Hera cocked a brow, skeptical. Oh, she remembered how he had laughed along with Poseidon's jokes. She rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her seat against the cushions. Yet as she did so, there was a knowing smirk on her face. The kind she had when she knew he was aware she was right.<br/><br/>"Oh, really? Is that why you were laughing?" Hera teased him, her voice smooth as silk, but without bitterness. She recalled that quite clearly. At the time she had felt shamed and weak. She had striven to be strong, stronger even than her brothers to show that she more than deserved a place upon their council. The mockery had only added to her resentment. Poseidon shut his mouth though, once Hera had mercilessly beaten him in sparring. He might have had the advantage of his power over the sea, but he had relied so heavily on them he had neglected his weaknesses. It had been easy to best him, use his own cockiness and tempestuous nature against him. They had both been soaking wet by the end of it, but he had never dared laugh in her vicinity again.<br/><br/>Hades, however, had not so much as breathed a word of mockery about anyone. He had always been reserved and aloof, but respectful and productive. When Hera had forced herself into the war councils, Hades had advocated for her inclusion. While she could never definitively say they were particularly close, they had been allies, despite their opposing natures. Hades had a common sense and purpose, a clear direction and dedication that not even his brothers could match. Never bragged though. She had once asked him why he didn't speak more. His answer had been a shrug and that he only preferred to speak when necessary. When the incident with Persephone had happened, Hera had tried to work out the possibility of Persephone voicing her own desires. In the end, however, she had been stuck attempting to navigate between a hysterical Demeter and Zeus attempting to mollify both parties instead of the girl in question. She had been able to get a few precious words in before being shut out entirely.<br/><br/>"I've seen him a handful of times over the past few centuries, yes," Hera answered, then fell silent as the waitress came out with their meals and wine. Once the girl had been thanked and left, she continued. "Never without Persephone, though. She's amused by all the fascination surrounding them in recent years, though she did say she could do without them constantly making her an innocent little girl. Demeter can say what she will, but Persephone was never that naive. Hades would not have even looked twice at her if she had been."<br/><br/>Demeter, while her love for her daughter was undeniable, had been as overbearing as she was suffocating. So paranoid was she that she had taken her daughter to be raised outside of Olympus. It was no wonder that when the girl had finally arrived she had known no one and found herself on the receiving end of gods wishing to bring her beauty to their beds. By no means did Hera think herself a perfect mother, but Demeter's near obsessive attachment had made her skin crawl. Perhaps Persephone had found a degree of independence and peace of mind with Hades.<br/><br/>And then Zeus finally seemed to catch on to what she had said, and his disbelief made her burst out laughing. Did that really surprise him?<br/><br/>"My dear, I am the goddess of marriage," she responded once she had recovered from her fit of laughter. "The domain, as I have found, comes with its terms and conditions. One of them being that none of my many admirers over the years has ever gotten more than a flicker of notice from me because I am already wed. However, I like to think I have become rather adept at warming my own bed."<br/><br/>With that last little remark, she took a sip of her wine.