"Good, most of us are here." Themis, the Goddess of Justice, looked at the others.
She was sitting at a large table along with many of her fellow deities.
Not all of them, but a good number of them.
It was enough that they would be a force to be reckoned with. Which was the intention to begin with; then they decided to start gathering together.
That is to say, they found safety in numbers.
Contrary to what many demigods and mortal creatures think, suddenly becoming a god doesn't make you the top of the pyramid.
Even for them, they may as well be mortals when it comes to the whims of the Olympians.
Many of them had suffered at the hands of the Olympians, in their games, in their lusts, and in their greed. Granted, many of the gods here were just as bad when treating mortals, but they cared about their own circumstances in this case.
It was thousands of years ago that several of them had the idea to band together.
It's not as if the Olympians were unaware of their little 'group' when it started forming. But arrogance, contempt, and egos didn't allow them to see it as anything more than a gathering of lessers.
Why would they care?
Until enough joined.
They were by no means some stringent organization or a second faction among the Greek pantheons.
Truthfully, they were a cobbled-together group of dissenting viewpoints and often argued over the smallest things.
In fact, many of them belonged to different factions. The factions, of course, being those under each individual Olympian god.
But at the same time, none of them were particular stupid. They all understood the importance of what their numbers meant.
It took awhile, but once their numbers reached a certain point, it meant that at the very least, Olympus had to be…courteous.
The days of an Olympian god appearing before one of the lesser gods and demanding they bend to their whim, to warm their bed, or to suffer their wrath unprovoked had long passed.
That also isn't to say those things don't happen, but now it requires more than just the half-assed thought of one of the major gods.
It was a safety net, so to speak.
It never made it to the history books, nor did it appear in myths and legends. But there was a time when the lesser gods of the Greek cosmology nearly rebelled.
A delicate balance had been reached, and the status quo continued. Only this time, the lesser gods gained a certain standard and dignity that couldn't be trampled upon without reason.
It was why Themis oversaw this gathering.
As the goddess of justice, order, and fairness, she was bound to her own divine nature to preside without corruption or personal gain.
Even among the lesser gods that frequented their circles, not all of them were invited this time. They left out the ones they knew liked to run to their Olympian handlers and report every detail of what's said among them.
This time, they were keeping to secrecy.
The Scales of Justice hung over the table.
An oath was sworn, and if broken, justice and vengeance would petition the River Styx to bestow judgement.
For the first time in a very long time, they all took the threat of an Oath on the Styx seriously.
"Is this about what happened to Boreas?" One of them brought it up.
There were immediately murmurs among the gods gathered here.
They were all aware the god of the North Wind was currently incapacitated. He was lying in a mortal hospital as if he were mortal himself.
They knew not what happened, only that someone ambushed him, beat him up, and turned him mortal to top things off.
It was an incident that, while it didn't overly concern the Olympians, caused quite a bit of caution among the lesser gods.
Boreas wasn't by any means the strongest of their kind, but he was still a lesser god like them. If something like that could happen to him, then why couldn't it happen to them?
Despite their investigations, they still couldn't figure out what happened.
Someone was shielding the secrets of the events. Even attempts at using mystical means were met with a shield from none other than the River Styx herself.
They weren't fools; they could make a guess that Boreas may have broken an oath on the Styx and received his punishment. But that dind't make thing less concerning for them.
Breaking the oath was one matter; someone capable of running around and doing that to them was another because they knew for a fact that it wasn't Styx herself that walked out of the Underworld and broke Boreas's legs.
The rumors that Styx had a champion had been whispered ever since it was declared in the Halls of Olympus.
All they could get from Boreas was some incoherent crying about getting run over by a car...multiple times. That, and saying that he was sorry he didn't know he was in the wrong neighborhood.
"No," Themis declared. "We have decided not to further press on the matter with Boreas lest we anger the River of Oaths."
Many of them nodded; others looked annoyed or didn't agree with the decision.
"Are we trying to talk to Hercules again? Our last attempt didn't go well…." Caerus, the god of Opportunity and luck hesitantly said.
By not going well, he meant that Hercules had stuffed him into a trash can after the former god got annoyed at his attempts at recruitment.
Hercules was a 'lesser god' as well back when he guarded the island. But since he could never leave the island, they never cared to reach a hand out to them.
Perhaps things might have ended differently had they extended basic courtesy to him previously.
Now that he was free and walking around, they wanted to try and bring him over to their side. If they had the support of Hercules, they could significantly improve their standing in the face of the Olympian Gods.
The rumors and whispers about what's happened with Hercules had already far spread among their number.
Despite him spitting in the faces of the gods—even them in this case—he still walked unpunished, uncontested.
