Ch.6: "Bob Oracle's Inferno" / The Underworld

[tbgg]

Kell smiles, then nods. "We have business with Hera anyway, and taking this issue to her would give us an "official" reason for the visit. But if Hera's blessing has already been given at a prior time for all new marriages in Hades, I wanted to make sure we wouldn't be re-inventing the wheel."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Hades says, "The River Styx will take you to the western edge of the world. It is a convenient path to Hesperides. While it is not unprecedented for a priest of Hera to bless a marriage here in my domain, Hera herself has not done this. A woman faithful to her, marrying a soldier from the opposing force in the battle that killed them both… when you visit Hera, you can tell her I agree it is deserving of her attention.

"If you can get Hera to personally oversee the wedding…"

Hades grins with satisfaction.

"To be honest with you, I had not entirely thought this through. This marriage may serve your purposes more than I expected. You do know why Hera sides with her husband, do you not? I ask this under the assumption you are well aware that Zeus and Hera have the worst marriage in recorded history. I mean, Persephone and I had our moments, and of course you know all about Aphrodi—"

Hades clears his throat.

"…sorry. I detest gossip. I am merely making a point. But back to my question. Do you know why Hera does not rebel against Zeus?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell shakes her head, but leans forward slightly, curious. "Not for certain. I do know he tortured her at one point when she led a rebellion. I assume she fears she cannot endure a repeat or else was broken by that experience. But that is only a guess on my part."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Hades nods. ​"Like any woman married to an abuser, she appeases her husband out of fear.

"I did not join Artemis' side, in part, because I was unsure her rebellion would succeed, considering she had always taken the neutral position as I had. I am still not sure she will succeed. I am merely convinced that she should. We will not be discussing whether or not I am willing to turn against Zeus, but how I can be of service.

"Zeus banished me to this domain the same way Sigrlinn banished Apollo. In other words, I was murdered by my own brother. I was never loyal to him so much as the status quo in my domain is desirable.

"Think of who you met today. A mother discovering she died with a child in her womb without knowing the horror of how she was impregnated—soldiers who would have killed or even tortured each other in life falling in love… if you were to spend enough time meeting the Departed, each soul has a different story. Not all take their demise so well and begin such amazing afterlives. But death is the great equalizer. Beggars and kings both start with nothing, and there is nothing to fight for here."

Hades pauses to let his words sink in. He then says,

"Hera could preside over the wedding and remain here until she feels safe to leave.

"I am unable to involve myself in battle with Zeus. Any Olympian will be weak against him on Mount Olympus. But unlike Artemis and Athena, who are willing to risk fighting him at a disadvantage, I am confined here. But I can keep Hera safe. If she is interested in giving the amazons and Herculean soldiers her blessing, then you talk about the rebellion and that you are one of the mortals her husband failed to smite in Sardis. If she wavers, it will be out of fear of retribution.

"That is when you make the connection: she is invited here to marry the amazons and soldiers, and she has my protection. She may stay as long as she would like."

 

[tbgg]

Kell blinks thoughtfully. "Well, this answers one concern I've been thinking about - how to persuade Hera she'd be safe if she agreed to either aid us, or to not actively aid Zeus."

"I assume Zeus can come her if he wants, being the chief Immortal. Do you have either a way to keep him out or else a way to fight against him if he should come here? If I were in Hera's shoes, I'd want an understanding of the protections you have here before I'd agree to come."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Hades replies, "I told you I cannot join the battle against Zeus because I am confined here. I am quite capable of fighting my brother. I would not go so far as to call myself his equal, but in my domain, the advantage is mine.

"Hera would understand that all Olympians have power in their own domains. It is the reason why Artemis was able to stop Zeus from finishing you with a single arrow, yet she dares not enter Hera's domain. Had Hephaestus kept his lab inside Arcadia's volcano, Daedalus would not have touched a blade to his back so easily. Apollo knew this, and took advantage of there being not one, but two Olympians out of their domains. If you had not been there to defeat the priest, Aphrodite would have been the next target.

