A small smile was allowed to touch her lips, though inside, Hera was beaming. He'd maneuvered that response so very well, turning it back on her, claiming that coming to release her of his own volition was his plan all along. Perhaps it was, but if so, he really would have to work on that temper that let the bitterness seep out. It had run away with his mouth for a little bit, and if he could manage that, he'd have far more leverage with people. Hera saw the potential in him, because he was, after all, her son.
“Not that door, darling,” Hera called after him as he made his way to the front doors. Of course he would want others to see him letting her go. It was the best way to redeem himself. But it would require the right audience. “Your brother is on the other side of that door, I can see his shadow pacing. And he is less than pleased with you.”
Hera looked around, then smiled a genuinely amused smile. Of course. She should have guessed. Curiosity had never been something that particular goddess could resist. With a jerk of her chin, Hera indicated a tapestry on the far wall, one that covered an eastern facing window. “If you will move that tapestry, I believe you will find your sister bouncing about outside of it, dying to know what it happening in here. And while Eris is very sporadic, she is enthusiastic about having news others don't. She will be a better audience for your redemption than the brother that would currently happily run you through.”
For once, she was happy that her son moved as slowly as he did. Not that she was pleased he was crippled, but Hera desperately needed the time. There was only one way for her to get off this ridiculous chair, and the price had already been stated. She was in no position to negotiate, and really, it was the only way to save Hephaestus as well as herself. But that did not mean this would go easily. Ares would be livid. And Aphrodite... well, she would have to live up to the bargain made. Hera just needed to find a way to spin it so that they would not destroy half the mountain in their disappointment.