章 2: 002.

A long time had passed, but for the gods it was nothing, their condition made them practically immortal, the truth is that the passing of time for them was something of minor importance.

In all this time, the determination that Hera had to create a perfect son who could end the reign of Zeus had never been altered. In fact, it could even be said that it had grown stronger and stronger with the passing of time.

While she wanted to end the process she was going through as soon as possible, she also knew perfectly well that it could not be rushed, as the consequences of this would be of a catastrophic range for both her and her son.

Of course, this whole process would be somewhat easier if she did not try to procreate her child on her own, but she absolutely despised having such intimacy with Zeus, besides she could not stand the idea of her future child having any kind of kinship with that bastard.

Hera wanted to have a child that belonged entirely to her. A son who would be hers alone and no one else's. It was because of this decision that the creation process had become even more difficult and exhausting than it originally was.

Both her perseverance and her determination were qualities to be admired. The Queen of Olympus did not seem to mind the fatigue and pain, but this was because she had a clear objective and nothing else mattered to her.

She continued in this way for an extended period of time until her efforts were successful. The first stage was finally over, she was finally pregnant. Now she only needed to nurture him, to endow him with power as Gaea had taught her.

She wanted a mighty son, a son who would be able to surpass Zeus in both power and greatness. One who would be able to stand proudly at the top so that he would be able to look down at all beings.

Though, at the same time, she hoped that he would become a god to whom both other gods and mortals could look for help. The Queen of Olympus wanted her son to be a proper ruler, a just and righteous one.

One who was loved and adored by his followers while being feared and respected by his enemies, but most of all she wanted a son of whom she could always be proud no matter what.

With such thoughts Hera nurtured her unborn child, at every moment of the process she kept Gaea's teachings in mind, since a single second of distraction could ruin her effort completely.

…

The time went by in a normal way, even though Hera wanted it to pass quickly. The pregnancy stage proved to be more difficult to cope with than the creation stage.

The pain she felt became completely irregular and on countless occasions her condition forced her to remain lying down for days or even weeks without being able to do any other kind of activity.

The only constant companion she had by her side was her beloved sister, who at all times provided her with total support and affection. On the other hand, Zeus only reacted with a loud laugh when he learned that she was trying to bear a child on her own.

The mocking and derogatory words were also something Zeus did not forget to say, his damned mocking smile never stopped while he spoke. Just the thought of such a memory provokes great fury in Hera.

The only thing that could console her was that sooner or later that evil bastard would fall and when that happens she would be there to see him and at that moment she would be the one with such a smile on her face.

Anyway, those thoughts were not important at the moment, as she was in the last stage of her pregnancy. In fact, Hera had sensed that the birth was something imminent.

So in the middle of the night she left her place of residence without anyone knowing. Although her sister had repeatedly expressed her desire to be by her side during the birth, she knew perfectly well that she could not promise her that.

Hera could not afford to have a witness to what would happen during the birthing process. Even if this was her most precious sister, she simply could not risk being discovered by anyone, even if there was little chance of that happening.

The trembling figure of the Queen of Olympus was moving to a completely desolate area of Mount Olympus. Dozens of caves could be found in such an area.

Despite the pain she felt, Hera's steps never stopped and after a while she reached the small entrance of a cave that was covered by nature and a slight fraction of her divine power, which made it practically impossible to detect.

Before entering the stage of pregnancy, Hera took her time in order to have a completely safe shelter, one in which she could carry out the birthing process in complete safety.

The result of her efforts had been an undetectable cave. The Queen of Olympus was so confident in her work that she was sure that even Zeus could not detect the exact location of the cave.

Moving as fast as she could in her condition, Hera entered the cave and then made her way to its depths. Once she was close to her destination she could see a slight illumination coming from the candles she had placed earlier.

Hera observed with relief that all the preparations she had made were in a correct state, however, before she could do anything a strong pain assaulted her, being dozens of times greater than any other she had felt in her pregnancy.

Quickly the goddess approached a strange pillar inside the cave, where a small dagger that Gaea had previously given her was located, in order to be used at this exact moment.

Hera's right hand reached out to take the dagger and once she had a strong grip on it she made a long and deep cut on her left arm, at no time was there any hesitation in her gaze.

The divine blood soon fell to the ground. Since the ancient war there were extremely rare occasions when Ichor was spilled even more so when it was in a vast quantity, even so, the Queen of Olympus did not seem to mind at all the wound she had just given herself.

Not daring to waste time, Hera began to use her own blood to draw lines on the floor of the cave. Although the pain was beginning to overwhelm her she couldn't stop, as a final result a strange symbol was drawn.

After that, Hera stood in an area where a large portion of traced lines converged as one. A quick glance at her left arm made her realize that the bleeding had stopped; however, the wound was healing at an extremely slow speed.

