The war was at an end.

Heat engulfed every God, Goddess and Nymph as each gossiped about Athena's triumph against Ares. Some, such as Apollo, were exhausted and appalled at having been defeated. The others were delighted.

Zeus, however was struggling to understand how the Greeks had succeeded when his plan had not gone accordingly. Hades had not taken part it seemed, yet Athena had won.

Zeus sat on his throne, his hand holding his chin up, as his other hand drummed their fingers on the golden arm of his throne, his anxiety apparent in the rapid rhythm and the fixated stare he had at nothing. His mind was mulling over the past week. How odd it all was, really. Hades appearance, Eros's arrow, Persephone, Athena winning... yet Persephone had not been traded for the Helm as the plan had instructed.

The glowing orb of the sun shone down on Olympus, causing the dancing dust in the air to be visible when light seeped through the cracks of his palace. The flecks of light did not disturb Zeus from his thoughts though.

Sighing, Zeus shifted slightly; gripping his throne with both hands. When that proved uncomfortable, he got up and began to pace the room, his arms slowly crossing his chest.

What had he done?

Well, he'd checked Persephone was still inhabiting Enna with Demeter... So Hades hadn't had a part in the war as he'd wanted. Yet somehow Athena had won regardless of the Underworld's input. Had he not thought it all out? Persephone for the Helm... that was what he wanted. But no, the war was over... so what of Persephone? Where was Hades?

"My Lord?"

Zeus turned his head slowly to see a nervous Nymph glancing at him, yet her head remained low as she curtseyed her greeting to the King of the Gods.

"Yes?" Zeus said stiffly; he was in no mood to be meddled with.

"Lady Hera has requested you're presence... she is in her bedroom."

Zeus's eyebrows rose at that. Usually, Hera would find him herself... and never has his presence been requested in her bedroom. That sort of appearance was seduced by him or carefully hinted by her.

Finally, Zeus was outside her door. Suppressing his excitement for he could not hope her request was out of want rather than need, but – after all these years – he still held onto hope that she yearned for him in some way. He took a deep breath, smoothing back his golden curls before pushing open the door.

The room was an array of oranges, reds, yellows and golds. Warmth was held in its aura, especially as Hera's room had been painted to depict summer's sunset. The welcoming sensation would usually be halted with Hera's icy glare.

Glancing around the room, his eyes landed on the bed in the corner, a window lighting the room above it. It lay untouched, the soft silken sheets perfectly tidy, though Zeus preferred to see a flustered Hera beneath them with him above her. Zeus could not help but smirk at the memory of his last visit.

Oh, how long ago that was...

The next day, Hera had disappeared and Zeus awoke to a feeling of abandonment and emptiness that Hera never allowed herself to resolve and fulfill. Sometimes, his effect on her was evident and he could only hope she would let herself give in to him completely. But no, she held back every time.

"I see you're visit was eager," Hera said indignantly.

Zeus's smirk faded when he recognised her tone and turned to face her, appearing in an archway that led to her study.

"When a lady requests for me, I must obey immediately," Zeus replied, chuckling.

Hera frowned, her brow creasing as she crossed her arms slowly across her chest.

Immediately Zeus stopped and closed the door, taking a few strides towards his wife.

Hera's hair had been tied up in a loose bun and secured with a braided strand of her golden locks. The colour, to Zeus, was extraordinary. It was gold yet the gold had a dark fade to it. As if the gold were too bright for her hair and had taken it's toll. It was beautiful to Zeus, though he did often muse to himself that her hair was a metaphor for her own hot-headedness.

"Well, what is it you want, dear?" he whispered. He was so close to her that Hera could feel his breath on her neck. She ducked her head away from his so as to hide the blush rising on her cheeks. Though now her neck was even more exposed to the warmth of her husband's breath.

"I found something interesting..." she murmured, her blush increasing when her eyes met his piercing blue ones. From this close she could see every shade painted in his iris's. When she noticed the smirk creep up on his face she moved away; trying to get a hold of herself. "I heard about your plan!" She said loudly as if trying to make up for her weak display.

"My what?" Zeus's brows knitted together, as he faced the back of his wife completely.

