"Hera... she, she actually..."
Remembering the instructions he had given Hera, Zeus felt inexplicably sorrowful. He had repeatedly ordered Hera to hand the Authority of the Sky to Russell, never to the likes of Hades or Ares, and had even tempted her with the position of Queen of Heaven because he feared she would try to be clever.
Yet Hera had still overthought things and practically thrown herself into Russell's bed.
Damn it!
He had barely been gone when Hera had rushed to find another man. Zeus felt stifled, unable to suppress his anger. "Hera truly is shameless. She actually used the position of King of Gods to threaten you. I misjudged her."
"Forget it. It's a small matter. Forgive her once for my sake!"
Russell waved his hand, telling Zeus not to get angry. "Think about it. Ignore the process and look only at the result. Hera didn't disobey your orders. See? The authority is still mine."
Zeus: "..."
So what exactly had happened in between?
He struggled for a long while, unable to get past it. "Russell, tell me honestly. Did you give in to her?"
"Uh..."
"Damn it, say something!"
Facing Russell's innocent expression, Zeus felt the crown on his head grow heavier. His eyes widened anxiously.
"I refused at first. After all, I respected Hera just as I respected you. Besides, your bones weren't even cold yet. How could I do something so beastly? How would that make me any different from Poseidon... Speaking of Poseidon, he's actually not dead. He threw away his trident and ran off to the underworld..."
"Shut up and get to the point!"
"Oh."
Russell scratched his head and put on a guilty expression. "I resisted with all my might. Hera tempted me in every way. I struggled, she wrapped herself