The Discord Looming Over Olympus
Lately, Zeus had not a moment to rest in peace.
"The great Uranus fell, his manhood severed by the hand of his own kin.
The mighty Cronus was cast down by his son and thrown into the abyss.
Yet it was the wife who tempered the steel, and the brothers who pulled down the arm.
Eris’s chariot always turns its reins most gladly toward the wrath of blood kin."
Not long ago, Prometheus, who had maintained a consistent silence, had opened his mouth for the second time. His avatars, who acted in his stead and inflicted upon Zeus a pain as sharp as the King's own doubts, had relayed the message exactly as it was spoken.
It was true. The great sickle Scythe that brought about the fall of Uranus was the first iron forged by the hand of Gaia, his own consort. And when Olympus faced disadvantage in the war against Cronus, were it not his brothers—the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires—who decisively turned the tide?
While it was the children who brought about the downfall of the previous Kings of Gods, Uranus and Cronus would not have perished so easily had it not been for the royal kin who aided them.
The hint dropped by Prometheus, recalling those ancient tales, was clear: betrayal by brothers, or discord among kin. Or perhaps, all of it!
However, Zeus was no foolish god. He carefully weighed the possibilities—was this a ruse by Prometheus to corner him? What would he gain, and what was his true target? He called upon his advisor, Athena, to discuss the matter.
But accompanying Athena, who arrived at his summons, was an unexpected guest. It was the King of the Seas, Zeus’s brother, Poseidon, who stood before him with a face set in stone.
"Brother, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"Zeus, my brother. I have come to plead for the restoration of the status of the sea, which has contributed so much to this Olympus."
"...That matter was decided long ago. Do you mean to defy my sovereignty!?"
"You son of a... even Gaia would find you hard to swallow! If that is the case, has your reckless behavior all this time not been a disregard for my sovereignty, Poseidon's sovereignty?!"
And so followed a long, bitter dispute. The arguments between Zeus and Poseidon were nearly a daily occurrence on Olympus now. But with the message from Prometheus, and above all, the stubborn, almost threatening insistence of his brother, Zeus grew even more uncompromising. The petty bickering escalated until they were nearly at each other's throats.
In the midst of this, the thought flashed through Zeus’s mind that Prometheus’s message might not have been merely a warning.
Come to think of it, despite the peace in Greece during his reign, Hera’s disregard for the weight of kingship and the insolence of certain gods who did not respect his authority had angered Zeus more than once. Poseidon, in particular, had harbored old grudges despite being saved by Zeus in the distant past, constantly stirring his displeasure.
Could it be a coincidence that this insolence had reached its peak at this very moment?
Once that thought took hold, Zeus’s next move was clear.
"In the name of Zeus, King of Gods, I proclaim to Olympus! The negligence of the gods is crumbling the order of Greece, and the majesty of Olympus is fading! Unless bound by the duties of godhood, all gods shall remain within Olympus and conduct themselves with propriety!"
Even if Poseidon were plotting in the depths of the sea where Zeus’s eyes could not reach, conspiring with other gods, Olympus was the kingdom of all gods and Zeus’s own domain. By binding them all here, no scheme could dare escape his sight. Naturally, signs of rebellion would vanish. His calculation was that if Poseidon and Hera saw his majesty and labor up close, their disrespect and foolish discord would naturally subside.
But the situation began to turn in the exact opposite direction of Zeus’s expectations.
"No matter how much power you wield over heaven and earth, your tyranny is arrogant beyond measure! Even if you hold the sovereignty of heaven, this Greece and Olympus are the shared property of Cronus’s three children!"
"Poseidon! That is arrogant! Do you wish to taste this thunderbolt? Have you truly forgotten the fate of those who challenged my sovereignty!"
"Do not think to threaten me with your paltry lightning. I have not brought this Olympus down to the abyss not because I tolerate your arrogance, nor because I am bound by your tricks. It is only because the order of Greece resides in Olympus, and I, as one of the great gods, respect that order!"
Poseidon visited him every other day, demanding the immediate lifting of the closure order and the restoration of his insults and the terrifying Charybdis. Once the fallout shaking Olympus and the lightning striking the highest heavens frightened the mortals and lesser gods, his children began to irritate him next.
"Father! Even so, this is too much! Otrera is already anxious because the Athenians are acting strange...! I had plans with Hippolyta next week! She was so happy that Father was finally going to play with us...!"
"Father! Why are you doing this?! Was I truly nothing more than a decoration to you?!"
