Her question caught him somewhat off guard. He’d yet to meet a god who didn’t want honor. Most of them seemed obsessed with it. But then, he’d met only Olympians and gods who were bitter at being forgotten, but with so many out there, of course there would be more than one opinion of the matter. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’m not sure it ever did. I never wanted it myself. Maybe it’s a trait we share. Though…” Jason hesitated, not sure he should voice his next thought aloud, but he’d already started. He might as well finish. “Maybe it does, in this case. Without an equal place here, wouldn’t it seem like you and your sisters were lesser? All the gods have roles to play in keeping the cosmos the way it is, right? Isn’t the point that all of them matter, no matter how large a role it is?” He could only shake his head at himself then. “Maybe it’s just naïve. I don’t know. I don’t pretend I have the answers to stuff like this.”
Jason shifted to look up at her, and marveled for a moment at the fact that her face was truly beautiful and terrible at once. It reminded him of Lupa just a little. “If it displeases you,” he said after a moment, “I can take it down.” He hoped that wasn’t what she wanted, especially when he’d promised to honor them all, but it wasn’t supposed to be about him. “It’s your shrine. It’s up to you, really. I’ve kept up my end of the bargain by building it. I want Rome to change its ways…expand its historically narrow thinking in a number of ways. I had hoped this could be part of it, but like I said. It’s ultimately up to you.” Rome had always focused on the old ways of doing things, honoring the best and strongest physically when there was so much more to value. Jason wanted desperately to change that and hoped now he was home he could at least start. It was worth a shot, anyway.
It was strange that he wanted to please her. He never felt that way with the gods, most of whom seemed intent on testing him or using him. She seemed almost annoyed with him, but not in a way that (at least not yet) felt dangerous. She’d come, after all. No one else had really bothered. That had to mean something, didn’t it?
❝ you’re already seen as lesser when you’re not favored. ❞ the words slipped out faster than she intended them to ; even so, there was no bitterness to them. ❝ whether we are honored or not does not influence our performance. we act according to justice, and justice doesn’t change. we don’t cease to matter because mortals don’t care for us. ❞ she could not speak for her sisters, but they had never expressed any desire for recognition on the surface amidst their bickering in ages ... she could only assume it was a want they had moved on from as well. megaera believed that doing her work properly and to the fullest extent of her ability was satisfactory enough — or, at least, that was what she told herself. the longer she studied the shrine and examined the quality of the offerings, the harder she found it to ignore the faint ( but growing ) glow of appreciation in her chest.
she crossed her arms when he made the offer. her automatic response was to agree : it would save the trouble of visiting, of judging offerings, of the upkeep associated with being a beloved ( or at least venerated ) deity. but after all of his genuine effort ... she released a loud exhale. ❝ leave it. if it matters to one, then it’s worth something. ❞ if it mattered to him, even him alone, then it was worth recognizing. ❝ but my sisters and i have never been swayed by offerings the way others are. ❞ perhaps it was for that reason lasting ( or even remembered ) temples were few and far between : not even the finest bull sacrifice could erase a murder from their memory. ❝ if this is meant to last ... how will you manage pleasing all of the gods ? ❞ jason was fortunate that the furies were rather ❛ low - maintenance ❜ compared to the majority of the others. ❝ what is your honor worth, coming only from you ? ❞