Despite that, Hera paid it no mind, Gaea had already warned her about the effects of the dagger and so there was no need for concern. Instead it was time for her to concentrate on completing the final step of her goal.

In all the time that passed the pain never stopped and instead only intensified more and more.

The truth is that Hera was completely exhausted and a treacherous part of her mind was whispering to her that she should give up, but as soon as that desire was presented it was also destroyed, her pride would not allow her to give up.

"Mother, please give me strength" Hera mentioned in a soft voice that could pass for a whisper.

Childbirth hadn't been a new experience for Hera, however, a natural pregnancy and childbirth could not be compared to the experience she was currently dealing with.

During the birthing process, there were several times that she almost lost consciousness, but in the end she managed to stay awake due to her perseverance. She had to admit that she regretted not having her sister with her.

The pain only stopped when she could hear her son crying. A tired, but joyful smile came to her face as her whole body began to relax in relief.

With joy and anticipation, Hera looked at her son for the first time, but all she could feel upon seeing him was utter disappointment, disbelief and frustration. The perfect son she had imagined was nowhere to be seen.

The little newborn was ugly to the point that even if he were judged by mortal standards he would be considered unattractive and that would only be at best. His dark skin was very different from the usual luminous white skin of the gods.

On top of that, Hera could see that he had crack-like lines all over his small body, resulting in an appearance that could only be classified as hideous. In no way, he was the son she had been waiting for so long.

The feeling of failure was completely overwhelming. As soon as Hera saw her son's appearance, she began to search her memory for something that might indicate that she had made a mistake, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not find such a memory.

Due to the chaotic state in which Hera found herself, she failed to notice that the newborn had stopped crying and instead had begun to observe the surroundings with curiosity.

When her gaze fell on the woman's figure, a silly smile formed on his face. Even though he didn't understand what was going on, the baby could feel a strong connection with her that made him feel safe and warm.

So, as best he could, he began to approach her. The Queen of Olympus was forced out of her thoughts when she felt a slight tug on the bottom of her dress, her gaze soon focused on the small newborn who was looking at her with an innocent smile.

A trace of disappointment and anger passed through Hera's eyes, but she quickly made those emotions disappear. After a few seconds of hesitation, the goddess tucked the little one in a blanket and placed him gently on her chest.

Afterwards, she prepared to leave the cave, however, she was a bit lost, her mental state was not the best, and she didn't really know what she had to do next.

When leaving the small entrance of the cave her gaze was directed to her place of residence, she only needed a moment to shake her head, and then she took the opposite direction to her temple and the city.

She knew for certain that if she returned to her place of residence, then she would become the target of Zeus' mockery. After all, she was sure that someone like him would not pass up the opportunity to humiliate her.

It was likely that her other siblings would also come to mock her for having such an ugly and pathetic son. There was even a remote possibility that the other gods would look down on her.

Hera did not know how long she had walked as negative thoughts completely overwhelmed her mind. She was only able to recompose her mental state when she realized that she had reached one of the edges of Mount Olympus.

Looking at the beautiful scene caused by the moon and stars, Hera began to calm down completely. However, it was at that exact moment that she looked over the edge of the mountain.

On previous occasions, she had never thought about the height of the great mountain, but tonight she had. Mount Olympus was so high that only the gods and those who were brought by them could climb the massive mountain.

Anyone who had attempted to climb Mount Olympus without the help of the gods had fallen to his death. Suddenly, the gears in Hera's mind began to move quickly.

Her eyes shifted to the baby who lay comfortably asleep in her arms, at the same time that a way to solve all her problems arose in her thoughts.

If she dropped the little one from Mount Olympus, then all the problems she would have in the future would disappear completely. That way, she would deny Zeus the satisfaction of taunting her.

No matter how she thought about it, Hera could not see any kind of possibility that a newborn god could survive after being dropped from one of the highest points on Mount Olympus.

The moment that thought completely took hold of Hera was when the newborn god opened his eyes, which were filled with surprise and alarm. The little boy could sense that something was wrong with the woman, as the connection they had was slowly changing and transforming.

Where once there had been warmth and a small hint of love was beginning to be replaced by coldness and complete hostility. Although the little boy did not fully understand what was happening, he could tell that he was in a dangerous situation.

It was for that very reason that he began to move irregularly in an attempt to escape from the woman's grip that had only become more powerful as the seconds passed. But in the end it was a vain effort.

The Queen of Olympus gave no importance whatsoever to her son's useless struggle. Instead, she was lost in her thoughts, in her mind the solution she had arrived at was more than perfect, since that way she could keep her prestige intact.

Yes, that was what she had to do, no, it was better to say that it was the only thing she could do to preserve her dignity. The tiny fraction of herself that desperately refused to perform such an action was soon destroyed without a trace.

