Hades' Ballerina

Chapter 25

This is how I imagine Alina^^

Alina took three slow, shallow breaths. "Zeus."

Hermes gave her a bright smile. "Yep!"

He suddenly cocked his head up, as if hearing something the others could not. "Oh! Gotta run." He was already turning on his heel while he said, "see you guys later!"

And with a blink, he was gone. Alina just stood swaying slightly, shell-shocked.

Zeus. Zeus wants to meet her.

"Right now?" She said absently to no one in particular.

Aphrodite came into view in front of her, and for the first time since Alina had met her, she looked apologetic. That surprised Alina more than anything.

"Yep. I will escort you to him," she said.

Alina looked at her. "I can't go meet him. I need to find Apollo."

Aphrodite shook her head. "Alina, it will only take a few minutes, and if you don't abide by Zeus's invitation, you won't end up on his favorable side."

"Are you going to come with me?" A sudden thought hit her and her stomach dropped. "Is... Hera going to be there?"

Aphrodite looped her arm through Alina's. "No one has seen her for a while now," she said nonchalantly. "I doubt it."

She began walking down the steps of the dais and guided them through the crowd. The guests would part automatically for them, creating a perfect road to maneuver through the party.

Alina glanced at her in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yea. Not since that little brawl in the Underworld."

"Doesn't Zeus care that his wife is gone?"

So where was Hera, if not in Olympus? If she was on Olympus, why would she hide? It's not like Hades can come after her. Though, Apollo might.

Aphrodite laughed. "Husbands and wives don't exist with immortals. They are partners, mates; bound to each other for life by a sacred, ancient oath. The oath is too powerful for mortals, but for us, it's like getting married. Except much more rare and sacred."

"Oh," Alina said, surprised yet again. "But that doesn't explain--"

"Why they aren't really together?" Aphrodite finished with a small knowing smile. "Alina, don't you know any Greek mythology? Any stories telling of Zeus's behavior or personality?"

"You mean like how he cheated on her a bunch of times and had a ton of kids?"

Aphrodite nodded. "Yep. Those stories are all true. Zeus and Hera haven't really been together since they were bounded by the oath. The oath itself means that their souls are bound. They were destined to be together, like all other oath mates. It is actually rare for an immortal to have a mate; where their power is so compatible that their souls can be bound. But emotionally, Hera and Zeus don't care for each other. They pretty much just do their own thing. However, they will always rule side by side and can connect through their power, making them a formidable pair during battle. "

"Then why did they get oath-bound in the beginning? Do all mates have to be bound by the oath?"

"No, they don't. Hera and Zeus did it for power, of course. Back then, the earth was still rampant with Cronos' followers. Binding themselves meant that they could overpower everyone."

Alina thought for a moment. "How did they know they were compatible for the oath?"

Aphrodite gave a slow, devilish smile. "Sex, of course."