Tales of Olympus

Series: The Time of Zeus

Book 2: Time of Typhon

This story is the second in the series:The Time of Zeus. While reading the other stories (previous or otherwise) is not necessary to understand the narrative and character development, doing so would provide familiarity with the story and helpful context.

Please refer to the Disclaimer inThese Three Kingsfor the foundational content warnings about the series as a whole as well as authorial intent and compliance with Free Use.

Within this story, there will be depictions of explicit sexual encounters, nonhuman relations (see chapter 5), incestuous relationships (see Chapter 1), graphic fight scenes, manipulation/politics/politicking (this is reference to royal and godly squabbles, not Red vs. Blue), and supernatural elements.

Please rate accordingly, and thank you for your consideration.

The Progenitor:

Chaos: The primeval void from which all things originated. The name refers to a realm of near infinite nothingness as well as a being that embodied both sexes and was the Creator of the Grecian Pantheon. They are the parent of the Primordials.

The Primordials:

Erebus: The personification of darkness and shadow. He has become one with his realm. Child of Chaos. He is the father of the Moirai

Gaia: The personification of the Earth and mother of all life. She is called Mother Earth for this reason. Wife and mother of Ouranos. She mothered the Titans, the Hecatoncheires, the Cyclopes, Pontus, and more.

Nyx: Primordial of the Night and daughter of Chaos. In the absence of anyone in the Underworld, she ruled the realm. Mother of various deities including Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death).

Ouranos (Uranus): Primordial of the Sky. Conceived by Gaia and the magic of Chaos, making him the Last Primordial. Husband to Gaia. Father of the Titans, the Hecatoncheires, the Cyclopes, and Aether.

Pontus: Supposed Primordial of the Sea. Son of Gaia, potentially born from her tears over Ouranos' death.

Tartarus: Primordial of the abyss that serves as a prison for the Titans. His form was that of an older man with a bald head, long wispy beard and hair from the back of his head.

Titans:

Atlas: Lesser Titan who was the General underneath the Mad King Cronos. Son of Iapetus and Clymene. Brother to Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius.

Cronos (Kronos/Cronus): The once-Titan ruler of the universe until overthrown by his son Zeus. Son of Gaia and Ouranos. Father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.

Epimetheus: Lesser Titan of afterthought and hindsight. Brother of Prometheus as well as co-creator of many animals within the land of Greece. Son of Iapetus and Clymene. Brother of Atlas, Prometheus, and Menoetius.

Metis: Lesser Titaness of Wisdom. She served as the War Counselor to Zeus during the Titanomachy/The Great Titan War. Daughter of Oceanus and Tethys; as such, is one of 3000 Oceanids. Presumed fiancée of Zeus.

Oceanus: Titan of the Ocean and current ruler of the seas. Son of Ouranus and Gaia. Husband of Tethys. Father of the Oceanids and Potamoi (river gods).

Prometheus: Lesser Titan of intelligence and forethought: Son of Iapetus and Clymene. Brother of Atlas, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. Co-creator of many animals within the land of Greece.

Rhea: Titaness of Marriage and Betrayal. Daughter of Ouranos and Gaia. Wife of Cronos. Mother of Aether, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.

Gods:

Bia: Winged goddess of force. Daughter of Pallas and Styx. Sister of Nike, Cratus, and Zelus.

Cratus (Kratos): God of strength. Son of Pallas and Styx. Brother of Nike, Bia, and Zelus.

Hades: Eldest son of Cronos and Rhea. Wielder of a Bident, Hooks of Hades (Ádis Kroustália), and the Helm of Invisibility. Brother of Zeus and Poseidon. Brother and lover to Hera.

Hecate: Young daughter of Perses and Asteria.

Hera: Youngest daughter of Cronos and Rhea. Mistress of Magic on Olympus. Wielder of a great bow. Lover and sister to Hades. Sister to Demeter and Hestia.

Nike: Winged goddess of victory. Daughter Pallas and Styx. Sister of Bia, Cratus, and Zelus.

Poseidon: Middle son of Cronos and Rhea. Wielder of a sea sword and the Trident. Loves the sea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Creator of the sea monster, Cetus.

Zelus: Winged god of zeal. Son of Pallas and Styx. Brother of Nike, Bia, and Cratus.

Zeus: Youngest son of Cronos and Rhea. Wielder of the Lightning Bolt and the Golden Fist (Chrysópigi Zefs). Brother of Poseidon and Hades, presumed fiancé to Metis.

