Work Text:
Going to the human world was never a recurring pastime for Hera, but she made exceptions when was bored. And a coffee with dessert wasn't a bad idea. Disguising herself as a human and waiting for her order while listening to the store's ambient sound was relaxing. While was reading a ramdom magazine she heard a conversation between three girls at the next table.
“...and the only illegitimate child that she did not hate, however liked, was Hermes, due to the fact that the goddess was enchanted by the beauty and intelligence of his mother, Maia.” One of the girls dictated the text. They must have been doing a school project about the gods. What a sweet thing.
“‘Beauty,’ uhum.” One of the mortals made a strange expression
“What do you mean by that, Helena?” one of the friends asked
“I think there was more to it than just fascination, if you know what I mean.” What audacity. She should crush this heretic's head…. If it wasn't true. Her feelings for Maia were just platonic, they couldn't be reciprocated and she was a married woman. She didn't want to bring more trouble to the other.
“But she is the goddess of marriage, she would never cheat on her husband.” The third mortal defended her. Good girl.
“But she should.” She crooked her smile in agreement. At least agreed with this Helena, but her conduct did not allow this act.
"But she didn't attack Perseus, did you notice?" the third girl pointed. Hera dropped her smile.
“True, he was the son of a mortal princess.” The first girl flipped through the book. “She is not mentioned once in the myth.”
“Did she not know he existed?”
“No, Sophia.” The first girl answered. “I think the authors of the myths forgot to include her in the plot. After all the legends in ancient times were passed down by mouth to mouth as many people did not know how to write, it would not be surprising if the goddess was withdrawn or forgotten after centuries.”
" True, thanks. Bia.” And the girls turned their attention to other things.
The goddess sighed as her day had been ruined. The bitter taste of the coffee wasn't as strong as her uneasy feeling. And the sweet dessert didn't help to soften either. Paying the bill she left the shop and strolled to occupy her mind. She didn't mind being dropped from the myths, no. She was irritated by something else.
Memories of the first millennia of humanity where the gods were worshiped invaded her mind.
It was in the first millennia of the history of human civilization, or as mortals now say, in ancient Greek times.
Acrisius was one of the worst, if not the worst kings in the entire history of Argos. She didn't mind letting him die if someone asked her. The goddess felt sorry for his wife Eurydice, who had unfortunately been forced to marry him because of political agreements between the sovereign and the girl's parents. The king was infertile and this would not have been a problem if he did not blame his wife for the lack of childrens.
How could he accuse her of infertility when he didn't even realize that none of his concubines didn't get pregnant? Men at that time did not even consider the idea of male infertility. What useless fools.
By her own opinion she would let the king die without ever bearing any child. However, she had her duties as the protective goddess of monarchs and could not neglect her sacred duty no matter how much she hated the king in question.
Eurydice was also one of her most ardent followers, not missing a single day of prayer or worship related to her. How could she not help answering her prayers after she was forced to leave her home and live in an unknown land without a shoulder to lean on?
Hephaestus had learned one thing from her: how to create a human from scratch. Human fabrication was not a routine habit, she only produced children when kings needed heirs and they were necessary for the plans the gods had in mind. Taking drops of blood from the king and queen, Hera molded a girl from clay. Acrisius did not deserve a male child. However, the daughter would be one of the most beautiful, kind, intelligent and educated princesses that he could not complain from the gods, even humans would envy the king for having such a gifted daughter. Many would think he was crazy for not valuing the child and would understand that he did not deserve to have an heir due to his ingratitude.
The child was beautiful, the initial appearance was completely a copy of the mother. Which was a problem, since Acrisius could accuse his wife of infidelity because the child didn't look like him. As the goddess of marriage she couldn't let a faithful woman be treated as an adulteress after all the suffering she went through. And as unfair as it was, she added Acrisio's striking characteristics to the baby, such as the hair color, the shape of the mouth, the skin tone.... and the rear.
Yes. Acrisius had an ass big enough to accommodate all the horrible decisions he'd made in his pathetic life.
When she was done with it she breathed life into the doll. The clay turned into flesh. The girl opened her big eyes and smiled at her.
How adorable. Eurydice would be one of the happiest women to have such a precious child.
With care the goddess sent the child into the mother's womb. The kingdom of Argos rejoiced at the news of a possible heir. Acrisius began to treat his wife with the dignity and respect she deserved. The concubines were removed so as not to plot against the life of the pregnant woman and the baby. The goddess laughed in the face of disappointment when the king discovered that had gained a daughter. At least one of the few redeeming qualities the king had was his fear of punishment from the Furies to the point of not taking the lives of his wife and daughter for "daring" to have failed him. Eurydice and Danae, as the mother named her daughter, lived in harmony while the king took care of his duties and spared the two of his irritating presence. The goddess thought this arrangement was good enough and went back to her work on Olympus.
