The Goddess Legacy
Page 23

I looked around the circle. My sisters both watched me, as did Hades. My sons would support me no matter what. And Aphrodite…
Somehow Zeus must have gotten to her. Perhaps in her excitement, she blurted out my promises, not realizing what the consequences would be. Surprise was not an integral part of this, but it would have helped to catch Zeus unaware. And if he had convinced her to change her vote…
I had to take that risk. For the sake of the council, for the sake of equality, for the sake of humanity, I had to try. And at last, I nodded.
“Let us vote.”
We went around the circle once. Hephaestus, sitting beside me, pledged his loyalty to me. As did Hades, as did Demeter, as did Hestia. As I’d predicted, Athena, Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon did not hesitate to vote with Zeus. And Ares voted with me.
At last it was on Aphrodite’s shoulders. She sat on the other side of Zeus, wringing her hands uncertainly, and several seconds passed in silence. She couldn’t change her vote. She couldn’t.
Remember. I pushed my thoughts toward her. You can have Ares. You can have the love you desire. All you have to do is say yes.
She looked up at me, her eyes red. I can’t be disloyal to my father. I can’t hurt him like that.
And what about your loyalty to yourself? What about your loyalty to Ares?
She looked at my son, who watched her with the same intensity as I did. Opening her mouth, she started to say something, but on her other side, Zeus set his hand over hers. That bastard. Loyalty was earned, not taken, and if he thought he could control her like that, snatching away her choice—
Power emanated from me before I realized what I was doing. As the invisible tendrils reached Aphrodite, her face went blank, and I slowly untied her connection to Zeus. It was so easy—so simple to remove that hold he had over her. To let her live. To give her freedom.
“Hera.” Zeus’s voice boomed. Aphrodite blinked, and all of my work unraveled. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I gritted my teeth. “Giving her a choice.”
In an instant, golden ropes flew from the air around me, binding me to my throne. I gasped, struggling to free myself, but it was no use. “You may not have considered this treason before, but now it is undeniable,” said Zeus, his voice echoing with the command of a king. “You are hereby stripped of your title—”
“Daddy!” cried Aphrodite. Hephaestus and Ares leaped to their feet, but Zeus waved his hand, warding them off me.
“—and you will be detained until the council decides what to do with you.”
“What?” I said, stunned. “You can’t possibly—”
“You abused your abilities to sway a council member’s vote against me,” said Zeus. “You will be given a trial for your crimes—”
“No!” I shrieked, fighting the bonds once more. They held even tighter, biting into my skin. “I am the queen. You can’t do this—”
“Oh, but I can,” said Zeus. And before I could say another word, my throne disappeared, taking me with it.
Part Four
For seven days and seven nights, I stayed locked in a small, dark room that even the sun didn’t touch.
No one came to visit me. Zeus had undoubtedly forbidden them all. I sat quietly in my throne, biding my time, and I went back through the past hundred years. Would I have done things differently if I’d known this was where I would end up? Would I have tried to be more compassionate, less consumed by pride?
The only mistake I regretted was my marriage to Zeus. I would have changed nothing else.
At last, on the eighth day, I returned to the middle of the throne room without warning. The sunlight blinded me, and though I didn’t want to show the council any weakness, I had to close my eyes.
“Hera.” Zeus’s voice. I didn’t bother answering. “We have made our decision. Do you have anything you would like to say before we reveal your fate?”
I didn’t speak until my eyes adjusted to the light. Finally I opened them, forcing myself not to squint. I was facing Zeus, and Hades was behind me. But I could feel his presence, an oasis in the storm that was my now.
“I did nothing wrong,” I said at last, my voice clear despite seven days without speaking. “My only intent was to protect the council. Nothing more.”
“So be it,” said Zeus, and he stood. “You have been found guilty of your crimes, and the council has decided effective immediately, you will be stripped of your rank as Queen. You will retain your duties as a goddess, and you will retain a place on the council. But you will no longer help rule my domain. Nor, for one millennium, will you have a vote equal to our own. In the case of a tiebreaker where your vote is necessary, we will allow you to cast it. Otherwise, you will have no say.”
I took slow, steady breaths, not allowing my anguish to show. Not only had he stripped me of the power I deserved, the power I’d worked so hard to maintain, but by putting on this show, he ensured none of his children would ever respect me. Perhaps he’d even poisoned my sons against me, too.
“You will remain under the watch of the council at all times. You are never to be alone, and any move of yours to plot against the council or use your powers to sway our decisions will be met with exile.”
I burned with humiliation. He’d taken away everything I held dear. He knew what he was doing to me, and he relished it.
“And what if I choose exile now?” I said in as dignified a voice as I could muster.