Gone with the Wind- Fig.
Gone, as if taken by the wind

ooOoo

A Cailfornia Gull's guffaw took her from sleep.

In reality, the sound came through her window with a brisk mourning chill. In her dreams, though, the gull's high-pictched wail was a fog horn, and she was drifting hopelessly off to sea, her paddles broken down to nubs, and the smudge on the horizon growing ever fainter. All hope was lost, and so was she. The tide was brutal, unforgiving, her raft nearly sunk beneath the waves, and she couldn't shake the feeling of utter horror and despair for the situation. She was doomed. Hopeless. Sunk.

She was trembling as the Gull sounded it's horn again. She was awake, more awake then she'd been in a long time, and frightened: she needed a sound reality, and she needed it fast.

Slipping from her woolen covers, Thalia was careful not to tred to close to the gap under her bed. Who really knows what's under there, anyway? Especailly now, when she's jumpy and her senses are fine-tuned. Maybe there really was something under there, it'd had happened before ... Thalia ran for the door.

Her plan from there was simple. Mommy doesn't like when Thalia comes into her room in the morning (or in the middle of the day, or in the evening, or at night, or-), so she'd see if Daddy was home and play with him.

Daddy hadn't been playing with her a lot, lately, but she was sure he'd be just around the corner waiting for her.

Why around the corner of all places? Why at exactly this moment? She was a little girl shaken up from her dream, in her mind Zeus was anywhere she needed him. Truth be told, anywhere she needed him was exactly where he wasn't.

Of course, Thalia didn't know that, and of course, it didn't stop her from looking. And then searching. Then searching again, and double-checking her double-check. She ended up checking a hard dozen times, dismay only seeping in on her final run.

At this point, she'd forgotten why she was so scared in the first place, and the dream (what dream?) just seemed silly. All that was on her mind now was her Daddy. He usually came home to play with Mommy by now, where could he be?

It didn't occur to her to acually check her Mom's room (but somehow in the toilet was plausible), becuase, again, she was a little girl- a pitcularly stubborn at that- and Daddy was where she thought he was. At the moment, that meant he was ... he was ...

On his way? Oh yeah, Daddy's on his way! He's coming soon. He'll be home in just a minute.

So, logically, that meant that her waiting on the porch made sense. He'd be there in the blink of an eye, she wouldn't even be out there long. He's coming soon, she can wait a minute.

And she did wait the minute. She waited a lot of minutes, in fact. A day's worth. And another day's worth after that. She waited, and waited, and waited all that time because, hey, he's coming soon, just another minute. And another. And another. And one more for good luck ...

It would only begin to sink in after three weeks of 'another minutes' that maybe all this waiting was in vain. Her ADHD was killing her, but ... he was still coming soon, then, and he'd still just be a minute. So yeah, she'd wait. She'd end up waiting all the minutes she could take.

ooOoo

Zeus hated groveling. Not his thing at all (yeah, HIS thing was mortal women on the side-). In fact, he posittively loathes groveling, especailly since for it he has to swallow his pride, and with how colassal his pride is, he ends up choking on it.

Though, Hera wouldn't mind if choked. She wanted him to suffer- writhe in deep, agnonizing pain, if possible- for all the misery he'd caused her. She wanted payback, sweet, sweet payback. Zeus wasn't surprised she was getting it, either. Hera somehow always gets her way.

As his daughter waited (-and waited, and waited all that time-) for his return, he dragged his hide back to Olympus.

Now, okay, yeah, I know what you're thinking, and I know why you're thinking it. To mortals, I guess it doesn't make much sense to go back to Hera, but to Zeus, there's perfect clarity to the situation. All too perfect clarity.

You see, gods and goddesses always have a way about them. The same way they had two million years ago, and same way they'll have in two million more. Because of that, they take predictable paths and lead predictable lives. They repeat (Back, and back, again, and back some more!). Over and over again, they make the same mistakes, and those same mistakes have the same outcomes: again, they're predictable.

And, yeah, if you're wondering they know they're doing it. Sometimes it's torturous to know you're comdemed to repeat yourself for all eternity, especailly when you've lead a life like Zeus.

But, they can't stop. They're Gods, have no creativity.

So, we're left with the question, why crawl back to Hera? Simple, actually. As hard as it is to think at a time like this, there was a point in time when Zeus' love for Hera was requited and boundless. Of course, it seems like a dream now: one you wake from feeling confused and dissoirented as to what it's supposed to translate to in reality. Even so, he knows it wasn't a dream, and he knows that because of it, he crawled back the first time he had an affair.

Now, because he has no creativty- no way to escape the invietable repetition- he's brought to his knees, grovelling. Ugh ... how he HATES grovelling. He'll still hate it two million years from now, too.

"... And so, my Queen, I am forever in your eternal debt for the ... monstrous, criminal atrocity I have disgraced your, eh ... generosity with."

Hera stood, unimpressed, "You were in my eternal debt the last three times."

"My Queen, I am such the fool," MIGHTY OLYMPUS HOW HE HATED GROVELLING! "I have brought-"

"Posies, yes, I realize- I have gardens of them now. Each bud representing another one of your harlots."

Zeus stares at her, "So ... you do not want the posies?"

Hera glared and snatched the flowers away, "Of course I want them, but that is not point!"

"Then, the point of course being ... ?"

Hera's eyes narrowed, "How am I to forgive you every time you betray my trust? Why should I not kick you to the curb?"

