Episode 162: Golden Traitor
Editor: Bre BoswellReleased: 19 June 2021Content warning: discussions and themes of trauma
Photo from Webtoons
Poor Pomelia was startled by the sudden car. Hades is shaken that his history with Hera could get back to Persephone. He says it’s quite the secret and he’s concerned with what exactly Leto told her. He recognizes it’s something that he should have told her himself and he’s willing to explain. He admits they were, and that they were not his finest moments.
A long time ago, Hades, and probably every Olympian, had feelings for Hera. He uses the word “phase” instead of “affair” when telling her that what they had is completely in the past. He respects Hera and sees her as a friend, but what they are now is a ghost of what they used to be.
Hades narrates how Hera is called “The Golden Traitor.” During the Titanomachy, a plan was made to overthrow Kronos. Kronos was slowly losing his mind, but it still wasn’t enough. The plan involved Hera gaining his trust while slowly poisoning him using a toxic plant, which Zeus also used to free Hades and Poseidon. Many didn’t agree with the plan, including Metis. The plan worked “a little too well” for Zeus’ liking.
Photo from Webtoons
Photo from Webtoons
“We failed Hera that day. But it was because of her sacrifice that we were able to win.”
Hades
This echoes Hera’s own feelings of having lost something of herself in order to be with Zeus.
Hera’s nickname, the “Golden Traitor”, came from her actions during the Titanomachy. It’s a cruel insult meant to shame her for seducing Kronos in order to gain his trust and poison him. Not everyone agreed with this plan and we can recall Hera’s nightmare with Hades trying to tell her not to do it. Ultimately, the plan worked but Hera was critically wounded. Hades and Hera were able to bond over their shared trauma but this caused friction for Zeus as he became jealous. While Zeus tried to care for her, he couldn’t understand what she was going through as everyone of them was branded and cursed by Kronos, except for him.
Zeus knew that Hades and Hera have an understanding. One day, he approached Hades and asked how he felt about being a King.
WHAT WE LEARNED
OTHER EPISODES
The Dread Queen has arrived, and Kronos is not prepared.