Tales of Olympus

Chapter 12: Fury and Favor

"I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great!"

-- FromHomeric Hymn23 to Zeus, attributed to the Homeric tradition, composed c. 7th-4th century BCE, lines 1-11. 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.

Words cannot express the majesty and wonder of the Mountain of Olympus in its prime. After the fall of the Titans, in the early days of Zeus' reign, the snow-capped peaks soared towards the heavenly sky. It held an aura of otherworldly grandeur that was the envy of the divine no matter what realm they hailed from.

The rugged earthy cliffs would someday inspire mortals to try and climb to the summit to see the city of the gods.

In that capital, many changes were taking place. Palaces were being filled by this god or that Titan loyal to the Lightning Lord called King Zeus. The metropolis was quickly becoming a landscape of unparalleled glorious splendor.

Within the plane that had been created through the first union of Gaia and Ouranos, one palace was more beautifully crafted than all the others. It had been occupied by the Last Primordial and the Titan of Time, but its current occupant was the Lord of Lightning: Zeus.

Weeks had passed since the other brothers had gotten their kingdoms in order. Those stories were helpful to Metis, but concerning for Zeus.

On his throne, Zeus was lost in thought.

Poseidon had conquered and established his role as supreme monarch of the seas within a week. Despite Zeus' joy at his brother's success, he had hoped that it would take Poseidon longer to domesticate the waters of Greece. After all, Zeus had heard of the battles between Oceanus and Pontus. When there was conflict between a Primordial and a Titan, it should have taken more time. To compound the issue, Poseidon was...well...if Zeus was being fair, he had thought Poseidon was an idiot. Zeus' older brothershouldhave needed help, but from Prometheus' report, he had defeated Oceanus in single combat and had befriended Pontus.

Of fucking course he befriended the supposed Primordial. Only Poseidon could have done that.

Zeus had wanted Poseidon to fail. If he did, he would have been indebted to Zeus when Zeus inevitably helped clean up the mess. With Poseidon's success, this truly meant each kingdom would be independent.

Which led into thebiggerproblem. Without Poseidon beholden to Zeus, the King of Olympus was unsure as to how he would handle the eldest son of Cronos.

As the newly christened King of the Underworld, Hades had obtained more power than anything Zeus had ever known. While he had drawn the longest straw, making him the legitimate ruler of Olympus, Zeus was aware that there would come a day when that would not be enough.

It was likely that he and Hades would come to blows. In that inevitable thought, he would either need servants entirely loyal to him or a new strength within himself in order to defeat (or at the very least compete with) his eldest brother.

Zeus shook his head. He was still trying to figure out where that power of Hades had come from. The oldest son of Rhea and Cronos had donesomething; Zeus just could not figure out what that something was.

No food, drink, or maiden would stop him from thinking on the subject. It had even gotten to the point that even Metis could not bring ease to his restless mind.

However, the Moirai must have been watching over him with favor.

On that day, Cratus and his siblings (Zelus, Niké, and Bia) came to kneel before their king. Zeus focused on the seven foot, well built leader of the contingent. Cratus was sporting thick curly reddish brown hair, powerful arms, and fierce hazel eyes that told Zeus that the deity yearned to put his strength to the test.

"Your Highness," Cratus declared. "My siblings and I have come to reaffirm our oaths of loyalty to you. All we ask is to be your most favored servants."

As Cratus gave his request, Metis walked into the throne room to observe. Normally, Zeus would not mind, but after the Ouranos situation, Zeus felt she was starting to overstep the bounds of her position in her life. He would say nothing though because she was irreplaceable.

"As you were the first to swear loyalty to me, Children of Pallas" Zeus began, "Such prompt devotion doesnotgo unnoticed. My personal advisor would call me a fool if I were not to reward that very loyalty. I believe you should serve at my side as my personal servants, above all on Olympus."

Just as the declaration left his lips, another mouthpiece spoke up.

"Hold it right there, Your Majesty!" screeched a female voice, coming into his palace.

The shock froze the room while Zeus lifted his head and witnessed three winged lady-warriors arriving with a kettle between them.

