It felt a little like a rebellion. Or a way of lashing out. Zeus wanted her to create, so she would create but it would be wild and chaotic and nothing the king of the gods would ever want. He couldn't control her creations just as he couldn't control her. She would never allow him to control her. For all that he said he would lift his punishment if she did what he told her to, she doubted her would. Zeus only cared about his power and himself. He was cruel and selfish. In that respect, he was very much like his son.
Apollo was Zeus's son. It was a terrifying thought. She knew he'd been trying to get permission to marry her and Zeus easily could have given him that. In that respect, she was grateful. Zeus hadn't forced her into that situation. Granted, that was far more Hera's doing than her own but it meant a lot. She couldn't have stomached being forced to be Apollo's wife. The part of her that was rage and pain wanted to tear him to pieces. But that would, unfortunately, only cause more problems.
She had this, at least, for now. It was something. Not much, but something. A place for her that she could keep safe and nurture. Something to help her put herself back together. Eventually she would do her job as the goddess of spring, but not yet. For now she would console herself over her losses. She missed her mother. She missed her friends. She missed Hades terribly. She swore she could almost hear his voice.
No. Wait. She could hear his voice.
She jumped to her feet, running in the direction of what she'd heard and stopping just short of throwing herself at him. It hurt to hold herself back but she still felt a little raw and she wasn't certain what he would want from her. Better not to push at boundaries.