Many moons had passed since the failed destruction of Ilion.
Though the way it had been destroyed so to speak was different than what had been envisioned, but destroyed it was.
Now the kingdom stood grander than before…
The children of Castellan flattened the land completely before painstakingly rebuilding it. The walls that Poseidón and Apóllōn and Αἰακός had carefully crafted had been brought down.
With a mixture of limestone, marble, and something that they called concrete, they rebuilt the walls and engraved images of the battles within them with the gods assisting. The images ended at the gates where Apóllōn stood over Hektōr and Athênê over Ahkilles. And when what they called a portcullis closed, there sat Father Ζεύς on his golden throne and in his hands were his golden scales.
They built what a mouseion in which they dedicated to the Mousai alongside statues of Mnêmosynê and Hermês as the eleven of them were gods of knowledge, who remembered all things that had come to pass.
Though before reaching it or the city proper, one would have to go through a carefully constructed labyrinth with hidden pathways for warriors and citizens alike to hold off would be invaders; those pathways they built with the stones in which Poseidón and Apóllōn and Αἰακός used to build Troy's walls.
Watchtowers sat imposing top different "checkpoints" in which the pathways expanded into different locations… one would take to the palace, another to the agora, another to a memorial where the mouseion sat, one towards other passages that led to the homes and the last to the temples of the gods.
Of course each checkpoint was also dedicated to the gods with more adoration for those that sided with Troy in the invasion.
The memorial was centered around the mouseion though there was a section situated off to the side where a marker made from terracotta bricks sat with a list of the various warriors that lost their lives in the war. The names of the Argives that lost their lives also had their own marker with the words 'love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you ' as the war could have lauded them as the victors and pray that the gods purify them all for the spilling of blood.
The paintings that Príamos had commissioned were placed in the mouseion alongside the crowns that he and Hekábē wore as the House of Príamos ended with the death of Aléxandros. The new kingdom found itself under the reign of Queen Ariadnê who would then go on to abdicate the throne to her dear friend Hektōr who forsook his lineage as the son of Príamos and completed an amfidromies to which he claims in front of the hearth that Ariadnê was the "mother" who took him in and integrating into the field of the Home and connected him with the Goddess Hestia, protector of the family.
And thus he was no longer, son of Príamos, but son of Ariadnê whose task would be to manage her kingdom as she had no natural son.
Perseus had laughed himself sick at the look on his sister's face when the siblings of Hektōr followed in his place and she thus acquired 18 daughters and 68 sons.
(Ariadnê then goes to point out her marriage to Hermês and thus, the kingdom's connection to Father Ζεύς is once more restored alongside the connection to the Pleiades as Maia is the sister to Êlektrê to whom they owed their race.)
The temple of the gods was just as grand as the one in Castellan. They were littered with mosaics and tapestries and paintings crafted by their oracle and the metaphysical child of Athênê. Standing more imposing than the others were temples dedicated to all six children of Rheia.
There were pathways hidden behind the temple of Dēmḗtēr leading to several megara for those that wish to partake in the Mysteries.
They crafted a smaller building where items were sold to commemorate the visit. They were often textile squares with small quotes dedicated to the gods and some that could be customized to include names. The eldest son of Hermês had the daughter of Athênê weave words into one after he and the daughter of Dēmḗtēr had visited the newly erected temple of Aphrodítē.
The palace was the second most beautiful place in the entire kingdom, right after the temples of the gods. Made of marble and stone, it stood in measurements,108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep) and 24 metres high. The child of Athênê was very proud of it and claimed that it would give something called the Buckingham Palace a run for its money.
Five fountains sat before the palace, in the middle stood a statue of Zeus and Hêrê; in their hands were her royal scepter and his lightning bolt both tipped with gold, copper, and silver with the idea that if Ζεύς was throw a bolt dt it, then it would reflect as if the gods had animated the statues themselves. (When the children were sleeping, Ζεύς tested the theory and Hḗrē was pleased to see how wonderful it looked as the pink hued lotus atop her sceptre burned as bright and white as lightning.) A small scripture was engraved at the bottom: Their love is all consuming as the air.
