Zeus led me into his oh-so-Japanese and oh-so-spacious home, across rooms with tatami mats on the floor and minimalist Japanese furnishings, and out of the front door. He produced another cigar and lit it by will alone and not a lighter. He drew deeply on the smoke and blew a cloud that followed us. “I truly love a cigar after a good meal,” he said, taking another puff. Smoking was a habit he picked up in recent years, but the large cigar seemed to fit his personality and his demeanor.
“You didn’t eat very much,” I pointed out, having finished everything he didn’t eat, I was so ravenous.
“It is after midnight here, my dear and I ate much earlier. Hermes stopped by and he and I dined bountifully.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize the time. This popping from one timezone to another is confusing. For me, it isn’t even noon, yet.”
“Enough small talk, Athena.” Zeus waved a hand and then said, “Phobos is not doing anything new, you know, except using the media to attract attention.”
“But, Ares thinks he is going to attempt to take over your throne.”
“Nothing he hasn’t done before, either. Phobos is ambitious, but he is a fool. His twin brother, Deimos is an idiot. Your sisters, Enyo and Eris are vapid, insipid bitches. Not a complete brain among them and, no, I am not underestimating them. To hold onto a throne for over 2900 years, I have had to know my enemies and my friends. I keep a close eye on Phobos, and on Poseidon, Hera and Hephaestus. All of them are the greatest threat, but I have ways of watching what they are doing.”
“Spies. You have spies, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I have not yet heard of your escapade with Phobos, but I will soon enough.”
“So, what are you going to do about Phobos?”
“Me? Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“That is exactly what I said. Let me explain this to you. Aphrodite coddles all of her children and she cannot see anything wrong with what Phobos is doing. She indulges him nearly as much as she indulges Eros and Himeros, her first children. All the children she got from Ares are her favorites and she is as blind toward them as a person who was born without eyes or wit.”
“I know that, but Father...”
“No, Athena, I will not anger Aphrodite. I will not anger any of them. It is not that I approve of Phobos, but that, as King, I have to remain impartial. I cannot seem to favor one over another. I can’t lift an eyebrow or crack a smile. No reaction at all. That is what it means to be an effective ruler. The smallest grin can imply I have chosen one over another.
“However, there is a more important reason. If I do as you bid, then you will become the primary target for all those who wish for the throne. As long as you live in relative anonymity, then you are safe from attacks that will grow ever more vicious. I will not be responsible for that.”
“So, you are still trying to protect me. Seems hardly necessary after what I just did to an entire valley.”
“Of course I am. Athena, you are likely the best of all of us and one day, when the time is right, you will sit on the throne and govern all Olympians and Titans.”
“I didn’t come here seeking a throne, Father.”
“I know that. Your current concern is Phobos, who is a very small part of a very large picture. There are things in the works that you know nothing of and I will not speak of them, now. Just know that one day I will call you and you will come to me. Then, I will begin your training as Queen. One day, you shall be the greatest ruler we have ever had. The culmination of thousands of years of grooming. In the meantime, take care of what you must because the time will come when you have to sit on an impartial throne. Get rid of your enemies while you still can.”
Zeus fell silent as we circumnavigated the bay that rested in front of his house.
We walked around the moonlit bay and turned back toward the house that gleamed like a beacon in the night. I attempted to assimilate all that Zeus had told me. Zeus had been seated on the throne, both literally and figuratively, for my entire life and I couldn’t imagine life without him totally in charge. Still, I knew when he called me, even to groom me for that same throne, I would come. I would not like it, but I would come. I tried to imagine thousands of years mediating pettiness and enduring those who only wished to curry favor and the picture was very unattractive. I felt myself withdrawing from my Father.
“You are quite silent, daughter,” he prompted.
“I don’t know what to think of all of this. The only thing I know for a fact is, I don’t want to be the Queen.”
“Athena, my darling, that is precisely why you will be the Queen of us all.”
“No, Dad, I mean it. I will not sit on the throne.”
“That is a long way away. Don’t worry about that now.” He flipped his cigar stub into the ocean. “Your more pressing problem is what to do about Phobos. Please note that I said for you to start eliminating your enemies while you have the opportunity.”
