14. Where Better Plans Are Made （And The Empress And Her Revenge Lived Happy Ever Forever…） #2
Nemesis nuzzled into Hera’s hand. And Hera felt her heart roll over, completely at the mercy of this mercurial, severe, impossible Goddess.
“I think you are beautiful. And yes, terrifying. It’s scary how much I love you.”
Nemesis laughed again, happily, that same seductive sound, and Hera had to cross her legs, suddenly aware of how close they were and of her own skin feeling tight and hot under the satin sheet.
“It’s rather perfect that you find terrifying things beautiful, Your Majesty.”
It was Hera’s turn to laugh.
“It’s fitting, since I hear we are a Perfect Match. Who’d have thought?”
Nemesis lowered her forehead to Hera’s.
“Not me. I was so certain I’d eluded those damn arrows.”
“You didn’t want to—”
“No, no, my love.” Nemesis lifted her face. “I wanted to be free to fall in love with you for who you are. And for you to love me for who I am. With none of the cupid bullshit.”
Hera’s tears spilled.
“You know that the arrow can’t force the feelings? So, for all intents and purposes, we fell of our own accord. And the Cupids only confirmed we are suited.”
Nemesis shook her head, her hair tickling Hera’s skin.
“I find it hard to accept that those airheads have any say in my life, Your Majesty.”
Hera’s laugh was a little giddy. Oh, how she was looking forward to an eternity with this grumpy, sweet, adorable woman.
“Some of them are good people, Nemesis.”
Nemesis shrugged.
“Well, making Zeus believe he had been struck by an arrow and playing along was kind of a fun spectacle to behold. Seeing him realize who his actual match was was even more amusing. I wish I could’ve enjoyed it more, but I was a little preoccupied thinking I was losing you.”
Nemesis’s eyes turned misty, and Hera hugged her tight.
“I will never be able to express how sorry I am. How painful it was to see your tears.”
“Well, there are so many ways I can think of that you can repay me.” Nemesis wiggled her eyebrows, and Hera felt an entire platoon of butterflies take residence in her chest.
“However, none of those can happen on any given Saturday. Because your sister has marked every blasted Saturday on your calendar as “bonding”, whatever that means, and apparently Aphrodite, her currently less-than-wise-but-utterly-smitten wife, Demeter and her Muse, along with a dozen other Cupids and other creatures will attend. Apparently, she wants the deities to “get to know” us again, now that you have de-centered men.”
Hera felt her eyebrows rise.
“I think Demeter is hellbent—sorry, Hades—to make you accepted by the Olympus crowd.”
“I am their Empress, I don’t need their acceptance,” Hera whispered. Old anger reared its head.
“Except they apparently love you. Yes, Apollo fell off the balcony, and Poseidon tried to make everything about himself again, but you should have seen the rest of the crowd. When I drew my sword to fight the Fates—and had they been less reasonable, I would have—Clio, Aphrodite, Athena, your sister and that Muse of hers, most of the women would have followed me to demand Hades unhand you. You are loved, Hera, Empress of Olympus. Even if Zeus still might marry that floozy and proclaim her royalty now, no one will ever take your crown.”
Hera felt her mouth go dry. The words washed over her, one sentence after another.
“They followed you?” She knew her whisper sounded broken.
“They sure did. For a very pregnant woman, Aphrodite is surprisingly good with daggers. Athena barely kept up. Also, your bears damn near stomped those poor crones in to the floor.”
“I do provide excellent health insurance,” Hera smirked.
“Aaaand PTOOOOO!” The chorus seemed delighted as it was intoned from somewhere in the penthouse. The shortest bear popped in to bring a tall pitcher of lemonade. Hera gave him an affectionate look.
“Your Imperial Majesty?” He raised his eyebrows at her, clearly expecting an order.
Instead, she decided to give him much more.
“Thank you, Stewart.”
