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violetrose-art · 4 years ago

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Disney Hercules Headcannons, Theories, and Ideas

This is just a list of the theories, headcannons, and ideas I came up with for Disney's Hercules. I might add more later on, so watch out

-Nyx, the Goddess of Night, is very good friends with Hades and she owns a nightclub down in the Underworld called 'The Void'

-Hades and Eris, the Goddess of Discord and Chaos, used to date, but Hades broke up with her due to Eris being too wild and clingy

-While they were together, Persephone beat, insulted, and abused Hades and forced him to do whatever she wanted him to do until Nyx, Erebus, and Thanatos stood up for Hades and forced Persephone to leave the Underworld and not come back

-Hades had no children with Persephone, mostly because she refused to have children with him

-Persephone cheated on Hades with Prince Adonis, just to get Hades' attention

-Macaria and Melinoe are air nymphs and Zagreus is a demigod

-Helios, the God of the Sun, is the father of Persephone, not Zeus

-Persephone had three demigod children with Adonis. Their names are Plutus, Obelix, and Deianira

-Zagreus is the son of Persephone and an unknown man

-Metis, the Goddess of Good Counsel, is the also the mother Ares, the God of War

-Thanatos, the God of Death, and Hades are very good friends and they even have a personal handshake

-Zeus and Hera had six more children after Hercules. Their names are Amoratta, Parthenia, Wisteria, Averos, Naidon, and Margalo

-Apollo and Athena have a son named Oleus

-Harmonia, the Goddess of Harmony and Peace, is the daughter of Aphrodite and Hephaestus

-Hecate, the Goddess of Witchcraft and Necromancy, has a crush on Thanatos and she tries to flirt with him every chance she gets… but he turns her down every time

-Circe is the daughter of Hecate and an unknown mortal man

-After living a long life together, Megara and Hercules both ascended to Mt. Olympus and became gods

-When he was younger, Hades used to be very close with his mother Rhea, the Titaness of Motherhood… until the Titanomachy, that was when they drifted apart

-Adonis used to be Megara's first boyfriend, until he ran off with Persephone, who was disguised as a human girl

-After the weaving contest between Athena and Arachne, Hades was the one who cursed Arachne, not Athena. He was a hidden spectator and when he saw the girl’s superior tapestry, he was greatly offended by it. So he cursed the human weaver to weave forever as a hideous spider monster

-Hades used to own a magical artifact called the Ember of Blue, but it was stolen from him by his father, Cronus, the Titan God of Time, and it was hidden away during the War with the Titans

-As a boy whenever Hades felt angry, sad, or scared, Rhea would take him to a secret temple they only know about and they would dance together until Hades was happy again

-When Hades was little, he had a huge argument with Cronus and he was so angry and upset that he ran away and hid in a cave… only to be chased out by the most horrifying creature he had ever seen: a huge black blob-like creature with giant rusty claws, a gaping mouth filled with rows of razor sharp teeth, and one giant, bulging red eye

-Persephone is a spoiled, selfish, and jealous goddess, always putting on a kind and innocent façade to get others (mortal or divine) to do what she wants

-Medusa was born a gorgon, and she is the youngest out of her and her sisters, Euryale and Stheno

-While she was growing up, Persephone was spoiled rotten by her father, Helios

-Apate, the Goddess of Deception and Lying, and Peitho, the Goddess of Persuasion, are good friends with Persephone and they like to gossip and spread false rumors about the other Gods and Goddesses

-Hades inherited his fiery temper from his mother, Rhea

-Minthe is able to turn herself into a mint plant at will

-Cerberus had started out as a regular mortal puppy until Hecate decided to place a curse on the poor thing and turn him into a three headed beast, and a younger Hades felt pity for the cursed dog so he took him in and trained him to be his guard dog

-Macaria, Zagreus, and Melinoe may not be gods, but they work for Hades in the Underworld

-Instead of a goddess, Ker is a sly spirit of violent death that works in the Underworld

-Eons ago, Hecate created an herb that is extremely toxic to mortal beings, but it has an opiate-like effect on the Gods

-Amphitrite can transform her legs into a fish tail whenever she pleases

-Hades was the one who removed Arke's wings and imprisoned her in Tartarus, not Zeus

-From time to time, Hermes likes to flirt with Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow

-Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, is good friends with Zeus and Hera's youngest daughter, Margalo

-Whenever Hades falls asleep after a huge meal, he tends to sleepwalk and he gets a really bad stomachache

-Leuke and Minthe each had a massive crush on Hades and they competed to win his affection… but they both failed miserably

-Orphne works for Hades in the Underworld, but she usually keeps to herself and she doesn't really interact with him very much

-Lamia used to be a well-respected human queen, but Hera transformed the queen into a serpent-like creature when she attempted and failed to seduce Zeus. Hades even tried to recruit Lamia for his uprising, but she turned him down flat

-During the Titanomachy, Hades stole Cronus' magical sundial and Cronus tried to get his youngest son to join him and the other Titans, but Hades refused. He and his older brothers beat their father and locked him away in the deepest part of Tartarus and Hades hid the Sundial in the Underworld where Cronus would never find it

-Hades knows Erebus, the God of Darkness and Shadows, but they rarely hang out as good friends. They're more like casual acquaintances and they only exchange an occasional “hello” sometimes

-Chloris, the Goddess of Flowers, is a total hippie and she likes to throw parties with Bacchus, the God of Wine and Revelry

-Narcissus is the God of Vanity and Pride

-Fortuna, the Goddess of Luck and Fortune, is something of a gambler. She enjoys giving mortals luck, either good or bad, and seeing what happens… and the Fates don't like her for that very reason

-Macaria, Zagreus, and Melinoe usually go around and tell people that they are the children of Hades and Persephone… but they’re NOT. Hades always dispels these rumors very quickly and the three of them are always brutally punished for it

-After Hercules and Megara were married, they had five children together. Their names are Arsenius, Phoebe, Elena, Matthias, and Deicoon

-Tempest, an Amazon Warrior, had a son named Achilles. He never knew his father, but doesn't care since he's a mama's boy. Achilles more drawn to doing theater, dramas, dance, and music over fighting in wars despite being named after a great warrior like his namesake

-Adonis and Helen of Troy were married after graduation and had two daughters named Aurea and Dalia

-Cassandra ended up falling in love with Icarus, they got married, and had two sons named Jenos and Dion

-After graduation, Icarus became a well-known inventor and Cassandra became a wise and famous oracle

-Helen of Troy and Adonis rule a kingdom of their own

-Hebe, the Goddess of Youth, has a pet eagle named Omega

-During the time of Hades’ banishment in the River Styx, Thanatos and Nyx were tasked to rule the Underworld together in Hades’ absence, but they both missed him terribly

-Geras, the God of Old Age, used to flirt with Hebe until Hera stepped in and told him to back off and leave her daughter alone

-In the Underworld, Geras likes to tick Hades off by doing things like leaving his dentures on the throne and pretending to be hard of hearing, which drives Hades up a wall

-Hephaestus is very close with his daughter, Harmonia, but he’s also a little overprotective of her

-The Sirens used to be ordinary naiads and playmates of Persephone, but Demeter cursed them to be monsters when they failed to rescue Persephone when she was abducted to the Underworld

-Nyx has an unusual relationship with Hemera, the Goddess of the Day. They have their differences and they can sometimes butt heads on certain subjects, but they usually get along rather well

-Eos, the Goddess of the Dawn, is a total glamour girl. She enjoys fashion and loves to accessorize, especially with bracelets

-Aether, the God of Light, is a bit of a rock star. He loves to sing and rock out and he has a very sweet relationship with Hemera

-Aura, the Goddess of the Breeze, is something of a hippie and enjoys meditating

-Gelos, the God of Laughter, is the official jester of Mt. Olympus

-Hades rarely interacts with Moros, the God of Doom. Hades considers him the type of guy you wouldn’t want to grab an Ambrosia with