"How'd that work out for then?" She turned, hesitating slightly when she realised how close he'd become yet again.

"Well, it got your attention, didn't it?" He muttered, taking advantage of the close proximity, he leaned in to kiss her but Hera pushed him back harshly. He stumbled for a moment, but remained where he stood and watched as his wife pointed her finger at him.

"I know that wasn't your motive," she paused "this time."

Zeus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. "You should be pleased,,, I was only assisting in the war-"

"Manipulating," Hera spat, 'correcting' him,"meddling."

Zeus froze as he realised what was going on.

"You hate her..."

Hera knew everything it seemed, there was no hiding from her. In fact, hiding – it seemed – only made matters worse.

Hera went rigid; she gawked at him for a second before regaining her composure. "What?"

Zeus remained calm and repeated his words, "you hate her."

"Persephone is no enemy of mi-"

"No, but she's hardly worthy of your defence!"

Hera took a deep breath, her eyes still narrowed on her husband. He was right. She did not take kindly to Persephone's existence. To put it simply, Hera did not like Persephone because she was born from Zeus's infidelity. And for some reason she could not fathom, Hera could not stand the thought...

"This odd union you decided to create... it offends my values." She eyed him, before continuing. "Persephone has a duty to her mother, who can't possible take such a separation as Persephone is the only beauty she has-"

"Demeter is beautiful herself," Zeus murmured, his eyes analysing Hera's reaction. He had no reason to interject other than figure this Goddess out. Was she simply jealous of Demeter? Therefore wanting to wreak havoc on her daughter's life? Either way, her reactions were always what spurred him on.

Hera's jaw tightened; her teeth grinding. In truth, she considered Demeter to be attractive but she couldn't bear the thought of her being admired by Zeus. The image their naked bodies clinging to one another felt like a knife had stabbed her in the gut.

Ignoring how a glint had appeared in her husband's eyes as her reaction to his words became obvious, Hera continued. "As I was saying," she glanced quickly at him, "family separation is against my principles as a Goddess. And yet, if this will grow to a marital union..." she sighed, "it breaks the family... but ignoring such a union destroys my value of marriage."

She looked up to find Zeus pinching the bridge of his nose; eyes squeezed shut. Hera took this as a lack of interest or understanding and the anger she was trying to suppress boiled inside her instead.

"You can't just use someone, Zeus, without considering the consequences!" She yelled, frustration building in her. Had he thought to discuss such matter with her? No. Hera was sure that growing more distant would cause him to reach out or seek her attention more. How wrong she'd been.

"Had you thought of consequences when you're own vanity blinded you?" Zeus stared her down. "You began this blasted war in the first place!" His hand flew out and his hair fell to frame his face roughly. "I was simply clearing up your mess, my dear."

"My mess!?" Hera shouted, feeling disgusted at the accusation. "Oh, I am sorry that Aphrodite planted that apple! Oh, I am so sorry that you could not decide whether your wife was more beautiful than other women!" She seethed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she matched his stare with more venom. How had she ended up with him!? He was impossible! "As per usual, you found yourself surrounded by other beauties and yet you couldn't recognise which to stay loyal to!"

Hera immediately reddened when she realised what she'd said. No... She was not jealous! No, no, no... His infidelity was just a bad mark on her value as the Goddess of marriage... That was all that hurt. Nothing more.

Both stared at each other. Eyes wide with anger, yet Zeus calmed down first and the playful glint in his eye returned as a smirk curled his lips. His wife, on the other hand, was trembling with fury, her eyes glowing with contempt and her hair was even looser; earning her a crazed look.

He was taken aback by her appearance though. Strands of her gold hair had fallen free from its braid and lay roughly around her forehead. Her chest heaved, emphasising her breasts.

Quickly, Zeus allowed his eyes to gaze lazily over her body. She wore a deep green dress, trimmed with gold, that hung over her body weightily yet still shaped her thin outline. She was so fierce for someone so petite.

Swallowing, Zeus closed the space between them, calmly wrapping his arms around her waist. Is strong arms trapping her against him.

He felt her immediately stiffen... and then struggle. Though her slaps against his arms were never successful, in fact they were the weakest attempts to keep him away he'd witnessed from her. Usually his wife was fiercer, stronger, than this.

