So, I haven't been updating, and sorry you hate this.
Chapter 3
The Final Chapter
I walked to the balcony of my palace, savoring the cool, fresh air. Olympus was above the land of mortal pollutants, and was pure and clean. It was morning, and the bottom arc of the sun barely grazed the clouded horizon. It rose, tinting the wispy clouds a reddish pink, with streaks of vibrant yellow. Today was the day. The words beat a staccato in my mind, and every time I thought about it, I let out a bright peal of laughter.
Today, today, today. Time to teach what was what, to make the world a better place for everyone. Time to give everyone the spectacle they deserved, time to make a fool out of the most pompous king Olympus had ever had. I smiled, the wind blowing curls of chocolate brown hair into my face, making the silver ribbons entwined through the strands tickle my face.
I gazed over my city, my beautiful, wonderful city. A veritable utopia, one of perfection, grace, and fabulous architecture. And as I looked out over the balustrades of the balcony, I observed my subjects, the way that they walked with a spring in their step, a sense of joy. They grinned when they saw me, and they waved. I waved back, fluttering my fingers at the gleeful gods and goddesses of my city.
I looked down on the cleaned cobbled streets, and I saw a figure in a blue trimmed toga, making his way down the busy streets. Zeus was going on his business, exactly as scheduled.
I left my palace, slamming the marble door. I wended my way through the streets, the people making room for me and giving me meaningful winks. In my arms I held the brown paper covered parcel, the one that Hermes had given me just a day before. It was a favor from Hephaestus, ready to be used.
I followed Zeus until he had reached the town square, the bare patch of land in the towering metropolis of sky scrapers and multiple storied buildings. It had a fountain merrily tinkling in the center, the drachmas of wishes glittering at the bottom.
I saw movement at the edges of the square, figures moving forwards, coming closer. They surrounded the square. And I saw. Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes, Fornax, Dionysus, Athena. All the major gods and goddesses had come to see the sight.
I unwrapped the package, and the sparkling golden net slid out. It was heavy, made of god grade metals, but finely made, the threads of gold both delicate and strong. Just like Arachne's web.
I felt a touch at my elbow, and a voice near my ear.
"Dearest sister, the time has drawn close. All the citizens I could muster are here, awaiting your command. Let us give them the sight that they have waited for, the one that all of us have wanted to see for millennia. They will help you give Olympus a better king."
Poseidon, my brother, stood beside me, his presence lending me strength. And with this strength, I tossed the golden net up.
It flew towards the sky, the golden threads glinting, the weighted ends unfolding. Up, up, up, like golden stars in the early morning. And as it rose, it expanded, growing larger, until it covered a vast area, enough to cover the whole square.
Zeus stood next to the fountain, unaware. He never noticed the strange dusting of glittering gold threads in the sky, the tinkle of the weighted ends. He didn't see that the circle of his children had drawn closer until it surrounded him.
The net had reached the apex of its flight and fell, the weighted ends coming down first. It tumbled down, falling onto Zeus's head, toppling him to the ground.
I grabbed a corner, and Poseidon, next to me, grabbed another. He laughed, and the deep roar stirred all of the gods, goddesses, and spectators to action. They grabbed a weight at the end, keeping Zeus inside.
Hephaestus waved his hands, and the net drew tighter around its captive.
"How dare you, sister, brother?!" Zeus thundered, his loud voice echoing around the square.
"You've been lax in your duties, my lord," I answered, giving him the title that royalty would use to address another of the blood. "Over the years you have neglected what you are supposed to do. We've taken your duties up without complaint for years now, but now you've gone too far.
"A little bit we could take, but now you are not doing a thing, lazing around the house, having illegal affairs with mortals. We – all of us – thought it was time to do something about it. And since you are our king, we have to be sure you are a hard working, benevolent one."
"NO!!" Zeus cried, and then he started changing forms.
His body contorted and stretched until he was an elephant, looking strange in a toga. But Hephaestus's work was always strong, and made of the finest materials. The net stretched with him, and everyone holding the net felt the sharp tugs that Zeus's trunk gave.
We held on the tighter for that.
Zeus was a butterfly, an ant, a cat, a desert jackal. He tried to resist the confining strands of the net, but to no avail.
He was a thread of smoke, but Hephaestus had imbued magic and sorcery and hard work into the net, so Zeus could not find a way through the netting. For the net had threads as thin as atoms, and the gaps between them were much smaller. This was a remarkable piece of work, and Zeus could not find a flaw.
He was a drizzle of golden raindrops, but again, he could not get past.
He changed again, a sulphurous wind, an amoeba, but he could not find a way through the net.
He changed back into himself, sitting in the middle of the net, the threads pressing down on his head and shoulders. He sat desolate and he looked like he had given up hope.
"What do you want?" he asked, exhausted and leaning against the bowl of the fountain.
Poseidon smiled. "We want you to renounce your ways, and join us as equals, not as servants to fetch and carry, eternally at your beck and call. We are your family, and should be treated as such.
"You must go back to work, the work assigned to you after you deposed the Titans and Kronos. Judge the courts and assume the title and bearing and responsibility as is expected of the Lord of the Skies and King of Gods.
"But remember, if you give your word and break it, we will be back, and in greater force. After all, a golden net is quite merciful. So, brother, this is a democracy, and we make it so. Do not get yourself impeached."
Poseidon sounded quite pleasant, like he was greeting a friend on a sunny, summer day. His voice had no hint of menace or trickery.
Zeus sighed. "I give my word, and you can hold me to it. From this day, I will be as I once was, without the sloth and pride I used to have. I give my word on the Styx, and may I be trampled to the manure covered ground by a herd of carnivorous horses if I choose to break it."
We all applauded, and with cheers, threw up the weighted ends of the net. The next shriveled up in the air, folding itself up smaller and smaller. It dropped to the earth, landing into Hephaestus's open palm. He smiled to himself, and remarked, "I may be able to use this sometime in the future…hm….quite a possibility, but who should I shame this time…"
-
So Zeus became as he once was, a wise and benevolent king of gods in Olympus and elsewhere.
But as the millennia drifted by, my thoughts went back to the scene at the town square, replaying his speech of retribution.
He had given up pride and sloth, yes, and he was still free of it now. But he had not given up lust, and it troubled me. He could do things that might endanger mortals and immortals alike, and destroy our peaceful reign over Earth.
But I pushed away my fears and doubts, and enjoyed my meal at the Cloudbank Café.
And later, I hated myself for doing so. For there were many things that went wrong with our reign because my own sloth.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading, I'm finally done with this short tale. I originally planned this as a oneshot, but then I expanded it, and it grew too long. This is the only chapter that isn't food themed.
Yeah, Hera hates herself, and she's not perfect. She wants the perfect family though, and that's what prompts her to this.
THIS is the reason why Poseidon and Zeus have such a rivalry, and it's been a pleasure to expand upon it. And school is out for the summer, so I'm glad, but not really.