-Amoratta is the Goddess of Family

-Parthenia is the Goddess of Honor

-Wisteria is the Goddess of Cleverness

-Averos is the God of Courage

-Naidon is the God of Loyalty

-Margalo is the Goddess of Hope

-As a child, Hades was always a troublemaking rascal. He had a dark and strange sense of humor growing up and he used to spend his time playing cruel and unusual practical jokes and tricks on the other Gods and Goddesses, especially on his father and older brothers. Oddly enough, Rhea never found her son’s pranks funny… and that’s why Hades usually received timeouts most of the time

-Hedone, the daughter of Cupid and Psyche and the Goddess of Pleasure, is a super sweet and happy-go-lucky goddess and she’s very good friends with Hebe and Margalo

-Eileithyia, the Goddess of Childbirth, is the younger twin sister of Hebe

-Hyperion, the Titan God of the Heavenly Light, is the father of the Muses

-Mnemosyne, the Titaness of Memory, adores her daughters the Muses and she taught them everything they know

-Tyche, the Goddess of Chance, was born blind, but she doesn’t mind it

-Mania, the Goddess of Insanity, is not only a mentally unstable goddess who easily goes berserk at the drop of a hat. She’s also incredibly paranoid and often drives Hades nuts with trivial things that bother her in the slightest

-Nephele, the Goddess of Hospitality, owns a hotel on Mt. Olympus called ‘The Imperial Heights Plaza’

-Elpis is a happy and energetic spirit who always want to help others

-The Charites, the Goddesses of Charm, Beauty, Nature, Human Creativity, and Goodwill, adore Aphrodite and they all look up to her

-Metis and Zeus used to be married until Metis called things off when she noticed the way Zeus was looking at Hera. So now she can’t stand Hera and whenever she visits, Metis does everything she can to ruin Hera’s day

-Aletheia, the Goddess of Truth, is usually calm and collected, but she’s also a total truth nut and she hates it when people lie. She and Hades don’t get along very well for that very reason

-Ker likes to drink smoothies or slushies made with the blood of her victims, which grosses Hades out so much that he usually wants to throw up

-Before Lamia transformed into the monster she is today, she and Hera had a brutal cat fight over Zeus

-Hades was very annoyed by Leuke and Minthe’s efforts to win his affection. He even threatened to smite Minthe if she didn’t leave him alone

This is all I've got so far, but feel free to tell me what you think and tell me which one is your favorite

#hercules #disney hercules

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tipsycad147 · 3 years ago

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Zeus – The King of Gods and Mortals

Zeus, the king of the gods and mortals, is the most powerful god in Greek mythology. As the god of thunder and sky, he resides on the peak of Mount Olympus from where he sent storms, winds, and rain to Earth. With his wisdom, experience, and strength, Zeus surpasses all gods; with a single thunderbolt, he could throw each of them into the dark Tartarus. Therefore, they didn’t dare to defy him.

His name stems from Indo-European words dey meaning to shine or light, and dyews, which can be translated as the bright sky. In Roman mythology, his equivalent was Jupiter. Here’s a look at one of the most prominent figures of Greek mythology, Zeus.

The History of Zeus

Zeus was the youngest son of the king of the Titans, Cronus, and his wife, Rhea. It had been prophesied that one of Cronus’ sons would take his throne, and in an attempt to thwart that, Cronus swallowed all the children that Rhea gave birth to.

Cronus Swallows His Children

Before the youngest child’s birth, Rhea turned to Uranus and Gaia for advice on how to save him.

Zeus is Hidden from Cronus

According to their instructions, she went to Crete, and as soon as she gave birth to Zeus, she hid him in a cave. The next day, Rhea wrapped a large stone in swaddling clothes, and then handed it to Cronus, who, convinced that he was receiving his son, immediately swallowed it.

In Crete, Zeus was raised by the nymphs Adrasteia and Ida. They kept the baby in a golden cradle and fed him honey and milk from Amalthea, the divine goat. They would hang the cradle on a tree so that Cronus couldn’t find his son on land, sky, or sea. The five-armed Cretan warriors, called Curetes, guarded the cradle and masked the child’s cries with the sound of their weapons.

Later, when he became the lord of the world, Zeus repaid his foster parents: he turned Adrasteia, Ida, and Amalthea into stars. He gave the bees the color of gold and resistance to the harsh mountain climate.

Zeus Overthrows Cronus

When Zeus grew and became stronger, he decided to save his brothers and sisters. Metis, an Oceanid and one of three thousand daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, gave Cronus a potion forcing him to vomit the stone first, and then his children – Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, and Hades.

Together with his brothers and sisters, Zeus attacked Cronus and the Titans, and the battle, known as the Titanomachy, lasted for ten days. After they defeated Cronus, Zeus divided the rule of the world with his brothers, Hades and Poseidon. Zeus became the ruler of the sky and heavens, Poseidon ruled over the seas, and Hades became the god of the underworld. The Titans were cast into Tartarus, an underworld region, while Atlas, a Titan who had fought against Zeus, was punished by being forced to hold up the sky.

Zeus is Challenged

Zeus’ early rule was challenged by his grandmother, Gaia, who felt that he had treated her children, the Titans, with injustice. Together with the Gigantes, Gaia challenged the Olympians, but they were able to put down the Gigantomachy and continued their rule.

Another myth describes how the gods Hera, Poseidon and Apollo, who were quickly joined by all the other Olympians except Hestia. With the help of Hypnos, god of sleep, the Olympian gods stole Zeus’ thunderbolt and tied him up. Zeus was helped by Thetis and once free, severely punished Hera, Poseidon and Apollo as well as the other gods. They never challenged him again.

Zeus as a Ruler

Zeus’ home was located on the highest Greek mountain, Olympus. From its summit, Zeus could see everything. He observed and governed everything and everybody, punishing the evil and rewarding the good. He delivered justice and was considered the protector of homes, cities, properties, and guests.

Zeus is described by Hesiod as a god who laughed out loud and who was carefree. But at the same time, he was capricious and could be destructive, especially if crossed.

Zeus and the Conflict with Humans

From Mount Olympus, Zeus was disgusted at the sight of decadence and the human sacrifice taking place on earth. He flooded the earth to purify it off humans, with only Deucalion and Pyrrha surviving the flood. This myth has parallels to the story of Noah and the Ark from the Christian Bible.

The Wives and Children of Zeus

Zeus had seven immortal wives – including Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter, Leto, Mnemosyne and Hera. Of these, Hera is his main wife, although Metis is his first.

Zeus and Metis: There was a prophecy stating that Metis would bear strong and powerful children who would overthrow their father. When Metis was pregnant with Zeus children, Zeus feared the fulfilment of the prophecy and so he tricked Metis and mad her turn herself into a fly. He then swallowed her, much like his father had swallowed Zeus’ siblings. Metis had already conceived a child and began creating a robe and helmet for her daughter. This caused Zeus pain and, in the end, Zeus’ asked Hephaestus to either cleave his head or to strike it with a hammer to release the pain. Athena then leaped out of Zeus’ head, fully grown and dressed in armor. Regardless of the prophecy, Athena was Zeus’ favorite child.

Zeus and Hera: Zeus married his sister Hera, but he wasn’t an exemplary husband. Due to his numerous affairs, with both immortal and mortal women, he often clashed with Hera. She was constantly jealous and hated his illegitimate children, like Heracles and Dionysus, often making life miserable for them.

Zeus’ Children: Zeus had several children. With his wife Hera he had three children, Ares, Hebe, and Eileithyia; with the Titaness Leto, he had twins Artemis and Apollo; with the goddess Demeter he had his daughter Persephone, and so on and so forth. Zeus also sired one child without a woman – the goddess Athena, who is said to have leapt out of his head.

Zeus’ Disguises and Seduction

The manner in which he wooed these women is sometimes reprehensible. He would frequently resort to rape, deceit and disguises in order to sleep with them. Several stories exist of his tricks used to deceive a love interest.

