A Matter of Circumstance

Chapter 35 ~ Hera’s Decision


Suddenly Eli stiffened as he and Poppy hurried across the landscape. His eyes wide, Eli spun on the medi-witch.

“We musts hurry! The Miss is very, very bad!” the elf said to Poppy, his ears flattening, “You must takes my hand and go!”

Poppy said, “What do you mean she is very bad, Eli? You just told me she was fine. I don’t do elf travel…it is too disturbing.”

”No, you musts go now! No time for apparate, Poppy! The Miss…the Miss is dying!” Eli cried, trying to grab Poppy’s hand.

Poppy had directed Eli to call her by her nickname, sick to death of “Miss Medi-witch” but now the elf’s use of it seemed almost insolent. She wasn’t used to “take-charge” house elves.” And she didn’t like the way they winked in and out. It was…unnatural. Her fear of it was almost like a muggle fear of heights.

“We’re almost at the gate, Eli,” Poppy said, pulling her hand out of the way and hurrying toward the main gates, “I will not transport that way!”

Eli looked after her, tempted to grab the medi-witch around the legs and wink out with her anyway, but that would be too disobedient. He was still a house elf and had to respect the wishes of humans.

“Holds on, Master…holds on!” the elf thought, trotting after then ahead of the medi-witch.

Then time froze.

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All of the gods present stared at Hera in anticipation of her answer. Hera was not known for her mercy. Her husband was in fact asking her to let him return to his philandering ways of fucking mortal women and minor goddesses alike.

Hera frowned at him as Zeus folded his arms, waiting for an answer.

The Fates also waited, hoping their stepmother would stay true to form and be selfish.

Eros began to rouse, his mother Aphrodite cradling his head. He blinked up at her.

”That was very foolish to challenge Zeus, Eros,” his mother said to him softly.

”Did he let the mortal die, mother?” the god of love asked her as he struggled to sit up. He ached from the bottom of his feet to the tip of his wings.

”Not yet. He has given Hera a choice. Release him from her spell or the release the Loom and let nature take its course,” Aphrodite said, looking toward the god and goddess.

Eros groaned.

“She’s wormfood, mother. Hera will never do that. She hates when Zeus sleeps around,” he said despairingly, “We should have never interfered with those mortals.”

“We’re not infallible, Eros,” Aphrodite said, her eyes growing a bit wet.

The goddess really had been trying to bring something good into Severus’ life. He was a brave mortal and despite what Ares said, she believed Love would have completed him. She didn’t know she would set such tragedy in motion.

Hera looked at her husband and her eyes narrowed slyly.

Zeus saw the slyness and frowned at her.

”I’m telling you right now, wife. If you decide to remove the curse, you will never cast it upon me again. So if that is what you are thinking, think again,” the god thundered at her.

Eris’ face fell. Damn it. Zeus wasn’t as clueless as she believed.

Hera once again looked at the mirror, at the panic on the mortal’s face, the wetness on his cheeks. She knew Severus Snape had never called for the gods’ or anyone else’s assistance his entire life. Even when he was being tortured to the point of death, he never cried out. Only love and dedication to the witch would make him go outside himself, would make him plead. She wanted to make Severus a responsible, caring husband. He might not be married to the witch, but it was clear to see that he had responded to her proddings and the proddings of his own heart and conscience.

The Potions Master had shown through his action that he was worthy of happiness and warred with his own soul concerning Hermione, his humanity winning out. Would she let him come to the brink then leave him to fall alone back into the darkness he emerged from?

Severus Snape was just one mortal. There was a time when an entire world of mortals brought her tribute and worship. This one didn’t even know she existed or that he was under her influence. Was his happiness worth releasing Zeus? She would get nothing out of this. Nothing at all. If she didn’t release Zeus, she could maintain control over their marriage bed.

Still, she and Zeus had not engaged in millennia, and not just because of the Impotency spell. The god had left her bed long ago and to be honest…she didn’t miss him. The pain he caused her with his dalliances had turned her heart cold. It was only vengeance that made her keep him under tight rein.

But here, here she had a chance to give that sanctity to someone else, someone who would most likely honor it all his days. Severus Snape could be the husband to Hermione that Zeus was not. It would be a victory of sorts and the Queen of Gods would be fulfilling the role given her, that of the Patroness of Marriage.

Would she turn her back on her calling because of her vengeance against Zeus?

She blinked up at him.

“I release you, Zeus. You are free,” the goddess said, fire issuing from her palms and wrapping around his loins and hips.

”NOOOOO!” the Fates cried, pulling at their hair and shuffling about in agony.

Hera had given in.

The fire dissipated, and Zeus looked down at his loins.

”Aphrodite, get in here,” he ordered.

Frowning, Aphrodite rose from Eros’ side and walked into the cavern of the Fates and stood before Zeus, anger in her blue eyes.

”Yes, my King?” she said insolently.

”Don’t take that tone with me, Aphrodite…or it’s you that will be blasted next. Now…flash me,” Zeus demanded.