For the briefest of moments, Zeus did not recognize the three that had come before him. After all, they had not been seen during the Great War, for how could they? Their instinctive, self-imposed mandate that had been bestowed upon them at birth to punish those who broke their oaths was unnecessary during the battles between god and Titan.

Loyalties had been flexible, and moreover, oaths were enforced by those in power, and Cronos' bid to be ruler of Olympus was in question at that time. As such, they would not have given allegiance to either side.

Zeus might not have known any of this if not for the investigations of Rhea and Gaia. Rhea had heard of a scuffle between Cronos and these sisters, and Gaia had looked into the matter during Zeus' training.

Knowing who they were was not useful during the Great War, but after... oh there had been uses to this knowledge.

"Ah! The Sisters Fury," Zeus said, standing up in excitement.

He could not allow himself to get caught up in how he had come to know them, but his declaration was one that had made Metis pause and look upon her lover and king with suspicious eyes.

"You know of us?" the middle sister asked.

Metis watched Zeus, curious how he would navigate the situation.

Zeus smiled, motioning for the Furies to come further in.

The one in the middle had white-blonde hair and wore an outfit of blue, black, and gold. In her right hand was a studded whip. She was in control of herself with every measured step she took.

The one on the right had gold and black hair; her clothes were black and red. Spider-like legs were folded on her back. There was a malicious grin on her face in preparation for any contingency.

The final sister on the left had the thinnest skin over her skeleton and wore a green hood that covered most of her facial features. The one quality that the audience could see was bright white irises in the void of black eyeballs. She walked, almost aimlessly, behind the middle sister.

"I do. My mother spoke of how you sought to bring my father to justice for slaying Ouranos." Zeus smirked, looking them over. "You would not be trying to bring me to 'justice', would you...?"

He motioned at the three to finish this inquisitive statement, realizing he did not know their names.

"Megaera," the middle sister explained. She motioned to the sister on her right then her left. "Alecto and Tisiphóné."

Zeus nodded in acknowledgement of the names.

"We would not, Your Majesty," the middle sister went on. "You brought down your father, who was guilty in our eyes."

"We would not punish those who bring down ones in our bad graces," the sister on the left said. Her voice was a haunting monotone that found its way to last in one's ear.

Bia rubbed the side of her head in order to return her attention to the scene before them.

"Then, if I may, why have you come?" Cratus asked, irritated. He crossed his arms in annoyance. When he and his siblings were about to be honored by the victor of the Great War, these newcomers had come in to ruin their accolades.

"We have come to serve as the personal servants and bringers of justice for Zeus."

"You will find that position is already taken," Zelus said, confrontational as ever.

The division between the children of Pallas and the three sisters was as clear as day. Harbingers of retribution against the might of the descendants of Ouranos' Olympus.

"Is it?" the sister on the right asked, snapping her teeth. "I wonder how Zeus would feel about trusting himself with siblings who committed treachery to gain his trust."

"What are you saying?" Bia asked. She flexed her hand threateningly. She had three siblings at her back while this antagonizing Fury Sister only had two backing her. Bia liked her odds.

"I am sure she is saying that she worries how committed you are to the King of Olympus," the calming voice of Metis cut in.

She watched with care as the two opposing forces paused when she spoke. She walked between them, ensuring that they did not come to blows.

"My King," Metis went on, continuing her path towards her lover and ruler. "As you have two groups who wish to be your personal enforcers, when you only need one, would it not be prudent to cull the inferior force?"

Upon his throne, Zeus nodded. "I agree, Metis, but how?"

"Well," Metis said, bowing before the youngest son of Cronos. She held in her hand a scroll.

Zeus stood and accepted the scroll. "Ah I see," he replied as his eyes read the scroll. "Explain to our guest if you please, Metis."

Metis nodded before standing.

"During the Great War, there was a General for the masses under Cronos' command. He is Atlas, one of the strongest Titans to ever be born."

Cratus let out a snort of derision. No being, short of Zeus, could be stronger than him, in Cratus' opinion.

"I believe, as both a show of skill and loyalty, whichever of your groups should capture Atlas, will be the personal guard to his Majesty, Zeus," Metis finished.

"We showed our loyalties before these newcomers!" Niké exclaimed. "And now you, advisor, wish to make us compete against them?"