Zeus pretended to be an injured bird and flew into Hera’s room, before he coupled with her, preying on her compassion and love for animals.

He seduced the mortal princess Danae in the form of a golden shower, which led to her giving birth to Perseus.

Zeus appeared in the form of a goose to Nemesis and seduced her in this manner.

He transformed himself into his daughter Artemis, goddess of the hunt, to lure Callisto into a sense of security before he raped her.

He abducted Ganymede, a handsome mortal, disguised as an eagle and takes him to Olympus where he remains as cup-bearer to the gods.

To seduce Europa, Zeus took the form of a bull. To prove she wasn’t afraid of him, Europa sat on his back, and he took her to Crete. There, Zeus exposed his true self, and they made love.

The Symbolism and Portrayal of Zeus

As the king and the ruler of all the Greek gods and men, Zeus was often portrayed in art with specific symbols and aspects describing his purpose and personality.

Powerful patriarch – Some early paintings of Zeus depict him throwing flashes of lightning, establishing him as superior deity and warrior. In this context, he’s seen as a symbol of power, authority, and dominance.

King of gods and mortals – In the classical period, Zeus is often depicted sitting on the throne and holding the scepter, with the winged goddess Nike by his side, symbolizing his duty as patriarch and king of all gods.

Justice and authority – Unlike other Greek deities, he was often portrayed as a mature and dignified man with a beard and great stamina, denoting his status as an experienced ruler greater than others. He usually holds a staff in one hand and a stylized thunderbolt in the other, both seen as symbols ofpower, control, and justice.

Wisdom – At times, he’s depicted wearing a crown made of oak leaves. The oak was considered to be his holy tree representing wisdom, morale, resistance, and strength.

Symbols of Zeus

Besides the oak tree, Zeus was often associated with various symbols that were considered sacred to him. These included:

The Thunderbolt – The thunderbolt was Zeus’ great weapon, fashioned for him by the Cyclopes. This represented his power and authority over mortals and gods.

The Eagle – Zeus held the eagle as a particularly sacred bird and was often depicted riding it or having it next to him. With its excellent vision, the eagle represented Zeus’ ability to see everything. They are solar animals commonly related to sunlight. Therefore, they are the symbols of courage and royalty, as well as pride, victory, and longevity.

The wolf – This powerful animal is both feared and respected. As the king of heavens and the master of weather, Zeus was often associated with a wolf, representing a battle, awareness, bravery, and protection. Besides many titles, the king of all gods was also referred to as oath-keeper, savior, protector, guest-patron, punisher, and peacemaker.

The bull – Another sacred animal to Zeus was the bull. In this context, the bull is the symbol of virility, confidence, stamina, and fertility.

Lessons from Zeus’ Stories

Aside from being powerful and strong, the omnipotent ruler, Zeus, was far from perfect. However, there are some lessons we can learn from Zeus’ stories:

The inevitability of fate – This is a recurring topic in Greek legends and myths. We could interpret Zeus as being both the victim and the emissary of fate. The ruler of all gods was destined to take his father’s throne. His father, Cronus, himself became the ruler of the world by dethroning his own father. The legend goes on to say that Zeus is prophesied to be taken down by his own child, who is yet to be born.

Infidelity – Although today, we wouldn’t consider Zeus’ behavior and his unpredictably lascivious character to be exemplary, we could still draw some conclusions from his actions and infidelity. For ancient Greeks, his actions were right and justified. If the all-mighty god, such as Zeus, couldn’t control his urges and resist women’s beauty, then common mortal men had no reason to. Some would argue that mythology, especially when it comes to Greek gods, was made up not to teach us a moral lesson, but to justify people’s actions.

Love – In a more positive light, we could interpret Zeus’ saving his brothers and sisters from their father as an act of love and kindness. It shows that sometimes it’s necessary to treat someone unfairly and unjustly for your loved ones’ safety.

Zeus Facts

1- Who were Zeus’ parents?

Zeus’ parents were Rhea and Cronus.

2- Where did Zeus live?

Zeus lived on Mount Olympus with the other Olympian gods.

3- Who were Zeus’ siblings?

Zeus had six siblings – Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Chiron.

4- How many consorts did Zeus have?

Zeus had several wives and numerous affairs; however, Hera remains his leading wife.

5- How many children did Zeus have?

Zeus had numerous children, including Artemis, Ares, Athena, Hebe, Hephaestus, Persephone, Perseus, the Graces, the Muses, the Moirai, Helen, Heracles, Ares and so on.

6- Who is Zeus’ Roman equivalent?

Zeus Roman equivalent is Jupiter.

7- What was Zeus the god over?

Zeus was the king of the gods, god of the sky, lightning, thunder, justice, order and law.

8- What are Zeus’ symbols?

Zeus symbols include the thunderbolt, oak, bull, eagle and swan.

To Wrap It Up

As the god of the sky and the ruler of the world, Zeus has a central role in Greek mythology representing the father, ruler, and protector of all mortals and gods. However, his conflicting personality might be confusing – his anger and fury are covered by the certain heroic endeavors, such as saving his siblings from their father’s wrath.

https://symbolsage.com/zeus-greek-king-of-gods/

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talonabraxas · 3 months ago

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Selene 🌕 Talon Abraxas SELENE was the Titan goddess of the moon. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. She was sometimes said to drive a team of oxen and her lunar crescent was likened to a pair of bull's horns. Selene's great love was the shepherd prince Endymion. The beautiful boy was granted eternal youth and immortality by Zeus and placed in a state of eternal slumber in a cave near the peak of Lydian Mount Latmos (Latmus). His heavenly bride consorted with him there in the night. A number of other goddesses were also associated with the moon, however, only Selene was represented by the old Greek poets represented as the moon incarnate. Other Greek moon goddesses included Pasiphae, the Leukippides (Leucippes), Eileithyia, Hekate (Hecate), Artemis, Bendis, and Hera (who sometimes doubled for Selene in the Endymion myth).

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author-morgan · 4 years ago

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Kryptic ↟ Deimos

seventeen - ashes to ashes

masterlist

But the great leveler, Death: not even the gods can defend a man, not even one they love, that day when fate takes hold and lays him out at last.

Death submits to no one, not even Dread and Destruction.

They are both weapons of flesh and bone, of warm blood and beating hearts, and they cannot be controlled.

LESYA ARRIVES AT the Sanctuary of Asklepius shortly after sunrise after stopping at a stream to scrub the blood from her hands and fade the fresh, dark stains on her pale grey chiton. She takes rest in the shade beneath a large oak near the heart of the Sanctuary as Kassandra had yet to arrive —or show herself.

Deimos dodges her blade but does not move to strike when the opening is created. They are toying with one another like this is a game. The snap of a switch pulls them away from what looked to be a well-rehearsed dance. “You both hesitated,” Alektor announces, snapping the supple switch against the ground with a crack. He had seen it in both champions —a moment’s hesitation could mean the difference between life and death in battle. The Cult could not afford to let hesitancy have a place within demigods. “Again,” the trainer instructs.

Sweat beads down both Deimos and Enyo’s foreheads under the hot sun. Their armor is discarded in a pile outside the chalked circle. She levels her sword, tracing his steps as he moves around her like a predator preparing to pounce. He lunges, sword slicing through the air like a viper strike. She spins out of range, then darts forward, flicking her blade upward —the tip cutting into Deimos’ cheek. He stumbles back, lifting his fingers to his cheek to find them coated in blood. The distraction serves its purpose. Enyo uses his bent knee as leverage and leaps into the air —twisting as her legs enclose around his neck and shoulders.

They both hit hard in the dirt, but it is Enyo who has her knee against his chest and blade against his neck. Deimos looks up at her, panting —blood running down his cheek and back into his hair. “Good,” Alektor praises with drawn-out applause. Enyo rises, tossing aside her blade and extends her hand —he wraps his fingers around her wrist and pushes off the ground. Alektor nods his approval and turns from the training grounds, leaving the champions to themselves for the evening.

