"I can't believe I'm here. I really don't want to do this," Hera grumbled.
"Come on, it's not that bad," Bonnie said with a smile while opening a piece of candy that was on top of the table.
"Of course you're going to say that. You don't have to do anything, and you still get the benefits," Hera huffed.
"She does have a point," Helena chuckled before turning to Hera, "Did Blue ever reply to your message?"
"She did. She said she was not going to come but wished me luck, and asked me to ask about doing this through a video call. But, she still doesn't want to come back into the MAZE. And I really can't blame her," Hera replied.
Before anyone else could say anything, there was a knock on the door. One of the PAs was asking for them to go to their seats as they would start. Hera was going to enter later, so she had to wait.
What Typhera proposed was a way for people to get to know the future 10th hero. Again, there was nothing confirmed. It had been a great number of years since the last appointment of a hero, and there wasn't really a notebook outlining the process of becoming a hero. Even the old records didn't have a blueprint for anyone to follow. No one was sure if they could just make an announcement or if it was better to give it time. Because of that, the idea was to have someone interview the Empress.
That way, people could get to know her first and once they felt there were enough people aware of her accomplishments, they could give her the title of 10th hero. That wasn't something Hera really wanted. Sure, every kid who wanted to go to the MAZE dreamed about being one of the heroes, but it was one of those unrealistic dreams like meeting Santa Claus or discovering they were royalty from a small country.
Lovely dreams, but when they actually became real, they were much more trouble than they were worth. If Hera was to become a hero, she would never be able to walk freely on the streets. Her life, her family, would be under constant scrutiny. And every action she took could have wider ramifications than she could ever imagine.
Having that much of a spotlight on her didn't feel very exciting. Then again, as far as the Ophidianite knew, none of the heroes died after doing what allowed them to become heroes. But there was surprisingly little information about their life after the events that created their fame. Maybe every hero eventually got tired of everything and just vanished into the MAZE. To Hera, that actually sounded quite nice, being able to forget everything and just go exploring forever and ever.
Suddenly, a voice came from the door, "Hera Quetzaveth. This place has really gone downhill. They're letting anyone in."
"True, after all, you're here, aren't you?" Hera turned around with a smile, only to see Becca Swan with wide eyes and a surprised expression.
There was a pause before the two of them burst out laughing, "That was really catty, I love it. It's really good to see you, and I see you've been practicing."
"I've been following your advice. Since I'm going to have to deal with noble bullshit, my court and I are having 'bitchy nights' where we keep trying to one up each other without crossing any lines," Hera explained. She had been talking to Becca for a few weeks already, ever since both of them had to participate in large meetings with a bunch of different people from the alliance.
The reporter was very used to dealing with people who thought they were better than everybody else, and was giving some tips to the Empress on how to talk to them and make sure those people wouldn't just walk all over her.
"Invite me over sometime. Even if I'm doing it through a video call."
Hera rolled her eyes, "Yeah, let me ask the professional to play in the minor leagues."
"I won't participate. I'll just be the judge," Becca laughed, "And how are you? It's been a couple of days since we talked. Did that session help?"
Hera shook her head, "Not really. Even my therapist can't really understand why I'm having this reaction to Flint's death. He was my friend. I liked him, but I still can't be sad about it, and I know how that makes me sound like an awful person, but I just can't. There's something blocking me."
"I'm afraid I can't answer. I also don't know what's going on. Do you think the sessions are helping?"
"They are. There were a lot of unresolved things I had to deal with, and that's a theory. Since so much happened, I'm not being able to process the individual situations. It's also possible that it has something to do with my court. Because I have to 'kill' the members that I swap. So death has less of a meaning to me. But we're still working through everything."
Becca listened, just nodding along, "That sounds rough. And I was thinking about it. All of your court members come from you, right? I mean, their personality and their mind."
Stolen novel; please report.
"I never thought about it, but I guess so. At least I create them."
"So maybe everything you experience gets diluted. Almost like you had several brains working to process information, so pain, sadness and stuff like that you can just... I'm going to say a word that's going to sound awful because of recent events, but I don't mean it like that. But maybe that lets you filter your emotions," Becca suggested.
"That is a terrifying way of putting it," Hera replied bluntly.
"I know, but you understand what I mean, don't you?"
"I do, and I'm not really sure that's the case. This didn't happen when I added more members or something like that, but mostly it was when I got the legacies that Morgan had. Keep that off the record, by the way. I don't remember if I told you that part, but the alliance is still deciding what we're going to do with that information. But even then, there was nothing in the skills, or the title, that could have affected me like that," Hera continued.