But soon realized that she had failed.
After a while she didn't have news from Argos until hearing a prophecy related to the royal family. She had laughed after hearing that Acrisius would be killed by his own grandson. He desired so much a male heir that he would literally die to have one. But was horrified to find out who the child's father was.
She was so busy that she didn't notice that Acrisius had imprisoned Danae in an underground prison to prevent the prophecy from happening. Noting the queen's disappearance, she discovered that Eurydice succumbed to an illness leaving her daughter at the mercy of her indifferent father. She blamed herself for the queen's death, even though it was beyond her reach. If she knew that the queen was sick she could not do anything, not even Zeus could interfere or bargain with the work of the Moirae. Even so, she should have noticed and taken care that the princess was not alone with the king.
Unfortunately discovered that Zeus had turned into a golden shower and entered the prison. How could he not have connected the two dots sooner?!
She waited for her husband to return and asked what he had been up to the last few days. Covering her anger with a calm voice, but couldn't fake a smile.
And the bastard said what he shouldn't have.
"I had fun." And with a hideous smile on his face.
She didn't say anything and left him alone until nightfall. Carefully she picked up Ares's sword. In her homicidal rage she ran to their room and plunged the sword into the sleeping god. Struck several parts of the body, especially the heart, head, torso and stomach. And repeated. And repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated.
Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated.
Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated.
She repeated until Helios pulled his chariot and the sword turned into a twisted piece of metal.
And her hateful husband wakes up and yawns like nothing happened.
She failed to kill him. Like every other try in the past. She didn't have a day after her wedding that she didn't try to take the bastard's life. Her biggest dream was to become a widow and get her revenge after the blow he used on her to force her to marry him. And like every other time failed. Zeus was an invincible god and she couldn't find ways to defeat him. Like every other god who hated him.
It was her fault for making Danae so beautiful that Zeus had noticed her. It was her fault for not stopping her husband from going to the human world. It was her fault that she hadn't managed to exterminate the bastard. It was her fault for not remembering Zeus's shapeshifting power when helping that poor bird.
It was her fault.
It was her fault, so she had to become responsible for the princess.
Hera hasn't neglected her Olympian duties as she hasn't neglected the princess. Her absence was not noticed by the other gods….and was grateful for that. Didn't want to have to discuss the problem with anyone else. She decided that would act in the shadows not only so as not to scare the girl, but also so as not to have to explain that she was to blame for the little girl being in that situation. She honestly didn't want to know what expression Danae would make if they were face to face. It was such a different moment, she is always an extrovert and at that moment she had to be discreet and silent.
She whispered orders into the ears of the guards and servants to not mistreat the girl and give her good food and water. And if they didn't obey, she replaced the poisoned food and water with harmless ones and punished them discreetly. Even though there was a prophecy about his death Acrisius refused to kill Danae because of the Furies. And if he had, it wouldn't have been the Furies that would have killed him.
Before Eurydice died, she had taught her daughter to worship the goddess in thanks for her pregnancy and safe delivery. The queen prayed together with her daughter and told stories and tales of the goddess for the little one. Hera felt her heart sink as the lonely princess prayed to her to be free and have a family that loved her. She had also noticed that Danae didn't fear the dark after the few rays of sunlight that came through the tiny priso's window disappeared. Thought she had already gotten used to her surroundings. She have fun when the little one make shadow puppetry. At night the goddess caressed the little girl's head when the little one was inflicted by nightmares. When Danae was distressed she whispered that things would get better which reassured the human's heart. Danae knew that she had become pregnant, but no one had told her how babies were made and attributed her gestation to the work of the goddess as she made her mother to keep company. Hera admitted that it was better for her to think like this.
It took time to realize that she had become the girl's new mother.
The time of the child's birth had arrived. Hera did not call Eileithyia, delivering the princess herself. At first Danae felt pain, but the goddess took the suffering away from her body and delivered the child safely. Danae was not yet of marriageable age, and being small as was, she would die in childbirth along with the baby.
As she predicted, the process was safe and painless, yet the princess fell asleep from exhaustion. The goddess remained with the newborn demigod in her arms. This child was a bastard of her husband, a stain on her pride and role as goddess of marriage. And she had the opportunity to end his life in an instant.
But she couldn't.
The boy was the only person in the world Danae had on her side. And to be honest, he was practically human. He couldn't tarnish her reputation. Have already decided to let the child live and grow to fulfill the prophecy and kill Acrisius for defying her.
The princess finally woke up and lovingly hugged her son. Tears of happiness falling from the eyes.
“My dear, Perseus.” whispered to her son. The goddess had liked the name.
Seeing that the mother and son were already safe at the time, the goddess decided to return to Olympus in order to resume her tasks. Would go back every hour to...
“Goddess Hera...”
The goddess's heart skipped a beat. She turned to look at Danae. How could it be?! She had been careful not to be seen. As a human...
