nechoco kitty
Feline Darling
nechoco kitty
Feline Darling
nechoco kitty
Feline Darling
mood: ffffff. location: The Argolid. with: Iris & Io.
The light that filtered down to the sea floor was more blue and green than white or yellow. Hera Pais liked to watch as the rays of light moved sluggishly to the bottom, bouncing off the phytoplankton and giving the edges of Tethys' floating hair and wing antennae the appearance of a golden aureola. The young goddess sat at the feet of her Titanis aunt in the shallows of Uncle Oceanus' great river-ocean, sitting impatiently as Tethys wove her tale: “Before the beginning, there was Nothing, only Khaos. Then, from Khaos sprung the Primordial Ones—Erebus and dark Nyx, Aether and bright Hemera—”
“Mother Tethys, I have already heard that one! Over and over again—it is so boring. Please do not repeat that boring tale. I shall not listen if you do!” Hera cried out, falling to the side with an arm over her eyes. “Tell me a different one, or I shall surely perish.”
Tethys chuckled—the sound light and effervescent—at her niece's antics before nudging the young girl's prone body with a small tentacle. “I tell the tale so that you may know of whence you came, little goddess,” she chided. “I made a promise to my sister Rhea, your esteemed mother, to care for you. How would she feel if I were to return you, as ignorant and as wild as you were when I first received you? Mayhaps she will decide to find another to nurse you... perhaps then she will give you for my sisters—Mnemosyne, Goddess of Memory, and Themis, Goddess of Order—to care for.”
At that, Hera sat up with a gasp. “Oh, Mother Tethys! Surely that is not so!” She grasped the edges of Tethys' billowing seaweed gown, her tiny knuckles white from the effort of holding on tight. “You are my favorite, and I cannot bear for us to part.” Her bottom lip trembled as she continued with, “I will be good—I promise! I will sit still and listen to those boring tales, just don't leave like Mama Rhea did. So please! Please, please, please!”
“Hush now, child,” Tethys began, tugging the young goddess forward with several of her tentacle appendages so that Hera could sit closer and Tethys could pet her hair. “It is alright. No need to fret, young one. Mother Tethys is here and she is not going anywhere. Now, shall I tell you another tale? One of your choice, perhaps?”
Hera sniffled pathetically, her chin wobbling as she fought back tears of relief. “Do you promise, Mother Tethys?” she asked, voice wet with tears. “Well, then... maybe you could tell me the story of Brother Zeus?”
“Yes, I promise, Hera. And... that one again? Surely you have heard that one oft enough, child. Why, you were even there for some of it!”
Hera puffed out her cheeks before smacking them, releasing the captive air with a pop! The air bubble shot up to the surface and she watched its progress before responding. “But it is such a good story, Mother Tethys... and it has me in it! And a happy ending...” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, it has been happy so far, at least, and my brother is a hero! There is action and adventure and secrets and murder... All essential parts of a good tale, Mother Tethys. At least I think so.” Hera paused and tapped her lips with two fingers, her head cocked to the side. “The only thing missing is romance, but there's plenty of time for that, don't you think?”
“Well, you are certainly free to think so, Child. But enough of that. Come, little goddess. Sit by my side and let me tell you the tale of Kronos the Devourer...”
. Ⓣ . Ⓘ . Ⓜ . Ⓔ . Ⓢ . Ⓚ . Ⓘ . Ⓟ .
The dais was built as well as the people of the Argos knew how... which wasn't saying much. Not that Hera could complain; she was a goddess nearly as young as Mother Ge was old. What did she know of crafting? Nothing. So she made do with the makeshift throne of polished stone and the furs. Ah, the furs...! At least this they did well. The furs—soft, oh how soft!—cushioned her bottom from the stone on which she sat, while the people of the Argolid called on her for blessings on their nuptials. Or for ease of birth. Protection. Life. Or even just for her to go to one of her siblings on their behalf. (She usually sent Iris instead, but they didn't need to know that. Plus, Iris could fly!)
When they ran out of things to ask for, they gave instead.
Olives. Meat. Jars of honey. That sort of thing.
Hera accepted them all stoically, with naught but a serene smile and a casual nod of acceptance. She avoided looking at Io, her priestess, lest they both erupt into giggles. The two were decades apart in age, but still equal in terms of maturity... if not actual power. For Io was the naiad daughter of River God King Inachus... and Hera was a goddess of Mount Olympus and sister to none other than Zeus, the King of All Gods.
But she had left her brother's palace to walk atop Mother Ge and make her place in the world. Sister Demeter had done it, so why not she? Being a patron goddess of the Argolid was a wonderful thing. Unlike Mt. Olympus, Hera wasn't chided for refusing to grow, or for her yet unspecified divinity. Her siblings had found their rightful place in their godhood, but Hera still struggled. She had always liked little things, for she liked being small, but she knew that they did not belong to her. She connected Inachus with Melia, and helped Demeter with her birthing, but... Was that all?
Was she destined to be a Virgin Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth? That didn't seem fair, at least the virgin part. Nor did it make any particular sense. And she currently had no interest in either marriage or motherhood, either. She wasn't in any rush to grow up; her life was as unending as summer days or ocean currents. Hera had all the time in the world, and she intended to use it.
