High above in the ethereal plane, Zeus sat upon his marble throne. Millions of new arrivals stood before him, waiting for some sort of explanation.
“Welcome, to Mount Olympus. You have been judged as worthy, upstanding humans and as your reward you are welcome here to live free of the burdens of life. Many of you used to call this place, Heaven, the Garden of Eden, Paradise or others. Here you can be reunited with past family and friends delivered before you...” boomed Zeus.
“Now go my subjects, enjoy your new life!”
With a bright flash of light, the courtyard was once again returned to its original calm. The new arrivals had been transported to their respective families and friends to greet them properly.
A frown once again found its way onto Zeus’ face. His second experiment had failed. The allotted time he had been given was been wasted. The earth he built had forced its way into ruins. ‘Dinosaurs’, as the humans had called them, were the original subjects of Zeus’ experiments, however due to unforeseen circumstances and a little meddling of the other gods, disaster struck, wiping out the race. With little time left, Zeus created the human. A beast with extraordinary evolutionary capabilities and vast potential for intelligence. The humans looked promising, dominating the food chain with their superior tools and weapons. However, they were a greedy race and their infighting was their ultimate downfall. It would perhaps be another billion years before Zeus got his turn once again.
Depressed, Zeus was summoned back to the council to take part in the discussion on which god’s turn it was to mould the earth.
Hades: “Ahh, I see you've returned Zeus. Now we can finally proceed.”
As Zeus’ entered, the other gods present began to stop their procrastinating and took their seats. The room was large and open to the air. The roof only held up by the large ornate pillars at each corner. The middle of the room contained only a very large circular table, at which all the gods were seated.
"As per the agreement four and a half billion years ago, I claim the turn to sculpt the earth!" Hades roared
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Aphrodite.
"Even if the agreement was made, allowing the god of the Underworld, a man who tortures the dead and sits on a throne of bones, is not fit for the delicacy it takes to sculpt a truly perfect world! I believe that someone with a more delicate touch, someone whom is not likely to spawn death and destruction for his own enjoyment should take the responsibility. I just so happen to think that one is also me."
"Ha! Don't make me laugh. You've never lifted a finger in your life. A beauty like you who is waited upon hand and foot wouldn't know the first thing about creating something for yourself! I spend my days at the forge, creating masterpieces. I built the world the second time and came close to perfection. I believe with an additional 20 billion years of experience under my belt that I now have the confidence to finish what I started." argued Hephaestus.
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"Enough!" bellowed Zeus.
His voice rocked the very room, dust falling from the ceiling, indicating some structural damage. A faint lightning strike could be seen in the distance, and then thunder struck, adding to Zeus' roar. The room hastily settled down as Zeus stood up.
"Arguing like little children won't get us anywhere." He explained.
"Well then, let's hear your solution." spat Hades.
Ignoring Hades' obvious insulting tone, "I instead propose a competition, giving each member here a fair chance." replied Zeus
A light murmur spread across the room as the gods chatted amongst themselves in an attempt to weigh up the advantages of Zeus' proposal. As the noise began to die down, Hades violently shot up from his seat.
"This is preposterous, the right was support to be mine! Why should there even be a competition when it is so obviously my turn!" spat Hades
"Each god has their valid points. Hades, you have to admit that you are not the most suitable candidate here. As a lord of the underworld, you can at least agree with that." Zeus retorted
Hades gave a light scoff and a curse under his breath, but in the end had to agree. After all he did enjoy watching the world burn under Zeus' invention. However, He was given the next opportunity to make the Earth into his play toy, yet this had been blatantly ripped from underneath him. He had waited billions of years to turn the Earth into some quality entertainment.
"But..." Hades began to say.
"Enough! I understand your misgivings at these turn of events, yet I won't leave you without compensation. A promise is a promise after all. In addition to gaining an advantage in the games to come, upon your victory you will also receive the souls of the other participants who failed. These pure souls will be yours to toy with. Satisfactory?" Zeus said.
As Hades' eyes sparkled with greed, he replied. "I guess I can accommodate these changes".
"Now go, each select your participants. The rules will be explained at a later date. Good luck to each of you" Zeus said
The room once again lit up with white light, each of the gods gradually leaving to their respective planes of existence. One god was left sat at the table. A bright smile filled his face, hiding a hint of sinister intentions behind it.