Chapter 49: The GODS
Above the world of mortals, Olympus was strangely quiet.
The divine halls above the world of mortals were in a strange silence today. Normally, the gods of Olympus would be arguing about the latest war of a mortal king.
They would be teasing the new mortal who had just risen to power. There would be the usual complaining from the gods about the quality of the latest sacrifices made to them by humans. But today, there was only silence.
Why? One of the many prophecies had come true.
The rise of a Typhon.
The creature was black as coal and had enormous wings which shut out the moon. A storm was brewing around the creature as if the sky itself were following it.
These images felt as if they were from an ancient time. Although it was just hours ago that the First Imperial Fortress had fallen to the forces of the rebellion, rumor had it that it was all because of a young man.
The gods were standing in the enormous halls and staring at the enormous projection that showed an image of the mortal world.
Zeus was standing with his hands behind his back and stared with an unreadable expression. Hermes, Athena, Ares, Hera, and others followed. They all normally argued with each other about the most insignificant things.
But now, no one spoke.
Zeus kept staring at the image of the Typhon.
"Anyway," Hermes said after a moment, "I need to deliver some mail. Can I just go...and leave this prophecy bullshit behind."
Zeus’s eyes never left the Typhon. He knew how it happened. He knew why it happened.
"Prophecies are for mortals," he muttered.
Hermes looked at Zeus sharply, noting that hidden smile. "You knew this would happen?"
For several seconds, Zeus gave no answer to Hermes’ question. The massive projection of the Imperial Fortress’s collapse was suddenly changed to a later scene. A ruined city in the midst of a massive storm.
A young figure stood at the center of the destruction, long hair wildly blowing in the tempest, and eyes gleaming like ice above his clenched teeth.
"I knew he would eventually find it."
Hermes frowned. "And you allowed it?"
Zeus finally turned his head.
"I didn’t say I could stop it."
The answer silenced the room.
Hermes stared at him, suddenly understanding the situation was more serious than he had imagined. "The First Son? Our eldest brother? You want him free?"
A few of the gods shifted uneasily.
Zeus didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
The silence was enough.
Athena appeared in the center of the hall carrying a body in her arms, a distant look in her eyes. The lifeless form of Olivia the Hound lay peacefully against her chest, a stark contrast to the life of violence that had been her existence.
Hermes looked at the body. "She failed."
Athena looked down at Olivia. "No," she said quietly. "She just died. She couldn’t hold my form for too long."
"So...you killed her?"
Athena shook her head. "She was killed by the consequences of following the path we gave her to follow. Let that be it."
No one answered.
Instead, she kept going down through the corridors of Olympus until she came to the chambers where the dead of divine bloodlines were sometimes taken. She didn’t look at the projections along the walls.
But just as she seemed to be disappearing into the darkness of the lower corridors, she caught sight of one of them. The First Son was shown in the projection, being crushed beneath the enormous black creature of the rebellion.
She stopped.
For the first time, her expression changed. Recognition of something older.
"The First Son...why?"
The words were barely audible, but Zeus heard them.
His gaze met Athena’s across the hall.
Neither father nor daughter spoke.
Athena looked at him for several seconds before continuing down into the darkness.
"Okay, she’s gone," Ares muttered.
The projection that showed next was the decline of the other territories beside the Roman Empire. That was of greater interest to Ares than the destruction of the fortress.
Many regions had fallen, armies marched across the globe, and in every corner of the world, cities surrendered to the great Empire. In every town and city, the imperial banners would soon replace those of the local populations.
"The conquest is almost complete," Ares said. "Then finally, the world will understand the power of Olympus and me, the only god of war. Ares."
"Almost," Hera replied.
Ares smiled. "Once the final territories fall, the Empire will have accomplished what generations of gods demanded."
"And all humanity will finally belong to Olympus."
Hera’s voice remained calm.
Ares looked toward her. "Mother...you sound worried."
"Rome is of no consequence to me." Her eyes shifted toward Ethan. "Too many pieces are moving at once. What comes after Rome will be of far greater concern."
Ares’s smile disappeared. "The prophecy? Like Father said, it matters not. For gods, one simple creature rising from the ashes matters not."
Hera’s eyes narrowed as she focused intently on a projection of a youth standing beneath a massive, serpentine form of Typhon. At the First Son.
"Then we should kill him," Ares said after a moment of consideration.
Hera shook her head almost sadly. "No. Many have tried to kill the First Son. Many failed, hence he was locked there. So...not yet."
"I am Ares. You already know that with this siege war, my power is at its peak."
"Not because you are strong. Because Zeus, your damn father, is still protecting him."
Ares looked across the hall to Zeus, who was talking with Hermes. "And if Zeus refuses to stop him, what do we do? Just obey?"
Hera smiled faintly. "Then perhaps Olympus will have to decide whether Zeus is still worthy of being its king."
Ares said nothing.
For the first time, the possibility was no longer an idle thought.
For thousands of years, the gods had ruled over humanity. The individual gods had had their favorites, influencing and occasionally manipulating kings in order to raise and bring down empires and civilizations.
Then of course there was the gods’ history, which they could alter to suit themselves, often with a few changes here and there in order to make their actions appear more justified.
Zeus stood alone before the projection after the others gradually disappeared. The image changed to show Ethan.
A hospital room.
Zeus’s eyes narrowed.
The image of a young Ethan lying in a hospital bed looking weak and pale caused Zeus to believe for a moment that the boy was deceased. However, the boy’s eyes flickered open and he began to speak to the King of the Gods.
Zeus stared.
The image vanished. It had been centuries since Zeus last showed signs of a human father, and here he was.
***
Ethan stood outside the revolutionary headquarters beneath a sky full of stars.
The massive numbers of soldiers of the revolution, newly victorious at the First Imperial Fortress of Rome, were celebrating when they found out that the Others, the beings from another world, were coming down to the city.
Many of them already started telling stories of the appearance of the Others on the day of the fall of the fortress as if they had seen it with their own eyes.
Ethan didn’t listen.
He was staring at Spark.
The enormous form of the sleeping Spark curled around the edge of the village. Storm clouds hid in the dark of his massive wings and suddenly there would be a low rumble that would shake the buildings of the small settlement for a few seconds.
"Most people would be celebrating right now."
Marcus approached from behind.
Ethan didn’t turn. "I am."
Marcus looked at him. "No you aren’t. You look miserable."
"I’m just...thinking, Marcus."
Marcus followed Ethan’s gaze toward Spark. "What are you thinking about then?"
Ethan opened his hand.
It was warm now, almost like a second heartbeat.
"Why did he call me brother?"
Marcus frowned.
Ethan looked down at the symbol. "And why did he know everything about me?"
Marcus remained silent, knowing who he was talking about. Marcus had actually researched it, but all the information about the First Son was locked in classified information.
Ethan’s expression hardened. "That mission Zeus gave me was too simple..."
"Destroy Rome? You call that simple?"
"Yeah." Ethan looked toward the stars. "What if Rome was never the real mission?"
Marcus’s expression slowly changed. "What? You think the god of gods, the holy father, lied?"
"He lies. That’s part of his job."
A distant rumble of thunder rolled across the sky.
Ethan closed his fingers around the symbol. " I feel like whatever happens after Rome will surely be worse than that."
Marcus looked toward the heavens. "Huh, look at you, worrying about something that could not even happen. Well, tell me anyway. How much worse?"
Ethan stared upward. "The gods, Marcus. The very gods, like Hermes. I really can’t face them. I am just a human."