The Heart of the Hearth

I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my little brother’s mouth. He had just blatantly said that he should be the King of the Gods. I mean, I know we own him a lot for saving us from father, but for him to just come out and say it was a bit much. And the others thought so too.

“What?!” A few voice rang out together. I think it was Poseidon and Demeter. I was staring at the table. I looked up to see looks of disbelief and anger on the faces of my siblings.

“Why should the Sky reign over everything?” Hades growled, “How is it more important than the Earth or the Sea, the Harvest or the Hearth?”

“If the Sky did not exist, there would be no rain to fill the Sea or water the Harvest, no water to nurture the Earth or tame the Hearth. The Sky reigns over it all.”

I didn’t want to agree with him, but what Zeus said was true. Life needed the Sky. But I didn’t agree with how he thought that it made him better just because he was the god of the Sky.

“But why must you be this almighty ruler?” Hades was mad. No, he wasn’t mad; he was beyond mad. I looked from Hades to Zeus. Hades defiance was beginning to get on Zeus’s nerves as well.

“Are you saying that you wish to challenge my rule?” Zeus’s voice boomed, shaking the table. No, it shook the room. It startled me. I had never seen this side from any of my siblings, especially not the youngest.

“Do you wish to test your Earth against my Sky?”

This time it wasn’t Zeus’s voice that got my attention. It was what he had said that caught my attention. The way he talked about his powers, he acted as if he owned the Sky itself. It aggravated me a little. Not only did he act like he ruled over all of us, he was acting as if he ruled over the Sky itself.

“Guys, please settle down.” Hera spoke. “There is no reason for this fighting.”

“Hera’s right.” I added, “Fighting isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Stay out of this unless you wish to pick your side!” I flinched at his words. They hurt not just my ears, but my heart as well. I felt my eyes begin to tear up.

“Then excuse me.” I said, standing to my feet. I turned and swiftly left the meeting room. I didn’t even bother to push my chair in. I didn’t run until I had stepped through the door. When I began running, I didn’t stop. I sprinted straight for the grant staircase, heading for the third floor. I darted passed all the servants, ignoring them as they asked me what was wrong. I came to the elegant double doors that lead to my room. I threw them open and threw myself on my bed on the other side of the room. I grabbed my crimson sheets in my fists as I pushed my face into my pillow.

What was going on? Where did everything go wrong? We had just been saved from our father’s stomach by our youngest brother. This was suppose to be our time of rejoice and reunion. We were suppose to be coming together as a family, not arguing over who should rule.

“This isn’t right.” I cried into my pillow.

There was a knock at my door.

“Hestia?” A voice spoke from my doorway. “May I come in?”

I didn’t answer him. I knew he would come in if I said nothing. He would only go away if I told him to. I wanted him to come in, but I didn’t want to say it. I really didn’t want to say anything right now. I felt a weight on the left side of my bed. A hand lightly rested on my shoulder. I turned my head, looking through my hair.

“Poseidon?”

“Yes?”

“Why is this happening?” I croaked. “We were just saved. Life should be falling into place. Why does everyone have to fight?”

“Come here.” He held his arms out. I sat up and crawled over to my big brother. He pulled me into his lap, holding me. I buried my head in his chest, muffling my sobs with his robes.

“I’m not sure why this is happening.” he whispered to me as he rested his head on the top of mine. “But I do know that we have to look forward to brighter days.”

I pulled my head back, looking up at him. He was smiling down at me.

“Okay?”

I nodded my head. “Okay.”

“That’s my little sis.” He kissed my forehead and set me down on my bed. He stood up, turning to head toward my bedroom doors.

“Is the meeting still going on?”

“Yes, but you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I’ll just tell the others that you fell asleep.” He turned to leave again.

“No.” I wiped my hands across my face, trying to erase my tear tracks. “I’m coming with you.” I stood and walked across my room to him.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to Hestia.”

“No, I need to.” I said, “I’m now a goddess of Olympus. I can’t always be running from what I don’t want to accept.”

Poseidon smiled at me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“You’ve grown.”

I smiled at him as we turned to leave my room and head back to the meeting room.