Note: New story! I just want to give a warning that this story is LOOSELY based on the Odyssey and Greek mythology :) Meaning, that I plan on changing a lot of things from the original Odyssey story, and I will stray from traditional Greek mythology in the way I portray the gods.
Overall, I'm just having fun with this! I consider this to be another story similar to the Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic and the Secret Rings games!
Chapter 1: New Troubles in an Old World
Thunder roared across the sky with every new arrival to Mount Olympus. Gods and goddesses of every size, shape, and ability filed the peak as a thick cover of clouds swirled around it. All of them exchanged frightened glances and nervous chatter as they approached the giant throne seated on a low-hanging cloud floating mere inches above the top of the mountain. They would bow their heads politely to the figure seated at the throne and then scurry away to join the crowd forming to the aisle's left and right. Another flash of lightning, followed by the boom of thunder. Zeus was growing increasingly impatient with every new god and goddess entering. There was only one goddess that he cared about tonight. And she was late.
"She should be here soon," Hera said, leaning over towards Zeus. Hera had been standing by her husband's throne patiently, giving welcoming smiles and hand waves to the lesser deities that would approach them. However, her main purpose of the night was to keep Zeus from flying off the handle and lighting the whole country on fire. Another crack of thunder. Hera sighed.
"You really should calm down, dear," she added. "We will get this sorted out soon enough."
Zeus shot a quick glance at Hera, his eyes burning holes into her side, but his wife didn't seem to notice nor care. She smiled politely at him, and Zeus groaned.
"It would be easier to stay calm if the whole planet was not at risk!" he snapped at her, trying to keep his voice at a reasonable level but failing miserably.
There was an eruption of anxious whispers and trembling voices from the crowd of gods at those words. The stress on the mountain peak was palpable.
'Is it really that bad?' one voice shouted out. 'That bad?' responded another. 'Have you seen what's been happening to the sailors recently? They can't even move between the islands without being dragged to the bottom of the ocean!' 'But you don't think that Poseidon could actually destroy everything—' 'How should I know! That god is strong enough to make the whole earth shake! Who knows what he plans to do!'
Hera groaned and elbowed Zeus's arm. "You're supposed to keep them calm," she scolded. "Stop scowling and start encouraging them."
"We need to wait for Athena—"
"She'll come," Hera interrupted harshly. "Just start calming everyone down before a panic starts!"
Zeus huffed. Then, he planted his hands firmly on the armrests of his throne and pushed himself up to stand. A hush fell over the crowd. All eyes focused on Zeus.
"Now," Zeus started. He paused for a moment, taking time to examine the many fearful faces before him. Gods and goddesses from every corner of the Hellenic world were here – even some from the underworld and the deepest parts of the ocean. It was the largest meeting of the gods that had been called in a long time. It was completely necessary to have everyone here, no doubt, but it was also a completely overwhelming sight. Zeus wasn't the type to get stage fright, but even he was struggling to find the proper words to soothe the crowd. Giving loud and authoritative commands was more of his strong suit. Giving helpful and calming advice was not.
"So, this last year has been … eventful," Zeus began.
"Eventful? Try horrible!" a voice blurted.
"I would suggest the words tumultuous, disastrous, and lethal to all human life," the familiar voice of Apollo added, sounding somehow calmer than the rest of the crowd.
"Poseidon needs to be stopped! Sailors are becoming too afraid to sail!" an angry shout emerged.
An explosion of thunder rushed through the air, and all the gods fell quiet once again.
"Disastrous, horrible, whatever you want to call it," Zeus barked. "Poseidon's behavior this last year has been unacceptable! And it is time we find a way to stop his outrage before the sea becomes an absolute deathtrap to all life on Earth! The entire natural world has been thrown out of balance, and unless we do something to fix this, the storms, whirlpools, and earthquakes may never end!"
A silence encapsulated the entire area. Nobody moved their eyes off Zeus as the great thunder god let out a heavy breath. He rubbed his fingers against his temple.
"Zeus," Hera whispered from behind him. "Keep them calm."
Zeus shot an annoyed glance back at her, then turned to face the crowd again. He took another deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.
