Once upon a time, the gods were young. There was a time when the Titans ruled, when cruel Cronus reigned, when the earth was raw and wild. Time rolled on, and kinder times came to the land. Times when Zeus and Poseidon and Hades walked the earth.
Zeus was the youngest of the three, and the most carefree. He was fair to the mortals and other gods, but he was also unpredictable with his actions. He changed like the wind, but usually he was merciful to those who showed others mercy.
Poseidon was a rogue. He liked his women just as much as Zeus, but he generally chose more wisely. The gods called him moody, and his green eyes were wont to flash in anger just as often as they showed mischievousness. He was a stern god, but those who knew him would call him loyal to a fault.
Hades was dark and brooding. He had little to say, but when he did say something, gods and mortals alike listened. Many felt he was the most dangerous of the three brothers, but no one dared say so.
There was a time when the three were deep in the forest on a hunting party. Alas, not much hunting was being done, for they were locked in a verbal battle, as they have done since time began. It nearly always began the same way.
"Why dost thou have a trident, my brother?" Zeus snapped to Poseidon. "Thou cannot throw it straight and true to the stag's heart. Its hide would be pierced to ribbons, and the stag mangled!"
"Ah, but thou hast no true weapon, Zeus!" Poseidon countered. "It is impossible for thee to settle on any weapon that suits you. Thou mightest have the winds, but they desert thy person at the least breath!"
Hades let the two bicker, until he could stand it no more. "Silence!" When his voice rang out, the very birds hushed. No wolf howled. No mouse scurried by. Even the leaves of the quivering aspen ceased their trembling.
Poseidon scowled but merely said, "And what hast thou to say about this matter, brother?"
"We three are constantly fighting. I grow weary of it. One wishes to control the storms then another fights for the same right. We are gods. We are not foolish mortals. The world is large, but not large enough for all of us. I propose we divide the world amongst us."
"Divide the world?" Zeus asked in astonishment. Such a thing had not occurred to him. "Thou makest sense. What dost thou propose, to make it fair?"
Nodding, Hades leaned back against a tree, ignoring the dryad that fled from him. "The world is large. One must control the Sky, one mightest claim the Oceans, then there is the Underworld. The Land can be parcelled with the other gods and goddesses. We three may claim the largest sections, the largest of all being the Sky."
A mere mortal might think the gods would be able to agree quickly. But the gods are jealous beings, and the bickering grew worse over who might rule the Sky, Oceans and the Underworld. No one wished the Underworld - for then no one knew the true treasures of Darkness.
At last, Hades raised his bident and slammed it onto the ground. Energy rolled from it in all directions and once more there was silence. "Thou art making mine head ache from this foolishness. Come, let us reason together and make an end to this. Let us draw straws."
"Agreed," Poseidon said readily, and with a flourish of godly magic, produced three straws. One was shorter than the others and he declared, "We shall do two rounds. Whosoever pickest the shortest straw of these shall have the realm he pleases. But it should not be I who holds the straws. Thou wouldst say I have not been honourable. Where is Demeter our sister?"
A beautiful woman stepped through the trees and smiled pleasantly at her brethren. "Why hast thou called me, brother Poseidon? I am here, what requirest thou?" When the gods explained the matter over to her, her green eyes shone in excitement. "It is a good plan. I shall be honoured. My only wish is to help the humans, and I desire to be with the plants and flowers I love."
"It shall be done," Poseidon intoned, giving the three straws over to his sister. She carefully hid the ends and proffered them to her brothers.
Zeus's storm grey eyes lit up and he was quick to seize a straw. He stared at it and compared. It was clear. His straw was shortest of all. Energy cracked over his frame as Zeus stated, "I shall claim the kingdom of the Sky. I shall ordain a home for all of us, and name it Olympus. It shall be a safe haven."
Hades' eyes smouldered in jealousy and he tossed his straw away. There would be one more chance, but it was not to be. He drew the long straw and Poseidon became Lord of the Seas. He would be Lord of the Underworld. The Fates had decided. Even a god must bow to them.
The brothers parted ways then, letting Demeter carry the news abroad. The rest could decide what they wished. Zeus reached a hand to the sky and let the wind carry him upwards. The clouds drew about him and the greyness matched his eyes. What should he do now? The rain fell in torrents, but Zeus remained dry. The wind gusted. A few hail pellets scattered across the earth as the young god tried to become one with the storm.
Frustration grew in him as the Sky would not bend to his wants. It seemed to want to make him prove himself as Lord of the Sky. It would not behave. It would not remain the same but threw all it had at the god. The air sang with energy as the tempest grew. At last Zeus wrapped a hand around the very top of the redwood tree he was perched on and reached to stroke the nearest cloud kindly. The Sky would not be demanded upon; it had run too wild with the Titans. When Zeus's hand touched the stormcloud, a great crackling erupted. Fire flashed into his hand but it did not burn. Great booms rolled from the Sky but Zeus had the energy bolt in his hand, embracing its great power. Thus Lightning was born. Zeus was now the true Lord of the Gods, the Sky and from then on, mortals knew him for his Thunderbolt weapon that he hurled upon the unfortunate Earth in his anger.
Topic: Draft 1 by Blue :) (Read 3081 times)