Chapter 76: Queen of the Gods

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Hera may have gotten a peptalk…

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When Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades had conspired together to murder her husband and usurp his throne, the only thing that had stayed Hera's hand at the time was their willingness to give up any power they might have had a claim to and turn Mount Olympus into a democracy.

After all, the Greek Pantheon being led by a Council of Olympians instead of just Zeus had been an idea that Hera had come up with a long time before it. Imitation was supposed to be the greatest form of flattery, right?

It wasn't like she was all that upset that Zeus was gone either. Her first concern was more about when and how he might come back… but once her investigations finally revealed exactly what Hestia had done, Hera had realized the truth… her husband was never coming back.

And what a relief that was. If it wasn't constant infidelity, it was the hissy fits of apocalyptic proportions. Hell, that whole idea, of them governing themselves as a Council… it had very nearly ended with her tumbling into the Void of Chaos. As the ringleader of the last coup attempt against Zeus, Hera had been chained above the Void of Chaos for weeks, with Zeus visiting every single day and threatening to sever the chains with his Master Bolt.

She couldn't even say whether he would have eventually let her free or made good on his threat, because in the end it was Hephaestus who had saved her with his tools, pulling her back from the brink of oblivion.

All of that was to say, Hera didn't much care that Zeus was gone. What she DID care about was her own position being usurped by proxy. Sure, there was a rather massive gulf of power between the King of the Gods and the Queen of the Gods. As Queen, Hera did not have even a tenth of the sheer authority that Zeus had commanded, and which had allowed his tyranny and overreach for eons on end.

Instead, she'd needed to exercise a softer form of power, control, and influence. Over the millennia, the Queen of the Gods had done everything in her power to represent the softer side of the Olympian Rulers. Zeus was Destruction and Wrath made manifest. Hera was… kinder. Gentler. Easier to get along with.

Or at least, that was generally the goal. Needless to say, she didn't always succeed on that front. But it wasn't her fault! Mortals, demigods… even her fellow gods and goddesses could be so damn irritating sometimes! And she had a temper to her, she could admit it. Maybe she'd even… overreacted, once or twice.

Still, she wasn't nearly as bad as Zeus and that was a power in and of itself. Her husband cast a large shadow through his actions and reputation and Hera had used that shadow to gather up others to her, into her warm embrace. As Queen of the Gods, she held sway.

All of that had ended with Zeus' death. They still recognized her as Queen, but it was an entirely empty title now. She was a member of the Council of Olympians, but she was just one voice of many. What little authority Hera could command was but whispers in the wind. Nobody was foolish enough to disrespect her outright, but it was obvious that those like Poseidon, Hades, and even dear Hestia… weren't going to just fall in line. And if they didn't have to fall in line, then none of the others did too.

The glimmer of hope in all of this came at the same time Hera realized Zeus was never coming back. Not only had they killed him, but they'd split up his domains, divorcing his divine power from what remained of his essence and separating it among themselves. With that, they'd ensured Zeus would fade away completely, if he wasn't already gone.

But that meant his domains were still out there. More specifically, his Domain of Kingship was still out there. Sky, Thunder and Lightning, Honor and Justice, and Kingship. Six domains split among four individuals. That last part had taken Hera a little long to figure out. They'd tried to keep it quiet, just who was in the room that day when Zeus died. And they'd also not been entirely forthcoming over who received the Domain of Kingship.

Ruling out Hestia had been simple enough. Poseidon and Hades though… Hera had initially suspected it was one of them. Only after realizing their Domains had grown to encompass the Sky, and Honor and Justice respectively had she realized the truth.

Perseus Jackson. The Son of Poseidon. That was who received the Domain of Kingship. A young demigod who was well on his way to becoming a God in his own right. And really, it was only a small sidestep from a God of Kings to a King of the Gods, wasn't it?