"The situation is dire, and any attempt to reason or even speak with Poseidon has been met with him violently lashing out. But the promising news is that Hera and I have made many efforts to figure out what is causing Poseidon's tantrum. And thankfully, we have been able to gather some information about the situation thanks to the wisdom and intellect of Apollo and Athena—"
As if on cue, a giant hawk landed at the entrance of the mountain peak. In one smooth motion, the bird stretched out its wings, spun into a circle, and reemerged as a young woman who was covered in a white robe and small pieces of metal armor over her chest and arms.
"Athena!" Zeus exclaimed, a final burst of lightning cracking across the sky. The entire group turned to look at her.
"Yes, yes!" Athena responded, sounding almost too excited compared to the anxiety that hung in the air around her. She swiftly trotted down the aisle. Once in front of the throne, she bowed her head politely toward Zeus.
"I apologize for my lateness," Athena said. "One of my followers – who has been very devout for many years – had begged for my intervention, and I had to stay to help them."
"I am confident that whatever the situation was, it could not have been more important than a meeting of the gods," Zeus asserted, though his voice sounded less angry and more stern. Athena lifted her head to protest, but Zeus raised his hand, and she fell silent.
"No excuses. The crucial thing is that you are here now," Zeus continued. "I was just announcing the discoveries that you and Apollo had made and your plan to help fix our situation."
At these words, a new wave of murmurs filled the crowd.
'A plan?' 'So there really is a way to stop Poseidon?' 'If anybody could come up with a plan, then it's Athena.'
"Oh, yes," Athena said, nodding eagerly. She then turned herself to face the gods, who were all focusing their attention on her. "When Zeus and Hera first approached Apollo and me, we originally had no clue as to why Poseidon was in such a rage, nor why he was neglecting his responsibilities to protect the sailors of the sea."
Athena looked over all the faces before her. She wasn't used to speaking at these assemblies. Usually, Zeus handled all the talking, and she would just be another face in the crowd. But she didn't have time to feel nervous or uncertain. The knowledge of how to save the world was filling her with excitement, and the thrill of being able to lead the gods and humans to safety from the clutches of Poseidon was too much for her to keep quiet about.
"Something that Apollo and I were able to notice is that, ever since Poseidon began his rampage, he has not been seen with his trident!" she continued.
People in the crowd exchanged glances over this. Hardly anybody has seen Poseidon at all during this last year, and those who were unfortunate enough to run into him were usually blasted away by rapid waters. However, it is true that the few times Poseidon has made an appearance, he was empty-handed. It was strange. Poseidon normally went everywhere with his trident. It was almost an extension of his body. His greatest treasure, the weapon of legends. His trident was said to be strong enough to create earthquakes and floodwaters just by striking it against the ground. Such a weapon was too powerful to fall into the wrong hands, and thus Poseidon kept watch over it constantly.
"If Poseidon's trident is missing – which seems to be the case – then it's likely to be the reason why he's been so violently angry lately. It's possible that Poseidon believes that another god, or possibly a human, has stolen the trident and is now rampaging to punish those who stole from him."
Another wave of whispers washed over the crowd, some angry and some confused. Did another god steal the trident? Would any god be so stupid as to do something like that? How could anybody even get the trident away from Poseidon?
"And yet, why didn't Poseidon come to ask us for help?" Zeus asked, causing Athena to look over her shoulder to face him.
"It doesn't make sense," Zeus continued. "Especially since it's been almost a whole year since his trident supposedly went missing. He could have always come and get us to help him find it."
Athena nodded towards Zeus, letting her eyes drift towards the sky as she tried to organize her thoughts.
"Yes, that is something we have yet to fully figure out," Athena started. "It's possible that Poseidon is too prideful to ask for help. He has a reputation for doing things his own way and working independently from the rest of us. Or maybe he is too filled with rage to think clearly. It's impossible to say without being able to ask Poseidon himself. And, unfortunately, any attempt to speak with Poseidon has ended in failure."
Zeus let out an agitated groan. Athena gave a sympathetic smile to the thunder god and looked back towards the gods gathered.
"Regardless of why Poseidon has refused to ask for help, we still must find his trident anyway. It may be the only thing that can help soothe his anger and calm the seas once more. He may not appreciate our help, but we simply do not have a choice but to act."
Athena looked up, a hopeful spark in her eyes. The other gods exchanged glances amongst themselves, each one seeming less optimistic than Athena.
