Beautiful Mistake Chapter 3: Growth
The kitchen of the Cranel Family home was bustling with activity as an attractive woman busied herself with preparing lunch. The brunette beauty's slender yet curvaceous form was hugged by a white apron, her hair tied in a neat bun.
Once upon a time Hera would have been appalled at having to do menial labour instead of delegating them to others. But now the former queen would gladly trade her silk dresses for an apron to prepare food for her loved ones.
Just as the goddess put the finishing touches on her famous potato stew she felt strong arms wrapping around her waist, the feeling of a muscular chest pressed behind her back. An annoyed yet fond smile appeared on her face as she turned around to see the smirking face of her husband.
"You shouldn't interrupt a lady when she is preparing a meal for the family. And don't you dare do anything lewd at this time! We're about to have lunch and I don't want the children to see us acting inappropriately." Chastised Hera, who faltered in reprimanding her husband when he began kissing her.
The goddess let out a soft moan before snapping out of the tender loving from her husband to smack his chest, eliciting a laugh from the mischievous god. He kissed his wife one last time on the cheek which caused the woman to let out a squeak and smacking her husband again.
Any more playful behaviour between the husband and wife ended instantly when Hera noticed her grandchildren missing. Her blushing expression was replaced with her usual queenly scowl.
"Why are you back before the children? I thought we agreed that their training would stop in time for meals. Letting Alya engage in such barbaric activities was supposed to lessen Bell's destructive attitude, not inspire both of them to act like savages!"
Displaying the typical suave attitude that allowed him to calm and weather his wife's rage the bearded god laid his hand on her cheek and caressed it gently, the act successfully calming Hera down for her to listen.
"They'll be back soon, my dear. I had just taught Bell a technique that Maxim favoured for counterattacks and he wanted to master it today. He's very close to figuring it out and Alya stayed to make sure he comes back." Answered the god, calming the goddess slightly but also reminding her of the unpleasant change her sweet boy underwent.
After Alya had fully recovered from her injuries, the boy had taken the chance to finally leave his sister's side to corner his grandfather in order to request combat training. While Zeus was hesitant at first since Bell was too young he reasoned that teaching his grandson how to defend himself would help alleviate the young boy's grief and self-loathing that spawned from the guilt of his sister getting hurt to protect him.
Hera had strongly advised against the choice, advising her husband that Bell's frail body and mind couldn't handle the stress from the type of training that the god could teach as it was tailored for adventurers with a blessing. That Bell would end up hurting himself by abusing his body to the utmost limit along with the intensely rigorous training regimens.
In the end, the goddess' intuition was right.
The determined boy had taken to the training like a duck in water, memorizing the various exercises and basic warm-ups to the minute detail. But he had fanatically immersed himself in the training to the point of returning in the arms of his grandfather, always pushing past the limits of his body to absolute exhaustion. Barring the boy from training would prove even more detrimental as Bell would just continue his self-destructive behaviour away from the gaze of his grandparents and end up suffering worse injuries.
Bell's obsession for strength was so great that he shocked the whole family by arguing with his grandmother for the first time. Hera was incredibly shocked when her once meek grandson openly defied her and refused to listen to her direct command of stopping his brutal training, the child also daring to glare directly into his grandmother's eyes during the argument.
Thankfully everything changed for the better once Alya got involved.
The young elf had learned quite late about Bell's self-abusive training, her grandparents and older brother hiding the problem so as to not make the girl think it was her fault and not to needlessly worry her after she just recovered from a traumatic event.
Alya had always been a major influence on her brother, with the boy always heeding his sister's words and wanting to fulfil anything that was asked of him by her. From helping her do some chores to sneaking in an extra portion of his dessert to her without her asking, the boy truly loved his sister with all of his being and this love only intensified after her selfless act to protect him.
The truth was revealed when both gods reluctantly sent her to fetch Bell from his training, the boy dodging his grandfather's attempts to bring him back home as he wanted to completely master a few more techniques. Both of them had given up in trying to stop their grandson from abusing himself as any action they take would just make the situation worse, so they put all their hopes on Bell's love for his sister to snap him out of this madness.