He reclines against the cool stone wall when they return to the villa —ignoring the sweat stinging the fresh cut as he watches Enyo splash water on her face and neck. Wringing out the water of a rag, she goes to his side and scrubs away the blood on his neck and clinging to the stubble on his jaw. Deimos’ lips twitch, tugging into a half-smile when he drags Enyo into his lap —hands lingering on her bare thighs. “Didn’t mean to draw blood,” she admits, noticing her blade had cut into his brow too as she dabs the drying blood away.

“I’ve had worse, you know,” Deimos remarks. She laughs softly at that, the sound reverberating through her chest so that he could not only hear but feel it too. They had both had far worse than scratches. He thinks she is beautiful, skin still flushed from training with sunlight streaming through the window lattice. Her laughter combined with the sun across her skin and strands of hair framing her face —it makes him smile so genuinely that he is sure he must look a fool. But as she dips her head to press their lips together, fingers ghosting across his skin again, by Zeus, he could not care less.

WHEN SHE WAKES in the early afternoon, it is to the sound of a woman sobbing and pleading with the priests and priestesses for her sick baby. They claim the boy has passed on, but Enyo has seen how this story plays out time and time again. Priests lie, Chrysis claims another child and the Cult gains soldiers who endure a lifetime of torment.

Lesya rises, unsheathing one of the blades on her back and approaches the squabbling priests. “Let her see the child,” she demands and does not have to speak again on the matter. The doors to the building open and the distraught mother races forward, lifting a squalling babe from the table and to her breast.

A swell of anguish rises inside her as she looks upon the mother and child, but it is all consumed by a bitter emptiness. They took everything from me. Lesya closes her eyes and remembers the pain and the blood. The room had been dark, lit by a single brazier. A group of masked figures surrounded the stool. Only the twisted physician did not cover his face. Chrysis’ laugh had been unmistakable when they tore out her womb —it was the final step to become the Cult’s Champion. For a second time, Deimos had found her lying unmoving in a puddle of blood. He had carried her from the antechamber and refused to leave her side until the next full moon over a fortnight later.

She recognizes the physician though he does not know her. “Hippokrates?” Lesya queries, stepping up to the table where there is an array of herbs and oils. He does not frequent the sanctuary often as many consider his methodologies impious, but it is a quicker journey here than to Argos for the assortment of herbs he needs to continue treating patients near the Cave of Pan.

The physician turns —eyes quickly skimming over the woman though he finds no indication of sickness or injury. “What ails you?” He asks.

Lesya thinks about the mother and child and knows this is folly. “I,” she starts but then shakes her head, “it’s nothing.”

Hippokrates has heard rumors from the soldiers he’s treated of a demigoddess who bears an eerie resemblance to the woman before him —copper hair and laurel eyes and something harsh and cold in her expression. He is certain this is Enyo, a weapon for the Cult of Kosmos.

But now, her expression is softened, filled with pain and longing. The physician looks over his shoulder, following her gaze to a mother and child. “They took your choice,” he surmises and Lesya nods, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I know what you seek,” Hippokrates tells her, “but I cannot help you nor can any other physician.” What was done could not be undone unless by the hand of Asklepius and Eileithyia.

KASSANDRA DISPELLS WHAT she has learned from Hippokrates and the priests in the sanctuary upon finding Lesya wandering about the Epidauros sanctuary temple at dusk. Everything brings her to a single conclusion. The priestess, Chrysis, had lied to Myrrine that night about her son’s death and taken Alexios as her own —turning him into Deimos, a weapon. “You must know something, Lesya,” the Eagle Bearer pleads, remembering she had mentioned the old priestess before.

She looks at her hands —Midas’ blood still stains her nails. It has been many years since Chrysis had brought her children to Argos, but the path through the forest is ingrained in her memory. “There’s a temple on Mount Kynortion near the Altar of Apollo Maleatas,” Lesya announces, “she takes the children there.” Kassandra nods, clasping Lesya on the shoulder in thanks. They have work to do before the sun rises.

Splayed out on the altar is a dead eagle —a warning. Ikaros lands on the feet of Apollo, staring down at his butchered kin before taking to the skies again. In the still air, both Lesya and Kassandra can hear the piercing cries of a child. The Temple. Lesya motions for the Eagle Bearer to follow —they both creep through the underbrush, keeping low and out of sight.

Before the small temple are two Cult guardians and within is the child. Kass frees the curved bow on her back and nocks an arrow, aiming at the man furthest from their position. Lesya keeps her attention focused on the other. The arrow sails through the air, finding its mark in the neck of the guardian, a second later Lesya bursts from the underbrush —dual blades moving in a fury. She straightens, and the severed head of the last guard rolls off his shoulders to the ground. Each of them had fallen without a sound.

Kassandra kicks open the doors to the temple. The air is heavy the scent of herbs and myrrh and lying on the altar is a babe crying for its mother. Chrysis stands above the child —knife in hand— when her gaze is drawn to Deimos’ sister and her child. “Killing seems to run in your bloodline, oh mighty Eagle Bearer,” the old crone rasps.

The misthios takes another step into the small temple, but Lesya is rooted in at the doors —frozen with ire. Her feet are only spurred into motion by a burst of flames licking at her skin. Chrysis flees, leaving the child to perish in the fire. Kass scoops up the baby and Lesya bounds through the heat, seizing the knife the priestess had wielded —she is not yet out of sight, out of range. Lesya rears her arm back, launching the short dagger into the air. It catches Chrysis’ calf and sends her headlong into the dirt. “Is this how you repay me for what I made you?” Chrysis screeches, but it turns into a sharp scream when Lesya twists the blade, pulling it free from bone and muscle.

The Eagle Bearer stands over Chrysis now too, but her gaze is focused on Lesya. There is dark hatred and hunger glinting in her green eyes mirroring how she’d looked after slitting Leandros’ neck in Athens. This is the woman who caused so much pain for her and Deimos —the monster who stole children from families and tormented them until they died or were turned into a hollow shell. The Eagle Bearer steps aside, keeping her sandal on Chrysis’ torso should the old priestess try running from her fate. “You deserve this more than I do,” she notes and Lesya nods, fingers curling around the bloody hilt of the knife.

The old crone laughs at her lost child —trying so hard to become something she isn’t. “Even though you try running from it, you can’t. You’re a killer,” Chrysis hisses, “that’s what I made you.” Lesya’s face twists in anger as she crouches down. Shame Deimos can’t be here to see you die. “You can use a spear as a walking stick but that does not change its nat–” Chrysis’ words are cut off with a spray of blood.

@wallsarecrumbling @novastale @jaegers-and-kaijus (if you want to be added to the tag list for Kryptic just let me know!)

#Alexios #Deimos #Alexios x OC #Deimos x OC #Alexios Imagine #Deimos Imagine #Alexios Fanfiction #Deimos Fanfiction #Assassin's Creed Imagine #Assassin's Creed Fanfiction #Assassin's Creed Odyssey #story: Kryptic #my writing

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voluptuarian · 4 years ago

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Me: I’m going to have the cast sneak out through an underground passage that opens up into a cave. It’ll evoke birth imagery, which is perfect! Now to research and see if there are any irl caves near my setting that they could come out at!

Eileithyia cave, literally sacred to a childbirth goddess: You called?

#thank you writing gods #I stumbled on this tonight out of the fucking blue #and it's perfect #writing

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mythologyfolklore · 4 years ago

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Ares and Athena through the years - Ch. 07

(A/N: trigger warning for mention of extreme torture and gore, plus mention of rape and child rape. Don't read further, if this is too much for you. Oh, and excessive use of the f-word. Also, Eris speaking with a weird accent, because she does what she wants.)

Chapter Seven: Captured and broken

Ares had gone missing.

At first no one had really minded, it had been wonderfully quiet without that noisy maniac.

In fact, had it not been for the circumstances, they would have used this opportunity to relax, but there was no reason for relaxation.

