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===''[[Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief|The Lightning Thief]]''=== |
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Revision as of 18:26, 29 August 2019
| Hera | Juno |
| “ | Giving you answers would make those answers invalid, that is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you three have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible... | ” |
–Hera, to Jason, Leo, and Piper in The Lost Hero | ||
Hera is the Greek goddess of motherhood, marriage, familial love, and women. She is the youngest daughter of Rhea and Kronos, as well as the older sister and wife of Zeus, therefore being the Queen of Olympus. Her Roman counterpart is Juno.
History
Birth and Rescue
Hera was the youngest daughter and third child of Kronos, the Titan King of Mount Othrys, and his sister-wife Rhea, born after her sisters, Hestia and Demeter. Since she was their most beautiful daughter, Rhea had hoped that Hera would not get swallowed. However, since Hera was a goddess (a member of a more beautiful and powerful race of immortals than the Titans), Kronos, fearing that Hera would one day overpower him, quickly proceeded to swallow her whole as well. Hera, thus, spent her childhood undigested in her father's stomach along with her sisters, and two younger brothers (Hades and Poseidon), who were swallowed shortly thereafter. As a result, Kronos became known as "King Cannibal." Rhea pleaded with Kronos to spare their children but with no success, since even Kronos' great love for Rhea was not enough to overpower his selfish and evil nature. However, Rhea soon gave birth to her final child, Zeus, who she secretly raised on Crete, far away from Mount Othrys.
After growing up, Zeus successfully infiltrated Kronos' Palace on Mount Othrys as the Titan King's royal cup-bearer. Hera was finally released during the final drinking competition that Kronos had with his Titanic brothers and nephews. Zeus poured an extremely powerful emetic (made from nectar mixed with mustard) into Kronos' goblet, which caused the Titan King to disgorge all of the contents of his stomach, in reverse order of swallowing: first the boulder, then Poseidon, followed by Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Since they were immortal gods who could not truly die, all five of them had grown to their maturity undigested in Kronos' stomach.
Zeus quickly introduced himself to his elder siblings, and all of them promptly escaped Mount Othrys, before their Titanic uncles and cousins came to their senses. In Zeus' Cave, at the base of Mount Ida, Hera happily reunited with her beloved mother Rhea, who tearfully embraced her. Shortly thereafter, Hera and the other gods accepted Zeus as their leader and reached a unanimous consensus on declaring war against their tyrannical father. However, since the Titans were well-armed, and the gods still had no weapons, Hera agreed to help Zeus release their Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheire uncles from Tartarus first.
Rescuing the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires
Hera's brother, Hades, was very skilled in navigating under the earth, was able to lead them all into Tartarus (through a network of Underworld tunnels). There, imprisoned in the maximum-security zone, surrounded by huge bronze walls, and a lava moat, guarded fierce demons, were the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires. Their guardian, Kampê, was the most ferocious and fearsome monster in all of Tartarus, and even Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades initially shuddered with horror when they saw the infernal monster for the first time. However, the gods overcame their fear and were able to sneak in. Zeus managed to talk to the Cyclopes Brontes and convinced him to forge powerful weapons for him and his siblings behind Kampê's back. The three Elder Cyclopes forged three incredibly powerful weapons: the Master Bolt (for Zeus), the Trident (for Poseidon), and the Helm of Darkness (for Hades). With these new weapons, Zeus killed Kampê, and Poseidon shattered the chains of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, releasing them. Afterward Hades safely guided his siblings and uncles back out of Tartarus. In return, for their release, all six of Hera's uncles agreed to fight on her side in the upcoming war with the Titans.
The First Titanomachy
Shortly after their return from Tartarus, Hera and her siblings officially declared war on Kronos and the other Titans, which resulted in the terrifying 11-year-long Titanomachy. The Elder Cyclopes soon forged a mighty golden Lotus staff for Hera, which she bravely wielded in battle against the Titans. The Titans initially had the upper hand, since they were much more experienced warriors. However, as the years of the War passed, the gods quickly became skilled warriors as well, and with the help of their new extremely powerful weapons, as well as the aid of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, the gods finally prevailed.
While preparing for the final battle of the war, Hera and her siblings ascended to Mount Olympus (the tallest mountain in Greece after Mount Orthys). During the final battle, Zeus used his Master Bolt to shear off the top of Mount Othrys, and hurl Kronos from his Black Throne, defeating the Titan King. Shortly thereafter, the gods invaded the ruins of Mount Orthys, and finally overwhelmed Atlas, Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, and Koios.
