Olympian

The Olympians are the gods of Greek Mythology who fought the Titans to rule over creation. The Olympian Pantheon consists of twelve gods but the term has come to mean all of the gods that reside upon Mount Olympus.

## History

### Titanomachy

Zeus lead the gods to battle against their parents the Titans, overthrowing them. The titans were imprisoned in Tartarus along with the Primordials they had overthrown in the past. After the war was over Hades, Poseidon and Zeus divided creation between the three of them so that Hades would rule the Underworld and it's mineral wealth in exchange for stewarding the fallen, Poseidon would rule the source of all life: the Oceans and Zeus would rule the Heavens as King of the Gods.

### New Age of Heroes

Rising tensions on Olympus between Zeus and his wife Hera and the resurgence of heroes on Earth has lead to many on Olympus, and elsewhere, to strain against the terms of the Godpact. Though nearly all of the Olympians have visited Earth in secret over the years- Herakles was the first to do so openly, leaving the home of his father and step-mother to live his glory days again on Earth loudly proclaiming his existence as an immortal.

## Pantheon of the Twelve

### Zeus

King of the Olympians and ruler of Mount Olympus. God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law and order. Zeus is most famous for his many affairs and the many children spawned from these adulterous unions.

### Hera

Queen of the Olympians. Goddess of marriage, women, childbirth and majesty. Hera's hatred of Zeus' illegitimate children has made Olympus a powderkeg over the past few centuries.

### Poseidon

God of the seas, storms and earthquakes. He is responsible for the sinking of Atlantis. He divides his time between Olympus and his own palace under the waves.

### Demeter

Goddess of the harvest, fertility, agriculture and the winter. She despises Hades for stealing her daughter away.

### Athena

Goddess of wisdom, heroism, courage and strategy. Athena is the patron goddess of heroic endeavour- having aided numerous heroes through history. She sees a great opportunity for good in this new age of superheroes. Though like the other Olympians even Athena has her rough edges. She was born fully formed (and armed) from the head of Zeus.

### Apollo

God of the Sun, prophecy, philosophy, poetry, music, medicine and plague. He is the twin brother of Artemis and an illegitimate son of Zeus. As an archer he is second only to his sister among the Olympians.

### Artemis

The virgin goddess of the Moon, hunting, the wilds, archery, protection and plague. She is the twin sister of Apollo and an illegitimate daughter of Zeus. She spends the most time alone of all the Olympians.

### Ares

Firstborn son of Zeus and Hera. God of war, violence, bloodlust and conflict. Ares is ambitious and impulsive and does not stand on good terms with most of the other twelve even his own father who often reminds Ares of his place. In particular he considers Athena his rival. Ares hates his father and perhaps this spite is what fuels him to try to be a good father to his own many children. Ares is the patron of the Amazons.

### Aphrodite

Goddess of love, lust, beauty, passion and pleasure. She is another illegitimate daughter of Zeus and takes many lovers in a similar fashion to her father. She was once revered as a powerful war goddess.

### Hephaestus

Master craftsman of the Olympians. God of the forge, craftsmanship, invention and fire. Born to Hera alone- her answer to Zeus' daughter Athena- Hephaestus is protective of his mother. He retains a limp from the time he was cast from Olympus by Zeus. He refuses to be healed- keeping it as a reminder.

### Hermes

Swift-footed Hermes is the messenger of the Olympians. God of speed, commerce, language and cunning. Hermes' duties keep him busy on Earth as he acts as psychopomp- guiding spirits of the recently departed to Charon.

### Hestia

Goddess of the hearth, fire, family and civilisation. She was firstborn of the titans Cronus and Rhea- making her the older sister of Demeter, Hades, Hera, Poseidon and Zeus.

## Others

### Dionysus

God of wine, fertility, madness, ecstasy, resurrection and freedom. He is patron god of the theatre. As an illegitimate son of Zeus, Dionysus has removed himself from the situation on Mount Olympus following the example of Hercules but with a splash more subtlety.

### Hades

Hades is King of the Underworld and god of the dead. Hades is not considered a "true" Olympian as he does not reside on Mount Olympus despite being a child of the Titans same as the other Olympians. He does not mind, preferring to keep himself busy with his work in the Underworld (though of course he is not as busy as he once was). He is husband to Persephone.

### Herakles (Hercules)

Herakles is the son of Zeus and a mortal mother. His life was filled with adversity by Hera and he changed his name to Herakles (meaning glory to Hera) in an unsuccessful attempt to pacify her. Despite this adversity Herakles would persevere to become one of the greatest heroes in human history facing many monsters and defending civilisation. After his death Zeus rose him through apotheosis to become one of the Olympians and gave him Hebe to be his wife. Herakles decided to return to Earth in the 21st century both to escape from Hera's fury but also to live as a hero again. He is on the superhero team L.A. Starz under the more marketable name Hercules.

### Enyo

Enyo is the oldest daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is the goddess of bloodshed and conquest. She delights in battle and often follows her brother Ares around, often envious of his ability to cause such strife.

### Hebe

Zeus and Hera's youngest child, Hebe was the cupbearer of the Olympians, serving the nectar and ambrosia that keeps the Olympians eternally young.

### Persephone

The daughter of Demeter by a mortal man. She is queen of the Underworld, goddess of life, death and spring.