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I have my mother’s mouth and my father’s eyes

~Warsan Shire

from Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth

 

 

 


The room was stifling; beads of perspiration enclosed her. The now translucent cloth revealed her figure. Silver coils sprouting from their enclosure like lilies of the valley. The sweet tang of the blue lotus was muddled by the bitter flavor of leather that was caught between her teeth. Imprisoning the dreadful shrieks that were waging within. Each contraction felt like a million burning spears piercing every inch of her body.

This pain should’ve been lost to her; after all, she had already been through the trial of birth three times. However, it felt as though her fourth and last child will come into this universe like fires of the heated star. Scorching a path into this world through her mother.

Her eldest child Adama, held her mother’s hand tightly anchoring her pain onto her own. While her second eldest, Berhane, cooled her temple with the calm sweet waters of the Blue Nile.

Selene bites down on the leather strip as the next contraction pang her once more.

Through this pain, she spoke lovingly to her baby. Wanting to endowed upon the babe all her affection and aspirations; reveling in the excitement of this day despite her discomfort.

In her minds-eye, she pictured a girl; with silver coils like hers. All three of her daughters did not have her famous locks; they held a mixture of both Endymion and her.

She prayed that this child would have this one singular trait of hers. Skin melaninated with the golden glow like that of the lands of her father and mother.

Most importantly, she wanted the baby eyes to be like her fathers: Stormy gray pools that flash like lighting and trembled like thunder.

Her daughter would be a child of the heavens. Another birth pang struck her—in mere hours she would be holding the child that was promised.

 

 

 

 

No florid verses or saccharine ballads could give justice at the sight that was being displayed. It was a bard’s sweetest dreams and life’s work—and no fragment of a mortal’s imagination could ever give the right amount acclaim. The opulence of the hall was at most; a structure of epic proportions and most befitting to the divine. The honeyed nectar ran endlessly in golden goblets that shine bright like a diamond touched by light. Silk and satin fabrics of the most vivid colors mingled together. The music was rich while the harmonies of the Muses accompany along brought a divine sensation to the ears.

No words of the ill well or toxic gossip to spread amongst them tonight—only that of absolute pleasure. For tonight was means for celebration. An immortal was to be born—a child born to their sovereign lord and the lady of the most ancient house. All praise for this child was worthy of celebration and the immortals took to celebrate despite the fact that the child had not arrived yet.

In all his grandeur and valor, the king of the heavens and all those in the earthly domain seated amongst them. His countenance expressed the joys of a new father. Internally, there was an uneasiness to his spirit—like a serpent coiled itself around and constricting bringing forth fear.

What was the fear?

Silence…silence of another kind.

A silence that personified into the figure of Hera.

Hera.

Nine months.

She had kept a low profile for nine months. An action that was so foreign to her character and still her dramatics kept his mind uneasy with the unforeseen actions that she was plotting as they celebrated.

What was she plotting?

Never a child of his was kept from the wrath of Hera’s vengefulness. The only difference is that higher power than both him and her play in this matter—she wouldn’t dare touch the child and grandchild of Hyperion and Euryphaessa. It was that singular aspect that kept somewhat his worries still.

The major uneasiness surrounded his consort and his unborn child. Three hours had passed and still, there was no sign of his babe arrival. His manservant had already given him the latest update—Selene was still in labor and the child had yet to crown.

Taking a swig of his wine in an attempt to calm his nerves. His eyes turned to his family, friends, and allies—all of them, enjoying the feast for a child that had yet to be born.

He would take this moment allowing his worries to wash away and partake in the celebration of his newest offspring and not dwell on the unforeseen…even if he felt as though trepidation wasn’t so far from him.

 

 

 

Silence.

Silence encroached before them and yet, the loudness still found a way to capture only her senses. Hera stood silently seeing nothing but seeing everything. She was a woman humiliated and disrespected. Dishonored and rejected by her husband time and time again. No one bothers her when she was in one of her infamous moods. But this time was quite different from the others.

Iris was her mothers eldest, and favorite child—meaning, unlike her other siblings, she comprehended the dynamics of her mother’s behavior far better than them. The sight of her did not settle her temper. Something was off, and it went beyond her power.

Silently, she sent word to the only person that could bring sense to the situation; her brother, Ares. Her mother did not know of his arrival; for she had only wanted her, and knowing that her mother and brother’s relationship was at times a tremulous. Her good intentions could be paving the way to Hades instead.

“This is the dark night of the soul,” whispered the silent goddess as her mind relived her life so far. There was not a fate worst dealt than the one dealt with her.

The once youthful naïve girl she had once been; was now cold, designed by a mother whose eyes saw no ill towards one child and all the disgust for the others. To be broken by a man who only built her up to simply to destroy everything that was her—leaving this callous void of a woman. The feeling of resentment was a far greater feeling than jealousy.

Her blood was praying for vengeance of the swiftest and most beautiful kind. She wanted her retribution for the girl that had died centuries ago.

A death for a death—a perfect reflection of her life seen by others—a poetic justice of sorts. A disquieting leer shine from her beautiful features. The look of a predator than a queen.

 

 

 

She couldn’t withhold the sigh of content at the sight of her brother. Out of her siblings, she and Ares were the closest, due to them being raised in a similar fashion.

“Ares,” she pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Iris, your message was short,”

“I wanted you to see for yourself.”
“Mother is in one of her moods….after all, how will you feel if your husband and the rest of Olympus celebrate the birth of his bastard by his concubine.”

