Zeus sits on Stephani,
The highest point on Mount Olympus.
Is resplendent in his robes as white as spring clouds and edged with gold-like sunlight.
Much of his face is covered by the most magnificent beard.
It is long,
Full,
Silky and slightly curly.
It's nearly as iconic a symbol of his majesty as the lightning bolt fizzling and sparkling gently in his belt.
His sharp eyes survey the great expanse of Greece.
And the surrounding areas.
He faces south along the main peninsula of Greece.
And towards distant Libya and Egypt.
To his right is the Ionian Sea that separates Greece from Italy.
To his left is the Aegean Sea.
And all the little islands of Greater Greece.
Zeus admires the world around him.
The green of the land meets the brilliant blue of the water.
Forests,
Farms,
Pastures,
And mountains cover the fertile earth.
He is the ruler of all of this and so much more.
Like his sacred animal,
The eagle,
Zeus has keen eyes that can see every corner of the earth,
Sea,
And sky.
His eyes fall on the island of Crete,
Where he was born and raised.
Zeus heaves a great sigh as his mind travels back to his childhood.
It was strange,
Even for an immortal.
Before Zeus became the leader of the gods,
His father Cronus was the ruler of all.
Cronus,
Unlike Zeus,
Was mad with power and delegated nothing to his Titan siblings.
His paranoia went so far that he swallowed whole all five of Zeus' older siblings the moment they were born.
Zeus's mother Rhea suffered each consumption.
Because she held out hope that her beloved husband would soften.
Relent.
And come out of his madness.
Yet with each baby she lost.
She became more certain that the Titan she fell in love with was lost as well.
When she became pregnant with Zeus,
Her sixth child.
She hatched a plan.
Ria went to her mother and father for help.
They were Gaia.
The Earth Mother.
And Uranus,
The original Sky Father.
They told her how to fool Cronus and save her child.
Just before the time came for her to give birth.
Rhea pretended to go through labour.
Drawn by her sounds.
Cronus arrives just in time.
To see her holding what he thought was a baby.
Tightly wrapped in a blanket.
Without a word.
He took the banquette.
And swallowed it whole as before.
He left Rhea alone.
Never realizing that the bundle he thought was a baby.
Was actually a stone.
Rhea then rushed off to Crete to give birth.
So as not to arouse the suspicion of her husband.
Rhea left the baby Zeus in the care of Gaia.
And a nanny goat called Amalthea.
As an extra precaution against Cronus's paranoia.
Gaia hung baby Zeus in a hammock.
From the branches of an oak tree.
In the weeks following his birth.
There.
Suspended between the earth and the sky,
Cronus couldn't see the infant.
Zeus was fed by the nutritious milk of Amalthea.
And by the bounties of the earth.
Provided by Gaia.
He grew quickly.
From infant to toddler.
The first sign of Zeus' prodigious strength came one day when he was playing with Amalthea.
The goat would gently nuzzle the baby in the belly.
Making Zeus giggle with unbridled delight and sweetness.
His tiny fist gripped one of her horns.
And not knowing his own strength,
The toddler god pulled his beloved nanny goat towards him.
One of her horns broke clean off in his hand.
Before Amalthea could react,
The horn became filled with food.
It overflowed with fruits at their peak ripeness,
Fresh vegetables and newly baked breads.
She looked in amazement.
As her horn was blessed by the infant as his first gift to the world.
It would become known.
Us the cornucopia.
And it would never empty.
She giggled again.
Unaware of the incredible power he already possesses.
Ria came back to visit her son as often as she was able.
But Tass Smart's son was always curious.
One day when he was about ten years old.
Zeus asked his mother why she couldn't stay longer with him and always had to leave.
Rhea took his hand and walked with him to a point on the northwestern tip of Crete that looked back on mainland Greece.
For several long moments,
Mother and son stood.
Looking out over the perfect blue of the Mediterranean.
The wind from the water.
Blew up the cliff.
And rustle to their hair with playful gentleness.
Rhea took a deep breath,
Sat down on the soft turf,
And told her son everything.
She explained how his father changed from a passionate young Titan.
To a ruthless dictator.
