The Goddess Test Boxed Set: Goddess Interrupted\The Goddess Inheritance\The Goddess Legacy (79 page)

* * *

Hades was waiting for me in the antechamber.

I felt his presence as soon as Hestia left, and until that
moment, I hadn't realized how much I'd craved being with him in the time we'd
been apart. Warmth washed over me, and I smiled. It was as if I were coming
home.

“I missed you.” I stepped toward the window, where he stood
gazing out across the endless sky. “I was worried you'd decided to separate from
us completely.”

“Never.” He turned, and his eyes swept over me. “You look
beautiful.”

My cheeks grew warm, and I moved to stand beside him. “I am
getting married today, you know.”

“So I've heard.” His fingertips brushed mine, and I slipped my
hand into his without further prompting. “Demeter told me about your
argument.”

The bubble of happiness inside my chest popped. “She had no
right.”

“She's only looking out for your well-being,” he said. “We've
all seen what Zeus is capable of, and we all love you. No one wants to see you
hurt.”

I shook my head. “He's changed. You haven't been here to see
it, but—he's different now. He's proven himself to me again and again, and he
loves me.” My voice hitched. “That's all I want, you know. To be loved and
respected.”

“Yes, I know.” He squeezed my hand. “You're certain you will be
happy no matter what the eons bring?”

I took a deep breath. “He'll stick to his promises, Hades. I
know him. And he loves me.”

“Love is not always enough, as much as we may want it to
be.”

His words were a knife, slicing me open and stabbing me in the
heart. “It is, if it's with the right person. He doesn't break his promises to
me. He doesn't abandon me without a word. He doesn't smile at me and never
follow through.”

Hades frowned. “I never made you any promises—”

“You did.” My voice broke, and I let go of him. “You did,
Hades. You promised you'd come visit me. You said you'd be there for me. You
swore I'd never be alone, but I was. I waited for you, and you never came.”

Silence. He reached for my hand again, and I snatched it away.
He swallowed. “I am sorry. I didn't realize—”

“What's done is done.” I closed my eyes. I had to regain
control. “You had your chance, and now it's over. Zeus loves me. He's loyal to
me, and he treats me like the queen I am. He's there for me every single
day.”

“And is he what you want?” said Hades quietly. “Do you love
him?”

“I wouldn't be marrying him if I didn't.” I stepped back,
cementing the distance that had grown between us. I wouldn't let Hades do this
to me, not after all this time. Zeus was the best I could ever hope to have.
Once upon a time, that had been Hades, but he'd proven he was nothing more than
empty words and promises. I wanted more. I deserved more. “I need to finish
preparing for the wedding now.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I wish you all the love
and happiness in the world, sister. And though I may not have been there as I
should have been, I am here now, and I will forever be there for you should you
need me.”

“Thank you,” I said softly. It was the most I could give him in
return. “Until then.”

“Until then.”

Part Two

  

The wedding was everything I'd dreamed it would be.
Zeus spoke his vows with the authority and compassion of a king, and any doubts
Demeter and Hades had managed to plant in my mind vanished. I was happy, and the
entire world celebrated our union. That was all that mattered.

Our marriage continued on, much as our initial time together
had. We worked side by side, ruling over our subjects and touring the earth, and
his loyalty remained with me. Every time he looked at me, I saw the love in his
eyes, and it only reaffirmed that I'd made the right decision. I had the life I
wanted now, and no one, not Hades, not Demeter, could take it away from me. I
would do everything in my power to make sure of it.

Less than a month before I was set to give birth to our first
son, Zeus cleared his throat outside the chambers we shared. “Hera?”

I frowned and sat up from my afternoon nap, my rounded belly
hindering my movements. He never hesitated to enter. “Yes?”

Zeus stepped through the curtain, his cheeks pink and his hair
windswept. In that moment, he nearly looked like a young boy again, and I set my
hand on my belly. Excitement, that was all. He'd nearly burst with happiness
when I'd told him about our baby.

“I have a surprise for you,” he murmured. “Close your
eyes.”

Relieved, I did so, trying to guess what it might be. I
expected him to set my gift on the bed, but instead I heard the sound of light
footsteps. One of my sisters, maybe, though he no longer asked for Demeter's
help in choosing my gifts.

“Perfect. Now open them.”

As the room came into focus, I blinked. Beside Zeus stood the
most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. Her hair was the same shade of gold as
his, her eyes were so blue that they put the sky to shame, and her skin was pink
and porcelain. She was perfect in every way.

“Hera, meet Aphrodite,” he said, and he ushered her toward me.
Aphrodite moved with more grace than the wind, and as she curtsied, her cheeks
flushed. “I discovered her among nymphs on an island.”

“It's an honor,” she murmured. Her voice was like honey, far
more intoxicating than mine would ever be. I hated her already.

“A servant?” I said. “How kind of you. I could certainly use
someone to help me with the baby.”