The Furies said nothing but one of them let out a snort in laughter.

"Actually," Zeus said, contradicting Metis. "They do have a point, Metis. If these newcomers want to earn my trust, it should be more meaningful."

Metis turned with abject disgust on her face. To watch him contradict her so publicly was not only humiliating but undermined her ability to advise him in front of others.

"I have a new idea if these Fury Sisters are up for a contest."

The one called Alecto licked her lips.

"We yearn for a challenge, Your Majesty. We will not shy away."

The King of Mount Olympus did not wait for Cratus or his contingent to respond. He had enough consent for what he wished to do, so he would speak.

"Very well," Zeus said standing.

Before them, he summoned up a portal of lightning showing three large, multi-headed and many armed beings.

"These beings are the Hecatoncheires," continued the Lightning Lord. "They also turned on Ouranos in the ancient past."

That phrase caught the attention of the Furies. Cratus and his siblings knew of these beings by reputation alone.

"My father, Cronos refused to free them from their prison after claiming Ouranos was a tyrant, so I freed them with their Cyclopes brethren," Zeus explained. "The Cyclopes realized that their power was dangerous and proved loyalty to me, and unlike with Ouranos, they have not turned on me."

Metis looked at Zeus in disbelief at the manipulation of the facts. She suspected his deception had a point, but it would also, likely, work against them in the future.

"Your task is to bring me at least two of the three Hecatoncheires before Cratus and his siblings bring me Atlas."

"How would this be fair?" Megaera asked.

Zeus smiled at the inquiry.

"Because I know where the Hecatoncheires are located, and Atlas is missing. Ibelieveyou all to be trackers in your quest to bring those to justice while IknowCratus and his siblings are strong."

Both sets of siblings looked confused at the statement, unable to see the imperative connection between the two points.

"The task of being the Hecatoncheires will be one of skill and strength while wit and cunning will be needed to capture Atlas."

"So we are to use the skills we are unaccustomed to in order to prove ourselves?" Megaera asked.

Zeus nodded in response while the children of Pallas smiled at the audacious wisdom of their king.

"Very well, Majesty," Megaera said after a moment. "But before we go, we brought you a gift."

Zeus raised an eyebrow to the additional declaration.

Tisiphóné and Alecto brought forth a jar. Within was a black swirling substance that had a tinge of gold.

"What is this?" Zeus wondered.

"It is the ichor of Ouranos," Megaera explained. "This is what we were brought forth from. If any could appreciate it or find a use for it, we believe you could, Majesty."

Zeus grimaced at the gift. "Thank you, Sisters. I am sure I will find a way to use your gift. Now...I think you all should prepare. Your contest begins tomorrow at dawn. Ifeitherone of your groups leave OlympusbeforeHelios' light touches the peak of Olympus, you will have lost."

The Furies and Cratus' contingent nodded in agreement before lowering their heads and leaving.

When they were far enough away, Zeus looked from the jar to Metis. An idea struck him like the lightning bolts he hurled.

"Metis, summon my mother and Gaia. I think I have a way to build a compromise with them."

Metis looked from the jar to him. "Do you want to discuss that lie you just told of the Hecatoncheires?"

"I do not," Zeus said.

"They did not betray you or your brothers. They requested to not be a part of the war. You and your brothers agreed."

"They did," Zeus agreed with a nod.

While he did not want to discuss the topic, he knew Metis would not leave well enough alone until he did, so he inclined his head and allowed her to continue.

"Thenwhysay that?" Metis wondered.

"Because Hades is more powerful than I am!" Zeus growled back.

Right then, between these two lovers, the truth of Zeus' dreadful, cowering concerns were unveiled. She could see the resentful envy in his eyes when he spoke of his brother. The horrific possibility of his lesser, elder brother having what was rightfully his was on display for Metis to see, and for this briefest of moments, she thought less of her ruler.

"If the Hecatoncheires decide to help him, and the denizens of his Underworld, we will not be able to stop them."

While Metis did not agree with the morality of the choice, she understood it logically.

"How did you know the Fury Sisters were not especially strong? That they were more trackers, unlike Cratus and his siblings?"