Once Hera had realized this, she'd begun making plans immediately. Unfortunately… she'd been stymied in her initial efforts to bring Perseus to her side. It turned out the would-be God of Kings wasn't just ascending to godhood… he was also a reincarnation, specifically of the infamous mortal Adonis.

This put him, irritatingly enough, under the protection of Aphrodite. And of course, Hestia had staked her own claim in the young demigod. Frustrating to say the least… and yet, the mortals had a saying. When one door closes, another opens.

Hera's plans to try and take Perseus and mold him into a perfectly submissive husband might have failed, but she was glad they had at this point. After all, by waiting this long… she now had the upper hand in a rather big way.

Funnily enough, it was one of her rivals who had talked her into trying things this way. Aphrodite was… an anomaly among the Olympians due to the circumstances of her birth, so where normally Hera would have been willing to smack any of the others down for their impudence, she'd hesitated with Aphrodite. In turn, the Goddess of Love and Beauty had reached out for a little chat.

Initially, Hera hadn't expected much to come of said chat… but she'd gone anyways. She was glad now that she had, because Aphrodite had been right. Waiting for the opportune moment and taking her time to present herself to Perseus in the best light was now paying massive dividends.

Honestly… she felt for the mixed group of hunters and demigods, really she did. Minus Zeus' bastard, of course. Still, if it wouldn't be going a step too far, she would wipe these Spartoi away with a brush of her hand and send the Skeletal Warriors back to their graves.

After all, Percy and his party had already more than proved themselves worthy of continuing on their way! The Manticore was… a lesser monster to be sure, one that had always had an over-inflated sense of self-worth, but fighting it and then the Nemean Lion back to back? And winning?! Now that was a dire challenge, and one that the five had met with courage and conviction.

That they'd been forced to face down the Spartoi mere moments after their successful defeat of the Nemean Lion… it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. It was the greatest evidence Hera had seen yet of her father putting his finger on the scales. His influence in this moment was sky high… and it was half the reason that she was able to do what she was doing now.

When it came to divinity, everything was give and take. In rushing to try and secure their victory, Kronos and Atlas had overstepped in a big way, which in turn was allowing Hera to interfere in her own way here and now.

Of course, Perseus looks a little… nonplused by her greeting, nonetheless.

"Uh… sorry your grace, but I'm nobody's king."

Chuckling throatily, Hera just shakes her head.

"Not yet, Perseus."

Then, she leans down and reaches out, offering him… an apple slice. The gut wound won't necessarily be fatal so long as he gets mortal attention quickly enough, but that won't be necessary if he accepts her gift.

Alas, Perseus is a little too smart for his own good.

"Ah… forgive me goddess, but is that a slice from a Golden Apple?"

Hera smiles mysteriously as she nods.

"That's right, Perseus. You wish to be healed, no? To get back into the fight? Consume this and you will be good as new. Nobody need die today."

She can see that he's immediately tempted. After all, time is not quite stopped around them right now. It is merely slowed to a crawl. His lovely lady friends are all still in grave danger and will remain so until they're finished here.

"… Again, forgive me goddess, but aren't the Golden Apples said to convey immortality?"

Hera finds herself reluctantly grateful for her meeting with Aphrodite once more. The Goddess of Love had warned her that Perseus would be wary of her, but Hera hadn't realized just how wary he would be. Clearly he didn't trust her even a little bit. In the past, this might have thrown her into a rage once upon a time… but getting angry at the young demigod wouldn't get Hera what she wanted, now would it?

"A single slice will not make you immortal, Perseus Jackson. At most, it will add half a century or so to your natural lifespan. But we both know that matters little when you will be a god and therefore immortal by the middle of this century anyways."

Perseus grimaces at that hard truth, baffling Hera just a little bit. This was another thing Aphrodite had told her… that the demigod did not actually seem enthusiastic about his impending godhood. So very different from others in the past, many of whom Hera had hated. But then in all fairness to her, she was the Goddess of Marriage and demigods were living proof of their divine parents' infidelity in most cases.

"What… what do you want for it?"

