The tale of Hera Vol. 1.1 Chapter 4.2 - The Golden Apple of Discord

“She gives me the creeps.”

“What’s with the swarm of flies? She’s a goddess in name… Ugh, she’s quite unbecoming of being one of the Olympian gods.”

“What can you do? Just understand. She’s the daughter raised by the goddess of Night, Nyx, alone. A daughter raised without a father can’t have a normal disposition.”

As the goddess disappeared, the fear that had been suppressing their voices seemed to disappear as well. While everyone was looking up at the sky and expressing their thoughts one by one, I looked at the ground for a while and ended up facing the golden apple on the table.

Someone approached it and reached for the apple. It was the goddess Athena. She carefully examined the surface of the golden apple with curious eyes. Athena genuinely seemed to appreciate the gift from the goddess Eris. Like a boy who had stumbled upon gold buried in the earth by chance, she burst into a spirited laugh and raised the hand holding the apple high.

Then she shouted.

“Well, then, who will have it? Or… can I have it? The goddess Eris said the one who takes it first becomes the owner, after all.”

Athena looked at Zeus.

“Father, please affirm that I am the owner of this apple.”

“…..”

Zeus remained silent for a long time, resting his chin on his hand. As time passed, Athena’s confident smile faded. Athena seemed to be holding back from urging Zeus for an answer, much like a child trying not to pester for a toy.

A voice was heard.

“The mighty Zeus, who brings forth dark clouds.”

At that moment, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, stood up from her seat and walked towards the table, standing before us. Seeing the golden apple of Eris, she seemed to desire it just like Athena did.

“I shall inquire if Athena and I can compete for the position of the owner of the golden apple.”

“It’s already too late. If you wanted the apple, you should have quickly shed those plump, jiggling hips and moved swiftly.”

Athena growled. Aphrodite seemed momentarily taken aback by the harshness of the goddess’ words, but quickly regained her composure and stared back at Athena with determination.

“It may have been thrown by Eris, but considering it grew under the rule of Lord Zeus in the heavens above, shouldn’t the golden apple be seen as a possession under his authority? Yet you pick it up with your nimble hands like a thief, and claim to be its owner?”

“Don’t try to accuse me of being a thief. Why, envious that you don’t possess a lithe body like mine? Then perhaps you should start by shedding the useless lumps of fat hanging around your collarbone and beneath your pelvis.”

In response to Athena’s sneer, Aphrodite swept down her hands over the curves of her feminine body and then placed one hand on her slender waist, speaking.

“Hahaha, maybe it’s because you’re a goddess overflowing with wisdom that your spoken words sound so refined. But wow, the things you say are truly full of manners, aren’t they? Why are you so fixated on criticizing my body? Do you think being born like this is easy? Actually, aren’t you the one who’s envious of my body? No matter how much humans admire you as the goddess Athena, is there even a single person in this world who would love a body like a crooked, twisted piece of wood? I feel sorry for you as it seems your unfulfilled desires as a woman seem to explode at the sight of me.”

“You… all bark and no bite.”

As Aphrodite glared at her with disdain, Athena turned her head towards Zeus and shouted like a young savage beast.

“Father! The goddess of beauty is not qualified to be the owner of the golden apple. I request, no, implore you to confirm that I picked the apple first, to attest this once again!”

“Lord Zeus.”

Aphrodite spoke, looking at Zeus with impeccable timing.

“Goddess Eris stated that the golden apple is meant for all the guests attending the wedding, whether immortal or mortal. There will surely be many who desire the golden apple among those present here, apart from me. However, as the illustrious goddess Athena claims to possess the apple, her forceful assertion might be suppressing other contenders from expressing their intentions. Therefore, I humbly beseech that Zeus, in his wisdom, establishes a fair contest where the victor shall be granted the golden apple.”

Aphrodite looked at Athena.

“Having a remarkable physique on par with the heroes, the goddess Athena would easily secure the first place in any contest’s rules. Am I wrong in my assessment?”