In the aftermath of the battle, the Elder Cyclopes chained up all of the defeated Titans, while the Hekatonkheires forced them to kneel before Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus took his father's Scythe, and sliced Kronos into a thousand pieces, before casting him into Tartarus, along with the rest of his followers (except for General Atlas, who was forced to hold the Sky).
After Calypso was punished for siding with the other titans, Hera gave invisible servants to the Titaness so she would have some company during her imprisioment in Ogygia.
Becoming an Olympian Goddess
The gods chose Mount Olympus as their official residence, and the Elder Cyclopes build magnificent palaces there for them all. As a result, the gods started to call themselves the "Olympians". Shortly thereafter, Hera's brothers (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) divided the world between themselves: Hades received the Underworld, Poseidon seized the seas, and Zeus claimed the skies as the domain, becoming the King of Mount Olympus as well as the Olympians.
Living with Oceanus and Tethys
As the most beautiful Olympian goddess in creation (before Aphrodite's birth), Hera was desired by many gods and Titans. However, she also had a fierce and infamous temper, and would arrogantly rebuke anyone who ever tried to woo her. As a result, her mother, Rhea, decided to send her to Oceanus and Tethys, where she might learn to tame her temper and act mature. Hera spent a number of happy years with them, away from Mount Olympus. After seeing how stable and loving Oceanus and Tethys' marriage was, Hera decided to strive for a similar one for herself. Overall, though, while Hera did manage to tame her infamous temper by the time of her return, many gods were still wary of openly flirting with her, since she was determined to find a perfect husband for herself.
Marriage to Zeus
Zeus, her husband
Soon after her return, Hera caught the attention of Zeus himself. As she was extremely beautiful and intelligent, it was only natural that he would be attracted to her, but while Hera had strong feelings for him as well, she refused to be another conquest for the King of the Gods. However, Zeus was just as stubborn and would not be dissuaded. He applied his excellent singing, dancing, and joking skills to entertain and woo Hera, but she would not initially give in. Zeus made a bet with Hera that if she would ever confess her love for him, she would become his bride.
A few days later, Zeus proceeded to generate a tremendous thunderstorm around Olympus and cunningly disguised himself as an injured cuckoo. The cuckoo flew into Hera's chambers, just as she was shutting her windows, and proceeded to fall on the marble floor. The sympathetic goddess took what she thought was a defenseless creature in her arms, dried its feathers, and revived it with some divine nectar. On the next morning, the cuckoo did not seem inclined to leave, and affectionately rubbed its beak against Hera's finger. Hera admitted having grown quite fond of the bird herself, and gently cuddled it in her arms. At that very instant, the cuckoo transformed into mighty Zeus himself, still in Hera's embrace.
Although she was embarrassed and outraged by her brother's deception, Hera was very impressed at Zeus' cleverness and resourcefulness nonetheless. She finally agreed to become his consort on the condition that he married her, and remained loyal to her. Their wedding (which was described as the most magnificent and grandiose wedding in history) was held in a spectacular celebration on Mount Olympus and was attended by many gods and neutral Titans. Zeus and Hera arrived on a huge golden chariot, steered by Eos (who illuminated the bride and bridegroom with brilliant rosy light), and the ceremony was lead by the three Fates themselves. Through her marriage to Zeus, Hera became the Queen of Mount Olympus and the Olympian gods. Zeus and Hera received great gifts from all of their wedding guests, but Hera's favorite was a magnificent apple tree (with golden apples) that she received from Gaea. Hera had the tree taken far off to the west, and planted in a beautiful orchard. Hera employed the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas, to guard the tree, but as the nymphs would occasionally pluck an apple from the tree themselves, she put a fierce one hundred headed dragon named Ladon there as well. This orchard was later named the Garden of the Hesperides.
The newlyweds enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon, and were both very happy with each other for 300 years, and had five divine children together: Ares (the God of War), Enyo (the Goddess of War and twin sister of Ares), Hebe (the Goddess of Youth), Eileithyia (the Goddess of Childbirth), and Hephaestus (the God of Fire and Blacksmiths). With her marriage to Zeus, Hera also became the Goddess of Marriage, Motherhood, and Familial Love.
