Chapter 7:

Helia rose to her feet as requested by the Queen; however, Queen Hera remained in her kneeling state to not intimidate the child before her.

“What is your name, child?” Hera questioned, though she already knew the answer.

To which Helia looked behind her, silently asking her grandmother and aunt for permission to be sure she could answer the Queen, and when she received two quick nods, she returned her focus back to the Queen and replied, “Helia, Your Majesty.” Hera and Hades’ hearts both leaped out of their chest at the long-awaited confirmation that they were hoping for.

“Helia,” she repeated as if getting the name familiar with her mouth, “that is a beautiful name that suits you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“You’re welcome, but you do not have to call me your Majesty. You may call me by my name, which is….”

“Hera,” interrupted Helia. She had not realized that she abruptly answered the Queen without permission and slowly started to have a panic attack.

“Ah, so, you already know my name, I see,” Hera replied with a smile. She noticed how her daughter began to panic at realizing her mistake in interrupting her, which is punishable under law.

“Yes, your… I mean, yes, Hera.” Helia replied, hoping that she did not ruin her first impression with the Queen.

“So, what else have you learned of me?”

Helia was relieved that Queen Hera did not punish her for the earlier mistake but instead humored her with questions. She let out a small exhale of the breath she had been holding and gave a grateful smile to the powerful being in front of her before she answered the question. “I know that you are Hera, Queen of the Heavens, and of Olympus. Fifth-born child, last-born daughter to the Titan King Kronos, and second Earth Mother Rhea. Adoptive daughter of the titans Oceanus and Tethys; Goddess of Women, Motherhood, Childbirth, Marriage, and Family.”

“Well, I am impressed. Tell me, though, have you also heard the stories about me in a negative light? The deeds that I have done towards others?” Hera needed to know just how much Helia knew about her. She had to see if Helia feared her or even hated her for her wrongdoings.

“Yes.”

“Does that make you afraid of me?”

“No.”

“And why would you not be afraid of me if you have heard the stories of my past?”

“Because I have no reason to fear you,” Helia honestly supplied.

“Could you elaborate?”

“I believe fear comes from those who do not know the truth, who do not know you. Therefore, people fear and hate you or follow others’ footsteps and opinions instead of their own. I, though, do not feel any of those emotions, nor do I have those opinions towards you.”

“And why don’t you?”

“I respect you and have a mind of my own. I firmly believe that when you truly and wholeheartedly respect someone, even if you don’t know everything about the person and form your own opinions, there is no reason to fear that person. I believe why individuals do not respect you or only mock respect you when in your presence is not solely on you, but in others and what light they choose to see you in and force-feed to others. Yes, I have heard the stories of your past. Though I disagree with how some things were handled, I do not, however, put the blame exclusively on you for there were others that put you in certain predicaments,” she ended with a pointed look at Zeus to tell him she was talking about him.

Hera did not miss the look that she knew the child had directed towards her husband and couldn’t help but smile more. As she stood gracefully, she channeled her following words towards her mother and adoptive mother, “I will take full responsibility and raise her as my own.”

Helia was excited to hear those words come from the goddess she admired most, but she became sad when she realized that she would no longer wake up to her grandmother or her cooking breakfast for her or the daily visits from her aunt. Hera saw her facial expression and voiced, “It is okay, little one, we can always go and visit them,” with a smile. Helia was relieved to hear those words come from the Queen.

Before Rhea and Tethys left, they hugged Helia, kissed her cheeks, and reminded her, ‘Never judge a book by its cover and remember to be open to the truth, for healing can be found in it.’ With those last words, they walked out of the throne room to head back to Rhea’s house to have tea and discuss the events that just unfolded and were to come.

“Well, if there is nothing else to review, I now call this meeting adjourned,” thundered Zeus.

No one, especially the minor gods and goddesses, wanted to flash out like they usually would, for they wished to glimpse more at the small goddess.

The eldest of the fourteen Olympians gathered around the newcomer. They wanted to get a chance to inquire about who she was and where she was from. Helia told them what she knew and that she doesn’t know her true origin or her parents; she doesn’t even know if they even truly cared for her since they have not tried to contact her. Their faces conveyed sadness on her behalf, but most of all, Hera and Hades for they felt more than sadness. They both felt guilt and shame at the thought that their daughter believing her parents didn’t want her, and it broke their hearts.

“Ah, I see you have gained the attention of the inhabitants of Olympus, young one,” Zeus stated as he broke through the small circle that surrounded the godling. “Tell me, do you believe every word you spoke about my wife?” Zeus was also intrigued by the new occupant of Olympus and wanted to know just who she was and why she was here.

“Yes, Lord Zeus, for if I didn’t, I would not have said them.” Helia did not care for Zeus, and that would not change. He was not a bad-looking man, quite the contrary, actually. He was tall and muscular and had short blonde hair and a full beard to match. Though you couldn’t exactly see it, he had a robust chiseled jaw and facial structure, but what stood out the most was his electric blue eyes. They held power in them, no doubt, but they also contained something more, something dark.

“Quite the quick tongue this one has,” he laughed. “Well, I welcome you here to Olympus on behalf of my wife and me; let’s hope she has a better chance at life than Hera has given our other children, aye?” he directed towards the other group members who did not join in on the laughter.

Hera began to become angry as the clouds above had turned a dark grey. The wind picked up its speed, signaling the other gods and goddesses to depart if they did not want to get caught in the Queen’s wrath, but just as fast as it happened, it quickly went away; how it ended abruptly, though, was a shock to them all. There was this little godling holding the hands of the Queen, and were they glowing? They were not sure but what they were sure of was the child was passing on calming energy that she possessed to the recipient, who immediately took to the effect. They had seen nothing like it before. It would usually take Hades or Poseidon to calm Hera down from one of her storms that she was brewing. Hera’s storms could threaten to destroy the mortal realm below, and calming it down could take anywhere from a few hours, a day, or a week depending on what or who had pissed her off to that magnitude. The clean-up afterward was the worse, though, as they would have to undo the wrongs that Hera created. However, this child was doing what no other god or goddess could accomplish or master in such a short time, not even her brothers and especially not Zeus.

“Hera, would it be alright if we take a tour of Olympus? I would like to start trying to memorize the paths and where they lead if you don’t mind?” Helia asked, trying to detach the Queen from the situation that affected her mood greatly and draw it somewhere positive.

“Of course, my dear,” she answered. “If you all would excuse us, I am going to start the tour of Olympus for Helia now,” and with that, she smiled at the child still holding her hand and walking them away from the gawking crowd of those they left behind, especially Zeus who was a little more than disturbed.

After they got a little further away, the gods and goddesses began flashing out back to their homes or extracurricular activities, except for one. Hades stood there watching the scene before him, of his love and their daughter hand in hand, talking and laughing. Before he lost sight of them heading in a different direction, he caught Helia’s eyes, and they stared at each other. They must have been staring at each other for quite some time because Hera noticed that Helia was no longer paying attention to their conversation. Only when she turned to follow her line of sight did she notice who she seemed to be in a staring contest with. She looked up to see Hades staring intently at their daughter before he caught her eyes, and they began their game of sorts before he flashed away back to the Underworld. When he was no longer there, Hera and Helia looked at each other and started back on their journey, touring her new home.