The tale of Hera Vol. 1.1 Chapter 5.2 - Son of Atreus

With his eyes tightly shut, Menelaus let tears stream down his face and muttered softly in a defeated and melancholic expression.

“I must be pathetic… I know. I… I don’t want to keep hiding like this all the time either! But you’ve also seen my older brother, so you’ll understand. My older brother has already grown an incredible body to the extent that people are already saying he’s a son of Zeus. Maybe he really is, born from our mother’s affair, a child of Zeus. I’m father’s son, and I’m not the son of Zeus in the first place, so even when I become an adult, maybe I won’t ever be able to compete with my older brother on an equal footing.”

“…..”

“So, what’s the use of all this!”

While hiding, Menelaus kept a firm grip on the toy sword, which he held like his life depended on it. He then looked at the sword for a moment and suddenly struck the floor in frustration.

“Even if I try so hard that my palm splits and blood comes out, it’s just a waste of time. Compared to my older brother, I’m inferior in everything… What’s the use of it all.”

“Menelaus.”

I spoke in a calm voice.

“Listen carefully. The notion that your brother is a son of Zeus is nothing more than a rumor circulating among humans. It could even be something he made up and spread himself. As you grow older, you’ll find that what others say about you matters more than the truth itself. You’re still young, so don’t be swayed by such things. Don’t doubt your mother’s unshaken integrity just because of some baseless talk. Agamemnon is not a son of Zeus. Menelaus, he’s your older brother, born a few years before you.”

“How do you… know that?”

With a crease forming on his rounded nose, Menelaus looked at me with unbelieving eyes. I replied:

“Well, the name Agamemnon doesn’t appear among the sons born of Zeus through his affairs. No matter how crafty Zeus might be, he couldn’t deceive me in that regard. When his offspring born of an affair spit out amniotic fluid and were assisted in birth by the goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, who also happens to be my daughter, she would inform me directly. So, there can be no secrets from me regarding that fact.”

“What? The goddess of childbirth is your daughter…? Are you really…”

Menelaus’ voice gradually faded and eventually turned into a whisper.

“Are you really… Lady Hera?”

I smiled but didn’t answer. I had already told the child everything I needed to tell.

“Ah…”

His round, wide blue eyes scrutinized me from head to toe. Soon after, Menelaus, who seemed to have regained his senses, hurried over to me and knelt down in front of me. Despite standing, he had a stature smaller than a young goat, and as he crouched down, Menelaus’ body appeared diminutive, as if it could be held in one hand.

“If you are truly Hera, please grant my wish. My wish is for Menelaus, the son of Atreus, to become an invincible warrior who is unmatched by anyone. Allow me to become an unparalleled hero. Then, on the day I become an adult, I will lead five hundred well-raised heifers to the Hera temple in Mycenae as an offering.”

Menelaus pleaded.

Seeing Menelaus’ desperate eyes fixed on me, I was suddenly reminded of the rules of the contest that Zeus had mentioned.

‘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.’

And Zeus’ response to Athena’s words also came to mind.

‘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.’

Looking at the face of Menelaus, who was on his knees like a small sapling rooted to the ground and was gazing up at me without blinking, I realized that this child was the human I needed to bring back before Zeus.

Ah, it was a rare pleasure to converse with an innocent child untouched by the world. I completely forgot about the match and lost track of time. Athena should have returned by now. I don’t think there would have been any surprises. Aphrodite might have put up a fight, but she probably entered the finish line a little later compared to Athena. However, the golden apple would undoubtedly belong to the goddess Athena.

If I were to return empty-handed as the last participant, it was clear that I would become a laughingstock among the gods.

That’s right. Perhaps Zeus desires something like this. If I had humiliated him at every Olympus assembly of the gods, this time it was my turn to be humiliated in the presence of the goddess Thetis and the mortal king Peleus, who were watching me lose in the competition.

However, I didn’t want to take the child with me. I didn’t feel right about it for some reason.

“Lady Hera…”

Meanwhile, Menelaus’ face was stained with tears and mucus, as if he had been weeping with a burdened heart. I couldn’t help but release a heavy sigh.

“Where in this world can you find a hero shedding tears so easily?”

Kneeling on one knee in front of the young prince, I spoke as I lowered my head.

“Sniff, sob… sniff… Lady Hera. Please grant my wish. Then I won’t cry. Hnngh…”

Menelaus began to cry even more sorrowfully, as if I had urged him to do so.

“Stop crying. The composed demeanor you displayed earlier was all an act. Menelaus, if you continue crying like this, I have the power to cast a curse that will ensure your wish is never granted.”

I felt as if I had returned to the path of parenting, a journey I thought I had graduated from after raising Hebe, as I held Menelaus in my arms and consoled him while tears and snot streamed down his face. After crying for about five minutes, Menelaus finally seemed to run out of tears, and all that came out of his nose was a faint whistling sound.

“Menelaus.”

“…Yes.”

“You’re still young. If you continue to put in the effort as you are now, in 17 years, not only Agamemnon but even Odysseus of Ithaca won’t be a match for you. Do you understand? It’s not because I granted your wish that it turned out this way. I’ve simply glimpsed the future that lies ahead of you. Why would you want to lazily acquire something with the power of the gods when you can achieve it through your own efforts?”

“Lady Hera. 17 years is so long…”

Menelaus whined like a kitten.

“Agamemnon always says that my weakness is due to neglecting physical training, and as a result, he hangs me from the ceiling for hours each time…”

That’s probably why he seemed even more eager to defeat his brother.

“Someday, when you’ve grown up, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to surpass Agamemnon. But are you going to beg for the power of the gods for immediate results? Menelaus, you’re only seven years old. The teasing you endure at seven will be forgettable, but the shame you experience at twenty-four will be etched into your bones.”

I released the child from my embrace and looked into his blue eyes.

“Which do you choose, Menelaus?” 

I asked.

“Do you wish for the immediate power to lift Agamemnon with one hand and hang him from the ceiling? Or do you hope to become the victor in the grand competition hosted by the King of Sparta when you are twenty-four, surpassing your brother and the finest warriors from all over Greece?”

“…A victor. Hic, hic.”

Menelaus covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a hiccup. As he did, his tiny shoulders shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

“It’s because you were nervous. Have some of this.”

I summoned a piece of ambrosia, which was always placed on the silver plate on the dining table in my bedroom, between my index and middle fingers. Menelaus looked at what I had summoned with wide eyes. Ambrosia, which the immortals ate when they came down to the human world, shone brightly in the form of a small sphere.

“Ah, go on and eat.”

Menelaus obediently opened his mouth. After pushing the small sphere of light into his mouth, I spoke.

“Don’t swallow it all in one bite; hold it in your mouth. Once it melts and becomes soft, then you can swallow. Understand?”

“…..”

Menelaus nodded, indicating that he understood. I stood up as if I had completed my task. As I silently called the names of the lionesses in my mind, I could feel them approaching me.

 

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