The Queen's Curse

six | Cause & Effect

cause & effect

The dining hall was forthwith occupied by the younger deities as soon as the chariot of the sun god roused from its wake. With little respect for the morning's slumber, their mouths wasted no time in conversing with their fellow neighbors as they began formulating rumors for today's gossip. Usually, these fictional tales would have a chance in entering the very own Olympus magazine as the highlight of the week. As sour it sounded, the younger deities, namely Hermes, Apollo, Aphrodite, Eros, and a few minor gods would join in. The rest would just simply handle the day with decency.

The twin deities arrived at their respective seats at the same time. The goddess of the hunt retained a very unsettled and adoring look plastered on her face while her twin brother had droopy eyes despite waking the entire world with his chariot. He was no less cheery liken of Hermes' presence who was busy communicating telepathically with his caduceus. The huntress' gaze diverted towards the direction of the Queen's chair which was unoccupied, at the moment, and it was the same with her father's.

Speak of the devil and he shall come.

The King held himself with high regard but, nonetheless, less formal in comparison with the Queen with his disheveled dark hair and dazzling stormy grey eyes that matched with the goddess of wisdom. His authoritative aura spread around the entire dining hall, complementing his grey collared polo shirt underneath his black knitted sweater and dark blue pants. The rest of the deities he fathered were gaping at his new sense of fashion - not that all of them were his, save for his siblings and grandchildren. The wave of electricity heated the air and became thicker. A mere mortal would have suffocated at the lack of oxygen but the act was enough for the deities to stand in an upright position and approach the King with a high amount of respect.

When he sat down, he was aware of the Queen's absence. It occurred to him that this may be her way of indirectly showing him that her patience is wearing thin whenever he chose to warm his bed with another mortal woman rather than alerting her of his absence. For centuries, the Queen would knit her eyebrows in fury when she learned his latest conquest.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, after all. But her actions yesterday were beyond what he anticipated when he arrived. Hera had the courage to take a step back and let the issue slide. And the vengeful woman never let a mere mortal woman get in the way of their bond as she was too prideful to easily slip from her clenched fists.

But this time, it was different.

And to say that the King of the gods wasn't bothered was a complete understatement.

Athena was speaking to him, her similar grey eyes were watching him closely as she adamantly apologized for being absent at his arrival the day before. She was his favorite child and always tried her best to make him proud. Her wisdom developed throughout the years but she was persistent in being Zeus' first choice when it comes to his children.

The Lord of the Sky barely acknowledged and nodded at her. His eyes were solely focused on the gigantic marble doors of the dining hall as he was waiting for a particular goddess of his interest. It may not be evident in his actions but he deeply has high regard with his wife.

And as if the Void was listening to his thoughts, the guards announced the title of the Queen and she entered with her head up high. This time her dress was cerulean blue, flowing behind her back like clouds underneath the lion fur cloak. Her hair was covered with her veil, hiding her true beauty underneath all the clothing. Though, the natural color of her hair could be identified with the ginger red curls hanging at each side of her porcelain features.

For a brief moment, their eyes met. The hazel orbs were in contrast with the warm light that illuminated the entire room and his eyes turned into a darker shade of blue as both pairs were interlocked into their gazes. Brief it may be, each second felt like the years he wasted when he was causing her to turn against him, her feelings converting into solid hatred. What he didn't know was who the hatred in her eyes was for.