Chapter 6

Till Now….

Inside the Throne Room, both Zeus and Hercules were getting manhandled like ragdolls Hermes and Kohnie had taken it upon themselves to go after Hercules who was having a hard time against the ice attacks that Khonie sent on his way and being punched by Hermes who was showing his impressive speed by moving so fast that many seeing the attacks could not make out his movements due to his speed. On the other side of the Throne Room, the same thing was happening with Zeus Who had never regretted deciding between now but was Currently regretting even thinking about the engagement of his son with Hebe thankfully he didn't have to face the wrath of both the gods as Hestia was being restrained by her sacred animal which had come after sensing the emotional distress of its master. But it didn't waver Percy who was taking his anger on Zeus by repeatedly throwing him through walls and support beams both Poseidon and Hades were laughing out loud and taking video of it Arphotide dragged out Ares from the fight after he was blasted back by Percy in his try to help his father. Demeter and Hera were trying and failing to calm down Percy Appolo were recording the whole thing on camera. Artemis was watching gleefully as Hercules got his ass handed by the siblings. Iris was condensing crying Hebe. Dinnoses was just sipping wine uncaring of the chaos unfolding before him.

Three hours later the group had finally calmed down after the commotion. Both Zeus and Heracles were beaten black and blue and were treated by Apollo. It was then decided that the mortals would be informed that Heracles was dead but in truth, he would be made a god of strength and the gatekeeper of Olympus. Hebe was free from the arranged marriage and as a bonus was relieved from her duties as the cupbearer of the gods. As an assurance that such a condition would never happen again, Perseus was permitted to come to Olympus whenever he wanted not that he needed any permission whatsoever. This declaration had made the elder gods except for Zeus happy as they all had missed their elder sibling who had often filled the role of a life guide for them.

Even the minor gods and nature spirits outside the throne room had celebrated the fact that the eldest god was now free to roam on Olympus not that the permission of Zeus or the council was even needed or mattered as most of the gods and nature spirits were going there just for the free party as all of them knew that the god of the night didn't need the permission of Zeus or his council. It was merely just a formality.

(Now)

While the party was in full swing not everyone was in a festive mood. Along the sidelines of the party, Hercules was fuming at the humiliation he received from the incident in the throne room of the Perseus family. He thought that as the most powerful hero, no one should be allowed to disrespect him. With his power, Hercules also inherited the pride and arrogance of Zeus. He was fuming with anger and hatred for Perseus and promised himself that he would one day take revenge for his humiliation at all costs.

Just like his son Zeus was also drowning in his anger and frustration at being crushed by his brother in front of the whole of Olympus and also that none of his "family" came to his side to help him, especially his ungrateful bastards that were his children whom he had handpicked to be in his council to be his yesmen. Sipping his nectar-induced drink, he just sipped his anger, drowning the glass down his throat, promising himself that he would retaliate. Not now but in the future, he would sure as hell make sure his brother is taught not to question his authority. But for now, all he could do was sit back in humiliation and just heal while searching internally and watching as everyone milled around enjoying, especially Perseus and his family, drank and felt like they were at home on his Olympus, from which he had kicked them out. In his arrogance and paranoia, he had left the thread of reasoning and instead caved into his darker parts of conscience. Thus, he was playing a dangerous game as dark thoughts like these rarely did any good to anyone in his family. It was these types of thoughts that caused people like Kronos and Oranus to be pushed over the edge, and history knows the rest.

Now let's forget about Zeus and focus more on some of the other things happening at the party. As always, there was a crowd surrounding Arphotiodie, hoping to impress her enough to score a night with her. Arphotiodie, of course, loved this attention on her and was encouraging them to do more by showing faux interest in them from time to time to keep them engaged in her and upping one another, competing in a rat race whose winner was probably already decided by Arphotiodie but was still going on to fuel her narcissism. Elsewhere, Athena was engaging in what was essentially a nerdy debate about different forms of warfare with Enyo, debating the merits of an organized war against just that of being fueled by bloodlust and rage. On the other end of the party, Artemis was bristled and was screaming at Apollo, as usual, for trying to flirt with her hunters, while chasing him around with her bow and arrow, with her hunters cheering for her, as Hermes was laughing his ass off at Apollo's situation while enjoying Ambrosia and Nectar.

Dionysus was, for once, in his more godly-looking form and looking less miserable than usual, which was most likely because his wife Ariadne was with him, and he had a glass of wine in his hand and had a content smile on his face. Hephaestus was just chilling with a cup of nectar in his hand alone, as he generally prefers to be alone with his work. Ares was in a drinking competition with his sister Enyo, with other minor gods cheering in the background.

