Chapter 81: Hera

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! I also have an announcement about my at the bottom of the post! Please read it!

Percy goes for broke.

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"You see Percy, Hera is under the mistaken impression that she is a domineering sort of woman. The kind of woman who takes charge and who doesn't need anyone telling her what to do, no matter what. This is paradoxical to her true nature though as a Goddess of Marriage. Of course she needs a husband."

Aphrodite had grinned, leaning in close as if to whisper some great secret to him.

"The mistaken belief that she's a strong, independent woman who doesn't need no man comes from the toxic marriage she had with Zeus. A marriage that lasted thousands of years longer than it had any right to."

Shaking her head, the Goddess of Love had scoffed.

"Hera isn't a dominant at heart. She's simply neglected and that neglect and the lack of love in her life has calcified her heart to what you see of her today. She thinks she needs to take control because she's long believed that was the only way she could truly get Zeus to see her. What she REALLY needs… is someone to care about her."

They shared a kiss after that and for a moment Percy had thought Aphrodite was done. But then when they pull apart, she grins all the more wickedly.

"And… she needs someone to put her in her place~"

It seems insane even now in the present as Percy stares at Hera, the Queen of the Gods waiting patiently for his agreement. Part of him can't help thinking that Aphrodite is crazy or just plain wrong about Hera. But… this was the Goddess of Love. If SHE didn't know what she was talking about when it came to matters of the heart, then who did?

Fuck it. Aphrodite hadn't exactly led him wrong yet. If this had even a chance of working out, Percy had to go for it.

Setting down the containers of water against a nearby tree, Percy carefully makes his way over to where Hera is standing. The Goddess blinks at his silence, looking at him with a raised brow but not an ounce of fear. Percy smiles at her… and steps forward into her personal space.

Hera tenses up but doesn't stop him from taking hold of her and pulling her in for a kiss. One hand goes to the small of the Queen's back, just above her sizable derriere while the other hand wraps around the back of her head, fingers carding through her styled, lush locks.

Pulling her into the kiss, Percy doesn't go for anything too rough, aggressive, or violent. He keeps the kiss firm but gentle, as well as limited to solely their lips. No tongue. No spit swapping. No invasion of each other's mouths.

Paradoxically, he can feel her tensing up and relaxing at the same time. Like there are two parts of her warring with one another. One wants to give in, while the other seemingly knows she can't. Percy holds the kiss for only a few moments, but when Hera finally decides she's had enough and tries to pull away, he doesn't hold her any longer.

The instant she draws back from him, Percy lets her go and watches quietly as she takes a single step backwards before freezing up, clearly seeing her movement as retreat. He… can kind of see what Aphrodite was talking about now, actually. Hera is more than a little high strung, and it's like there are eons of traumas and triggers coursing through every fiber of her divine, immortal being.

She's not used to being vulnerable with anyone. Hell, with Zeus she probably wouldn't have even been allowed to pull away in the first place, let alone retreat from the encounter.

With admirable alacrity, the Goddess recovers herself and hums, gracing Percy with a smile.

"Well now… that was surprisingly forward of you, Perseus."

Her tone holds warmth while also being mildly chiding. The funny thing is, Percy gets the impression that Hera believes her warmth to be entirely feigned… however, he doesn't think that's quite true. In fact, he suspects she's lying to herself in a way… probably more than one way, to be honest.

"Well. It seemed right… if I am your King and you are my Queen."

Hera stiffens, her eyes widening slightly and filling with avarice. It's precisely the sort of thing she wanted to hear from him, of course. Though Percy isn't going to let this go entirely the way Hera thinks she wants it to go. Not least of which because Aphrodite had already made a threat on Hera's life if the Queen of the Gods truly tried to monopolize his time.

"I'd like to offer you a challenge, Hera. A little contest of sorts."

The Goddess tilts her head to the side.

"Oh? As you did with Athena?"

Percy smiles slightly. Of course she would know all about that. Even if Athena hadn't broadcast what happened afterwards to everyone, Percy would have expected Hera to know. She'd been watching him for a long time, after all.

"I was thinking something a little bit more intimate, actually. Since we're practically already husband and wife."

Hera's breath hitches and she takes an instinctive step towards him before catching herself.

"… You truly are being forward tonight, Perseus. Though what makes you think I would take you as my husband while you still cavort with so many women? You still have a lot of work to do before you are worthy of me, I'm afraid."

She keeps her tone gentle, even as she tries to take control of the situation. Because like Aphrodite said, it's what she thought she had to do. It's what she believed she was supposed to do. Percy lets out a shuddering breath and just shakes his head.

"I'm sorry Goddess… but I love them."

Hera freezes, but Percy continues on before she can truly react.

"Just as I want to come to love you."

Stepping closer again, using her own step forward to finish closing the gap between them once more… Percy doesn't go for another kiss. He reaches up and caresses Hera's cheek instead and is rewarded by her instinctively leaning into his touch for a moment. There it is… a glimpse of what Aphrodite was talking about. More and more, Percy finds himself believing everything Aphrodite had told him. He'd always had faith of course, but now… now he's seeing the proof with his own eyes.

"You're not a married woman right now, Hera."

His words send a jolt through Hera, her eyes snapping wide open and staring at him in shock.

"Your husband is dead. You've been widowed. And while some might argue that loyalty to one's spouse even in death is admirable… I would only say that's true when there was love between the two of you in life."

