Once upon a time, there was a land far, far away named Olympia. In Olympia, there were three separate kingdoms that ruled (somewhat) alongside each other. The first kingdom was the Sky Domain, ruled by its glorious king, Zeus. Zeus was a wise, but harsh, ruler. He lived in his palace in the sky with his wife, Queen Hera, and his two children, Prince Jason and Princess Thalia. Because Thalia was the eldest, she was being raised to take her father's place one day and be queen. Jason was more of a free spirit. Ever since birth, he'd wandered places he'd been told not to. Wandering through the clouds (where he could fall), Looking at the sun (which could blind him). In fact, he once tried to eat one of Zeus' letter openers, giving him a small scar on his upper lip. Try as they might, no one in the Sky Domain was able to reign him in. Either way, the family was very happy with the life they lived.
The next kingdom was the Sea Domain, ruled by the kind Poseidon. Poseidon lived in the ocean, taking care of the animals and safely speeding sailors and travelers along their way (at least, once they gave him the proper respect). He and his wife, Amphitrite lived in their underwater palace with their sons, Triton and Tyson. Triton could usually be seen with two legs, but if the occasion should ever call for it, he can morph into a merman with two tails. The palace had no water in it, for it was surrounded by an enormous wall, keeping the oxygen in for all the human servants running about. Unbeknownst to Amphitrite, Poseidon had sired a baby boy with one of his maids, Sally Jackson. She had named the boy Perseus. Once the Queen found out, she was furious and was determined to kill this child to teach her husband and the woman a lesson. She charged out the palace with death on her mind, and snuck into the maids' quarters. Amphitrite stalked over the crib. It held a tiny sleeping boy with jet-black hair. Amphitrite raised her dagger, and just as she was about to plunge it into the baby, he opened his eyes. Amphitrite stopped short, expecting the baby to start wailing. Instead, he smiled at her, causing his sea-green eyes to crinkle with pleasure. He grabbed one of her fingers and laughed as only an adorable child can. The Sea Queen instantly fell in love. Perseus raised his little baby arms. Amphitrite carefully set the dagger down and lifted the child. He clutched a strand of her hair in his tiny fist and pressed his mouth on her nose. Amphitrite could no longer find any hatred in her for the child. In fact, that fateful night, she rocked the baby back to sleep. The next morning, she approached Poseidon and informed him that she knew about the baby. Poseidon stood from his chair, ready to defend Sally and his child, but he was taken by surprise when Amphitrite asked if he could be raised in the castle as a prince. Poseidon asked Sally if that was what she wanted for him, and Sally said she would be honored if her son was raised as royalty. So little Perseus went to the palace and learned how to be a prince. When he wasn't in classes, he was spending days helping his mother.
The last kingdom was the Underworld Domain. The ruler of the Underworld was King Hades. Everyone thought Hades to be a monster, devoid of human emotion: a demon, feasting on the souls of the dead. But the rumors are false. Hades simply directed the souls to their rightful paths, serving punishments and rewards as deserved. He is a human being, and is capable of loving. He loves his wife Persephone dearly, and his two children: Princess Hazel and Prince Nico. Hazel and Nico had been birthed of women besides Persephone, however, she still treats both of them as her own. Unfortunately, the life of a child of Hades is never easy. He had had another daughter named Bianca, Nico's older sister, but she perished in a riot against the three Kings. Hades mourned her death, and made it so that this would never happen again by practically trapping his own children in his palace. The children have never been outside of it, or the Underworld, to this day.
The story does not end here, however. In fact, this is merely the beginning. You see, these kings were not completely normal beings. They were blessed with magnificent powers. Zeus has the power to control lightning, and whenever he is angry, storms can be found brewing all over Olympia. Poseidon was blessed with control over the seas, and his trident was able to shake the earth, causing tsunamis and sea storms. Hades was blessed with the power to turn invisible, and could pass through the shadows as a means of travel. All of these magnificent powers were passed on to at least one child of each of the three kings. Prince Jason was able to manipulate the winds and fly, while Princess Thalia can call lightning down from the heavens. Prince Perseus was able to control the seas and cause minor earthquakes when frustrated. Prince Nico had the ability to talk to the dead and shadow-travel, earning him the nickname Ghost King. Princess Hazel could call jewels and riches up from underneath the earth by sheer sense of will. These children were extremely powerful, and were trained from their birth to control their powers and use it for good.
