The Queen's Curse

eight | Trip down Memory lane

trip down Memory lane

The goddess of the moon was stressed, to say the least.

After being appointed as the host for the Winter Solstice by Queen Hera, she stood on her ground and made sure that it would be up to the deities' standards. Her nervousness was apparent to the eyes of most of her siblings, especially Apollo who could not resist teasing his twin in every opportunity. Artemis refrained from losing her temper at the day before the event. The scroll in between her hands consisted of the checklist for the event. There were only a few more things she needed to consult with regarding the activities she planned on having. Thankfully, some of the deities happily obliged in supporting the young goddess and wasted no time in barking orders and delivered messages through Hermes.

She was hesitant with seeking counsel from the Queen but this time, she prays that the Void will give her the confidence and courage to approach her on her own. What she witnessed a few weeks before was something personal for the Queen and she was convinced that Hera knew of her eyes watching from the heavenly sky. Therefore, there was a good chance of Hera commanding her to never speak of it to anyone, or she would be duly punished for invading her personal privacy. After all, what she witnessed was imparted to her twin brother, and it might raise questions of her talking about Hera behind her back.

With that in mind, she ventured around Olympus looking for the Queen. It was difficult looking for Hera when even her handmaiden was nowhere in sight. Her last resort was asking Hermes of their whereabouts which took a little longer than usual when he was busy delivering messages. Finally, he was able to inform her of Queen Hera's whereabouts.

The schedule for today was sudden due to the request of her son. They were currently inside the training grounds, sparring. It was known by a few Olympian deities of Hera's devotion for exerting her skills in warfare. For centuries, they have witnessed Hera's fury and wrath. Going against her would not be the wisest decision one would make. After all, she would not have survived inside her father's stomach for years if she did not learn how to wield different weapons and learned how to formulate strategies of her own against the monsters. Standing up for herself and protecting her siblings against the danger they would face daily, it was only the natural impulse of the goddess she really is. She may not know it but she holds several domains that one could not possibly imagine.

Hera and Ares were dressed in their training armor, which was lighter compared to the battling armor they would use against the danger they would face in Olympus. It consisted of thick leather to protect them from severely injuring one another. Though it was prominent for gods to be immortal and would heal faster, they would not take risks in impairing their opponent that would cause serious damage.

The Queen was holding onto a double-edged sword that can turn into a shield in a matter of seconds. It was a bonafide creation of the Queen and her son, Hephaestus, which can be used to her advantage against any sort of combat she engages herself in. Which was why it was apparent that Ares was struggling against his own mother. He was holding two swords and fought her mother with great combat when it came to his offensive skills. Although Ares was the god of war, he was no match to the prowess of Hera as she was exceedingly experienced in this domain. After all, she devotedly trained the younger deities alongside her husband in the past and continued to do so when requested.

Even in combat, she moved gracefully. Her handmaiden admired her movements from afar as mother and son counter-attacked one another. It was apparent that Hera had remarks and compliments in every move her son makes. These were lessons she would impart for improvement in future battles.

It was unknown to the handmaiden that a certain deity was present in the room as well. She was lost in her thoughts that the power coming from the huntress was not prominent enough for her to recognize the sudden change of energy inside the room.