Mount Olympus: Some 2,000 Years Ago
*In the grand Hall of Olympus, home to the Gods, Zeus paced back and forth. He'd been acting a little strange as of late, a little out of character as it were, and this had many of the others more than a little worried. The very fact that he'd convoked the Council at all was enough to make the most resolute of them a little squirrelly. Given what they knew about circumstances outside of these hallowed halls, most of them took their seats trying to hide a great deal of anxiety and anticipation. Most of them had been a part of the Twelve for a good deal of time now, and one of the first things you learned when you took on such a position was that it never paid to show weakness in front of the others. Many of them, at one time or another in their long history together, had attempted to plot the downfall of at least one other person in the circle. That made these rare occasions awkward at best.
Zeus, or Jupiter, or Jove, or one of the dozen other names that he'd gone by over the centuries was an impressive being. As was their custom under such circumstances, they'd all taken their human form for the encounter. The form that Zeus had chosen over the years inspired both respect and awe in all who were privileged enough to set their gaze upon it. In human form, when he wasn't taking the guise of an animal, he appeared as a strongly built man in his middle years. He had thick white hair and a beard that matched. When he moved, as was the case now, he took careful strides. He'd been the head of the twelve for almost as far back as any of the others could remember and he rarely wasted a word or a movement. Like the others, he was wearing long, flowing robes of white.
The Grand Hall was impressive to say the least. Marble and ivory figured heavily into the walls, floors, and grand arching domes of the ceilings. Large stone columns wrapped their way around the edge of the outer wall, and were ornately carved and engraved with the history of this hall and her dwellers. The Gods were very concerned when it came to history and making sure it was remembered correctly. Zeus had always commented, rather sarcastically, that it would be a shame if any of the old grudges and feuds were forgotten. Along the four walls were what appeared at first glance to be windows. In truth, they allowed the Gods to look out upon the world of Man. A similar circular hole in the floor that covered a large portion of the center of the room allowed them, when used to look down upon the world.
The Council seats or, as the others liked to call them, The Thrones of the Gods, were laid out in a circle around the opening in the floor with the most elaborate being at the head. That was where, should he feel inclined, Zeus would sit. Next to him sat Hera, his wife. The others took their seats. Once they were all present and settled in, Zeus decided it was time to begin.
He stopped pacing and surveyed the group, his gaze falling in turn on each member of the Council as he waited for the quiet whisperings to stop. When all was silent, he spoke.
"We stand," he began, his voice booming through the room, "on the brink of catastrophe." He waited a moment for that to settle in, before he continued. "Even now, the one who thinks he could be our master is preparing to move against us." Once again, as was his fashion when he addressed them, he paused dramatically. "He calls us ungrateful, labels us as enemies of Heaven and Earth. If it were left to him, he would condemn Humankind to its own devices. He refuses to offer them the guidance they need." Despite the trouble and pain that mortal man had caused him, Zeus had a great deal of love for them. He'd always felt that with the proper leadership, they could become something great. Despite the fact that they'd let him down on more than one occasion, he would never stop believing them. He'd allowed them to anger him to the point of nearly wiping them from the Earth once, and since then he'd vowed to keep a tighter rein on his anger.
His desire to rule over humanity, to keep them from falling from the path, had been his chief reason for leading the revolt from Heaven. It had been a bloody affair on both sides. Many Angels had died, as well as many of Zeus's own followers, and he was determined to make it mean something. Besides, he had no allusions of what the future held for him and his companions if they allowed themselves to be taken in. It wouldn't be a merciful death. That much was certain. Most likely they'd all be cast down to the pits of Tartarus, and everybody in this room had enough enemies there already to make it a rather unpleasant proposition.
Initially, after their successful rebellion the so-called God had been content to watch, to see how events unfolded. He'd left them alone to develop their followings, no doubt testing the faith of his own believers, as much as he was testing them. Apparently they'd gone too far though. The Dodekatheon had become too strong, and now the God of Heaven had seen enough.
"Left on their own, as HE would no doubt do, the mortals will destroy themselves. On that I think we can all agree," he waited as hesitant heads around the circle began to nod their agreement. "I don't know about you, but that's not something I'm prepared to allow."
