Hera smiled her approval. It was one of the things she appreciated most about Iris, her willingness to go with whatever was thrown at her. It was easy for many to assume they knew what a queen had to do in order to keep her pantheon running smoothly; as evidenced by the number of people that thought they could do a better job than Hera. Oh yes, she'd heard the whispers. But the truth was, unexpected things cropped up frequently, and whether she liked it or not, they all had to be dealt with.
And Iris had never flinched when Hera told her to do something. Which was not to say that she always liked her assignments. It would be foolish to think that she did, and Hera was far from clueless. There had even been times when Iris' distaste for something was apparent, and Hera could understand that; she didn't always have the luxury of being kind, considerate, or generous. Frequently, she had to take a hard stance. But Iris, approving or no, never flinched.
Fortunately, today was not one of those situations. Today, Hera wished to find out some information, and that could be, at the very least, interesting. Iris would surely appreciate the chance to do something that did not involve delivering bad news or dire warnings. Even if she did have to bundle up like a bear. Just where had she gotten those boots?
“I believe,” Hera mused, “that we should find some local mortals to speak with. It would be the best way to gauge the attitude in this area, before we move on to look at the broader picture. There must be a village or settlement around here somewhere. It cannot be as deserted as it seems with nothing but trees and squirrels. I have no idea how to converse with squirrels.”