War on my Heart | Greek Mythology |

Memories [4]

"You've been gone so long, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have a real friend." Hera's smile is twinged with a sadness that is beyond anything I've ever seen before, her lips pressed together in a straight line of melancholy.

I pause, lowering the heavy leather bound book in my hands for a moment to study her. "What about the other Gods?" I ask after a moment, my curiosity gnawing at me unrelentingly as I gazed at the Goddess.

She was silent for a long moment, gazing out the window at the soft rain that begins to fall from the darkening sky, her silhouette dark against the bright ivory walls of the library. When she finally responds, I can hear the loneliness in her voice, a sound that pulls at the chords of my heart. "Hecate, they do not see me, not for who I am. To them, I am still the vengeful Queen of the Gods. They would rather fear or scorn me than get to know my heart. You are different, my dear friend. You never cared about my reputation. Even my own husband could not love me the way he should have..." Her voice breaks as she speaks, turning to face me.

Her face is desolate, her eyes empty and hollow. "Now, I'm just left trying to fill the void. Regardless, we still have a ball to decorate. Has the book helped your memory?"

I glance down at the book in my hands slowly, decorated with elaborate portraits and statues of the Gods, full to the brim with information over each Greek entity. "Not my memory, but...I am glad I have looked it over. I feel slightly more prepared for this gathering now that I know a bit about the people attending."

"Well, that is good to hear, at least." Hera replies, her voice more composed now. "Though, you may find the real deal a bit different than the book. Mortals can only get so much right, you know."

My stomach churns with anxiety at the thought of meeting the Gods. I feel as if I'm stuck in some sort of dream, or perhaps a nightmare. "Hera," I say suddenly, lifting my eyes to meet the gaze of the brown-eyed Goddess. "I'm not ready to meet everyone."

Hera's eyes soften considerably, and she offers me a comforting smile, striding across the room to stand beside me. "Hecate, you'll do great. I know this must be hard, but waiting won't make it any easier, alright? Come on, let's go begin decorating. Everyone will be arriving in only a short hour."

As she leads me away, down the long, empty hallways, past the many rooms and twirling staircases, I can understand the loneliness she feels here. As beautiful and lavish as the palace is, it feels hollow inside, the same way Hera's eyes looked as she gazed at me, overflowing with a forlorn feeling. The ballroom itself is completely empty, complete with tall, wide windows as the only light source other than the sparkling chandelier overhead. Hera's eyes are shuttered as she gazes at the empty room. "Let's get started." She says after a moment. "There isn't an awful lot to do...we don't do dinner at these events, you see. I'll just prepare the music and we'll be ready. Ballroom music is sort of dreary, but I must admit, it does bring about a certain feeling. It's indescribable, really."

"Zeus used to whisk me across the floors of this room, spin me till I was breathless and could only look at him with admiration." She speaks quietly, her eyes downcast, fixated on the beautiful marble floors. "I thought I was so blessed, so lucky to rule beside the man I loved the most. But oh, my love was so unmatched, Hecate." She buries her face in her palms, slowly sinking to the floor, her pink dress pooling around her, the fabric bright against the floors.

My heart aches for her as I watch, almost feeling intrusive, like I shouldn't be witnessing such a vulnerable moment. I can't speak, my throat tightening, but I slowly sit down beside her, resting one hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She peers at me through her fingers, and I see unshed tears in her eyes. "It was never me, and always everyone else. I was never enough to satisfy him."