High up on a mountain called Olympus, where the clouds were like fluffy pillows, lived the king of all the gods, a mighty fellow named Zeus. He had a sparkly crown and a big, booming laugh. Now, Zeus thought the most beautiful goddess of all was Hera, and he really, really wanted her to be his queen.

But Hera was a clever goddess, and she wasn't so sure about Zeus. He could be a bit of a rascal! So, Zeus had to think of a plan. One chilly day, Hera saw a poor little cuckoo bird, shivering and looking very sad. Hera had a kind heart, so she gently picked up the little bird and held it close to keep it warm.

Pop! In a flash, the cuckoo bird wasn't a bird anymore! It was Zeus! He had tricked her! He promised he would be a good husband and always love her. Hera, surprised but also a little charmed by his cleverness (and maybe because he looked quite handsome), finally said yes.

What a wedding they had! All the gods and goddesses came to dance and sing. Hera became the queen, and she was very good at it. She looked after families and made sure weddings were happy.

For a little while, everything was peaceful. But Zeus, well, Zeus had a habit. He liked to make friends with many, many other ladies, both goddesses and humans down on Earth. He would often sneak away from Mount Olympus, sometimes changing himself into an eagle, or a bull, or even a shower of golden rain, just to visit his new friends.

Hera was very smart, and she always found out! And when she did, oh dear, she would get so angry! Her eyes would flash like lightning, and her voice would rumble like thunder. "ZEUS!" she would shout, and all of Mount Olympus would tremble a bit.

She did not like it one bit when Zeus paid attention to others. Sometimes, she would make things a bit tricky for these other ladies, or for any children Zeus had with them. She was a very proud queen, and she wanted Zeus to remember he was her husband!

So, Zeus and Hera argued quite a lot. It was like a big, noisy family squabble sometimes. He would try to hide his adventures, and she would always try to catch him.

But even though they had their disagreements, and Hera often got very cross with Zeus's wandering ways, they were still the king and queen of all the gods. They ruled together, and deep, deep down, they knew they belonged together on their cloudy mountain home, even if Zeus often needed a good scolding to remember how to behave! And that’s how it was with Zeus, the sometimes naughty king, and Hera, his very powerful and often very angry queen.

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