"I thought I could end the war," he breathed, ignoring her struggle. "I was trying to please you all. Thetis, Athena and you. Especially you." For a moment, Hera's struggled ceased as she held tightly onto his forearms, regaining her strength. "I asked Eros aim for Hades when he was in the Dark Forest. At first, I planned on him noticing a Nymph, not Demeter's daughter. Nevertheless, I knew I could use her to my advantage," he paused to grip her tighter when she was about to return to her struggle. This took her by surprise and she stumbled against his chest.

"I planned on using Persephone in exchange for the Helm."

Hera froze.

"H-helm?" She stammered, her hands flat against his broad chest, as she stared up at her husband.

"Yes, my dear, the Helm of Darkness would then have been given to Athena."

"You needn't have bothered..." Hera blushed, trying to turn away but ended up being held even closer.

"What does that mean?" he breathed, causing goose-bumps to rise on her skin. Closing her eyes, she whispered against his shoulder as sweetly as a kiss, "I have influence over Hades."

The silence was overwhelming.

Hera frowned and turned to face Zeus but was knocked back as his lips crashed onto hers. It took her a moment to realise what was happening and she felt herself hungrily tasting his lips. When he pulled away she felt dizzy, gazing into his eyes as Zeus grinned back at her, his forehead connecting with hers as both tried to steady their breathing.

No, this was not happening again! Hera pulled back but remained in his arms (feeling her knees turn to jelly with the heat of their bodies), as he continued to look at her. Hera only blushed and tried to look anywhere but his eyes; knowing only too well how it would affect her to see him stare her down lovingly. She hated herself for it.

"We aren't so different after all." Zeus smirked.

"Well," Hera chuckled, "I don't use poor tactics!" She sneered, continuing her (even fainter) struggle against his powerful arms that tugged her ever close against his form; encouraging her to make eye contact.

"What did you use then?" Zeus asked, genuine curiosity evident in his voice.

Hera paused, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I promised Hades a wife."

Persephone's eyes opened but she had to blink several times before anything came in to focus. Groggily, she lifted her head, groaning as she attempted to lift her body from the tough ground.

Mud coated her body and matted her hair. It took her a moment to process where she was.

"Holy Styx!" She spluttered, hastily scrambling up from the floor of the forest. Demeter would kill her if she were missing.

Her head pounded as she stood and her legs wobbled beneath her. Standing proved to be a difficult task as she fell to her knees almost immediately. Persephone decided to process her surrounding further before making any hasty movement, especially as her eyes rolled inside her head with dizziness when she got up too fast. The sky was ablaze with sunlight... she was definitely near the entrance to the Dark Forest. No amount of sunlight could reach far into the forest.

Thank the Gods...

Hastily, she hitched up her chiton, lunging forward to run through the meadow before stopping herself completely.

Demeter would, no doubt, be searching already... She couldn't risk strutting through the meadow. How would that look to her mother?

Sighing, Persephone wandered among the trees, deciding to remain close to the edge of the meadow so as to navigate her way back to the palace.

Persephone stretched her arms out and yawned as she walked, her achy muscles yearning for rest immediately. The hard floor of the forest had been harsh on her body. Achy, tired and grumpy, Persephone could not take tripping over her dress one more time as she had been doing in her exhausted state.

Halting in her steps, she bent down and ripped off half her chiton. She never cared for the silly thing anyway. Though, she did hate the thought of a passing Nymph catching sight of her body. True, other Goddesses had shown more skin than this but Persephone had been brought up to believe her body was worth more than that. Her dress reached past her mid-thigh and she could not help but tug it down with every step she took. Not taking any risks.

Finally, Persephone reached her home.

It was still a good distance away but she knew that by climbing the vines to her window she'd be safe. Though, getting caught half naked, in the late afternoon, dirty and tired would evidently cause scandalous thoughts to sprout in her mothers mind.

Darting her head around to search for her mother, scanning the scene, she could not see any sign of her.

Gulping down her nerves; taking her chances, Persephone darted forwards; running as fast as her groaning muscles would allow. Breathing heavily, she laid both her hands against the sturdy vines that clasped the palace. Regaining her energy, adrenaline pumping in her veins. She was more awake now.