It ended up working somewhat as a remorseful Bell returned home and deeply apologized to his grandparents for the way he behaved. While the husband and wife were about to calm down from the debacle, they were once again in a pickle when Alya requested to partake in the training with Bell. The elven girl reasoned that she would be the one to regulate Bell's training, thus freeing her grandparents from having to worry about the boy relapsing.
Unlike Bell, Alya didn't instantly adapt to the harsh training and struggled to find her footing, but in the end she had developed a decent foundation in swordplay. The girl wouldn't be following the footsteps of her mother anytime soon but wouldn't be completely helpless if forced to fight.
Releasing a deep sigh, Hera stepped away from her husband's embrace to pack up a portion of the lunch she made for both of her grandchildren. Telling her husband to eat first without her, the goddess made her way to the training ground that Zeus had set up in order to begin Bell's training.
The training grounds had basic equipment made from materials available in the village and forest, with the grassy area flattened for easier movement through the simple training course and several repurposed scarecrows.
The former queen of Orario found Alya and Bell taking a nap under a tree nearby, with Bell leaning his head on his sister's shoulder. Not wanting to disturb an adorable sight, she quietly placed the basket on the ground next to her and sat down primly to continue observing her precious babies. While the sight of her grandchildren warmed her heart, the warmth was smothered when she noticed the minor bruising and scratches on their bodies.
"It seems that no matter how hard we try to shelter the children they still manage to get hurt in the end. We thought raising them away from the nonsense of the current age would protect them, but in the end it made them more vulnerable to the dangers of the lower world…"
Hera had thought that raising the children in these mountains and hiding the truth of their parentage would keep the remnants of their family safe. Her reticence in speaking about the past was not only a way to avoid remembering all that they had lost but hoped that keeping the children ignorant would offer more protection.
"Once again I thought more of my own desires than what was best for everyone. Perhaps it would be best to teach the children of the past so they could secure their future". thought Hera, now bitterly accepting that some of the lies should stop. It would be nice to tell stories about her two favourite daughters to their children, and perhaps impart some lessons for them to heed that their mothers did not.
Not wanting the food to get cold and deciding that the children had enough rest, Hera gently shook both of them awake. Bell's eyelids fluttered open before he let out a cute yawn and greeted his grandmother with a smile, with his sister following suit with her own groggy greeting.
"I hope today's training was a fruitful endeavour, children? Time to eat lunch before it gets cold." Cooed Hera, pinching both of her grandchildren's cheeks.
Bell tucked into the food that his grandmother prepared, not even fazed by Grandma June's doting while Alya rolled her eyes lightly.
"Thanks for bringing us lunch grandma but you know we would be back later right? I was gonna drag Bell back to the house after our nap." Said Alya.
"I wanted to know what you were both up to and see what your grandfather built to help with your training." Answered Hera, who rubbed off some dirt on her granddaughter's cheek. While tidying up her grandchildren's appearance as they ate, Hera proceeded to ask how their day was.
Alya mentioned how much her swordsmanship was improving after the initial difficulty of her learning to use a sword. Bell proudly stated that he learned the technique his grandfather taught and used it to great effect in order to best Alya swiftly, giving his sister a cheeky smile that she responded by flicking a few breadcrumbs at him.
The secret goddess continued to silently observe the childish banter her adopted grandchildren were having. While the sight brought great happiness it also made Hera feel a touch of sadness knowing that this simple life with her little family wouldn't last.
"Maybe we can hold it off just for a little while longer… I just need a little more time…"
Alya's movements were slow and stiff as the young elf had trouble making her way to bed after painfully getting ready to turn in for the night, her entire body aching fiercely for some reason especially where Bell had landed a hit on her abdomen during training. While Bell never shies from giving solid hits on Alya during training, he never strikes with enough force to leave a bruise or cause lasting damage. She chalked it up to the sudden tenderness that her body developed these past few days.
She had begun experiencing the aches all over her body a few days after her 10th birthday. The celebration was a grand affair, well as grand as a birthday party for a family of four in a small, isolated village can be, with plenty of gifts and snacks.
