Zeus (U432)

Zeus was the principle Pantheon, the leader of Olympus and the one who had wrought victory against the Titans during the Titanomachy. The Olympian Pantheon of the sky and the thunder, the king of Olympus, Zeus often had a regal appeal and attire.

Often aloof, Zeus ultimately cost Classical Greece its survival, when he sold it over to Jews in a despicable political agreement.

## Myth

### Titanomachy

When the Earth was young, it was in a forlorn and unfortunate state when Titans roamed its grounds. Gigantic brutes known as Titans wandered it during those days, of which only four survived (along with an elder Cyclops). Given that the Titans had elemental powers, the Earth was always filled with natural disasters and chaos, making it a dangerous place.

Displeased with the state of things, a young Zeus made an alliance with the Cyclopes who forged for Zeus his iconic thunder and lightning. Zeus also enlisted the help of recruits such as Pantheons and Cyclops (but not men or fallen angels) who went to fight in continents abroad while Zeus commanded the battle in Thessaly. Zeus then hurled a thunderbolt at the Titans and locked them in a vault.

While Hades, Poseidon and other Pantheons were alive at the time, they did not aid Zeus in the war due to their increased strength from the world's conditions. For instance, Poseidon was strengthened due to the raging waves of the sea caused by the Elemental Titans. While Hades gained no such attributes, he always had his eye on the throne and was hoping to ally himself with the Titans and make a political arrangement, as he was too physically inadept to fight Zeus himself.

### Prosperity

When Zeus defeated the Titans, the Olympians celebrated their victory by building Mount Olympus. The construction took a relatively short period of time, only 190 years. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, drew lots to share the world between them. Poseidon got the sea, Hades the underworld, and Zeus the sky. Finally, Zeus was crowned to be the Ruler of Olympus. The following periods largely found peace and relaxation for the Olympians. The Muses described it as "sweet and smooth as vermouth"

### Orpheotaurus

The Orpheotaurus was an animal whose entrails were rumored to contain a substance if burned that could drain the powers of the Pantheon. All of these creatures but one were slain during the Titanomachy, and the surviving creature was later found by Zeus' eagles. Zeus then gave it to Hades for safekeeping in the underworld, but Hades secretly burned it and kept the limited quantity of potion in a valley for future use.

### Revolt

As a young ruler, Zeus was apparently too prideful and petulant. So, Poseidon and Apollo – and, maybe, everyone else but Hestia and Hera – decided to teach him a lesson. While he was sleeping, they stole his thunderbolt and bound him with hundred-knotted cords. Zeus was powerless, but the Nereid Thetis acted quickly and called Briareus, the Hecatoncheir, who used his hundred arms to untie him in a second. Zeus brutally punished the three leaders of the rebellion, and they swore to never challenge him again. Unlike the actual myth, Hera did not participate, representing her more calm demeanor and relationship with Zeus in the U432.

### Prometheus and Zeus

Prometheus, however, did – first by stealing the divine fire and giving it to the mortals, and then by keeping away from Zeus the identity of a mortal woman whose future son was prophesized to become greater than his father. Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock and tormented him for ages, but Prometheus stubbornly refused to reveal to him the secret. In the end, for reasons we don’t know (because a large part of the play where this story is told is lost), the Titan did tell Zeus that the woman in question is Thetis, so the god stopped pursuing her and gave her to Peleus. The son born out of this marriage became a celebrated Greek hero - in fact, possibly the greatest among them all: Achilles.

### Hercules' Baby Shower

Despite his arrogance and aloofness, Zeus was still a caring father and played with his son at his gathering on Olympus. Zeus believed that his son had a cute appearance and admired his strength at such an early age, being able to lift his father even at infancy. He counted this as part of his genetic contribution. Hermes later rushed past everyone else to give Hera, his wife, a bouquet of flowers and then equally sycophantically made a joke to Zeus, saying that he "had not seen so much love in a room since Narcissus discovered himself". He then looked at Narcissus, who was looking at his reflection in his mirror.