Athena bit her lip. Her assertive nature had never allowed her to back down from any challenge or competition presented to her. She lacked a solid basis to counter Aphrodite’s statement, and refusing a competition would undoubtedly damage her hard-earned reputation. 

With a chagrined expression, Athena reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“Very well. I, Zeus, shall hold a competition with the golden apple as the prize. Is there anyone else here who has yet to voice their opinion, fearing Athena’s judgment?”

Zeus scanned the audience, hoping to gather more participants for the competition. However, most were simply avoiding the intimidating gazes of the two goddesses, praying for this moment to pass quickly. I, too, found myself absentmindedly looking at Aphrodite. Her exquisite form was a delight to the eyes, even for a woman.

“It can’t be helped. However, for the competition to be exciting, an odd number of participants would be better than even.”

Zeus spoke, his voice tinged with a strange sense of enjoyment.

“Hera.”

At that moment, unexpectedly, my name was called from beside me. I turned my head to see Zeus looking at me with one corner of his mouth raised in a smile.

“How about you? Don’t you want the golden apple from the goddess Eris?”

What kind of trickery is this now? A shiver ran down my spine. By the time I regained my senses, it was already too late.

“Listen, everyone. Let’s settle this with the golden apple as the prize, between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.”

As I stared dumbfounded at Zeus with a frozen expression, he opened his mouth and arbitrarily decided that I would participate in the competition.

The goddess Athena walked up to me. Her expression seemed more at ease, as if she had somewhat recovered from the discomfort caused by Aphrodite’s interference. She extended her right hand to me.

“It’s a great honor to compete against the esteemed Hera.”

I placed my right hand on top of hers. Her hand was rough enough to be that of a blacksmith.

As I stood up, Zeus began to applaud. His applause spread like waves, row by row, and then to the next, infectiously echoing throughout the audience. The spectators’ anticipation heightened the atmosphere. Zeus, the organizer of the competition, stood up with a determined expression, his chest puffed out, and he walked steadily toward the dais. As he stood before us, including me, the three goddesses, he opened his mouth to speak.

“I will explain the rules of the competition. I will use my abilities to transport you to a land you have never seen before. Your task is to go there and bring back the first thing you see. The one who arrives here the fastest with their chosen item will become the owner of the golden apple. Any questions so far?”

Athena scoffed, her arms crossed confidently as she snorted.

“Isn’t that too easy? Something like that could be done even with one leg, Father.”

“It might not turn out as you expect, Athena.”

Zeus said.

“I have already placed a strong curse upon the place you will go. Whatever you find there, be it an animal, a person, or anything else, unless you meet its conditions, you won’t be able to take a single step away from where you stand. So, to return faster than the other two goddesses and claim the golden apple, you will have to pay the appropriate price.”

“Wait and see. You will witness me come in first and acquire the golden apple.”

“We shall see.”

Zeus looked at his daughter, filled with competitive spirit, with a lenient gaze.

“Are you all ready?”

With an expressionless face, Zeus turned to Aphrodite and me and spoke. I glanced at Aphrodite. She was also looking in our direction. As if coordinated in advance, we both shook our heads simultaneously. When I looked at Zeus one last time, he had slightly closed his eyes and extended both palms towards us. I could feel his power enveloping me.

‘Zeus, what exactly are you planning now? Where are you intending to take me? Surely… you’re not trying to use this opportunity to address the grudges against me, are you?’

As I asked silently, I felt his power enveloping my body responding as if in answer.

‘Why, feeling scared now? Don’t worry, dear sister. I’m not as cowardly as you might think. I didn’t intentionally set unfair conditions just for you.’

At that moment, a strong light obscured my vision, causing me to tightly shut my eyes. When Zeus’ power that surrounded me began to fade away like the scent of incense carried by the wind, I slowly opened my eyes and looked ahead. The location had changed.

 

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