"Father, I do not doubt your sovereignty, but because of the closure order, countless gods and mortals are suffering. You must withdraw it immediately."
Ares, Artemis, and Athena. Apollo had not even shown his face—perhaps he didn't intend to return—so it was unclear if that was a blessing or not. While the reactions of the first two were expected, the sight of even Athena joining the ranks against him caused Zeus’s fury to skyrocket.
[To think that children would dare argue with their father’s command, and that subordinates would disobey the King of Gods! Get out!!]
"But...!"
[Athena! Even if I have cherished you, I have not granted you the right to defy me! Do you truly need to taste my wrath to come to your senses!]
Under the overwhelming divine power flashing in his eyes, even Athena had to retreat in terror.
His sisters, Demeter and Hestia, and Aphrodite, the avatar of Uranus, had merely asked quietly and retreated upon realizing his will was firm. But even his consort, the Queen of Gods, rebelled against his decision and stormed out of the Great Temple. Every situation was proving that Prometheus’s prophecy was coming to pass.
"These wretches..."
Zeus had been too gentle all this time. It was said that during the reign of the previous King of Gods, Cronus, no giant dared even consider defying his majesty or commands. To think they would treat their King so poorly just because he had been lenient for a while...
"I will deal with them immediately!"
The Great Temple of Olympus, now desolate with the Queen, the princesses, and the handmaidens all gone. It was when Zeus, drinking alone, let out a roar of fury.
"Z-Zeus! The Horae report that Hephaestus has entered Olympus!"
"...What did you say?"
At Ganymede’s hurried words, Zeus’s eyes flashed sharply. While everything was unfolding according to Prometheus’s prophecy, for Hephaestus, who had barely glanced at Olympus for hundreds of years, to suddenly arrive...
"Where did he go? Since he has ascended to Olympus after so long, it is only proper that he request an audience and pay respects to his father and King. Surely he is coming to find this father of his?"
"T-that is... Hephaestus is..."
Even Ganymede could not finish his sentence before the chilling face of Zeus. But Zeus had already located Hephaestus through his divine authority.
A divine power of intense heat, like an active volcano. The place that power had headed in a single bound was none other than Hera’s villa.
-CRACK!
"These wretches... are they truly plotting treason right before my eyes...?!"
Convinced there could be no clearer evidence, Zeus descended upon Hera’s villa in an instant, transformed into a brilliant flash of lightning.
[Hera!! Come out at once!!]
Yet, as if the Queen who betrayed him and the son who ignored him intended to insult him to the end, they did not send a single messenger even after hearing his roar.
"I will deal with them immediately...!"
-CRACKLE!
Responding to his fury, the brilliant thunderbolt Astrape manifested in his hand. The moment Astrape flashed threateningly, heating the surrounding air, Hephaestus rushed out and stopped him.
"Father! Stop!"
"Hephaestus... are you truly going to raise your hand against me?"
"....What? F-first, please calm your Astrape, Father. Have I not told you repeatedly? Your lightning is so powerful it shakes even the distant Tartarus..."
[Shut up! Do you dare try to lecture your father!]
-BOOM!
The power of a mighty thunderbolt was unleashed to punish the insolent son. Of course, he had reduced the power since it was aimed at his own son and a Great God of Olympus, but it should have been enough to bring a son who dared defy his father to his senses...
"That is...?"
-WIIIIING!
However, defying Zeus’s conviction, a bizarre mechanical sound echoed through the air, cutting through the thunder that had illuminated the surroundings.
How could there be a sound in this Olympus that his thunder had not erased? But that was not the only surprising thing.
"Ugh! It's still a test model, so it's dangerous...!"
"He, Hephaestus, you...!?"
Strange mechanical devices resembling snake heads had sprung from Hephaestus’s back. The mechanical claws at the tips, looking like those of a bird of prey, had spread wide and rotated, creating a defensive barrier that blocked Zeus’s lightning!
"Th-th-these wretches...!"
Now it was certain.
Prometheus’s prophecy. The discord among kin. And decisively, the existence of a weapon capable of resisting his power.
Just as his father had done in the past, and his father’s father before him. His kin had all gathered to plot his downfall!
[All of you, do not look to me for forgiveness!!]
-RUMBLE!
As if to burn all of Olympus to the ground, a massive thunderbolt exploded from Zeus’s entire body in all directions.
The first great war between the gods of Olympus, later called the Olympian War. It was the moment Gaia had foreseen, Prometheus had prophesied, and Eris’s power covered Olympus.