However, Zeus eventually became restless, and it was not long before he began the first of his many affairs. Hera was infuriated and frustrated to no end by his infidelity and devoted most of her time to keeping Zeus in sight, as well as making the lives of his mistresses and illegitimate children miserable. Her hatred is most evident in the story of Hercules, whom she tried to kill repetitively. However, after Hercules was deified, Hera made peace with him and became his mother-in-law through his marriage to her daughter Hebe.
Hera's Rivalry with Hephaestus
Hera's final son was Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmiths. However, when Hera saw the unsightly appearance of her son, she threw him from Olympus, crippling him forever. Hephaestus landed in the sea, when he was found and raised by Thetis, a kindly Nereid. However, Hera's act of cruelty haunted Hephaestus, and he sought revenge.
After spending nine years under the sea with Thetis, Hephaestus finally rode back to Mount Olympus on the back of a donkey. As he rode into the Olympian Throne Room, all of the gods (especially Hera) were shocked into silence by his ugliness. With him, Hephaestus had brought magnificent new thrones for all of the Olympians. Hera's throne was made from shining pure adamantine, making it particularly beautiful. A very impressed Hera quickly seated herself in it, and instantly, she was tightly bound by invisible and unbreakable chains. The chains grasped Hera so tightly that she could not breathe, and all of the divine ichor in her veins flowed to her arms and legs. Both Ares and Hermes tried to convince Hephaestus to release his mother, but the latter remained stubborn and inexorable. Finally, his half-brother Dionysus (the god of wine), decided to take matters into his own hands. Dionysus began visiting Hephaestus' forge from time to time, and peacefully chatting with him. The two gods quickly became friends, and a week later, Dionysus introduced Hephaestus to wine, and finally convinced the intoxicated god to forgive Hera, and took him back to Mount Olympus on the back of a donkey. There, Hephaestus declared his forgiveness of Hera's act of cruelty, and releases her. Afterwards, Hephaestus and Hera made peace with each other.
Olympian Riot, and Hera's Punishment
Enraged at her husband's abuse of power and infidelity, Hera decided to stage a revolt against Zeus. Hera managed to gain the support of Poseidon and Apollo, as well as Athena. That evening, Apollo, Poseidon, and Athena hid in the hall adjacent to Zeus' royal chambers, awaiting Hera's signal. As soon as Zeus had fallen asleep, all four of them quickly bound the King of Olympus with unbreakable and tightening golden chains. Even chained up and completely immobilized, an infuriated Zeus looked very intimidating. Finally, Poseidon attempted to reason with his brother and demanded that Zeus be a better ruler. Zeus refused, which prompted Hera to advocate leaving him chained up in his chambers until he agrees. Shortly thereafter, the four Olympians departed for the Throne Room for the first (and last) democratic meeting of the Olympian Council, which proved to be a very cumbersome task. Fortunately, the violent thrashing and bellowing King of Olympus was found by the Nereid Thetis. After convincing Zeus to be merciful towards the rioting Olympians, Thetis managed to find the Hekatonkheire Briares by the sea shore. He was more than happy to save Zeus, recalling that he owes his own freedom from Tartarus and Kampê to him. Briares quickly unchained Zeus, after which the latter seized his Master Bolt, and barged into the Throne Room, violently ending the meeting. Zeus remained true to his word, and was merciful towards the rioters, but he still punished them all accordingly.
Hera received the severest punishment of all: Zeus chained her right above the terrifying Void of Chaos. Every day, Zeus would visit her, and threaten to sever the chains with his Master Bolt, and watch her tumble into the Void. Hephaestus could hear the wails of his mother all the way from Mount Olympus, which infuriated him, as he could not bear to hear her suffering such a harsh punishment. As a result, he finally set her free. Hera tearfully embraced him, and promised to never to call Hephaestus ugly ever again.
The Trojan War
When Eris, the goddess of strife, hurled the Apple of Discord into the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, bearing the inscription “For the fairest”, Hera was one of the candidates who competed for it. The Trojan prince Paris (then a shepherd), was chosen to judge who was the most beautiful of the three goddesses: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Hera offered to make Paris the master of all Asia and Europe if he choose her. However, she lost to Aphrodite, for Paris preferred the offer of the goddess of love: the love of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. An enraged Hera sided with the Greeks along with Athena in the Trojan War in revenge against Paris.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Titan's Curse
Hera is present at the winter solstice with the other Olympians. She votes for Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace to live.
