Ancient Myths #1: Theogenesis

[DiscipleofBob]

Ancient Myths #1:
Theogenesis

In the beginning, before humanity, before the gods, before life in its recognizable form, there was Gaea the earth-mother. It was from her womb that all life came to be.

Gaea's husband was Ouranos, the sky, the heavens, and the eternal void beyond the stars.

When the earth and heavens became one, the origin of all life was born. Not just the basis for mortal life which would one day become humanity, but the basis which would eventually birth the gods.

But before there were gods, there were Titans.

Among the children of Gaea and Ouranos were the Cyclopes, the Hecatonchieres, and the Titans. The three Cyclopes were Brontes of the thunder, Steropes of the lightning, and Arges of the flash. The three Hecatonchieres were called Briareus, Cottus, and Gyges.

The last of Gaea and Ouranos's children were the Titans, primordial beings who existed long before concepts like good and evil had entered the world. They were raw elemental force, and the strongest of all of them was Kronos, the Titan of time. Kronos rules over the other Titans with his wife Rhea, but unlike his brethren or his parents, Kronos saw and felt the passage of time before any other life form. It was Kronos who would first stumble upon such concepts as fear and betrayal.

Kronos sought to rule all, and in order to do so he would need to overthrow his father Ouranos. He led the titans in a savage war against the entirety of the heavens.

The First War was the first of many. The first army. The first strike. The first counterattack. The first betrayal. And Kronos forged the first weapon. With time, all things eventually succumb to oblivion. And time was exactly what Kronos had. What he was.

Kronos broke off one of his own ribs and carved it into a blade, and after a battle that lasted millions of years and forged the world which we know, drove the blade into Ouranos's heart, slaying him and claiming dominion over all that existed.

With Ouranos's dying breath, he used the stars to predict Kronos's own demise. That just as Kronos murdered his father with one of his own ribs, so would one of Kronos's children slay him with a blade forged from his rib and take dominion.

Kronos's fear overpowered him. When his wife Rhea bore a daughter, his reaction was to swallow the infant whole. Rhea bore two more daughters as well as two sons, all of which Kronos devoured as soon as they were born. Engraged, when Rhea bore a sixth child, a son, she switched the infant for a rock swaddled in blankets.

The infant was whisked away in hiding to be raised among nymphs, where Zeus would one day grow old enough to challenge Kronos to the death.

Zeus was not alone in his endeavor. There were many dissidents among Kronos's subjects. His brothers the Cyclopes discovered the art of smithing and constructed the first forge. The Cyclops combined thunder, lightning and flash to first create the lightning bolts used by Zeus. Zeus traveled what existed of the world to train under his allies and escape the pursuit of his enemies.

Finally Zeus fought his way past the enemy lines, and alone confronted his tyrant father.. The two clashed for days, but there was little Zeus could do against his immortal father. Zeus fought valiantly, but Zeus was inexperienced, and Kronos was infathomable. Zeus had no way to harm Kronos, and eventually the battle turned to the Titan's favor.

Kronos defeated Zeus and devoured him whole so that he might share in the fate of his brothers and sisters.

But that is only where the story begins...

===WW===

Falling forever.

Cast into a bottomless pit of everlasting darkness.

Or at least it seemed like it.

The walls were surprisingly cavern-like. He had expected flesh, muscle, and blood vessels to line the shaft. Instead there were vast stone cavern walls, though they were soaked a dark red, like blood-soaked earth. The smell was exactly as pungent and disgusting as he expected.

The shaft grew wider as he fell past the neck and what must have been the torso. It was as if an entire mountain was hollowed out. Still the cavern seemed infinite except for a tiny spark directly below him. One that grew bigger and brighter with each passing second.

Finally the ground came into view, a vast desolate wasteland with lakes of water and digestive acid that went on so far he couldn't see the end of it, illuminated only by the light which grew larger. What appeared at first to be faint spark was now a large dome. He braced himself for impact with the dome but was surprised to fall straight through it. As soon as he passed through, his fall was slowed by some unseen force, and he was even more surprised to find a lush paradise with grass-covered hills and clear blue pools of water.