While the two were talking, Hercules snatched one of Zeus' pocket lightnings. Hera was nervous and advised Zeus to keep them away from the infant, but Zeus affirmed that he would not hurt himself and that "the kid should have some fun". Nevertheless, he got zapped when he tried to bite the bolt. The disgruntled infant then threw the bolt away, causing members of the party such as Apollo, Dionysus (who noticed first), Aphrodite, and Helios. Athena then deflected the bolt into one of the cloud formed pillars, which instantly repaired itself.

Zeus found the whole thing endearing and patted the boy on the head. He then on behalf of his son thanked everyone at the party for their gifts, which were far too abundant and overtly luxurious. Hera then asked Zeus about their own gift, and after thinking Zeus cloudweaved a winged horse out of sirris, phumulus, and one other. Zeus named the horse Pegasus, and noted that the companion was entirely in Hercules' possession. Everyone awed at the two's first interaction, and then Zeus endearingly put the infant back in its crib.

Hades made an entrance late at the baby shower, calling it sentimental. Hades had not seen anyone else in the pantheon for quite some time, and tried to lighten the mood with some jokes that all fell flat. He patted Dionysus' cheeks and asked him how he's doing, which upset him. He also made a comment to Aphrodite about her dress which seemed to annoy her as well. Zeus, oblivious to the undertones of what was going on, asked him how it was in the Underworld. Hades complained that it was dark and gloomy as always.

Hades tried to give Hercules a spiked sucker, and the infant thwarted his plan by cracking one of his fingers, which Pegasus found amusing. At this time Hades first noticed Hercules' potential for strength. Zeus, being optimistic, tried to urge Hades to feel at home and join the celebration. Hades refused. Hades then complained about how he was given laborious and lonely duties by Zeus while the others lounged in Olympus. Zeus told him that he should slow down or "he'll work himself to death". Realizing the humor in the statement, he then entered a laughing fit at which everyone else joined, showing their bias for Zeus. Hades then left muttering to himself that he would basically be happy if Zeus wasn't around anymore.

### Hercules' Abduction

That night, Hercules was abducted by Pain and Panic. Zeus and Hera felt that something was wrong while in bed, and found Pegasus stuck in Demeter's gift and Hercules gone. Zeus' grief caused a thunder storm, which only frightened Pain and Panic as they flew away with Hercules in their hands. Zeus sent Hermes, Apollo, Athena and Ares on a search party, but to no avail. When Athena found the baby, it was too late and they couldn't bring back a mortal. For the next years, they watched him grow up in seclusion.

### Reunited with Hercules

When Hercules travelled for an entire day to the temple of zeus, walking through a field of poppies and even felling a dead tree to cross a ravine. When almost there, he saw a signpost pointing in the right direction and he made it to the temple. Hercules was in awe of the temple's architectural design and mosaics. The statue came alive, and Hercules running away screaming ran into a candleholder. Zeus picked him up, and told him what happened. He explained that since he was turned mortal, he was never able to come back to Olympus. He explained that to regain his status, he would have to become a "true hero" and advised for Hercules to train under Philoctales, the trainer of heroes.

Zeus summoned Pegasus and reintroduced the two together. Hercules felt emboldened and mounting the steed, flew towards Philocatales' island in the beginning of his quest.

### Hercules' Internship Week

Hercules solloquized his woes at the souvenir shop during Internship Week, and Zeus told him that his son wasn't going to sling mutton. Everyone at the shop was disturbed.

Zeus held an emergency council at Olympus, led by Hermes. In attendance were Hermes, Zeus, Hera, Ares, Apollo, Demeter, Athena, Hephaestus, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. Hermes started off by reviewing the last meeting, which bored everyone. Ares played with his chess pawns to pass the time.

