Monday, October 7th, 2013

Misplaced Affections -550 BCE -Samos, Greece [tag: Hera]

[info]winged_flattery
Hedylogos was standing in the temenos, looking at the dressed and adorned statue with not only an affection but a deep level of concentration. There was, unfortunately, a limit to what he could do or say. The temple had been not only rebuilt, but redesigned. It was much larger, much more elegant and even though he had no hand in the planning or the labor involved in the build, he still felt it was not enough. When one considered the great temples of Zeus that graced the known world, this was not sufficient. But, Flattery was limited.

It was unfortunate, he often thought, how women were treated. The mortals saw them as nothing, and in the case of the Athenians, were preferred to not exist as anything other than a birthing machine. The men looked to Zeus, his king, for how to behave. It was why mortal men -especially the Athenians, philandered with frequency, sired bastards as will, sometimes beat their wives and then... sometimes even worse.

If he ever married, Hedylogos knew he would never be so cruel. )
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Tuesday, May 28th, 2013

All's Fair [during the Trojan War] (tag: Aphrodite)

[info]hera_teleia
Trust Zeus to have his resolve bent because of a woman. It didn't matter to Hera if the woman in question was Briseis or Thetis, though truthfully she was more bitter about Thetis' involvement. The end result was still the same: Zeus was allowing Greeks, his own people, to be defeated. Not only was he favoring the Trojans, he'd threatened her when she'd asked him about it, then forbidden anyone else on Olympus from “interfering” in the war. He was interfering! For the wrong side! )
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Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

In The Hot Seat [ancient times] (tag: Hephaestus)

[info]hera_teleia
When the gift had first arrived, Hera had been secretly thrilled. Oh she hadn’t let her true feelings show, that would never do. Strong emotions could be too easily manipulated by those seeking to undermine or overthrow. Hera knew that too well, because she used that tool herself with others, so she would never allow her own feelings to be used in such a way. So she tamped down her honest reaction and allowed others to believe that she was haughty enough to feel the golden throne was her due as queen.

The truth was far more complicated. )
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Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Coming Out of the Dark [Ancient Egypt] (tag: Isis)

[info]hera_teleia
Hera was a survivor. She’d had to become one out of necessity. Her earliest memories were filled with darkness and pain and terror. If she hadn’t made herself strong, if she hadn’t gotten tough, it was possible that would have driven her insane. The idea that she would not be in control of her own mind, because of the actions of someone else, was so infuriating and repugnant that Hera had made the decision then and there that she would never give in to it. So she’d fought back the darkness inside herself, she swallowed the terror and she embraced the pain until it was part of her. Until it wouldn’t overwhelm her. Until she could not only survive, but truly live.

How odd that it had come to this then. She’d staved off the madness that the actions of her father could have caused, only to fall prey to that very ailment because of her husband. Perhaps that was her own fault. She’d let her guard down, and Zeus had managed to get under her skin. Into her heart. He’d gotten into her heart. That was something their father had never managed, so maybe that was where she had gone wrong, letting Zeus have a claim on her in such a personal way.

But she couldn’t help it. )
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Testing the Waters [Gaul, 59 BCE] (tag: Iris)

[info]hera_teleia
There were rumblings. Well, when weren’t there? There were always rumblings these days. It had been that way since the Romans had adopted them, combining and in many cases replacing the Etruscan gods with those of the Greek pantheon. New names did not change personalities of those involved, however the way the mortals viewed them did shift a bit and finally her son was being given the recognition he deserved. Even if they were calling him Mars now. )
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Monday, June 18th, 2012

Only Skin Deep [Elis, 345 BCE] (tag: Athena)

[info]hera_teleia
The first Olympic games had been held in this place, the valley between the mountains the perfect location for such athletic endeavors. That had been approximately four centuries prior, and Hera had been back to the area several times since. It was Greece, after all, she went everywhere. Though she had to admit, despite the games and honor that was given to the gods at them, she wasn't terribly fond of the people that were indigenous to the region.

They were barbarians. )
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Friday, April 6th, 2012

Matters of Love and Death [A Few Decades After the Persephone Incident] (Tag: Hera)

[info]notbitter
Hades parked his chariot by the temple. It was one of the very few dedicated to him. The building was small and not well maintained. Slowly, he climbed the steps up to the altar. He didn't remember the last time he'd been there. People didn't usually summon Hades, and even when they did, Hades didn't usually come. Hades was not a malicious god, but the living that summoned him almost always had malicious intentions. Hades usually found most of their requests unfair, unrealistic, or even borderline psychotic.


He did not generally mind. It would be nice to be more appreciated by the regular population that lived on earth, sure, but Hades also felt that the living weren't really his subjects. They were his future subjects. The time for them to pay tribute to him would come later, and last longer than their time on the earthly plain. He took great comfort and pleasure in this fact.
Read more... )
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