“You aren’t going to help, so I will take care of him myself.” My voice sounded pouty, even to me.
“Athena,” I heard the chastising undertone. “That attitude is beneath you.”
I took a deep breath. “How would you handle this?” I asked him.
“I have already answered that question.”
“Dammit!” I said. Then, “Okay, let me ask you this. What are the consequences if I kill him?”
“From the throne, nothing. However, when Aphrodite attacks, I won’t be able to protect you, directly. She will attack and attempt to kill you, simply for revenge. She has a long memory, that one.”
“Then, how would you protect me from her?”
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“Athena, I will not have to. You have some powerful allies beyond Ares and Helios. Find them. Draw them near to you. You have to establish your own power base anyway. You cannot continue to hide in a quaint little bookstore. The time is right for you to begin making your bid for the throne of Olympus.”
“I already told you...”
He interrupted me, “And I already told you, you don’t have a choice.” Zeus used that voice that made lesser mortals and immortals tremble in fear. “Athena, simply do what you must. You will have assistance when you need it. For now, go back to Ares and Helios. I can imagine they are very worried.”
“Go back to them?” My voice was incredulous.
“Yes.”
“You know what they did to me. They probed my brain as if it were made of pudding. Ares and Helios forced me to show my power, my anger.”
Zeus sighed and then spoke as if he were addressing a petulant child. At that moment, I suppose he was. “Yes, yes, yes, they broke your unbreakable will. How naughty of them.” I shot him a glaring look. Zeus was unaffected by my theatrics. “You willingly established a power quadrumvirate with them and your friend Bill. You cannot escape them. They are a part of you as surely as your hands and feet are a part of you. They will always be a part of you. You will be compelled to return to them in a very short period of time, even if you think you don’t want to.”
He pulled another cigar from the shirt pocket and it flared into life. The noxious smoke filled the air. “That is the reason I never attempted to establish a power partnership, shall we call it? I am selfish enough to have no desire to share my power with anybody. Hera tried time and again, particularly when she thought I was distracted by her charms. I never allowed myself to be so distracted by her. Or by anyone else who would force me into a partnership.”
“So you are saying that the quadrumvirate is a bad thing?”
“Not at all. For you, it is a very good thing. You can use the strength and the power of your partners to your benefit. You have never explored the depth of your power and they will help you to start. Um, they are all here, by the way. Helios found you, as I knew he would. I have a desire to meet this Bill of yours. He sounds delightful. Also, a couple of others you may be interested in are here now.”
“Is that why you walked me all over your island? To give everyone a chance to arrive?”
“Of course,” he said, with a sheepish grin. “I sent Hermes on his mission before you got here. A king has to have many talents. Come, we will meet them all in the conference room.” Then, “Helios is really very worried.”
“Wait a minute. You said before I got here. You knew I was coming?”
“Yes.” He gave me a sly grin and then said, “Two things and this is very important because I get the impression you have not really been listening closely to me. This power partnership you have needs to be kept secret from everyone and you must start eliminating your enemies while you have a chance. Do you understand me?”
I nodded. There was nothing I could do at that moment and I accepted my defeat. Following the path back to the house was a long, long walk for me and by the time we arrived at the front door, I was dispirited by the dread I felt at seeing Helios and Ares, and Bill.
Zeus opened the front door for me and led the way across the foyer and into a conference room on the left side of the house. The room was not Japanese at all; rather, it looked like the boardroom of a major business executive. The conference table was cherry with brass inlays in an intricate design and could easily seat thirty people. The thick plush carpet looked as if it was zebra fur, but the pattern was too regular to be genuine. Brass and glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling at regular intervals and the black leather chairs looked comfortable. One wall was glass with a view of the bay and the other walls were covered with portraits of the twelve great Olympians. My portrait hung directly beside Zeus on the right and Ares was on the left. Hera had been shifted down several places and I imagined that rankled her more than a little bit. This room was Zeus’s new throne room.