(Poseidon suggested Zeus level an earthquake on Macedonia, which Hermes thought was nutty. What was unmentioned that it was over some crazy marital affair. Zeus had formed a committee to look into such affairs). Zeus interrupted Hermes and announced that his son needs to find a job, Hera advised that Hercules keep his assigned one at the mall but Zeus declined it as nonsense. Hades then excitedly teleported to the meeting beside Ares, which annoyed him and some others. Hades said that he could work at the underworld as he always needed more working-stiffs, walking past Athena.

Zeus said it would be better for Hercules to go back to Gyro World than work in the underworld. Hades was annoyed by this, as it was Zeus who sent him (his little brother) to the underworld. Zeus wondered what he could do, and everyone hid their faces behind items related to their personalities. It then hit, Zeus. Hercules would drive Apollo's "sun buggy" for a week. Apollo was disturbed by the idea, but was too shy to vocalize it past a quiver in his voice. Hades loved the idea and went back to the underworld.

Hades' plan was to steal the sun to make Hercules look bad, and then in turn Zeus, and that a no-confidence vote would then give him Olympus. Pain and Panic were distracted making noises with their armpits, but Hades gave them the memo again. The two imps were excited and wondered if it meant they could take the harpies, and it did. They left celebrating.

That evening on Olympus, Apollo was giving Hercules some final instructions before he trailed off. He warned him that the chariot slips in third sometimes. Hercules formally told Apollo that he has nothing to worry about, and Zeus said he would take full responsibility for his actions. Meanwhile, Adonis was considering quitting his job for some reason even though it didn't involve much. He then saw someone fly overhead, and Hercules told him "how's this for a job?"

### Vote of no Confidence

Hades stole the sun to make Zeus look bad. In Olympus, everyone was upset at Zeus who urged them that Hercules would have a good explanation. Hades came and Hermes recognized he was tanned and wondered why. Hades joked about Zeus and mentioned that he wouldn't be surprised if there was a no-confidence vote. Zeus got angry at Hades and told him that they would never do such a thing, but to his surprise looking at their faces saw they were considering it. A vote was held.

Hera voted for Zeus but Hephaestus announced he was regretfully voting for Hades. The vote came to a 4-4 tie and was left to Apollo. Hades thought his decision would be obvious considering what happened, but he said he needed some time to think. Hades was outraged, and tried to bribe him by saying he could make him a pantheon of something else (with the absence of the sun). Hercules put the sun into a volcano, causing it to erupt towards Olympus. As Apollo regretfully announced he would be voting for Hades, the sun arrived just in time to adjust Zeus' depressive state.

Hera nudged Zeus to apologize to Hercules for getting him into the situation and that he's proud of him. Pain and Panic arrived and with their flabbermouths basically showed everyone that Hades stole the sun. He turned them to ash, but Zeus broke the "in case of insurgency" glass and kicked Hades off of Olympus despite him saying "hey, I'm your brother, remember those games we used to play?"

## Lovers

In U432, Zeus and Hera have a more stable and cordial relationship. Zeus still has a flare for impulsivity, but is able to control himself more often. This more controlled temperance in Zeus' later years may have been due to Zeus seeking to atone for his six previous failed marriages.

## Powers and Abilities

During the Titanomachy, the Cyclopes forged for Zeus his iconic thunder and lightning

### Cloudweaving

Zeus was the only pantheon able to cloudweave, and it was through this ability that he constructed most of Olympus. The advantages to cloudweaving were that it required no raw materials and that anything made from clouds would instantly regenerate itself. This made Olympus in a way, impenetrable. Cloudweaving required a degree of skill, and different combinations of different kinds of clouds would yield different results.

## Gear

Zeus always had a quiver of lightning bolts at his disposal, which Hercules played with as an infant.

## Appearance and Personality

### Personality

Zeus showed his aloof character when he said that the infant Hercules should have "some fun", while Hera was nervous about the fact that he was playing with one of Zeus' pocket lightnings.

## Differences

* Zeus has no siblings
* Slightly less promiscous than in the actual myth
* Not the son of the Titans
* While Zeus enlists the help of the Cyclops, he does not enlist the help of the Hundred Handers
* Zeus did not cast lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades over their domains