed tones, I told them exactly what Poseidon had heard from the merchants of the sea. They were puzzled at first but came into the same conclusion as Zeus.
"Why should we even deny it? Troy has the best army among the mortals of the West. It's not surprising for them to be already revered as victors." Ares said in the same confidence of his father. Athena assented with a nod—not quite sure, but weighing the words exactly as they were.
"Poseidon and I thought differently. Remember that the Oracle of Delphi is either too specific or too vague. Don't confine yourselves in a single interpretation unless we're certain that it's really Troy she's talking about." I knew they weren't entirely of my opinion but they were considering my words—as I could see in their faces. That was enough for me. "Be on your guard for prayers. Gods of warfare are almost consulted in almost every given minute in battle."
They nodded. I knew Hera was now looking at us with slight concern. We changed our topic. We talked of other affairs that interested us. Hera joined Poseidon with the girls and, for a brief moment, I resented the idea of returning to the underworld. Ares and Athena were my dearest pupils. I would never be tired of hearing their stories of adventures and mischief.
Poseidon had Persephone. Hera had Eris. My sister's disposition towards the illegitimate children of Zeus was something I could never understand. She treated Athena with civility, Persephone with due kindness. I knew their mothers could never be forgiven. The mere mentioning of their names was enough for Hera's blood to boil. But the children were a different matter altogether. Athena was accepted, perhaps because of her own efforts to redeem herself. Persephone was tolerated, perhaps because of Eris.
One day, I would probably understand why Hera treated Persephone in such a way. One day, I would probably share Poseidon's sentiments in deeming her his favorite niece. One day I would probably realize how much of a fool I was for making a big deal about a child who never injured me.
One day, I would probably take it upon myself to get over my pride and prejudice and see her as how all the others see her—an innocent child of the meadows of the earth. But today was not that day.
To those who were able to pick up the hints to where this series would head to-there's a special place in my heart for you, people.
Respectfully yours,
Ms. Reen