Being able to eat as much food as she wants without being nagged by grandma to maintain ladylike etiquette was perhaps the best gift of all. It also helped that she suddenly felt famished on that day and helped herself to the delicious meals along with the baked treats that her grandma also made.
It all went wrong when suddenly the next day she felt as if her entire body was beaten with sticks while she slept and didn't wake up from the assault, with an uncomfortable ache in her stomach which resulted in her performance during training to drop that allowed Bell to take her down in a single hit.
The day just kept getting worse as the sharp pain didn't go away and was now supplemented by intense fatigue that she suddenly felt. All of the combined factors led to her turning in early for bed despite the sun not fully dipping and everyone else still outside the house, Bell with his usual training and grandma and grandpa working in the village.
Her brother had actually wanted to skip training for today so he could keep an eye on his sister but was forced out the door by the irritated girl. Alya usually had more patience for her family's shenanigans and quirks but had become so overwhelmed by the discomfort she endured that she finally snapped at Bell for the first time ever.
The boy's new calm and collected demeanour didn't stand a chance against his beloved sister's anger and he shed a few tears that were quickly wiped away as he left for the training grounds.
Alya spent the rest of her day completely miserable as the physical pain she suffered was now heaped together with her regret at lashing out against her family. She had felt like garbage when rebuking grandpa's attempts at cheering her up and grandma's soft concern but seeing Bell cry because of her made the young elf feel even worse.
"I totally deserve whatever the hell is happening to me right now. So much for being a good sibling in this life. Guess my promises are worth just as much as me, absolutely nothing…" thought Alya bitterly, jumping into her bed with forceful effort that intensified her pain as she felt like the bed was made of tiny knives.
Embracing the agony instead of fighting against it, the young girl let the toll of her malfunctioning body and mental fatigue take hold to force her rest. Hopefully she can make amends with her family tomorrow when the brief respite of slumber could reduce the pain for her to focus properly.
Unfortunately, forcing herself to sleep didn't work as Alya could only get an hour of shuteye before the pain jolted her out of her slumber. The dull ache in her gut didn't subside from the brief rest but now felt like she was being stabbed repeatedly with hot pokers.
"Holy fucking shit…" groaned Alya loudly, voicing out her frustration at the mysterious ailment that didn't even allow her to rest. She was about to force herself to go back to sleep when she felt a warm and sticky wetness underneath her, with the moist sensation concentrated between her legs.
"…no. It can't be…"
The panicked elf quickly reached for the magic stone lamp near her bed and turning it on to illuminate her entire room, revealing a patch of red under her that soaked the now ruined bedsheet.
"No, no, no, no, no…" muttered Alya as the source of her agony was revealed with the steady flow of blood coming out of her privates, soaking her panties and nightgown in a deep red.
Alya had known and accepted that she would experience the female version of puberty regardless of if she isn't human now. She was confident that the affair wouldn't be as terrifying for her since she knew the basics of how menstrual cycles work. Besides, being an elf might make her have a period unlikely as the race could possibly have very different physiology that negates female elves undergoing menstruation.
She wasn't just eating her words but choking on them and suffocating to death slowly.
Experiencing it was very different from knowing all about it and the sensation of blood soaking her lower regions and bed while the painful cramps continued to pulse throughout her being threw Alya out of the loop. She thought experiencing her first menstrual cycle would be a simple affair, something that could be brushed off and soldiered through. But now that her first step into full womanhood has begun, the situation was just too much and made her freeze on the spot and unable to think or do anything.
It was at this moment that Bell walked into her room and saw the gruesome sight. He had just returned from training with a heavy heart and went straight to his sister's room to apologize for annoying her to the point of anger. But seeing his younger sister with a look of frozen horror and soaked in blood made him respond the only way an overprotective and naïve brother would.
"ALYA! WHAT HAPPENED!?" screamed the terrified boy as he became a blur with how fast he rushed forward to check on his sister.