She stiffened in his embrace; in that moment he noticed his error. His apology was written in his eyes; she took noticed giving him a slight nod in understanding.

“This time it’s different…she’s not being her predictable self…she’s calm.”

Her expression was filled with uncertainty mirroring her words. Her actions caused him to be curious—never was there a time that his sister had caused to be distress about their mother like she was now.

He came to the conclusion that he wanted to see for himself.

“Does she know I’m here?”

“No, she barely has spoken or even acknowledges anyone…silent.”

“Mother? Silent? Now that is a sight I must see,” he smirked, causing his sister to roll her eyes.

“Ares, please, do not cause her to strike out at you…I feel she is not in the right spirit.”

“Iris you worry too much. After all, it wouldn’t be a meeting if mother and I were not at odds,” he gave her a kiss on her temple as he walked away.

 

 

 “Ares.”

Her voice still sent a chill through him even at this stage of his life—she still had the power of making him feel as though he was a youngling.

“Mother.”

“Your sister must have asked for your presence—for I did not.”

“Iris is concerned. She thought that if I was here I might be able to help,” he took to pouring himself a glass of wine; figuring if he was going to suffer in her presence then he might as well drink himself into a stupor.

“My poor naïve child...the difference between her and the rest of you will never seem to amaze me.”

“How so mother? The fact that she was the father of another and the rest fathered by your most hated enemy?’

Hera turned in his direction with eyes that pierced like lightning striking the earth. Ares, on the other hand, did not back down.

Hera took notice of her firstborn son; like his sister Bellona, they had inherited both her ebony locks and emerald iris. However, Ares was another breed out of all of her children; resembling so much of both his father and grandfather in looks and attitude; that she felt a deep-seated sickness within her being whenever she was near him. An abhorrence that had never truly left her even now as she lay eyes upon him.

“You speak as though you have an authority on the dynamics of your father and my marriage,” she turned to him, “your presumptions will make you a bigger ass than you already are.”

“Presumptions, mother?  You’ve taught me quite well never to presume—I speak as one who simply observed the interactions of both father and you. Whenever I was given the honor to grace either one of your presence.”

“And still look how you turned out.”

Ares choose not to humor her comment and continued on, “Nine months for the Queen of the Heavens to be absent? You and I both know how insidious court can be; especially, when the stench of scandal is easing in the atmosphere.”

“If you believe that I care about the gossip and foolish trifling of those fools; you, my son, are as much a fool as them.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Because horseshit holds nothing to your declaration you just gave.”

“Why are you here boy!”

“Unlike my dear sister, I am not blinded by the dramatics you pull! I’m quite aware that you want to enact a vicious attack on Selene and her child, but cannot.”  

The room was quiet and the tension was obvious between son and mother. Hera eased herself towards her son in measured steps like a lioness on the prowl. Her eyes shined like the eternal fires of Hestia—there was an edge, something deadly lay within those irises that brought trepidation to his being. She stopped in front of him—bending her head slightly in the inquiry. This child of hers had been the bane of her existence and now she looked at him as the visage of her retaliation.

“My dear boy…there are ways to get around higher power.”

 

 

The contraction was sharper—setting her body up on the bed. Her mind was focus solely on the life that wanted to be brought forth onto this world.

“The child is crowing, my lady!” spoke the midwife. Her feet dug into the bed; she bit into the leather strap as she felt the baby begin to crown. She pushed once more—the heels of her feet dug into the sofa; holding onto the strength of her daughter. The force brought upon her a strength within her as the midwife encouraged her onward.

Relief was what she felt.

Her body sank into the sofa—but the most important and exhilarating emotion was hearing the sweet sound of her newborn cry.

Her eldest removed the leather strap from her lips. Her voice hoarse but felt the warmth of a mother asked to see the child.

The midwife walked towards her with the babe in her arms securely. The sight of her was everything and more then what she expected—there lay her child with eyes that flash like lightning and hair of starlight with skin melaninated.

The child she had foreseen in her dreams was there before her—and nothing could prepare her how beautiful the babe truly was. However, there was only one singular thing she wanted to know more. The midwife must have seen the question that lingered unspoken. 

“My lady, you’ve given birth to a girl.”

A cry of joy came forth from her lips the child that she was promised had finally been born to her.

 

 

 

The sweet sound of Apollo’s lyre stopped abruptly causing everyone to stall in their actions. Murmurs took on where the music had left.

“Why did he stopped?”
“Did he see something—“

“I wonder did the child arrived yet?”
All these questions circulated around the room—when the sudden arrival of a nameless attendant. From his garb, he held his house allegiance belonged to that of Selene.

He moved in quick steps towards the King of the immortals; once in a suitable distance he bowed and took command of the room.

“It gives me the highest honor and privilege to announce the safe arrival of the child to my humble Lady Selene.”

Cheers of congratulatory engulfed the room as high regard and praises were given to the moon goddess safe delivery of her child.

Silence once more filled the room as the attendant continued on, “The child was born a girl.”

Murmurs filled the room—as everyone tried to figure out the reaction to the news that a goddess was born from the union of Zeus and Selene.

“Her name? What is the child’s name?” Zeus spoke, quieting the murmurs and wanting to know the name of his child.

“The child’s name is Pandia Ersa Nemea.”

 

 


 






Chapter End Notes:

The chapter breakdown will be posted tonight. 







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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.