Another fountain took the form of Poseidón and Amphitritê with her head lying on his shoulder and her hair flowing down her body like the ink of a squid. They were sitting atop of a shellfish. In his hands, he held his trident and he was crowned with celery. And she was adorned with a golden hairnet with the medallion consisting of a central repoussé bust of Thalassa. The net consisted of bands of gold spool beads linked by tiny, filigreed chains, their intersecting points articulated with tiny images of her sisters. One thing that was emphasized was that if a storm was to hit the kingdom, then the net around Amphitrítē's hair would billow out and create an interlocking image of their children. A small scripture was engraved at the bottom: A love so deep that it makes the sea jealous.
The third fountain was of Háidēs and Persephónē where the former sat crowned with his helm while the latter held onto her torch. Both their hands laid atop of a cornucopia that spewed golden keys, pomegranate, seeds of grain and asphodel flowers. Their favored part of it would be the asphodel flower that they stuck behind Háidēs' ear as Persephónē's hand was made to look as if she was placing it there. A feat that they were proud of was that the pomegranates were made of carefully crafted glass that would take the image of a yellow pomegranate as the pollen from the seasons collected. The drainage continued everyday dusting the bottom of the statue in pollen to resemble seeds of grain while the sunlight reflected off the rubies inside that doubled as the pomegranate seeds. It painted a very beautiful picture alongside the small scripture that was engraved at the bottom: Life has to end, but love does not.
A beautiful quote for a couple that faced such hardships in the beginning. The fourth statue was of Dēmḗtēr and Hestia sitting around a hearth. The sisters sat side by side weaving wheat crowns. The centerpiece of the hearth was in the shape of a cornucopia that spewed fire, though the flames of the hearth were made of metal in the shape of wheat with poppies intertwined with them. The scripture at the bottom: Hope survives best at the hearth.
The last held the Trojan Palladium and within the waters of the fountain were snakes and spiders that Perseus had personally brought from the sea with orders to guard the Palladium from any that was not a friend to the Royal Family. The scripture at the bottom of it read: Pallas Athênê, badass in the arena. Hermês found it most amusing and stated that in their weird language that "badass" was another word for excellent and one of their most highest compliments.
The people were thankful when they returned from refuge in Castellan to see the home that was awaiting them. New trade agreements had already been drafted between the kingdoms and the daughter of Dēmḗtēr worked alongside the cooks as she showed them around the taverna that was fondly called Clover's Canteen. There were small homes that lined the coastline where temples were issued for those of the sea, establishing cults for them in the years to follow. Once the kingdom was settled in properly, the godlings left with wide smiles and iron-clad treaties of what would happen if they even thought of kidnapping one of their own again.
And thus, the kingdom of Hisarlık grew and prospered and re-established its trade with those that they had lost due to the war.
They turned their attention to Plataea where they reached out to the allies around the country and it became some sort of militia camp. Most of the times it, like the grove of trees within Castellan, was cloaked from the view of the gods and mortals alike, but when it was viewable to outsiders…
It was beautiful.
Hestia could honestly say that it looked much better than their old camp.
Every building was at least three stories tall with underground levels. In those bottom levels, there were two tapestries that explained their powers, the applications of how to use them, and theories of what else they could be used for. One was in the common tongue so that all demidivine ellines that would be born in the years to come could read it and the other was in english. There were smaller tapestries that translated the words in italian, romani, spanish, french, and Bulgarian due to Clarisse, Chris, Nico and Rachel respectively. Ariadnê had wanted to include japanese in honor of Drew and someone named Ethan, but she was not fluent in the language and only knew the phrases that she learned from anime alongside what Drew and Mirajane taught her. (And that was only in the spoken tongue, she was sure to get something incorrect if she tried writing.)
There was an underground shopping center that doubled as a place for those much too young to fight in case of an attack where the only access would be hidden near the central hearth. And Perseus had traveled the entire country until he found Pandora's pithos to sit within the hearth. Elpis made home in the pithos, but every once in a while, she would stick her head out to give the children crowns of sunflowers, daffodils, cactus flowers and lavender.
The Olympioi could admit that they were flattered.
They were also intrigued and impressed when the godlings had the idea to include even the minor deities.