Alya was temporarily knocked out of her shock with Bell's yelling. Her composure returned somewhat only for it to jump off a cliff when Bell began undressing her, taking off her bloodied nightgown and leaving her with just her underwear.
"B-bell?! Its fine I'm not injured, its ju- "but before she could explain properly, Bell had already taken off the bloody panties to reveal her in all her naked glory.
"THIS IS MY FAULT ISNT IT! I HURT YOU DURING TRAINING AND NOW YOU'RE DYING!" said Bell hysterically. Tears running non-stop and voice becoming hoarse as he yelled in panic. He gently gripped Alya's hips and continued to stare at her bloody privates, as if staring at it would magically heal her.
Face turning red as the blood pouring out of her nether region Alya was about to attempt to comfort Bell when both of her grandparents rushed into the room as they heard the screams of their grandson.
"Alya! Bell! We heard screaming is everyth- AHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Grandma June and Grandpa Peter, husband and wife synchronizing their horrified screams. This in turn triggered Alya and Bell to yell in response, already frazzled by the situation before their grandparents arrived and now copying the old couple in a yelling match. This continued for an indeterminate amount of time before everyone stopped yelling in unison.
At the same time both Bell and Grandma June, the most emotionally sensitive members of the Cranel Family collapsed like puppets on a string, the stress of the scenario overloading their minds and causing grandmother and grandson to faint. Grandpa Peter was able to catch his wife in his arms while Bell fell on his sister's still naked body.
It only took a couple minutes for the unconscious Cranels to quickly recover from their unconscious state. Grandma June swung into action and carried Alya in her arms to clean her up and gently explain what was happening, telling her husband to also explain what was happening as well as giving Bell his version of "the talk".
The old man guided his unresponsive grandson to the living room and seated the boy on the couch. Taking a seat next to Bell, the old man began explaining the wonders of adulthood and how different it was for a boy and girl.
Hera walked into the living room with Alya in hand, the young girl's hair still wet from the bath and now clothed in a new nightgown. She quietly walked with Alya to where the men of the family was seated and decided to silently listen to what her husband was telling Bell.
"…- and that's how babies are conceived. This also why having a harem is important, Bell! For what better way for a man to maintain his legacy by impregnating as many of his lovers as he can –"the old man didn't get a chance to finish his "lesson" as Hera used a nearby broom to smack the pervert away like hitting a homerun, the force of the hit making her foolish husband into a living projectile that collided against the wall with a loud thud and snapped the broom in half.
"Can't you give stop being a degenerate for ONE.DAMNED.MINUTE ZEU- PETER!" said Hera angrily, her rage almost making her slip up and reveal her stupid husband's true identity. Honestly, couldn't he keep his filthy ideals to himself and stop trying to corrupt her grandson.
Hera slowly approached where her grandson was seated and face him at eye level. She then proceeded to bring her right hand to Bell's face and cup his cheeks gently yet firmly.
"Aside from that last bit of filth that your grandfather was spewing, did he teach you everything that you need to know, young man? And can you please explain what you were trying to do with your sister earlier?" asked Hera, speaking in a serious yet gentle tone.
As much as Hera had hoped to raise Alya and Bell in a loving family and see each other as brother and sister, she was not ignorant that the two would eventually grow up and may view each other in a non-familial manner. Not that she was against a romance forming between them but it would feel odd for them love each other as a man and woman after living a large part of their lives as siblings.
"…grandpa said that Alya was becoming a grown up and that the bleeding isn't from wounds inside her. He also said that I'll also get…puberty… but won't bleed from my privates like her? Also I was trying to find any wounds from her body that might have happened because of me hitting her during training. I'm sorry for overreacting, grandma. Alya." answered Bell uneasily, the boy relaxing slightly when his grandmother giggled a bit at his response and rubbed his cheek fondly.
"Yes that's right. Your sister is becoming a young woman and soon you'll become a proper young man. But now I want to ask you something very important so please answer truthfully, Bell. What do you think of Alya now?" asked Hera, the question making Alya stiffen and Bell having a pensive expression.