"And," Zeus spoke up again. "You promised you would spend the last few days trying to figure out a way to locate the missing trident. Were you able to do so?"
Athena nodded eagerly, and all eyes locked onto her again.
"I do not know exactly where the trident is, but I have a clue as to where we should start looking," Athena said. "It all begins with a man named Odysseus, the leader of Ithaca—"
"Former leader of Ithaca," interrupted Apollo from the crowd. "I know of the man and heard that he abandoned his post in Ithaca."
A wave of murmurs emerged from the crowd.
"That Odysseus? Didn't he leave his home to go to war? He's a war hero, not a traitor to his people!"
"The war ended so long ago, and Odysseus has yet to appear back in Ithaca. He either died at sea or never planned on returning home."
"I heard he died."
"Definitely not," Hades butted in. "He's still alive. I would have seen him if not."
Athena tried clearing her throat to regain the attention of the gods, but the bickering continued and only got louder with each passing remark. Odysseus had quite the reputation amongst the gods – a much bigger one than even Athena anticipated. It was true that he was once a beloved citizen of Ithaca, serving as the king and hero of the island. The people adored him. He even went off to fight in the War of Troy – a war that Athena followed very closely due to the frequency of prayers she would receive from the soldiers. Odysseus quickly earned the respect of his fellow soldiers, leading them to countless victories against all odds. Many declared him a war hero. However, soon after the war ended, Odysseus vanished from the face of the earth.
Zeus cleared his throat, producing a noise so loud that it shook the ground. Immediately, the gods quieted down.
"And what about this Odysseus, Athena?" Zeus asked.
Athena nodded. "As I was saying, Odysseus of Ithaca was a loyal follower of Poseidon. I know this to be a fact because he was one of the few warriors in Troy who would rather pray to the sea god than to me—" Athena shook her head at her own comment, then continued – "He was endlessly faithful to Poseidon … until he went missing right after the end of the war."
"Now," Athena continued. "I have no way of confirming my theories right now, but I have the sneaking suspicion that Poseidon losing his trident must be related to this. Odysseus was a beloved and great warrior, and Poseidon was a very faithful god who constantly delivered Odysseus safely across the sea. And yet Odysseus vanishes after setting out to sea, and then shortly after, Poseidon goes on a rampage and begins sinking all sailors? The timing seems too perfect for it to be a coincidence."
"Then, you're suggesting that Odysseus stole the trident?" Zeus questioned, fury building in his voice. There were several angry complaints from the crowd at this remark.
Athena shook her head. "I do not know the details. All I know is that our best bet to finding the trident is to first find Odysseus and figure out what happened to him. Odysseus and Poseidon had a very close relationship, closer than most humans have with the gods. If anybody would know more about Poseidon's situation, it would be this man."
"And," Athena continued. "I have an idea on how to find Odysseus. I think it's time for us to call upon a hero!"
This earned more mixed reactions. There were plenty of mighty warriors in Hellas, most of whom would love nothing more than to be sent out on an epic quest of heroism. This area was a breeding ground for the bravest humans, the strongest demi-gods, and the most powerful of gods. Yet, with all the recent disasters that have been spreading like wildfires around the world… Poseidon's rampage was not a task to be taken lightly.
"A hero," Zeus pondered, raising an eyebrow. "We have some of the greatest heroes to ever exist in this very room. Please, take your pick!"
"I appreciate that," Athena said, smiling at Zeus. "But I believe the hero we seek may not come from this room."
Zeus frowned at this, but Athena continued before he could interrupt.
"The truth of the matter is that in order to find Odysseus, somebody will have to sail across the sea and search the islands of Hellas. Now, I am well aware that Mount Olympus is filled with some of the most intelligent, most talented, and most powerful beings in the world. But the truth of the matter is that all of us are already overwhelmed just keeping the world together at this point. Poseidon's rampage has caused disasters across Hellas, and the people are begging for their gods and goddesses to intervene more and more each day. None of us would have the time to fight the currents of the sea, battle monsters, and explore the world while also aiding all our followers who depend on us. Even this meeting – though essential and important – is taking away precious minutes we could use to help our followers. I think it's essential that you all dedicate your time to saving as many people and creatures as you can while these storms and earthquakes continue. In the meantime, I will summon a new hero who can come and help us find Odysseus and put an end to this madness."