Olympos was besieged by two adolescent Gigantes, the Aloiadai. They were attempting to pile up a mountain, so they could take over the home of the gods. They threatened the Olympians and on top of that were harassing Hera and Artemis.

Ares had had enough of their nonsense and had gone to face them – despite having a bad cough, that idiot. But he still hadn't returned.

Which was bad, because now they had a gap in their defence, should the twins succeed in reaching up to the heavens.

And it was slowly, but surely getting too quiet.

Hermes and Apollon had admitted to missing their older half-brother's constant teasing.

Athena was growing more and more tense. She could have kicked herself for not knowing how badly she needed the annoying idiot. She missed the constant fighting. With Ares things never got boring, he was her adversary, someone to let steam off with. The blue-eyed goddess was getting seriously bored, restless and (not that she would ever admit it) worried for her half-brother.

Where was he?

Hephaistos suggested that something must have happened to him, because why would he go off, fight two Gigantes and then stay away for a year, not letting his family hear anything from him?

Aphrodite had turned into a nervous wreck and was constantly fearing the worst, which made her spiral into panic attacks every thirty minutes.

Eileithyia and Hebe were concerned too.

Even Zeus and Hera seemed to be worried.

The King of the Gods was constantly wandering to and fro in his office and the Queen was ruffling her hair in stress.

Since she and Artemis both were being harassed by those overgrown brats, they even had put aside their quarrels and could sometimes be seen sitting together at Hestia's hearth, talking and bonding over the ridiculousness of the entire situation.

To everyone's surprise Hera also turned out to be a stress baker.

So it came, that one evening the Olympians sat together in the assembly hall in a low mood, munching cake.

Finally Dionysos spoke up: “Who wants to get shitfaced?”

But before anyone could take the invitation, Zeus shook his head. “This is no time to get drunk”, he chided the youngest god and poor Dionysos lowered his head in shame. “If my son returns home in good health, that will be a reason to celebrate.”

Athena really didn't like the way her father specified “if he returns in good health”.

Zeus knew the future; Apollon had got that from him.

And whatever Zeus was seeing, it had to be bad.

Even though he appeared calm on the outside, the weather gave away, that he wasn't; his anxiety had manifested in a never-ending rainstorm, that had flooded all the lower areas of Olympos (the gods couldn't leave their palaces to walk on the pavements, without being knee-deep in the water).

After Zeus' statement, no one spoke another word.

Aside from the heavy rain and howling wind, there was just icy silence.

Finally, it was Apollon, who couldn't take it anymore.

“Father, how much longer do you want us to sit here?!”, he snapped, “It's been more than a year already and he's still missing! We have to do something! Ares may be a stupid jerk, but he is still one of us! They must have captured and imprisoned him somewhere, that's the only logical explanation for why he is still gone! What if those gigantic brats overwhelmed him and are torturing him in their evil lair?! What if they chained him up and are now doing unspeakable-”

“SHUT UP!!!”, Aphrodite shrieked all of the sudden and burst into distressed sobbing.

Hera went to pat her shoulder comfortingly and then proceeded to glare at her step-son.

“Way to elevate everyone's morals, Latôios¹! If you were as tactful as-”

“Enough!”, Zeus barked and everyone fell silent. “We will find him and until then-”

Right in that moment Iris burst in and announced a visitor.

Athena blinked in confusion.

Who could possibly have shown up here, on Olympos, in this weather?!

Eriboia was at loss as to what the Erebos that abnormally large bronze jar was doing in their cellar, why her step-sons wouldn't let her near it and what the heck they were doing in the cellar so often to begin with, when they weren't piling mountains on top of each other.

The overgrown youths were constantly bugged with these questions: “What is that ugly, huge bronze jar doing downstairs?”, “Why won't you let me go near that thing?” and “What the Hades are you two doing so much down there?”

After months of prying, it was Ephialtes who finally caved: “Alright, alright, shut up, I'll tell you! We caught the son of Zeus!”

“Which one?”, Eriboia deadpanned, “Zeus must have fathered at least ten percent of the population of Hellas. Be more specific.”

“Well, Ares! The god of war! You know, the only legitimate son?”

Oh no.

“Anyway, we caught him and wanted to use him as hostage, but Zeus hasn't reacted so far, and now that damn war god won't stop struggling, screaming and trying to free himself. But he can scream and struggle all he wants, because we bound him with extra strong chains! They're magical, you see, they grow tighter every time the captive moves. If we keep that loser down there long enough, they'll crush him! And until then he's a fun toy to play with, when we're frustrated or bored!”

Holy goat!

“Ha! It's like he wanted to be played with! He seriously took on us both and thought he could beat us all on his own! Now no one can bring us down! Soon we will conquer Olympos and all the gods and then-”

A piercing scream came from the cellar, cutting Ephialtes' boasting off.

As they looked into the room, they could see the ugly giant jar was quaking.

Eriboia was just a normal human – maybe that was why she felt the uncanny vibes coming from the jar so intensely. And it would have put her off, but the screams of agony appealed to her conscience way too much.

The teenage giant only smirked, before turning back to his step-mother. “Right then, we're off. Gotta pile up more mountains, so we can reach Olympos! Don't let him out, mother!”

With that he was gone.

Now Eriboia was entirely different in character from her step-sons, nor did she share their way of thinking. She had nothing against the gods and definitely didn't condone hubris – that and the way Ephialtes had just called the god of war a toy was beyond creepy.

Gingerly she approached the jar and pressed her ear against the bronze.

Now that she was close enough, she could hear the war god's faint voice whimper in agony.

“Help …”, it rasped, “Help … please … let me out … let me out …”

Her heart twisted painfully and she really wanted to help. But she wasn't strong enough to topple over that huge metal jar and maybe it would have hurt the captive too. So she knocked against the jar to show him, that she had heard.

“Hey”, she spoke, “Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you. I'm a mortal human, who wants to help. I'm not strong enough to get you out of there, but I will get help as soon as I can, okay?”

For a moment, there was silence.

Then a strained voice answered: “Thank you … please hurry … please.”

She frowned; it sounded so fragile, broken and weak.

Can the Deathless Ones die after all?, she wondered.

There was no time for long pondering, though.

She disguised herself and took off to Olympos to tell Zeus, where his son was.

Alone, there was a problem: how would she, a mortal, ever reach the Heavens?

Ares had never been so glad to hear a mortal's voice.

That woman – he just assumed it was one, judging by the voice – was his only hope.

The chains were cutting deep into his flesh and many of his bones had already broken under the pressure. He sank onto the side. The movement caused the chains to tighten even more, which caused him to cry out in mortal agony.

Ares was dying and he knew it; not only was he being crushed, he was also starving, dehydrating … and the Aloiadai had inflicted the worst kinds of torture upon him. He couldn't breathe. If someone didn't get him out of here soon, he would perish.

As much as he had always wanted to believe, that his immortality was absolute and that nothing could truly destroy him, he knew that Ephialtes was right. It would happen, if-

“Ares?”

The oh-so-familiar voice of the Messenger of the Gods nearly made him cry, but he had no tears left.

“Ares! Ares, where are you? Answer!”

He could only cough weakly.

Looking up, he saw Hermes' face come into view and peek into the jar.

“Oh, finally, I found y-HOLY FUCKING SHIT, IS THAT YOU???”

Ares let out a laboured chuckle: “Took you long enough, squirt.”

“Holy shit, what the Tartaros, what the fuck-”

“Just get me outta here!”, the war god croaked, “But careful, these chains are-”

The rest of the sentence died in the coughing of Ikhor.

Hermes shook his head and pulled his half-brother out of the accursed jar as carefully as possible. Then he picked him up bridal style and carried him back to Olympos as fast as his winged sandals could carry him.

He was flying at the speed of the wind, but the flight still seemed endless. Especially when the Messenger noticed, that Ares was starting to pass out.

If he passes out, he might never wake up!

“Ares, you have to stay awake! Do you hear me?!”

“Dunn' think I can – ngh!”

