Chapter 141: Melancholy Hera
Zeus nodded lightly, tightening his embrace in the motion, as if wanting to embed the treasure in his arms forever into the depths of his own divinity.
He lowered his head and imprinted an exceedingly precious kiss on the forehead of the purple-haired goddess, which was pristine as jade.
“My dear, my beloved, I love you forever.”
“Whether past, present, or eternal future, this heart remains unwavering.”
The purple-haired goddess returned with an exceedingly serene and beautiful smile. She raised her head, meeting Zeus’s gaze, and responded word by word: “My love, I feel the same.”
“In the infinite infinities, only your name is imprinted in my divinity, and my heart beats only for you alone.”
“I have only you and will love only you, no matter how many times it replays, no matter how reincarnation turns, I love only you, and I belong only to you.”
After Zeus left, Metis limply collapsed powerlessly onto the dreamlike clouds above, her forcibly maintained magnanimity and composure instantly disintegrating, as if all her strength had been drained away.
Two lines of clear tears finally could not be suppressed, silently and slowly sliding down from her cheeks, which were bright as moonlight.
They then fell into the clouds and mist enveloping her, vanishing without a trace.
She trembled as she covered her face with her hands.
The Goddess of Wisdom, how could she not know?
She knew more clearly than any god.
This god king destined to rule everything and control everything, who was about to become the Father of the Gods, how could his life possibly contain only the existence of her, one goddess?
Beneath his glorious divine throne, countless brilliant stars were destined to revolve.
But she
No matter how many chances at restarting destiny gave her, she still could not resist the Flame of Love burning in the Thunder God King’s eyes, nor resist the warmth and power of his embrace.
Every time, she would unhesitatingly sink into it again.
She could never abandon Zeus’s love, nor imagine what a desolate and cold world without Zeus would be.
She was the Incarnation of Wisdom, yet she was the most affectionate and emotional wisdom.
That absolute supreme rationality of ruling everything and controlling everything could never truly be born within her.
Nor could it ever appear in any Mother Goddess.
Wisdom’s rationality and emotionality fiercely clashed again and again in the depths of her divinity.
And every time, her love for Zeus, surging vigorously like spring tides, gained absolute dominance.
Every time, that emotional torrent originating from the origin of divinity, surging like an oceanic tsunami, would shatter the dam of rationality with overwhelming force.
This profound love made her almost lose herself, making her willingly place Zeus’s joy above everything.
Even
willing to personally push him into other goddesses’ embraces, just to exchange for his happiness.
But she would also feel heartache, as painful as being carved out by a sharp blade.
She would also feel bone-deep sadness, be burned by the poisonous fire of jealousy, and harbor hatred in endless longing.
Even more, she would be heartbroken to despair over love that could not be monopolized.
Endless dense grief, like countless invisible thorns, wrapped around her entire heart, bringing fine stinging pain with every breath.
Yet she could only choose to wear the gentlest mask, willingly sinking into this vortex interwoven with supreme pain and ultimate happiness.
Indulging in it, unwilling and unable to extricate herself.
Poor goddess, that occasional sip of sweetness seized amid endless sour bitterness was like a thirsty traveler obtaining a mouthful of sweet spring in a dry desert; its flavor was even more soul-searing and addictive.
What is love in this world? It drives one to pledge life and death.
How could such an etched-in-the-bone love affair be abandoned?
At the same time, besides this Goddess of Wisdom whose heart was drowned by waves of sorrow, there was also that great Mother Goddess destined in endless destiny to be eternally entangled with this Father of the Gods.
The supreme Great Mother Goddess who governs fertility and reproduction, representing the continuation of life, survival, and evolution in the universe—Hera.
Gentle loving-kindness, goodness and tolerance, were her innate divinity.
This future master of marriage, her love was eternal and loyal.
If she fell in love, she would love only that one god, offering all her divinity and faith; her divine fire would burn only for that sole god, eternally loyal and unwavering.
Precisely because of this, she could not bear to watch her beloved god being intimate and loving with other goddesses, entwined in lingering affection.
Every such scene was like scalding magma burning her heart.
After Zeus publicly announced his beloved to the gods and acknowledged Metis as his beloved wife, this Mount Olympus, as the center of the universe, symbolizing the sacred and order, infinitely beautiful, infinitely sacred, infinitely majestic, had become, for her, a gorgeous prison instead of a divine domain.
She could no longer stay here much longer.
The love surging vigorously within her had become like a volcano about to erupt, nearly making her unable to control herself, almost turning her to ashes in jealousy and heartbreak.
She could not compete for the male god beloved by other goddesses like contending for prey.
