章 27: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
" PROMETHEUS!!! HOW DARE YOU!! " From atop the formidable Mt. Olympus, Zeus' enraged voice echoed throughout the heavens, reverberating throughout the world.
To say Zeus was mad was a massive understatement, the King was absolutely livid. Not because Prometheus had given those mortal twerps fire, but because the Titan had THE NERVE to disobey him after he explicitly told him not to. This hurt Zeus' pride so deep it was almost comparable to back then with that serpent! Oh the nerve!
" Such insolence!... " He grumbled, leaving his throne and heading down the hallway. His impatient steps shook the floors. Arriving in a very familiar room, he directly slammed the door open and yelled,
" Hestia! Where are you?! " He yelled impatiently.
" What? Zeus! And what did I say about knocking?! Hestia retorted, displeased at his sudden intrusion.
" I don't have nearly enough time or patience for that! Listen- "
" No! I will not listen! Not until you apologize! " The Goddess of Family said stubbornly.
She was quite like her mother Rhea in that regard, always looking out for her siblings. But as one can see, she takes it quite seriously, no King of Gods can stop her chiding.
" Hahhh.... Fine, I apologize for the intrusion... " Zeus gave in with a sigh.
After all, no matter how vain and petty the Olympians were, they all had one common trait, they all treasured their oldest sibling, Hestia.
" Apology accepted. " She said with a bright smile. " Now come in! I just baked some bread that you will surely love! "
" Ah... sigh... alright then. " Zeus said tiredly, but despite it all, a small smile could be seen tugging at his lips.
Taking a few minutes to eat and calm down, Hestia finally gave him the light of day, and let him talk.
" Now that you are all calmed down, why don't you tell big sis what's been bothering my little brother. " She said amused.
" I'm afraid it's not such a lighthearted topic. Hestia, have you encountered any intruders last night? Anything suspicious? " He asked with a serious look.
" Something out of order? Well... I do recall that I had stayed up for a while because I was too absorbed practicing my baking... but I didn't really find anything of note... " Hestia recalled with a finger on her chin.
She lied easier than one of her reputation could ever have expected, but she decided she would do so for their sake. The Goddess herself had even visited the small settlements the humble people made. She taught them how to cook and bake common herbs, meat and grains.
" Why? Did something happen? " She asked, feigning curiosity.
" Yes, that damned Prometheus! " He swore in a whisper. " He stole fire from us! From ME! Sigh... this can be really problematic. "
" That is... quite unfortunate.. Surely, he must've had a reason to do so, yes? " Hestia pretended to dig into the situation a little more, despite her direct involvement.
" Well... that I cannot deny... but this has the potential to get really, really out of hand. " He answered truthfully, he was always hesitant to lie to his eldest sibling.
" How so? It's just a little insubordination no? "
" That isn't the problem. The problem is that Prometheus' meddled in something every pantheon has their eyes on..! And I'm sure they have already found out. We can't come off as weak or anything of the sort! We can't afford it! " Zeus grated his teeth, confessing.
Zeus was not wrong either. Despite having hundreds of years of being in power, compared to the other pantheons, that was simply a drop in a bucket. They are still working on establishing a proper reputation for themselves. If the other pantheons saw this as an insult to their trust, an attack would not bode well for their newly-established rule.
" I have to punish him! So he can't do anything of the sort ever again! " He seethed.
Strangely, Hestia did not object to this at all. She knew this was needed, for the continued safety of her family. If the other Gods found out that they haven't even moved to punish Prometheus, misunderstandings can occur. And besides, she knew, Prometheus had expected this, and he was ready to accept it.
--- Days Later, Throne of Mt. Olympus ---
" Please Lord Zeus! My son, he was only doing what he thought was right! He does not deserve this! " A tall woman pleaded with tears.
This was Themis, the personification of Justice. She was a towering woman, eclipsing most Gods in the room because of her Titan heritage. She had chestnut brown hair, and hid her eyes with an ivory white blindfold. She was currently trying her best to dissuade Zeus of punishing her beloved son.
A lone Titan was also present, looking worriedly at the situation, not really knowing what to do. He looked extremely similar to Prometheus, except he had longer and darker hair as well as a hunched posture. This was Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. He was the Titan of Hindsight and Excuses. A somewhat shameful divinity, but he does his best. While his brother was tasked with the creation of humans, his duty was to populate the Earth will all manner of animals.
" Enough! " Zeus commanded with a mighty shout, silencing all the chatter in the throne room. Some Olympians were present, to witness the fate of Prometheus.
" ... Prometheus... All these years of service. Throughout war and hardship... you were there. But never have I imagined you would fall so far! To obey the cries of those INSECTS! Rather than you superiors.. your betters... " Zeus drawled in spite.
The Titan family clenched in nervousness. Hestia looked on with solemn eyes, seeing the state the faithful family was in. They were so close too, now, she doubted things would be the same ever again.
" Nonetheless... rejoice! For you will not be killed... no... You will be sentenced to eternal torment! Prometheus! You will be bound by stone, embraced by cold, hard chains! But that is not all! For each day, each dawn! A terrible eagle shall come and feast on your entrails! For eternity! " The King of the Gods coldly sentenced the crestfallen Prometheus.
Prometheus despaired, but he did not regret. Even as the words that sealed his fate rang in the halls and his future less than bleak.
" Surely you jest! Your Majesty! I implore you, this is not justice! My son did nothing wrong! " Themis protected her son fiercely, mustering up everything she could. Of course, not only as a mother, but as the personification of Justice... she would not stand for this.
" I WILL NOT HAVE MY AUTHORITY QUESTIONED LIKE THIS! Watch.. your.. words.. Themis. " Zeus angrily responded, shaking the whole of Olympus with his might.
And so, with the cries of Themis and the panicked huffs and puffs from Epimetheus, Prometheus was condemned to his miserable fate, until the end of time.
--- Throne room, A while later ---
" Guards! " Zeus' commands into the darkness of the hall, when suddenly -
" Yes, milord. " A pair of royal soldiers emerged from beside the formidable doors of the hall. They were minor deities that Zeus had enlisted under his command during the war, they had been his watchdogs for years now.
" Call... Hephaestus over... say I need him for something. " He said emotionlessly.
" As you wish, milord! " And with a flash, they disappeared.
" If you thought this was over Prometheus... think again... true despair is yet to come... and besides, this was planned since the start anyway. Nothing you could've done would've saved them from this... " He proclaimed to no one in particular as he looked out of the windows of the elegant Throne room.
--- To Be Continued ---
( Take note, I will be quite busy the next two weeks, so don't be surprised If I miss a daily upload. Remember to support the novel if you like it. Power stones, comments, reviews especially, anything is appreciated! That's all bye! )
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