Hera smiles at that, having been anticipating such a question. She relishes giving her answer, even as she crouches down and offers Perseus the apple slice while looking him in the eye.

"Nothing."

His baffled reaction causes Hera to giggle a little bit. As expected, she's caught him completely off guard.

"This apple slice is freely given, Perseus. A gift from me… to you. The deal we make afterwards, which will help you overcome the challenge you currently face… is something entirely separate."

When he still hesitates, Hera makes a show of huffing and rolling her eyes while continuing to smile.

"I swear on the River Styx that this apple slice is yours whether we come to an agreement afterwards or not, Perseus."

At the telltale sign of thunder overhead, Perseus Jackson's eyes widen in shock. And yet… after a moment, he finally nods and takes the apple slice from her fingers. Hera shivers a little as they touch briefly, feeling a spark of power transfer between them.

The young demigod eats the slice of apple quickly, chewing and swallowing. His abdomen glows golden as it quickly goes to work, healing him in full. Once that's done, Hera offers him her hands and once he puts his own in her palms, she rises to her feet and pulls Perseus up at the same time.

This is working perfectly… she can see just how confused he is by her attitude! Heh, perhaps she would do something nice for Aphrodite later on~

Finally remembering to pull his hands from her own, Perseus looks around them for a moment at the dire situation he and his party find themselves in. He looks back to her after a beat, jaw clenching.

"… Thank you for the gift, Goddess. What would it cost me to secure your aid in overcoming this current situation?"

Ah, so polite. So well spoken too! Hera has to resist the urge to demand his complete and utter loyalty right then and there. It wasn't time yet. Aphrodite had been quite clear about that and so far, everything the Goddess of Love had told her to do WAS working.

Besides… what she had to offer wasn't worth THAT much in the grand scheme of things. Perseus wouldn't appreciate being hoodwinked into an unfair deal; Aphrodite had been certain of that. Her exact words had been that Perseus would still honor it… but he would not do so happily. And if Hera truly wanted to accomplish her goals, she needed her new King to be happy in his role above all else.

"I have information that will turn the tide of this battle in your favor, Perseus Jackson. I will give it to you if you promise me a future meeting where we are not quite so pressed for time. One where you swear that you will hear what I have to say in full."

Perseus looks surprised again, as Hera had expected. She watches him think it over for a long moment before finally nodding.

"Very well. I swear it, goddess."

He doesn't swear it on the Styx, she notes… but that's okay. More than okay really, because Hera has been watching Perseus for quite some time. He keeps his promises, always.

Pleased with how easy this was, Hera steps forward and takes Perseus by the shoulders, turning the Son of Poseidon so she can press herself into his back. Her full breasts push against him as she turns them both… in the direction of Bianca di Angelo, the Daughter of Hades moving so slowly that she might as well be frozen even if she isn't really.

"You fight Spartoi, Perseus. Skeletal Warriors born of buried dragon teeth. But at the end of the day… they are undead all the same. And you have a Daughter of Hades on your side."

She feels Perseus stiffen in realization. Chuckling softly, she rests her chin on his shoulder.

"Get Riptide into her hands and support her with the others. Even if the rest of you land a killing blow, the Spartoi will not be easily defeated. However, any undead SHE strikes down will not rise again."

Bringing her lips very, very close to his ear, Hera positively breathes out her next words.

"I hope, Perseus… that you will agree I've fulfilled my end of the bargain."

Swallowing thickly, Perseus slowly nods as he stares at Bianca.

"Yes… you have."

She's tempted to lick him then. Just a taste. But Hera refrains. Wouldn't want to make it weird. Besides, victory had a sweet taste all its own. Pulling back from Percy, Hera doesn't stick around. She vanishes and lets time speed back up again, leaving Percy to do what needed to be done.

Ah, she did so love it when a plan came together…

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The Vote:

[ ] Switch to Percy's POV - 27%[X] Switch to Bianca's POV - 73%

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