TW: The following has descriptions of alcohol consumption. This story will explore themes of generational trauma, abuse and toxicity in relationships, and mental health topics like anxiety. Please read at your own discretion.

"Thank you for joining us. I'm sure Hera will be so pleased." She overheard her husband say as he greeted the guests at the door.

Hera turned to her sister-in-law, Amphitrite, "With Panathenae coming up, I asked Zeus if we could make this a small affair." She took a sip of her wine. "Brothers and wives only… but clearly, someone misunderstood," Hera rolled her eyes as she heard the couple walk up to them, heels and loafers clacking against the marble floors.

"Happy Birthday, Bunny," Hades said, pulling her into a hug. She could hear his date's toe tap impatiently.

Hera kissed his cheek in greeting, "Hades, what a pleasure." She released him, eyeing his guest in her short, tight black dress. She was holding a large gift box that hid most of her dress, making her seem practically naked. "And I see you brought Minthe," Hera said with a forced smile.

Minthe mirrored the expression, "Happy Birthday, Hera." She let her falsetto voice ring through the stiff air between them. The two women stood in a brief silence and then Minthe said innocently, "I know your invite said family only, but I couldn't miss the Queen of the Gods' birthday dinner." Hades inched closer to his date uncomfortably and opened his mouth as if to apologize or justify his faux pas.

Hera smirked, turning on her heel. "I think you could have," She said under her breath. "Are you drinking anything?" She called out to the woman, letting her hips sway as she walked.

"I'd take a red wine," Minthe said smugly.

Hera sighed, walking out of the foyer, towards Poseidon and his wife. "Perhaps Zeus will ask Hebe to grab you a glass." She said, keeping her gaze forward. "Please, come in." The motion to follow her was lazy, uninviting.

She strutted across the sitting room, her heels sinking into the plush rug. Hera perched in an ornate chair upholstered in velvet with gold accents. She sat tall, across from Amphitrite. She extended her arm towards empty seats, gesturing to Hades and Minthe. "Dinner isn't quite ready, we can sit here and catch up," Hera said, her nose wrinkling as if she were thrilled by the idea of discussing life and politics with the social-climbing nymph clinging to her brother-in-law's arm.

Sensing the tension, Hades cleared his throat. "We brought a gift," He said, taking the large gift box from his girlfriend and handing it to Hera.

Hera beamed. Her fingers grazed gently over the large satin bow tied pristinely on the front. "Oh, Hades, you shouldn't have. What more could a girl want?" She said as she gestured to the beautifully decorated room around them. She kept a regal smile poised on her lips, untying the bow and lifting the lid. "A coat? How lovely." She picked the beautiful cream colored fur out of the box. She let her fingers soak up the luxury of the fur, pulling it closer for further inspection. A small gasp escaped her lips.

As she held the coat in her hands, the faces around her pulled out of focus. The walls of the sitting room were melting and she was pulled into a sepia toned void.

The details were blurry, but she could see him clearly.

Hades' tall frame stood in front of her. She floated closer to him. He was dressed in a dark suit with metals and ropes hanging off the front of his jacket. "He looks so handsome in his dress uniform." She noted. This was a formal affair. His crown sat neatly in his hair and he was smiling, enough to show off the dimples that sat at the corners of his lips. HIs eyes were welling up with tears.

Another figure formed, wearing a long white dress. "Oh gods! Hades and Minthe? This is their wedding?" She couldn't quite make out the face of the woman, but it didn't look like the tall, slender nymph. This woman was shorter, not as thin, but the veil concealed her identity. Hades greeted the woman and began to lift the veil, only to reveal full lips parting into a bright smile.

The vision shifted, zooming out of this scene and to another.

The void became a more detailed room, she knew the place well. She stood at the bar of Hades' kitchen, two coffee cups placed before her. She could see him again, smiling shyly. A woman formed across from him, her hands reaching for the second mug. She was beautiful, blushing into the drink. The coat Hera had just received was wrapped around the woman.

