Zeus is still the king of the gods, but he no longer uses his crown to rule the skies. His sons and daughters, his sisters and brothers, they now plan to kill all of those destined to bring forth pain to their world. No one escapes the wrath of his thunderbolt any longer. He glares at his enemy’s dead bodies with the same blue eyes that watched them with wonder eons ago.
Hera loves Zeus with all her heart, but she hates what he has become. She too has succumbed to the pain of the millions of families being separated, all the children who lost their parents, all the parents whose kids were kidnapped and killed. She now is an assassin of false lovers who try to break families apart, but she won’t hesitate to slay a father if a little girl walks up to her and tells her that he beats her.
Poseidon’s earthquakes bring tremors to the minds people he once loved. His kingdom polluted just as much as Zeus’s is. All of the creatures he swore to protect have faded into dust and are now being devoured by the people who don’t deserve it. He brings forth endless squalls to those who’ve lied and decimated his world. He misses the times when the sea was used to explore, but in his free time, he walks the beaches of the Pacific, picking up the trash that people have left behind, hoping for it to not destroy the land he loves anymore.
Demeter remembers the times when her plants were used to replenish nations, but now they are crumbling to dust. The smoke in the air has made her miss the times when she would rule the gardens back in Greece, and though she may miss it, she knows she’s doing right now. She uses her scythe for reaping, though she used to use it for replenishing nations. And for every soul she steals, she replaces their bodies with beautiful plants and delivers the souls to her daughter who she knows would take good care of them. She misses her daughter and Pan. But she knows that one will never come back and the other has too much to do in this somber world.
Ares has seen enough bloodshed to hate what he does, but his addiction thrives strong among many. He uses the weapons of war to strike fear into onlookers who choose to harm people who’ve lost it all in his dance. But he is weak. The trail of blood that he leaves behind is all that remains of his spirit. He is angry. The politicians that use his weapons against the world have no respect for what war really meant. He has slain those who don’t believe, and he picks up those who’ve seen too much. He is the kindest among the few, now.
Athena has made strategies to save millions, but she’s so tired of being wise. She fights with all the people who have been raped, for she will always remember her uncle’s sins years ago, and her father’s as well. She talks to those who have nothing left, and when or if they die, she makes sure Hades’ puts them into Elysium. Because they deserve joy. Her art is no longer seen as beautiful, and the people who bear her spirit are seen as outcasts. But she too is tired of seeing their art on their wrists.
Artemis no longer take care of the moonset, for they’re too busy with their father’s wishes. She resides on rooftops, smoking a cigar as she and her brother snipe their next victims. In the day, Artemis walks the streets alone, her gun hidden. She knows that if she is seen by the police, no one would rescue her. She fears for the other women who have walked the trail too. Her hunters now lay alone in shelters, because she wasn’t able to protect them. She fights beside those who don’t need love and those who are unsatisfied with who they are.
Apollo’s sun chariot had crashed years ago, and Helios is back to bearing his burden. Apollo during the day sings for money because he cannot get any other job. He walks down the boulevard, healing those who are too weak to breathe and cheering up the boy who was beaten by the other kids who’ve tormented for years. And at night, he will lay with his sister on rooftops, talking about those he’s lost and looking at the stars, all the while regretting what he did to Orion so many years ago.
Hephaestus resides far below where Zeus stands, forging and repairing what his family has broken on their endeavors. He is shamed in public, so he doesn’t leave his humble abode any longer, but he won’t hesitate to trap those who’ve shamed the people like him. Whenever he can, though, he builds prosthetics for those who have lost it all in Ares’ acts. While he may despise his wife’s admirer, he will still help him, because the trauma that he is seen is much alike to the trauma his parents gave him long ago, when he was tossed off the world and rendered what he sees as the monster he is now.
Aphrodite’s work has not gotten easier. She remembers her love for her husband and for Ares, but she knows that she won’t be able to see them anymore. While she fights for women who feel unsafe every day, she cries the most every night for the love broken by death, abuse, and betrayal. She has become alike to the sirens, using her body to lure men and women who’ve sinned to their demise, and with each act, her body feels more and more disgusting. She can’t look at herself in the mirror anymore, but she sure as hell will fight for those who hate their bodies as much as she does because all bodies are meant to be beautiful. She just can’t believe that her own ever was.
Hermes doesn’t associate himself with his family anymore. He instead relays warning to those that are innocent but are still targeted by his father. But when given the offer, Hermes will steal what he needs. His family cherishes him for his trickster-like nature but despises him for his morals. He regrets so much of what they’ve done. But he will always protect the people who walk his path. The robin hoods of mankind will always have his blessing. The merchants who’ve lost it all will be given new chances. He believes there's still good in us, in mankind. But Zeus knows he will be like Prometheus. And for that, he may perish.
Dionysus is the man who can get you anything you need. He tends the bar of the gods, and won’t hesitate to drug the sinners of society. He causes madness in a simple glance, and though he may not throw parties any longer, his spirit is as wild as it was years ago. He will always protect the people in society who don’t identify as what they were given because he too was that way. He protects those who deal with depression, anxiety, and any mental illness that is given to the innocents of this world. But he never will hesitate. He knows better.
Hades and Persephone sit together in their throne room, their love undying. They control the punishments of those who’ve harmed, and though Hades may seem dark, everyone who knows the duo knows that if Hades is fucked with, Persephone would be the one to bring forth all of their pain. Cerberus still sits in the underworld, waiting for his master’s return. The rulers of the underworld remain unchanged nonetheless because the afterlife doesn’t change, it expands. They will fight together for the POC who are punished for who they are. And together, they save lives. This wasn’t what they planned.
And Hestia, beautiful Hestia of the hearth, is still on Olympus. She is unaware of what her family has done, but she isn’t naive. But she blocks out all of it, because she believes they will come home soon. She’s prepared all of their favorite foods, she has set up all their favorite songs. She sits waiting. The fire from her palms are the only thing to entertain her, and her voice may be cracked but it still is hopeful. She has become Pandora, and she will protect hope with her life. But she waits for a family that will never come home. And she will be alone for forever. She will never know.
