Hera's modern life - chapter 6

“Hera, when you asked me to give you an equal position and power, I had satisfied you. I have given you more than any other supreme Goddess. Now you suddenly say you don’t care. Are you fooling me?”

“I don’t dare. If you think so, you can punish me severely. For example, throw me from the sky, force me to endlessly push a giant boulder up the hillside[1], or cut my belly and hang me on the edge of the cliff and call its eagles to come and eat [2]. That technique sounds pretty good.”

I smiled, but my heart was not calm at all. Zeus was angry and might do all of the punishments I said. He could determine the future of a Goddess, let alone a human. Now, my divine power was only less than half of the original. If he sliced my stomach open, I would die.

He raised his eyebrows, his eyes turned cloudy, and I even saw electricity coming from his hand. I felt that he would release the bolt in the next moment. But, he sighed and returned to normal.

“Okay, I know you are angry,” he said bluntly, then picked up the crown that was thrown on the ground, and despite my resistance, he placed it on my head again.

“The words I said can never be changed. When I proposed to you, I swore by the river that you will always be my only wife. This vow will not change, and there will be no one to replace your status and identity.”

“I’m not–”

He increased his strength and prevented me from saying another word.

“Your mood seems very bad. Maybe it is not the time to say this. If you feel happy here, stay here for the time being. When you think about it clearly, let’s talk then.”

I wanted to protest. I tried to argue that this wasn’t a joke, but his actions revealed that he wouldn’t talk about it. I sighed, for Zeus, this was the greatest concession he could give. He had always been used to burning the disobedient guys, instead of saying something close to an apology.

“Okay, Zeus, what do you want?”

I bowed my head and decided not to “talk” to him for 50 years. I was too lazy to think about what would happen after I end my life as a human being.

“The wedding is not allowed! You are not allowed to deal with any man except me.”

He hated to say, “Although I can’t always watch you, someone can. Don’t think about getting married to another man!”

“Wait!”

Probably guessing what he was going to do, I rushed to protest, but he had snapped his fingers.

“Hermes.”

A breeze blew, and a black-haired, dark-eyed teenager appeared in front of us. He wore a shirt and an English vest. The color of his trousers matched the headphones on his head. If I didn’t see the pair of small wings on his pair of casual shoes that he was wearing, I wouldn’t have recognized him.

“I follow your instructions, my master.”

He bowed respectfully to Zeus and then saluted me, “Hera, I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

“Hermes, before Hera returns to Olympia, you stay with her and take care of her, understand?” Zeus said in a severe tone. I can guarantee that Hermes understood his meaning. He glanced at me in surprise, and then he bowed his head.

“Of course, Zeus. Your wish is my command.”

“I am going. Hera, think clearly and remember to ask me, you know the way.”

He slammed into a bolt of golden lightning, which disappeared, leaving Hermes and me standing in the place.

“Hermes, you look like a kid…”

This God looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.

He smiled modestly, “I am in high school in a human school. You know, most of the time, the great Zeus will not care about our private life and little fun. Although this world is hectic, it is better than Olympus. It’s much more interesting. The people of the twentieth century are very…crafty compared to the past.”

“Don’t tell me a God often slips out of Olympus?” I asked. But then I thought about the previous Trojan war. Didn’t all the gods go to earth to join in the fun as humans fought with each other?

“If you don’t mind, I want to leave for a while. You are now Oriental, so I think it is necessary to go through a transfer procedure before applying for a Visa in your country,” Hermes interrupted my memories. I was a little surprised that he still obeyed human rules. He seemed to understand my thoughts, smiled and took out a cane that had the same small wings.

“It’s sometimes fun to be a human. Right, dear Hera, what kind of identity do you think is good for me? How about your cousin? I am very good at modifying memories.”

(Zeus gave King Sisyphus the most maddening eternal punishment. He leaked the secret location of a nymph. He was forced to push a giant boulder up the steep mountain endlessly. The boulder was cursed to fall down the hill each time Sisyphus got tantalizingly near the top. The result was an eternity of useless effort and continuous frustration.)

( Prometheus gave humans fire. Against the will of Zeus, He was chained to a rock, and every day an eagle (which represented Zeus) would come to tear open his flesh and eat Prometheus’ liver. Every night the liver would regrow, only to be devoured the next day again. In this way, his torture was never-ending. )

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1 ko-Fi = extra chapter