The woman smiled the same smile from under the veil. "This is it," Hera thought.

"Shit," Hera muttered as the sitting room reappeared. She looked at Hades and smiled warmly.

Zeus interrupted the silence in the room, "What was that?" He asked his wife nervously as she broke out of her daze.

Hera recomposed herself, shaking the giddy look from her face. "I'm sorry, I just got caught up in the coat. Lovely thing." She said, folding the coat and placing it back in the box. "Is dinner ready yet?"

Zeus clapped his hands against the arms of his chair, "I think almost!" He stood up, rubbing his hands together with a mischievous smile. "Let's get this party started," He said, leading the party to the bar. "I think we could all use refreshers on our drinks before we eat, yes?" His voice trailed off as the others followed him.

"Hades," Hera called out. Her brother-in-law turned, walking back over to her. "I can't accept this." She said, sliding the lid back over the gift.

Hades watched her, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "No?" He asked as she passed it back to him.

Hera shook her head. "It's lovely, but not my color." A small pang of guilt struck her as she watched his cheeks fill with embarrassment.

"I can return it, I suppose," He shrugged, looking shamefully at the box.

She touched his arm softly, shaking her head. "Hang on to it, I might change my mind."

"Well, would you like to keep it here?" Hades offered, trying to give the box to her again.

Hera gently pushed the box back towards him, "No. No. Keep it. It's too warm in Olympus to warrant a coat."

"Well, what else could I get you for now?" He asked, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Hera smirked. "Get rid of your harlot. That would be a good start," She said, rubbing the light trace of Minthe's lipstick off his jawline.

"Hera…" Hades' blush deepened, pushing her hand away from his jaw, attempting to remove the smudge himself.

Hera's melodic laugh echoed through the sitting room. "I'm joking, just joking." She took a sip of her wine, "I love when you bring that classless ladder climbing tramp around. Honestly. Her lack of manners is so refreshing." She said, swirling the wine in her glass while she spoke.

Hades frowned. "Hera, could you please…" He started. Hera began to protest, but he added, "For me."

She sighed. "Fine. Fine," She said, placing her arm in his, leading him towards the dining room where they could hear drunken laughter from her husband booming through the halls. She dropped her disdain towards Minthe for the night, for the sake of her favorite brother. "You're going to be happy again," She thought, looking up at him while they walked. "Someday."

Hera sat at her vanity, rubbing a silky lotion between her fingers. Another birthday passed and while her skin still looked youthful, she was beginning to feel some age in her bones. She sat up, watching her reflection in the mirror. Immortality didn't hide the dark circles that formed under her eyes when she drank too much.

Zeus cleared his throat, while taking off his cufflinks. "So what was up with the gift from Hades? He said you didn't want it." He asked his wife, watching her in the mirror. He kissed her cheek and then continued undressing, placing the links on his dresser.

Hera shrugged, running her hands up her arms. "I think he could use it for something else," She called out to her husband as he entered the bathroom.

He poked his head from the doorway, "You think my brother needs a women's coat to keep around the house?" He asked, coating a toothbrush with toothpaste and placing it in his mouth.

Hera waited, considering whether she should tell him about the vision. She decided it couldn't hurt, and Zeus always wanted what was best for his brother, as long as it didn't interfere with his own interests. "Well… What if I told you I saw something?" She asked, testing her husband's mood.

"Oh, do tell." He said eagerly, sitting beside her on the vanity bench.

Hera smiled warmly, remembering Hades in his wedding suit. "I think your brother might be ready to settle down."

Zeus nodded, waving his toothbrush in the air, as if to connect invisible dots. "So, you want him to give the coat to Minthe? Was that your blessing?" He asked, moving back to the bathroom.