When Ria got to the part about Zeus' siblings,
She saw a dark look pass over her son's face.
By the time she finished her story.
Helios,
The sun god.
Had sunk to the horizon.
Zeus sat with his mother.
Watching the sky turn.
From the pastel shades of the day.
To the vibrant colors of sunset.
Ria watched her son's face,
Which was bathed in a bright orange light.
It made his eyes glitter like twin flames.
Zeus opened his mouth and told his mother he wanted to help overthrow his father.
From that day forward.
Zeus began his training.
Ryo was assisted in this training.
By her friend Matisse,
A wise oceanid.
And by Gaia.
These three powerful goddesses taught Zeus that a true leader delegates,
Trusts,
And builds respect.
They instilled in him.
The Tifer ruler must resort to fear to keep control.
He has already lost it.
Through their tutelage.
Zeus grew from a naive boy.
To a just and wise man.
Zeus comes out of his reminiscing and sends out a silent prayer of gratitude to the female deities who raised him.
It has been many,
Many years since then.
The world looked very different when he was a child god.
There were no seasons.
Less variety in climates.
And no human beings at all.
Even the landscapes of the Earth were different.
Changed and formed.
By the struggle for power between Zeus and Cronus.
Zeus' eyes fall on Mount Othris to the south.
He can see the white caps of snow that cover the black stone of the mountain.
Memories come to the surface.
Like bubbles from the bottom of a clear stream.
When the time was right and Zeus was fully grown,
He started to create a plan with Rhea and Metis to free his siblings.
Metis spent a month traveling around Greece,
Collecting specific herbs and brewing a special potion.
When the concoction was ready.
She took it to Rhea.
And their plan properly began.
Rhea traveled to Mount Othris to find Cronus.
Cronus sat on the mountain as majestic and powerful as ever.
His huge form sat so still that he could have been carved from the black rock of the mountain itself.
His eyes constantly searched the sky,
Sea,
And earth for threats to his power.
They fell on his wife.
And she could see the weariness in them.
As she approached,
Cronus shifted the huge curved sickle in his lap.
It was his symbol.
And it was given to him by Gaia.
When he overthrew Uranus to become the leader of all existence.
Rhea greeted her husband as if nothing was wrong.
He complained to her of sleepless nights.
His twisted mind had not allowed him to rest for many years now.
Ria explained that she had brought him something to help him sleep.
Offering up a stone bowl.
Containing metasys potion.
Cronus took the mixture.
And drained it immediately.
Rhea kept her gaze fixed on Cronus.
But saw a flash out of the corner of her eye that told her Zeus was in possession.
At first,
Nothing appeared to happen.
Slowly like the first light of a winter dawn.
A change started to break over Cronus' features.
With very little warning.
He opened his mouth.
And out came five fully grown figures.
Hera Poseidon.
Demeter.
Hades and Hestia.
All up here.
Confused but perfectly unharmed.
Cronus having expelled his children.
Began to lose consciousness.
Metis,
In her cleverness and wisdom,
Mixed poppies and lavender into the potion to put Cronus to sleep.
Zeus,
His mother,
And his siblings were free to escape and regroup.
Before any further steps could be taken to wrest control of the world from the Titans.
The newly arrived gods and their mother.
Took an evening to reconnect.
Sheltered once again on the island of Crete.
The newly reunited family.
8.
And got to know one another.
Rhea sat at one end of the table.
Her lovely face glistening with tears of joy.
To see her children all together and healthy.
To one side of her sat her three daughters.
And on the other side sat her three sons.
Zeus laughed loudly,
His booming voice reverberating up and down the table.
Poseidon contained a playful,
Changeable energy.
Would switch from cloudy sadness at having lost so much time trapped in his father.
To bright joy at their release.
To serious determination at the road ahead.
Nearly the opposite of Poseidon.
Hades was calm and steady.
His emotions were not extreme in any direction.
But the slight smile on his lips hid deep wells of happiness at this moment.
Hestia sat in quiet contentment,
Listening to the raucous laughter of her siblings and smiling sweetly.
Demeter nurtured the conversation.
Always asking questions and laughing at the right times.
Her open and comforting aura put her family at ease in her presence.