Others:

Atropos: The Cutter of the Threads of Fate. She appears like a young grandmother with gray hair at the temple of her head. She is not old and wrinkled but reasonably aged. She is always looking at the future and the possibilities. She believes people can change but destiny is set in stone and as such, she is the most firm of the Sisters. Sister of Clothos and Lachesis. She is responsible for cutting the thread of life when a person's time has come to an end.

Cetus: Sea monster created by Poseidon from both his flesh and magic from his Trident during the Great War. Assisted Poseidon in defeating Atlas.

Clothos: The Spinner of the Threads of Fate. She is the youngest looking of the Sisters and is preoccupied with looking at the past. As such, she can be erratic in nature. As a Moirai, she is the sister of Lachesis and Atropos. They are responsible for weaving the threads of life.

Cyclopes: Brontes, Steropes, Arges. The Cyclopes are one-eyed giants known for their craftsmanship. They are the children of Gaia and Ouranos and embody various aspects of natural forces. They helped craft the Immortal Arms used by the gods during the Great Titan War. As such, they were rewarded with an island to rest on

Echidna: Believed daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Wife to Typhon. Known as the Mother of All Monsters.

Hecatoncheires: Cottus, Briareos, Gyges. The Hecatoncheires are monstrous giants with a hundred arms and fifty heads. They are the children of Gaia and Ouranos and represent chaotic and destructive forces. They also contributed in creating the Immortal Arms wielded by the gods during the Great Titan War. However, they asked to be left in peace and went to the northern mountains of Greece.

Lachesis: The Measurer of the Threads of Fate. She appears to be a late 20s/early 30-year-old woman. She is in love with the idea of eternity and this 'golden thread' that Chaos saw. However, she is fixated on the Present. She is the most reasonable out of the three. Sister of Clothos and Atropos. She is responsible for determining the length of each person's life.

Typhon: The secret son of the Primordials Gaia and Tartarus. Born from Gaia's intention to destroy Zeus should he become too willful to her machinations. Husband to Echidna. He is known as the Father of All Monsters.

Prologue: The Burdens We Carry

"I am the hell and the high water."

-- Rowan Pope/Eli Pope (as portrayed by Joe Morton),Scandal, Season 3, Episode 1: "It's Handled" (original air date: October 3, 2013). Written by Shonda Rhimes. Directed by Tom Verica. Created by Shonda Rhimes. Produced by ABC Studios. Copyright © 2013 Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. All rights reserved.

It had been difficult to devise a method of imprisoning (let alone holding) Atlas. He could not be kept unconscious forever. Zeus had sought Metis' help, and after deep consideration of the nature of prison necessary to contain the Titan's prodigious strength, knew that there was but one place that could hold him.

Zeus teleported both he and Atlas' unconscious form to the one of the highest mountains in the land. There were five pillars between the mountain and the sky.

The King of the gods recognized the irony. After Ouranos' betrayal of the Fates, the Earth was separated from the Sky by pillars created by the Titans. And now, he would change how the heavens and the earth worked.

For the first time since ascending to the throne, Zeus felt he was coming into his own. It was not simply a title or where he sat. Finally, he was grasping the cosmos firmly without restraint.

Kicking the lesser titan, Zeus watched the powerful being struggling awake. This was where he would receive his joy.

"What? Where am I?" Atlas asked, looking left to right.

Though he could not help relishing his victory, the youngest son of Cronos could not wait for the child of Iapetus to appreciate his handiwork. Atlas was arguably more powerful than Crius; therefore, he was one of the greatest dangers to ever exist.

"Heads up," Zeus said mockingly as he knocked over one of the pillars.

Atlas looked up to see the celestial body that was the sky falling upon him. With quick reflexes, he reached up and felt the very weight of the sky in his hands. One by one, Zeus knocked over pillar after pillar to further the strain on the indomitable being.

Atlas grunted at the exertion. Never before had he felt such a tremendously unfathomable force over him, but still, he persevered.

"Oh... Very good, Atlas. Youarestrong," Zeus remarked offhandedly. "Then again, we both knew that. You were always the strongest being on the battlefield. Stronger than Poseidon..."

He paused, allowing the moment's silence to add an emphasis to his word that he could not communicate through sound.

"You're stronger than me. I admit it."

