Hera's Modern Life: Chapter 4

 Chapter 4.

They Say a Forced Divorce Requires At Least One Year of Separation

There's no doubt that my husband is a pretentious, arrogant, capricious, and utterly self-important person. Speaking of his illustrious deeds... Sorry, aside from incessantly chasing women and siring children, does he have any so-called illustrious deeds? Well, he did overthrow our father's rule and, with the support of our mother and other gods, ushered in a new era of mythology. I'll admit that's quite impressive. After all, back then, he was just a sniveling brat, and he accomplished all that against the odds. Convincing so many gods, who feared Cronus, to acknowledge and obey him, and single-handedly defeating many titans, that's not something you can achieve by just flapping your lips.

I still remember the scene when I first saw Zeus. Human-made stories claim that Cronus swallowed us siblings, but that's just nonsense. We were simply imprisoned in a lightless cave. Though I thought staying in the cave wasn't bad at all – at least we didn't have to worry about getting caught in the crossfire between Gaia and Cronus – I was still overjoyed when the cave was opened, and sunlight poured in. Because Poseidon's habit of trying to yank people's hair was really annoying. He has always resented the color of his own hair and developed a hatred for anyone with black hair since then.

"I'm your brother, Zeus, and I've come to rescue you."

Zeus was covered in blood, his body was in tatters with no intact spot that could be found, and his face was swollen like a pig's head. I doubt this scene was mentioned in human tales. But no matter how long ago it was, I'll always remember how dazzling his golden hair was under the sunlight.

It's truly ridiculous to think that in that brief moment, I believed I was seeing the world's one and only great deity. Eternal, perfect, or whatever other random, exalted adjectives you could think of, all came rushing into my mind. I felt an unparalleled pride in having such a brother. This inexplicable feeling persisted until I saw him reaching his hand under Demeter's skirt.

And now, this incomparable god, the only ruler in the world, my brother, my husband, the father of my children, was staring at me with an openly confused expression, as if he completely didn't understand the meaning of my words just now. I looked at his perpetually youthful face, definitely not over twenty-five, and maliciously speculated on when was the last time he seriously thought about something. Ahem, you know, my husband is not exactly a cerebral type— "What, enemies? Excellent, grab your weapons, let's destroy them!"—that's his usual style. The scheming and conniving guy moves should be Poseidon.

"What—what do you mean?"

In the silence I maintained, he seemed to slowly understand. His confusion began turning into anger, his voice becoming rougher, losing the debonair playboy demeanor he had before. "Hera, do you really want to marry another man in your human guise?"

I said slowly, "What's wrong with that?"

"Of course it's wrong!" he yelled. If we weren't hiding our figures by the deserted seaside, his outburst would definitely be met with many disapproving looks. "It's a shameless betrayal to me!"

"...And who among us is the shameless one?" How dare he say something like that so loudly? I was so angry I almost passed out, a flood of grievances and resentments rushing up inside me. I wanted to give him a lightning bolt right then and there. But then I remembered that this power was also bestowed upon me by him. As a goddess, I actually had no power of my own, so I gritted my teeth and endured.

"Remember your identity, don't do anything to embarrass me. You are the Queen of the gods, you're my wife!"

He emphasized the word "wife."

"Yes, I'm the Queen of the gods, and I'm your wife. But can't I refuse this supreme honor now? Thank you!"

My anger spoke for me, the words that had been suppressed in my heart for thousands of years burst out uncontrollably. I was stunned for a moment, but surprisingly, I didn't feel as fearful as I imagined. Instead, there was a faint sense of relief.

"What. Do. You. Mean.”

Zeus paused for a few seconds, then asked slowly, word by word. His expression was devoid of any emotion. Not handsome at all, but rather terrifying. Although he had never laid a hand on me, under the immense pressure of his aura, I couldn't help but step back, almost wanting to deny it. However, my pride prevented me from begging for mercy.

"What I mean is clear. Since you proclaimed to everyone that I'm unworthy of being the queen of the gods and always find me more and more annoying, why bother bringing me back? Why not just leave it like this, revoke the power and status you gave me, and find another woman who won't be an eyesore?"

I said it very seriously. He frowned and looked at me for a while before suddenly realizing and laughing.

"My dear, are you still brooding over this matter? Yes, I was too impulsive and embarrassed you in front of everyone, but look, didn't I come down personally to welcome you back? The only woman I'd welcome personally is you, Hera, my only wife, my beloved sister. Okay, stop being stubborn now. Although I have to say, this side of you is much cuter than your usual cold demeanor, but we have a lot of things to do."

He thought he understood me, thinking this was just another routine jealousy and complaint. He even reached out to try and hug me around the waist, but I pushed him away with a slap.

"I'm not joking. I'm serious, Zeus. I don't want to be your wife anymore. I'd rather continue as a mortal."

With that said, I returned to my goddess form, took off the crown symbolizing my status as the Queen of the gods, which he had personally placed on my head years ago, and handed it to him.

"You're crazy!" he shouted angrily. "You actually want to abandon your identity a god and become a mortal! Do you know that once you lose your divine power, you'll just be a regular human? You'll get sick, get hurt, and even grow old and die! Do you really want to end up in the eternal darkness of the Underworld?"