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Hera aids Annabeth Chase and her group in their quest multiple times; by providing for them, by postponing the time of Annabeth’s critical decision, by giving the group a free pass through the Triple G Ranch, and by guiding Percy’s arrow as it pierced Geryon's hearts.
However, at the end of the book Annabeth accuses Hera of only wanting a perfect family, after hearing Hephaestus tell the story of how Hera threw him from Olympus. Annabeth also claims that Hera does not think much of her older brother Hades and his family and is very dismissive of Nico di Angelo and his problems. Hera responds with rage and states that Annabeth will regret being so disrespectful towards her. She proceeds to curse Annabeth with her sacred animals, causing cows to bother her all year by having them defecate everywhere.
When Hera had provided for them, she claims that her jealous behavior is all in the past now and that she and Zeus have received some excellent marriage counseling. Nevertheless, when Percy mentions Thalia Grace, Hera casts a dangerous look and refers to the daughter of Zeus with a sneer. Interestingly, when Hera mentions the last time her husband had a child with another woman, this would have been a reference to Jason Grace as he was born after Thalia. However, since Jason was given to Hera from Zeus as a peace offering, she might have excused Jason and had only been referring to Thalia, whom she has a great deal of spite for.
The Last Olympian
Hera joins the gods in the battle against Typhon. Meanwhile, in Manhattan, as Olympus begins to crumble, a statue of Hera almost falls on top of Annabeth. Thalia pushes Annabeth out of the way in time, but the statue lands on her legs, effectively incapacitating her. Annabeth assumes that Hera was trying to kill her, but this could just be an overreaction based on the argument they had in The Battle of the Labyrinth. After the battle is over, Hera, though somewhat disdainfully, congratulates the heroes on their triumph. She seems to force Ares to thank them as well, showing that she is grateful to them despite her general dislike of demigods.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
Before the book begins, the goddess Khione lures her into a trap where she is ensnared in a cage that utilizes her power to awaken Porphyrion, and consequently, Gaea. She mostly appears in dreams and visions to convince Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez to free her.
Later in the book, Leo realizes that Juno is imprisoned in the Wolf House, the same place where Jason's mother abandoned him to try and appease Juno, and where he grew up and met Lupa. Thalia Grace and the Hunters of Artemis travel there to fight off Lycaon's pack of werewolves and Khione long enough before Jason, Leo and Piper arrive.
When Jason, Leo and Piper arrive, Juno is weakened and the earth is rising around her as Porphyrion grows. She warns them that he will awake at sundown when the monsters will also be at their strongest. Juno cannot intervene as the demigods battle Khione, Lycaon's wolves and the Earthborn as Khione had silenced her by encasing the cage in ice.
Piper uses her charmspeak to lull Gaea to sleep, making it easier for Leo to cut through Gaea’s connection to the cage. Meanwhile, Porphyrion awakens and battles Jason, but not before greeting Hera. Leo and Piper manage to free Hera, and she orders the demigods to shut their eyes as she transforms into her true divine form, unleashing her power which kills the monsters, restores the Wolf House to its previous state, and revives the Hunters from their frozen state. However, Jason does not close his eyes in time and nearly dies, but Piper manages to bring him back by using her charmspeak and ordering him to wake up. The reason for Jason’s return to life, though, could probably be the imprisonment of Death.
Thalia and Hera have a short argument, but Piper intervenes. Hera transports the three campers back to Camp Half Blood. Later, Hera explains to Jason that he and Thalia had to be separated as their situation ― a child of Greece and Rome born into the same family ― is both dangerous and previously unknown of. She admits to Jason that she is so bitter towards heroes because she does not have any of her own demigod children, and her own godly sons, Ares and Hephaestus, are both disappointments. She also confesses to often never understanding Zeus' moods, but that his current actions are baffling even to her, bordering on paranoia. She becomes Jason's patron goddess, whether Jason likes it or not.
The Son of Neptune
Hera, in her Roman aspect of Juno, appears to Percy in the form of an old hippie woman calling herself 'June'. She tells Percy, who at the time is running away from Medusa's two sisters (Stheno & Euryale), that he has a choice. He could continue to the ocean where he would be safe from the snake women and live in safety, but doing so would leave her at their mercy; or he could carry her to the entrance of Camp Jupiter, and live a life of pain and possibility but regain his memory. Percy picks her up and carries her to the entrance before using his power over water to destroy the Gorgons.
