CALLIOPE: You may recall that there is a divorce currently in progress. Given how amicable it is, you might forget that this is the divorce arc of our story. But there is a divorce that is proceeding and because of that, our dearest Hera has to be in contact with her husband.
Welcome, dear listeners, to Forged Bonds.
We will begin with Hera and Zeus, in Zeus’s office, looks of frustration on both of their faces.
ZEUS: Hera, you’re being unreasonable–
HERA: I’m being unreasonable? You’re blocking this divorce at every turn and I’m the unreasonable one? Ares and Aphrodite could’ve been divorce months ago if you had just let me do my job. But noooo, no of course not. We have to do a bunch of useless paperwork and have a ceremony that you have to be in attendance at. And then you don’t sign the paperwork and your schedule is far too busy to set up the ceremony. So now I’m requesting that this divorce move forward without you, and you say no. I ask you for the rationale behind this , and you call me unreasonable. So either you explain yourself to me, right now, or I walk out of this room, go through with their divorce, and tell the papers exactly why they got married in the first place.
ZEUS: You wouldn’t.
HERA: Fucking try me.
ZEUS: (deep sigh) Fine, fine. Since you insist upon being like this, I’ll tell you why. It’s actually very simple, I’m surprised you hadn’t figured it out before now. Ares and Aphrodite can’t get divorced.
HERA: And why not?
ZEUS: Because.
HERA: That’s not a reason, Zeus. That’s a word.
ZEUS: They can’t get divorced because I need them to stay married. As long as they’re married, they’re the talk of the town. The second that ends–
HERA: Fuck you.
ZEUS: Now, Hera–
HERA: No! Fuck you! You don’t get to dictate their lives like this just because it suits you. You don’t get to control people’s lives because of your egotistical powertrip. I am performing this ceremony with or without you and when the papers find out you weren’t there because you wanted to force two gods to remain married, well. I’m sure they’ll have a field day with that won’t they. Especially when your ex wife comes through and lets them all know exactly why you didn’t want to end the marriage.
ZEUS: Well it’s very fortunate that I don’t have an ex wife then, isn’t it. I still have a wife who I am happily married to because she’s too much of a coward to leave me. She would rather hide away in the Underworld and let the world think that we’re still married.
CALLIOPE: Hera slammed a folder onto the table. She had been sitting with it in her bag, trying to figure out the best time to do this and the opportunity had finally presented itself.
ZEUS: And what is this?
HERA: The divorce papers you sent Demeter to get from me. You got your wish, Zeus; I started the process and you can be the big, broken hearted hero of your story, just like you wanted.
ZEUS: What are you playing at, Hera?
HERA: You asked Demeter to get me to start the paperwork. I was going to have her tell you that you could do it yourself, but you know what? I knew you wouldn’t take the initiative. And I didn’t want to be a part of this anymore. I have a life to live, a future ahead of me that doesn’t involve you. And since you want to stand in the way of that life, I’ve decided to take it into my own hands.
ZEUS: So my little brother has wormed his way into your mind then, hasn’t he? He talks a big game, I’m surprised to see there was any validity to his statements. I thought for certain that you would realize that he’s no better than I am. If anything, he may be worse. He ran from his problems, ran from his family. I am many things, Hera, but I have never abandoned you. Do you really trust that he’ll stay if you give him your heart? Do you really trust that he could ever truly care for you, take care of you, when he knows how broken you are inside? I would think carefully before moving forward with this. Nothing has been signed yet, you can still take that folder off of the table and we can move on with our day.
HERA: I’m not afraid of you anymore.
ZEUS: Perhaps you should be.
HERA: Perhaps you should be afraid of me. I hold the power here, Zeus. The papers are a formality; I can push through the divorce with or without you. You should’ve realized that when marrying a goddess with dominion over marriage.
CALLIOPE: Zeus signed the paper with a flourish, shoving the folder back to Hera.
ZEUS: So this is it then.
HERA: I’d say it’s been nice but we both know it hasn’t.
ZEUS: Next week for the ceremony to break Aphrodite and Ares’ marriage. I won’t continue putting it off, I know when I’m beaten.
HERA: A pleasure doing business with you, Zeus.
CALLIOPE: We shall leave Zeus here and shall follow Hera into the Underworld. My dear listeners, she is positively glowing with happiness as she walks through the halls of the Underworld looking for her sister-in-law.
PERSEPHONE: Hera! You’re back! How did it go, dearest?
HERA: I’m free. Gods above, Sephie, I’m free. I’m divorced, I am out of Zeus’s life I am… I’m my own person again for the first time in so long. I can actually live my life without the fear of Zeus hanging over me, choking me from the inside out. I’m free.