Hera's steps were directed towards the edge of the large mountain, however, she soon realized that it was beginning to be difficult to get a good grip on the little one, no matter how much she increased her strength, as it was an ineffective action.

A few seconds later and in a surprising way, the little boy had managed to gather enough strength to escape from his mother's strong grip. However, due to this, he had no support point and ended up falling to the ground abruptly.

It was at that moment that the newborn god could not stand it any longer and began to cry immediately.

To say that the goddess was surprised by such an event would be an understatement, at no time did she expect to lose to a newborn. For an instant she had the feeling that her actions were wrong, but in the end such a thought was decisively dismissed.

Quickly she approached the newborn and took it in her arms once again, however, due to its resistance, she ended up looking it in the eyes. Hera could fully observe the fear and despair in the gaze of the little god.

Once again that part of her that refused to perform such a horrendous action against her son arose, only this time it was so powerful and great that it could not be quickly suppressed as the previous times.

The newborn, for its part, stopped moving and crying, as it could feel how the connection it had with the woman was being returned to its original state.

On the other hand, Hera's mind began to calm down from its chaotic state. The Queen of Olympus felt as if she had just awakened from an extended sleep. Her beautiful eyes rested on the confused face of her son.

However, before she could say or do anything she was assaulted by an immense pain, one so strong and unbearable that it brought her to her knees. She didn't know what was happening, she could only feel as if something was being torn inside her.

Hera didn't know how long she lay on the cold ground, enduring that infernal pain. The only thing that comforted her in those moments was the warmth of her little son, who at all times looked at her with concern.

When the pain disappeared the goddess looked at her son "I..." she started to say, however, she did not know what she could say, after all she was about to commit an unforgivable action.

In the end no words left her lips, and instead she attracted the little one to her chest and with a soft movement she placed a kiss on his forehead, then she embraced him with love and care.

…

In an area far from the sight of any god or mortal was a dark cave that was only illuminated by a few candles, inside the cave one could observe three beautiful maidens of kind appearance that were completely concentrated weaving fine threads that shined with golden color.

The entire interior of the cave was filled with such work. Besides that, anyone could observe that the three maidens had a clear division of labor.

One of them was making the thread with her spinning wheel, another one was measuring the length of each of the threads, while the last one was responsible for cutting the threads.

The three women were extremely dedicated to their work; however, something strange began to happen, suddenly the brightness of all the threads began to become faint until it simply disappeared completely.

But before any of the three women could react the threads regained their glow and with that they were back to normal, almost as if nothing happened in the first place.

It was then that the one who seemed to be the eldest spoke, "Search all the threads" she said quickly. "We must find the one who has changed fate!" she exclaimed angrily; however, the other two women could hear the panic and fear in her voice.

Two feelings that they felt deep inside themselves.

…

Far away from Mount Olympus and any other civilization was a place that was long ago abandoned by everyone, even by the gods themselves, at one time it was an extremely beautiful place, but now only a withered area could be observed.

At one time this area was a gathering place for all living beings, both mortals and gods, but now it could not even be considered a vestige of its past glory.

In the midst of the vast, lifeless area, a woman could be seen dressed in a simple white toga that had small green ornaments. Although her beauty was divine, her most outstanding feature was her aura, a very unusual aura of peace and warmth.

On her walk the woman could feel an unpleasant aura approaching her; however, she only needed to move her hand slightly to make it disappear, if it was in the past then what she had just done would not be such an easy feat.

But now that aura was not what it used to be. After so many years, it had been almost completely destroyed; however, she doubted if that being had suffered the same fate.

Continuing her walk, the woman looked at the area with calmness on her face, her mind recalling with nostalgia and fondness those memories of her joyful past. Soon her gaze fell on a small white flower.

The woman could see at a glance that the flower was in its last moments, but she obstinately refused to follow in the footsteps of all her companions. With simple steps, she approached it and proceeded to kneel down.

"You have held up very well, little one" mentioned with a soft smile, and the previously somber flower seemed to begin to radiate happiness at her words.

After that, the woman began a chat with the stubborn flower, even if it didn't have the ability to respond to her. Anyone who saw her would think that the beautiful woman was not in her right mind.

In the midst of their pleasant conversation, the woman looked up at the beautiful night sky. A flash of emotion passed through her green eyes. She could feel it, feel the change in the world, one that fate itself has suffered.

Such a feeling brought a joyful smile to her face, soon her gaze shifted to where Mount Olympus stood.

"Congratulations, little Hera, you made it" she commented with pure happiness.

After a while the figure of the beautiful woman disappeared from the site, but the withered area had come back to life, becoming even more beautiful than it was before it was destroyed.