Well, Hercules did have a point. Gaia was typically devious and tricky, but she wasn't exactly feeling the need to take that road with Hercules. Though hearing that it was a possibility to happen to Hercules was something she'd keep in mind should she ever need to exercise it for some reason or another. No one was above being used for her own ends. But right now, she didn't have anything specific she wanted, so there was no reason to really use anyone.
Upon his comment about having a hard time growing up, Gaia took a breath and nodded a bit. It wasn't all bad, once one learned how to move within society, it was fairly easy as long as certain things were avoided. Gaia herself had only had issues in that respect with her father. Her husband, thankfully, had a better demeanor when he was around. Of course he had his days where he was cranky because of this or that, but it wasn't nearly as bad as her father had been. Really, the marriage had also been an escape from her father. And she'd never looked back.
We did. Some men, like my father, made life difficult. But there were also plenty of men who were kind and not so domineering. I was fortunate enough to gain a husband of such temperament. Lucretia was fortunate enough in her husband as well. But then Gaia had been left with nothing, no protection after her husband's death. Standing was everything, and Gaia had nothing. When my husband died, his money was gone, so I was left with nothing. That is partly why I returned to Capua and sought out Lucretia. Despite all the ties I had in Rome, the only one I could truly count on to help me was Lucretia.