Eli, Aaron, and Bill stood close together, still wearing the clothes they had on earlier. They were practically holding hands to gain strength from each other and I began to realize what separating myself from them had done to the group, as a whole. Aaron’s face looked as if someone beat him with a baseball bat and I suppose I did in a metaphysical sense. He was nearly unrecognizable and I felt a deep pang of guilt. I fell into Eli’s arms because when I saw him, I knew I loved him deeply. I felt his sigh of relief. He released me after too short a time.
The others present were Dionysus, Hermes, Nike, Heracles, and Demeter.
Zeus walked directly to Bill and reached a hand toward the human. “I am Zeus and I have heard good things about you. Welcome to my home.”
Bill’s face split into a huge grin and he vigorously shook my father’s hand. “It is a pleasure, sir. A real pleasure. Or should I call you ‘Sire’? Your Majesty?”
Zeus laughed and then replied, “Zeus is fine. You have met the others?”
“Yes, I have. I am overwhelmed by all of this, I am not embarrassed to say. Freaking overwhelmed.” Bill seemed to realize what he had just said because he quickly added “This is a nice place you have here.”
“Thank you.” Then, Zeus immediately took charge. “Sit, all of you,” he told us as he aimed for the head of the table. “Athena, sit here,” he said pointing to the chair on his right. “Ares, here,” he said, indicating the chair on his left. Some things never change. The others arranged themselves much the same way they would have in the great hall on Olympus.
Zeus leaned over and whispered to me, “Everyone here is your ally.” Aloud, he began. “Welcome to my home. This is an informal meeting to tell you all that should the need ever arise, Athena is to be my heir.” I was stunned down to my toes. Zeus had implied that I would sit on the throne after him, but he had never made a formal announcement until that moment. No one in the room seemed surprised at his announcement, not even Ares, Helios, or Bill. “Hermes, make an official note of this fact: Athena as my heir is irrefutable, immutable, and forever. For the rest of you, there is a shift in power. Athena is to be your first concern, always. You are in her charge and you will follow her as you followed me.” He paused to allow what he was saying to sink into the shocked brains. Not only did he make it an official announcement, he effectively created a splinter group of Olympians that would rule at the same time he did. I had a moment when I wondered if he knew what he was doing.
I looked over the faces of the people the king gave to me. Demeter was my father’s full sister. Her long cornsilk hair curled and her eyes were as blue as cornflowers. Behind those eyes was a strong, intelligent goddess.
Dionysus was my father’s son by Semele--my half-brother. His light brown hair was long and tended to curl at the ends and his eyes were green as a meadow. He wore tight jeans and a tank top that reinforced his effeminate side rather than hiding it.
Hermes was also a half-brother, being the son of Zeus and Maia. He was also slight of frame, appearing far more youthful than any of the rest of us. His thin almost-white hair floated around his head like feathers and his eyes were blue as his father’s.
Heracles was a half-brother, being the son of Zeus and Alcmene. He was the largest man in the room and considering that Helios, Bill, Ares, and Zeus were all well over six feet tall, that was saying something. His shoulders were broad and his hips narrow. A thick black beard covered his face and his black hair hung in curly ropes past the tops of his shoulders. Heracles had his father’s eyes.
Nike was the only one of the newcomers who was not a close relative, but she was still one of my blood relations, a granddaughter of Titans. Nike had been my closest companion and friend for most of my life until I married Helios, and I called her my sister. Nike had chestnut hair with golden highlights and her eyes were tender brown, like a doe. She was shorter and slighter than me, but skilled as a warrior.
I glanced over their faces and none seemed surprised. Heracles beamed. Dionysus grinned broadly. Demeter smiled and nodded. Hermes looked on the verge of laughing and Nike appeared as if she wanted to jump out of her chair and run to me. Zeus’s announcement didn’t bring the protests I thought it would.
Zeus spoke again. “These three, Helios, Ares, and Bill Townsend, are the base of Athena’s power structure, but all of you are her court that she will establish as she sees fit. Hermes will be the messenger between you and me, my dear Athena.” He rose to his feet and then said, “Right. I leave you all to it. I have extra rooms if you all want to stay here or you can go elsewhere.” And with that Zeus vanished from the room.