Her shoulder lifted in a half-shrug and she gave Hades a smile that would have been self-depreciating except it wasn't. Hera didn't do self-depreciating. Instead it came off as self-assured. Or in a less forgiving light, smug.
“Sometimes with the younger girls, they need a firmer hand,” she said by way of explanation. “Children need boundaries to give them a firm foundation, and some of these brides are just past childhood, not in age but in mentality. Some of them are sheltered far too much. This girl, I would wager, was one of them. Saved only for the day when she could be used to make an alliance such as this, she has no idea what life can really be like, and she will have to learn very quickly.”
It was a situation that she'd seen replayed a little too often these days. And it did not sit well with the goddess of women. Not at all. Fortunately, this girl was marrying a young man with a good head on his shoulders, from a good family. Though she might not realize it, the marriage was probably the very best thing that could have happened to her. It added another level of satisfaction for Hera in arranging this union, and that it had been saved pleased her a great deal.
It put her in a good mood, and she decided to share that benevolence with her little brother. “In matters of marriage, dear Hades, you are not going to find a better resource than the goddess who has charge of it. Should the situation ever come up again, you must feel free to call on me.”
Unspoken, though implied by her tone, was the insinuation that he should have called on her regarding marriage before now. Before this girl crying on his temple floor. Before he kidnapped her niece and nearly caused a catastrophe. Really, what had he been thinking not to consult her regarding his own nuptials?