June introduces him to the campers as Percy Jackson, a son of Neptune, and shows her godly form to everyone in camp. The campers bow in respect with the exception of Percy, who didn't feel she deserved his respect because he had to carry her for so long, almost getting killed along the way. Percy asks her for his life and memory back, but she declines saying he has to succeed at camp before handing him over to the Roman campers and disappearing in a shimmer of light.
She reappears in Percy's dream to talk with him and answer a few of his questions with no ill will, despite Percy's aggressiveness. She is far more patient with Percy than before only complaining when Percy tried to attack her and never showing any signs of anger. Warns him Annabeth will be the one who will cause the most trouble in the future.
The Mark of Athena
Because of the fighting between the Roman and Greek demigods of Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood respectively, the gods become furious with Hera and she flees Olympus.
The Blood of Olympus
When Reyna, with the help of six pegasi, finally managed to place the Athena Parthenos on Half-Blood Hill, golden light ripples across the ground, seeping warmth into the bones of both Greek and Roman demigods, and curing all of the Olympians (including Hera) of their split personalities. As a result, Hera promptly arrives in Athens and re-joins her fellow Olympians in the final battle with the Giants, riding a golden chariot pulled by enormous and extremely bright peacocks. After the battle, Hera was seen having what Jason thinks is "an intense discussion" with Demeter and Poseidon. (we don't of what yet)
Afterwards, Zeus confronted her for what she had done, claiming that her interpretation of the Prophecy of Seven and subsequently taking it into her own hands led to the inevitable conclusion of the war against the Giants. Despite her being clearly frightened by her husband's accusations, he still forgave her on account of his understanding that she had acted with truly good intentions. Though the same can't be said of Apollo.
Personality
Hera is fully aware of her duties as Queen of the Olympian family, always being one to look at the big picture and act accordingly: In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, she sensed her divine family was in danger of unraveling when Aphrodite arrived on Olympus due to the arguments over whom should marry her, so she swiftly resolved any potential tension between all other male Olympians by marrying off Aphrodite to Hephaestus, who no one saw as a romantic rival. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, she expressed sadness over the lost of faith and selfishness showed by the minor gods, encouraging Percy Jackson's group to rise above the squabbling and chaos and to keep believing. In The Lost Hero, it was revealed that she defied her king's will and devised a plan to unite Greek and Roman demigods despite her dislike for them was common knowledge, releasing her personal feelings in order to save her family and thus the Western civilization as a whole.
Despite being excellent at analysing situations because of her status as the Goddess of Family, Hera can be incredibly reckless. This is shown when she deliberately tampered with the Great Prophecy and violated an oath by exchanging Percy and Jason Grace without warning, which later allowed the Prophecy to unfold by itself and put the future at great risk. However, it should be noted that Hera did it with good intentions and it was considered very rare because she has a perpetual habit of tampering with complex mechanisms of creation, with her own opinions at heart.
According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera initially had such a fierce and infamous temper that her mother sent her to her uncle Oceanus and his wife Tethys, who raised her for a number of happy years. As a result, she was able to keep her temper under control. In The Son of Neptune, she is far more patient with Percy than before, only complaining when he tried to attack her and never showed any signs of anger. However, Hera can still be proud and extremely jealous when provoked, insulted, or shown unfaithfulness to. Even Zeus himself is afraid of his wife when she is furiously angry. She can easily turn against those whom she initially favored, as seen by how she turned against and cursed Annabeth Chase for agree with Percy's assessment of her true nature with regards to family.
Hera seems to be a maternal, polite, and sympathetic goddess, just like a mother should be. She pities lost children and offered to breastfeed them in ancient times, as shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Heros. However, according to her son Hephaestus, Hera only likes "perfect families": Throwing him off Olympus for his deformation which made him extremely bitter towards his mother, kidnapping her daughter Eileithyia in order to stry to stop the birth of Leto's twins, etc. are examples of this. As seen in The Battle of the Labyrinth, she greatly dislikes her brother Hades and was very dismissive of his children's problems, claiming the latter "doesn't belong" and bribed Geryon to allow Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson to pass freely, but removed Nico di Angelo out of the equation. Despite her flaws, Hera has somewhat of a respectable side, tearfully embracing Hephaestus and promised to never call him ugly ever again in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, after his son saved her from being chained up over the Void of Chaos.
