Page 73 of Tempted By Hades

“Yes, I agree,” Zeus replied. “Olympus will be mine and…” the end of the sentence was garbled, but everyone had heard the first part. The revelation hung in the air, a palpable tension settling over the crowd as the gravity of Zeus’s manipulation was revealed.

“What is the meaning of this?” Poseidon’s voice was calm as a millpond, but there was no denying the growing fury behind his words. “Explain yourself, brother.”

“E-explain?” Zeus said, attempting to sound nonchalant. “Explain what?”

“What we just saw.”

Zeus shrugged and waved a hand. “Theatrics. Lies,” he added. “Someone created that illusion?—”

“That was an agreement orb,” Hestia, who had appeared from behind Hades, said. “And we all know such orbs cannot be manipulated or changed.”

“What did you do, Zeus?” Hera asked, incredulous. “Is this true? How could you even?—”

“Shut up, woman!” Zeus lashed out. “How can you act so innocent when you knew all this time?”

“What?” Hera placed a hand on her chest. “I knew nothing!”

“And who’s the liar now?” Zeus accused.

The scene erupted into chaos as the revelation of Zeus’s deceit rippled through the divine gathering. The once festive atmosphere devolved into a battlefield of divine wrath.

“Liar! Cad!” Ares shouted. “We fought for you, and you betrayed us?”

“We trusted you!” Athena cried out.

A group of gods began to approach him, like sharks descending upon prey.

“I did no such thing! Wait! Stay back!” Zeus warned.

Poseidon, brimming with anger at his brother’s betrayal, charged forward with the force of the sea behind him. The other gods and goddesses began to argue and shout, divided by loyalties and grievances, defending or berating their king’s supposed actions.

“Stop!” Hades cried out. “Stop all of you!” His voice boomed over the din, and slowly, the Olympians quieted down.

Poseidon lowered his trident. “Why should we not turn him to ash where he stands, brother? He betrayed me—he betrayed the two of us. We thought we all had an equal chance to be king of Olympus, but he stepped on the scales to benefit himself.”

Hades, too, wanted nothing more than Zeus’s destruction. Revenge had taken over his mind and soul for the last ten thousand years, and it was within his grasp. However, there were still so many unanswered questions. “We need to get to the bottom of this,” he said.

“I suppose,” Poseidon said begrudgingly. He turned to the seer, who had remained quiet on the sidelines all this time. “I know who you are. It’s you, right? The seer who set up the lots back when we divided the realm.”

“Yes, Lord Poseidon, it is I,” he replied.

“Is all this true? What we saw in the orb?”

“Yes, it’s all true. Lord Zeus asked that I rig the lots so that he may take Olympus.”

“And why did you agree?”

The seer’s ghostly face turned serious. “Because if I did not, my daughter would have died of a curse. He said he would lift the curse from her if I do this.”

“Georgius?”

The voice that rang out from behind the angry group of gods made Hades freeze, and beside him, he felt Persephone seize up as well.

The crowd parted, revealing Demeter as she took tentative steps forward. “G-Georgius?” Her complexion was white as paper as if every drop of blood had been drained out of her. “I thought you left me. Or y-you died. Or I thought you did when you didn’t return.”

The seer’s ghostly mouth turned up into a smile. “My beloved Demeter. I would never leave you willingly.”

“M-Mother?” Persephone stammered. “What’s going on?”

---