PERSEPHONE: That’s so amazing, Hera! I’m so proud of you. You know what? We have to celebrate– I think it’s overdue and now that I’m saying it’s happening it’s definitely happening. Maybe Phae could come over for dinner or– (mischievous) Or maybe Poseidon is the better option?
HERA: (laughing) Sephie!
PERSEPHONE: What! I’m just saying, Hera, the two of you have become awfully close and I know that there’s something brewing there. You can’t lie to me and both of you guys are absolutely atrocious at trying to hide it. (Giggling) You should’ve seen him a few weeks ago, Hera. He ran over here faster than waves crashed on the shore– he just absolutely needed to know howHades and I fell in love… He is so unbelievably smitten.
HERA: (fighting a smile) I have no idea what you’re talking about.
PERSEPHONE: (sarcastic) I’m sure you don’t. (excited) Oh this is perfect, Hades has been meaning to reach out to Si anyway and then he’ll come to dinner and me and Hades are just so tired, we simply have to leave the two of you alone. Maybe the two of you stay here, maybe you go back to the beach with Si, the possibilities are endless!
HERA: That is if he’s actually interested in me.
PERSEPHONE: Hera.
HERA: I know it was just Zeus trying to get under my skin. I know that. But what if I am really broken beyond repair? What if Poseidon sees me, truly sees me, and decides that he’s better off being alone?
PERSEPHONE: You’re not broken, Hera. You’re not. You are a person who has struggled. You’ve been abused and you’ve been held basically captive– it doesn’t make you broken. And if it does, then we’re both broken. And we can be broken together.
HERA: Demeter and Zeus really are a lot alike, huh?
PERSEPHONE: A match made in the pits of Tartarus for sure. (pause) But I mean it, Hera. You’re not broken, you’re not damaged, you’re not anything other than your wonderful, beautiful self. And now you’re free! You get to live your life the way you want and no one can stop you. If you wanted to live that life with Si, you could. Because gods know neither of you are better off being alone– I don’t want either of you to be lonely ever again. You should’ve seen the way he lit up when he was talking about you, Hera. And he’s so fucking worried that he’ll screw it up before he even gets a chance.
HERA: He couldn’t.
PERSEPHONE: I know that. And you know that too. Now it’s a matter of making sure he knows that. And making sure you both know that you’re allowed to be happy. And in love! All of that is in the past, it doesn’t define you. You can grow and change and you can become so much more if you let yourself. I’m begging you to let yourself. You said it yourself, Hera: you’re free. And once you get used to the feeling of freedom, you’ll never have doubts about it again.
HERA: You never regretted your choice, did you?
PERSEPHONE: I did a little when I first came down here. I felt bad for leaving my mom behind because I thought she loved me. She didn’t, though, not really. Just like Zeus didn’t love you. Once you learn what real love feels like… It’s hard to regret what came before.
HERA: You deserve all the happiness in the world, Sephie.
PERSEPHONE: And so do you.
HERA: …Do you want to call Si and invite him over for dinner then?
PERSEPHONE: It would be my honor.
CALLIOPE: If you couldn’t tell already, dear listeners, this is a Hera episode. After all she has endured, it seems only fair to give her an episode where she is the focus. We will be following Hera through to just after her dinner; Poseidon and Hades chatting amicably while Persephone gives Hera a pointed look.
HERA: Thank you for coming, Si.
POSEIDON: Thanks for inviting me! Or, well. Having Sephie invite me. But she said you wanted me to be here so of course I was going to be here.
HADES: (muttered) Gods help us, he’s hopeless.
PERSEPHONE: (giggling) Hades be nice.
HADES: (addressing everyone) Well, celebration is in order and who better to celebrate with than Poseidon?
POSEIDON: Celebration is in order?
HERA: I’m officially divorced!
CALLIOPE: If you’ll allow me to interject for a moment, dear listeners, I would like to describe the look on Poseidon’s face for you. For the briefest of moments there was a look of shock– after all, Hera had been married to Zeus for centuries, it would be shocking to anyone. But once the shock faded, his eyes widened in a way that can only be described as awestruck. Color rushed to his cheeks, a brightness filling his eyes and then it vanished. All of it, in a single instant, fading away as Poseidon all but curled back in on himself.
POSEIDON: (hurt, but genuine) That’s amazing, Hera! I’m so happy for you.
HADES: It’s incredibly brave what you did, Hera. I know how hard that was for you and I know that you had your doubts, but I’m so proud of you for moving forward and leaving him. Olympus will do as it always does and say what it always says, but you don’t have to listen. You don’t have to be there, to be with him, to be hurt by the people up above. You will always have a home here, for as long as you want it, and I will always do what I can to protect you.
HERA: Hades…
HADES: You know it’s the truth. You mean the world to me, Hera. And I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are taken care of, whether you stay in the Underworld or not.
