The news had spread all over the continent by morning, Merva's shocked face and Zeus ever handsome and polished one besides hers on every tabloid and in the news on tv.
Merva scoffed. Surely she did not look that bad. And how did the footage of the party even get out? When were the pictures even taken? This were questions that ran through her mind as she hid away in her chambers.
She had seen her grandfather early this morning, his face a picture of restrained anger that she could almost see the smoke puffing out of his ears.
"How was I not made aware of this?" He had shouted at her, trying so hard to keep his cool while she leaned against the wall quietly.
"The pictures are already all over the continent, pictures where I stand looking like a fool." He said as he gritted his teeth.
There was no answer that she could give, and so she watched him pace about in frustration.
"Is this because I asked you to give up your seat for Alex?" He asked, turning to look at her as though he had gotten the perfect answer. But she shook her head negatively.
"Then are you conspiring." He suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper. "Did you conspire with the monarchs to ensure you get Edigor? Because if that is why, then let me tell you that they have always wanted Edigor, and once High god Zoran lays his hands on it, he would not mind killing you off."
There was nothing Merva would tell him that could convince him otherwise. She wanted to point out her shocked face that looked terrible in the tabloids, but she knew he would have just taken it as her being a wonderful actress, and so she had remained quiet. Until he was done venting and left, releasing her to return to her chambers.
Her head ached badly, a thousand thoughts running through her mind.
'Surely Zeus was not lying to her, he wouldn't use her like that, right? Right?' But only the quiet was her reply.
Her head began to connect dots that she had never thought of before.
She shook her head. "No." She said, laughing in disbelief. "No, Zeus would not know of such and leave me in the dark."
It persisted in her mind, a warning that Nadine had been taken so that she would not refuse, as it was obvious that she would not want the death of someone she saw as an innocent.
'Was that why Lady Metis was nice to me?' She asked herself, trying to figure out the puzzle.
It did not make any sense to her, why would anyone want to do that to her.
She had nothing to offer, except Edigor and her seat in the council, but even that felt too little for them to rope her in this way.
Minerva spoke, asking her what was happening, and they talked for hours, deciding on what would be the best course of action.
Stepping out for breakfast or lunch was awful, the ladies that wanted to be friends suddenly, and those who thought it empowering to bully a future queen suddenly making her life crowded.
She wished for the silence, for the way she was ignored in the past even when they saw her with Zeus.
Then they had not envisioned such happening and so her life had been quiet despite the little disturbances and bullying, but now that it was on every screen, "Merva Pollo to be future monarch" her life felt like hell and noise.
She heard a knock on her door and hid, swearing that if it was another stranger she would break down in tears.
"Why wouldn't they go find Zeus instead." She scolded her clothes, hoping no one would sneak in through her windows. She had read about such happening to a celebrity, and she did not want it.
Merva paused. "Celebrity." She whispered, letting it roll on her tongue.
Was she going to be a celebrity that people liked now unlike before?
'Am I enjoying this?' Merva asked herself, and then shook her head. 'No I am not enjoying this.' She shouted in her head as soon as she heard her window being closed loudly.
"Merva. I know you are in there, come out now."
'Is... Is that Madeline?' Merva wondered in fear, leaning against her wardrobe door to be sure.
"Merva can you hear me? Won't you say something." It was in fact Madeline.
'No.' Merva answered in her head, she did not have the courage to say a word.
She knew Madeline was not the only one there, they were not from Olympus, so they did not mind hurting her.
Merva wondered why they had to do it now, why they did not come for her long ago after the fight.
She moved back slowly, trying hard not to make any sounds, or hit any of her clothes or shoe racks.
They were destroying things outside, calling her name as they hit down her things.
'Merva use your powers.' She heard Minerva say. 'The monarch is aware of it, and they found nothing wrong with you so it shouldn't be a problem.'
'But it won't be enough to fight them.' She reminded Minerva.
'But you would be able to bring down and injure some at the very least.' Minerva told her, but it did not seem like a nice option.
'They will still beat me to a pulp.'
They were quiet now, but she picked up on their footsteps. They were near the door.
She hit her back against her cupboard, and she heard snickers outside.
'Would you beat them, or do I have to do it?' She heard Minerva ask. "What?" She asked out loud in confusion.
'Do I have to do it?' Minerva shouted in her head.
The door fell inside, the girls trooping in, they were already in their divine form.
She felt Minerva take over, Madeline's grinning face the last thing she remembered.
They sat at their dinning table, the tension in the room thick enough to smolder someone.
"Can we just put the problems behind us and eat." Metis pleaded, watching Zeus push around the food on his plate.
Zeus placed his cutleries on the table and looked at Metis.
"Everything I do is for the good of our subjects." High god Zoran said, cutting into his steak and taking a bite.
The mighty monarch that you are." Zeus said under his breath and scoffed.
The cutleries in High god Zorans hands fell as he paused his chewing. "What did you say?"
"You should drop the pretense already, no one from the council is here watching." Zeus added as he pushed back his seat loudly and turned to walk away after nodding at Metis and Gwen.
"Stop there!" High god Zoran commanded, slamming the table as he stood up.
"Or what?" Zeus replied. He was pushing his father to the wall, and he knew it. He smirked in his father's face and continued walking away when the dining table came flying across the air aimed at him.
Zeus burned it all to ashes, Metis pulling Gwen away to safety.
"Zeus. Zoran. Stop this right now." Metis ordered, but both of them had already had enough of each other.
"Take back the words you said, and I will walk away and forget this ever happened." Zoran said calmly, assuming the disposition he was known for.
"Zeus just do as he says." Metis pleaded as she pushed Gwen towards her maid.
It was clear as the day light outside that Zeus had carefully done all this to prove his point. "Are you scared that I will hurt you?" Zeus said calmly, taunting his father by mimicking his voice.
"Are you scared of the power I wield? Of the strength you see in me, strength you will never know." He pushed on, watching as his father seethed.
"Zeus." Metis and Gwen gasped at the same time.
He had indirectly challenged his father, and there was no going back.
"Just because you have great power, you think you are a match for me? I have been around for more than two thousand years before you were born." Zoran warned, but Zeus hated long talks, especially from his father.
They both fought in the training grounds of palace Aetheria after Metis kicked both of them outside when they insisted on fighting.
Zeus fought against his father by copying and modifying the skills he had learned from watching his father fight.
He was best at powerless fights, but he had great power now.
He ended it with the edge of his staff to his father's neck, daring him to make another move.
"That's enough from both of you." Metis shouted, pulling Zeus away from Zoran.
"Then this will be the last time he interferes with my life." Zeus warned as he was pulled away.
It was one of the first times he ever felt such pure rage that even the training grounds and gyms of Aetheria did not bring him release.
Zeus did not fancy the fight he had had against his father, and yet he did not completely loathe the way it made him feel.
"This is the first time you have gone against your father in such a way." He heard Metis say behind him and she went silent.
He heard her inhale sharply, and waited for what she had to say.
"Is it so bad that your father made the announcement? You would have still done it someday." She said, her voice laced with confusion.
Zeus did not want to say anything, but sighed and then turned to her.
"Father never does something that brings him no benefit, and that is something you are aware of." Zeus told her. "And besides you know he did it this way so that they will have nowhere to hide."
Metis gave up, all Zeus said was true and there was no denying it.