Adrasteia

No matter how old you become - decades and decades, centuries, millennia, an older sister will always be an older sister. And older sisters are usually bossy. It comes with the territory so to speak. Now Adrasteia wanted to take control over the rising of Zeus. Only that Zeus would have nothing of it. The soon to be one year old was not going to abide by Addie's rules. He didn't want to go to bed when she told him, he didn't want to cut his hair and he did definitely not want to take a bath every evening.

With amusement I watched my sister trying to seize control over my little wild boy, running after him through the four rooms that were ours. My tall, raven-haired sister is fast and agile, but she had no chance when Zeus sneaked into places too narrow for her.

"You have been spoiling him Thea! He's not behaving. How is he going to lead armies when he can not take orders himself. "
"Oh, come on, he's only 11 months! He has time enough to - "
"Wrong, sister! If you start spoiling a child it will be almost impossible to get him right later. "

"I don't want to impose some harsh regime here! He's not going to be like his father. "
"Thea! Bathing every night is not a "harsh regime". It's only natural hygiene. And by the way with that hair - "
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Zeus' hair, Addie! "
"It's too long! There's too much of it!"
"I think it's wonderful! "
"He looks like a girlie. "
"Who says? It's the Titan men who cut their hair. That doesn't mean Zeus will have to do it. "

Zeus turned one and we had a birthday party just the three of us. I made honeycakes with whipped cream since Zeus was crazy about these and then we sang that corny birthday song to him that still is being sung, even by mortals these days. Zeus laughed and said:
"When I'm 64 I'm going to make my own cake. And when I'm 96 I'm going to make 3000 of them and then we're going to have a cake-fight. And all will leave the party with cream in their hair. "

"That's probably healthy anyway", Adrasteia said. "Going to work as a conditioner."
"What's a condischenah?" Zeus wanted to know.

¤¤¤

A year later Oceanos came back visiting us. He bore news about the Kouretes and about Cronos. The first were good the others were bad.
"The Kouretes have promised to join the Case. They believe they'll be here within a year. It's a dangerous trip, since they are far away from here at the moment. Far North at the shores of Hyperborea, and there's plenty of faithfuls to Cronos in between. So they will have to travel carefully. But they will be here. "
"And the bad news?" Adrasteia asked.

"Cronos has seized control over yet another land, Lydia, disposing of all the Gods there. Including the mighty clan that was called The Hundred Handeds, because they were so plenty and fought in such a unison. Just like if they had been one single entity."
"And yet they failed", I despaired. "How is our little Zeus going to - "
"He will, trust me, he will. Just look at him now!"

At the words of Oceanos we all turned to look at our ward, who was building his own toys from old iron scrap, welding them together with white-hot Divine Fire and a lot of concentration.
"If he's just about two and can do these things..." Oceanos started, but then there was a loud bang and a flash shoot out from the iron pipe Zeus had been tinkering with.

Scared the boy dropped his toy and jumped back, then he came running to me, crying. I took him in my arms as so many times before, held him close while he stopped crying. Red cheeks, a bit ashamed that he had cried in the presence of a guest who's magnificent powers and great importance Zeus sensed.

"What the Faithes was that spark?" Adrasteia exclaimed.
"Electric current", Oceanos said. "A sparkle of static."
"Did it come from the iron?" I asked.
"I think it came from Zeus", the Sea Titan guessed.
"It hurt!" Zeus stated sullenly, still holding on to me. "Bad light hurt!"

"You will have to learn to protect yourself from that, young man", Oceanos turned to Zeus. "It can be a powerful tool if you learn to control it. "
"No, it hurt", Zeus insisted, looking at his pudgy little fingers.

A New King will arrive, thunder in his hand

Interlude

-----Original Message-----
From: Adrasteia
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 10:48 AM
To: Amalthea
Subject: When will U B in L.A.

Hi sis! We're beginning to wonder here, soon it's gonna be Antiope's birthday and ain't you gonna come for that one either? Gonna need someone who can pass for a supermodel for my latest movie project. Someone who makes Kate Moss looking like a sumo wrestler. Now get your stuff and hurry up here, you're gonna be glad you did when you see all the surfers. They're like yummmm! And hey, don't stop at that dork Hurricane's place on the way. He's not good for your health.

Keep in touch (a bit more often)
Addie

-----Original Message-----
From: Amalthea
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 8:59 PM
To: Adrasteia
Subject: RE: When will U B in L.A.

Addie 4get it! I'm actually enjoying Appletown! You know I met this special someone :-D

/Thea

-----Original Message-----
From: Adrasteia
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 11:23 AM
To: Amalthea
Subject: Who who who who???? (nt)

-----Original Message-----
From: Amalthea
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 1:13 PM
To: Adrasteia
Subject: Rivergood
Name's Hudson. You've met him.

-----Original Message-----
From: Adrasteia
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2006 3:41 PM
To: Amalthea
Subject: RE: Rivergod
Is he that one with the dreads? Then you're nuts! Come on over here pronto!

Hudson stands behind me, gently giving me massage with his strong, sensitive guitar-player's fingers.
"Your sister again?"
"How do you know?"
"I can tell by the way you wrinkle your forehead. Don't make her bossing you around, Thea! By the way I like what you've been writing about Zeus so far. Better finish that instead of running off to Ellay playing moviestar. "
"Are you going to boss me around too now, Hud?"
"Guess I might do that. It'll be a nice for a change!"

"Am I too skinny? "
"What?"
"You heard me, Hud. Am I too skinny? "
"You're perfect, Thea, you're beautiful. Those legs! Those lips like cherries and brows like Chinese swallows...
"And no tits! Addie says Kate Moss looks like a sumo-wrestler beside me. That must mean I look like I'm just out of Auswitz. "
"Aus - say what?"
"Forget it! Do you want anything from the donut shop?"

That had always been my dilemma. No matter what I ate I never put on weight, I had always been the skinny one with arms and legs like sticks and ribs that showed. With no breasts to speak of. Until Twiggy became a super model half a century ago I had always detested that look. I'm still not used to the fact that it had become fashionable, I still think people are making fun of me when I get compliments for my body. Millennias of being homely don't wear off that easily.

Interlude ends

Oceanos stayed a little bit longer than intended, trying to have Zeus making another sparkle. But Zeus refused. Apparently he had been too scared by that event, and he had stopped welding together iron too. Instead he was bringing in sand from the courtyard, pouring it at the stones in front of the fireplace.

"Now, look what he's doing, messing up!"
"I don't think so", Oceanos said but my sister wasn't listening, she went to get the dustpan. Next moment I heard Zeus yelling at her, so I looked up from my accounting.
"Now what?"
"He has dragged in sand", Adrasteia said.

"I'm doing a thing!" Zeus answered back.
"Now we can't have - " Addie started but Oceanos silenced her:
"I think Zeus intends to use that sand for something. Let's see what he's up to first!"
"But..."
"Wait!" Oceanos insisted, holding up a hand.

We all watched while Zeus was scooping up the sand in a heap and then heated it up until it turned red. Protecting his hands from the heat he picked up the molten sand, and rolled it into a ball. When he cooled it down it didn't resemble sand at all but had turned into a transparent, glittery material reminding of ice.
"Look Thea! A ball!" Zeus said, holding it up for me.

It was the first glass object ever made by man.