He cleared his throat. “Er, yes, well—of course, Aphrodite will
be here to help you with our son, but not as a servant. As my daughter and a
member of the council.”

Cold horror washed over me. A member of the council. Zeus
wanted her to be our equal. My equal. “But she's a child—”

“She is my child now,” said Zeus. “Ours. And she will grow, as
will our son. They will both be members of the council, and perhaps one day she
will be his companion.”

“But she wasn't born into our family,” I said. “She cannot
simply join us before we make sure she's suited to rule.”

“And how would you suggest we do that?” said Zeus.

I shrugged. “A test, perhaps, to weigh her virtues.”

He scoffed. “None of us are perfect, Hera.” Something about the
way he said it sent a shiver of foreboding down my spine, and I draped a blanket
over my lap.

“No, we aren't, but we must all share some key qualities to
ensure we're fit to rule. Not us, of course,” I said. “But if you intend on
adding others to our council, we must make sure it is best for humanity.”

Sighing, Zeus patted the little girl on the head. “Very well.
We will test her when she grows older, and in the meantime, coming up with the
parameters is your responsibility. I expect them to be fair.”

“Of course,” I murmured. “They'll be fit for a god.”

Aphrodite shyly took a step toward me. “Daddy told me all about
your baby. Can I touch him?”

I eyed the little girl with distaste. The last thing I wanted
was for her to go anywhere near my son, but I felt Zeus's gaze and the hope that
emanated from him. He'd done this with the best of intentions. He hadn't meant
to insult me with a gift that was far more beautiful than I would ever be.
Perhaps he didn't even see her that way, given how young she appeared.

But as she stepped closer, I noticed something ancient in her
eyes, something that searched me even as I searched her. She wasn't a child. I
didn't know where she'd come from or who she was, but she was not as young as
Zeus wanted me to believe.

Without breaking her stare, I took her hand and set it gently
over the spot on my belly where my son now kicked. Her eyes widened at the
movement, and she giggled. “He likes to move.”

“He does,” I said. “Perhaps if you are good, when he's born, I
will let you hold him.”

She nodded solemnly, but that ancient look didn't go away. How
could Zeus have missed it? Unless he hadn't. Unless he knew she was older and
this was all a ruse.

No, he wouldn't do that to me. He loved me, and he wouldn't
hurt me in such a way. We were about to welcome a baby together. But even as I
tried to reassure myself, my uncertainty refused to disappear, and my sister's
poisonous words returned to me.

“Has Zeus already decided what you're to be the goddess of?” I
said. We all chose our assignments—the things we held most dear, the things that
came naturally to us. Fidelity for me, of course, and marriage, which I'd chosen
after our wedding. Fertility after I'd fallen pregnant. But the council mostly
chose for the minor gods that roamed the world.

“Love,” said Zeus, and I nearly choked. “She is the goddess of
love. There was no choosing involved. She simply is.”

“The—goddess of love,” I said tightly. “Very well. It certainly
suits you.”

Aphrodite beamed, and without warning, she threw her little
arms around me. “We'll be great friends,” she murmured in her childish voice. “I
can't wait.”

I could. I could wait forever. But the way Zeus beamed, seeing
her hug me—I had little choice but to hug back. If it made him happy, I would do
it. He certainly did plenty to return the favor.

But that suspicion remained, a small doubt that refused to go
away. Before I accepted this little trickster as my own, I would need to make
sure that was all Zeus intended for her. Because although I wanted to trust him,
in the face of the unknown, even I had my doubts.

* * *

That evening, after Zeus had slipped out of our chambers
to tuck Aphrodite into bed, I followed him. My footsteps were silent, and I
moved without detection despite the baby I carried. Her room was only one down
from ours, where I'd intended the baby's nursery to be, but Zeus had assured me
we would be more comfortable across the hall from the baby instead. Perhaps he
was more concerned about getting his rest, but the thought of being that much
farther apart from my son ate at me.

I bent my head toward the curtain that separated Aphrodite's
room from the corridor. If Zeus caught me, I had a dozen explanations on the tip
of my tongue, each one a greater lie than the last. But he'd done this to
himself, bringing a stranger into our home only weeks before our son would be
born.

“I don't think she likes me.” Aphrodite's voice, and barely
audible at that. I set my hand against my other ear, determined to block out any
outside noise.

“Who, Hera?” said Zeus. His voice was like thunder even when he
tried to whisper. “She's just a bit surprised, darling. She didn't expect
you.”

“I want her to love me.” The yearning in Aphrodite's voice
shifted something inside me. “I want a mother.”

“She will be your mother,” murmured Zeus. “And I will be your
father. You'll never be alone again.”

The same promise Hades had made to me. Except this time I knew
Zeus wouldn't break it. Not to me, not to this little girl, not to anyone. “I'd
really like that,” she whispered.

“I know you would.” A pause. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll
introduce you to all your aunts and uncles.”