Hera once admitted to Jason that she secretly envied the other gods for their demigod children, claiming that they help them understand the mortal world better than she ever could. However, she will never have any demigod children of her own because it wasn't in her nature to be faithless as the Goddess of Marriage, which in turn meant that she won't have any mortal heroes to do her bidding. It is this aspect of Hera that makes her so often bitter towards all demigods, but it is also this aspect that allowed her to be merciful where the other gods cannot: She showed by her favoring of the first Jason, a pure mortal who had no divine parent to guide him, even though he lost her favor after breaking his vow to Medea. Due to being chained near Chaos, Hera developed certain sympathy to other goddesses on similar conditions, even former enemies as Calypso.
Due to her being the Goddess of Marriage, Hera has great loathing for the mistresses and illegitimate children of Zeus, since they are all concrete evidence of her husband's infidelities. She is often portrayed as being wrathful to the point that she mercilessly persecutes them and does everything in her power to make their lives as miserable as possible, even though some of them were only coerced into the affair. She casually talked about how she repeatedly tried to kill Hercules and even drove him into murdering his own family, constantly pointed out things she did that, in her eyes, deserved credit, displayed in events throughout The Battle of the Labyrinth. Though her anger should perhaps be more directed towards her husband, Hera had occasionally thwarted Zeus' numerous affairs and even tricked him into getting what she wanted, but she might focus more on his mistresses and their children because Zeus is more powerful than her. She seems to have an uncanny knack of discovering Zeus' numerous affairs, but she is used to perseverance and has always reconciled with him.
Appearance
Hera in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods
In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, even as a baby, Hera was the most beautiful daughter of Kronos and Rhea. When she reached maturity, she was viewed as the most beautiful goddess in all creation, with long licorice-black hair, a face of regal and unapproachable beauty like that of a supermodel on a fashion runway, and large, soft brown eyes that one could get lost in.
In Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Hera appeared before Psyche in a glowing white gown, a cloak of peacock feathers over her shoulders, and a golden lotus-topped staff in her hand. When she later appeared before Jason, Hera wore a similar gown, though this time with a gold crown and a belt of peacock feathers.
The other novels also depict Hera as incredibly beautiful, though there are some inconsistencies with the description provided by Percy Jackson's Greek Gods. In The Titan's Curse, she was portrayed as a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, she was said to be tall and graceful, eyes that shone with power, long chocolate-brown hair braided in plaits, and a sunny smile. In The Lost Hero, her hair is described to be long and black. In The Son of Neptune, Hera - as Juno - was described as a radiant seven-foot-tall goddess with a stern, stately face. In The Blood of Olympus, she was described as a dark-haired woman with a cool, regal expression.
In The Titan's Curse, Hera wears a dress that shimmered colors like peacock feathers. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, she uses golden ribbons in her hair and wears a simple white dress the fabric of which shimmered with colors like oil on water whenever she moved. In The Lost Hero, she wears black robes to cover her white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry, and a glowing golden crown. In The Son of Neptune, Hera - as Juno - was described in a blue dress with a cloak that looked like goat's skin over her shoulders, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. In The Blood of Olympus, she wore a white dress with a leopard-skin cape draped over her shoulders, and her staff was topped with a white lotus flower.
In The Lost Hero, Jason Grace described Hera to be both terrible and beautiful in her rage: she grew in size and glow with power. Her Divine Form was portrayed as an exploding supernova ring of force that vaporized every monster around her instantly. In The Blood of Olympus, when helping the Seven Heroes of Olympus to fight the Giants, Hera ssumed her true original Greek Form and rode in a golden chariot pulled by enormous peacocks (one of the animals sacred to her), their rainbow colored plumage so bright, that it "gave Jason the spins."
The differences in Hera's physical description throughout the novels could be attributed to the fact that, as a goddess, she has the ability to assume any shape she desired, though it must be noted that she retains her extreme beauty and desirability no matter what physical manifestation she adopts. Futhermore, there is one consistency shared by all the novels: when provoked, Hera could look extremely intimidating, with her eyes "glazed with power" and her sneer "worse than an Empousa's." It was said that even Zeus himself is afraid of Hera's temper when she is in this state.
Abilities
Due to her status as an Elder Olympian and Queen of the Gods, Hera is an extremely powerful goddess. Though the full extent of her powers is unknown, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods describes her as being more powerful than her older sisters, though not quite as much as her brothers.
