Once my son had left to take care of that troublesome son of my brother I turn my attention to the stranger that had brought Perseus to us. As my gaze falls upon him I can't help the involuntary shiver that runs down my spine as I remember the power that radiated off of this being. The only beings that should posses that kind of power should have faded a long time ago.
Deciding that I must have been imagining exactly how strong the aura coming off of this stranger I repeated what I said when he first showed up, "Who Dares to disturb this council." To my absolute chagrin the stranger just starts to chuckle at my question. Who was this being that dared to laugh at me. If I didn't start getting some answers soon I will smite this person off of the face of Olympus.
As if this person could read my mind all of a sudden the chuckling stopped and the mirth that had been in his eyes was replaced with a cold fury that sent shivers down my spine. Refusing to be intimidated in my own council room I say, "If you are going to just stand there laughing like a maniac then I will smite you myself. You would be wise to pay proper respect to this mighty council and especially its king."
At my words the stranger finally decided to speak, "Who I am is of little importance you insignificant speck. I chose to deign your council with my presence not because of your insignificant power but because I couldn't stand hearing a strong mortal such as Perseus crying out to be saved and your in your finite power not being able to hear him. The fact that you decide to insult the person that was able to do what you yourself could not is just further proof of your arrogance. You would be wise to start curbing that arrogance of yours before someone who is more powerful than you decides to do something about it."
At his words I can feel my face becoming flush with anger, how dare this person insult me and claim that I am weak. I am the strongest Olympian. I am the most powerful being in this universe. With these thoughts running through my head I decide that action must be taken. I can't let this person insult me without repercussions. With this in mind I thunder out, "Not only do you refuse to pay proper respect to your superiors but now you decide to insult me. I can not let this stand. Do you have any last words, such as a plea for mercy, before I smite you down."
Astonishingly, Instead of begging for mercy like I expected the stranger just starts laughing hysterically. In between his laughing he manages to say, "Are you really so arrogant as to think that you could kill me? You can take your best shot Zeus but know this, if you do you will live to regret it. You not only will fail to kill me but you will set of a chain of events that will lead to you fading. It might not be now, hades it might not even be for a thousand years but you will fade and as you do you will know that it is because of the actions that you decide to take at this moment."
The words that this stranger said roll around in my head as I remember the power that I first felt when he appeared. I decide that they are just that, words. Shrugging them off I say, " Very well, your final words have been heard. Even if they are just the ramblings of a mad man."
With those final words I throw my mighty bolt at the stranger intending to destroy him once and for all.
As I release my master bolt my vision suddenly goes black and images start flashing through my mind. Striking down my father and then turning on my brothers so that I can take on the mantel of king. Me forcing Hera to marry me even though she held no love for me. Forcing myself upon thousands of women and then tossing them aside like trash while they are bearing my children. Killing my brothers kids so that they wouldn't be able to rise to power and take the throne from me with their fathers.
Suddenly my vision switches from the past to the future. I see my family start turning away from me one by one. I see a massive field filled with fire where a giant battle is raging, worse than the one we just went through. I see my family all fall around me to a being cloaked in shadows. I see myself fighting this figure and suddenly being overwhelmed as the figure decapitates me.
As sudden as the visions started they stop and I see my master bolt traveling towards the stranger. Strangely instead of fear I see a look of pity on his face as if he knew what I had just seen. As my bolt hits him an explosion of power erupts that I realize I have experienced before. Falling to my knees I start crying because I knew that I had just doomed my family to the fate that I had seen in my visions.
As I am kneeling there crying I hear a voice that sounds like a whisper in the wind. I know immediately that I am the only one that hears this message, "There is still some hope for your family Zeus. While your fate is sealed you stand a chance of saving everyone else based upon the choices that you make from this point onwards. I am not heartless. I have brought your family the method of their survival if you can manage to gain his trust. This will not be easy though, he has experienced more trials than you can imagine and it has left him a shell of the man he use to be."
With this message in mind I quickly flash out of the council room. I can't let my family see me in such a state of suffering. My pride will not allow it. I will have time to dwell on the choices I have made later but right now as I sit in my temple all I can think about is how my family was slaughtered before my eyes while I could do nothing to stop it. At that moment I vowed that I would do whatever it took to keep my family safe. Even with this resolution in mind I can't stop the primal scream that escapes my throat and echoes across all of Olympus.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, as always if you notice any spelling or grammer issues please feel free to review. Until next time, Jsnyder1998 signing off.