Along with the three kingdoms, there was an Olympian village named Concertia. The village was home to many kind and wise people who all knew one another. For example, Athena the seamstress. She was a humble, wise woman that aided people when they were troubled by decisions. She lived in a home with her husband Frederick and her daughter Annabeth. She made clothes for the needy, and took Annabeth with her to the deliveries. Annabeth grew up with her father's light hair and grey eyes, but had her mother's kind and wise soul.
Ares was the general of Concertia's armies. He was famous for leading the people to war, and always bringing them back safely. He and his wife, Emily, lived with their son, Frank. Despite growing up around death and carnage and war, Frank was a naturally sweet boy. However, he was not to be underestimated: he was as dangerous on the battle field as his father.
Hephaestus was the village blacksmith. He and his wife, Esperanza lived with their son, Leo. Because Hephaestus gave Ares his deliveries of weapons so often, Frank and Leo became close friends.
Apollo ran the village amphitheater, and often performed there. His songs could bring tears to the public's eyes. Apollo was also the village medic. He lived alone with his son, Will Solace, as his mother died tragically in childbirth. Apollo's sister, Artemis, became something of a mother figure to Will, keeping her oath to never marry.
Aphrodite was the village matchmaker. She lived with her husband, Tristan, who acted with Apollo at the amphitheater. Her daughter, Piper, was close friends with Annabeth. Aphrodite was a beautiful woman, and she had an uncanny sense of who should marry who. Getting paired to someone by Aphrodite was a sure sign of an everlasting relationship.
Dionysus was the village winemaker, who ran the pub. He and his wife Ariadne didn't have any children, but were kind to everyone else's.
Finally, there was Hestia, the village elder. She often communicated with Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Concertia was a happy little village, and everyone was at peace with each other (most of the time).
But, what none of these monarchs knew, was that a kingdom on the other side of the world was growing. It was led by King Ouranos and Queen Gaea. Their sons, Prince Kronos and Prince Luke, were being raised to overthrow Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, and take the kingdoms, and the entire world, for themselves.
And no one on Olympia was prepared for that.
Apollo locked the door to the amphitheater. He wiped his brow with his hand and sighed. What a long day he'd had. People from all over Olympia had come to hear him play and see Tristan act; hopefully the money they got from today would pay for some new medicines. The hospital was down on supplies, which was always dangerous in Concertia.
Apollo began to walk home. Will had already left for the house to see his aunt off: Artemis would be spending the next week in Fern hunting a vicious animal attacker. He admired the peace and quiet of Olympia on his usual walk home. The sea glittered in the night, reflecting the stars. Looking up, the Sky Palace was just able to be seen from where Apollo stood. He imagined what it would have been like to live thereā¦
A noise rang out from behind him. He jumped and turned, brandishing his quiver. Everyone in Concertia knew how good a shot Apollo was, and how bad of an idea it was to sneak up on him.
A green mist began to seep out of the street's shadows. At first, he thought it may have been Lord Hades, but his mist (like his clothes) was black. Green mist could only mean one thing.
The Oracle was here.
Apollo put his quiver away and approached the mist. "O Great Oracle. If you are here, please, um, reveal yourself."
He was met with silence for a few seconds, but then the mummified corpse of the Oracle stepped into the torchlight.
He knelt before her. "O Great Prophetess, what must I do?"
The Oracle opened her mouth, green mist seeing out. "You must gather all the wise Kings Three/ Thine children they must bring with thee/ For danger approaches, armies untold/ Without being stopped, Tartarus itself unfolds."
The Oracle stopped, closed her eyes, and fell. Apollo caught her before she hit the ground. This is awful, he thought. How can I gather the Three Kings and all of their families by tomorrow? Then, Apollo remembered a certain village elder who would be able to unite the Kings and all of Concertia in under an hour. He took the Oracle to his clinic, laid her on a bed, and sped off to the home of Hestia.