- Motherhood: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods due to her being the Goddess of Marriage and Motherhood, Hera had special powers pertaining to marriage and matrimonial happiness. Given her status as an Elder Olympian, her powers in this regard are most likely superior to those of her male counterpart Hymenaios.
- Self-Impregnation: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera managed to become pregnant with a divine child, Hephaestus, all by herself. However, this may explain why he was deformed at birth.
- Granting Powers: As seen in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Hera was capable of granting powers - Hercules developed the gift of incredible superhuman strength due to being breastfed by her.
- Bond Manipulation: As the Goddess of Home and Family, all things related to domestic and familial relationships are under Hera's jurisdiction. Chiron confirmed in The Lost Hero that she was actually the "glue" that held the Olympian family together, so and her absence could unravel the stability of Olympus and even shake the foundations of the world itself.
- Premonition: As shown in The Lost Hero, Hera possessed potent psychic powers, given that - even when imprisoned and consistently drained of her energy - she was able to maintain communication with Jason Grace through dreams and visions, and even once possessed Rachel to urge Piper to rescue her.
- Food-Conjuration: As shown in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Hera was able to conjure delicious food on a marble table. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera was said to be an excellent cook like her sister Demeter, knowing how to bake delicious bread and brownies.
- Cleanliness Inducement: As shown also in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Hera was able to make things clean and orderly like a mother. With just a flick of her finger, she made Annabeth Chase's hair comb itself while all of the dirt and grime disappeared from her face.
- Life Creation: Demonstrating to manipulate reality itself to a considerable extent, Hera was able to create the one hundred-eyed giant Argus, who shares an emotional link with her and acts as an effecient servant to the gods. She also made a cluster of reed plants speak to Psyche in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes.
- Memory Alteration: Hera is the only goddess with the ability to steal and restore memories, as shown when she temporary manipulated Percy Jackson's and Jason's minds to protect them more easily.
- Control of Animals: Hera has a high level of control over animals, particularly the cow and the peacock, both of which are sacred to her. In The Battle of the Labyrinth when Annabeth offended her, she retaliated by sending a herd of cows after her, causing the demigoddess to be constantly careful afterwards about where she stepped since they left dung everywhere. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, she summoned a massive venomous serpent that she promptly dropped into the river of Aeacus's island, poisoning his entire water supply.
- Battle Prowess: In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera was shown to have been an eager and courageous participant in the First Titanomachy. She later participated in the Olympians' battle with Typhon in The Last Olympian, and the Seven Heroes of Olympus's final battle with the Giants in The Blood of Olympus.
- Shapeshifting: As seen in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera was quite skilled at changing her form. She has transformed into an eagle (while escaping from Kronos' palace on Mount Othrys), a bat (while sneaking into Tartarus' maximum-security zone with her siblings), and an old woman (while visiting Semele and letting Jason prove himself). She did the same yet again to an amnesiac Percy Jackson in The Son of Neptune.
- Possession: Like other gods, Hera is able to possess mortals, including the current host of the Oracle of Delphini.
- Aerokinesis (limited): As the wife of Zeus, Hera can control the air, though to a lesser extent than her husband's.
- Territorial Juridistion: In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera induced all "rooted lands" to deny sanctuary to Leto and threatened to curse them forever if they disobeyed her. She also promised to make Paris the lord of all Asia and Europe if he claimed her as the fairest of the goddesses, which implies she had a great deal of influence over territories and sovereign rule.
- Teleportation: As seen in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Hera has the power of teleportation, which manifests in "bursts of peacock-colored light". She could also teleport others to their desired location, like she did to Jason, Piper, and Leo Valdez in The Lost Hero.
- Madness: In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera drove Dionysus insane to the point he had to go to Zeus to be cured (albeit, he wasn't an Olympian yet) and later induced Hercules to kill his wife Megara, his children and servants.
- Culinary Arts: In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera was said to be an excellent cook like her sister Demeter, knowing how to bake delicious bread and brownies.
Attributes
- Diadem, Scepter
- Lotus staff (symbol)
- The peacock (bird), The cow (animal)
- Pomegranate (fruit), Lily (flower)
Romance
Zeus
As confirmed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera - despite her several flaws - is the epitome of a faithful wife. She truly and honestly believes that marriage was forever, for better or worse, which was exactly why Zeus' numerous infidelities drove her to such raging jealousy. As one of the most beautiful goddesses on Olympus, Hera was often desired by others, though her faithfulness to her husband is constant and unchangeable. She was known to regain her virginity every year by a sacred bath so she could celebrate her hierogamy (sacred marriage) to Zeus, though she is a matron goddess.