Hear snorted with a curt laugh. "Please, no. That trollop? Of course not. I would never bless that union." She said, pulling back the sheets of their bed. She decided not to say much more, and luckily Zeus had a short attention span for gossip. "Anyways, the party was very nice," She said, pulling her luxurious golden hair up in a silk scarf. She sighed, sinking into the fluffy pillows resting against the scalloped velvet headboard. "I know Hestia couldn't make it, which is a shame. But I have to wonder, where was Demeter? Working? Or is she still avoiding Hades?" She called to her husband over the running sink water.

Zeus exited the bathroom, patting his chin with a hand towel. "Let's discuss it another day, I don't want to upset you on your birthday." He said, tossing the towel on the bathroom counter. He tied his long hair up into a bun and tightened his pajama bottoms before climbing into bed.

"Try me." Hera took off her wedding rings and placed them on her bedside table.

Zeus sighed, "Bunny…"

Hera frowned, "Zeus, am I not your queen? I want to know. That's an order."

He rubbed his eyes and then let his hands drag down his face, tugging at his skin. "Ugh, Hera." He sighed again, "Fine. Remember that weird rumor about a massive tree growing in the mortal realm and then a bunch of villages being destroyed and mortals murdered?"

Hera watched him, confused. "Yes. But it was just a rumor?" She said, shaking her head slowly. "What does that have to do with Demeter?"

Zeus eyed his wife, sinking further beneath the sheets. He turned to her, propping himself up on his elbow. "It wasn't a rumor. It was Demeter's daughter."

Hera gasped, sitting up taller. "Demeter's daughter? She was so little the last time Deme invited me to the Mortal Realm," She said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm surprised she didn't tell you," He said, sitting up with her.

"We haven't talked in a while." Hera looked down at her hands. She felt a sharp sting of disappointment that her friend hadn't trusted her with such news.

Zeus shrugged. "Well, maybe the two of you should catch up." They sat quietly for a moment, then Zeus reached for his wife's hands that sat in her lap. She looked at him, "She's in a lot of trouble, Bunny." He said, holding her hand tightly.

"Surely, you can let it slide, though?" Hera asked, twisting in the sheets, pulling herself closer to him. Her bright, pleading eyes gazed up at him.

"Can I?" Zeus asked. He brushed his hand over the crown of his wife's head, pushing away loose strands of hair. Quiet washed over them again. Zeus sat up. "Demeter tried to help her daughter hide an Act of Wrath from me, used Hermes to cover up the influx of souls, directly impacting and deceiving our dear brother. We're just lucky she didn't take out the coast or this would have wrecked through the entire Triarchy." He said bitterly. He began biting at his thumb nail, a habit he took to when he was worried.

Hera sat up, to match her husband. "How old is the girl now? She can't be over fifty? Definitely not a century?" She asked, as he stared down, past the bedsheets into a chasm of diplomatic analytics.

Zeus stopped biting his nail. "Does it matter, Hera? She ripped through, not just one village, but villages." He sighed, his hands rubbing at his eyes again. "She needs to be punished." He said grimly.

"Well, what are you going to do?" She asked, taking his hand in hers. "Not that cruel torture like you did with Prometheus?" She said with sorrow in her voice. She thought of poor Demeter and how a punishment like that would devastate her.

Zeus gawked at his wife. "You sympathize with Prometheus?!" He pulled his hand away from her. "You're hot for some con man, now?!" He asked, jumping out of bed. The reaction suggested he might still be influenced by the night's wine. He began to pace, bringing his thumb nail back to his mouth.

Hera groaned. "Show me her picture?" Zeus stopped pacing, picking up his phone from the nightstand. He scrolled for a second and then flashed the photo to Hera. She gasped at the young woman staring back at her. "Zeus! She's just a girl…"

He pulled the phone to his chest. "She's a murderer." He said angrily. They were silent again. He laid down, seeming drained by the drag of the alcohol and this conversation. "What do you suggest I do with her?" He let the question float to the bedroom ceiling.

Hera took the phone from his hand. "She's familiar…" She said, studying the picture. This is it.

"Hello? Hera? Give me a suggestion, already…" Zeus said, as he impatiently waved his hand in front of her eyes, breaking her trance.