It was beautiful. Far more beautiful than most of the outside world. It reminded him of the grove where he was raised, though that, while lush and thriving, was wild and untamed. This place was serene like a work of art.

From the ground on either side of him, two stone columns shot upwards. Whether it was from the surprise of seeing such a view, or his many wounds still fresh from battle, he could not react in time. From one pillar, vines erupted and grabbed one arm. From the other, a swarm of snakes writhed out and coiled around his other arm, biting into his flesh. Hoisted in the air by his arms, only now could he see the five figures approaching him.

Three strikingly beautiful women, visions of perfection, and two men he could not help but see as potential rivals. All with long, flowing hair and flawless builds. He studied each one carefully, especially the women, with good reason, as these were the first of his own kind he had seen in his life.

“This seems excessive, Hera,” one of the women, a mature brunette, said with concern looking over his condition. “He seems pretty badly hurt. Can't we just take care of his wounds?”

Responding, their leader, a woman with glowing blonde hair and deep crystal blue eyes, exchanged glares between the brunette and the captive man. “No, Hestia. We don't know who this man is or what he wants. He could be hostile.”

A dark-haired man with pale skin spoke calmly, “This is the first visitor we've had since, well, since ever. And he's badly hurt. We could be just a bit more hospitable. I doubt he poses a threat to the five of us.”

“I actually think he's kind of cute,” chimed in the third woman, with hair in multiple shades of red and orange like leaves changing color, who looked over the blond man hungrily.

The dark-haired man scowled. “Or we could just kill him now. Why take unnecessary risk?”

“Be silent you two!” the leader commanded before turning her attention to their captive. “Who are you?”

His own long blonde hair hung limp, matted with the blood of his battle. His battle-hardened, muscular body was covered in wounds which had only just now stopped bleeding. “Give me your name and I shall give you mine.”

“That's none of your concern.”

Despite everything, the captive smiled. “That's okay. I think I can manage from here.” His hands still bound, he had to make do with his gaze as he singled out each of his captors one by one. “Hestia.” The brunette who showed concern for his health. “Demeter.” The bubbly redhead. “Hera.” The confident blonde. “Hades.” The dark-haired pale one. “Poseidon.” The white-haired man. “And I am...”

“Zeus,” Hestia finished with sudden realization, before finishing his explanation. “One by one we were all dropped here as infants. Each one wrapped in blankets, stitched with their name. First myself, then four others. Demeter. Hera. Hades. Poseidon. Then a sixth bundle fell, only this one turned out to be a rock swaddled in blankets. The name on the blanket read Zeus.”

“Claiming the name on a blanket tells nothing about who you are or what you're doing here,” Hera interrupted. “Where did you come from? What have you been doing all this time? Why are you here now? How do you know all this?”

Zeus chuckled. “Where do you think you are?”

“In Kronos,” she answered.

“Do you even know who Kronos is?”

“Kronos is not a who. Kronos is where we are. Kronos is all that is.”

“No, Kronos is our father. We are the children of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. He feared his offspring would rise up against him, so he devoured his children, one by one. Kronos tried to destroy each and every one of you.”

Hera eyed the smiling captive. “You're lying. Or insane.”

It was difficult, but somehow Zeus managed something resembling a shrug. “Think what you want. Even isolated as you are, you cannot truly believe that this illusion and the surrounding wasteland is all there is.”

The five gods hesitated. A lifetime of unsolved mysteries, never explored, never explained, but somehow always present. The world they knew was never real. Always just an artificial illusion cast on top of a pale facade of a world they never knew. Even if their life was a small little slice of paradise, it had always been small and little.

Zeus continued, “Our mother swapped me for a rock as an infant to fool Kronos. I was raised in secret so that when I grew up I could fight and defeat Kronos. And here I am.”

“Hail the conquering hero,” Poseidon said with a smirk. “Truly yours is a cunning plan to get badly beaten and in the exact same supposed prison as the rest of us.”