Although she is the goddess and protector of marriage, it is ironic that Hera's marriage with Zeus isn't peaceful nor too happy due to his many infedelities and illegitimate children. Furthermore, the two deities have a turbulent relationship and often clash due to their similar tempers. Though she never again rebelled, she often interferes with his plans and is able to outwit him. Despite this, Zeus loves Hera dearly and spectacularly punishes anyone who dare to romance or flirt with his wife, such as King Ixion of Thessaly. As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Zeus stayed completely faithful to his wife for 300 years after their wedding. His only known mistress to receive better treatment - to certain extent - than his wife, was Semele.
Children
Immortal Children
|
Partner |
Children |
| Zeus | Ares & Enyo, Eileithyia, Angelos, Hebe |
| None | Hephaestus |
Film
The Lightning Thief
Hera is played by Erica Cerra. She makes a brief appearance near the end of the movie, attending the Olympian Council.
Trivia
- Hera's name is supposedly derived from the Greek word ἥρως (hērōs), meaning "defender, protector". Her name is an anagram of her mother's name, Rhea.
- One of her most common epithets is βοῶπις (boōpis), meaning "cow-faced" or "ox-eyed".
- In the series, Hera is known as the Goddess of Home and Family, but her oldest sister Hestia is the official Goddess of the Hearth and Home. It could be theorized that they shared jurisdiction over domesticity.
- Interestingly, Chiron refers to Hera as the "glue" that holds the Olympian family together, while Hera herself refers to Percy Jackson as the "glue" that holds the Seven Heroes of Olympus together.
- As of The Mark of Athena, Hera/Juno is the only major Olympian who has fled from Mount Olympus to escape the wrath of her incapacitated family.
- Hera is the most beautiful Elder Olympian goddess, much like how her mother Rhea is the most beautiful Elder Titaness.
- As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, after the Titanomachy, Oceanus and Tethys raised Hera for years and helped her tame her infamous temper, indirectly for observing their happy marriage. This is similar to her father Kronos had a fierce temper and tried taming it by marrying Rhea.
- Despite her immense hatred of Hercules, Heras is actually the source of his name, godlike strength, and last marriage.
- Zeus named his son after Hera's in an attempt to placate her rage, as "Hercules" means "Glory of Hera".
- Athena took an infant Hercules up to Olympus and presented him to Hera, who didn't know it was Hercules and took pity on the child. While she nursed him, Hercules suckled so hard that she pushed him away in pain. The drops of her divine milk spilled across the night sky, forming the Milky Way.
- Upon his ascension, Hercules married Hera's daughter, Hebe.
- Hera never forgave Hercules for being Zeus' son, but they reconciled after he died was taken to Olympus. However, he still hates because he is eternally subservient to her and forced to live with the memories of his mortal life brought by her persecution in The Mark of Athena.
- Jason's name - her favourite Greek hero - may be a way to placate Hera's rage may be a nod towards his older half-brother Hercules, who was named after her. Unlike Hercules himself and his other demigod or illegitimate siblings, Hera didn't tried to kill Jason and considered her champion as Zeus gave his son's life to her. She becomes fond of the demigod, constantly helped him through the series.
- The month of June is named after Hera's Roman counterpart, which is incidentally when many women choose to get married.
- Hera's Norse equivalent would be Frigg.
- According to the Iliad, the Trojan War would have ended in peace, but Hera had a vested interest in its outcome and influenced Zeus to either switch sides or remain neutral.
- In the Orphic version of Dionysus' birth, Hera had the infant child torn to pieces and eaten by the Titans upon discovering Zeus' infidelity. However, the then demigod was brought back to life and his resurrection was celebrated in ancient Greek theatres.
- According to the Bibliotheca, Hera raised a storm in an attempt to kill Hercules when he was sailing away from Troy after sacking the city. Zeus became so angry that he seized her, hung hung her from the sky with golden chains, and attached heavy anvils to her feet. She wept in pain all night, but none of the other gods dared to interfere. Hephaestus tried to release his mother from her humiliating position, for which Zeus threw him out of heaven and his leg was broken by the fall. Hera's weeping kept Zeus up, so the following morning, he agreed to release her if she swore never to rebel again. She had little choice but to agree.
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