All in all, it was a normal Olympic-style party for most of the people there, well except for the Elder gods. They were the ones who were the most aware of the ramifications of the day's meetings and were the ones most affected by it.

Among the seated gods, Demeter was trying and failing to get Persephone to listen and come stay with her and leave Hades. Of course, that fell on deaf ears as Persephone was not willing to just leave her husband and her title as the queen of the underworld. She had come to love the kingdom as her own after looking beyond the stereotype of it that had been perceived by the world as a dark, gloomy, and depressing place, which unfortunately also, in turn, had given her husband a less than a stellar reputation, the false reputation of being an evil god among the mortals, which made her family feel even more isolated than they already felt, which gave her mother more talking points for her argument to keep her on the surface rather than her kingdom underground.

Hades would have been forever grumpy for eternity had it not been for her uncle and aunt Perseus and Hestia and her cousins Hebe, Hermes, Iris, and Khonie, who were exiled themselves, knew the pain of being abandoned by their own family, and rather than just living alone, they had decided that they would instead make the most of it and then had started meeting Hades and her regularly, thus strengthening the familial bond between them. The brothers and sisters became extremely close to each other and sometimes were even joined by Poseidon and Demeter, as the brothers and sisters had too much love between them, even though familial relations were hardly ever a strong suit among the immortals. Even the kids had come to like their cousins as well. Also, an added benefit was that during the meetings, at least her mother usually stopped her continuous ranting and rather was more inclined to spend more time with her brothers and sisters than to just start a screaming match with her husband.

As the party continued, the guests talked, laughed, and danced. The music was a mix of ancient and modern, and the dance floor was never empty. The ambrosia and nectar flowed freely, and everyone felt a sense of camaraderie that only the gods and goddesses could feel. They were all in this together, and despite their differences and quarrels, they knew that they were family, and that bond was unbreakable. The Olympic-style party was just the beginning of what would be a long and prosperous era for the gods and goddesses of Olympus. It was a night of celebration, where the gods could let loose and forget about their troubles for a while. They could enjoy each other's company and feel like they belonged somewhere. It was a rare moment where they could be themselves and not be judged for it.

Despite the festive atmosphere, there were still some underlying tensions among the gods. Hercules and Zeus were both filled with anger and hatred towards Perseus, and they both promised themselves that they would take revenge at all costs. Meanwhile, Demeter was struggling to convince Persephone to leave Hades and return to the surface, where she believed she belonged. Persephone, on the other hand, had come to love the underworld and her role as queen, and she was not willing to leave it behind.

As the night went on, the gods continued to drink and dance, and the music got louder and more upbeat. Dionysus was in his element, and he danced and sang with his wife by his side. Hephaestus found solace in his work, and he spent most of the night tinkering with his inventions. Ares and Enyo were still in the middle of their drinking competition, and they were both determined to come out on top.

Despite their differences, the gods knew that they were all part of the same family, and that bond was unbreakable. They had been through so much together, and they had always come out stronger on the other side. As the night drew to a close, they all gathered together for one last dance, and they raised their glasses to the future. They knew that there would be challenges ahead, but they were ready to face them together, as a family.

In the end, the Olympic-style party was a night to remember. It was a celebration of life, love, and family, and it was a reminder that even the gods could let loose and have fun once in a while. Despite their godly powers and immortal status, they still felt emotions even if they usually refused to admit it, and they needed moments like these to remind them of that. As the night came to a close, they all went their separate ways, but they knew that they would always be connected through their bond as a family.

With the dawn of a new day, the gods knew they had to face the challenges ahead, but they were ready for whatever lay ahead. They had each other, and that was all that mattered. As they looked towards the future, they knew that they had the power to shape their own destiny, and they were ready to embrace it with open arms. The gods of Olympus were here to stay, and they were ready to make their mark on the world.

Author's note:-

To be completely honest, I've been facing some challenges lately that have made it difficult for me to keep up with my writing. You see, I recently started college, and it's been quite an adjustment for me. Between getting used to the new environment, and tackling more demanding coursework, I've barely had time to breathe, let alone write.

On top of that, I've been struggling with a pesky case of writer's block. It's frustrating when I have all these ideas swirling around in my head, but I just can't seem to translate them onto paper (or screen, I guess).

But, despite all of this, I am not going to give up on the story. So, I finally mustered up the motivation to drag myself and write this chapter, even though I know it's not my best work. It's shorter than the previous chapters, but I promise that the upcoming ones will be longer.

And, most importantly, I'm determined to not let another year go by before updating again.