One day Zeus was shooting lightning bolts down on unsuspecting people and laughing at the surprised look on their faces when Hera his wife came and told him she was going to check on Poseidon and a problem he was having with the water. Zeus told his wife to go and let him continue his lightning throwing. Hera left and flew down upon a cloud to the sea. The sea was full of raging waters that splashed against Hera’s face. She flew closer looking for Poseidon in its depths but saw no one because right then Hydra the sea serpent attacked; she screamed and fled on her cloud. Then Poseidon rose from the waters on a great wave and stuck out his hand. The Hydra sunk in the sea. The waters stopped raging and Poseidon beckoned Hera to follow him.

They plunged into the sea together hand in hand and passed old chariots, rotten apples, old robes, flying shoes, and other forgotten things. They spotted dead sea creatures on the bottom of the ocean lying still with trash in their stomachs or throats. Then Poseidon brought Hera to his underwater home with beautiful coral pillars and sea creature statues. He told Hera his problems,

“People keep throwing perfectly good things into the sea. My kingdom has become a place of which to put waste. It is an insult from the mortals and they deserve to feel my wrath.”

“Yes all those poor creatures dying from the mortals polluting your waters! It must be stopped.”

Poseidon smiled, happy that she cared. Then he said,

“I sense Zeus is coming! He won’t be happy to know we have been seeing each other secretly.”

“Oh no! Where will I hide, my love?” She asked pleadingly.

“Go to my chambers and hide in my pillar with a secret door, it has a magical lock and will let you in because I have told it to protect you. NOW GO!” He yelled as he saw Zeus descending from the sky with wrath in his eyes.

Hera fled to Poseidon’s chambers and flung open the door to the pillar. She jumped inside and closed the door quietly afraid Zeus would hear. Nearby, outside of the bedroom Poseidon was talking with Zeus.

“Brother what brings you here?” Said Poseidon casually.

“What do you think? Where is Hera?” He asked urgently.

“Hera? Oh yes, Hera! She stopped by to check on the waters, sea creatures, and myself. Would you like to see?” He asked.

“NO! WHERE IS HERA!” He boomed.

“Calm down brother, she went away and didn’t tell me where.” He said, worried about his brother’s temper.

“You’re LYING! I sense her HERE!” He yelled and strode powerfully out of the room to search Poseidon’s underwater home.

“You won’t have much luck here! I told you she went away!” He called after his brother, but it was too late Zeus had gone to search very nook and cranny of Poseidon’s hideaway in the sea.

Hera waited cold and worried inside the pillar and started to cry. What if Zeus killed his own brother her dear Poseidon? What if she never could see him again? What if, even worse, he blamed her? Her tears fell and Poseidon sensed her sadness. Wishing he could help, he snuck to his chambers and slid into the pillar. Zeus searched and searched, finally reaching Poseidon’s chambers. He looked the hardest of all here because this was the very last room in the house. He finally found a tiny crack where Poseidon had left the hideout in the pillar open a slit. He opened it to find Hera and Poseidon. Hera, tear stained, and Poseidon, comforting her in many ways, hoping one would work. They both jumped when they saw Zeus. Zeus turned red in anger. He could not stand that his wife cared and loved his brother more than him, the great Zeus. He could not bear any of this after his loss of his beloved Callisto, so he, in his rage, turned Poseidon into a donkey (the most humiliating thing for a sea god to turn into), then he flung him into the sky where he is still there to this day. Then he looked at his pleading wife took her by the legs and flung her into the sky far apart from Poseidon where she also remains to this day. But sometimes, somehow, as star-crossed lovers do, the two come together once every year in the night sky.