The war god grunted in pain and spewed more Ikhor, as his chains grew even tighter.

Hermes felt sick at the sight, but he had to keep him awake.

“You can do it, man! We're almost there! Here, we just passed through the gates!”

“… What's with the weather?”

The messenger cringed. “It's been shitty ever since you disappeared. Dad has anxiety.”

Ares grinned weakly. “Hey, the wind 'n' rain … feel good … nice 'n' cool …”

Oh no, he's falling asleep!

“Hey, Ares, look! There's Hephaistos' forge! Remember the incident?”

The response was a weak glare.

“Okay, sorry, sorry! Remember the Gigantomakhia? We all kicked arse and you killed Ekhidnades and Mimas?”

“U-huh.”

“And how father clapped your shoulder and said 'Well done, son'?”

A rattling laugh: “How could I … forget? Best day of … my shitty life …”

The older god's ribs and sternum broke with a nasty crack and he spat more Ikhor.

Hermes cringed at the sight more disturbing than anything he had ever encountered in Hades' domain.

“Okay, Ares, hang in there! There is Athena's olive garden! And there are Hera's apple trees and pomegranates!”

It didn't help; the other's red eyes were closing.

“Hey, Ares, don't pass out! You've gotta stay awake! Think of your family! Your kids!”

Ares smiled faintly. “My kids …”

“Yes, yes! They need you!”

“M-hm. Hey … how long was I …?”

“Thirteen months. Today it's the 3rd day of the Gamelion²”, Hermes supplied.

Ares groaned in despair: “I missed everyone's birthdays!”

Hermes was surprised, but also felt compelled to make the older feel better.

“When I visited Harmonia in Elysion last year, I wished her a happy birthday from you.”

“Good. Can you do it … tomorrow night too? Today … it's her birthday. And … bring her roses … I promised her … flowers from here …”

Hermes smiled: “Doing it still today.”

Ares forced a smile. “Thank you …” And promptly passed out in his half-brother's arms.

“No problem and-ARES?! OH NO, BY KHAOS, PLEASE, NO! WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! ASKLEPIOS! APOLLON! ATHENA! HEPHAISTOS! FATHER! ANYONE! HEEEELP!!!”

The chains were even darker than the gods had feared at first.

They couldn't even be removed normally, someone needed to neutralise the dark magic. Only one goddess was capable of this and thus Zeus sent for Night-Wandering Hekatê. And indeed, with powerful ancient spells the ever-shifting Titanis made the chains release their hold on their captive.

Now the healing deities could finally take the war god to the sickbay, where he was laid into the Pool of Paiôn³. Apollon himself, Asklepios and his wife and daughters had all come together and poured their entire healing powers into the water non-stop for three days.

But his injuries (both external and internal) were so grave, that he would be in the Healing Coma for at least another year.

Later that night, the Olympians held council and listened to the reports of the divine doctors and of Hekatê.

“The number and kinds of injuries we found on him is truly disturbing”, Asklepios stated, “His inner organs all crushed, not a single bone unbroken and … and …”

He hesitated.

“Go on”, Zeus urged.

Only, the son of Apollon was obviously unsure of how to put into words, what he really wanted to say – it took him a while to find a way to put it into words.

“Well, my wise king, it seems like the Aloiadai … uhm, used him to elevate their boredom.”

Zeus tensed up and the air suddenly became extremely heavy and charged.

“What?”, he asked slowly.

Asklepios swallowed, before he continued: “Apart from the wounds and bruises inflicted by the chains, we also found scratch marks and hand imprints all over his body and … injuries between the thighs.”

The meaning of that was obvious.

For a moment everything was quiet … too quiet.

Then, all at once, the wrath of Zeus was unleashed in a thunderstorm of mythological proportions.

Deep down in the underworld, a loud rumble was heard and the inhabitants trembled in fear.

Persephone looked up from her work. “What the here is going on up there?”

Hades shrugged: “Probably your father throwing a hissy fit or something.”

Finally Zeus calmed down enough to dial it back with the lightning and thunder and cleared his throat: “Ahem. My apologies. What were you saying?”

Poor Asklepios (who wasn't remotely as used to Zeus' temper tantrums as everyone else) stuttered the rest of his report: “Uh-uhm … h-his injuries a-are nothing my ch-children and I c-can't fix, b-b-but his soul … he-he'll be traumatised.”

Zeus took a deep breath, before he could unleash another European hurricane, and nodded. “Thank you, grandson. You may go.”

Asklepios left the hall as quickly as was appropriate, obviously relieved to no longer have to be in the enraged sky god's presence.

Zeus sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

Then he turned to Hekatê and asked for her report (ignoring the eyes floating in the air around her head and upper body as far as possible).

“I have wandered the earth ever since I could walk”, she lisped. “But never have I seen anything so sinister. More so I'm puzzled, that the Aloiadai even got their hands on these. If you would come closer, so I can show you what I mean?”

The Olympians all came closer and surrounded Zeus and Hekatê.

She placed her hands onto the metal and eldritch symbols began to show.

“As you can see, ancient and powerful magic has been woven into them. This”, she pointed at a certain line of symbols, “Is a tightening spell. It detects the slightest movement and causes the chains to constrict in response. Of course Ares would have tried to free himself and inadvertently made it worse.”

She pointed at another row of symbols.

“This is the curse of mortality. Every divine being's essence is encompassed by a thick shell and that's our divinity. But these chains infiltrate the protective shell and pump the impurity of mortality into your very essence.”

Hera gasped: “Does that mean my son is now a mortal?”

“No. Fortunately, Hermes found him just in time. But one more day and it would have been too late. You have seen how faint his divine aura was.”

The Titanis sighed and went on: “This spell here is the worst. It drains the life out of the victim and transfers its life force onto the person holding power over the chains. In other words, while Ares was their prisoner, the Aloiadai grew stronger at his expense. They fed off his very life force, like parasites. Although I don't think they were aware of it, considering their age.”

Now it was Athena, who cried out: “So, even if he hadn't succumbed to his physical injuries, he would have wasted away, until finally all of him was drained, leaving him a lifeless husk?!”

“Yes.”

“But this is awful! This is evil! How- they're only Kouroi⁴!

“Indeed”, the Titanis agreed. “But watch, it gets worse – step back, everyone!”

They did and Hekatê sang another ancient incantation. The eerie glow of the shackles intensified, grew darker and darker. Then Hekatê suddenly leapt back and not a moment too soon; a substance began to ooze out of the metal like wafts of black mist.

There was a collective gasp and several of the attenders fainted.

Poseidon's and Zeus' faces turned ashen and their black eyes widened with horror.

“No!”, Zeus whispered, “It can't be … this is impossible!”

“But … but how???”, Poseidon screamed, “We sealed them away, they shouldn't have-”

“Father, uncle”, Athena spoke up, “I beg you, do not withhold this from us – what is this?”

Zeus squeezed his eyes shut and took a breath to compose himself.

Finally, he revealed, that those were the chains that once bound the Elder Kyklopes and the Hekatonkheires⁵, who were first imprisoned by their father Ouranos and then by Kronos.

“They were forged from the pure darkness of Erebos and the baleful essence of Tartaros. For the Titanes, we used different bonds, as we didn't want to use the terrible old ones. My siblings and I collectively decided, that something so appalling must never be used again. So we hid the chains, where no one would ever find them – or so we thought.”

He turned back to Hekatê. To his dismay, she was weeping from her floating eyes.

“Do forgive me”, she apologised. “The horror of this whole situation just breaks my heart.”

Zeus nodded. As king he couldn't weep, but the awful weather on Olympos spoke volumes.

“We all feel the same way. Anyhow, now that this has been done to my son and heir, I decree, that we must make sure something like this can never happen again. Sealing these chains away obviously wasn't enough. Hekatê, can you destroy them?”

“No, I'm afraid that's not within my power. I could break them, but destroying them completely would require the power of one of the Protogenoi.”

The Olympians exchanged uncomfortable glances.

