The Thrones of NeOlympus

The Haven's Throne Room, often called the Grand Chamber of Olympus, is located beyond the two massive gold doors of the Grand Foyer. There is always at least one of the Throneguard inside the chamber. When in session, at least two members of the Throneguard are always present. If too many Throneguard members are unavailable, other deities may be called upon to act in this manner, such as Ares' sons, Deimos and Phobos, or even Hestia.

Just beyond the grand doors are six marble benches, three on either side of the chamber. These provide modest seating for petitioners wishing to be heard. During banquets, the benches are pulled away from the wall and placed on either side of long tables that fill the space in the middle of the chamber.

Further, one would notice that the right side of the chamber bears six open arches that provide magnificent views of the blue sky and white clouds of the ether surrounding the Haven, giving the impression of an endless sky. The ether will take on the hue of orange and red during dawn and dusk. Finally, at night, the ether will shift into a dark violet hue with silver clouds to give the gods a sense of time passing. This is all achieved through simple essence manipulation, and the ether can be further modified for special occasions through the controls on Zeus' throne or through the Chartis Kosmos.

In the space between the magnificent arches are five thrones. Two more thrones sit on the far wall at the end of the chamber, nestled together between two more prominent arches. On the left wall are five more thrones - bringing the thrones to twelve.

In the center of the throne room is the firepit, where Hestia lights the Empyrean Flame to bring official sessions into order. The Chartis Kosmos is also housed here, functioning as a complex computing and projection device created by Hephaestus. Next to the firepit, on the side closest to the golden doors, are two humble chairs where Hestia and Hebe may be seated during sessions or where anyone using the Chartis Kosmos between sessions may be found.

Between the thrones on the walled side of the throne room are two humble doors designed to blend into the wall. One of these doors leads to Zeus and Hera's private quarters, while the other leads to the antechamber, where guests or witnesses can wait until called into session or where gods can step out to discuss something in private without disrupting the rest of the session. Featured on the wall was a magnificent mural depicting every worshiped member of the Pantheon. It was usually updated every century or so, featuring the work reflective of the era's art. Also along this wall is the Nektar fountain, where gods can fill their chalices. During sessions, the appointed cupbearer (usually Hebe) will refill the gods' chalices.

A humble chair is located next to the Nektar fountain for the cupbearer to sit when resting between refills. This chair is built into the base of a throne made of gold-plated fir wood. It was decorated with grape bunches carved into amethyst, snakes carved in serpentine, and various horned animals carved in onyx, sard, jade, and carnelian. This is the throne of Dionysus, over which a panther skin is laid over the seat. During sessions, Dionysus can be found on his throne, usually sitting sideways with one or two legs swung over an arm of his throne. Next to his throne is a tall round table where he can rest his drink.

Across from Dionysus' throne is a drab stone throne. The arms are cut to resemble ram heads and sport a goatskin for the seat. On the throne's back, over each shoulder, are sloped pegs that serve as places to hang a messenger bag and hat. This is the throne of Hermes, where he can be found often making faces at various other gods–usually Dionysus.

Closest to Hermes' throne is an over-engineered monstrosity of a throne made out of every kind of precious metal and stone there was to be found. The throne featured built-in complex mechanisms that allowed it to swivel, and it is common to find new modules or devices added to it between visits. Resting in front of this throne was a cushioned footrest. Obviously, this was where Hephaestus sat, having designed the throne himself. During sessions, he usually sketched plans in his well-worn engineering journal.

Located across the hall from Hephaestus' throne was an extremely polished orichalcum with ornate inscriptions, some dragon skin draped over its back with white upholstered cushioned seats and armrests. Capping the top of the throne was a sun disk. This was the throne of the god of the Sun, Apollo himself. When in-session, Apollo usually leaned forward in his chair with his quiver hanging from an armrest and his bow and lyre propped against the side. It was not uncommon to see him turning toward his sister to gauge her reaction to matters being discussed.

On the matter of Artemis, her throne was found on Apollo's left. Artemis' throne was made of silver, located in the center of the chamber's throne area and flanked on either side by the two hidden doors. Simple in design, it featured a wolf's pelt slung over it and was polished like a mirror. A crescent moon sat on the top of the throne. Like her brother, Artemis often hung a quiver on an armrest and leaned her bow against the side of the throne. During meetings of the twelve, Artemis often sat sideways on her throne, keeping her back to the thrones at the end of the chamber and facing Apollo. She was often seen carving an apple with her hunting knife and snacking on its slices.