More than a match for any of the others,
Even Zeus.
Hera quickly established herself as a natural leader.
With a quick wit.
And boundless confidence.
Immortals like the gods and the titans.
Are not bound to the same laws of nature as humans and animals.
Though Zeus and Hera were siblings,
Their eventual pairing was not at all strange or uncommon.
The one evening of bliss under the bright stars wore on.
And before the young gods knew it.
Eos,
Goddess of the dawn,
Threw back the gates of the Sun Palace to bring forth another day.
It was the first of many in which Zeus and his allies would spend wrestling power over the very young one.
From the older generation.
But not all Titans were opposed to the young gods.
Two of Zeus's closest allies.
Were the Titan Brothers.
Prometheus and Epimetheus.
Once again,
Zeus finds himself back in the present day with the wisps of memory clearing from his mind.
Like clouds on a windy day.
He looks down on the ever-spreading and advancing humans.
They are so creative.
Tenacious and surprising.
How many of them know that they would be little more than upright cattle.
Had it not been for Prometheus.
And his unending love for mankind.
Zeus rises from his great seat and begins his descent from Mount Olympus.
He arrives quickly at the tree line.
Welcoming the shade of the pines around him.
He shrinks slightly.
To allow the trees to tower over him.
The green needles bring the fresh scent of life to the air.
The great God is deep in thought.
And pays little mind to the direction of his feet.
Is invisible to humans.
And merely wishes to experience the simple pleasure of a long walk through nature.
He runs his hands against the bark of the trees as he passes.
How many lives of trees has he seen on this mountainside?
It would be impossible to count,
But it comforts him to think that the silent trees witness more of his comings and goings than any other creature.
It isn't long before he hears the sound of a river close by.
Zeus moves instinctively towards the sound.
The warmth of the spring sunshine.
Has been working daily on the snowcaps of Olympus.
As they shrink,
The springs,
Rivers,
Creeks,
And pools covering the mountain begin to grow.
Zeus comes through the last few trees to find the river coursing over stones and towards the sea.
It has a carved path down the mountain.
That is deep and well-worn.
Though Zeus can remember when it was just a shallow stream.
The water is clearer and more pure than glass.
Zeus can see every detail of the riverbed and admires the way the sunlight reflects off the flowing water onto the rocks of the bank.
They ripple like snakes of golden light.
Zeus sits on a large rock and puts his godly feet into the cool stream.
He presses his bare feet into the soft mud at the bottom of the river.
The feeling of the clay.
Brings him back to another sunny afternoon.
In the early days of his reign.
He was so much younger then.
And was struggling with his new role.
As the King of the Gods.
It wasn't the power or the responsibility that had bothered him.
But the certain feeling.
That something was missing from the world.
Something important and unlike anything seen in existence before.
When the idea finally arrived in his mind.
When he finally figured out what it was that was missing.
He went straight to Prometheus.
It was another perfect day.
There were no seasons yet.
So every day was the perfection of a late spring afternoon.
Everything bloomed constantly and there was never a chill in the air.
Zeus had practically flown down from Olympus.
When the idea struck him.
Like one of his own thunderbolts.
He proceeded to run as fast as he could down the mountain.
Calling out to the name of his best friend,
Prometheus.
Zeus was so giddy with his new idea that after only a few minutes of searching,
He grew impatient.
And leapt into the sky.
His strong godly form changed into that of an eagle.
In his eagle form,
Zeus allowed the warm thermals of air.
To lift his body high above the Earth.
His great yellow eyes searched the perfect green land below him.
For the familiar shape of the titan.
Zeus' brown feathers ruffled slightly in the wind,
And the sun reflected off his bright yellow beak.
He only needed to flap once or twice.
Mainly allowing the natural flow of the air.
To carry him at great speed.
He drifted over a world untamed.
The forests were dark.
Deep and unending.
The waters of the ocean were free from ships or travelers of any kind.
But both the land and sea were slowly being filled up.
The marbled map of blue,
Greens,
And browns beneath Zeus' wings finally revealed his prize.
Two titans as tall as a pair of ancient oaks rested in an open clearing.
Zeus circled him as he descended.
