"What do you mean he's a god?" Prue asked.
"Damonculous is older than even the most ancient demon," said Percy. "He walked the Earth before most civilizations had even produced a written language. He's what you might call one of the first Elders, although that term is not exactly accurate."
"You mean he's a Founder?" Leo questioned.
"Founder?" asked Phoebe. "Leo, you mentioned them once before. When I first discovered you were a Whitelighter. You said the Founders formed the Elder Council."
"That's right," said Leo.
"No, Leo, he's not a founder," said Percy. "Why don't you fill them in on our history? From the beginning."
"Well," said Leo, looking at the girls and Cole, "several thousand years ago Whitelighters helped and served mankind much as they do today. A group of senior Whitelighters got together and formed the Elders. The Elders were tasked with helping to protect mankind and assigning Whitelighters to specific humans to guide and assist them."
"You mean to witches," Piper said.
"Mostly, yes," said Percy. "There are exceptions. But for the most part, Whitelighters help witches."
"That much we know," said Prue. "Are you saying this Damonculous is one of the original Whitelighters that formed the Elders?"
"No," said Percy. "He is older even than that. He's one of the original members of the Gray Council."
"The Gray Council?" Leo asked, shock in his voice. "I thought that was just a myth?"
"More like a legend," said Percy.
"So what's the difference?" Phoebe asked.
"A myth," said Percy, "has no foundation in truth. Something like Robin Hood. A man that stole from the rich and gave what he stole to the poor. There actually was no such person. His reputation grew out of the feats of a number of individuals that over the years combined into the single figure you know today.
"A legend is something quite different. While much of what is believed about a legend is false, the basic premise behind it is true. Such as King Arthur. There actually was such a man. The son of a man named Uther who did rule England. Now, much of what you know about King Arthur never actually happened. But he did exist."
"So the Gray Council actually existed?" Leo asked.
"Yes," said Percy.
"What is this Gray Council?" Cole asked.
"According to legend," said Leo, "they were a group of Whitelighters that existed before the Elders. It's always been believed that they were actually an allegory for Whitelighters."
"To the general Whitelighter populous, yes," said Percy. "But all Elders know the truth about the Council. Something we have all agreed must never become known."
"Well, that's changed," said Prue. "So just what was this Gray Council?"
"Several thousand years before the Founders formed the Elder Council," said Percy, "Whitelighters did serve mankind as Leo said. But there was no single ruling body. They weren't Whitelighters, of course. Just supernatural beings that had taken an interest in humanity. They used their considerable power to help guide mankind.
"There were about two hundred of them in all. No one was considered higher or more important than any of the others. They named themselves the Gray Council so they could interact more efficiently with mankind. Humans seem to have an instinctual need to label things and people.
"Everything was fine for many millennia. The Gray Council used their power and knowledge to assist mankind. Allowing it to grow and mature into a healthy, thriving race. They did this by using their power to influence people and events to take a particular direction."
"They interfered with free will?" asked Leo in shock. "Percy, that's the greatest rule of Whitelighters. We cannot interfere with a human's free will no matter what happens."
"It was not always so," said Percy. "In those times the Gray Council freely altered destinies to chart the course of human history."
"So what happened to this Gray Council?" Phoebe asked.
"To better facilitate their ends," continued Percy, "certain humans deemed worthy were selected and imbued with power. Power to help affect human history. Many of these humans were female. The power they received was passed on from mother to daughter."
"You're talking about witches," said Piper. "This Gray Council created the first witches?"
"Yes," said Percy. "They weren't called witches back then. They were called Graylighters. Because they had the favor of the Gray Council and led the human race in the direction the Council desired it to go."
"So what changed?" Cole asked.
"Even back then," said Percy, "humans could be very determined. And more than a bit arrogant. Many of the Graylighters began to think of themselves as equal to the Gray Council. Instead of simply taking orders from the Gray Council they felt they should have a say in the decisions the Gray Council made. They were human, the Gray Council wasn't. They felt they better understood humans than the Gray Council and could better formulate in which direction humanity should go."
"Boy, I'll bet that went over like a lead balloon," said Phoebe.
"Aptly put," said Percy. "It caused quite a stir among the Gray Council. Many of the Council expressed a belief that the evil humans were beginning to exhibit was detrimental to the Council's plan. Damonculous was the most outspoken in this regard. He proposed a plan to rid humanity of this evil. A plan that was also endorsed by a large portion of the Council."
"A plan to rid humanity of evil?" Prue questioned. "Is that even possible?"
"Frankly, no," said Percy. "Most human possess the ability for good and evil. Many factors are involved that determine which they will choose."
"So," said Cole, "what was this great plan that Damonculous and the others came up with that they thought would get rid of the evil in humans?"
"They proposed destroying humanity," said Percy.