Chapter 6

Greek Gods

Zeus - King of the Greek gods
Hera - Queen of the Greek gods, sister and wife of Zeus
Hades - god of the underworld, brother of Zeus
Poseidon - god of the sea, brother of Zeus
Demeter - goddess of harvest and fertility of the earth, sister of Zeus
Aphrodite - Daughter of Zeus and Dione, Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality
Artemis - Daughter of Zeus and Leto, goddess of the hunt, the moon, and chastity
Athena - Daughter of Zeus and Metis, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
Ares - Son of Zeus and Hera, god of war
Apollo - Son of Zeus and Leto - god of the sun and light, music and poetry, healing and plagues, prophecy and knowledge, order and beauty, archery and agriculture.
Dionysus - Son of Zeus and Semele - God of the vine, grape-harvest, wine-making, wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, theatre
Hephaetus - Son of Zeus and Hera - god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture.
Hermes - Son of Zeus and Maia - Messenger of the gods, god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, border crossings, guide to the Underworld
Eris - Daughter of Zeus and Hera - minor goddess of discord and strife
Deimos - son of Ares, twin of Phobos - god of dread
Phobos - son of Ares, twin of Deimos - god of fear

Ephus - the godling man with an unusual power.
Dr. Quinn - human wife of Ephus

Egyptian Goddesses and wives to Ephus

Bast - Goddess of cats, protection, joy, dance, music, family, and love
Sekhmet - Goddess of fire, war, and dance
Hathor - Goddess of the sky, dance, love, beauty, joy, motherhood, foreign lands, mining, music and fertility.
Serket - Goddess of scorpions, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites
Maat - Goddess of Truth and Justice
Tefnut - Goddess of Rain, Air, Moisture, Weather, Dew, Fertility, and Water

Brothers of Bast and Sekhmet

Thoth - God of knowledge
Sobek - God of the Nile, the Army, military, fertility and of crocodiles
Anhur - God of war and the sky bearer - Full brother of Bast and Sekhmet
Horus - Ancient God of the sky and kingship
Min - God of fertility
Khonshu - God of the Moon
Apophis - God of Chaos and darkness
Shu - God of the wind and air

Ephus walked in pissed as hell. Ares, all this had the feeling of him. The more he thought about it the more upset he got.

He was still of a mind to do nothing for them, nothing more than he had already. With the stubbornness the males had shown, he was almost convinced that all the males were insane. Hell, even Zeus had refused to listen to a single thing he said.

Closing his eyes, he had to calm, he was nothing like them nor did he want to even remotely be. Opening his eyes a few moments later he saw that Eris was hiding in a corner as far from him as she could get.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to her bending to help her up.

“I am sorry Eris; I am feeling that none of them really want my help. Nor do I feel that they are really that anxious to survive.” Ephus told her as she stood.

Shocked a moment Eris stated, “I am afraid that I am not much help to you. Considering what I have done in the past, I am sure they only wish to destroy me.”

“Unfortunately, I can only agree with you. Can you tell me about this hold Ares has on you? At least enough that I will know a little of what to expect?” Ephus asked.

Eris thought about it a few moments seeming to be at war with herself. “Anything I tell you; he will be able to find out later. Know that I am his ‘til he releases me. I have no choice in the matter. Though it was great satisfaction when I saw that you taught him a lesson. It has been a very long time since that has happened.”

Ephus was nodding, though knowing Ares as he thought he did, it was going to take a lot more. Ephus shook his head, he really didn’t think he had THAT long.

“I know you have no real love for the Olympus realm. I am starting to be of the same mind as you. Are they really that stupid and petty that they don’t want the help?” An irritated Ephus asked.

A small smile appeared on Eris’s pale lips, “Not as much stupidity as pride. I have noticed that many times the males were too proud to ask for help of the others. All of them agreeing? That has only happened a very few times.” Here Eris’s head dropped, “I am afraid that Ares banishment, subsequently mine also, were one of those times.”

Ephus was still nodding, though his eyes were wide hardly able to believe that they had banished Eris.

Aphrodite appeared beside a large columned building. Hmmm she thought, so these humans still used the god type of building style. Passing through the walls she appeared in a rather large room with many people.

“Athena?” She asked as soon as she saw her sister.

“Shhh!” Athena quieted her. “The grand human at the highest point is about to pass judgement. I am so glad that they still try to govern themselves with adequate laws. Nothing as good as our system, though far better than any other I have seen in this dimension.”

A moment later the judgement was passed, Athena smirked then turned toward her sister. “So sister, what brings you to see me? Especially in these surroundings? I know for a fact that you detest this room most of all.”