She rolled her eyes, tossing the phone back to him. "Like you'd listen to me." But wouldn't he? If she were convincing enough?

It didn't seem like he needed much coaxing, Zeus knew this punishment had to be smart. It had to serve its purpose, to let other beings know the King of the God's power, but it couldn't be so cruel it caused a great division. "It's your friend's daughter. This will be my birthday gift to you," He conceded and sprawled back out in the middle of the bed.

"You'd give her mercy?" Hera asked, lifting a skeptical eyebrow.

Zeus nodded. "I won't feed her to an eagle."

Hera thought for a second. If she were to play matchmaker, she'd have to push them together organically. Or at least, so they would think it was organic. "Send her to work for Hades." She said, carefully.

"What?" Zeus frowned.

Hera nodded, trying to work the logistics out quickly. "Yes, this will separate her from her mother and she can work off her debt to him. This should serve as fair punishment."

Zeus rolled his eyes and dropped back down on the bed, "Wow. She murders hundreds of mortals and we're just going to give her a cushy job in the Underworld." He picked his hand up, his forefinger and thumb massaged his eyes again. His head throbbed from the alcohol.

"Artemis and Apollo murdered humans in the name of your whore, where was their discipline?" Hera spat, bitterly. She tried to remember to act sweetly to keep Zeus' temper at bay, but the quick reminder of Leto sent fire through her veins.

Zeus groaned. "Fine. That's all? Make her work for Hades?" He asked, looking up at his angry wife.

Hera pushed the anger aside. She sighed, inching closer to her husband's face. "She's very beautiful. Hades will eventually soften towards her." She said, stroking his sharp cheek.

Zeus scoffed, "And go easy on her…"

Hera kissed his cheek. "Make her work for Minthe?" She suggested with a sly smile.

He didn't accept the idea immediately. Then he sat up and chuckled. "Hell, that might be worse than Prometheus." He kissed her as an unsaid apology and climbed beneath the covers again.

Hera kissed him goodnight, pulled the sheets over her shoulders and spent the night trying to commit the vision to her memory.

A week had passed and Zeus had met with Demeter and her daughter. From Zeus' description, the meeting went poorly, but was ultimately effective. Hera expected her friend to reach out for comfort or mercy immediately, but there had been no contact between the friends until days later.

Hera looked down at her buzzing phone to see a call from Demeter. "Happy belated birthday, my sweet friend," Demeter's voice rang through the receiver. "I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to your party, I unfortunately have a lot of burdens to tend to here, in the Mortal Realm." Hera nodded, letting her friend talk.

"It's okay. Zeus said you've been busy." She said, giving way for an introduction to further explanation.

Demeter fell quiet. She cleared her throat after a minute of silence. "Persephone is moving to Olympus; would you look after her?" She asked in a short tone. She didn't offer any additional information.

Hera grew impatient. Demeter had to know Zeus told her everything. Why is she pretending like I wouldn't know? "Oh…well, absolutely, but, Deme, why didn't you tell me?" She asked outright, no longer waiting for her friend to divulge the truth.

The line went quiet again. "Tell you what, Hera?" Demeter eventually sputtered.

Hera sighed, now pacing around her office. "I don't know - that you and your daughter needed help? I could have done something, I could have at least helped assuage Zeus' ego." She rested on the edge of her long desk. She could feel the uneasiness growing between them.

"You think you could have helped?" Demeter asked harshly. "The two of you have spent too many of your years drunk and vengeful, what could you have done to stop him? Use Persephone as a bargaining chip to marry one of his sons?" Her anger was palpable. The mix of frustration and fear in her voice rang through the quiet room.

Hera stood up, pacing again. "Demeter! That's not fair." She said desperately into the phone. Fighting with Demeter made her feel like a little girl again, like they were shouting over a rule in a made-up game. Hera felt a heap of shame pile on her. Sure, she and Zeus weren't a perfect couple, and maybe her self-medicating wasn't a great example of well-adjusted health, but she could still help. She knew she could still do something good.

