"Hades!" Zeus roared. "I demand an explanation now and no more delaying."

Hera touched his arm. "Dear, I think we'd be advised to…."

He grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're already in enough trouble. Letting Prometheus go free, freeing Hades without telling me, reviving the Hydra, and …." He broke off as a tremendous light lit up the skies off to the south. "What?" He said as he stared to the south.

Hades ignored him and looked up at Prometheus. "I'm sorry about your brothers." Prometheus wiped a tear and nodded.

"I don't understand." Seph said. "You said you slew Saturn with a power of the elementals. And now you've done it again. What is this power?"

Ish sighed. "The power of the atom."

Zeus looked completely taken back. "The power of the atom? You, you did it again?" He whirled on Hera. "Now do you understand why I imprisoned Prometheus? He gave fire to men and started them down the road that leads to that!" He gestured angrily to the southern skies where red and black clouds churned and mixed together.

"Dear, they were always going to go down that road when it was the proper time. Our job is to teach them to handle it wisely." She put her hands on her hips. "Yes, I opposed you on what you did to Prometheus. The secret was out and it wasn't like he was going to teach them that!" She gestured to the angry skies.

"I also opposed you on the so-called gift you gave Ish. How would you like to spend the rest of your immortal life with only the dead and imps to talk to? No wonder he went insane and tried to kill you."

Zeus looked sheepish. "I, I… I couldn't stand the thought of him being there, always reminding me that he had defeated Saturn and not me. Even if men had the legends wrong, I'd still know." He drew himself up. "But by my lightning bolts, I'm still the king of the gods. What I say goes!"

Hera responded with building rage. "My dear king, there is a lot more that finally sent me behind your back. The greatest wrong was when you found our son after he'd been kidnapped and did not tell me!" She grabbed Zeus by his tunic and pulled him close. "You played a game with him at being a hero and you we're always lurking behind the scenes to make sure he succeeded. You coerced Phil into helping him. And when he fought the Hydra, you were there in the clouds urging him on with your lightning so he made the right choices. Then you had the nerve to lie to him when you said you could not make him immortal and then easily took back the power when it suited you. You nearly got our son killed, and you did not think I'd notice? When you excluded me and did not listen to me, I turned to the Fates and from their foretelling of the future we laid our plans to right a lot of wrongs."

"Enough! No one talks to me like that!" Lightning exploded from Zeus throwing Hera back. She hit the ground hard and lay there gasping as Zeus advanced on her.

"Father, that's enough!" Hercules said. "Can't you see she's hurt?" He knelt by Hera. "Mother, are you okay? I've never seen you so weak before." Zeus stopped and stood there with his arms crossed, anger glinting in his eyes; anger that faded when she said.

"One becomes weakened, dear, when they give someone else part of their immortality."

Zeus' mouth fell open. "You did what? The only way you could do that was to lose your powers and become mostly mortal." He knelt by her and took her hand. "Why would you do that, my love, and to whom? Hercules is still mortal."

Hera smiled at him. "I had no intention of letting our daughter-in-law and our friend, Meg, die from cancer or any other disease; so on that day she was splitting up blood and about to enter the Underworld again, I cured her and made her a goddess." She waved her hand and the enchantment fell from Meg so that her whole body glowed. Hera smiled at the astonished Meg. "Consider it a belated wedding gift, my dear, or should I say the new Gea?"

Zeus and Hercules helped Hera to her feet and Meg came over and took her hand. "Mother, you shouldn't have. I was content to die with my husband."

"He wasn't ever going to die, my child. Isn't that right?" She asked Zeus. "Or were you just going to let both of them die?"

Zeus grimaced and looked very uncomfortable. "I was going to take care of that later, but being a god I became too entangled in my own plans. It just slipped my mind." He sighed and waved his hand. "Hercules, my son, your godhood is restored."

Meg and Hercules both glowing stood there staring at each other. Meg smiled. "Together." She said.

Hercules smiled back. "Forever."

Phil walked over and put his hands on their hands. "I always told you, you'd make the big time, kids." They knelt and hugged him.

Zeus looked at Hera, shook his head ruefully, waved his hand and her godhood sprang back to life. "Thank you, dear." She said. "But I think you've one more godhood to grant. She nodded towards Seph who had her arm around Ish. "Or would you like to deal with an insane and bereaved god of the dead fifty years from now?"

Zeus nodded. "She's my grandchild too." He waved his hand. "Persephone be you a goddess, the goddess of spring."

Seph stared down at her glowing body. "Persephone. I've always disliked that name."

Ish turned her head to face him. "I kind of like it, but you'll always be Seph to me." They embraced and kissed.

A tug at his robe broke off the kiss and they looked down to see Pain holding Frenzy's hand. "Boss, is it really you?" Fear and Panic stepped up to where he could see them, both holding hands.

"Yes and no." Said Ish. "I dimly remember you two imps, but the ladies?"

Panic said. "They, they are asking for asylum from Kali and we'd really, really like them to stay." He blushed as Fear kissed him with all four arms wrapped around him.

Ish looked at Seph who nodded. He smiled at them. "Of course. Besides this way I can get twice as much work out of you. Ow!" He said as Seph hit him in his arm. He grinned sheepishly and then smiled at them. "You ladies are welcome to stay as long as you want. This place has to be better than whatever Kali was offering you." Four heads nodded vigorously.

"Kali? Where is she?" Zeus roared. "I'll make her regret the day she ever crawled out from under her rock." Clouds gathered and lightning flashed, followed by peals of thunder.

She's already fled back home." Fenris said back in his wolf form. "Cerebus was hanging on the seat of her pants as she went through the gate. But don't worry, Shiva will take her back. It seems she forgot that he is also the creator of worlds as well as their destroyer. It should be an interesting time in India over the next centuries. And now it is time for me to take my leave."

"I'll miss you, Fang." Phil said. "We owe you big time."

"Be careful, I may call you on that someday in the future." The wolf grinned and started to turn away, his form fading.

He halted and became solid again when Phil continued. "I mean it, wolf man, and if you can hang around for a while, I think we can give you that vacation you're always griping about not getting. There's someone you just have to meet."

The wolf smiled which for a wolf is very ambiguous. "I guess the future is now." He said. "I'm certainly in no rush to get back to a place where minus ten is a balmy summer day. Whom do you want me to meet?"

Phil looked over at Zeus and Hera. "I think we'll keep that a secret for a while. It may take time for Hera to convince her this is for real, but you and she just have to get together." He grinned at Hera.

Hera paused and then after she had plucked the idea out of Phil's head, she nodded. "They'll be perfect. After all she's been so lonely for too long. But I think Phil can keep you entertained until we make the arrangements. She looked at Phil and frowned. "And you, Phil, have an apology to make to my granddaughter..

"You would remember that, wouldn't you?" Phil sighed and looked over at Seph. "Kid, about me refusing to train you." He scuffed his feet. "I was an old fool stuck in his ways and I was wrong. Can you forgive me?"

She came over and leaned down to kiss his brow. "I think I can. Ask me again in a hundred years."

There was a roar of sound and a breeze stirred the trees. "Right on time." Said Ish miming to look at a wristwatch as the blast wave rolled over them.

While all the gods and imps set about repairing the damage, Aristophanes fell back behind the dune with the camera still on his shoulder. "Masterpiece." He whispered.