Hera had always taken Eris' comment as a joke, something to lighten the mood by mocking her father with how hopeless he would be with his wife gone. Yet perhaps it had never been just a joke. Perhaps Eris had always known this would happen as a result of her leaving. It had certainly haunted her enough over the years to give her more than a few sleepless nights. But this...she had never wished to be the cause of the pantheon's diaspora. She had only wanted to get away, to stop being angry, stop feeling sick whenever she woke up in the middle of the night to find herself alone in their bed. She had known they had all left, but never inquired as to the when or why. It was something personal for everyone. Her slender fingers found themselves fidgeting with the gold lotus pendent around her neck. It had been a gift from Eileithyia when she had officially opened<i>Teléia. </i>To a new beginning, she had said. Now Hera found herself wondering just what her new beginning had cost.<br/><br/>"That was never my intention," she sighed, looking away from him to the sanctuary she had built for herself, arguably her greatest success since her departure. "I did what I thought would be best for both of us. I even urged Ares and Hephaestus to stay by your side despite their feelings. As for Poseidon...I am sorry, that-that was uncalled for. No one could possibly be the monster he was, even if they tried."<br/><br/>Briefly she wondered if he had ever questioned Ares and Hephaestus, or Hebe for that matter, on where she was. Or had he simply thought it a fruitless endeavor from the beginning? Had he even tried? In all fairness, though, Ares was hardly the sort to admit anything to Zeus unless absolutely necessary, and Hephaestus certainly took advantage of the fact that most cared not to notice him at all. It made it easier for him to keep his own counsel. As for Hebe, she may have been small, but she had inherited her mother's stubbornness and sharp tongue. She and Herakles had debated leaving for some time, Hera knew that, but eventually they chose to leave. Luckily for them, Herakles was unlikely to fade, given how popular he was in the modern consciousness. It was nearly impossible to discuss ancient Greece without his name popping up somewhere, and Hera's along with it.<br/><br/>At the roll of thunder, Hera rose from her seat to close the window, just in time to avoid the following drizzle from dampening her carpet. It also helped to prevent him from seeing the walls crumbling around her heart. This was not her fault. How could she have known they would have all gone after her? She had thought they had simply tired of trying to hold onto power, that it was time to adapt instead of clinging to the past. It wasn't even as if they were the worst off. She knew several other pantheons in far worse states, some even resorting to eternal slumber until such a time they could wake with their powers renewed. By that logic, they would never wake again. She glanced at her old staff leaning next to her. When was the last time she had even touched it? Once it had been her symbol of power, her weapon against titans and giants alike, a show that she was more than just a pretty queen but her husband's equal in both counsel and war. Now it gathered dust in her office, to look upon with nostalgia and tell stories. Her lips pursed, she turned back to him, trying to school her features into a mask but failing. Hera had always hated how he did that to her, even before they were married. Back then it was because he had either made her laugh or made her angry, usually the latter.<br/><br/>"Where is Athena these days?" she asked once she had cleared her throat. Strange that she would advise Zeus to come to her of all people. Was the first time not proof enough they simply couldn't work? His very nature had made such a thing impossible. What exactly did she think would be different this time around? Had Athena not advised it, he likely would not have come to her at all. "Did she tell you anything else? Or was she as vague as an oracle?"