In the Beginning

Power Play

I stood there in disbelief. How was he a son of Zeus?! How come nobody knew about him?! "How are you a son of Zeus?!" He started chuckling, "You know how that works." I scolded in frustration. "You know what I mean. How?" He started moving all around the living room. He stopped at my book shelf and he started reading the titles. "Gardening 101, Gardening in Your Apartment, Plants for Anxiety, The Iliad-" I interrupted him, "What are you doing? Stop reading the titles of my books and answer my questions for once." "You must have always known, subconsciously at least, that you were destined to be the Goddess of Spring. I mean why else would you have all these books about plants-" He walked back over to me, "About greek mythology." "How are you-" He held out his hand at my mouth and made hushing sounds at me. "Years ago, and I mean a long time ago, my mother and her husband wanted a child so badly. Back then, people thought that the only thing a woman did best was bare children, so they prayed for a child. God never answered, but Zeus did. Zeus saw my mother as a piece of meat. He had sex with her and he conceived me, yet she never told her husband. Her husband was led to believe that the child she was carrying was his for nine months. Once Zeus was done with my mother, he disposed of her. He didn't want Hera to find out or maybe he just wanted to tie up loose ends. Zeus told my mother's husband everything. She died when I was only a few weeks old. Zeus had my mother murdered by her own husband. Of course, my mother's husband didn't want me so I was raised in an orphanage. As time went by I realized I was different. I had powers that no other human had. Zeus popped in throughout my life mostly to use me for my powers in return for riches, the most recent time was about a year ago. When he needed me to see into Hayes's mind and discover what he was up to when he was looking for you." 

I didn't know what to say to that. "I'm not going to feel sorry for you because at the end of the day you still help the man who tricked your mother and then had her murdered in return for riches." "I don't expect you to feel bad. Honestly, I don't expect anything out of you, except your help." "With what?" "I want to kill Zeus and you're going to help me." 

I don't want Zeus dead. Yes I want him to pay for what he did to all of us, especially Hades, but death would be too kind. 

"I don't want him dead and I don't trust you" "You sure you don't want him dead for almost killing Hades?" Now he was pissing me off again. "How much did you see into my mind?" "Enough." The demi-god kept talking, "If you help me, then I will help you hurt Demeter. Think of it as a transaction. Once we're done you can join Hades in the underworld." "Why now though? After all this time?" "My powers only work on mortals and gods who are- let's say weak." Weak? With those words, I used my magic to sprout rose bushes all around Sebastian's legs and arms. Each thorn piercing into his skin. Drawing blood. He groaned in pain. "Fine! You made your point!" After a few seconds I vaporized the bushes. "By weak, I mean gods who are just coming into their powers. Once you broke the curse, I knew it was perfect time to attack because Zeus would have to relearn all of his powers. Like the rest of you, that's how I could read your mind." He kept talking, "Help me and by the time I'm done I won't even be able to use my powers against you." 

"How exactly are we going to execute this?"

...

"Stephanie, where are you?! It's been days since you told me that you were in Boston. Please come back to New Mount. We're leaving for Mount Olympus tonight, and you need to be here. I hope to see you soon." That was one of the many messages that Aphrodite left me in the past few days. I've been with Sebastian who hasn't been so bad. I don't trust him, but I do think he's willing to do anything in order to hurt Zeus and I'm on board with that. 

I've been helping him gather tools in order to subdue Zeus, like Poseidon's trident and Hades's helmet which were in hidden away in some tiny, random museum. Sebastian found it and I helped him to steal the items. He's also been helping me with my powers. Learning how to calm myself and expand my magic. I know this doesn't sound like me. Stealing...Scheming... But I will do almost everything in order to make Zeus pay and go back to Hades.

Anyway, tonight is the tonight. I will hurt Zeus like he hurt me, and then go to Hades. "So are we driving to New Mount or teleporting?" "I just want to get this over as fast as I can, so let's teleport." "Great. I thought you were going to make me suffer through hours of traffic in that tiny car." I rolled my eyes. 

I had a gut feeling that everyone was going to be at the Mayor's mansion, so that's were we teleported to. "Give me your hand," I demanded. The demi-god started smirking, "I know you've been dying to hold my hand ever since we met." I grabbed his hand and gave him a death stare. 

Once my feet started touching the ground again, I started hearing their voices. Hermes making jokes and Aphrodite always searching to see if someone was in need. I heard Athena's voice, "Stephanie?!" Everyone turned around, and then Aphrodite ran to me. I heard Sebastian beside me complaining, "Oh Gods." Aphrodite wrapped her arms around me. "Stephanie, where have you been?! And with him!?" Aphrodite stepped back and Hermes was walking towards me. "Stephanie, why are you with him? Are you okay?" Before I could say anything, Sebastian had ran to Zeus and whipped out Poseidon's trident with his magic. Hera started yelling, but Sebastian was too quick. He struck Zeus with one quick swipe. Zeus fell to the ground and his shoulder and chest started bleeding. And he wasn't healing. Aphrodite and Hera were screaming, Ares and Poseidon were trying to subdue Sebastian. I ran to get in between them. "Sebastian! What did you do?! I thought we were going to wait!" "You were onto this?!" Hermes yelled out. Hera marched up to Sebastian, "Who the hell are you?!" But Sebastian didn't answer him, instead he crouched down to the level of Zeus. "I bet you didn't count on this being the next way we'd meet, right, dad?" I heard all their voices questioning: "Dad?" "Did he say dad?" Zeus was struggling to answer, "What did you do, Sebastian?" Sebastian stood up and gestured me to walk over to him. Everyone was silent as I walked towards them. Sebastian looked at me, "Do your thing, baby girl." I hated it when he called me that. I leaned down. I placed my hand over Zeus's bleeding wound, but before I did anything I wanted to talk to Zeus and have everyone hear me. "After my mom died, I wasn't close to anyone else so I wasn't afraid of death. In reality, a part of me was ready to join her in the afterlife, but then I fell in love. When I first got to New Mount and you threatened me, I was terrified of you. Terrified that you would use all that power you had over me and the man I loved. I thought of how you would kill me or him, which made me cower at the idea of death again. And on the worst day of my life, you used that power and did exactly that. You, Zach... Zeus, attempted to murder the love of my life. You broke me. Every time I look down at my hands, I see Hades's blood on my hands and I'm transported to that place again." I looked up at Hermes, Valentina, Ares, Hera, Demeter, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Dionysus, and Poseidon, "I am not Zach and I want to get back to Mount Olympus just as much as you all do, so I will not drag this on any longer. I'm sorry for the part I played in this, but Zach must pay for what he did to me- to Hades and to all of us." I looked into the eyes of a dying Zeus, "You are now at my mercy. As you know I can use the love I have for Hades to save lives. So when I save you, you will owe me. You, Zeus, will owe me, Persephone, the goddess of spring. The queen of the underworld Do you understand?" Zeus started coughing up blood, "I can't hear you? What was that?" Hera tried running to Zeus, but Hermes pulled her back by her arm, "Save him! He's dying! Please!" I started thinking about much I am going to love to have power over Zeus. To finally feel like the goddess and queen that I am. How ready I am to now accept my fate. And to finally be reunited with Hades. 

The wound on the chest of Zeus, was healed. And I knew what I had to do.