Godly Affairs
Olympus was usually a quiet place.
Although it helped that most of the palaces were sound and power proof, because that could change the serenity of the situation.
And when I say usually, I mean every now and then, when the Olympians were not arguing.
Which was never.
These are the short stories of the Olympians during the Titan and Giant crisis, and the aftermath.
POSEIDON
I
I looked at Zeus for a reaction. The son I had hidden for the last 12 years was finally claimed. And it could not have had come at a worse time.
"You have until the Solstice to hand over my weapon, brother." I sighed. I didn't want Zeus's Master Bolt. I owned the Cyclops forge that created the weapon - I didn't have to steal it if I wanted one for myself. Besides, the Triton was much better. Three prongs, and I could shoot fish at people.
"I do not have your weapon, brother. Believe me, I care not for starting a war." My tone was slightly passive aggressive. Slightly. Zeus growled. He was pissed. Gauging the other Olympians' reactions was difficult.
Hestia, the poor girl, looked terrified. The Hearth was burning dangerously low. The family bonds were being stretched. Hera seemed to be trying to comfort her, glancing and frowning in sympathy.
Apollo and Artemis seemed to be arguing. I was almost certain that Artemis believed Perseus had committed the crime just because he was male.
Demeter and Dionysus simply drank away in silence. The tension in the room was continually rising. I gripped the edge of my throne a little bit tighter.
Hephaestus glared at Aphrodite who was flirting with Ares. No surprise. He hated family affairs, and so would I, if the wife I hadn't chosen was a Goddess of them. Ares, surprisingly, was ignoring her, instead making eye contact with Zeus, egging on the "King." Of course. The God of War would want to see bloodshed.
The one person in the room who was completely unreadable however, was Athena. Her stormy grey eyes were difficult to navigate, as if moving through the hurricane themselves. I struggled to remain in focus while my brother continued his speech. Her olive skin was perfectly tanned, and her dark hair was perfectly tied back into what the mortals referred to as a "bun." Perfect, perfect, perfect. Brat. She sat cross legged intently, leaning forward out of her throne to try and listen more, to learn more. She bit her lip in thought.
I took a sharp breath in and gulped, forcing myself to look away from the virgin goddess, before my eyes decided to wander further south and cause a war with the Goddess on their own. The bitch would start one just to spite me. I had once read a mortal quote about how no matter how beautiful you were physically, if you thought ugly thoughts then you were ugly. And with Athena constantly thinking, she must've have always had ugly thoughts. Therefore Athena is ugly. Or at least I tell myself. The grip on my throne tightens again, my knuckles whitening. I turn to face Zeus, who was wrapping up his lecture.
"Remember the deadline." He looked me in the eyes. He clicked his fingers and flashed out, followed by incessant snap of other Gods copying him. I stayed seated. I needed time to think.
I was delving deep into my thoughts when a certain owl head interrupted me.
"I believe your son." I didn't reply in fear of being berated or mocked, opting to raise one eyebrow. "My daughter has an intertwined destiny. I must believe that he has honest intentions." She explained herself, as I nodded slowly in understanding. "Children of ours never get along. Here's hoping to new change." She cracked a small smile, just her lips turning up, brightening her face. I didn't trust myself to speak, again, using my facial expression to show my agreement. She seemed to be getting irritated with my lack of verbal response. "Cat got your tongue?" I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever, Fish Fingers."
She turned away, preparing to click her fingers. "See you later, Owl Face." I called after her. She turned to face me, preparing to reply, but her fingers were already in motion as they clicked and she flashed out.
Dear Gods, Perseus. Do not let Annabeth down. Otherwise, even I may not survive.
Aphrodite
I
"Hephy, I'm home." I called into my husband's palace. For once, he was not in the forge. That was a big surprise. Instead, he was sat at the dinner table, talking with a latino woman.
He turned to face me, a face contorted with confusion and surprise. He reeled his head back and grunted, before saying a few words to the lady sat at the dinner table and flashed her out.
"Why are you here?" He spoke with no emotion.
He was dark skinned, naturally, but with all the time he spent in the forge further blackened his face. He had a cross between Latino and African American features. His nose was rather flat, and his lips were full. His raven hair was cropped short and his ears were large and pointy. He had broad shoulders, and big arms, emphasised when he slumped back into his chair and crossed his arms on his chest.
"I live here. I am your wife." I turned my head to the side and looked at him indifferently. "Who was that woman?" I slipped into the seat she had sat in.
"You do not live here. And you barely classify as a wife." He pointed his nose up and raised his lip in discomfort. "And that woman was the father of one of my children, Leonidas." He seemed slightly uncomfortable talking about him, as if there was something he was refusing to say.
"You're cheating on me? With another woman? You have another family?" I put my hand up to my mouth, and tears formed at the corner of my eye. I already knew he had other children. So did I. But I felt slightly disappointed, for some strange reason. Three thousand years of marriage and affairs, but this was the first one that hurt.
He laughed coldly in my face.
"She is mortal. You have 6 more children than me at the moment."
"Yes, but I never return to them. And I never brought them to my palace in Olympus!"
"She is special." He sighed. I got that sick feeling in my stomach, for when someone is completely and utterly in love. Usually, it felt like butterflies. This time, it felt like snakes. "Intelligent, and practical. A Queen that deserves love and respect. A woman with the greatest beauty." And under his breath, I caught "And the finest ass I have ever seen."
I stood up and slapped him across the face. It didn't seem to hurt him.
"How could you? How could you love another woman? A mortal has displaced me in your affections?"
He stood up with a pissed expression. "Do you think I ever cared about you?" He slammed his hands down on the table, which were smouldering and left burn marks on the fine oak. "For 500 years of our marriage, I stayed one hundred percent loyal to you, while you ran around with mortals, having hundreds of children. Not for you though. For Hera, the mother that thought I was too ugly, then made me marry the Goddess of Beauty like some cruel practical joke." He took a break and spat Godly saliva to the floor. "Then, two and a half millennia ago you began running around with Ares. Fucking another God, not behind my back, but in front of my own eyes! And you dare question MY loyalty to you? There is no loyalty! You have never, ever been in my heart!" His anger only rose.
"I have never had any Godly extramarital affairs. I wish I could say the same for you. Maybe it's time that you got what you always wanted. Hera owes me a favour. She can dissolve this marriage. Go fuck Ares, go fuck whoever you want. Go fuck yourself. Goddess of Love my ass! You wouldn't know what love was if it was burnt into your skin. Leave my palace. Do not come back." And with that he turned away and stormed towards the forge entrance.
"But I never had any Godly extramarital affairs."
I whispered as he walked away. He always had Hephaestus TV on us. Didn't he know that Ares and I had never had sex?
