Victims of Seduction

Zeus knew how to talk to women, gain their trust, and this is how he seduced them.

Hera met Zeus for the first time when they were in high school. Zeus was the most popular, well-liked kid in school, and he thought Hera was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He knew he had to have her.

Zeus was skilled at attracting women because he was a real womanizer, but impressing Hera would be a challenge. Hera had high expectations and wouldn't just date any guy.

Hera didn't want to get her heart broken, so she was very skeptical before dating anyone. Hera used to tell her friends,"I will only date a person who has good intentions and who is faithful to me. In my opinion, dating is the step in a relationship before marriage, and that is why trust and commitment are so necessary. I have seen the secrets and lies that tear apart your relationships. I don't want to experience that."

Zeus needed to find a way to seduce Hera, so he went to her friends for advice. They gave Zeus the perfect idea, and he was confident it would get Hera's attention. Once he got her attention, his plan was to convince Hera to give him a chance, gain her trust, and finally win her over.

Zeus just needed to buy a baby bird from the pet store, and then he would be good to go ahead with his plan. Birds were Hera's favorite animal, so Zeus would seduce her using his adorable pet bird.

One day after school, Hera was walking to her car in the school parking lot when she saw Zeus standing outside his car holding this baby bird. She loved baby animals, especially little birds, so she immediately walked over to them.

“Your baby bird is adorable. What is its name?” Hera asked as she stood and admired the bird.

Zeus replied, “This is my bird Cuckoo. I just got her this week!”

Hera said, “Birds are my favorite animal! I have been wanting one!”

Zeus said, “Well...is there any chance you would like to take her home with you? My parents won’t let me keep her because they say she chirps too loud and wakes them up at night. I want to make sure that Cuckoo goes to a good home.”

Hera responded, “Of course I will take her, and you can come visit Cuckoo anytime you want.”

Zeus smiled at her because he was content with how his plan turned out. He now had the perfect excuse to be around Hera, and he would get a chance to prove himself to her.

He began to visit Cuckoo and Hera almost every day. Hera and Zeus became good friends after spending time together, and Zeus knew this was his chance to ask her out. Hera was hesitant at first, but she believed he had a good heart and was worthy of her trust.

The two began dating, and things between them were becoming serious. After a few years of dating and being in a committed, faithful relationship, Hera felt they were ready for marriage. This was a major step for her considering how serious she is about marriage, but Hera trusted Zeus and believed they were meant to be.

They have been together now for almost twelve years, and over time, their love and attraction for one another has faded.

Their relationship today was not the same committed and faithful one that it used to be. Hera was no longer the only woman in Zeus's life... and it was only a matter of time until Hera uncovered his secret.

Aphrodite was beautiful. From a young age, she did pageants and worked for modeling agencies, but this was not her choice but her parents. Aphrodite was frustrated with her parents because they only cared about her beauty and fame. So, she quit modeling and pageants and pursued college. She supported herself during college and took out student loans. She was determined to prove to her parents that she had other talents besides being pretty.

She graduated college with a business degree and began her job hunt. After many interviews and offers, Aphrodite accepted a part-time secretarial position and a bartender position (to help pay back her loans). Though the office was boring and the bar was old and unpopular, she was happy. The managers and employees were respectful, and she was tired of being gawked at and stereotyped because of her looks.

She met Zeus on her first evening as a bartender.

When Zeus walked into the old bar, he immediately noticed the beautiful woman and went to introduce himself.

"I am Zeus. I don’t believe we have met.”

Aphrodite replied, "Aphrodite. It's my first day."

"Well, I come here often, so even if I don't know an employee, I'll get to know them at some point," Zeus said with a charming smile.

The two began to talk and it wasn't until an hour later that Zeus finally ordered a drink.

Zeus asked many questions about Aphrodite's life, and she even opened up to him about her childhood and recent struggles. Aphrodite enjoyed getting to know him, so when he asked, she said yes to a date with him.

He seemed genuine and like a great guy to her, so they began seeing each other regularly. Their relationship was becoming serious, and Zeus would often stay the night at Aphrodite's apartment in NYC. (When he would stay with her, he told Hera he was traveling for work.)

Since they were in a relationship, Aphrodite was concerned that she had never been to his place. She confronted him about it and Zeus replied, “ I need you to trust me. Is it really a big deal that you haven’t seen my dumpy apartment?”

Aphrodite told him that he was right and then apologized.

Zeus knew that Aphrodite still was concerned, so he said to her, “I want you to do something nice for you to show you how much I love you. I want you to have my credit card and use it next time you're at the grocery store to buy the ingredients for your favorite meals. I'm cooking dinner all weekend, for you. How’s that?”

This made her smile. He knew the way to make a girl feel special, and she was happy. However, she remained suspicious and felt he was hiding something...it was only a matter of time until she uncovered his secret.

Author's Note:

Hera is the most powerful and elite of all goddesses (she is queen of the gods). This is the reason that my story discusses Zeus needing "to win her over" because she deserves a guy who will treat her like a queen (because she is one!!!). My story about Hera is based off the "The Seduction of Hera by Zeus" from theoi.com. In the original story, Zeus transforms into a cuckoo bird and seduces Hera. After he seduces Hera, the two are married and their hectic relationship begins.

In my story, I discuss how important marriage is to Hera because Hera is the "goddess of marriage." I included sentences in my story to exemplify how significant marriage is to the character. When I wrote, "... dating is the step in the relationship before marriage" and "..considering how serious she is about marriage, but Hera trusted Zeus and believed they were meant to be" my goal was to convey to readers that marriage is of high importance to Hera.

Zeus actually used this same seduction technique with many of his mistresses as well. Zeus would trick and seduce his lovers by transforming into various creatures and appearing to them. Aphrodite is known as the goddess of beauty and love, but in my story I wanted to make Aphrodite humble about her beauty. Aphrodite's beauty was viewed to be a threat to other goddesses who were jealous of Aphrodite's appearance.

Story Sources:

• "Seduction of Hera." theoi.com.
• "Lovers of Zeus." Tales Beyond Belief.
• "Aphrodite." Greek-gods.org.