Ficlets

olympian exile

“Do you ever think about our having children again?”

A puzzled look crept over my face as I cast a sidelong glance at her. I must have paused for too long, because she hurriedly tried to change the subject. “Never mind; I’m just thinking out loud.” She took another handful of crumbs and tossed them to the flapping geese nearby.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. “We’ve been over this before. You know what happened the last time we tried to have children.”

She looked downward, and I could tell that the tears would soon start. “I just think that we could do better this time. We’ve learned so much since last time.”

I moved closer to her and draped my arm around her shoulder. “Mankind still isn’t ready for us, Hera. I don’t think they’ll be ready for us for many years still.”

The tears started then. I gently cupped her face and kissed her tears, tasting the warm saltiness of her pain. We watched the geese play in the field as we marked our time in exile together.

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