Each cluster had their own hearths also.
And by cluster, it meant that those that had similar deities were grouped together.
All the sea deities' cabins were grouped near the sea. The Poseidón and Amphitrítē's cabin were, of course, the grandest of them all. There were tunnels under the cabins that led them back to the sea.
The Aphrodítē cabin wasn't too far away from the just as grand as Poseidón's own building. It was standing right by the deities of war. Athênê and Árēs' cabins were the ones to stand out.
Hḗphaistos' cabin didn't stray too far either as the forger of the gods.
The Archer twins' cabins faced each other on top of a hill overlooking the forests. There was a pen of Apóllōn's cow nearby which William and Ariadnê had tracked down themselves.
Apóllōn had almost shot them both before Hestia stayed his hand.
Hermês and Iris' cabins weren't too far away due to handling most of the communication. Apparently, even the children knew of how strong and pure Apóllōn and Hermês' love for one another were.
Between those four buildings a pathway split into different sections. One led to what would become the paths of Apóllōn's oracles. The one that Pythia's little chosen one hid in was decorated with past prophecies and something the godlings jokingly called fortune cookie lines.
The other path led to those that dwelled in the Underworld. Háidēs' cabin was, of course, the grandest of that cluster. It was just as tall as the cabin of Poseidón.
That last pathway leading from there was covered with jewels shaped into floral until they changed into actual plants. Persephónē's cabin stood directly in the middle at the same height as Amphitrítē's building.
Dēmḗtēr's cabin stood at the same height as her brothers, being the most beautiful of the natural buildings.
Not too far away another cabin stood in honor of Dionysos. Though unlike the other minor deities, this building was the same size as the rest of Ζεύς' olympioi major children. There was another cabin deeper into the woods dedicated to Pan and his satyrs.
Completing the circle on top of another cliff not too far away from the twins stood the other sky deities. Though the distance was just about twenty steps away. Ζεύς and Hḗrē's cabin were, of course, the grandest standing just as tall as their siblings.
It made almost all of them so incredibly mad to see them carrying on with their lives as if they had not just ruined destiny. They didn't understand why Anankê wasn't punishing them. One cannot fight fate and yet— These godlings did.
Though before anyone could suggest punishment to be doled out, the godlings made their way to Mount Olympos where the Olympian akropolis lay above the clouds and the paths of the stars, near the apex of the solid bronze-dome of the sky.
It was blasphemy that they thought they could just come as they pleased, but even Ζεύς could not deny Anankê when her order to allow for their entry was echoed throughout the golden-floored hall that served as both a council chamber and feast-hall for the Olympian gods and provided them an expansive view of the world below allowing them to observe mankind from the heights.
Ζεύς ordered the gatekeepers to allow them entry once they reached just below the peaks of Mount Olympos. The golden gates of the heavenly fortress came to view behind the clouds and opened for the children almost ominous. Hermês and Iris had stood from their seats to lead them into the large, cloistered courtyard where the full assembly of the gods were gathered–including all of the earth-, river- and sea-deities as well as nymphs awaited them.
The twelve of them stood in a lower case omega formation, ὦ, in front of the entire Olympian council as if they were the ones that belonged to be seated upon the thrones of Heaven.
Perseus and Ariadnê stood at the front of the group with their eyes filled with the divine power in which they were born.
Ariadnê slid her gaze to her beloved, Hermês, who smiled beautifully at her as he stood from his throne to stand at her size and morphed into a more mortal form. Poseidón, Háidēs, and Hestia smiled proudly as they too left their places to stand at their sides. That was a move that generated shock as Hestia hardly ever left her hearth.
Perseus stepped forward before bowing at the knee and the others followed as the wind blew through the aither—the bright upper-air of heaven. "We request an audience with the Olympian Council led by Ζεύς Nomius, Dēmḗtēr Thesmophorus, and Athênê Amboulia."
WORD COUNT: 2597
WORDS TO KNOW:
Ζεύς Nomius - Ζεύς, the ruler of gods and men
Dēmḗtēr Thesmophorus - Dēmḗtēr, the law-giver
Athênê Amboulia - Counsellor Athênê