01
olympus
It's under the midday sun, that the goddess rips herself from the sea. It is not a painless birth; she's choking and spluttering. Soaked in sea foam, she shivers under the gust of the West Wind.
The Horai are the first to come upon her. They remark at her beauty, drape her in golden robes.
'We must take her to Olympus,' ushers Thallo.
'Is that really the right thing to do?' questions Auxo.
'She's surely a god,' reassures Carpo. 'Zeus will know what to do.'
Frankly, the goddess of love didn't care. She just wanted to get out of the wind.
They placed a golden wreath on her head to match the robes, and sailed into the sky. Olympus was the name whispered at the mountain where they left her outside its palace. The doors groaned open for her, and she entered to see eleven large thrones - with eleven particularly large personalities sitting on each of them.
'Enter,' commands a voice from the tallest chair. His echo fills the room, takes up all the air.
She halts before them. Gossip erupts. She can sense the old, prying eyes on her. It feels a lot like hunger.
'Who are you?' The man asks. He might've been handsome, if his eyes hadn't kept wondering beyond her face.
'I am a god,' she replies. Someone snickers in the background.
'Oh?' He leans forward. 'And what is your name, little god?'
She doesn't have an answer. It was just a few minutes ago that she had sea salt up her nose.
'She is only young, Zeus.' The throne beside him comes into light. A woman sits on it, possessing the air of someone important. Her eyes are kind, but tired.
'Well then, perhaps someone should give her a name.'
The room erupts again. A man with a trident drums it against the marble floor for attention.
'Brother, let me wed her. In my doing so, I will gift her with a name.'
Our goddess starts. 'Wed?'
A skinny looking boy jumps from his chair. His winged sandals were too big around his small ankles. 'What of me, great Zeus? Should I deserve a beautiful wife such as she?'
The goddess wanted to add that she had no intention of being anyone's wife, but it was lost in the arguing. Her gaze fell to the kind and tired woman, who offered her a small smile, and then to the chair beside hers. A boy slumped there, watching. He hunched his broad shoulders, like he was trying to hide from the large size of himself. A battle helmet of brown hair, a nose that looked like it had been broken thrice over. He had acne scars along his jaw and beautiful hands despite their callouses. His arms were corded with veins and covered in bruises.
'Enough!' cried Zeus.
'You must resolve this, brother.' The man with the trident declared. 'We cannot argue like this amongst ourselves over a woman.'
The goddess had half the mind to take that trident and smack him across the head with it.
'I'm aware,' Zeus replied with the same tone that swallowed all the air. He scanned the room, and seemed to find his answer by the back corner.
'Hephaestus.' The corner shifted.
A forge master stepped forward. He looked double her age.
'Yes, my Lord.'
'Will you wed this little god?'
'If his majesty permits it.'
'Then it is done.' The air around them shifted, as if a vow had stirred it.
'Wait,' tried the goddess. 'Don't I get a say?'
Zeus looked at her like she was mad.
'Perhaps we should reconsider, husband.' The tired woman offered. 'She's so young to have marriage thrust upon her.'
'Silence, Hera.' The tired woman paused, and something a lot like fury roared behind her eyes. But then she fell back in her seat. The boy beside her flexed his knuckles.
Hephaestus limped up beside her. 'Forgive me, goddess. A name is yet to come to mind.'
The goddess didn't answer. She felt slightly sick. Perhaps she should've stayed in that sea foam.
'Let us disband. Wife, officiant the marriage. Hephaestus can build her a throne.'
The gods stepped down from their thrones. Hera stayed behind. The boy of bruises caught the goddess' gaze as he left. She was surprised to find not hunger there like the rest, but sympathy.
