oikogéneia prin apó otidípote
***
Arden
"Does it say anything about what happened to Hera?" Camilla asked.
Hayden found a journal that belonged to Circe. It had events and dates listed back from BC. Apparently, with the Fates' help, Circe has been able to track and write about all the events dealing with the gods and other mythical creatures.
Hayden nodded. "Apparently, Hera let her jealousy take control for a long time and spent over a century torturing, tormenting, and preying on those who were guilty and innocent."
"Guilty and innocent?" I asked. Hayden nodded. "She probably went after those who were unfaithful in Athens. Those who committed adultery and lechery."
"Yeah." Perri sounded beside Hayden. "Hera supposedly said that those who betrayed their own marriage mocked herself and all that she stood for. She took it personally and made it her mission to punish them all."
"Yikes," Ali mumbled. "That was almost your mother, dude." He gave Zane a pointed look. He returned the gaze with a glare.
"So, the question we still don't have the answer to..." Nikki sat on the table, twisting her body towards the boys holding the book. "What happened to Hera?"
"Circe wrote that one day Hera put Zeus over the edge. He was already fed up with her and her cruel ways- he feared what would happen if he tried to stop her. She also wrote that even though he didn't admit it, he felt guilty of the things he did to her-"
"If one of you don't get to the damn point, I will shove the fucking journal up your ass," Zane grumbled, rubbing between his closed eyes.
"Alright, alright," Hayden waved him off. "She pushed him over the edge- he had enough- decided to punish her....it say that Zeus did, in fact, banish her..."
"Yeah, she was kicked off Olympus and drained of most of her power. She was stripped of her title as Queen of the gods, and she was never to return."
"Zeus really banished her." Ace stated.
We all just thought the idea was a rumor. It made sense, but there was no way of actually proving what happened to her. The gods never spoke about her, and it seemed they wanted to forget about the old queen.
Johanna wanted her crown back. Or what she thinks is her crown. That's why she has so much hate for me. As I'd eventually develop and take my mother's place on Olympus, like my other executives said- I will be queen of the gods. Johanna obviously feels like things should return back to the way it was. Hera as queen. And if my theory is correct, Johanna was Hera's daughter- and like the rest of us, she is planning to eventually take her place on Olympus. However, I'm pretty sure I'm standing in the way of her crown...and her king.
"It says...It says they sent her to Tartarus," Perri stated and looked up at all of us. Tartarus?
Zane shook his head and placed his palms on the table. "Tartarus?" He asked slowly. "Why'd he put her there?"
Camilla went around and squeezed between Perri and Hayden. Hayden gave her an irritable look and Camilla stared down into the journal. "At first, he hung her by golden chains from the clouds. He kept her there for a while and the gods could hear her cries of pain constantly."
"So why did Zeus move her to the underworld?" Ace asked. Good question.
"She pleaded that he let her go but he refused. So, she said the pain was too much for her to bear, that'd she rather burn in Tartarus- she meant it, too."
"So, Hera has been perishing for all this time?" Nikki asked.
"Yeah."
"That's what happened to Hera?" We all turned when we heard Armani speak.
"Yeah," Nikki answered. "You know about her?" Armani nodded.
"Of course. But, this Johanna character, she's been mumbling about-" Armani gestured to me and I pursed my lips. I internally cursed when I realized I've been mumbling out loud again. "Is she really Hera's daughter?"
"I'm pretty convinced she is," I spoke out loud, ignoring the teasing looks from my friends. "Think about it, she despises me so much for that fact I'll eventually become queen of the gods and she wants the crown to herself. She has to be Hera's daughter- She's the next generation...like us."
Zane rubbed a hand over his mouth. "What you're saying makes sense but..."
"How did Hera have Johanna if she was in Tartarus?" Nikki asked.
It was quiet again. "Maybe, it's possible. Maybe she did have Johanna in the underworld."
"Then...how'd she get out?" Ace asked.
"It seems like you guys are asking a lot of questions that no one has the answers to," Armani spoke up.
She was right. We needed a way to confirm that Hera actually gave birth to Johanna in the underworld.
"Does the journal say anything about Hera having a child?" Perri flipped through the pages of the journal. "I don't think so." He mumbled. "It just talks about how they locked Hera down there and Zeus entrusted Hades to keep her there....also Hades would work with some of Zeus' enforcers and warriors."
Hayden shoved him slightly and peered down into the book, while Zane began to speak. "Maybe she somehow escaped Tartarus, slipped passed Hades and the enforcers," Zane suggested. "When she escaped, she secretly had a child."
"Tartarus is nearly impossible to escape," Hayden explained, still looking into the book. "It'd be completely unlikely, let alone slipping pass anyone who was guarding her."
