"How do you plead?"
"Not guilty, but because like, you don't understand, I -"
"Not guilty, eh? Let's see here. Zeus, what are you bringing him up on?"
"He chased after nymphs after hearing explicitly that they were off-limits and were not to be sought. He outright refused to follow this order, as simple as that, and I demand that he be punished for his actions."
"Zeus, that's totally unfair! Come on, you know me. It's all a misunder-"
"SILENCE IN MY COURT. We will hear from both of you in due time, please just be patient. Let us proceed."
The people in the courtroom adjusted themselves awkwardly in their seats. This was going to go beyond a simple courtroom procedure; this seemed personal. Why else would Zeus bring Dionysus to a full court? He could have just punished him himself. It seemed odd, really, but more official. Almost as if Zeus wanted to make this as public as possible.
This is ridiculous. I went after a pretty girl, and Zeus is acting completely irrationally. How dare I disrespect him? Well listen here, Zeusy, you might be the God of the gods, but you're not the God of me, alright? I am a grown man and nobody has control over me.
"Dionysus, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Please come here and give a statement."
Yeah right, like you'll listen to anything I say...here goes nothing.
"While I was aware that Zeus had made this limitation on me, I would like to state that the nymph was very persuasive and I did try not to go with her. I would also like to state that Zeus is my father, so of course he is going to place harsher limitations on me than the other gods, perhaps ones that he knew I could not live up to. I tried to stay from her, I really did. But you have to understand, she came on to me and I didn't realize that she was one of the ones Zeus had told me to stay away from, I swear! I figured if she came to me, it would be different than me going to her, right? I had nothing to do with this. I'm not guilty, madam."
"Zeus, anything to say in response?"
"Well, I would first like to point out that in no way did I set this limitation upon Dionysus in an attempt to make him fail. I would never do that to my own blood. In fact, I set this boundary because I was trying to protect him from the evils that the free nymphs can bring about. They are nothing but trouble. I was doing this to keep him safe. But he went off and frolicked with their free ways regardless, and he must learn to obey his father. To obey the God of the gods."
"Alright. Now how shall we settle this, men?"
The crowd was sitting in silence, hoping their vote would not have to be taken into account. How could they vote against Zeus, even though they felt sympathy for Dionysus's situation? They averted eye contact with the judge Dice. They knew she would handle it, being the goddess of justice, after all.
"Oh, goddess of justice, I know you will come to a fair declaration, I just hope that you take into considering all of the injustices did to me. I am innocent, I swear to you. I was just a bystander to this whole situation. I request that all charges be dropped and that this issue just go away."
"I will hear nothing of the sort, Dionysus. You clearly disobeyed my order, and you must be punished for it. If we bend the rule for you, we will have to begin bending the rule for everyone. With these people as my witnesses, I will not give preferential treatment to anyone, especially you."
"Calm, you two. We will get to the bottom of this. Let me think on the issue for a few minutes while you all sit in thought."
She's going to go back to her room and think about it? She's going to find me guilty because she doesn't want to deal with Zeus either! I know it! This is completely unfair. I'm begin judged because I happen to be the god of wine and they all think I'm some kind of drunk! I mean, sure I know the richness of wine and the pleasures of a drink, but I was not breaking the rule that Zeus laid down! I better not be punished for this, I'll never let it go.
After sitting for what felt like an eternity, the crowd rose again to greet Dice as she reentered the courtroom. She proceeded to her chair and asked everyone to be seated.
"I have reached my decision. Based on what I have heard, Dionysus was making a genuine attempt at avoiding the nymph, but fell into their traps of 'freedom.' Zeus did, however, make it quite clear that this was never to happen. So in conclusion, I have decided that Dionysus will serve as camp director for Camp Half Blood, a camp for children of the gods and mortals. This sentence will be complete after five years, and then Dionysus will be free to continue his life with no other negative retributions for his actions from the court, from Zeus, or from anyone else. This is my decision, and it is final."
CAMP HALF BLOOD? You might as well kill me know. I'd rather help Sisyphus out, geez! She's so unreasonable. Five years is never going to end! The kids are horrible there!
"Thank you for your decision, Madam Dice, and I will be sure to not hold this against him in any way in the future."
"Yes, thank you. I will report to Camp Half Blood in the morning."
"This case is finished. Next!"