The Protogenoi. The Firstborn Ones.

Which of them could they summon?

Athena addressed the problem: “We have to make a choice. On one hand it would be wise to call upon Nyx, Erebos and/or Tartaros, as their essence is the main component of these chains. On the other, it would make sense to summon the Protogenos, who made them.”

“That was my father.”

Everyone stared at Aphrodite, who had just woken up and was standing up.

“I was born from the essence – hold your tongue, Poseidon – of Ouranos, the Sky. He is the one who made them, as Zeus already said.”

“Can you summon him?”, Athena enquired.

“I can try”, Aphrodite replied, “I can speak to him, but I'm not sure, if he will actually help us.”

“Do try”, Zeus requested. “You are the most beautiful of his children. If anyone can convince him to destroy these disgusting things, it's you.”

Aphrodite consented, but declared crossly: “Mind you, everyone: I'm only doing this for Ares! This is my father's fucking fault! These fucking chains did this to my love and I will not fucking rest, before they've been fucking obliterated!!!”

Then she stomped out into the rain.

It seemed like an eternity, until Athena noticed, that her father was growing uneasy.

“He's coming”, he informed everyone. “I can sense a supernatural shift in the atmosphere.”

And sure enough, Aphrodite returned with a majestic looking man of lofty stature, clad in a long robe covering his entire body.

His skin was the night sky, his hair and coat resembled the thunderclouds outside (in fact, his hair seemed to be composed of the clouds outside). He radiated the sheer primordial power and very essence of the holy heavens.

So this is Ouranos?

There was something about him, that made Athena's very flesh crawl. His face was void of all emotion, his silvery eyes were cold.

Psychopath, was the first word that came to her mind.

“Welcome to my home, venerated forefather”, Zeus greeted the old god with ostensible calm.

“Thank you”, the Sky replied coolly. “Now, why have you dared to summon me? My daughter here told me, that it is important, otherwise I would not have come.”

“Yes, indeed it is. I reckon you remember these?”

He pointed at the broken shackles, still lying on the floor and oozing darkness and bale.

The Sky stepped closer to examine them. “Ah, yes. It was I who made them.”

“We know that. Now, if you could-”

“Why did you free the Kyklopes and the Hekatonkheires?”, Ouranos demanded to know. “I sent them to Tartaros for a reason.”

Suddenly Athena felt a surge of rage. And she wasn't the only one.

Zeus' coal black eyes grew hard. “You imprisoned your children, because they weren't graceful and fair-faced, like the Titanes. My siblings and I liberated our uncles, because they were talented and useful and never hurt anyone, unless we asked them to.”

His passive-aggressive outrage caused more lightning and thunder outside the hall and in Ouranos' cloudy hair. As response it waved in what was probably irritation.

“You're the son of Kronos and Rheia indeed”, Ouranos remarked scathingly.

Athena intervened: “Do forgive us, Dome of Heaven. Surely you must know, what these chains have done to a god, who despite all differences is one of us. So you need to understand, that we're quite … on edge.”

Understatement of the millennium, but whatever.

Ouranos turned and looked the bright-eyed goddess up and down.

“You're the granddaughter of Okeanos, the only honourable one of my sons. Yes, I see him and your mother in you. Well then, for your sake and that of my daughter Aphrodite, I will forget this argument ever happened.”

“Thank you, honoured forefather”, Athena said politely. “Anyway, us gods are in agreement, that such dangerous means of confinement should never be used again. We couldn't possibly imagine anyone more capable of preventing another such tragedy, than you.”

“I understand”, the Sky nodded, “You want them to be destroyed completely. Hmm …”

He picked the adamantine chains of darkness up effortlessly, but frowned, before continuing: “Something has been done to them, that wasn't my work. I remember each component that I used to create these. The parasite spell and the mortality spell were not among them. These two must have been added by the Titanes, I can't think of another explanation. The only other Primordials, who could have done this, wouldn't have.”

Ouranos grimaced. “I agree with you, these things are really disgusting. Something so hideous must not be allowed to exist.”

His hands began to glow as bright as the sun, countering the dark essence of the chains … until eventually the chains just faded into thin air. He informed the gods, that whatever of this evil had remained would be erased by the holy essence of Great Khaos itself, then proceeded to strut out of the palace to become one with the Dome Above again.

A few moments later Zeus groaned: “Oh thank the Moirai, he and the grisly chains are finally gone!”

Upon hearing this, the other gods returned to their seats and allowed themselves a moment to let the tension seep out of them.

For the first time that night the (still heavy) rain and howling wind actually felt … relaxing.

After an uncertain amount of time, Hekatê asked: “May I go home?”

Her vibrant violet hair had greyed and she had rapidly aged throughout the night; she had arrived a little girl and was now a crone. A sign, that it was almost dawn.

Zeus allowed her to go and thanked her.

She smiled: “Don't mention it. I like to help.”

With that, Hekatê took her twin torches back from Hestia, said goodbye and vanished into the dead of night.

Once she was gone, Apollon sighed and rubbed his temples. “Shit … is it really morning already? Man, I haven't slept in days, putting my healing energy into the Akesian Sleep⁶ has completely drained me and there is still so much to do! This will be a long day …”

“Don't worry”, Hera muttered, “I'll make a few calls for today, so you should have less duties to attend to. Consider this a sign of gratitude for helping my eldest son.”

“Much appreciated”, the younger god thanked her. “And you're welcome.”

Zeus stood up. “I think we all need sleep. It will do no good to any of us to have no rest.”

“Wait, father! We're not done yet!”, Athena claimed and everyone sunk back into their seats with a groan.

The King of the Gods frowned. “What's the matter, my daughter? What did we forget?”

“Getting rid of the chains was only one part of the problem”, she pointed out, “We still need to take care of the other part: the Aloiadai, who did this to Ares.”

“Yes, but what shall we do? What if another of us goes to face them and is captured as well? You've seen, what they've done to Ares. What if they have more of those chains?”, Hephaistos worried.

“I don't think they do”, Athena replied, “I don't think they even knew what the chains were. Anyway, we need to dispose of them, before they can kill us all and force Hera and Artemis to-”

“I say we vaporise them!”, Aphrodite hissed, “Reduce them to ashes, like my father did with the chains!”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”, Athena questioned. “Remember how Ares' immense power didn't impress them at all? We need to-”

“I DON'T FUCKING CARE!!!”, the goddess of love shrieked and began to glow red with rage, “I DO NOT FUCKING CARE, PALLAS ATHENA!!! LOSING MY DAUGHTER WAS BAD ENOUGH, NOW I NEARLY FUCKING LOST MY LOVE AND THE FATHER OF MY DIVINE CHILDREN! WHAT DO YOU FUCKING EXPECT ME TO DO??? SIT IDLY BY, AS THEY GET AWAY WITH ALMOST FUCKING TORTURING HIM TO DEATH?! I DO NOT FUCKING FORGIVE AND FORGET! EVERY FIBRE OF MY BEING CRIES OUT FOR REVENGE! I WANT THEM TO FUCKING SUFFER, LIKE THEY MADE ARES SUFFER, IF IT'S THE LAST FUCKING THING I DO!”

“SHUT THE TARTAROS UP!!!”, Athena roared, losing her last shred of composure. “WHAT MAKES YOU BELIEVE WE'LL LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT?! WE ALL! WANT! REVENGE! THEY HARASSED HERA, EVEN THOUGH SHE IS OUR QUEEN AND ARTEMIS, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S A VIRGIN GODDESS LIKE ME! WE ALL WANT THEM TO SUFFER AND BY STYX, THEY WILL!!!”

“Ahem … excuse me, ladies?”

The furious goddesses blinked and turned to Zeus, who was looking slightly unsettled.

He sighed: “Calm down, both of you. You're scaring everyone.” And gestured towards the table with his thumb.

Athena and Aphrodite sweatdropped, as they spied the other Olympians hiding under it, huddling together, whimpering and shivering in fear. The two disputants stuttered an awkward apology and helped their fellow Olympians to come out.