Across the way, on the other side of the Chartis Kosmos from Artemis' throne, was a throne with a back shaped like a scallop shell. This beautiful throne was gold, decorated with beryl and aquamarine, with armrests that ended in knobs shaped like golden apples. The seat and cushioned back were made upholstered pink and stuffed with swan down. A gold cloth blanket was usually draped over its seat when not in use but rested on its goddess's lap during the session. This was the throne of beautiful Aphrodite, who would usually be found playing with her hair as she scanned the throne room, often shooting glances to her left and right. Ares' throne was on the other side of Aphrodite, further into the chamber. It was made of brass and was blocky in design. It was ugly but solid and robust. At the ends of the armrests were bronze skulls. The cushion was said to be made of boar leather, though many speculated it was actually made from the flesh of fallen Titans. During meetings, Ares gripped the skulls firmly as he did his best to bite his tongue on matters that angered him.

If Ares ever lost his temper, the first to chastise him was likely Athena—whose throne was located across the hall, directly facing Ares. Athena's throne was made of silver, simple and elegant. The sole ornamentation brought to her throne was only to be brought with her as the throne had hooks and pegs, allowing her to decorate her throne with her helmet, shield, and spear above and behind her. There was also a stand to allow her owl, *Nyctimene*, or raven, *Korone*, to perch at her side, who she would often be found feeding at regular intervals when sessions went on for long periods.

Sitting next to Athena was Poseidon. The last throne found along the mural side of the chamber was made of gray-green, white-streaked marble and decorated with coral, gold, and pearls. The arms took the shape of a dynamic shark and squid. The cushion of the seat and back was lined with sleek seal skin. The god's trident had a rack built into the back of the throne, allowing the trident's three prongs to rise out of the wave motif that crowned the top of the throne. This was an exact replica of his personal throne found in his own domain. In the mid-session, Poseidon was usually found slouching on his throne, his elbow on an armrest, and his head propped up by his knuckles. It was not uncommon for the god to take naps in this position when meetings delved into policies and minutiae.

Directly across from Poseidon's throne was a throne shaped from bright-green malachite with golden barley upholstery designs. Miniature golden pigs served as the styled armrests. Rubies shaped like poppies crowned the top of this throne in a beautiful bouquet. This was the throne of the new Mother Nature, Demeter. During meetings, Demeter usually sat upright with one leg folded over the other and her hands gently resting on the knees of her folded legs. If sessions went on long, Demeter might amuse herself by flirtatious glances at Poseidon.

Should Poseidon be napping, Demeter might turn to her right and catch Hera's attention. Hera sat at the end of the chamber on an elevated dais shared with her husband. The steps leading up to her throne were made of crystal, while the throne was fashioned from ivory. On the back of her throne were several golden cuckoos and willow leaves. She sat on a leather cushion. During meetings, Hera was usually quite reactive, countering or supporting the discussion as appropriate. She usually took charge when the court was held in the chamber, doling out judgment as she saw fit.

At Hera's right was the tallest throne in the chamber. This was the King's Throne, shaped from black marble and featuring gold filament in the shape of abstract lightning across the night sky. On the right arm of the throne was a ruby-eyed eagle with jagged strips of gold-plated tin in its beak in the shape of lightning bolts. A ram's fleece was flung over the chair and dyed purple. The seven steps of the dais in front of the throne were enameled in the colors of the rainbow. Sat here was Zeus, King of the Gods. During sessions, Zeus took charge and was often found manically strolling about the throne room rather than perched in his chair. During court, however, he was subdued and planted on his throne as he let Hera handle such matters, with him only speaking up when called upon by his wife.

Located elsewhere in storage were two other thrones that once filled this chamber. The first was a magnificent throne of blackened wood and blood-red upholstery, decorated with the likeness of Cerberus' three heads crowning the top and ends of each armrest. This was where Hades once sat, but he abdicated his place among the Twelve to spend more time overseeing the Underworld. He was replaced by Aphrodite, whose marriage to Hephaestus followed Hades' announcement. On occasion, when Hades is expected to attend a council meeting, his throne is removed from storage and placed near the benches in the center of the chamber. This same courtesy is extended to Persephone if she should attend a session in her husband's stead. When both attend, Persephone is offered Hestia's old throne, but she usually sits on her husband's lap.

Hestia's humble throne is made of unstained wood with a cushion of undyed wool. She abdicated her place on the Twelve after she tired of the drama, giving a vacancy that was filled by Dionysus. Hestia's throne is usually only brought out of storage, along with Hades', to serve the needs of an honored guest (Gaia was once fond of Hestia's throne) or when the rare Quorum of the Six is called into session. During such a special session, the throne room will be cleared out with only the six thrones of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, and Hestia arranged in the center of the chamber, equally spaced around the Chartis Kosmos.

On rare occasions when a member of the Twelve cannot attend for an extended period, Zeus may call upon Hestia or Hades to fill the vacancy. Such vacancies have occurred when members of the Twelve had been punished for violations against the Twelve (such as when Ares and Athena engaged in open combat and were sent to Tartarus or when Apollo and Poseidon chained up Zeus in an attempted coup and were sentenced to help build the Walls of Troy) or simply when no one can find a missing Olympian (such as Poseidon on a long voyage or Artemis on the trail of a particularly elusive prey).