The Disappearance of Zeus

By Zera Parekh (Del of Associated Press)

Zeus, the king of the gods and the sky vanished without leaving a trace. At dawn the throne room was empty and his thunderbolt lay untouched. All the gates were sealed almost as if no one went through. All godly deities have been summoned to uncover the true culprit behind this act. Who did it? Why did they do it…and most importantly how did they do it?

Titans are the first to be blamed. For centuries the titans have been jealous and lusted for the throne of the gods. Hermes wants to work as a joint council to ensure the founding of Zeus. They promised the committee to bring any updates about Zeus, but will they? Even though there is chaos all over, the true culprit must be found. Aphrodite strongly believes that for peace to remain and the world to stay stable a replacement must be found. Whoever wishes to support this idea shall stand by me. On the other hand, Artemis’ strict policy stated the there is a no toleration policy and any crime committed against Zeus will lead to consequences from Artemis herself. Zeus is a relative to many gods, Nike themself was not directly related to Zeus but yet thought of him as a father figure. Nike doesn’t want to challenge the throne, they simply are committed to finding Zeus. If anyone wants to achieve ‘victory’ they should come to Nike first as, Nike is a sign of victory. 

On another side of the committee, stands Iris the goddess of rainbows. They feel as if a colour fell out of the rainbow, they feel incomplete. As a fast traveller they promise to look everywhere they can and will do anything in their power to find Zeus. Hephaestus believes that someone wants to get attention and that person is Zeus. He believes Zeus is simply trying to showcase his power and get attention. Athena claims to never bow down to aggression while Poseidon believes he is the rightful heir to the throne. Out of nowhere a new crisis emerged. An approximate of 300 civilian deaths occurred in Greece due to bad lightning and horrid weather. There were many random lighting strikes and 2 large floods risking many lives. More civilian deaths just lead to gods having less power because gods power is dependent on civilian belief. “Is a divided Olympus the only Olympus,” argued Hestia. She believed that unity is the way to go. 

It was later found out that Athena used their power to find out the consequence of an action. An unknown delegate was untrusted with vital information. The scared flame that fueled Olympus began to flicker. If it stops then Olympus shall fall and along with it all the gods. Furthermore, Poseidon tried to claim the throne but Hera interfered. She objected and Hades supported her. Hades said that he would wage war if Posiedon didn’t immediately leave Olympus, after this threat Poseidon still didn’t leave. Soon a debate broke out. Was Poseidon a fit ruler? Poseidon stated that Zeus’ disappearance was an opportunity to get the role he always deserved. He indirectly stated that he was happy. This sparked lots of controversy. 

Another secret was later exposed by the committee. Poseidon, Athena and Zeus’ own wife, Hera, plotted against him many millennia ago. They moved against Zeus but in the process failed. Zeus himself had held a grudge against them for this ever since. Not only that but since Poseidon believed he was the sole heir to the throne he sent 12 of his horses to capture Hades. By that time the H cube had already been formed. It consisted of Hermes, Hades and Hypnos. With the help of them Hades captured the 12 horses. This large crisis led to a debate. Should Poseidon be stripped of his powers or should he keep them. Poseidon claimed to do only what he needed to do to keep the peace in Olympus even though he actually started a war. Due to the majority, he was stripped of his powers. This decision led to Greece’s lakes, rivers and oceans drying out. The Olympians' decision led to many civilian deaths and droughts. 

The war continued until Hermes received information that Zeus was alive. Zeus’ spirit had not crossed into the underworld hence, he was somewhere and he was alive. After an intense debate it was found out that Hades was now with the flame, if he died so did the flame and Olympus with it. For the survival of Olympus, Poseidon gave in and ended the war. But that wasn’t the end of the problem. Nike and Thanatos kidnapped Zeus. Nike claimed to think of Zeus as a father figure but yet helped kidnap him along with Iris and Hypnos. A new bloc was made amidst the ruckus. The Thrones vs The Instruments. The Thrones consisted of Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus and Hestia. The Instruments consist of Iris, Hypnos, Thanatos, Hecate, Nemesis, Tyche, Nike, Eris, Eros, Asclepius, Hermes and Persephone. 

To conclude, this eventful committee session was full of betrayals and war. No matter the occasion a few delegates like Demeter and Dionysus stayed loyal to Zeus. Even though a resolution hasn’t been made yet two clear blocs have been formed. The Olympians and the Lesser Gods.