”What?” Aphrodite squeaked, looking over at Hera, who was frowning blackly at her.

“Flash me. I want to make sure I am in working order before I follow through on my part of this agreement,” Zeus said darkly.

Aphrodite looked over at Hera again.

The Queen’s face became resigned.

”Oh, just do it Aphrodite,” she said, waving her hand at the goddess and turning away so she wouldn’t see.

Aphrodite faced Zeus and pulled down the front of her toga, showing her firm and heavenly breasts. Zeus stared at them lasciviously, then smiled.

”Ah yes! Yes!” the god said as Aphrodite covered her assets again, feeling quite dirty…which was a rarity for the goddess, who was a natural exhibitionist.

Still smiling, Zeus turned to his keening daughters.

”Lachesis, mend the thread,” he said to the goddess.

”But…but father…” the goddess protested.

Thunder rumbled.

”Do you want a dose of what I gave Eros?” Zeus asked her, his hand flexing.

“No…no I don’t,” Lachesis said, her ancient voice quavering.

”Get to weaving then,” Zeus hissed.

”Remove the spell, Hera,” Clotho said to the Queen.

”Oh no you don’t!” Eris cried, “Don’t do it, my Queen. The mortal could die. She can fix it without time passing.”

Hera scowled at Clotho, who shrugged. It had been worth a try.

“Fix it!” Hera hissed at Lachesis, her eyes beginning to glow with fury.

A furious Hera was a very dangerous Hera.

The old crone walked up to the Loom, and focused on the blackened thread, then transformed into a spider and scuttled up several strands. She lowered her abdomen to the shredded end of the thread and shifting her body, let out a single liquid strand and connected it to the lower thread, creating a bridge and more support. She swung her body back and forth, creating more thread and more until the thread was repaired. It turned a grayish color, but not completely white. She climbed back down.

Eris had to really fight to keep from stepping on the goddess.

Lachesis turned back to crone form sullenly.

”It is done, my King,” she said to Zeus, who frowned at the three of them.

”I know you three disobeyed me in some manner. You are fortunate that Fate is too fickle to view so I cannot see with certainty what was done here. I see the witch is not yet out of danger…whether or not she recovers is still up in the air, but I want no more meddling from you three, and if she recovers fully I expect her to have a long life. Her and the mortal Snape. Do you understand me?” the god said to his daughters.

Behind Zeus, Eris stuck her tongue out at the goddesses, but only Lachesis saw her, since she had the eye. The crone scowled at her.

“Yes, my King,” the Fates intoned.

Zeus had spoken directly. If they fucked up again, his wrath would be great. No mortal was worth expulsion from Olympus.

”Good, we are done here,” Zeus said, “Now I must go test my…goods.”

Hera dropped her head as her husband strode toward the door. Zeus stopped and looked back at her.

“Hera, attend me!” he ordered, holding out his hand to his wife.

Hera looked up at him, surprised.

Zeus looked at her, his scowl softening.

”Even the King of the Gods can learn a lesson, my wife. Come with me if you would have your husband back,” he said softly.

Hera slowly walked forward and took Zeus’ hand.

The King looked down on Hera, and his eyes went hard and hot.

”Besides, I owe you, goddess” he growled, striding through the door and yanking Hera along behind him.

“Well, they’ll be out of circulation for a while,” Eris said, looking after the god and goddess.

Out of view, Hera suddenly let out a loud squeal then giggled.

”Yep, a good while,” Eris reiterated, then looked over at Eros.

”Good to see you have a backbone, lover boy,” she said to the god, smiling at him as he rubbed his back and moved stiffly, “That was pretty brave.”

“And pretty painful,” he added.

“All of you get out of our cavern!” the Fates screeched bad-naturedly.

They already had lost out on getting their revenge…they weren’t going to listen to everyone chitchatting about the happy ending.

“Fine, fine. We’re going you old birds,” Eris snapped at them, latching on to Eros arm, “but I tell you three…this isn’t over. Trust me.”

With that, Eris disappeared with Eros…intending to tend the god’s wounds…then the god himself.

Aphrodite looked at the Fates with narrowed eyes.

”You three bitches really tried to pull one over on Zeus. I hope Eris pulverizes that eye this time,” she spat at them, then spun and stormed out of the cavern.

Lachesis fixed the shattered door then turned to her sisters.

”Eris never makes idle threats. We’re going to have to watch for her,” she said to her sisters.

”Yes, but she still has to be invited in. Even though she helped Dad, he’s still not going to give her the run of Olympus,” Atropos said, “As long as we stay here, we ought to be fine. Let’s get back to the cauldron.”

“But the Loom…it’s still frozen,” Clotho said.

A passionate female shriek sounded throughout the Halls of Olympus, then the magic around the loom dropped, threads beginning to writhe and move again.

”Dad just took care of that,” Lachesis said frowning as Hera’s magic fell.

Evidently Zeus was doing a little time-stopping of his own.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. ***