If that didn't speak to the danger and status he held, then nothing would.
But unfortunately, they failed in that particular endeavor, and the others weren't keen on attempting a recruitment themselves after hearing what happened to the gods they sent to approach him last time.
And exasperated sigh broke through the whispers. "For the love of –" Nemesis groaned. "We're talking about the new god that appeared."
That kicked off another round of arguing between them all.
Nemesis, getting annoyed, reached up and grabbed the scale hovering above them and slammed it onto the table. "Can you all stop acting like a bunch of fools and focus? It's rare that we have a new god appear. When was the last one? Centuries ago. We all know how rare it is for one of the thrones to elevate someone to our number."
What went unsaid is that they especially don't do it much anymore because they now have to be wary of the lesser gods holding too much power.
Maybe the Olympians didn't need to care about dozens of lesser gods attempting to dethrone them in a more aggressive manner. But if they decided to throw caution to the wind and cause chaos? Or even worse, if they joined with the Olympians enemies if they pushed enough, then that could be devastating.
Eris, the Goddess of Discord, tapped her nails on the table. "He's already caused quite the…commotion." She held her hand up, and it flashed briefly in the form of a golden apple before turning into a screen. "This is the phenomenon that occurred when he became a god."
It showed a massive storm, a pulling of magic, and an alteration of the atmosphere above North America.
Obviously, they were not oblivious to this happening, but it was simply a reminder and perhaps a better perspective from this angle.
Eris wasn't originally a member of this little group. All she cared about was causing chaos and discord across the world.
But after what happened in Troy, the Queen of Gods confiscated her symbol, her golden apple, and she had held a grudge ever since.
"And make no mistake, this wasn't a mortal raised to a higher station by divine hand. This is someone who kicked open the door of divinity all by themselves." She added.
"Became a god themselves?" One of the others, Hygieia, Goddess of Health and Cleanliness, spoke up in surprise. "This isn't the old era; you can't simply become a god."
Eris scoffed. "Don't talk about the old era like you were there." She waved dismissively at her fellow goddess, who was a child when comparing ages. "You're more than welcome to confirm it with someone else; I have no reason to lie."
"She's right." Comus, god of festivities and revels, spoke up. He was also the son of Dionysus and spent time helping his father in camp. "Pops had been annoyed about all the meetings he's had to go up to the mountain for."
"Are we sure someone didn't help him?"
Eris scoffed again. "Which one of you is brave enough to go against the laws of Olympus? We all know they forbid anyone from elevating mortals to godhood without their permission. If they found out…."
The consequences didn't need to be said.
Suffice to say, none of them were brave enough to do it.
"Nothing like that happened when I became a god." Palaemon, a lesser sea god, spoke up looking confused.
Leucothea also scrunched her nose. Formally the mortal queen known as Ino. "When I jumped into the sea and became a goddess, it didn't cause anything like that either."
Perhaps there was a little bit of jealously in their words. As if to say, what makes this new god so special?
"There was nothing like that for me either."
"Why did his ascension cause such a commotion?"
Several more deities spoke up with the same tone and confusion.
Camus waved his hand, silencing them, looking half-drunk as he did so. "I can say for a fact that when Pop's wife became a goddess, there definitely wasn't anything like that."
"We're missing the point." Nikke spoke up. As the Goddess of Victory, she immediately zeroed in on the most important fact. "Elevating a mortal to godhood is forbidden. But there are no laws against a mortal ascending to godhood by their own hand."
That made everyone go quiet.
Themis nodded and smiled at her. "She is correct. We have someone who went through apotheosis all by themselves."
"My mother was gushing over the relationship between the one in question and the goddess of magic. Are we sure that…she didn't give a helping hand?" Anteros, son of Aphrodite and also a god of love spoke up.
"Wait, is he the one who helped that bitch get her own cabin!?" Bia, Goddess of Force, might, and raw violence slammed her fist on the table. "I supported Zeus since the Titanomachia, and I still don't have my own cabin!"
Many of the lesser gods here weren't happy that Hecate had her own cabin when none of them did. If Hecate cared to associate with them, then she would have been heavily ostracized.
"Be careful about insulting Magic; she hears far more than you may think." Plutus, the God of Wealth, tapped the table.
Bia scoffed. "I don't fear her."
"Fear is not the same as caution." He shook his head. "Not that it matters. She has no care about what happens among us. She's content to stay in the Underworld under the authority of Hades, which makes her untouchable."
Bia just scowled angrily.
Anteron opened his mouth again. "You go down to the underworld often. Do you think she helped this mortal ascend?"
