In the beginning there was only chaos. There was no order and no light, just dark formless chaos.
For an unknown time, it was like this, then suddenly in a great moment of clarity, Gaia, Mother Earth emerged from the chaos and filled the vast emptiness with her body.
With only herself around, she gave birth to a son, Uranus the Sky, who she took as her husband and from their union begat numerous offspring. The one-eyed Cyclopes. The Centimanes with their hundred heads and thousand arms and finally, the tall, beautiful Titans with Cronus, the youngest, being the most ambitious and cunning of them all.
Although he felt pride for his Titan children, Uranus felt nothing but disdain for the others and cruelly hid them away inside the earth, causing Gaia great pain.
Saddened by her children's mistreatment, she knew what must be done so she took some flint and made a sickle and gave it to Cronos with instructions on what to do.
When Uranus came down to lay with Gaia, Cronus ambushed his father and with one swipe, cut his manhood clean off. Ashamed and in pain, Uranus fled back to the heavens and earth and sky never came together again sense that day.
With Uranus gone, Cronus became King of the Cosmos and took Rhea, his sister as his wife and brought in a golden age to the entire world.
However not everything was golden because Cronus was troubled. Before Uranus fled, he foretold that one of Cronus's children will overthrow him and the Titans and rule in their stead. Determined to never let this happen, whenever his wife gave birth, he would take the babe and swallow them.
After he had done this five times and fearing for her next one, Rhea gave birth in secret and presented Cronus with a stone wrapped in cloth, him being none of the wiser.
The child, Zeus, was raised in secret on the Island of Crete. Raised by nymphs and fed the milk of a goat, whenever he cried armed male dancers will shout and clap their hands together so Cronus will not hear him.
The time soon came for Zeus to fulfill his destiny. Gaia gave him a special plant and instructed him to go and offer his services to Cronus. Zeus walked for many days and soon came upon his father's palace. Intrigued by this young man, Cronus accepted him and made Zeus his cupbearer.
A great feast happened that night and Zeus dutifully presented Cronus his cup and he drank deeply. However what Cronus failed to know that Zeus slipped the plant into his drink, and he gripped his stomach in pain.
Cursing and moaning he began to vomit, first the stone he was tricked to consume. And then his children. Two sons and three daughters.
With them freed and Cronus realizing the trickery, Zeus and his siblings fled from their father and soon declared war on the Titans.
A great battle was fought long and hard and, in the end, the Titans were defeated and banished deep into the earth.
When the battle was over, Zeus and his brothers drew lots to see who will have what domain. Hades became Lord of the Underworld. Poseidon became Master of the Seas and Zeus became ruler of the Sky and Earth and was declared King of the Gods.
And thus began the rule of the Olympian Gods.