She saw his face torn between the familiar desire to faint and the unfamiliar wish to hug her. He settled on crying and running out of the room with apologies instead.
Nemesis smiled.
“I suspect all the loyalty is due to the fact that some people do see under the farce that Zeus created around you, my love.” Nemesis sighed.
“An eternity of seducing innocent women, naive, young, inexperienced… And then blaming you for the fallout. Always coming out smelling of roses after every incident. It’s a strange conundrum how you are the perpetual villain of Greek myths when every single kerfuffle in these legends could be summarized as “Zeus was horny and started shenanigans to get laid.””
Hera did not laugh at the joke. After all, she had seen it memeified online many times. But something in Nemesis’s tone tugged at her heartstrings.
“You’re absolving me.” She placed her palm just below the prominent collarbone, feeling the steady thump of an immortal heart. “You’re telling me to forgo the responsibility for countless ruined lives. I can’t allow that.”
Nemesis lifted an elegant shoulder, the thump thump under Hera’s palm did not speed up.
“I am informing you that those who matter know that you are not a villain. Nor are you a hero. Shades of gray. Those who matter know that Goddesses, people aren’t one or the other, and what appears to be the truth, pushed hard by an evil, insatiable man, is hardly ever reality.
You’ve done horrible things. You’ve done amazing things.
You’ve paid for both. And I’ve tied your life thread anew.
You have an eternity to try and be who you want to be. ”
Hera sniffed, and Nemesis wiped a tear off her cheek. She wasn’t aware she’d been crying.
“You have nothing to say about him breaking his heart over you?” Nemesis carefully touched her chin, lifting her face.
It was Hera’s turn to shrug.
“The worst thing about this entire dying ordeal is how sorry I was to be dying for him. What a fucking waste. That was the predominant thought. Giving up eternity with you for that asshat. How foolish it was, when all was said and done.”
“Well, good thing one of us had the acumen to drive better bargains.”
Nemesis lowered her lips to hers, and Hera felt her heart beat faster as she kissed her lover back.
Yes, good thing. Not that she needed a keeper.
But having one that could wrestle her from the clutches of Fates themselves was quite a coup.
She enjoyed the thought immensely. She also enjoyed the feeling of Nemesis’s hands warming up on her skin, covering her breasts as she slipped her tongue in Hera’s mouth.
Yes, Hera used her last moments of reason before lust took over to think that she’d enjoy her second life very much. She’d send the Cupids flowers as soon as she got out of this bed. In a week or so. After all, good things were meant to be savored. And Perfect Matches rewarded.
In the living room, under the dimmed lights, Clio listened carefully to the sounds coming from the bedroom, before waving the bears out of the penthouse.
They went docilely, clearly experienced with their mistress and her lover needing space.
Stewart was still wiping away tears of happiness, the others stunned by Hera’s gratitude.
Stunned and impressed. Clio found it amusing and sweet.
She followed them closely, then remembered Nemesis’s instructions.
A small, thin envelope waited for her on the coffee table. She opened it as she smiled at the door, letting the Goddesses know they were finally alone, then simply stared at the few lines of sharp handwriting.
“Find Artemis. Help her with whatever she needs. We can pursue that little matter of the British Museum when the time comes.”
Nemesis was nothing if not succinct. And her instructions mirrored Hera’s “little favor” to the T. Clio wondered what these two were up to and if they knew she had caught on to their all-too-nonchalant attitude about this request.
There was an address below the message. Clio shrugged. She liked Artemis. Not that she knew her well. Nobody did. But she had wanted to for many, many moons.
Clio smiled at her own pun and wondered if Nemesis had known about that, then thought better than to ascribe romantic intent to the Goddess of Vengeance. Hera might have known—that woman and her eye for couples—but Hera had been too busy dying lately to meddle. Probably.
Clio’d count her blessings and coincidences. And maybe use this quest to get a better sense of the Virgin Goddess of the Hunt and of the Moon. Sometimes the celestial beings did align.