Zeus paced in front of his cousin. An arrogant smile spread on the king's face. There was nothing to fear from the broken, lesser being.

There was an unspoken question. Why was Zeus admitting this? It was irrelevant if Atlas voiced that inquiry or not. What mattered was that between them both, Zeusknewit was on the lesser titan's mind.

"I had to think long and hard about where to put you. Olympus knows that your brother wouldn't help me figure out where to put you. And while I am not as smart as Metis, I know that putting you with the Titans in Tartarus would be foolish. Ifanyone couldbreak out of there, it would be you. And come on! I learned from the war. We can't put everything in one place. You could all break out and it's another war. While I enjoyed fighting you and my father's forces, I had no intention of doing that over and over again."

Zeus snapped his fingers, pointing up at the unsteady sky.

"That's when I remembered that by freeing the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires the sky almost fell down and crushed everyone. I knew there must have been something my father did to save everyone. He might have been a real asshole, but dad enjoyed being king."

Zeus shrugged but never lost his smile.

"I mean... if we can't be honest about the good in our enemies, aren't we just deceiving ourselves?"

Atlas grunted under the weight of the infinite. A grimace morphed into a glare.

"Get to your point!"

And there it was. His prize. This was his reward for being King of Mount Olympus. His prize as the ruler of all divinities was being solidified in this moment with the enemy general on his knees.

"Do I need to?" Zeus taunted.

Upon seeing that Atlas would not rise to the bait because he was physically unable to, the Lightning Lord went on.

"Point is, Atlas, there's no cage that can hold you, so I had to get creative. Should you have the strength or the wherewithal to leave, the sky will crush the earth and all the lands will perish."

"Good! Then, I'll drop it and destroy you and everyone else!" Atlas roared in anger.

"Oh don't be such a baby in defeat," Zeus remarked, waving Atlas off. "Firstly, we don't know if it would be able to crush Olympus. Ouranos and Gaia made the realm with Chaos' help. I don't think the Progenitor would let it bethatmuch in danger."

Zeus was not entirely sure of that notion, but it helped to be confident. After all, he was not there to just break Atlas' body but his spirit as well.

"But let's say that is how it worked, your daughters are also on Olympus," Zeus stated with a vindictive edge. "Should youevertry to escape, and even if the sky didn't crush them along with me, I want you to know that Iwillharm them! And if you think your children in the skies are safe, I think we both know that they are not."

Atlas tried to move, but the great sky was too much. His knees struggled but they held. His prodigious strength blessed him with enough might to hold up the infinite while preventing him from being able to harm someone no further than six feet away.

"You bastard..."

"Perhaps," Zeus replied. "But stay here. Stay here for all eternity, and I won't have to do anything. I won't hurt you or your darling daughters."

Atlas looked up with a rage that knew no end, yet, in the end, he stared up at Zeus with an understanding of the situation.

"Why? You won! You don't have to do this," Atlas said, almost pleading for another way.

"BecauseI won..." Zeus said smugly.

He leaned down, almost an inch from Atlas' face.

"That's the whole point. Never forget that while you wallow in trying to defeat me. Your life here will serve as an example toanyonethat thinks of betraying me. I won, Atlas."

Pulling away, Zeus looked at the Titan. He had to be sure that his message was truly received. When Atlas' shoulders slumped in the impossible effort that he must have been exerting, the King of Olympus had his answer.

Zeus summoned his lightning to take him back to his throne. The failure could languish for all he cared.

---

"And you're sure?" Gaia asked her daughter.

On her island, both the Primordial Queen and the Titan Queen sat in the security of the beautifully maintained forest.

With all of the gods wanting Zeus' favor, they all would stay on Mount Olympus to be in his presence. Even if they were not trying to be near him, they would not be anywhere near Gaia or Rhea as that might upset Zeus.

That was to the queens' advantage. No one would interrupt them in their planning for the future. They had the wisdom to turn the defeat handed to them by Zeus into victory.

"I think, after his discussion with the Fates, Zeus is afraid of conceiving a child that might usurp him, like Cronos and Ouranos, but when he was close, he just couldn't contain himself," Rhea answered.

Gaia laughed. "Of course he couldn't." She looked her daughter over. "What do you think the child will be?"

"It feels like how it was when I had my girls," Rhea replied. She was not showing, but as a Titaness, she was more attuned with her body than most.

"Do you have a name in mind?" Gaia wondered.