"The Underworld is better than Olympus."

My answer made him tremble with anger, as nobody had dared to defy him so openly before. I still remember what happened to the last guy who defied him. Zeus has never had anything to do with kindness or gentleness.

"You're the goddess of marriage! Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by other gods?"

"If I lose my divine power, I won't be a goddess anymore. And besides, have I ever had fewer instances of being ridiculed by other gods before?"

Seeing that he was reluctant to take the crown made of gold and precious gems, I placed it on the sand. I used to be cautious, fearing that angering Zeus would cost me my divine status. Not to mention that it's always been Zeus dumping women, not the other way around. But nobody ever said that when you don't want to continue being a goddess, you can't abdicate voluntarily.

"You can give this thing to whoever you like, I don't want it."

With that, I turned and walked away, but he stopped me with a dark call.

"Hera, you were the one who said you wanted an equal position and power with me. I granted your wish and gave you something that no other goddess had, and now, you're suddenly changing your mind. Are you mocking me?"

"I dare not. If you think so, you're welcome to punish me even more severely, like sending me to the top of the sky or rolling a stone up a hill, or cutting my belly open and hanging it on the cliff for vultures to eat. Those methods are quite good."

I replied with a forced smile, but actually, I had no idea what to expect. Zeus might actually do such things when angered. Without the crown that symbolizes me as the queen of the gods, and in a human body, my divine power was barely half what it used to be. If he really cut my belly open, I would probably die.

His eyebrows raised higher and higher, his gaze sinister, and sparks even crackled in his hand. I felt like he was about to unleash a lightning bolt any moment. Then he sighed suddenly, and calm returned.

"Fine, I get it. You're angry."

He said stiffly, then picked up the crown I had thrown on the ground. Disregarding my resistance, he firmly placed it back on my head.

"What I've given out, I never take back. When I proposed to you, I swore by the River Styx that you will always be my only wife. That oath won't change, and there will be no one to replace your position and identity as the Queen of the gods."

"I'm not—"

He tightened his grip, stopping me from saying what I wanted to.

"You seem to be in a bad mood. Maybe this isn't the time for this discussion. If you think being a mortal for a while will make you happier, then be a mortal for now. When you've thought it through, we'll talk about this again."

I still wanted to protest, to explain that this wasn't a spiteful joke, but his actions and demeanor clearly conveyed a refusal to discuss it further. With a sigh, for Zeus, this was probably the most sincere concession he could offer. He was accustomed to burning and hacking down disobedient people rather than dryly uttering anything close to an apology.

"Fine, Zeus, whatever you say."

Lowering my head, I decided not to "talk" to him for the next fifty years. As for what would happen after my human life ended, I couldn't be bothered to think about it for now.

"But no weddings! Apart from me, you're not allowed to have any interactions with other men," he said bitterly, then suddenly clapped his hands. "Oh, and although I can't watch you all the time, someone else can. Don't think about marrying other men!"

"Wait a minute!"

Guessing what he was about to do, I quickly protested loudly, but he had already snapped his fingers.

"Hermes."

A gentle breeze swept by, and the black-haired, black-eyed young man appeared before us. He was dressed in a very English-school-style suit and vest, with matching trousers, and wore headphones on his head. If it weren't for the tiny wings flapping hard on the casual shoes he wore, I almost didn't recognize this henchman of Zeus.

"At your command, my master," he bowed respectfully to Zeus, then greeted me with a bow. "Hera, long time no see."

"Hermes, until Hera returns to Olympus, stay by her side and take good care of her, understood?"

Zeus said very seriously, but I'm sure Hermes definitely understood the meaning behind those words. He looked at me with some surprise, but then quickly lowered his head.

"Of course, Zeus. Your wish is my command."

"I'm leaving, Hera. Remember to call me when you've thought it through. You know how."

He hurriedly said, then with a crackling sound, turned into a golden lightning bolt and disappeared on the spot, leaving me and Hermes standing there.

"...Hermes, you look like your son's son..."

Staring at the god messenger, who was probably only fifteen or sixteen, I said incredulously.

He smiled modestly. "Because I'm currently attending high school in the human world... You know, most of the time, the great Zeus doesn't bother with our private little pleasures. Although the human world is full of chaos, it's much more interesting than Olympus. Everyone thinks the 20th century human world is... much more subtle compared to before."

"Don't tell me all the gods on Olympus have slipped away." I muttered to myself, but thinking back to the Trojan War, weren't all the gods there just for the fun? In the end, they fought even better than the human armies that started the war.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to leave for a while. You're in the Eastern region now, right? So, I think it's necessary to transfer schools and apply to the country where you are."

Hermes politely interrupted my reminiscing. I didn't expect him to be so respectful of human rules. He seemed to have guessed what I was thinking and smiled gently, taking out a staff with similarly small wings.

"Being a human can be fun sometimes. By the way, respected Hera, what kind of identity do you think would suit me? How about your cousin abroad? Memory modification is something I'm really good at, you know."

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