He returned to his normal form a few feet from the ground.
And landed gracefully between the two brothers,
Prometheus and Epimetheus.
Prometheus opened one eye to look at his friend.
He asked Zeus if he had more tasks for the two Titans to complete.
Had been spending the past few weeks creating the animals of the world and bestowing gifts upon them.
Zeus's delight with their work so far.
Was exemplified by the fact that he took the form of an eagle at nearly every opportunity.
It was the first creature the brothers made.
And presented to Zeus as a gift.
The eagle immediately became his sacred animal.
Zeus smiled down at Prometheus and told him that he did indeed have another project for his friend.
He told Epimetheus to continue working on the animals.
And led Prometheus towards the banks of a great river nearby.
While they walked,
Zeus explained his plan.
He loved every new animal that they showed him.
Each one had its own purpose and use in the world,
Which then informed the way other animals lived and interacted.
He was amazed and intrigued.
By the way that the animal world was emerging.
From the hands of the brothers.
With an inherent structure.
And hierarchy.
Zeus spent several long minutes fawning over Prometheus' skills and inherent talent.
Until Prometheus stopped his friend and asked him directly what it was that he wanted.
The two immortals were now at the bank of the river.
The flow of the water.
Added a rhythmic and untamed soundtrack to their discussion.
Zeus told Prometheus that he wanted to create another type of creature.
Something that looked like the gods with the ability to speak and learn.
A race of beings that would be below the immortals but above the animals.
Creatures that were entertaining.
Creative.
Interesting,
And bold.
Prometheus listened in wonder to Zeus' plan.
His imagination caught a spark of the idea.
And turned into a blaze.
Soon enough.
The two friends were as giddy as one another.
They spoke over each other.
Adding new ideas and laughing excitedly.
Prometheus agreed to take on this project with Zeus.
He cast around the bank of the river.
Until his eye fell upon the ground itself.
He told Zeus to leave him be for a while.
And come back to this spot in the afternoon.
When the sun began to set.
He also told him to bring the goddess Athena.
Zeus didn't question his friend's instructions.
And left him there on the riverbank.
Elapsed into the air.
And transformed back into an eagle.
The call of an eagle pulls Zeus out of his memory.
His feet still in the stream,
Zeus looks up,
Trying to glimpse the bird through the trees that lean lazily over the water.
He stands and begins to follow the stream down to the foothills.
The sun pours through the canopy of the woods,
Dazzling the ground in little droplets of sunlight.
The trees become less dense,
And the pines give way to other trees.
Before he knows it,
Zeus finds himself in a grove of large oaks.
Their leaves are the brightest green,
With not a single hint of yellow.
They wave on their branches.
Shattering.
With each gentle blow of the wind.
Zeus takes a break under a large tree to pause and appreciate the moment.
He is the King of the Gods and the Ruler of all.
So an afternoon without the pressure of responsibility is rather rare.
He rests a large hand on the trunk of a tree.
Feeling the decades of life.
Flowing beneath its bark.
The movement of a cloud across the sky brightens the scene as it makes way for the full force of the sunshine.
Zeus,
Drawn by the warmth and light,
Moves away from the tree.
And continues on his journey.
He comes to a small cliff overlooking the foothills.
Spread below him like an intricate painting.
Is a human settlement.
The red tile roofs stand out against the warm golds,
Browns,
And yellows of the land around them.
The buildings themselves are whitewashed,
Reflecting the brightness of the day.
Zeus can see the carts and wagons of farmers.
The market stalls,
And the lines of drying clothes strung between the buildings.
He watches children chase one another.
And women gathering to share news.
Old men sit together under the shade of olive trees.
And play games or reminisce.
The marvel of human life is spread below him.
And Zeus cannot help but remember the day they were made.
When Zeus returned to Prometheus just before sunset on that afternoon so many years ago.
The sky was a masterpiece of color and form.
Where there was perfect,
Spotless blue during the day.
There was now a gradient of hues.
Melding beautifully from bright orange.
Into pink.
And finally to a dark purple.
That preceded nigh.
The wispy clouds were like streaks of vibrant gold thrown there by a passionate painter.
