Chapter 15: (Mature Content)

Over in the library, Athena was helping Helia perfect her Greek alphabet and numbers and brush her up on the history of the minor god and goddesses that resided in the realms. She was picking it up fairly quickly though it did not surprise either Athena or Hera; they both knew that she would catch on with no problem because she was special.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your Graces, but Lady Hera, Lord Zeus, requests your presence in his office.”

“Tell him I will be there shortly, Iris.” Hera did not want to leave her daughter’s side, but she knew Zeus would throw a tantrum if she did not at least entertain this one request. She hoped it was concerning something important, but a part of her knew that it was not.

“I will be back, little one. You continue to behave for Athena, okay?”

“Yes, Hera, you can trust me.”

“I know I can,” and she bopped her little nose, causing Helia to giggle before she went to her husband’s office.

***

“Lord Zeus, your wife Hera has arrived. Should I send her in?” his servant asked.

“Yes, of course.”

The servant bowed her head and went to inform the Queen that she may now enter. Hera walked into the massive office and took in its sight; everything was the same except for the new desk she had noticed, including the suffocating air surrounding her husband.

“Ah, my Queen, I am glad you could break away from your busy schedule to visit me.” Zeus had been looking over something in a folder when his servant informed him of his wife’s presence, and when he saw her, he laid down the file and walked over to greet her.

“My King,” she replied, slightly bowing, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your request for my presence?” Hera hated being around Zeus, let alone being in a confined space with just his company.

“Nothing, it has been a while since we have had any alone time, and I wanted to see how you are faring.”

“I am fine, my King, just making sure Helia is comfortable and feels at home here on Olympus.”

“Hmm, and how does she like Olympus so far?”

“She is enjoying it, seems to be taking things slowly adjusting to her new home. It is only her first full day,” she informed. Zeus pushed off and rose from where he previously stood, leaning on his desk. He made his way over to Hera and stood in front of her. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her face, and it made her uncomfortable. Hera took a small step back, trying to put some distance between the two of them, but that only made Zeus step forward, wanting to close the gap.

“Is there anything else you need, my King?” Instead of answering, he softly grabbed her by the chin and tilted her face upwards so that she was looking directly at him. Hera wanted to back away from him once more and tried, but he gripped her chin a little harder, and before she could protest, he kissed her roughly, trying to force his tongue into her mouth. Hera tried to push him away to be free of the suffocating kiss he was bestowing on her and catch her breath.

Once she finally managed to push him away just enough for him to release her chin, she wiped any evidence of the kiss from her lips.

“What are you doing, Zeus?!” Hera angrily asked. She hated how Zeus would treat her and wished that he would leave her be.

“What, can I no longer kiss my wife? I mean, it is your duty to do so, is it not?” Zeus smirked as he spoke those words, knowing how it angered his wife about being reminded that she was still his wife, no matter if she wanted to be or not.

“My duty?! Have you lost your mind?!”

“No, but surely you have lost yours, but I will quickly remind you. You are the Goddess of Marriage, and a part of your domain includes you fulfilling your wifely duties that I, your husband and King, command.”

Hera tried to reason with Zeus. “Can’t you find some immature nymph or mortal to fool around with? I am sure they are more willing to engage you in sexual acts and be more lively. I do not understand why you still come to me for your sexual desires. I have not once tried to come between you and your whores and no longer chase after you, begging you to treat me as your wife. I let you do as you please and make no fuss concerning your whereabouts and escapades. I have given you what you wanted for centuries, and that is the freedom to do as you wish with me being silent. Now, my King, all I ask is that you give me that same freedom and release me from my wifely duties.”

Hera knew that she may have crossed the line from what she said, but she could no longer stand being used and abused by Zeus. She was no longer his wife in other matters of their marriage, so why should she be a wife when it benefited him?

Zeus stood there, unsure of what was going on. Hera would always fight him in the beginning to get out of having sex with him, but in the end, she would just give up. Now, Hera was not only begging for him not to have sex with her but to disengage her of the wifely duties entirely. He was enraged; he could not believe that she would ask him something so preposterous. She is and will always be his wife, and he would make sure she knew that.

