“You abused your abilities to sway a council member’s vote against me,” said Zeus. “You will be given a trial for your crimes—”
“No!” I shrieked, fighting the bonds once more. They held even tighter, biting into my skin. “I am the queen. You can’t do this—”
“Oh, but I can,” said Zeus. And before I could say another word, my throne disappeared, taking me with it.
Part Four
For seven days and seven nights, I stayed locked in a small, dark room that even the sun didn’t touch.
No one came to visit me. Zeus had undoubtedly forbidden them all. I sat quietly in my throne, biding my time, and I went back through the past hundred years. Would I have done things differently if I’d known this was where I would end up? Would I have tried to be more compassionate, less consumed by pride?
The only mistake I regretted was my marriage to Zeus. I would have changed nothing else.
At last, on the eighth day, I returned to the middle of the throne room without warning. The sunlight blinded me, and though I didn’t want to show the council any weakness, I had to close my eyes.
“Hera.” Zeus’s voice. I didn’t bother answering. “We have made our decision. Do you have anything you would like to say before we reveal your fate?”
I didn’t speak until my eyes adjusted to the light. Finally I opened them, forcing myself not to squint. I was facing Zeus, and Hades was behind me. But I could feel his presence, an oasis in the storm that was my now.
“I did nothing wrong,” I said at last, my voice clear despite seven days without speaking. “My only intent was to protect the council. Nothing more.”
“So be it,” said Zeus, and he stood. “You have been found guilty of your crimes, and the council has decided effective immediately, you will be stripped of your rank as Queen. You will retain your duties as a goddess, and you will retain a place on the council. But you will no longer help rule my domain. Nor, for one millennium, will you have a vote equal to our own. In the case of a tiebreaker where your vote is necessary, we will allow you to cast it. Otherwise, you will have no say.”
I took slow, steady breaths, not allowing my anguish to show. Not only had he stripped me of the power I deserved, the power I’d worked so hard to maintain, but by putting on this show, he ensured none of his children would ever respect me. Perhaps he’d even poisoned my sons against me, too.
“You will remain under the watch of the council at all times. You are never to be alone, and any move of yours to plot against the council or use your powers to sway our decisions will be met with exile.”
I burned with humiliation. He’d taken away everything I held dear. He knew what he was doing to me, and he relished it.
“And what if I choose exile now?” I said in as dignified a voice as I could muster.
His expression remained impassive. So he’d expected this. Perhaps even hoped for it. “If that is what you wish, then we will not stop you.”
It would be so easy to return to my mother. To remain with her and leave the council behind. It would be a good existence void of this pain, and in that moment, I was tempted. So very tempted.
Hera. Hades’s voice whispered to me. Be strong. Do not give up. Remember who you are and what you are capable of. Today is only one day. It is not forever.
I swallowed, the first sign of emotion I’d allowed. Did you fight for me?
I did. As did Demeter.
Will you still be there for me?
A pause, and then, with conviction, Always.
I straightened in my throne, holding my head as high as I could. “I will accept your terms,” I said. “This council matters more to me than you could ever understand, Zeus, and I will not give up on it. We are united for eternity whether or not we all share the same love for one another, and I will not abandon you. Any of you.”
A flicker of disappointment crossed Zeus’s face, but he nodded. “So be it.” With a wave of his hand, my bonds disappeared, and I stood. I may not have had any power in rank, but I was still the most powerful of them all. I was still the daughter of a Titan, and no matter what Zeus did, I always would be.
In that moment, all of my anger crystallized into bitterness and revenge. It was a cold fury now, tucked deep away inside me, waiting for the day I could finally release it once more. And I would. I had made Zeus a promise, and I would keep it.
But as I turned and looked at Hades, he gave me a secret smile, and a sense of calm washed over me. He was my ally. My partner. My friend. I would be there for him every moment of every day. I would prove my loyalty to him as he had proven his to me. I would not lose him.
And he was right. Today wasn’t forever, and neither was a millennium. Time would pass, convictions would fade and soon this moment would be nothing more than a memory. One day, I would set things right. I would be a queen again. And no matter what it took, Hades would be my king.
* * * * *
The Lovestruck Goddess
I like secrets. Daddy’s a walking cliché and says that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but I think the secrets people keep are the real way to see who they are.
See, secrets mean someone wants to keep something hidden, and the things people keep hidden are usually the most interesting parts of who they are. Afraid of the ocean? Totally telling. Six toes? All kinds of brilliant. Lusting after your niece? Majorly creepy.
Here’s a secret—I failed my test.
I’ve never told anyone. Daddy knows—he’s the one who caught me in a compromising position with a shepherd’s son—but he’s never said a word about it, either. Technically all the members of the council who aren’t the original six siblings have to pass this ridiculous trial that tests our virtues, else we can’t be a member of the council, but I think that’s crap. Who wants to be ruled over by a bunch of self-important gods who think they’re better than everyone just because they could bottle up their natural impulses for a little while?
And why are virtues so important anyway? I mean, I get not being greedy or selfish or too proud, but practically every member of the council’s like that anyway, especially the six siblings. And I’ve never seen a more envious group of people in my life. Someone gets something, and suddenly they all hate that person because they got lucky or worked hard or whatever. Why can’t everyone just love everyone else? That’s what a ruler should do. Rule with love, not fear or intimidation. I love Daddy, but he’d have a lot easier time of it if he bothered to care about other people every once in a while.