The young boy's eyes opened from the deep thought and he answered that Alya is his younger sister who he loved very much. Hera restrained the feeling of relief to clarify what she meant when she asked how Bell felt about his relationship with Alya. The response brought back the relief and blew away the miasma of tension in the air.
"Wait what! Grandma no that's disgusting! I don't see Alya like that and never will!" exclaimed Bell, face scrunching up in disgust that banished the worry in both his grandmother and sister's hearts. But Alya couldn't help but feel both relieved and offended. She was thankful that her brother won't be using her as jerk-off material ever or start giving goo-goo eyes at her but was wondering if there was finally one person who was repulsed by her looks.
"Wait am I seriously worried about the way I look? Great, the hormones are starting to take effect…"
Any more thoughts brought on by her hormones were interrupted when Alya saw that Bell was standing in front of her. Both siblings continued to stare at each other before Bell slowly brought his sister into a hug.
"You'll always be my sister no matter what happens, puberty or no puberty and it doesn't matter how it changes you. I'll always love you, Alya. No matter what happens or whatever you look like too." Said Bell, his voice muffled as he still had his face pressed into her hair. The boy ended the hug and released his sister from it, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
The young elf didn't respond vocally but had a bright smile on her face, the act causing Bell to develop a small blush at his sister's beautiful smile. While he only had platonic feelings for his sister he doesn't deny her beauty having an effect on him as well. Alya was almost as beautiful as grandma and might even surpass their grandmother when she becomes older.
"A mature answer, Bell. I'm very proud of you for that. Now that everything is cleared up I think it's about time for us to head to bed." said Grandma June who was in the middle of trying to wake up Grandpa Peter from his knocked-out state. After a few more slaps the perverted old man was roused from unconsciousness and meekly apologized to his wife for still trying to impart "wisdom" to Bell.
"Well its getting late and growing children need plenty of rest. Go to bed, kids. Your grandmother and I have some things to talk about." Said grandpa Peter.
Alya and Bell said goodnight to their grandparents and headed to their respective rooms, leaving the couple alone in the living room. With the sound of doors clicking, Zeus turned to his wife with a serious expression.
"We need to talk
"So how was the talk you had with Alya? Hopefully as fruitful as it was with me and Bell, I hope?" asked Zeus who regretted asking when facing his wife's patented 'one more word and you die' glare.
Hera continued to give her deathly glare before letting out a tired sigh. "It was less perverse than the one you gave our grandson that's for sure. I helped her understand that while menstruation is a natural process for all women she shouldn't be too worried as elven women receive them rarely, along with other information she should know that are unique to elves."
While elves experience puberty just like the other mortal races, there are enough differences for it to be an entirely unique experience for the long-lived race. For example, the growth of hair does not spread throughout their bodies and is limited to their heads. Because of this female elves enjoy smooth skin devoid of hair for the rest of their long lives.
Unfortunately this same perk applies to male elves and as a result they are not able to grow facial hair, resulting in them always being seen as feminine and soft just like their female counterparts. On the bright side both gender of elves will possess fabulous hair that would remain flawless with little care.
"Of course the race that claim themselves as the fairest and greatest of all mortals would also be blessed to be born pretty." Thought Hera with a mental eyeroll. She continued to grumble about the arrogance of the elven race while preparing two mugs of steaming coffee, returning to the dinner table where her husband sat and passed him his coffee.
Taking a sip of his wife's brew, Zeus savoured the hot and bitter taste of the steaming beverage before starting the talk that he wanted with Hera.
"Baldr responded. He agreed."
Upon hearing the name of the god they once worked closely with as well as the implication of this agreement, Hera placed her mug with some force that caused the contents to slosh and almost spill.
"Perfect. So should we pack up the children's possessions and send them away to be killed now? Would you be a dear and purchase another shovel so I can help dig their graves once their mangled bodies are returned to us in pieces!" said Hera venomously, her ire increasing with the nonchalant look on her husband's face.
"…you know the promised time is almost upon us, Hera. Our failure in completing the quest had only delayed the apocalypse that will engulf the world. A hero needs to be born now than ever."