Hera saw that Zeus was still distracted by her plea, so she took the opportunity to try and leave. Before she could turn to exit, Zeus grabbed her roughly by the arms and walked her over to where his couch was. He shoved her onto it and pressed his body against hers, caging her, and began harshly roaming his hands over her body. Hera started to panic, she seemed almost stuck under his weight, and it brought back unwanted memories that she tried to lock away in the back of her mind.

Zeus started to roughly kiss her face and neck, excited to feel his wife’s skin touching his. Her body belonged to him and only him, and no one, not even her, would change that.

Hera was trying to stay present and not let her past swallow her whole when a particularly hard grope to one of her breasts seemed to shake her from her reverie, and she began fighting harder to get him off.

“Zeus, stop it! You’re hurting me! Stop it!”

“Come on, Hera, I know you miss how I fuck you. Aren’t you tired of the same routine of you fighting me when we both know you will just give in to me in the end?” he groaned in her ear, then nibbled on it.

“No, Zeus, I don’t! Now stop it, release me right now!”

“No, Hera!” Zeus stopped his ministrations just long enough to lift his head and look at her. “You will perform your duties as MY wife, or I will force you to. I always get what I want, and you should know that. You are mine for eternity until I say otherwise. Understand?” He began reaching under her peplos, reaching for what she knew no longer belonged to him.

Now in tears, Hera tried harder to stop him, pushing harder on his chest before he could take her… again. “I beg of you, Zeus, please let me go. Do not do this again, please!”

“Father, I have brought over the mail you…” Hermes flashed into his father’s office unannounced like he has been doing the past couple of years. He was used to flashing in catching his father occupied sexually with some random nymph or goddess, but this time he flashed in on a scene that made him feel sick and angered. Instead of a nymph there was his stepmother lying underneath his father, crying and trying to push him off. It didn’t take a genius to understand what he walked in on.

Hermes was sure that his sapphire eyes were a darker shade, expressing the anger he now felt; if his ginger curly hair could turn a darker shade, it would be the color of fire that he wishes to burn his father with.

“Hermes, do you not know how to knock?” Zeus questioned as he released a still upset Hera to address Hermes.

“About as much as you know how the word ‘no’ works, I would say.” Hera took this as her opportunity to take her leave. She flashed to her private bathroom to straighten her appearance. She did not want her daughter or Athena to be alarmed and ask questions about the event that just transpired because of her disheveled appearance when she rejoined them in the library.

“You watch your mouth, boy. I am your father.”

“And it would seem as though you are also a rapist.”

“I warn you, son, heed your next words carefully before you address me,” Zeus warned. Hermes wanted to give him a piece of his mind but knew that he couldn’t, for he was sure his father would not mind disposing of him with his master bolt.

“I am only here to deliver the mail you requested that I retrieve,” he said as he handed over the mail to Zeus.

“Thank you, you may now take your leave.”

Hermes bowed and began his exit when he heard his father’s voice, “Oh, and Hermes, you would do well to keep what you saw here earlier to yourself.” He knew that his father was threatening to keep what he witnessed a secret, and to say he was pissed was an understatement.

“Of course, father,” Hermes replied and he took his leave. He flashed back to his temple, where he vomited. He had never seen Hera in such a state, and it scared him; the look of terror that was on her face will be something he would never forget. He was sure this was not the first time his father had done something like this and could be sure that it wouldn’t be the last, but by his father’s face, he could be assured that he was the first to ever have caught him doing this monstrosity.

Hermes would have to talk to Hera, though he knew that she didn’t care for Zeus’ outside children, she had become amiable in recent years. ‘Maybe there is more to Hera than I thought. I should take the advice given to the little goddess and not judge a book by its cover,’ he thought to himself. Hermes collected himself to finish his godly responsibilities so that later he could think about how he would go about this situation and get Hera to confide in him.