More aware of how messy she felt. Her frizzy hair kept flopping in her eyes as she climbed upwards, towards her window. She felt so irritated already in her current situation, she had half a mind to rip her hair out. At least then it wouldn't distract her from her current mission: get to her room quickly without getting caught.

"Hermes, what brings you here?"

Persephone froze, her foot caught in a tangle of branches. Her eyes darted to the front of the palace, feeling relieved to know that her mother could not see her from here... but Hermes (if she wasn't careful) could.

"I have the same news to bring to all deities!" Hermes chirped merrily, as he softly landed on the ground. "The war of the Greeks and the Trojans is over!"

"Great news indeed," Persephone heard her mother reply.

She continued to stretch her leg out to latch onto the vines and pull herself upwards, all the while trying to make sure she was out of sight. When her foot slipped she had to bite her lip to stop herself from yelping. Trying to remain calm, she pulled herself up wards yet again but remained still, steadying her heartbeat that was thudding loudly against her ribcage.

Breathing out a shaky sigh, Persephone turned her head to glance down at Hermes and the back of her mother. Demeter seemed to have said something, although it was too quiet for Persephone to hear.

But, in that moment, Hermes glanced up at the palace walls.

Persephone's heart stopped when he made eye contact with her, wearing an unreadable expression.

He'd seen her.

Drat.

Well, her stealth had failed her this time. Hermes didn't seem shocked though. Had he known she was there all along?

Of course, Persephone mentally slapped herself, he could fly. He'd been blessed with those soft white wings since he'd been born. Maybe he'd seen her run to the palace?

Her face reddened with the sudden realisation of how she must look to him. The mud, her hair and her dress, which (due to the branches) had been ripped to shreds. She could only hope he hadn't noticed how most of her body was in sight for the whole world to see. The chiffon she had worn now barely covered her thigh, as her leg was lifted onto a higher branch and the slits made by the plants reach past her waist. Her face was burning with the realisation.

Thank heavens he wasn't on the other side. He'd surely have seen more than allowed... Her blush grew deeper. Oh what a sight she must be.

"Nay, Ma'am, haven't seen her," Hermes replied slowly to Demeter, as Persephone hurled herself inside her bedroom' not-so-gracefully landing on her bedroom floor. She couldn't stay there any longer. Hermes would surely have stolen another glance at her before leaving...She could never live with herself if that happened, especially as she was practically naked... well, this was the most flesh that anyone had ever seen her show.

"Kore!" Her mother cried from outside. As Hermes was there, Demeter coated the desperation in her voice with a further softness.

"mmmph," Persephone moaned as she lifted her self onto her hands and knees, hissing as the hard wooden floor splintered against her legs.

"My lady," gasped a Nymph, as Persephone looked up. She hadn't expected anyone to be around, although she was thankful it was her personal chambermaid and not an unexpected visitor or even just a different servant.

"Orseis!" Persephone smiled, quite delighted at seeing her. The Nymph however was still in shock. Her mistress had just fallen through a window in rags and mud.

"Please, do not tell my mother how..." she blushed remembering Hermes glancing at her. "How I came to be here..."

For a moment, Orseis stared at her, baffled, but suddenly shook her and and stammered, "Y-yes, miss... of course," before dropping her laundry to wrap her arm around Persephone to guide her to her feet. Persephone smiled and thanked her as Orseis dashed to grab for towels and water. Other servants brought n jugs of steaming water, trying not to stare at the daughter of their mistress too much.

Persephone silently wished she'd instructed Orseis to be the only servant to bring the water, as she felt her face redden even more as each saw the shameful sight. How she could easily be the laughing stock of her mother now. Better for her to quickly wash and greet her mother with some excuse. Though, she had commanded for Orseis to notify her mother that she was around she just hadn't risen early. Probably the worst excuse she could think of, but any other and Demeter would surely be suspicious.

Author Note: Sorry this took so long to upload, I had mock exams and then a ten hour art exam but back to writing for now! I made it long to make up for the long time.

Not sure if I described Hera and Zeus as best as I could, but please let me know! Reviews please!

:) Thanks so far!