(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter Seventy-Nine
"No wonder Hera was furious." Hearing Eris's explanation, Hemera finally understood and silently lit a row of candles for her queen.
The feud between Hera and Demeter, mother and daughter, had a long history, stemming from Zeus.
Zeus wasn't truly fond of his lovers; he was simply naturally promiscuous. He wanted to seduce any beautiful god or mortal he saw. This wasn't unusual among the Greek gods; everyone did it, except Zeus was a bit more promiscuous.
But of all people, Zeus chose to seduce Demeter after marrying Hera, hoping to rekindle their old flame.
Hera and Demeter initially had a good relationship, being sisters and sharing the experience of being in Cronus's womb. While Hera felt affection for Zeus, who rescued her, a closer look reveals that the initial relationship between Hera and Demeter was actually better than that between Hera and Zeus.
Furthermore, few gods knew that Hera was initially unwilling to marry Zeus because Demeter was his wife. She only agreed later because Demeter told Hera that she had broken up with Zeus.
This was evidenced by Demeter's long stay on Earth, her absence from Mount Zeus, and her fathering of Pluto, the god of wealth, with Iasion.
Hera believed Demeter's words and agreed to marry Zeus. This explains Hera's anger when Demeter and Zeus had Persephone; she felt deceived and betrayed by her own sister.
Having finally been persuaded to abandon her pursuit of Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, now grown up, had an affair with Zeus and fathered the horned god Zeureus. Zeus even placed the newborn Zeureus on his throne, brandishing his weapon, the thunderbolt, with his tiny hands, implying that Zeureus would inherit his throne.
With old and new grudges combined, it's no wonder Hera was furious. Fearing to anger Zeus, Hera dared not act directly, so she instigated the Titans to kidnap Zeureus.
Hera: I merely spoke with other gods, discussing Zeus's chosen successor, and perhaps complained a bit. What they imagined or did has nothing to do with me.
The usually upright and honorable Queen has surprisingly learned indirect methods! So, Your Highness, have you finally decided to become a master of palace intrigue? I'm strangely touched (ω)
As it turns out, indirect methods are often more effective than direct confrontation. After a series of events—"Zagrius escapes in various forms," "the Titans lure him with rattles, castanets, and mirrors," "the young god is attracted by his own reflection in the mirror," and "the Titans seize the opportunity to capture him, strangle him, and tear him apart"—Zagrius was finally, much to the Titans' delight, boiled and eaten by the Titans.
Ahem, sorry, wrong word. It should be that Zagrius was horribly dismembered and cannibalized.
Fortunately, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, happened (?) to discover this, rescued Zagreus's heart, placed it in a small box, and brought it to Zeus. Zeus swallowed it, preserving Zagreus's mind, thus leading to Zagreus's reincarnation as Dionysus.
Athena, daughter of Metis, Hera's first wife, is a professional at causing Hera trouble for 30,000 years—you deserve to be associated with her.
Stepmother Hera: I only remember you.
"And then?" Hemera didn't believe that Hera would stop so easily, given her temperament.
"Then Semele, the princess of Thebes, was struck by lightning." Omitting the beginning and middle, Eris accurately summarized the outcome in one sentence.
Hermera: -_-|| Eris, could your story be any shorter?
Here are the details →_→
Hera, the Queen of the Gods, was furious upon learning of this. She transformed into Semele's old nanny and urged the princess to demand that Zeus use his thunderbolt as a symbol of their marriage and to celebrate their wedding with thunder and lightning.
This woman was unstoppable when she was determined to do something reckless. Zeus repeatedly explained the consequences, but to no avail; Semele simply wouldn't listen.
Zeus: I'm so tired. I feel like I'll never love again.
Deep down, Zeus didn't want to agree. Being tricked into killing his lover was incredibly humiliating. But beforehand, Zeus had sworn an oath by the waters of the Styx that he would never refuse any request Semele made.
Afraid to break his oath, Zeus had no choice but to agree. And so, unsurprisingly, Semele was burned to death in the thunder and lightning.
"Is this a real-life version of 'being arrogant and getting struck by lightning'?" Hermes genuinely didn't know how to describe Semele.
Pregnant women should stay in a safe place to rest, but this one insisted on comparing herself to Hera, hoping to have the same honor as Hera. Now look what happened, she's brought it on herself.
"I think 'being arrogant and getting struck by lightning' is more fitting for her," Eris sincerely admired Semele's reckless (and neurotic) madness.
"Then let's call it 'being arrogant and getting struck by lightning,'" Hermes concluded.
Semele died, but the child in her womb survived. After all, this was the reincarnation of Zagreus, so it had to be saved.
The goddess of childbirth, Electia, took the premature infant from Semele's womb and gave it to Hermes. Hermes then gave this unharmed infant to Zeus, who sewed it into his thigh until full term before taking it out.
Simultaneously achieving numerous biological and medical miracles, including "technological advancements from plant tissue culture to animal tissue culture," "male reproduction," and "uterine reconstruction," we should thank Zeus for his outstanding contributions to science.
Because Zeus had difficulty walking while conceiving Dionysus, the child was named Dionysus, meaning "lame one," also implying "Zeus's rotten leg."
I don't know what others think, but to me, the meaning of this name couldn't be worse. Couldn't it have been a more auspicious name? Even something meaning "resurrection," "rebirth," or "flying away from death" would be better.
Something seems off here. Speaking of "flying away from death," do you really remember this is Greek mythology and not Harry Potter?