At least in the Argos, she wasn't being rushed. Inachus adored her; he built the Heraoin in her honor and gave her Io as a priestess. Sure, her first temple was in Samos, but she was worshiped as a baby. Who wanted to be worshiped as Hera Pais? Hera Samia? Pah!
As Hera Agreia, all they cared was that she blessed the region. They worshiped her, they loved her, and when she tired of their adulation... Hera made a small noise at the back of her throat to get Io's attention and then tugged on a piece of her hair. Io's eyes sparked in recognition before she turned around to face the small gathering.
“Lady Hera is done seeing supplicants today and will retire within the Heraoin 'til the morrow.” Then Hera smiled and gave a short bow before she left within her temple, Io following close behind her.
. Ⓑ . Ⓡ . Ⓔ . Ⓐ . Ⓚ .
“You never talk about your brother anymore. Did something happen?”
Hera let out a sound that was a cross between a groan and a sigh, but still turned over to look her priestess in the face. She thought for a moment, wrinkling her nose in annoyance before saying, “He's a butt. Does that answer your question?”
They were both lying on a fur rug on the floor of the temple, the two of them close enough to touch but not quite touching. Their poses were mirror images of one another—fetal-like with the knees slightly bent and one arm tucked under their head as a pillow. Hera stared into Io's eyes, limpid blue like her father's river, or her own spring. Pretty eyes, she always thought. Io knocked her forehead against her goddess's. “You have two other brothers... I could have been referring to any one of them.”
“They're all butts.” Hera shrugged. Io knocked her knees against Hera's. “... fine. Sai is a part-time butt, and Hades is a butt for leaving, and Zeus is...” She rubbed her nose against Io's. “He's the biggest butt.”
Io giggled and rubbed her nose back against Hera's. “Be serious! Ever since the last time you went back there...” She fell silent.
Hera closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment she shared with her priestess. Io belonged to her... always would. Her worship and dedication to her goddess tied them together, and Hera returned the affection and love in kind. Io's breath was warm against her skin, and she smelled like honey and the minerals of her spring—and, if Hera smelled closely, Io kind of smelled like her too. That was pretty nice, if you asked her.
“C'mon, Hera. I'm curious,” Io insisted, moving her free hand up to cup the back of Hera's neck. She rubbed her thumb against the sensitive skin of the nape; Hera shivered.
“It's weird, I don't want to talk about it,” she muttered, biting down on her bottom lip. Io reached up and smoothed down her goddess's lips.
“Try me.” Hera opened her eyes and looked into Io's clear and steady gaze. She licked her lips, the corner of her tongue running into the edge of Io's finger. It tasted a little salty, so she flicked her tongue to taste it again. Io made a little noise. Hera grinned.
“You know how my brother always... you know...” Io nodded.
“You've told me.”
“Right, so. One day I was following him—”
“As you do.”
“Correct. Anyway, he was with... you know... one of those nymphs. And they went to, ah, a kind of secluded spot...” Io pushed one of her feet between Hera's legs, nudging her when the pause in the tale took too long for her liking. “Well? What happened next?”
Hera glanced down at Io's lips and then back to her eyes. “I'm not sure how to explain... Can I show you instead?”
Io's mouth fell open, her eyes wide. “Uh, yeah. Yes. Of course, um.” She sat up hurriedly. “Uh, so... um. What do you need me to do?”
“Lay back down,” Hera said, and Io quickly did just that. She lay as still as possible, hands at her side. She did not look up at her goddess, but instead stared up at the temple ceiling. Hera nodded at Io's quick acquiescence, and ran a hand over one of her priestess's arms. “So they were alone, right? And he just... threw her on her back and...” She grabbed Io's wrists and pinned them above her head with one of her hands. “...pushed her down...” Io nodded jerkily, her breath coming in fast and shallow. After a moment's hesitation, Hera straddled the naiad's hips and hovered over her body. “...and kissed her.” She leaned over, face close to the other girl's. Io shivered at the closeness, but when Hera stopped just short of pressing her lips against her own, she made a soft mewl of disappointment.
“How? How did he kiss her?”
Instead of giving her an answer, Hera leant down to kiss her. It started off as chaste as any of theirs had ever been, but when Io thrust her chest forward... Hera grabbed the naiad's hair with her free hand, pulling her head back a little further so she could slip her tongue in.
“What was so bad about that?” Io asked breathily once they both went up for air. Hera shrugged helplessly.
“I dunno, I guess... I saw that and sortofwisheditwasme.” At the last rushed bit, she covered her face with her hands.
There was a moment of pause before Io nudged Hera's knee and said, “Well... if you lay back down...” Hera peeked from between her fingers and saw Io's impish grin.
“I, uh, kind of meant...”
Io rolled her eyes. “I know what you meant, but what I'm saying is... Well, only if you want to, I mean. Try it out. Or whatever.”
That's where Iris found them nearly half an hour later, Hera flat on her back with Io on top of her and the two of them with fistfuls of hair in their grasp. After discreetly clearing her throat a few times, Iris finally snapped and shouted, “By Styx, let go of each other for a single moment! Please!”
Bleary eyed, the two of them disengaged and turned to look at the winged messenger goddess. “Wha—?” said Io just as Hera muttered, “Whaddja want, Ri?”
“I come bearing a summons from the Queen Regent, the Titanis Rhea. You've been called to court, Hera.”
“...s**t.”