Zeus dipped and wowed through the sky as an eagle.
Barely able to contain his excitement.
He landed softly on the ground.
Next to Prometheus.
Just as his friend was standing up to stretch.
Prometheus had been hard at work all day.
From the soft clay of the riverbank.
He had created nearly a dozen figures.
He collected and mixed the clays into every color he could think of.
Creating beings that were diverse and beautiful.
He and Zeus looked at them with unabashed pride.
As the clay figures baked gently in the heat of the early evening.
Prometheus looked around.
About to ask for Athena.
When the goddess stepped out of the woods.
On her shoulder sat an owl.
Her constant companion.
And a symbol of her great wisdom.
She walked over to peer down at Prometheus' handiwork.
She immediately proclaimed them.
To be perfect.
In order to bring these figures to life.
Zeus and Athena.
Needed to bestow life upon them.
Zeus licked his thumb and wiped it gently across the face of each figure.
Putting a bit of himself into the new race.
They would be strong,
Charismatic.
And leaders of the natural world.
Athena then breathed at each one.
Imbuing them with some of her wisdom and intelligence.
For a few moments,
Nothing happened.
The clay figures laid still,
As perfect as ever.
Suddenly.
One at the end of the line,
Moved his fingers.
Another blinked her eyes.
Before long,
They were all on their feet,
Stretching their limbs and interacting with one another.
Athena and Prometheus beamed at the humans.
But Zeus was overjoyed.
In the following months and years,
Prometheus and Epimetheus taught humans everything that they thought these new beings would need.
Such as farming.
Language,
And crafting.
Epimetheus had already given things like warm fur coats,
Wings,
And the ability to breathe water to the animals.
So,
The brothers decided that man must use his wits to survive in ways that animals did not.
Zeus oversaw the development of humans and only had one rule.
No fire.
Zeus believed that humans would become too dangerous with fire and feared for their safety.
Prometheus disagreed,
Asserting that humankind was smarter than Zeus knew.
As King of the Gods,
However.
Zeus was not to be disobeyed.
One evening,
Zeus was having dinner on Olympus with the other gods.
He wondered briefly where Prometheus was,
But figured that his friend was down with the humans.
He spent more and more time with the new beings these days.
Zeus put the thought from his mind and focused on the excellent meal.
Apollo played the lyre for them while Hermes sang.
It was a lovely evening beneath the deep blue ceiling of the sky and the silver glittering of stars.
Selene,
The goddess of the moon,
Was bright in the sky.
It wasn't until Zeus' chance to look down from the mountaintop that he noticed dozens of little amber dots of light across the world.
He knew immediately that humans had acquired fire.
And who had given it to them.
A hand comes to rest gently on Zeus' shoulder.
Drawing him back to the present day.
Looks around to see the smiling face of Prometheus.
His friend asks Zeus what he has been thinking about.
Zeus gives him a wry smile and tells him he was remembering when humans first started to use fire.
Prometheus smiles wider and asks Zeus if he still believes Prometheus did the wrong thing.
Zeus admits that giving the new race of humans the gift of fire was right.
All the gods,
Zeus included,
Are constantly surprised and delighted.
By the way humans tame.
And use fire.
For their benefit.
They create everything from delicious foods to works of art.
Fire heats them.
Protects them.
Helps them.
And bows to their will.
Humans need fire.
Prometheus,
The deity of forethought,
Saw that when Zeus could not.
Now,
Zeus and his friend look down on the humans as they go about their business.
They are like tiny little flames themselves.
They burn bright with creativity.
Passion.
And vivacity.
Humans are the perfect outcome.
Of Zeus' vision for the world.
They are his proudest creation.
Helios makes his way across the sky in the chariot of the sun.
While the two immortal friends watch over their creations.
Eventually.
The call of duty.
Brings their gaze back up the mountainside.
To the summit of Olympus.
Prometheus turns back first,
Allowing Zeus one more moment of solitary reflection.
Down in the human village.
A young boy glances up at the mountain.
And thinks he sees a huge figure standing on an outcrop of cliffs.
Beaming down at him.
The boy blinks.
And the figure is gone.
But a warm feeling of deep affection.
Remains.
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