Hera's Embrace

As winter leaves the earth, she melted through nests of roots, rocks, earth, fire.

As summer's heavy breath, she was burned, boiled, absorbed, exhaled.

As with autumn's arrival, all of her was reaped, all of her was free.

Renewed, but not wholly formed, she floated up the long road towards heaven. She was free of mortal time. A season was as a day, a day as long as season. She drifted as clouds slowly gathering mass for the storm.

All that she was, no longer interesting. Her wretched husband, who gave to her two tender minutes, for a lifetime of suffering; the great pain and small joys vanishing as if belonging to someone else.

When the coalescence was complete Oenone stood in view of Olympus. Fantastic gates of rarest metals and gems dominated her view, larger than mountains, wrapping the peak shrouded in cloud; as she approached, those gates swung out to welcome her.

As Oenone entered, a womanly figure appeared. Terrible and beautiful, her arms outstretched, to greet the former nymph, now made godly. As Hera's strong arms cradled Oenone and Oenone embraced the Queen in turn.

"Welcome home, my dear." Hera's voice proclaimed sweetly, deceptively.

Oenone's heart glowed for the welcome; yet she knew, this place of light would never comfort her.

Her memories had left their tint on her heart; her home would belong to darkness.

The raspberry question answered...

There was time, when the world was young, that the Greenie faeries ruled. It was known to the rulers that the oppressed fae resented their masters.

One day in the early part of spring in the northwestern hemisphere. A Blue faerie was picking berries as was his slave job, his chains jingling with every step, he came across a new berry patch he had never seen before.

This patch had seemingly grown up overnight. It was a type of berry this faerie had never seen before; a beautiful blue and bubbly berry.

Cautiously he tried one. Delicious.

Along came an overseer Greenie.

'What are you doing there, Blue?', the Greenie yelled viciously.

A remarkable thing happened, when the Blue began to speak. Instead of his normally craven speaking voice, his voice changed and became deeper.

'None of your business!', the Blue exclaimed vigorously.

The Greenie was taken aback, never had a Blue spoken to Greenie so fiercely. He was frightened so he ran.

The berries had made the Blue brave. But there was a side effect. The Blue started getting bigger and bigger, smarter and smarter and then turned a lovely shade of brilliant red.

So he became the first red faerie. Up until now, no Blue had been given a name. They didn't realize that they needed one. When the first red got smart enough he asked himself, if all the Greenies have names, why shouldn't I?

So he listened. He shackles had burst but where still hanging off his legs. As he walked they made a small sound.
-RaspRasp- with one step.
-Rasp- with another.
He decided his name was Rasp.

After freeing his former brothers, Rasp became King of all faeries. His first decree was to make his berries slightly less powerful, Rasp being a wise man now, didn't want the berries to fall into the wrong hands.

When the magic was woven, the berries became smaller and sweeter and red.

Since then magicians throughout time has tried in vain to restore the power of Rasp's Berry, failing every time but producing many delicious fruit flavors, all of which are blue.

A dream of Persephone

Demeter's child lost to the catacombs of darkness, arises to find the world a green place. The humming of life new-borne, new-found, startles her awake.

One woman cannot wait to leave the misery that is spring. She the true consort and love of the most feared of Olympians. Her name is Oenone and death has transformed her.

Born a nymph, the spirit of wine, she lived a woman scorned by her husband for fair but vapid Helen, her death a sacrifice to her own remorse.

In the flames of the pyre, fueled by her dead husband's corpse, she prayed for forgiveness; she could have saved the man who burned beneath her. Her spite, for his wrongs, she could not forgive for herself.

Hera, mother, lover, spurned woman, heard Oenone's final prayer.

-- That bitch Aphrodite, she really caused a shit storm in the world, for her own vanity, Hera mused. I can mend one heart and get revenge upon that selfish brat.

And as the plot took shape in her breast, she snatched Oenone from the brink of Thanatos's grasp, restoring her and elevating her to the halls of Olympus.

She would live, immortal.

Once again I return to the scene of the crime.

There I was turning my car around, in the middle of Main Street wondering how her hold over me was so strong that I would even consider what I was going to do. I HAD to do it. She insisted in her way. With her eyes.

A week ago I was mostly fine, albeit my life was pretty dull. In this small town, I had arrived in my dying Cadillac, even though I was not what you would consider wealthy I was by no means a destitute drifter. I was on a break from life.

The corporate hive in New York I left months ago had started to become a fading memory. I purchased a camera, a beat up old Caddy and hit the road, alone. 60 rolls of film later, I was saner (or crazier, depending on where your coming from). Life would not pass me by in a mindless drone anymore. No interstates for me.

As I pulled into this town, the sky went from brightest blue to a blur of the sun and clouds. I slowed my car to a crawl gazing around town for a diner, truck stop, a place to rest. While I was scanning the storefronts, my eyes did come across the vision of beauty that would lead to my destruction.

Skin so smooth that it gleamed like satin in candlelight. Hair darkest black, bound up in a red ribbon. She could have been a body double for Snow White, if it weren't for the glint of lust, that flashed from her eyes when she wanted something. One apple be damned, she wanted the orchard.

Her eyes locked mine when I gazed her way, I have been under her spell since. I could not look away, until.

KERSMASH!

I drove right into a parked car. Putting the Caddy in park, I looked up to in time to glimpse her gliding into the town Diner, bells jingling as she entered.

--End part 1