The gods grumbled amongst themselves some more, contemplating what was said. Zeus looked down suspiciously at Athena, examining her face. Athena looked directly at Zeus, her eyes communicating her determination. She was serious. Dead serious.
"I agree with Athena," Apollo spoke up from the crowd. "The people of Hellas need music and joy now more than ever to get through these times. An outside hero will give us time to focus on our own duties."
Slowly, the gods and goddesses of the crowd began to agree. One by one accepting the fact that they were either not good enough at sailing, too scared of Poseidon, or were overwhelmed with other work that needed to be done.
"And, do you have a hero in mind?" Zeus asked.
"I do not know their name yet," Athena responded. "But I know how to summon them."
She locked eyes with Zeus once again. The look on the thunder god's face communicated that he had more questions, but Athena's determination seemed to silence him. Zeus looked around the room once more.
"Well then," he added. "We have our solution. Everyone, return to your responsibilities and leave it to Athena to summon this great hero." Zeus looked down directly at Athena. "The fate of the people is in your hands. Choose your hero wisely."
"I will."
"Then… meeting dismissed!"
A crack of thunder roared.
Athena let her feet sink into the sand and stared out into the ocean. The waves crashed onto the shore, ripping up clumps of sand and rock with every blast. The once beautiful and serene ocean waters have turned merciless over the last year. She has spent much of the last ten years on these beaches near Troy, hearing the prayers of soldiers desperately trying to survive to make it home to their families. The beach was once filled with screaming voices of sailors jumping onto land after a hard journey at sea and soldiers fleeing the battlefields of Troy to escape back into the water. Now the only noise was the waves tearing apart the edge of the island.
It was here that the journey had to begin.
Athena reached into her sack and pulled out a pendant. It was shaped like a teardrop and glimmered a beautiful golden color that sparkled when it came into the light. Golden bands wrapped around it and connected the pendant to a chain. The piece itself was heavy, but it fit perfectly in the palm.
The Heart of the Hero. It was a gem that only existed in myths and legends up until Athena discovered it years ago. The stories said that the Heart of the Hero would only appear in the presence of great bravery and valor. It is of no surprise then that Athena found it on the battlefields of Troy, surrounded by daring warriors who risked everything for victory.
It was also said that the gem could call forth a hero when one was most in need. It was for this purpose that Athena brought it out today.
Holding the gem into the air, Athena bowed her head and recited a few words so quietly that the wind alone was enough to render them obscure.
The gem began to flicker and then glow. Shining a bright light that filled the beach. As the light dissipated, it revealed a giant vortex in the sky. The clouds around it began to spin in circles, and it appeared as if a tornado was forming. Athena looked up in awe. Even someone as old as she was had never seen something like this.
From the formation, a figure began to appear.
And then a voice.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
The horrified scream of the hero filled the air, and soon Athena's amusement and excitement turned to horror. He was falling straight to the ground!
In a moment of panic, Athena jumped into the air and grabbed a hold of the summoned hero. He was … blue. And furry. Seeing beings like him in this world was not unusual, but she was still shocked to see how small he was. Usually, heroes were giant and muscular. This guy was not that.
Athena grabbed hold of the hero tightly and let herself drift to the ground. Once her feet were planted firmly, she set the blue creature down. She looked up and down as the creature shook himself and glanced around bewildered.
He was … short. His head only reached up to Athena's chest. The quills on his back gave away the fact that he was a hedgehog. Perhaps from Ithaca? That's where most of the creatures of his type lived. His clothing was also quite unique – or, his lack of clothing, that is. He only wore white gloves and red shoes. Not the usual wardrobe of the country, but Athena had seen weirder over her long lifespan.
Suddenly, the creature began to laugh and looked over at Athena.
"Wow! Talk about an exciting entrance!" he said. "I'm assuming you're the one who brought me here?"
Athena smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I apologize about the suddenness of your arrival. I'm Athena. And I was hoping you could help me, great hero."
"Great hero?" the hedgehog turned his head to the side. "Man, I guess my reputation really does proceed me! You can call me Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!"
hehehe I'm excited to work on this story! It was fun writing out all my ideas for this work! I hope you all enjoy it!