"Which title?" Becca asked, "Also off the record, that's just for me."
"I'm trusting you to keep it off the record. You'll understand why once I explain it. The title is called Legacy Hunter. It basically lets me feel if a legacy is nearby. Either as a trial, with a monster, or with a person. It also lets me understand Legacies a bit more. Like, their inner workings, you know. I'm not entirely sure how and so far I was only able to do that on my own, but still."
"I can see why that's an issue. If people know it was possible to hunt down legacies like that, things could get complicated, but the other part seems very beneficial," Becca nodded.
"And it will be, once I actually can use it," Hera sighed.
There was a pause before Becca changed the subject, "What about your old team? How are the Harmony Guardians?"
"Vash is doing great. He's enjoying his new station way too much. Because of everything he accomplished, Queen Typhera gave him the position in her new support team. It's one of those that are going to go around the MAZE helping people recover from the war and deal with any issues. Vash will be there as the face, the leader, and the band that follows his team. Neria... could be better. You were there when her dad talked about the prophecy. She's happy it wasn't as bad as she imagined. After all, there were a few people she managed to save, but the fact that so many died because of her is still hurting her a lot. She's also been going to therapy and it's in the same situation as I am. No progress so far. But these things take time. Roan is working with the dwarves to create power armor for his people. Flint was working on a design to match one of his skills, and it seemed to give better results than anyone expected, and Skyler…" Hera glanced away.
"Skyler... I don't know. She was the first person who I talked to about not being able to feel sad for Flint. She was the one who told me I should keep an eye on that to make sure there wasn't anything wrong. At first, she was supportive, but after a couple of weeks without progress, she just sent me a message saying how disappointed she was in me and cut contact. Flint's death might have been harder on her than anyone expected."
"Were they that close?"
"I didn't think so, but maybe they were, or maybe it was because of how he died. Either way, she said that since I can't even mourn someone who considered me a friend, she doesn't want to waste time with me. I do want to talk to her in the future, but for now I'm just giving her space. We both need to deal with some stuff."
Becca nodded, "That's a good call. The war wasn't easy for anyone, and it's still very fresh. Give it time," she turned to the clock on the wall of the dressing room, "We still have a couple of minutes. Do you mind going over what we're going to talk about again?"
Hera frowned, "I thought you wanted more honest reactions. That's why you didn't give me the questions beforehand."
"And since it will be live, we will have a Q&A section at the end where people who are watching can ask their own questions. We have people looking at those questions to make sure nothing too outrageous goes by. But, I still wanted to know if there are any topics off limits," Becca pulled up her tablet to note down what the Empress said.
Hera paused for a moment, "I don't want to explain the details of my legacy, for obvious reasons. And I'm not going to explain how I can help people become an Ophidianite. I'm fine explaining the process, but the extra boost I can give is not something I want to broadcast. After all, there's even a limit on how many times I can do that."
"Got it, got it. Anything else?"
"I really don't want to have to talk about my family. My dad is doing well, and as far as I know, my cousins are all happy too. But if I have to explain things about my mother, and my childhood, I don't know if I can come off sympathetic."
Becca nodded, "We can spin that as a regular childhood with ups and downs, some family drama here and there, but nothing that goes beyond what an average person would go through. The main topic will be your achievements, so glossing over those details won't be an issue. And I know you said you don't want to explain your legacy. I agree with that, but do you want to introduce your court, at least Nimbus and the gang?"
"Don't say that. They will hate it. But that should be fine. Especially since their presence creates some problems. People might start freaking out if I don't say anything and they just think they are more sentient species that no one saw before," Hera said.
"Nothing, I think," Hera replied.
"Perfect. I'm going to give this list of topics to avoid to the people who are responsible for the Q&A section that way they don't show up there either," Becca got up and walked to the door but stopped and turned back to Hera.
The Ophidianite was wearing a long black skirt with a cut on the side going up her thigh. On top of it was another piece of cloth forming a secondary layer. This one was a pastel purple and a little translucent, allowing people to see her legs but not being able to make out any details. Her black top covered her breasts and upper torso, completely finishing in a soft turtleneck, but her stomach and arms were out in the open. Daskka rested over her shoulders just below where the Empress's hair was tied in a bun, leaving a few strands to fall on the side of her face that would not be pointed at the camera. Typhera was the one who suggested this attire, as it would show the scales on Hera's body and give a more imposing look for a hero.
"You look great, by the way. See you in a few!" Just like she appeared, Becca vanished, leaving Hera to wait and try to ignore her anxiety for the next few minutes until the interview started.