"Eletheia," Rhea remarked. "She will be my truth, my response to Zeus' deception and betrayal to me."

Gaia almost laughed at her daughter's attempt at poetry, but even she had to recognize that Zeus had crossed many lines in such a short tenure as king. He had consolidated a small circle of loyal followers to him. She could see that he would not be removed from his throne anytime soon, or not without a war that she could not afford to fight.

But then...she did have a contingency. She would need to see if it would be necessary to use it.

---

Chapter 1: Plans for Olympus

"To Gaia, the Mother of All. I will sing of well-founded Gaia, mother of all, eldest of all beings. She feeds all the creatures that are in the worlds, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and all that fly: all these are fed of her store... Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry Ouranos; freely bestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the heart!"

-- FromHomeric Hymn 30 to Gaia, attributed to the Homeric tradition, composed c. 7th-4th century BCE, lines 1-19. Translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. First published inHesiod: The Homeric Hymns and Homerica, Loeb Classical Library No. 57, Harvard University Press, 1914. Public domain.

Olympus had been cultivated to be the most beautiful and amazing place in all of Greece. Hades' Underworld and Poseidon's Sea werenocomparison to Zeus' castle city in the heavens.

The youngest son of Cronos had helped bring down the Mad Titan of Time. He had earned his throne and everything that was coming with it. Partner after partner came his way.

He was starting to feel worried. From Metis and the prophecy to Cratus' family and how they handled protecting him to Hades in the Underworld...Events were mounting. Zeus felt they were approachingsomething. He did not know what, but it was going to change the course of all of Olympus.

The more he thought on any of those subjects, the more it stressed him.

Feeling a hand reach over his ribs, he started to turn as if he were under attack. However, when he saw the face of Gaia, Zeus froze.

"What troubles you, my King?" Gaia asked with such a sultry edge that even Zeus could not doubt her lust for him.

"Your prophecy hangs over my head," he said, shaking his head.

Gaia could see that her words had, in fact, extracted a heavy toll on her grandson. Whatever else he had going on in his life, he was very nearly ripe for the picking.

"I have given that some thought, Your Highness," Gaia replied back.

Her earthy hands continued to roam over his body. Thankfully, she could see his figure was reacting positively to her touch if only on an instinctive level.

Zeus nearly gasped when she began to stroke him. "Oh?" Zeus wondered. "And what is that?"

"Allow me to bear you a child, and I will raise him to be your protector," Gaia breathed into his ear.

"Your child could do what Metis might not," Zeus said through shaky breathing.

She could tell how much he yearned for her. He was such a slave to his desires. Gaia recognized that capturing Zeus was even easier than Rhea intimated.

Zeus turned to face the Primordial Queen.

"But your child could overthrow me the same as Metis' child," he remarked with more control than Gaia thought he had.

The Earth Primordial had long since thought of this concern and how best to counter it.

"Not if the child swears loyalty to you," Gaia countered.

Zeus thought for the briefest of moments. If he were wiser or more thorough, he would have had Gaia make an oath to him right then and there. Instead, slave as he was to his own genitals, he shook as Gaia wrapped the lips that once kissed Ouranos around his manhood.

With one hand stroking and the mouth lathering him up with saliva, Zeus knew what he wanted. Gaia's sex was more than just a matron's body. She represented royalty, nobility itself, and stability. A child by her, even an illegitimate one, could prove useful in the future. The king already knew from firsthand experience that Gaia could train a worthy warrior.

Of course she was loyal to him. She had sacrificed her own late husband to prove how much Zeus meant to her. By the time he thought of all the logical reasons to trust Gaia, he could feel his phallus hardened and twitching with anticipation for whatwouldcome to pass.

When he plunged himself between her legs to feel the warmth of her fertile, wet sex, he was lost to the idea. Her sex, her womb, all of it was his to have. Not just as king but as a conqueror. He had deposed Cronos; he stood atop Olympus; he had the throne that all deities yearned for.

He kissed her lips of bark and stone. Her skin was unlike that of any god or Titan, which made it all the more desirable to him. The unusual makeup of her body only built up in him what he already desired. He had her on his bed, her legs splayed wide into the air.

Her breasts bounced with every thrust of his hips into her. Every inch of his cock inside of her was a statement, not just to her, but the entire realm. It was all his to have. Every woman, any goddess, any time, any place, however he wanted; it was all possible.