"Then we fight!" Zeus smiled patiently. He'd been expecting that from Ares. He turned his glance on the erstwhile God of War.
"Would that we could Ares, would that we could. Unfortunately we lack the numbers and power to combat his army "
"Surely you're not suggesting we supplicate ourselves upon his mercy Zeus?" He turned toward Hera, who'd issued that comment and shook his head.
"I'm suggesting no such thing my dear "
"He wouldn't be telling us this if he didn't already have something in mind."
Zeus turned his attention on Athena, one of the other female members of the Pantheon, who'd just spoken. There'd been a rather smug undertone in her voice. The rather young looking woman was a cunning strategist and with her on their side, Zeus had half contemplated fighting Heaven's soldiers. Unfortunately, they still didn't have the sheer numbers that the enemy did. Of course she knew he had something in mind. She knew it because if she'd been in his position, she most definitely would have something planned.
Zeus nodded rather sagely. "We cannot defeat the enemy, therefore I propose a strategic retreat." He waited for the commotion that this would no doubt spark, and the elder deity was not disappointed.
"You're proposing we run away! That's unacceptable!" Ares was standing now. To a human he would no doubt have proven extremely intimidating in his present state. "I don't run away from my battles!"
"No," Zeus agreed, "and you lose half of them." There was some snickering as Ares sat back down. He watched just long enough to see Aphrodite place a comforting hand on his shoulder, and to see her pained reaction when her brother shook it away.
"The fact is that we can't win this," he glanced toward Athena again, who nodded at him. That was a plus. He'd been a little worried about getting the others on his side this time, but if he could get Athena and her brilliant mind to agree to it, there was hope of bringing everybody else to the table as it were. "He is approaching the zenith of his power, but one day it will fail."
Athena shook her head, but he'd been prepared for this. Still, he humored her and waited for her to speak, "It's no good father. He draws his power from the belief of his followers, and with the kind of power he's taking in now, there's nowhere on this world we can hide." She sneered, "And he'll no doubt be placing Michael in charge of his army."
Zeus nodded, "You are correct Athena. There is nowhere in this world we can hide." He held up his hands, which until now had been clasped idly behind his back. In his hands, he held what appeared to be two stones. One was a reddish color and shone brightly. The other looked to be formed from the very rock of the Earth. Both were engraved. "I hold before you two stones. One was fashioned from the very Earth we seek dominion over. The other was formed in Heaven itself. It is the very power of the universe solidified. With them we can form a gate to a realm between the two, a place where he cannot touch us."
There was a quiet murmur as this sank in. "With this, we can seal ourselves away where he can do us no harm and one day, when his power begins to ebb as it must, we can return and take back what is rightfully ours. The One True God," he spat the words, "will hold no dominion over these stones, nor will any of his legions be able to touch it."
"But what if he convinces one his mortal believers to use the stones to call us back before it is time?" Athena never failed to ask the tough questions. Fortunately, he had been thinking about this. He just wasn't sure they were going to like the answer.
He took a deep breath. He didn't need to breathe of course, but he did so for dramatic effect, "We will disperse the stones, spread them to the corners of the Earth, and charge our most devout followers and their lines with guarding them "
"If we use the stones in this manner, somebody will have to deliver these stones to our followers," Athena added, "Somebody will have to stay behind."
"One of us should be able to shield ourselves from his eyes," Zeus said. "But you our correct my daughter. I'm only willing to trust the mortals so far. It was always my intent that one of us would remain in this world, to keep watch over his power, and to know when the time is right for our return." He waited. If he could get past this bump, then the plan would pass.
"I'll do it," Athena said resolutely, "I'll stay behind. Once the stones are separated, I will allow them to be lost from even my gaze so that, should I be found, I'll be unable to doom the rest of you. When the time is right, I'll hunt with the descendants of the mortals and bring the stones back together."
Surprisingly nobody seemed to object. He knew that none of them would be eager for banishment, and none worried that Athena would use this as a way to secure her own power. Unlike so many of them, she'd never been all that interested in the feuds and squabbles that they seemed to drink like water.
"Very well," Zeus said, "Then let us prepare "*