“Thank you for my son.” Oh, she was just praying.
Hera remained still in shock.
"You are welcome. I think."
Danae managed to hide Perseus from the guards until he was four years old. And as Acrisius was fearful and cowardly he put mother and child in a chest and threw them into the sea. His logic was that if they drowned it would be the sea's fault and not his, even if put them in a container where them couldn't escape and slowly drowned. The goddess laughed, but from anger and madness. She couldn't wait for Perseus to kill this bastard. Before she could do anything her husband had asked Poseidon to rescue the two and leave them on an habited island. She was glad that at least Zeus had done something decent for the girl she used and their son.
On the island of Seriphos mother and child were rescued by a deposed nobleman, now a fisherman, named Dictys. The man not only welcomed both, but raised the boy as his own. Perseus grew up to be a formidable, strong and honest man. Danae couldn't have been one of the luckier women to have a wonderful, devoted son. Every time the goddess looked at the demigod didn't notice similarities with Zeus, even wondered if he really was his son. They barely shared physical features, not to mention how opposite their personalities were. Perseus possessed positive qualities that he could never have inherited from the god.
Danae and Perseus remained happy... until Polydectes took an interest in Danae.
Polydectes was no better than Acrisius. A worm that couldn't take a no for an answer. Her blood boiled as he dared to force Danae to marry him and almost exploded that the king demanded that Perseus bring himself Medusa's head as a wedding gift. With all the control she could that get remembered the prophecy. Perseus hadn't killed Acrisius yet, so there was no way he could fail his mission. But still kept an eye on his progress.
Athena and Hermes volunteer to help their half-brother on his adventure. The goddess of wisdom gave him a polished shield, and the god of messengers gave his winged sandals. The two also asked to borrow Hades' helmet of invisibility, which the underworld god generously agreed to. Zeus had disappeared without giving any news of when would return and she took advantage of this absence to assume his form and deliver an adamantine sword to the demigod. She did the best she could to not arouse suspicion. Wasn't sure if Athena had suspected that she was helping Danae and Perseus. If had realized she would certainly have kept it a secret as a form of fun seeing her stepmother's sweet side. Or maybe she really hadn't noticed what a rare thing it was. Neither way didn't want to ask Athena in case she really hadn't noticed and thus spoiled everything. Didn't even want to bring the situation up for discussion if she knew. Make the right decision to not have brought it up.
But obtaining the weapons would not be so easy for Perseus. To test his determination the gods left the bag with the objects in the garden of the Hesperides. Hera had designated the nymphs as guardians of her garden not only for their maintenance skills but they were formidable warriors. Afraid that they might kill him, the goddess sent the nymphs to rest as a reward for having worked for over two centuries. When the hero arrived at the garden, didn't reveal her identity and let him think that she was just a ordinary nymph. She indicated the tree where the weapons were and reassured him when he broke a branch saying that would take the blame for it. Wished good luck for the journey.
“Please, Hera protect my mother!” The demigod prayed to her. It didn't even take a prayer for her to protect Danae.
When the time came for the fight against the gornona, the goddess was anxious for the result. And when Perseus beheaded the monster, all Olympus celebrated. Faking a fit of rage leave the hall of the gods and hide in her office. Once alone let a tear of relief fall as she smiled that he had survived.
On the way back home, the hero got a bride after rescuing her from a sea monster. Andromeda was a princess who by misfortune of fate her mother provoked Poseidon's wrath by insulting his wife. The couple was one of the best the queen had ever seen in her entire life. Perseus was not only a devoted son but a loving husband and an amazing father. Laughed when Polydectes was 'petrified' upon receiving his gift. Danae and Dictys were married and became the next rulers. Danae became an excellent queen by making the wisest and fairest choices. Unfortunately men only attributed the conquests to her husband, but she didn't care about that. And soon Perseus became an older brother. Danae was wealth enought to have another children, this time there ins't no need to the gods aid in the labors. Feel bad for the woman for making her endure the pain of childbirth.
When Perseus was participating in a discus throwing competition he accidentally killed a spectator in the audience. And that man....was Acrisius. Hera burst out laughing, scaring the gods that were close to her that day. She made no excuses has made clear her displeasure with the king. The prophecy came true in a very comical way.
After that Perseus was crowned king of Argos, married, had children and ruled in her holy city until his death. Unfortunately, the goddess couldn't get away from Danae and Perseus, continuing beside them in the shadows. Heavely queen could still feel the pain from the day her human daughter died. Remained beside her as the elderly human queen drew her last breath, barely realizing that tears had fallen from her silent face. Held back from making a sound when Thanatos took her grandson decades later.
As soon as she fineshed her memories realized that she was already in her bed on Mount Olympus . The queen of the gods flinched and closed her eyes.
She never thought could miss a human girl and her baby.