Chapter 35: Ominous Premonition -3-
While Heracles and Hera were deepening their bond as parent and child (or something like that?), there was a god who looked upon Heracles with displeasure and fear for showing no interest whatsoever in Hebe. You might be shocked if I said it was Zeus—the king of the gods, the sky god, son of Cronus, ruler of the world—but in truth, he was baffled by Heracles ignoring his beautiful daughter Hebe entirely. His mind was gradually freezing over in terror at the thought of what reward to offer as a prize for the war. Heracles's achievements were simply too monumental; the situation was so dire that no one knew what prize to bestow.
In the end, Zeus had grabbed poor Hebe like a rat in a trap.
"Hebe, Heracles doesn't give you so much as a glance. What in the world is going on?"
"F-Father, even if you say that to me..."
"What am I to do? Don't you have any more revealing clothes?"
"N-No, I don't, Father."
"Tsk. The goddess of youth, and you can't even snag a single man? What's the meaning of this?"
"......"
Under Zeus's brutally harsh scolding, the beautiful goddess of youth, Hebe, wilted like a flower. She didn't exactly dislike Heracles, either. He was a hero renowned for slaying countless monsters, the greatest heartthrob in all Achaea. Moreover, he'd earned the recognition of Gaia and Adamantia, ascending to a divine seat revered by all. Even as the darling youth goddess raised with utmost care by Hera, such a match was rare indeed. Apollo might have been an option, but he had rotten luck with women and a poor relationship with Eros besides. No chance there.
"But Father, I don't know the first thing about seducing a man."
"Hera's education has failed you. To raise a marriageable maiden without teaching her that?!"
"Mother always taught me to be chaste."
"Chaste? What chastity! You need to meet a man first. Teaching her to play coy before she's even got a husband!"
"Y-Yes, you're right, Father."
"Tsk."
Zeus clicked his tongue. He loved his wife Hera dearly, but he simply couldn't comprehend her obsessive doting on Hebe. He'd hoped Hera's thinking might have shifted enough to readily offer Hebe as a marriage prize to Heracles, but no such luck. Hebe was an innocent, pure girl who knew nothing of men. A stunning beauty who resembled Hera in her youthful prime—the very image men craved—brimming with the unique allure of a virgin, Hebe was undoubtedly prime wife material. But she knew so little about men that she had no idea how to seduce one. For a woman not to know how to lure a man into bed was a grave problem, at least by Zeus's standards of common sense.
Thus, Zeus seemed to reach a decision, opening his mouth in a grave tone.
"Go to Aphrodite."
"Father!"
"Borrow some jewelry from Aphrodite, or better yet, learn how to seduce a man."
"But Father, that's—"
"Quiet. You must become Heracles's. Aphrodite won't be too rough with you; don't worry. I'll send word to her ahead of time."
"Your way of handling daughters is as brutish as ever, Zeus."
"...G-Gaia?"
Just as Hebe floundered, unsure what to do with her father ordering her to learn the arts of seduction from such a source, Gaia's warm voice suddenly filled the chamber—though no one knew when she'd entered the palace. The beautiful earth goddess carried herself with unmatched poise, her straight-backed stride exuding a mesmerizing sensuality. Even Hebe, a fellow goddess, blushed at the natural allure and sex appeal radiating from her. Yet Zeus, Hebe's father, only scowled deeper, his face twisting in irritation at the sight.
"It's been a while, Grandmother."
"Enough. You look at me like an enemy. Spare me the empty courtesies, King of the Gods."
"...Very well. You must have some point to make."
"Indeed. Would I come here out of pity for my great-granddaughter if you weren't scheming to shove a naive virgin who knows nothing of men into marriage with Heracles?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't send Hebe to Heracles anymore. This comes not as his wife, but as the matriarch of your household—heed it well."
"What?!"
Zeus raised his voice in shock, but Gaia's demeanor didn't falter in the slightest. In Achaea, a woman's marriage was decided solely by the head of the house, but women weren't without ways to voice their opinions. The patriarch's wife could speak, but the matriarch—an elder woman steeped in wisdom—held the greatest sway. As family midwife and matchmaker, her influence rivaled the patriarch's own. Gaia was now invoking that matriarchal authority to check Zeus.