"I wouldn't say I go down often. I generally just go down to check on my sister to put Mother at ease. The Lord of the Underworld humors my presence because he knows it makes Mother not cause more…incidents. And we have to coordinate about economic matters sometimes. I rarely interact with the Goddess of Magic. However, if I were to make a guess, I would suggest that we go with the assumption that she is not the one responsible."
Nikke pressed her palms together. "That leaves the obvious answer then. This person—this Cyclops—had managed to ascend to godhood by their own hand. We can sit here and question it all day, but even if you could not witness the chaos in person, you all felt it."
There was a round of nods from everyone gathered.
It was hard to dispute what they felt themselves.
"Then we must act quickly. The reason we gathered, I presume, is to come up with a plan to bring him over to our side." She finished.
The Goddess of Justice started again. "That is correct. If we are to ever grow beyond…this, then it is an opportunity. The ones above have not realized what this could mean for us. If we had a means to elevate mortals without breaking the laws…"
She didn't finish it outright, letting it be open-ended.
Eris, though, smiled not-so-kindly. "A thousand years, two thousand, ten thousand. How many gods could we raise in that time frame?"
Many of them, once it was put so plainly, began to realize the implications. Ancient desires and dreams came bubbling to the surface; old ambitions that had been stomped out by the reality of their positions were now not so farfetched.
What god would be happy with remaining on the bottom?
Who wouldn't convert one of the higher seats?
If they were able to pull the ones above down, that meant their seats would be open for them.
"This is treason," one lesser god spoke up.
"Was it treason when the Crooked One pulled his father down from his throne? Was it treason when Zeus did the same? It's simply…. The changing of an era." Eris egged them on, saying just the right words to sway any who were having second thoughts.
The little devil on their shoulder.
Even the Goddess of Justice wasn't unmoved by the idea, showing support for it fully.
Justice, in her mind, should sit on the highest seat.
No one spoke up against it.
If anything, they all hesitantly looked around as if waiting for a reason to voice their agreement. Fear was normal; all of them knew what would happen if word got out. But also, when would an opportunity like this ever come again?
"So we are in agreement." Themis stated and waved her hand.
Above the table, various images flashed around.
It started with Zeus throwing down a lightning bolt, followed by someone apparently shooting a dragon from their sword at it.
It showed the destruction of the Lotus Casino hotel and the one responsible as well as the chaos that came down on Olympus.
Then, it showed the destruction in the wake of the fight involving Ares and the return of the Lightning Bolt.
It continued to an inconspicuous mountain that now could keep out even their godly eyes.
Lastly, it showed the sky churning and the cataclysmic phenomena that happened just recently before he stood above the earth, radiating power and newfound authority.
Various other images flashed, but they all landed on one last image.
It was a simple picture of him.
Hands clasped behind his back, robes billowing. For when this image was created, it was hard to tell, but it showed every detail about him for them all to see.
"His name is Ocean Song." The Goddess of Justice spoke again. "And we must acquire him at all costs."
[Line Break]
Elsewhere, Ares was going about his day.
He had just gotten done shoveling the stables, repairing the shooting range, fixing the lava rock wall, and even cleaning up the forge.
As far as menial tasks go, he was used to it now.
Frankly, there was nothing wrong with hard work, to him. Sure, as a god, it was beneath him to do these tasks. But as the god of war, these were things that soldiers, warriors, and armies needed to take care of, so they kind of sorta fit into his domain.
At least, that's how he rationalized it to himself to stop from throwing a tantrum at the indignity.
Though, he found a strange peace to it, like a well-deserved vacation.
For many soldiers, it was what they fought for. Fight the bloody battles that made them dance between life and death, claim their rewards, then retire to peaceful twilight years.
Ares was the god of war, the bloody aspect, the one you hoped blessed you as you got stabbed in the chest and tried to bite your enemies' throats out.
But that didn't mean he didn't respect a warrior's retirement or their desire to stop fighting.
If you fought the good fight, you deserved the rewards that came with it.
So Ares sat back, cracked open a can of beer, and ignored everything else that was happening in the world.
What did whatever nonsense with Hercules have to do with him? Or whatever big problem was happening that had everyone else running around.
He was being punished, so he decided to ignore all of them.
Just as he was about to take a drink, he caught something out of the corner of his eye.
At his window was someone he most certainly recognized.
"What the fuck!?" He threw his can up and fell over in his chair.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist!" Ocean Song was standing in his room, complete with his pope hat. "I have come to visit!"
[Line Break]
A/N
Lesser Gods seem to realize the opportunity that Ocean Song presents before the Olympians. If this idiot somehow stumbled onto godhood, then who' to say that they can't do it for other mortals and essentially create their own army of gods to claim the thrones of Olympus for themselves? Or at least, that's the hope/logic.
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