Demeter didn't respond right away. Guilt crept into her voice. "I'm sorry, Hera," She said quietly. "I'm sorry. I'm just… I've only been without her once, but she was safe at University. Now she's working for that monster…I don't know what to do." Hera could hear the sorrow in her friend's voice. Demeter had been weeping for the last few days and this phone call, meant to be a quick hello and apology, took all the strength she had left.

"Hades really isn't that bad." Hera offered quietly, hoping to comfort her old friend.

Demeter sniffled. "Ha. Dark Zeus, not that bad. Sure. What Underworld propaganda has he been pushing out lately?" Hera laughed quietly, prompting a chuckle from Demeter. "I wish she could've been your assistant, it wouldn't have been much of a punishment, I guess. But she'd be safe." Hera could hear the sorrow in her friend's voice.

She peeked through her office window, watching her assistant giggle over the desk phone, twirling the cord between her fingers. Hera shut the blinds, shaking her head. "Demeter, while I would love that, you know Zeus only hires airheads as my assistant, to sleep with them behind my back." She said, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a slight irritation in her voice.

"Oh Gaia," Demeter groaned into the receiver. "Can you keep her away from Zeus? At least until everything works out with Hestia?" She asked with a new desperation.

"Hestia?" Hera asked. She felt a sharp drop in her stomach. That would certainly put a damper on her plan.

"Yes," Demeter continued, "I'm trying to get Persephone into Hestia's organization. Obviously, she can't accept her until she finishes this punishment nonsense. But I need Zeus to not marry her off before then."

Hera rolled her eyes, "I know Hestia's like family, and I love her dearly, but I hate her organization." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sank into the plush chair positioned in front of her desk.

"Hera, I need you to promise me…" Demeter pleaded.

Hera propped her heels on her desk. "She'll be safe in the Underworld, Deme. And that really is the best place for her to learn about business. She can help you with your business in the Mortal Realm when she's done. She'll know so much," She said, trying to reassure her friend.

Demeter scoffed. "The only thing the Underworld can teach her is how to be greedy and corrupt." There was a pause on the line. "I dread the idea of her interacting and learning from Hades."

"I know you two don't see eye to eye…" Hera started.

Demeter interrupted, her voice harsh and cold, "Hmph, how anyone does is beyond me."

Hera sighed. "Oh, come on, Deme. Give him a chance. You remember when we were younger…" She thought back to their earlier days. Hades and Demeter seemed to have gotten along fine back then. She thought she had some fond memories of the two together without their bickering, but maybe years of drinking had painted a happy haze around those days.

"Before he became a self-indulgent jackass? Hardly." Demeter snapped, finishing the thought.

"That young man is still there…" Hera said, hopefully, looking at a picture of the six of them she kept on her desk. It was the most recent photo of the six traitors. All looked a touch older, wiser and bitter. Hades did look smug in the shot. She remembered his younger days, when his smile was wider and less poised.

Hera could practically hear her friend shake her head in disagreement. A quiet "tsk, tsk, tsk" echoed through the phone. "No, my sweet, naive Hera. I think you look at him through a different lens…" Demeter said sharply.

"Maybe. But I think he'd surprise you." Hera's voice was hopeful, sounding like a younger version of herself. She missed the hope she found in her youth.

After another pause, Demeter finally asked, "Can I count on you to look after her?"

"Like she was my own," Hera said firmly.

"Thank you, Hera."

They said their goodbyes and she felt a little guilty knowing she'd proposed the idea to place Persephone in the Underworld. Hera looked back at the picture on her desk, thinking of her vision again. She gulped the taste of betrayal down, knowing this was ultimately the best path for everyone. She had six months to push the two of them together, before Hestia got her hands on the girl. She would have to act accordingly. While she couldn't make them fall in love, she could put them in an environment where they might have a chance. With a new determination to make this plan work, she began working through the details.

This is it. You're going to be happy again. Someday.