Zeus hesitated, tryng to think on his feet, "Eh, Dearest, you must know that I love you truly, and ... and I could not bear the thought of a life lived without your love. I need you. As my Queen, as my wife, and as my wisest council."

Hera was silent for a moment, calculating this new information. In that time, her stare was intense. To Zeus, it the look seemed to expose Hera's savage nature, how she was ruthless, how she was venomous. How mother knew best and how she'd prove it, whatever the cost. He realized he was holding his breath.

"You do need me, don't you?" she mused this, as if liking the sound of it. "Yes, you need me, I am your everything. You live to appease me. You said so yourself, do you recall?"

Zeus now frowned, "No, when did I-"

"In your vows."

Zeus swallowed wihout moisture, "Oh ... yes, now it's starting to ring a few bells ..."

Hera glared at him for a moment, then went on, "I have taken into consideration how desperately you need me, or how much you say you do, anyway," her looks pierced him in place. "and I have come to a decsion: I am willing to comprimise my integrity for the good of the council. I am no fool, I know what our squabbling is good for: starting uproar and disquiet. As well, I grow weary of all those stolen glances and unflatteringing whisperings when we walk into the throne room together. Do you realize how embaressing it is to have my own husband betray me?"

Zeus stepped back and gave a dashing smile, "Oh, dearest, never you mind them: they're not Queen of the Gods. They are not worthy of your displeasure."

"And you are? I am very displeased with you at the moment."

"Um ... why do we not remenise on what you were saying earlier- about how you are willing to forgive me- I like that part."

A fire ignited in Hera's eyes. Which was actually more like a dangerous, uproaring, unstoppable, untaimable inferno about to roast him alive. Zeus swallowed once more, and still, without moisture. "I never said I would forgive you."

"But-"

"I said," Hera went on. "that I am willing to comprimise my integrity for the council, and what I meant by this is that you are in deep trouble and I am willing to stoop down to your level and play dirty until you submit finally and completely."

Zeus could just barley hide the incredulous horror and disbelief erupting through out him, "... You ... what? No, no, that- you can't do that."

Hera crossed her arms, "Exactly why not?"

"You- you are a goddess! You can not just- eh- you do not ..." Zeus decided he hated stammering, too. He grew beat red with embaressment and anger, "I will not stand for such- such a mockery of ... ARGH! How are you doing this? HOW?"

"I am sure I have no ide-"

Zeus advanced, furious. "You have every idea! I could not do anything but what I am now, why are you not punishing me horribly? I had to leave my-"

"Oh, calm down, you flustered old wind-bag," Hera rolled her eyes for emphasis, enraging Zeus further. "You did not have to do anything- that is just your excuse: because you just had to cheat on me once again, and you just had to betray my trust. Have you no free will?"

Zeus glared at her. He stood silent, trying to evaluate the best come-back. What he came up with was so fiendishly clever, so out-roaroingly witty, that he himself had no idea what he actually wanted to say. So, intead, he mummbled a 'no, ma'am' and tried to leave.

But Hera wasn't done with him.

"Oh, just where are you going this time?"

Zeus stop in his tracks and sighed. Without a single glance her way, Zeus said the one thing he hated saying most, the one thing so rarely did he utter, but the one thing he knew made Hera's will crumble in his favour: "I am sending for the ... the marrige counciler ..."

OH, HOW HE HATED THE MARRIGE COUNCILING! SO INFINETLY MORE THAN GROVELING! SO, SO, SO MUCH MORE!

He heard Hera gasp, then run to him like she had so many times before. "Oh, my King, I knew you would come to your senses eventually."

Zeus didn't respond, he was lost to the world. His eyes fogged over as he slipped into a senseless state: deep thought. (-oh my King I knew you would obey I knew you would fall victim I KNEW you would MOTHER KNOWS BEST MOTHER KNOWS ALL Mother KNOWS you will BEG LIKE A DOG FOR YOUR TREAT BEG LIKE DOG ZEUSY BABY-)

"Sometimes, I'll admit, I have my doubts about you," Hera apparently didn't notice that he didn't care in the slightest.

(-what a good little doggy you are aren't you you're even house broken-)

"but then you do these things, and ... well, it makes me think you are not as big of mistake as I keep thinking you are. How does the saying go? Best mistake of my-"

(-oh such a good pup let Mother rub your belly Mother scratches all those little itches doesn't she NO NO NO NOT ALL ITCHES AND URGES MOTHER CAN'T SCRATCH THOSE DAMNED ONES but then who does who can-)

"life? Something like that, I'm sure, but it does not matter at any measure. I am just glad you have remembered your promises. Your vows, that is."

(-vows are as follows sit lie beg get the paper be a good little lord of Olympus be a good little pet BEG how she said ON HANDS AND KNEES good little dogs crawl back on hands and knees-)

So it came to be that Zeus and Hera went to marrige counciling. So it also came to be that Zeus started hating dogs as well.

ooOoo

A/N: Okay, so if it seems to you like Hera forgave Zeus a little quickly, that's good. Hold on to that, HERA'S WRATH HAS YET TO COME! MWHA HA HA! I'm feeling evil-ish today.

Also, October seems farther away than ever, doesn't it? We all miss you so much, Percy! Kick some Roman butt! Oh, and who else wants John Rocco (off the top of my head that's his name, I don't have time to check) pictures of Frank and Hazel to be released? I know a lot of the time the pictures didn't match what I had in my head, but hey, I'll take whatever S.o.N. stuff I can get :P