Hera seems to be struck speechless by his audacity. Frankly, Percy is right there with her. He can hardly believe the things coming out of his mouth. And yet…

"Would you begrudge a mortal woman from moving on and finding another lover once her husband died? Is that something you consider morally repugnant?"

Blinking rapidly, Hera furrows her brow and shakes her head.

"N-No… of course not. The… the happiest that any man or woman can be is when they are married to another."

Of course the Goddess of Marriage would believe that. Percy chuckles ruefully and then takes a greater gamble, leaning in and pressing his forehead against Hera's. He's well aware of the power the Goddess has. She could kill him in an instant if she wanted to. But he gets the sense she doesn't want to. Not even if he goes for broke.

"You don't need to rush into another marriage as soon as possible though Hera. First and foremost… you should find out if you're compatible with your new lover or not."

When Percy goes in for another kiss, Hera meets him this time. There's a small noise of surprise that gets swallowed by his lips, almost like she can't believe her own body is reacting in such a way. And yet, she kisses him back all the same. And this time, the kiss deepens, both of them pushing further.

In a blink and you'll miss it moment, Percy finds himself suddenly on a canopy bed with Hera beneath him. He definitely didn't do that, so it must have been the Queen of the Gods. She certainly doesn't react to it, even as she squirms and her hands begin to run up and down his body.

Well, if she's going to escalate, then two can play at that game. Percy's own hands begin to roam… before grabbing Hera by the wrists and yanking her arms up above her head. It's the most forceful that Percy has been so far with her, and he can tell it surprises her quite a bit. Her eyes snap open and stare at him in confusion, even as Percy pulls back and grins.

"I did mention a contest, did I not? Something more… intimate than the challenge I had with Athena. Let me pleasure you Goddess. Grant me control for just tonight. Allow me to take the lead and show you what I can do for you."

Hera's eyes narrow in thought.

"That… does not sound like much of a challenge, my King."

Percy just grins wider.

"Well, if I fail to please you, then I will have lost. If you do not enjoy my taking charge, then I will owe you something in turn. Does that sound appealing to you, my Queen?"

The Queen of the Gods looks like Christmas has come early. Percy knows full well that she thinks he's handing her what she wants on a silver platter. All she has to do is remain stoic and composed throughout their ensuing encounter and he will 'lose' and be beholden to her further than before.

Of course, Hera isn't stupid… not by a long shot. Her eyes narrow once more as something occurs to her.

"And what if you win? What if I wind up enjoying myself? What will you demand of me in turn, Perseus Jackson?"

Ouch, full name. She thought she was getting wise to his tricks. Fortunately for Percy, this wasn't about getting one-up on Hera. This was about helping her see her own desires after all this time.

"… If I am somehow able to pass my Goddess' stringent grading, if I can make you enjoy my efforts throughout the ensuing night… then all I ask is that you repay me by helping me and my allies through your garden in the morning."

Hera looks surprised at that, before pouting and huffing.

"I had already said I would do that for you, my King."

Rather than accuse her outright of having ulterior motives, Percy does the smart thing and just gives her a knowing look. Hera, in response, blushes and averts her gaze, having been caught in a lie if not outright called out. If he HAD called her out, she would have been forced to double down to save her pride. But by not actually saying it…

"V-Very well. An easy request to fulfill. Of course, first and foremost, you will have to succeed in this challenge you have put ahead of yourself. As you should know by this point, I am not like your other women, Perseus Jackson. Even those Goddesses you have claimed so far do not hold a candle to my majesty. Do you truly believe you can tame me?"

There's something honestly adorable about Hera delivering such haughty lines while she's pinned under him with her arms held above her head. Adorable… and downright sexy too. Percy grins, shrugging as he rakes his eyes up and down her body pointedly.

"Whether I can or not… I'm sure I'm going to enjoy trying, Goddess."

Hera blushes at the flirtation, but doesn't look away this time.

"Hmph. Do your worst, dear mortal. If you think you can do anything I haven't already experienced in all my years, then you are more foolish and in need of instruction than I ever thought."

Do his worst. She was already likening him to Zeus in her mind, thinking that he was just going to take her and expect her to enjoy it as much as he did. Obviously, that wasn't the plan. No, Percy was going to rock Hera's world and show her that being dominated wasn't about being hurt, or used, or tossed aside by her husband for thousands upon thousands of years.

Giving up control didn't have to hurt… if you gave it up to the right person.

With that in mind, Percy starts off slow. Continuing to hold Hera's arms above her head, he leans down and kisses her again. This time, he's more controlling as he pushes his tongue into her mouth, but he's not a brute about it. He finds her tongue and intertwines them together, not quite wrestling but rather dancing with one another with their mouths as the ballroom floor.

Hera blinks in surprise, and lets out a muffled moan as she goes along with his actions. To her credit, she seems intent on letting him fail on his own merits. She's so convinced that he can't possibly succeed that she's not even putting up much of a resistance.

That didn't mean this was going to be easy. He could only hope with Aphrodite's advice that he would be able to succeed all the same. This was bigger than just being able to get them all through the garden in the morning unharmed and untouched. Even if they managed to stop Atlas, save Artemis, and even potentially stop Kronos while they were at it… Hera would still be there waiting in the wings with her own plans if nothing was done about her.

Tonight was about taking the first step towards defusing that potential bomb. And Percy was the only one who had a chance of cutting the proper wires…

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The Vote:[ ] Stick with Percy's POV - 27%[X] Switch to Hera's POV - 73%

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