Her dignity, her divinity, her divine quality all made her deeply despise such behavior!
Metis was even her intimate beloved friend; how could she do anything that might harm the Daughter of the Ocean?
Therefore, she had truly made up her mind and was considering leaving Olympus; this was the only way out she could think of.
However, with the vastness of the world, she still did not know where she should go.
She did not want to go to the sky or underground, because Zeus was there.
She also did not want to go to the cold and empty starry sky; as the great Mother Goddess presiding over life’s fertility, she was not suited to leave the world; she had her duties.
After much thought, it seemed only the vast and boundless ocean, tolerant of all things, was a relatively suitable destination.
However, the myriad threads of love and emotional ties deeply rooted in the depths of her divinity pulled at her like the toughest spiderweb, making her feel reluctance again and again at the edge of departure.
Even if just being able to gaze at Zeus’s figure from afar every day, for her tormented heart, it was a great consolation.
Since the Grand Ceremony of the Gods, the sacred and perfect bright-eyed White-armed Hera had begun to live in seclusion, becoming unusually low-key.
Besides the few sisters who similarly admired Zeus but could not have him, sharing the same plight and often coming to seek her, sitting together for mutual comfort, it was the great Mother Goddess Rhea who frequently came to look after her with worry.
Her increasingly despondent and listless state made Mother Goddess Rhea extremely worried yet helpless.
Then there was Metis, this wise Daughter of the Ocean, who also often came to visit with concern.
However, the current mental states of these two goddesses were worlds apart.
One was the goddess who received the God King’s supreme doting, immersed all day in the happiness and sweetness given by her beloved, radiating with energy!
While the other could hardly squeeze out even the most reluctant smile, absent-minded in everything she did, listless.
Speaking of which, Hera felt very strange: why did Metis often come to find her?
She did not think Metis was showing off to her, nor did she believe Metis was deliberately stimulating her.
The kind Daughter of the Ocean was not such a harsh god, and her cherished beloved friend Metis was even less so.
She just felt it very strange; sometimes, Metis’s attitude was extremely inexplicable, even carrying a trace of sorrow that seemed to pity both herself and Hera, which she could not understand.
Many times, Metis would comfort and console her, and say some strange-sounding words that seemed to imply something.
After the Grand Ceremony of the Gods, when the feast ended and the noise dispersed, Hera once again sat lost in thought alone in the silent cloud divine palace.
Her fingertips unconsciously traced the cold marble armrest of the divine seat, and she once again made up her mind, almost about to set off and leave this heartbreaking place.
Just as she hesitated, the Goddess of Civilization and Memory arrived with two young goddesses to visit.
Hera did not like this Civilization Memory Goddess much; she was certain this “old” goddess’s gaze at Zeus was off—she definitely harbored ill intentions!
However, compassionate and upright Hera by nature was never a god who would shut out guests.
For this goddess whom even Zeus greatly respected, she also showed great respect.
Hera personally walked out of her divine palace, welcoming Mnemosyne with a proper and gentle smile, inviting her into the hall.
Looking at Mnemosyne before her, with her serene and dignified temperament, her face full of close and gentle smiles, the holy Hera spoke softly, her voice like flowing clear spring: “Respected Mnemosyne, great Goddess of Civilization and Memory, welcome your arrival.”
Her gaze swept over the two goddesses behind Mnemosyne, who were lowering their heads obediently with obvious unease, and she had a rough guess in her heart, though her expression remained calm and unruffled.
“I wonder what important matter brings you, the respected one, to my humble abode today?”
Hearing this, Mnemosyne sighed deeply, her eyes revealing just the right amount of sorrow.
She said in a tone of utmost respect and sincere sincerity: “Oh, renowned Hera, the unparalleled beautiful White-armed Goddess in this universe, Zeus’s most beloved Goddess of Reproduction and Fertility.”
“My visit this time is to presumptuously request one thing from you, not for myself, but to plead on behalf of these two poor children behind me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the gentle Leto and the steady Asteria immediately stepped out from behind Mnemosyne and came before Hera.
Without a word, under Hera’s astonished gaze, they resolutely knelt to the ground.
Crystal-clear teardrops already rolled down their beautiful faces like a string of broken pearls.
Their sudden action truly startled Hera.
Seeing the two goddesses before her with tear-streaked faces and utterly grief-stricken appearances, the softness and mercy in her nature were instantly touched.
She hurriedly rose from the divine throne, wanting to reach out and help them up, but was stopped by Mnemosyne raising her hand.
Hera’s movement paused; she did not sit back on the divine throne but stood straight, her posture still dignified and elegant, though her expression became serious as she asked: “Respected Master of Memory, what exactly does this mean?”
