"Uh what was that?" I asked.
"You need to now release the titans. Or at least after this storm. Ouranos has taken quite a beating over the years."
"No. Nonononono. You didn't actually think it would be a good idea to just let them go. Do what ever they fucking desire!" I crossed my arms. I knew this conversation was coming and I still couldn't believe she still thought I'd be dumb enough to let them free right after we kicked their asses.
"Of course. I helped you overthrow them and in return you let them be afterwards."
I sighed. "Look, I know you're a primordial and you are a little oblivious to things like how social hierarchy works but when you overthrow someone, and you let them go, they plan to take back their position of ultimate power as soon as possible."
Gaea frowned at me. "Great, now you're becoming just like Cronus. Paranoid over nothing. I swear you men are annoying."
The hell. Why did no one explain this to her. Actually, someone probably did but she ignored them. Women. I rubbed my eyes. "I'm not like Cronus because he was imprisoning people who didn't do anything to him. The titans are hell-bent on killing me. Stop being stupid. I'm not letting them go."
Gaea clenched her fists and her eyes started to glow a dark green. "You'd dare! I've gotten rid of Cronus and Ouranos. It will be nothing to stamp out a small spark like you."
"And that's why you always get some idiot that doesn't like you. I swear you're actually insane. You can't keep doing the same shit over and over again and expect it to work."
"I can, and I will. I simply want what's best for my family, but you guys keep messing everything up. I can easily destroy you right now Zeus." She sneered when she said my name. "But that would create a bit of a power vacuum and the others will fight."
"Great you're not a complete idiot." I opened my eyes and a ball of lightning appeared in my hand before morphing into my spear.
Gaea laughed at me. "No! It's better to have the child do it. Pass leadership down the line. Your wife Metis is going to be having twins soon, and one of them, I will have one of them overthrow you."
"Not gonna happen Dirt. Like I said, I'm different. I'll just raise my kids to have multiple reasons to like and trust me. Probably also warn them to keep away from weird old ladies who claim to be related." I smirked at her.
"Idiot, I've been doing this since before you were even thought of. Your weird mind tricks won't do anything. I'm the Earth Mother. You're nothing."
"And that's your problem. You're the Earth Mother but you're the most shit mother to ever exist. God's things need changing. If you don't leave right now I swear I'll plunge my spear right through your fucking eye. Bitch."
"Your puny threats mean nothing to me! You are just pests on my skin and I will exterminate you. I will let the rest of your family go but for your insolence you will spend five hundred years in Tartarus!"
I gave her the finger and she vanished. She actually threatened to ground me. Idiot. Her plan had one fatal flaw. One thing I could use that would ruin her whole plan…
Proper parenting. My god mind blown. I swear these guys are a bunch of idiots. If your kids have a reason to not like you, they'll overthrow you when given the chance. If you give no reason to trust you, they can be manipulated into betraying your shit trust. It was actually funny how dumb these people were. Gaea did accomplish one thing though. Ruin my mood.
Everyone was busy so I decided to go on a little Underworld adventure with Hades. I jumped down the pit and after a few minutes of falling thorough hot air I landed in the oddly cool underworld. There was even a breeze.
I looked over at a man sitting in front of a dark blue river. He held a serrated dagger of stygian iron and was cutting and stabbing himself.
"To pass in the Underworld you must-"
"Hey I know this guy called Hades. He'll vouch for me so can I just pass or something?"
"What? No. You must-"
Large black eagle wings sprouted from my back and I flew into the Underworld. No way in hell was I drinking his shit water. I looked over at the gloomy place and saw a large influx of souls in the black fields from a clear river. I felt bad for the mortals. They were living calm, happy lives. And we just drowned them. Sucks.
My eyes locked on to three figures walking down the cobblestone path. I flew down to greet them. They were the Erinyes. Hades had described them in great detail other than the black tails. They were five feet and wore their blood red "clothes." Their wings were tucked behind their backs and their six foot long tails swished around. They looked like thin hairless cords with an arrowhead on the end of them. Their red hair flowed freely and they looked at me with their big red eyes.I could only tell the difference between them because of their whips of choice.
Tisiphone was the one with the sword-whip and was definitely the more angry one. She looked me all over and it seemed like she wanted to whip me for disturbing her.
Megaera was the girl with the flail. She looked up at me with curious eyes before smiling sadistically as if she'd run multiple scenarios of my torture in her mind.
Last was Alecto with her normal whip rolled in her hand. That was spiked. She was more rational than the others and seemed to be trying to figure out why I was actually there.