“More family?” I could practically see her eyes widen in
amazement.

Zeus chuckled. “More family.”

I stepped away from the curtain and hurried back into the
chamber before Zeus could discover me. He wasn't lying, after all. Once again,
he'd proven Hades and Demeter wrong.

When Zeus returned to our chamber and lay down beside me, I
curled up against him, resting my head on his chest. “I love you,” I whispered.
“Every part of you.”

He kissed my hair. “As I love you. Never forget that.”

In that moment, I was certain I never would.

* * *

The day Ares was born was the happiest of my life.

As I held that squirming pink bundle, I understood why our
mother had refused to fight at Cronus's side against us. No matter how much I
loved Zeus, no matter how loyal I was to him, Ares was as much a part of me as
my heart. He was mine.

Zeus disappeared hours after Ares was born, presumably to
celebrate with Poseidon and Hades. As soon as he'd gone, however, a knock
sounded. “Come in,” I called.

Demeter pushed aside the curtains. I lay on the bed, curled up
with the baby, who slept soundly against my chest. “Hera,” she murmured,
slipping inside. “He's beautiful. Congratulations.”

Regardless of any lingering animosity between us, I grinned.
“Isn't he? He looks just like me.”

“I'm sure Zeus took that well,” she teased. Sitting down on the
bed, she touched Ares's cheek. “He almost makes me want to have children of my
own.”

“Maybe you should,” I said. “It's about time you found
someone.”

She shook her head, and something flickered across her face,
something I didn't quite catch. “I wouldn't be very good at it. I think I'd
rather plant roots first. Find myself.”

“Well, you do have eternity,” I said, and she smiled a bit
sadly.

“I do.” She hesitated and pulled her gaze away from Ares. “I
need to talk to you about something, and I need you to not panic or get angry.
For your son's sake.”

All of the contentment Ares's birth had brought me drained
away, leaving me with the same wariness that had plagued me before. “If you're
going to tell me you don't think Zeus will be a good father—”

“He already is a good father,” said Demeter. “With Ares, with
Aphrodite and with Athena.”

I made a face. Athena, his child with Metis during the war,
before he'd married me. Thankfully, she rarely came around. The thought of being
a stepmother didn't hold much appeal to me, and dealing with Aphrodite was
difficult enough. “I don't see what she has to do with anything.”

“She doesn't,” said Demeter. Another moment passed between us
in silence. “Zeus has a mistress.”

My grip on my son tightened, and burning anger flared up inside
me. “How dare you accuse him when you have no proof—”

“Oh, I have proof.” Demeter's expression hardened, and she
stood. “I've been following him, for your sake. Making sure he remained
faithful.”

“You had
no right
—”

“I had every right to protect my sister. Whether you choose to
believe me or not, all I've ever wanted was for you and Hestia to be happy.
You're different from us, Hera—you want things we don't, and sometimes it's hard
to see the world the way you do. But that doesn't make me love you any less. And
I would never sabotage your happiness for sport.”

I swallowed hard. No matter how often we argued, she was
telling the truth—she would never hurt me on purpose. And that left me with two
options: denial and playing the fool, or acceptance and putting a stop to
it.

I'd never been very good at being foolish.

“Why tell me now?” My lower lip trembled, and I clutched Ares.
“Why ruin today for me?”

Demeter sank down beside me again, cupping my cheek. “No one
can ruin today for you,” she murmured. “Your son is healthy and happy, and he
already loves you so much.”

“So why not wait until after I've had a little time to be happy
with him? Why did you have to rob me of that?” I blinked rapidly, struggling to
keep myself from crying. I wouldn't give Demeter the satisfaction of seeing me
come undone.

“Because,” she said, averting her eyes, “his mistress is about
to give birth, as well.”

All at once, the world gave out from under me, and it was all I
could do to remain upright. “He wouldn't. He
wouldn't
.”

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered, and bitterness and fury unlike
anything I'd ever experienced before ate away at me like acid, consuming every
good thing left. In my arms, Ares started to cry, but even his fear wasn't
enough to make me curb my wrath.

“Who?” I demanded, and Demeter flinched.

“Leto. She's pregnant with twins.”

Twins. My eyes flickered shut, and I took several deep breaths,
forcing myself to calm down. “That's his plan.”

“What's his plan?”

“To take over the council. To override all of us.” I opened my
eyes again, the fire inside me compressed into a single burning need. “First
Aphrodite joins the council. Then Ares. It's only a matter of time before he
asks for Athena to join, as well. And after that, these bastard children of
his—”

Demeter shook her head. “We'd never allow it. You know we
wouldn't.”

“He has Poseidon's vote, and Aphrodite's, and if it comes to
it, Hades's, as well. He would never dare upset the balance. Even if the three
of us voted against it, we would still be outnumbered. Even if he doesn't manage
to do so now, eventually he'll find a way.”