Chapter 5 May - Hera & Nemesis
MAY: HERA she was not even trying to hide it.
“Americans.” Athena, in the midst of wrapping a teddy bear, in what appeared to be an entire swaddle of paper, looked up and gave her a vacant stare.
“Of course. Of course they did. We are Greek; I don’t see why we don’t practice our tradition of just having the celebration ten days after birth. Isn’t that more logical anyway?”
“Well, look who’s dating herself, since that’s such an ancient one. Still, we can do both. Who’s stopping us?” Erato bounded in, carrying a mountain of gifts already wrapped in colorful paper.
“I know you are now all shacked up with Demeter and everything, but do all the presents have to be these Zeus-awful colors?” Hera huffed out a breath and stood up to inspect the pile.
“Dite wants to be surprised, so we are keeping it green and yellow. It’s her party.” Erato blew out her golden fringe and winked at her.
Hera rolled her eyes. “It’s her progeny’s party, and it’s just ridiculous. Baby shower. Jesus wept.”
Athena’s smile was positively glowing. And loopy.
“I think it’s wonderful. It comes from the word “to shower with gifts.” It’s a lovely tradition. Plus, that really is the wrong religion, Hera.” She lowered her eyes, though the grin did not dim as she wrestled with the wrapping.
Hera gave a disbelieving look.
“All the wisdom of ages in this one, and she is trying to wrap gift paper around a plush toy. Didn’t it come in a box or something? Wrap that.”
Athena opened her mouth, then looked around, ducking her head sheepishly when she spotted the box in question.
“Sorry, hormones.”
Hera all but gagged.
“Hormones? What hormones? You’re not the one pregnant. I swear, it’s like the lot of you lost your goddamn minds about this baby. The last straw would be Hades…”
She trailed off as the Goddess of the Underworld staggered in with a massive replica of Cerberus under one arm and something that looked like half a crib under the other.
“Am I late? I hope I’m not late! I have the rest of the bed stuff in the car.”
Erato smirked at Hera.
“Lighten up, sister-in-law of mine. It will be a rager, this party of ours.”
Hera looked around at all the green and yellow pastels, the little cucumber sandwiches and sun-decorated cupcakes, and almost rolled her eyes again.
“How the mighty hath fallen, Erato. Your ragers used to be conducted naked, sweating, and doing things I’d rather not say in front of a plush Cerberus. I fear he might babble about them to the baby.”
She gave the real dog a gentle scratch behind his ear, only to have him plop down for belly rubs. For someone as massive as he was, Cerby was remarkably agile. The house barely shook.
Hera tugged at the ties of her purse and produced a treat. Cerberus’ face was all doggy grin and adoration.
“I see who has been feeding him things he should not be eating.” Hades tsked as she hauled in the rest of the crib and the mattress. Hera gave the beast one last tummy rub before standing up.
“No idea what you’re talking about. Must be all that sun on Purgatory, giving you heat stroke or something.”
As Hades laughed at her futile attempt at obfuscation and Cerberus kept gazing up at her with besotted eyes, Hera deserted the scene of the crime of overfeeding the already overweight dog and observed her choices of company.
The hormonal and decidedly loopy Athena.
Definitely not today. Nor probably for the next few years, as the Goddess of Wisdom was prone to using that terrible baby talk voice and obsessing over the diet and stool of her child.
Hera reserved the right to revisit her prediction in a a decade, but she thought she had this one nailed.
To her left, Erato was still stacking the ungodly amount of presents and, save us oh Fates, singing.
Absolutely not. If Athena was hormonal due to whatever osmosis she had undergone with her wife, the Muse of Smut was oversexed, and the distinctly out of tune humming could only be attributed to her recent marriage and prolonged honeymoon.
Hera didn’t want to know more than she needed about the already exceedingly gossiped-about sex life of this particular muse and her sister.
She shook her head, and her eyes drifted to where said sister of hers was stringing what appeared to be fairy lights.
Out of all the possible conversation partners, Demeter seemed the safest, so Hera joined her, laying a hand on the ladder, surreptitiously tangling her fingers in the long dress as well.
Just to be safe. This was her little sister, after all.
And no, Hera did not miss her. And yes, she was glad she was finally settled and happy, if that silly expression on her face could be described as so.