“What are you, the god of snark?” Zeus shot back.

“Merely noting the simple flaw in your plan that you don't seem to be able to do anything to actually hurt Kronos. You already fought him once and were defeated, badly wounded, and thrown down here with the rest of us. You failed once, why should we have any reason to believe that you would stand a chance a second time?”

Zeus only smirked back. “Did I?”

The wind suddenly picked up to gales completely unheard of in this little paradise. His bound hands flashed a bright yellow, followed by a deafening shockwave exploding from each hand. The vines and snakes shattered into scraps and the stone pillars crumbled into pieces.

The five gods briefly recoiled, their “captive” landing on his feet, stretching his muscles, and otherwise fine despite his wounds. The crackling, booming energy continued to glow around his hands.

“Lighting and thunder,” Zeus explained with pride, “Weapons forged for me by the Cyclopes who are equally dissatisfied with Kronos's rule, and they aren't the only ones. Even some of the Titans wish to see Kronos dethroned, and for that I have their support. But that won't be enough, as Kronos cannot be harmed by any power or weapon they can provide.”

“Then what is your master plan to kill someone who cannot be killed?” Hera challenged.

“Well I hate to seem unheroic, but while I'm thrilled to find my brothers and sisters alive and well... very well in some cases...” Zeus added as he glanced over the voluptuous women, much to Hera's chagrin and Demeter's delight. “I needed to go inside Kronos to acquire the one weapon known to be able to slay an immortal: Kronos's rib. Kronos used one to kill his father, and I shall wield one to defeat Kronos as well.”

“If everything you say is true, you're talking about patricide,” Hades interjected.

“And?” Zeus argued. “Our father is a tyrant who tried to kill us all just for being born.”

“You're asking us to abandon all we've ever known,” Hestia said with concern. “The safety of our homes. The paradise we've cultivated over our entire lives. All to fight an invincible despot we have no chance of defeating. For what? Is the outside world really so favorable?”

“The outside world is vast, dangerous, and completely untamed. But it's real, which is more than you could ever say for this place. And when Kronos is overthrown, then we are his heirs.

“I've had many teachers in combat. I can pass my knowledge to you. We can train now and the six of us can leave Kronos's stomach when you are ready. Then the entire world can be truly ours, instead of only having dominion a small patch of an empty stomach.

“You ask me what I offer? I offer reality, and rule over it. I offer you the strength to keep your rule. I offer you true freedom. All I ask is that you stand by my side in battle.”

The five gods ranged from hesitant to unyielding. Hera glanced around her, seeming committed to forming a united front. After all, Zeus was the newcomer. For an outsider to suddenly show up and ask to lead them into battle was...

“Well, if no one else is, I'll go with you,” Demeter said sweetly as she skipped forward and hung off of one of Zeus's muscle-bound arms. “You can show me any moves you'd like.” Hera coldly glared at the defection while Hades silently smoldered at the display.

“Either you succeed and everything you promise comes true, or you fail terribly and die, which should be hilarious. I don't see a downside,” Poseidon answered with a smile.

Hades would have refused Zeus's request right there, but Poseidon's comment about the brash young god's potential demise swayed his mind. “Well, I can't fault that reasoning. I'm in.”

Hestia sighed. “War. Bloodshed. Killing. It all sounds horrific. But you're right. This place maybe peaceful, but it is only an illusion, one that has only lasted this long due to a miracle, and it will not last forever. In order for us to have true peace and safety, I see no other option than what you propose.”

Before Hera could refute her siblings or convince them to ignore Zeus's words, they had all made up their minds. “I guess I have no choice, do I? I will side with my siblings for now. I won't believe you until we exit and I see Kronos for myself, but I will agree to this plan for the time being.” She approached Zeus unflinchingly and stared directly into his eyes. “But let me make one thing perfectly clear. I am neither your follower nor your subordinate. I defer to your experience, but I will never submit to your rule.”

Zeus assured her. “I would never dream of asking you to.”