Hera stood on her balcony for a long time after Zeus left, watching the sky darken with the coming night. The fading gold bled into violet and deep blue, the first stars trembling faintly in the heavens above Olympus. A faint breeze rustled her hair against her cheeks, carrying the last warmth of the day away into the silent evening.
Slowly, a smile curved across her lips.
She turned from the balcony, her crimson robes swirling softly around her ankles as she stepped back into her dim chamber. The burning sandalwood embers pulsed softly in the brazier, casting thin shadows across the gauze curtains drifting from the ceiling.
She clapped her hands once, sharply.
A young servant girl appeared from behind a hanging veil, bowing so deeply her forehead almost touched the marble floor.
"Bring Poseidon to me," Hera said, her voice calm, almost gentle, but edged with quiet command. "Tell him I wish to speak with him in private tonight."
