Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
chapter twenty-two. ( the battle of the labyrinth ) ❝ the god complex! ❞
╚═══════════════╝
The sandwiches tasted great, which was to be expected since they were conjured up by the literal queen of the heavens. Hera poured our glasses of lemonade, watching us with kind eyes that made me squirm uncomfortably in my seat. There was something about the kindness in her eyes that seemed artificial.
"Grover, dear," she said. "Use your napkin. Don't eat it."
"Yes, ma'am," Grover said.
"Tyson, you're wasting away. Would you like another peanut-butter sandwich?"
Tyson stifled a belch. "Yes, nice lady."
Hera's eyes fell on Cain, and the kindness disappeared for a second. Cain went red, as if realising he had the same effect on the gods as he did on everyone else. It made me seriously wonder: who was his father? Who was this god that sired someone so powerful he even made gods see their fears. It also made me wonder what Hera's fear was.
Noticing the look on Hera's face, Annabeth quickly spoke, "Queen Hera..." immediately, the smile was back on her face when she turned to look back at Annabeth. "I can't believe it. What are you doing in the Labyrinth?"
Her smile brightened. She flicked one finger and Annabeth's hair combed itself. All the dirt and grime had disappeared. My hand went up to my hair, upset that Hera hadn't done the same to mine. "I came to see you, naturally."
Nervous looks were exchanged. Usually, when gods came looking for you, it was never out of the goodness of their hearts. They wanted something from you. Either way, however, I was hungry, and so I ate my sandwiches. (And, like, Hera was the Queen of Olympus, I don't want to upset her).
"I didn't think—" Annabeth faltered. "Well, I didn't think you liked heroes."
Hera smiled indulgently. "Because of that little spat I had with Hercules? Honestly, I got so much bad press because of one disagreement."
"Didn't you try to kill him, like, a lot of times?" I said with a mouthful of roast lamb. "Like, you made him kill his wife and son—"
Hera waved her hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge, my dears. Besides, he was one of my loving husband's children by another woman. My patience wore thin, I'll admit it. But Zeus and I have had some excellent marriage counselling sessions since then. We've aired our feelings and come to an understanding—especially after that last little incident."