"I didn't," Zeus remarked with a giddy smile. "Butnowwe do know that. Rhea and Gaia were private about the event between Cronos and the Furies. All I knew for certain is that they tracked my father down and did battle with him. Now we know more."

"I see," Metis said with a smile before walking up to her king. "We will make a strategist out of you yet."

"Maybe," Zeus said, kissing his sweetheart. "Now... if you would summon my mother and Gaia, I think there is a relationship I need to mend."

Metis nodded. "Very well, my King."

While she did not agree with the deception, she was starting to be grateful to Hades' transformation. Perhaps the eldest son of Cronos' newfound might would motivate Zeus to be a better, thinking leader. After all, caring enough about the wellbeing of Olympus to try and preserve it was paramount.

She left her partner to do as he bid.

---

The sun dipped below the horizon when Metis arrived on the island where Gaia and Rhea were exiled.

The Oceanid could think of worse places for people to be left. Regardless of Zeus' authority to put them in this place or for it to feel like a prison, they were by the sea. There was a beautiful simplicity to this life, and one such as Metis could find the solitude peaceful.

Though, more recently, the Titaness of Wisdom was beginning to regret her lover's choice. Rhea had proved useful in the Ouranos debacle. While that situation had created division between Zeus and Hades, it also helped create a precedent between the Underworld and Olympus.

Rules and laws were necessary for a successful community; they provided structure. The lands of Greece were only flowing with more life. Metis knew the rule of law would keep all in line. Hades, and his chthonic horde, would handle the spirits, shades, and specters.

Precedent would be used to codify law even if it was flippantly being created. However, over the millennia to come, they would need examples of acceptable and unacceptable behavior that would be the outline of their society.

For every good, there was a bad; there had to be, by Metis' estimation. Hades' newfound power could make Zeus better or paranoid. It was fast becoming make or break time for Zeus.

Standing before the overgrowing forest that protected the lake at the heart of Gaia's island, Metis remembered that it was in that forest Zeus was trained by the Earth Primordial. Metis had helped advise Gaia on how to prepare Zeus. Of course, at the time, Metis did not know that it was the lightning lord that she was advising Gaia on.

Back then, the Counselor of Olympus had only been a young, inexperienced being. She had been naïve in how she had once thought. It had been so much simpler back then, so much easier. With every step forward, everything from Olympus to the deities to the mortal lands themselves became more and more complicated.

Letting out a loud, long sigh, she composed herself before calling out to the exiled queens.

"Gaia! Rhea!" Her voice carried a sense of deference.

She did not want to repeat herself. These women were queens by every measurement.

From within the shadows of the island's dense foliage emerged Gaia. The Primordial was the epitome of regal grace in her visage of bark, wood and vines condensed in the form of a feminine form. Beside her stood Rhea. She was ever the queen in every way. Even if Metis did marry Zeus and become Queen of Olympus, she would never appear half as monarchical.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Rhea asked with crossed arms.

"The King of Olympus requests both of your presence on Olympus," Metis announced.

While Rhea seemed the most indignant at the words, it was Gaia who spoke, bristling. "Requests or demands?"

Even in exile, the Primordial was still a child of Chaos and was therefore, graced with unmistakable, noble splendor.

"Requests," Metis repeated with clarifying intent.

For the smallest moment, the wise titan allowed her formality to slip.

"Gaia... Rhea... I apologize for how things have gone, but if you come to Olympus, Zeus might rectify his mistake in sending you away from Olympus."

The two queens looked at one another before returning their attention to the advisor.

"Thank you for coming, Metis," Rhea said cordially.

With a nod of acknowledgment to the Olympian ambassador, Gaia added her voice.

"Tell Zeus we shall honor his request. We will come to Olympus tomorrow."

Metis bowed respectfully before the exiled queens. "Thank you, Your Majesties," she replied before turning to depart. With a flash of light, she vanished from the eyes of the former rulers.

"Itoldyou that my meeting with Zeus would bear fruit," Rhea said with an I-told-you-so manner.

"I am aware that your visit could have a positive result," Gaia remarked, reprimand in her voice. "I only said that I thought it would have been smarter for us both to go together."