"Hera cannot even defeat Zeus in her own domain. Her most powerful weapon is magic that alters your body into a bestial form. This magic is useless against Zeus. I doubt she will speak of allegiance to Artemis and Athena for fear Zeus will somehow know.

"If she comes here, she can speak freely without fear of retribution."

 

[tbgg]

Kell says, "I have one more question. Some of our business with Hera is rather delicate. I have the feeling those discussions may go better down here as there is less risk of one of Zeus' spies overhearing, and it may be easier for her to relax if she knows she won't have to face Zeus. Also, there is something I need to pick up from Scheria Bay for Hera. I am not necessarily opposed to going there to get it after we speak of our more delicate business, but if I can have it for her before we speak of the more delicate business, it would give her something to do while she's down here, assuming she stays. But that means an extra trip to Scheria Bay, at least for me. How would you advise handling that extra trip? Do we head for Scheria Bay once she agrees to do the ceremony? Or would it be better to accompany her back here and head to Scheria Bay from here?"


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Hades smiles.

"I think you and Hera can decide this together. She might take comfort in having an escort to guide her here safely. But I see no reason why you can't postpone your discussion until after the wedding ceremony, or I suppose you could arrange an escort or delivery. My understanding is that there is a strong economy in Hesperides. It may be possible for you to hire a delivery boy or an escort.

"Oh... and I do not say 'boy' out of carelessness. If you arrange for a delivery at Scheria Bay, make sure your mailman is indeed male. A bestial woman on the docks might attract the wrong crowd. And if you arrange an escort to bring Hera here, I suggest only female escorts.

"Whatever you decide, I will gladly accommodate you in whatever way I can. Perhaps Bob Oracle could help me arrange a means of communication from afar, if that proves to be a convenient option."

 

[tbgg]

Kell nods. "Long-distance communication might work. I'll have to ask Bob how the Graeae eye works. Another possible option is that I could summon a bird to deliver a message from Hesperides to Scheria Bay and ask my friend to have the item delivered here, but I don't know what she looks like or where she lives, so that one probably won't work."

"Thank you for your help."

She returns to the Amazons and soldiers, telling them, "It looks like the best bet is going to Hesperides and inviting Hera to come here to perform the ceremony. That will work for us on multiple fronts."

She gives them a moment to take in this news.


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[Legendary Sidekick]

To say that the couples find this news surpring is an understatement.

Alala is the first to pick up her jaw off the floor and speak. "Uh..." Sort of.

Saboath adds actual words. "You mean..."

Alala goes on, "Hera herself..."

"Is coming here?"

"To marry us... per--per..."

Both say "Personally?" at once.

The other couple is apparently not at the stage of intuitively finishing each other's sentences. Enyo and Ptolemy both interject at once. You can only make out a baritone "holy shit."

When Ptolemy reverts to stunned silence, Enyo asks, "Y'mean? Like? F'real?"

Bob says, "I can't believe I'm not airing any of this!"

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn grins at the warriors' reactions, then at Bob. "Maybe you should find Graeae and bring her back here. I'm sure a wedding involving Hera herself would bring in a lot of viewers!"

 

[tbgg]

Kell clarifies quickly, "Well, we still have to ASK her. She hasn't agreed yet. But we're going to give her as many reasons as possible to say 'yes'. So don't go all crazy just yet." She smiles at them reassuringly.


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Bob replies to Sigrlinn, "Oh! You're so right about that!"

When Kell mentions that Hera's presence is not a sure thing, he says, "Oh. Well, uh… then I might need Hades' permission to stay a while. I guess the engagement makes a great Personal Story episode. But… I might have to hunt for some other stories. I'm sure I can find a few good ones."

Alala throws her arms around Kell. The large woman's embrace is surprisingly gentle. When she steps back, her face suggests tears should flow from her eyes, but the eyes remain dry.

"I appreciate you asking. I didn't actually expect her to—I mean—I didn't even expect you to ask such a thing, but I am grateful. We can wait."

Saboath nods, "We will. We'll be praying for you. I guess I'll pray to Apollo and Hades. Maybe I can actually hear an answer."