“I am, you know.” Demeter looked down from her task and her smile bloomed radiantly. “Very happy. And yes, thanks to you.”
Hera wrapped her palm more firmly around the ladder and dress, all the while looking at her manicure with a thoroughly bored countenance. Since it was fresh and perfect, it offered little distraction.
“You’re welcome, I’m sure. Still, what on Gaia’s green Earth are you even doing? We’re not gonna be at this Fates’ forsaken party all day and into the night to need the lights, are we? Because that isn’t what I signed up for.”
Demeter hooked another bulb and gave her sister a sideways glance.
“We shall be here as long as it takes us to eat that food, play those games, and watch Aphrodite unwrap all these presents. I think, in the big scheme of things, and especially if no one wrangles the wrapping duty away from Athena, we will be here forever.”
The sisters turned in perfect sync towards the Goddess of Wisdom, who was now trying to staple together as much glittery paper as possible. Hera shuddered. Demeter smiled again, then untangled more of the cord.
“As for what this is? It’s something a human acquaintance of mine shared with me. A tradition of sorts, of her family and their friends.”
Hera looked up, her curiosity spiked for the first time this entire morning. Sometimes humans were entertaining. Mildly so.
“I had to do an interview for a book on Extraordinary Women Leading Industries, and the author, who’s an investigative journalist, told me that when her wife and she want to express gratitude for something or to safe-keep a memory, they add a lightbulb to their string of fairy lights.
Some have inscriptions, some are just fancy bulbs.
They remember what each one is for. Then, when they unroll the string for Christmas to beautify the house, it’s like their memories are the main decorations.
So I want Dite and Athena to have one of their own, I’ll start it for them, and they can keep it going. ”
Demeter wrote a few words on one of the bulbs before finding a place for it on the cord.
“Is this Audrey something or other you’re talking about?” Hera looked as Demeter tested the lights by making sure all of the bulbs were fully screwed in.
“Yeah, Avens. Why? You know her? Isn’t she a bit too… ” Demeter bit her lip, clearly looking for a suitable word, since it was well known that civics and economy were not in Hera’s sphere of interests.
“You’re asking as if I am a complete philistine, little sister. I am aware of things, of current events. As if anyone could not be, these Zeus-forsaken days.”
Hera patted her hair, feigning disdain. She couldn’t name a single book by Avens. Her wife, on the other hand, was…
“Only the greatest film director in the history of Hollywood. Neve Blackthorne.”
Yes, her Hera knew. Respected. So sue her. Blackthorne was an incredibly interesting woman.
And speaking of interesting women that Hera was emphatically not personally interested in. She knew the voice and decidedly did not appreciate it being here. Or its owner. Surely Aphrodite did not invite—
“Nemesis! It’s been ages, Fates, probably since—” Athena dropped the glitter and glue gun and rushed towards the newcomer.
“Do not say the Renaissance Age, because I do not wish to remember those days.” Despite her imperious tone, the Goddess of Vengeance gave Athena a one armed hug, smacking her heartily on the back.
Her other arm was holding a massive box.
Wrapped in yellow. Hera rolled her eyes yet again.
Her head started throbbing. It was going to be that kind of day.
“Before you ask, she and Athena used to be close. Back when Athena still waged wars. Vengeance, war. They sort of fit, if you think about it.”
Hera feigned a yawn, even as her eyes tracked the newcomer’s moves around the open floor plan closely.
“I don’t think about her, or about the one who poses for Wisdom these days. She has more glue on her fingers than brains in her head. Aphrodite is acting saner, and that is saying something. I don’t remember either of us being this way when we were pregnant.”
Demeter smiled wistfully, and Hera recoiled.
“Do not even say it! Not you too!”
Demeter laughed joyously, and Hera’s heart lifted.
Just a bit. She didn’t care all that much.
But happiness looked good on her little sister.
And if that meant she didn’t have to worry about her, all that was for the better.
Not that she worried. Not at all. Hera was glad her bear choir wasn’t with her.
They seldom allowed her to get away with barefaced lies like that.
“I’m not.” Demeter’s quiet confession drew Hera out of her thoughts. “But maybe for the first time since the entire Sephie tragedy, I am thinking that it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever to be with child again? To make another life and see it grow.”