Aphrodite blushed with a tinge of anger a moment. “I had a visitor earlier, our father’s wife.” Athena’s eyes narrowed as she searched her sister for anything or one controlling her.

“Hera!” Athena hissed. “What did that pathetic bitch want?” Aphrodite nodded, though she had backed away a bit at Athena’s venom.

“She proposed an end to the hostilities between all of us.” Aphrodite told her sister.

A smirk crossed Athena’s face as she stared at her sister. “Oh, this should be rich. Again, all I can say is, what did that pathetic bitch want, REALLY want. You know she’s never done a thing for any of us.”

“Well,” Aphrodite started. “I actually brought her here with me. I---”

“You WHAT!” Athena shouted causing the building to tremble a bit. “There is really nothing I want to hear from her. I---.”

“Sister!” Aphrodite shouted to get over her sister’s voice. This caused Athena’s mouth to drop open. Her sister never raised her voice to her, Hera must have come crawling to Aphrodite to gauge a reaction like this.

“Alright, you have my attention, what did she have to say that has you so passionate about this.” Looking Aphrodite up and down she added, “well more passionate than usual.”

“Well,” Aphrodite started as Athena sat, this was going to take a while if Aphrodite was taking this long.

Almost a half an hour later a still smirking and non-believing Athena still hadn’t said a word. Finally finished, Athena started to speak when they both heard Hera’s voice behind them.

“So, is that enough or do you want more assurances?” Hera’s voice stated.

Athena’s face momentarily slipped to anger then faded to a more thoughtful one.

Back in the Olympus realm Zeus was shaking his head at his sons. Had they all fell so far that they were above all others? ‘No,’ he thought, ‘it had just been so long that they had forgotten how hard it was so far back then.’

Well, he and the rest of his family. Zeus was about to speak again when another male appeared this one looking a lot like Zeus.

“Brother,” Zeus stated then a female appeared with a scowl on her face. Zeus was about to speak to her when a second male appeared.

This one though, had a severe look on anger on his face. All three were staring at Zeus their anger appearing to grow the longer they stood there.

“My siblings, why are you here? I---.” Zeus started

“As if you don’t know why we are here!” The last male almost shouted. Reaching out the male swung a trident in an arc toward Zeus.

Catching it Zeus was barely able to stop it. “Poseidon! What are you doing? You should be helping.”

Growling Poseidon drew back his trident ready to attack again. “The only chance we have to be normal again and you act stupid! You wouldn’t even listen to the godling. Help you? No, I wish to knock the stupid out of you. Here you have almost half your power back, yet you act like you want no more. Be glad you have as much as you do or I would be using you as something to beat upon!”

“We know you are proud Zeus, though in this case you should have shut up! I for one, am tired of being as weak as I am.” The first male stated.

“Hades, I cannot allow,” Zeus started.

Both brothers moved aside as the female, Demeter, moved forward. In a very calm voice she stated, “Brother. I also do not wish to remain this weak. You need to fix this, that or you might find that there is no longer any support from your family. I have also heard that our sister, your wife is even more displeased with you than usual.”

Zeus shivered a moment as he looked at the three of his siblings. No one had gone against him in a very long time, he’d rather keep it that way if possible.

Shaking his head Zeus sighed, this entire situation was starting to spiral out of hand. As angry as Ephus was when he left he wasn’t sure he could fix it.

“I am unsure just what exactly I can do at this point.” Zeus told the three before him.

Poseidon marched up to Zeus getting in his face. “You better think of something brother; I still say that I can beat you. Are you sure that you want to truly find out?”

A small smile crossed Zeus’s lips that was quickly fading as Poseidon growled at Zeus.

“Fix this brother, do not make the three of us have to get more involved than we are. You wouldn’t like the results!” Hades said as he punched Zeus in the stomach. “You might have almost half your power, you are still weak from trying to keep this realm together.”

All three of them gave Zeus a furious look, then they all vanished. His four sons came from the doorway of the building.

“Father? Were they all that upset with you?” Hephaestus asked a look of concern on his face.

“I am afraid so, as are your sisters. As I told all of you earlier, we might all have to apologize to the godling. Rather Ephus, if I remember right he is more human in his way of thinking. His actions might be the same also.” Zeus confessed to his sons rubbing his stomach where Hades had punched him.

“Is there anything that we can do to aid you father?” Hermes asked.

“For the moment I think that you four should stay out of it. You and Hephaestus most of all.” Zeus told Hermes. “The two of you have angered him the most at the moment. I haven’t helped much in the area either.”