 

[tbgg]

Kell hugs Alala, smiling. "Well, I'm glad to help, but my willingness is largely because the circumstances are favorable. Regarding our personal business with her, we NEED her in a place she can feel safe, and here happens to be safe. So hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone."

Releasing Alala, she asks, "Might you have a moment to answer a question? There's something I'd like to ask you about. You, specifically. Two things, really."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

"Me?" Alala looks at Saboath, then at Enyo. "Heh...ahhhh...yeah, okay. Ask away."

 

[tbgg]

Kell asks Alala, "Might we speak privately? I'm not sure anyone else would be all that interested by what I have to ask."

She glances around, looking for any kind of quiet corner or private alcove. "Ummmm, I just arrived here. Where *does* one go for a private conversation?" She looks at Alala a little sheepishly.


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Alala leads Kell to a plateau overlooking the River Styx. Some harpies soar through the air, but are well out of ear shot. The harpies keep picking up bones, then tossing them to some dogs. One dog has three heads, another has two heads, and there is a pack of dogs attached to the upper body of a single woman.

Alala says, "I'm still trying to figure out the deal with all these dogs... anyway, what's your question?"

 

[tbgg]

Ch.6: "Bob Oracle's Inferno" / The Underworld

Kell clears her throat, a little nervously. "It's about the two goddesses you said you worship, Athena and Hera...I'm kind of between gods right now in terms of who I worship. The short, short version is that while I as a nymph will always fall under Aphrodite for some things, I am free to worship whoever I want, and the two goddesses who appeal to me the most are Athena and Hera, Hera almost against my better judgment. We have not yet met either goddess face to face, though I suspect we will at some point. One thing I'm extremely curious about with respect to Athena is whether she's the goddess of more types of wisdom than just battle wisdom. Battle wisdom would be extremely useful to me where I am in my life right now, but I'm wanting to know if there's more to her than that. If, say, I was having a fight with a friend, could I pray to her for wisdom about how to handle it? If I needed to make a decision about whether or not to destroy a valuable item, could she provide wisdom for such a request?"


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Alala thinks a moment. "Oh… I don't know how to choose between the two.

"For matters involving my queen, I always turned to Hera. And if I can really marry here in the Underworld and if she can really be involved… I don't deserve such an honor! But my marriage will last, and I trust Saboath will be a good husband. But Hera sticks to her marriage eternally regardless of what some scholars say about Zeus' philandering. I mean no disrespect… I just heard stories, and maybe it's all they are is stories. But Hera remains the true wife in those stories, and I think for an ideal marriage, both husband and wife follow Hera's example. So I think Hera is the one to turn to for matters of the heart. Oh… and Aphrodite too, I'm sure. I just never really read up on her.

"Anyway, Athena's the one I turned to whenever I was faced with difficult decisions. I think she's the wisest of the Olympians, so not everything I pray to her is about battle and fighting and destroying things. Sometimes it's wiser not to fight, and any fool can destroy something valuable, but it takes wisdom and talent to create. I suppose the pottery I made in life is still in one piece. I guess Athena's the one to turn to for just about anything. She's a virgin goddess, but I think she's still good to pray to when it comes to the heart.

"That's where my prayers are focused now, so I'm praying to both. To Athena, so I make a good choice and stick by my choice and get to know Saboath until I have Hera's blessing. To Hera, that I stick to my marriage eternally like she does… though I'm gonna be the best wife ever, so Saboath better be the best husband ever!"

She asks Kell, "Do nymphs marry? Would you marry a male nymph? I can't tell you apart from other women, to be honest. You're very pretty if you don't mind my saying so, but I feel like I'm talking to a woman, not like… someone not human. I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. Heh… I'm trying to pay you a compliment, and I'm like, 'you're so normal.' I guess that's why I stuck to pottery while my sisters were out on manhunts."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn says, "The stories about Zeus' philandering are true, as far as I've seen. I'm not sure she stays with him out of love -- it seems to be mostly out of fear of his retribution if she did leave. I hope she can be brave enough to stand up to him and leave him. A marriage that came about like hers did shouldn't be valid in the first place. Zeus forced himself on her, as I understand it. That's something no woman deserves."