Thea chose her words carefully as she spoke with Hera. The Queen of the Gods opened up somewhat, revealing she wasn't quite the monster the legends made her out to be.
Hera had been utterly faithful to Zeus. She and the King of the Gods had only five children together: two sons and three daughters. The rest of the Greek pantheon's sprawling roster? All Zeus' illegitimate offspring!
Among them was Wonder Woman, Diana Prince—Zeus' daughter with the Amazon Queen Hippolyta.
Day after day, Hera had to face the dozens of bastards her husband had sired. Even the strongest woman would break under that.
The patriarchal society had ignored her devoted faithfulness and forcibly labeled her "jealous."
The philandering Zeus received universal praise, while Hera—who carefully protected her own love—was condemned as worthless instead.
Too proud to bother explaining, she only grew more maligned with each attempt.
Now, observing Hera wrapped in her peacock cloak with that complex expression, countless thoughts raced through Thea's mind.
Actually, Hera isn't a bad person... well, god. Just very proud and dedicated to love.
For the sake of that love, she'd done many things—some justifiable, others excessive. Despite herself, Thea felt a flicker of sympathy she hadn't expected. Facing such a scumbag husband, the Queen of the Gods had held on for tens of thousands of years without going completely insane. That in itself was remarkable.
Of course, sympathy was one thing. Thea had no intention of playing therapist. You have marital problems? I'm not here to fix divine marriages.
Still, basic courtesy cost nothing. She offered some generic comfort, and Hera—perhaps touched by the rare empathy—grew slightly more talkative.
"This swap to the Underworld... it's Hermes' doing, yes. But behind it stands Hades." Hera's expression darkened. "My dear brother-in-law has always coveted my husband's throne. I suspect he put Hermes up to this."
"Hades wants to be God King?" Thea's interest piqued. Divine realm politics—now this was getting dangerous.
"Hades has always believed he deserves Zeus' position. When they divided the world, Hades received the Underworld while Zeus took the sky. Hades has nursed that grudge for eons." Hera's voice carried ages of weariness. "And now, with Zeus absent..."
She trailed off, but Thea caught the implication. Zeus is missing? That's news.
"Your husband is...?"
"Gone." Hera's single word carried weight. "Vanished without a trace. For months now." Her knuckles whitened on the peacock cloak. "Which is why Apollo and the others are scrambling for succession. Why Hades makes his move now."
Well, that explains the chaos, Thea thought. A divine power vacuum would naturally trigger a succession crisis.
The manifested house suddenly shuddered. The spatial turbulence was intensifying.
"We're arriving," Hera observed. "The Underworld."
Thea reinforced the construct. "Any advice for not dying immediately upon arrival?"
For the first time, Hera's lips quirked in something almost resembling a smile. "Don't drink the water. Don't eat the food. Don't accept any gifts from Hades."
"Sounds like visiting sketchy relatives during the holidays."
Hera actually laughed—a short, sharp sound, but genuine. "An apt comparison, mortal."
"Thea. My name is Thea Queen." She extended her hand.
Hera looked at the offered hand for a long moment. Ancient gods didn't exactly shake hands. But something in Thea's direct gaze and matter-of-fact tone made the Queen of the Gods reach out.
Her grip was cool, firm, and carried the weight of millennia.
"Hera. Though you already knew that."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance under... less combative circumstances."
"Indeed." Hera released her hand. "I suppose we should prepare. Hades won't be pleased to see me. As for you..." She studied Thea appraisingly. "You're an unknown variable. That might work in our favor."
The shuddering intensified. Golden light from Thea's construct blazed brighter, pushing back against encroaching darkness.
Through the translucent walls, shapes began emerging from shadow. Not the earthly landscape they'd left behind, but something else entirely.
Rivers of dark water. Twisted trees with silver leaves. And in the distance, a massive palace carved from black stone, crowned with pale fire.
"The Underworld," Hera confirmed unnecessarily.
Thea's construct touched down. The moment it made contact with the ground, she felt it—a pull, like invisible hands trying to drain her energy, her warmth, her very life force.
"Lovely place you've got here," she muttered, reinforcing the barrier.
"Hades' realm. The dead don't need warmth." Hera's expression had gone cold and regal again. The brief moment of almost-friendship vanished behind divine aloofness. "Stay close to me. You may be powerful for a mortal, but here, in his domain, Hades is nearly invincible."
"Nearly?"
"There are always exceptions." Hera's eyes gleamed. "And you, Thea Queen, seem to specialize in being exceptional."
The construct's door materialized. Beyond it lay the Underworld proper—dark, ancient, and filled with the whispers of countless dead.
Somewhere in that darkness, Hades waited.
And Hermes, having betrayed them, likely stood at his side.
Thea checked her ring's charge. Still full. The fear generated by billions of living beings across the universe flowed steadily into her reserves.
"Ready?" Hera asked.
"As I'll ever be." Thea stepped toward the door. "Let's go crash Hades' party."
"That's the spirit." For just an instant, Hera's expression showed approval. Then it vanished, replaced by icy determination. "Follow my lead. Let me handle the diplomacy initially. Hades and I have... history."
Don't all divine families, Thea thought but kept to herself.
Together, the demigod and the goddess stepped out of the protective construct and into the realm of the dead.
The temperature dropped immediately. Not physically cold—this went deeper, seeping into bones and spirit.
Above them, instead of sky, stretched an endless cavern ceiling lost in shadow. The rivers—five of them, Thea counted—carved through the landscape like dark veins.
And approaching from the direction of the black palace came a procession.
At its head walked a figure in robes that seemed woven from shadow itself. Tall, austere, with a crown of twisted metal that might have been iron or might have been something far older.
Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
Beside him, looking considerably less confident than before, walked Hermes.
The God of Speed's expression when he spotted both Hera and Thea alive and standing together was priceless.
Yeah, we survived, you treacherous bastard, Thea thought with dark satisfaction.
Hades stopped at a respectful distance. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of eons and the chill of the grave.
"Sister. How... unexpected." His gaze shifted to Thea. "And you've brought a guest. How delightful."
The word "delightful" held absolutely no delight whatsoever.
Hera drew herself up to her full height, every inch the Queen of the Gods.
"Hades. We need to talk."
The Lord of the Underworld smiled. It wasn't a pleasant expression.
"Oh, I quite agree, dear sister. I quite agree."
This, Thea realized, is going to be complicated.