The incensed goddess let out a mirthless laugh and looked at her husband with feigned pity. "Again with your obsession over heroic tales, husband? I thought nearly losing our granddaughter and our grandson snapping out of the nonsense you fed him had hammered it into your mind that heroes don't exist nor should we force one to be made…"
Zeus' compulsion for trying to raise up heroes had served him well in raising one of the most powerful familia in the world alongside his shrewd wife who also had a knack for spotting and developing talent.
However, this same drive for creating grand saviours and writing down their names into the annals of history had led them to losing everything in the end. Now the lasting legacy that Zeus and Hera Familia left behind was one of failure and hubris.
It was in her nature as goddess of marriage to stick to her husband no matter, in both good times and bad. This was the reason she followed him down from heaven to mingle with the mortals despite preferring the lofty heights of divine realm and all its splendour. No matter how foolish or downright insane a decision Zeus made, Hera will always follow him dutifully as any loyal wife would.
"You're cruel and mad in equal measure, Zeus. I've lost count of how many mad schemes that you got yourself into that forced me to tag along as your wife. But you dared to give me the greatest gift and experience of all… only for it to be taken away!" cried Hera, breaking down as she remembered the beautiful children that she and her husband has adopted as their sons and daughters, and how all of them perished because of their selfish desires.
Hera had accepted long ago that her marriage with Zeus was but a formality in order for them to be the pillars of the Olympian pantheon, acting as the policing power against those who would recklessly cause mayhem within their portion of the divine realm and increasing the influence of each other by linking themselves together in matrimony.
Because of the shallow reasons that they had "married" in the first place, Zeus' gaze had always strayed to other women despite marrying one of the most beautiful goddesses in heaven. It didn't matter if the women in question were lesser beauties or even mortal, his spiteful perversion needed to remind Hera that they were just business partners and nothing more.
But that all changed when they descended.
As they began gathering weak mortals to raise them up to become mighty servants in order to enact their wills against the challenges of the lower world, it became less of a recruitment and more in the nature of adoption. These lost souls who had no purpose were given renewed reasons for continuing the struggle of mortality and looking upon their deities as more than benefactors but as mother and father.
This heart-warming dynamic had also transformed the relationship with her husband who started to act more like a real husband instead of a distant colleague. His perversion was now done out of habit rather than real intent to emotionally hurt her, and the silly man would make up for his mistakes by showering her with real love between a man and woman as well as indulging in their roles as parents to the wayward children they had gathered.
But it was not to last.
Despite the prestige that they had enjoyed and the wonderful family that the husband and wife didn't think they could create because of their nature as unchanging gods, Zeus was still intent in being the one to bring about a new age of heroes and fulfil the pact that the divine swore. The vow to end all vows that every god and goddess had abided by when the first deities arrived in the lower world.
"Why couldn't we just be happy, Zeus!? Why must you always do this to me, to us!? Is your desire for a grand hero being born from your actions worth risking it all again. Do we mean so little to you that –"
Hera's cries were silenced with a firm yet gentle kiss that Zeus rushed to give her, her painful accusations being too much for the god to bear and wanting to comfort his wife. He continued to press his lips on her face and wiped away her tears.
"Of course not, my dear! You and the children mean more to me than even the grandest tale of heroes or the possibility of starting a new one. What I do now is to secure the future for them and to make the sacrifices of our deceased children not be in vain. Please, please understand Hera!" pleaded the god, holding the hands of his wife and leaning his forehead against hers.
The couple spoke no more and adjourned to their shared bedroom where Zeus embraced his wife in their bed as her tears continued to fall late into the night. He knew that Hera had long accepted the choices he made were for the good of all. Nevertheless, it frustrated and agonized the goddess in the end that the king of Olympus could only offer some comfort to try and lessen the pain somehow.
Unlike most of his fellow deities would like to believe, they are all not as unchanging and eternal as they like to believe. The truth about gods is that they are capable of change but lie in order to fool others and themselves because of fear, the fear of experiencing the mortal woes when that change brings about tender bliss and pain beyond imaginable.
In the end, gods exist for eternity but so does their pain which lingers in their immortal souls for all time.