If what Hayden was saying was true, there is something that isn't adding up. Maybe Hera found some way to escape the underworld, or maybe it was Johanna who escaped. Or, maybe Hera had Johanna before she was banished, which didn't make much sense but could be a possibility.
"Well, who was guarding her, apart from Hades?" Nikki crossed her arms.
"Um, it says Bia, Kratos, Nike, and Zelus." Nike? A few heads turned to Nikki and although she seemed pretty unbothered, there was a hint of curiosity and eagerness on her face. As Perri continued to read, he was speaking slowly, like he was just as shocked at what he read. "Circe wrote that the siblings were some of Zeus' most trusted guards."
Nikki stood and my head tilted in surprise. I'm sorry, did he just say-
"Siblings?" Nikki asked with her arms still crossed. "Did you just say siblings?" Perri nodded.
Whoa.
"I've heard about them before," Camilla muttered, lost in her thoughts. "I believe in human's mythology, Kratos represented force, one of them represented strength, one- zeal, and the other victory. The siblings form an elite group that helps Zeus in battle."
"Well, at least we know Nike is the goddess of Victory."
"Wait, wait, wait...." Nikki shook her head and pursed her lips. "Are you guys implying that I have uncles and aunts that I apparently don't know about?"
Perri nodded. "Yeah, Nikki."
I watched Nikki's face carefully. She wore a calm yet shocked face. You can tell by the way she was biting her lip, she was suddenly anxious. "Are you guys sure?" Ali asked lowly.
"Um," Camilla hummed and searched the room with her eyes before she paused on a certain shelf. "Ah, there it is." Her eyes shifted and soon a thick brown book pulled out of one of the shelves and made its way to the table before us. It hit the table with a loud sound and I stared at the cover that had greek writing as it's title.
'Warriors and Heroes of Olympus: Anecdotes'
"You've got to be kidding me," Hayden shook his head and gave Camilla an exasperated look. "If you could do that, we could've found what we needed like an hour ago." He told her.
"It doesn't work like that," I explained for Camilla. "Object manipulation depends on your knowledge of where and what."
Camilla gave me a look of thanks. "Then how the hell does it work?" Hayden asked loudly. I rolled my eyes.
"Calm down, Batman. In order to maneuver objects, I have to know the entity exactly, therefore my mind is able to process what exactly I'm looking for. If I've never seen that journal in my life, I wouldn't be able to use my power to find it."
"What's the book for?" Ace asked.
Camilla dragged the codex towards her and flipped through the pages to a certain one that had golden wings above it's heading. I furrowed my eyebrows. "Okay, so Zeus' special...task force...includes Bia, who represents force-"
"Force?" I asked.
"Yup, force or raw energy." I stood up and went over to Camilla, looking down into the book myself. I soon felt Nikki at my side doing the same. "Zelus, who exhibits zeal and eager dedication for rivalry and emulation."
Nikki continued reading, and I followed along. "And there's Kratos, who exhibits strength."
A thought came to mind and it was sort of crazy. Almost too crazy, and I thought about something coincidental....really coincidental. "Do you think, Zelus, Bia, and Kratos had children, like Nike? Do you think there's a new generation?" I asked lowly.
Ace caught my gaze and I knew he caught on to what I was thinking. He pointed at me simply, "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" He asked.
I shrugged looking at Ace. "I mean maybe." I could see everyone else giving us a weird expression.
"What are you guys thinking?" Zane asked irritably.
"Maybe...maybe Zakari and Kenai are Zelus and Kratos' children. Maybe they are the new generation of Zeus' task force." I implied. Nikki stared at me like I was crazy.
"So, you think those two assholes that tried to kill us earlier are offsprings of Kratos and Zelus, and that they're my-"
"Cousins." I cut her off. "Yes. Which is weird because when we first met Kenai, he did call you 'Cuz'. Coincidentally."
"By that, she means she totally doesn't think it's a coincidence," Ace added. He was right. Thinking about it now, and pairing it with what I just learned, it did make sense. But not really... "Then again, why would they be here working for Johanna...and how?"
"I think we're going to need to do more research." Ali sighed. As he made that statement, I had an idea.
I bit my lip before I caught the gaze of Zane's very intense gaze. He knew I was thinking about something hard. I pursed my lips before speaking.
"Guys, I have an idea."
I heard Zane sigh and there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "What do you have, smartass?"
*****
So, you've learned a lot. Nikki has cousins, Hera's in the Underworld, and other stuff.
Next chapter, is very different. It's set in the point of view of someone rather than Arden or Zane. Who do you think it is?
Anyway, one of my favorite ships are gonna have a very sweet chapter. Until next time,
-brittany.