PERSEPHONE: And you are allowed to leave, you know. You haven’t traded one cage for another, you can go wherever your heart desires With whoever your heart desires.
HADES: Persephone, my love, I think it’s time we retire for the evening, don’t you?
PERSEPHONE: Oh definitely! I’m quite tired honestly, it’s been a long day. Thank you for coming to visit, Si. You should come over more often, it’s always lovely to see you.
POSEIDON: Goodnight, you two. (pause) I… I suppose I should get going too, shouldn’t I?
HERA: Or you could stay for a little bit longer. We could talk.
POSEIDON: (brightening) Yeah, I’d like that. How are you feeling after… Everything, I guess.
HERA: It’s all very strange still. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream that I can never truly hold on to. Having you here helps, though.
POSEIDON: Me?
HERA: Yes, you. You’re proof that I’m not still with Zeus. You were never around when I was with him, so you being here… Well it can only mean that he’s gone. That I’m free. You make me feel free, Poseidon.
POSEIDON: (gently) That’s all I ever want to do. I want to keep you feeling this free and light for as long as possible. (pause, a bit sadder) Which is why I really should go.
HERA: Talk to me, Si. Why are you thinking that I want you to go?
POSEIDON: Because you’re finally free from my brother and I… I’m just like him. I’ve made all of the same mistakes he did and I can’t put you at risk of that happening again. I can’t put you at risk of getting stuck with me the same way you were stuck with him. (pause) If I’m even what you want, of course. Gods, I’m doing it already, making the assumption that I could possibly be the one you want–
CALLIOPE: Hera placed a hand on Poseidon’s cheek, his words dying in his mouth as quickly as they started. She simply let her hand rest against his face, their breaths slowly syncing to each other as the time slowly ticked by. After they had both calmed, Hera removed her hand from Poseidon’s face, lacing their fingers together instead.
HERA: You are what I want, Si.
POSEIDON: Hera–
HERA: And you are nothing like your brother.
POSEIDON: Aren’t I? I’ve done horrible things, Hera. I’ve cheated and lied and hurt people–
HERA: And you’ve grieved over that. You’ve apologized, you’ve grown. All things that Zeus has never done in his life, not once. You can’t change the past, Si, but you can determine who you are going to be in the future. When I look at you, I see a good man. I see someone who is trying so hard to do the right thing, even when it’s hard. You were going to leave, even though you wanted this, wanted me. You were still going to leave because you were worried you might hurt me. If you were really like Zeus, you would’ve taken me anyway. You are so much more than he could ever be, Si. (pause) If anything, I was worried that you wouldn’t want me.
POSEIDON: Why on earth would that be the case?
HERA: You could very easily see me as broken, as damaged goods who cannot possibly be pieced back together after being with Zeus for so long.
POSEIDON: You’re not damaged or broken or anything like that Hera. You’re… You’re wonderful, in every sense of the word. You fill every room you enter with light and warmth– you care. You’ve always cared, even when it was hard to. Even when Zeus tried to make you not care, he couldn’t take that from you. He never took your kindness. He never broke your spirit. When I look at you, I get scared that I’m going to ruin you. That I am going to make the same mistakes as my older brother and that you’ll be the one who has to live with the consequences. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you, Hera.
HERA: I know you never would. Not on purpose. (pause) Would you be willing to try?
POSEIDON: To try… You and me?
HERA: Yeah. I think we both want this, we’re just scared. So why don’t we try it out and be scared together?
POSEIDON: You really want that?
HERA: What I really want is for you to kiss me. And then we can go from there.
CALLIOPE: Poseidon mimicked Hera’s movements from before, this time letting both of his hands rest on either side of her face. He leaned in slowly, apprehensively, before Hera threw her arms around him and pulled him in closer, their lips meeting. And for a moment that was it, the world seemed to stop around them as eyes fluttered shut and bodies held each other closely. A kiss couldn’t last forever, though, and eventually they had to pull apart. Poseidon’s hands lowered to Hera’s waist, letting her back away but still holding her gently.
HERA: I want to try this, Si. I want to be scared with you, to know that we’re both trying our hardest to make this work because we care about each other. I want you. Are you okay with that?
POSEIDON: I don’t know what I did to deserve you. But as long as you’ll let me hold onto you, I’m never going to let you go.
CALLIOPE: Hera leaned up on her toes to press her lips to Poseidon’s again before grabbing his hand and dragging him toward her room. They did nothing untoward, not that night. Instead, Hera pulled Poseidon’s arms around her and let them both fall into the first truly peaceful sleep that they had had in eons.
And that, my dear listeners, is where we shall draw our story to a close for the day. With the first divorce out of the way, it’s about time for the second divorce to take place. Until next time, and as always, thank you for listening.
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