He was displeased, but it was Gaia's rightful place.
"Grandmother, Hebe's father is me. Her marriage is my decision."
"And dressing up that darling great-granddaughter and sending her off is my and Hera's duty, while judging a prospective son-in-law falls to me, the matriarch."
"Since when have you cared about our children's marriages to intervene like this? I don't understand."
"Since now. She's my darling great-granddaughter, after all."
"Are you here out of jealousy, afraid Hebe might become Heracles's wife?"
"And if I am?"
"......"
Stunned by the unexpected interference, Zeus spat words bordering on insult, yet Gaia merely smiled leisurely. Even accusing her of jealousy—a laughable slander—she met it with a soft laugh and a casual "And then what?" Her audacity bordered on serenity, leaving even the lord of the heavens speechless. If Gaia truly felt jealousy—and if it were real—not even Zeus could stand against her. She was a Protogenos, after all.
"Are you serious?"
"And if I am? I've been married mere months, Zeus. Remember how your son caused a scene at the wedding?"
"Heracles cracked Hephaestus's thick skull, didn't he? That should suffice."
"You should recall it was originally your skull that deserved cracking."
"Grandmother!"
Zeus bellowed, thunder rumbling as clouds gathered lightning in the sky. But the earth goddess Gaia didn't let her gentle smile waver for an instant.
"I'm not deaf, dear grandson. No need to raise your voice."
"Even as my grandmother, there are things you can say and things you cannot! To threaten to crack the King of the Gods' skull—what insolence!"
"Then, since Hephaestus acted without your permission, it proves your incompetence—and your fault is greater still. Your skull should be cracked, and your legs broken too."
"Grandmother, even I have my limits."
"...As do I. Treating me—the goddess who never ascended Olympus—like that fresh great-granddaughter of mine... it vexes me greatly, Zeus."
"......"
Gaia's soft smile finally vanished. Her beautiful golden eyes flared with anger, the corners of her eyes lifting. The entire earth began to shake threateningly, as if ready to uproot Mount Olympus itself. The quake rattled even the gods' palaces for a moment, and Hebe let out a shrill scream.
"Kyaaak!"
"Oh dear, forgive me, Hebe. It's not that I dislike you at all—Grandmother loves her precious great-granddaughter. You know that, right?"
"Y-Yes, Lady Gaia."
Gaia embraced her startled great-granddaughter and soothed her. With the war over and Gaia openly hostile, Zeus could only gape in disbelief.
"What is the meaning of this, Gaia?"
"Aigoo, now you won't even call me Grandmother? Unbearable."
"Gaia!!!"
"Remember this: I have every right to be angry, Zeus. Hebe is my darling great-granddaughter and Hera's cherished daughter—but that's where it ends."
"What?!"
"If you wanted to settle this, you should have brought Athena—beg Styx to release her oath if you had to."
Zeus clicked his tongue in exasperation at his grandmother's stubbornness. But Gaia pressed on, her anger unabated.
"How dare you treat a goddess who isn't even an Olympian as our equal in offering her like tribute, Zeus."
"......"
"You love rules as king, so let me ask: What were you thinking, tossing your non-Olympian daughter at us without a word? Did you think we'd just accept it?"
This time, Gaia's roar echoed. She wrapped her soft arms around trembling Hebe, stroking her back. It was Zeus's fault for denying his darling daughter Olympian status—not Hebe's. Thus, Gaia's voice toward him was icy cold.
"Understand this, Zeus. If you want to marry her off, gather us all and declare it properly—or at least bring out Athena if you plan something this underhanded. The choice is yours."
"......"
"I'll take Hebe with me. Tell Hera to come find me when she arrives."
"Uwaaaang, Lady Gaia."
"There, there, no crying, Hebe. I'm not angry at you."
"......"
Gaia patted the sobbing Hebe with a gentle voice and led her from the audience chamber. Her parting words to Zeus were a cold barb. Athena? The demand was beyond imagination, leaving him stunned into silence as she departed, abandoning him alone in the hall.