Hera, first to recover, addressed Aphrodite: “Next time you get angry, please tone it down with the F-word. It's unbecoming for a member of the Dodekatheoi⁷.”

“I'm sorry for that”, the older goddess apologised, “I don't know what came over me.”

“Anyway”, Athena groaned, “We need a plan. Raw violence didn't help Ares and it won't help us. We have to be more cunning than this. Besides, his state is partly our fault, as we failed to rescue him for more than a year. We're all upset and out for blood, so does anyone beside myself have an idea how to get rid of them?”

Artemis raised her hand. “I do. And I'm confident, that it'll work. It involves you and me and the help of discord-sowing Eris.”

Ares remained in the Akesian Sleep for longer than Asklepios had predicted.

During that time, everyone who cared came to check on the unconscious god.

Athena was surprised by how many people that were, and even more surprised that she was among them.

One day she saw Hera crouched against the glass of the healing tank, weeping bitterly.

“My son, my little boy, my champion, my little whirlwind …”

It had been many thousand years, since Athena had last heard Hera use those nicknames for her son. It reminded her that, deep down under all her cold and queenly exterior, Hera loved her children, even though she had the worst ways of showing it sometimes.

Sometime later Athena saw her father Zeus and Hera stand in front of the healing tank together. He was holding her in his arms and she was crying into his chest. It was a rare moment of harmony between the two and Athena couldn't help, but smile.

Of course Aphrodite came a lot too. Day after day she lingered by the tank and prayed to Khaos, that Ares would get better and back to his old self. But other than that, she never wept. Like Hera, she stayed strong for her children, which was quite admirable in Athena's eyes.

Ares' children too came every day.

One evening, Athena found the twins Phobos and Deimos snoozing against the glass, apparently they had fallen asleep waiting for their father to get better. Instead of waking them up, she had just carefully scooped them up and carried them back to Aphrodite's house. Their mother had smiled at the sight of Athena carrying two pre-teenage boys in her arms, but had allowed the younger goddess to help her tuck them in.

Hephaistos too came to check on his older brother.

The sight was painful.

Ares was floating in the Pool of Paiôn unconsciously, just skin and bones, paler than Hades and covered in wounds that were healing way too slowly.

“Dammit, Ares”, he grumbled, “What were you thinking? Taking on two Gigantes by yourself! You fucking idiot.”

He pushed his wheelchair next to the glass.

“You know, if someone had told me fifty years ago, that one day I would be visiting you in sickbay, I would've called them mad. I'm just glad that you and I got to reconcile, before this shit happened. One regret less I would've had, if you had actually died.”

He couldn't help but wonder, if the Akesian Sleep was dreamless or not. He hoped it was, because if not, Ares would certainly be trapped in unending nightmares about what he had gone through.

“You probably can't hear me, but … we're missing you. Hard to believe, huh? But it feels kinda too quiet and empty without you. Maybe you won't believe it, but we care about you, deep down, even though you're a prick.”

He chuckled bitterly: “I know exactly, what you would say now: 'If you care, then why did it take you over a year to find me?' Well, and you're right. I guess it took this crap for us to realise. Don't get me wrong, we still don't like you. And as soon as you recover, you'll probably still be a huge prick, albeit one with major issues and traumata. So that'll be a thing.”

With a last sigh, he turned his wheelchair to leave.

“Get well soon, okay?”

In a rare fit of generosity Zeus even allowed Ares' best friend Eris to visit, on the condition that she and her kin wouldn't wreak havoc.

Eris was sour about the condition, but agreed.

So she, her children and the Keres were uncharacteristically quiet, as Asklepios allowed them in one by one.

Eris was the last in line, letting her children and sisters go first.

They left Olympos right after making their sickbed visits, knowing better than to overstay their welcome.

But Eris lingered. She couldn't just leave a postcard and go, not with Ares.

It was almost nightfall, when Athena found the Mother of Woes still stand in front of the healing tank.

The abhorred daughter of Nyx looked oddly subdued. Her mane of tousled black and white hair and her black wings were drooping.

As Athena was about to make herself known, Eris spoke: “He was me charge, back when he was a wee kid.”

“I know. Hera told me, that you were his nurse first and then his guardian”, Athena answered softly.

“Did she also tell ya, why I became his guardian later on?”

The younger goddess had to admit, that Hera had left that detail out.

“He an' the Horai were born still durin' the Titanomakhia. Everyone says it lasted ten years, but that's Olympian Years. An' despite all the commotion, Zeus still had time ta fall for and marry first yer mother, then Themis, then Hera, who is now his queen. Mortals an' younger gods think it 'appened later, but they're wrong.”

One Olympian Year was a mortal decade, Athena knew. So the war had actually lasted a hundred years? And why was Eris telling her this?

The personification of strife chuckled: “Neanderthals and mammoths an' such were still around. Ares loved playin' with 'em. Ye know, when I first met 'im, he was such a wee laddie, he didn't even reach up to me hip.”

That was hard to imagine; Ares was a quite tall man and had been lanky even when Athena had met him as a preteen. Eris was rather slight and dwarfish in comparison.

“He was, like, seven. I found it a bit weird, 'cuz I already had been his nurse before. Bu' when Hera told me the situation, of course I said aye.”

“Why did Hera make you his guardian?”, Athena finally asked.

The Daimona scowled: “She tol' me he'd been kidnapped by Kronos an' his cronies. They did sum' really sick shite ta him, if ye know what I mean.”

Suddenly the goddess of wisdom felt like she was going to puke.

Eris sighed: “'Course he was traumatised. An' ya know yer father's attitude about that shite.”

“Yes, I do”, Athena nodded soberly. Zeus was the biggest arsehole in that regard (and a lot of others, but that was irrelevant right now).

“Anyway, Hera could nae 'andle him, so she gave 'im back into me care. She knew he'd be safe wi' me. No one likes me, so they would nae come ta me lookin' fer him. Turned out he still remembered me; always had a really good memory, he had. Leapt right into me arms. I took care o' him fer three years, then Eileithyia was born an' he wanted to go back. I helped him cope wi' the trauma an' taught him how ta fly an' deal wi' the voice in his head.”

So she knows about it too.

Eris finally turned to face Athena.

Her ghostly white face was grim and her gleaming red eyes were hard. Her spidery claws balled into fists.

“Listen ta me, Daughter o' Metis. Ares is like a son ta me. When ye asked me help to put down the Aloiadai, I asked fer nothin' in return. Tartaros, if I was as strong as ye, I would've ripped them apart with me bare hands.”

Athena nodded, knowing what Eris was going to ask of her.

“Ye know exactly what I want from ye. Don't evah go easier on 'im than ye did before and don't evah mention, what I just told ye. But promise me this: whether ye hate him or nae, whether ye two are allies or adversaries, I wan' ye to prevent this from e'er happenin' again. Keep an eye on 'im, lassie, aye?”

Athena nodded solemnly.

“By the waters that drip from the river Styx, you have my word.”

---

1) Latôios: "Son of Leto", one of Apollon's epithets 2) Gamelion: the first winter month in the Attic calendar (Januar/February), dedicated to Hera. At the end of this month, the Hieros Gamos was celebrated, in honour of Zeus' and Hera's marriage. 3) Paiôn: "The Healer", an epithet of Apollon and Asklepios. 4) Kouros: an early to mid teenage boy. 5) Hekatonkheires: the "Hundred-Handed Ones", three giants with a hundred hands and fifty heads each. They were imprisoned in Tartaros by their father Ouranos after birth, much to the outrage of their mother Gaia. Kronos later freed them, but re-imprisoned them, after finding them no longer useful. Eventually they were freed permanently by Zeus and in return helped him defeat the Titanes. 6) The Akesian Sleep, or sleep of healing, is my invention. It's a reference to the Stygian Sleep, but a healing sleep instead of a sleep of death. 7) Dodekatheoi: Twelve Gods, another name for the twelve Olympians.

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