"Aieee! Look! Another Olympian!" Megaera touched my chest and I gripped my spear. "You think he's like Hades. Endless torment! You can do that for me can you Poseidon?" She pouted at me before laughing.
I picked her up by the shoulders and got her off me. "Actually I'm Zeus and I'd like to know where Hades is."
Tisiphone was about to speak but Alecto stopped her. "Meg, he skipped over the rivers. You can't have endless torture."
"What! Then what's the point of him being here? A few hours is good too I guess." Meg spun her flail.
"Hecate is in the house with the glowing purple light coming from inside." Alecto said as she pushed her sisters past me. Meg poked me with the butt of her whip and I shivered.
First person to talk to me here was an M, and the very next was an S. The Underworld was not the place for me. I walked to the house of the Moirai Hades had told me of and looked through the window.
The three women were still spinning their tapestries and the young woman smiled at me as she added two new threads to her tapestry. I looked behind them and looked at their tapestry on display.
Instead of the bird headed man from before, it was a tall man with grey skin standing in front of me and one other. Tornadoes were blowing around us and the man's white eyes glowed with energy. He wore a long grey chiton and was cracking his knuckles. His bald head seemed to sparkle because of the rain and his white beard billowed behind him. My own eyes crackled with lightning and it stormed around me. The man next to me was standing in a tornado and had his arms outstretched and his eyes closed in concentration. On his back was a white bow and a quiver embroidered with wind symbols. White arrows poked out of the quiver and some floated around him. The arrow heads were leaf shaped but the blades twirled down the shaft like a double helix. The man had grey eyes and flowing curly white hair like my own other than the beard, which he kept short and full. He wore a white fustanella and a grey belt with just the strap for his quiver on his chiseled body. In the background, I could see the gleeful face of Gaea holding strings attached to the grey man.
I whistled as I stepped away. I could almost hear the thunder, wind, and rain just by looking at the masterpiece. I had no clue who either of those other people were but they must have some sort of significance to be shown to me by the Fates.
I quickened my pace and made it to Hecate's house. Just as I was about to knock the door opened and Hades frowned at me.
"What are you doing here?" He scratched his head.
"I could ask the same of you? I needed to ask Hecate a few things and I missed you. It's been a few years." I pouted at him and he sighed.
"You're an idiot, but come in." I walked in and he led me through the entrance hall. I took notes for my own palace I was planning on building. "With Cronus in jail, Chronus, or Time, was aligned in the Underworld and the Gaea for immortals." Hades explained as he led me up a few flights of stairs.
"Good, since you like it down here so much, at least you won't vanish for years on end."
"Sigh. Sometimes I wish I could." He led me through a corridor and into the first door on the right. We stepped out into an open roof garden. Looking up, it looked like we were on the ground even though we clearly climbed up five stories. Then again the house's entrance hall was bigger than what the house normally should fit so I ignored that detail.
It was a cobblestone path and on either side of us were black flowers and pomegranate trees. The path went to the center which was a large circle of cobble with chairs and benches and tables. It then split into four paths that went to each side of the square room and was lined with more "life."
Seated on a white padded chair was Hecate and she sipped red juice from a cup. She smiled at me. "Zeus, what brings you here today. Let me guess, need a spell?" She sighed and I slipped into a chair on the other side of the round table next to Hades.
"Not a spell, just a bit of information about the world." I pulled out a hollowed out gourd and poured some nectar, Gida's milk, into a cup. I offered to Hades and he accepted. "I need to know about potential people Gaea may send to kill me."
Hecate laughed and took another sip of her drink. I would have asked for some but I didn't trust Underworld food or drink. "I suppose they're are a few you should be wary about. I don't know why but I expected her to try to get your kids against you."
"She said she would but I'm not an idiot. If I just get my kids to like me, grow them into rules, and keep a good watch on them, everything will be perfectly fine."
Hecate leaned back and put her bare, but clean, feet on the table. "So you're not going to eat them?" She chuckled at her own joke and Hades sipped his milk loudly.
"I honestly don't see how that would be comfortable and that's a dick move to do to innocent babies. No I'll stick to what I know and raise the kids properly. Plus, if I was scared of my future kids, I wouldn't have kids."
"Good job, you've passed the first test. Hades, the Erinyes wanted to talk to you at the entrance of Tartarus." Hades frowned before standing up and leaving.
"I swear if they want to whip me I'll bite someone." He grumbled as he closed the door.
Hecate lost her smile and took her feet off the table before leaning forward and looking me in the eyes. "There are in fact a few dangerous people who are at Gaea's beck and call."