Chapter 78: Calm Before the Storm (823 BC)

Chapter 78: Calm Before the Storm (823 BC)

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823 BC, Korinthos

(Medusa POV)

It's been almost two decades since Zeus tried and failed to kill me. It was quite the pathetic attempt, to be honest. He thought he could kill me the same way he killed his father, assuming that we were as strong as each other. Unfortunately for him, Kronos was barely more than a child in the eye of an Atlantean, and I was a recognized master in runes and was as skilled as some masters in other fields. It was like thinking he could kill a lion since he was successful in killing a housecat.

It was a shame that Zeus chose the hero Perseus to have the honor of slaying me; I was quite fond of his story. I did send a substantial amount of gold to his wife and son, because I was feeling bad about him getting caught in one of my schemes. They're living quite comfortably in Athens Not that it mattered now, the man was dead and Zeus was cursed.

My curse wasn't quite as debilitating as it seemed. It only bound any kind body magic from recipient which meant that while Zeus kept his magic, thus his control over air and lightning, he was physically as strong as a normal human and did not have the usual healing factor that all of his fellow Olympians possessed. However, a side effect of body magic that was usually unnoticed was that it allowed the user to channel magic easier through his body, which meant that with it gone, Zeus had a harder time casting any spell. For the first time in his life, Zeus was powerless. I hoped to do so would help him understand how similar he was to a normal man, and how his actions as a king have affected thousands of people. It was a lesson in humility he needed, which was why I conditioned the curse. If he ever becomes worthy of becoming king, the curse will lift and he shall regain his former power. Not that he seems to be getting any better, the only difference was that the so-called king of gods has been a lot less impulsive lately. At least he learnt something. Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

In other news, everyone bought that I had died. Even the citizens of Korinthos noticed my absence, but they had learnt to adapt without me and became self sufficient easily enough; I was never a hands-on ruler. I told my daughters just after it happened of course, but they weren't bothered, really. They were too busy with their lives and their children and I really hope they would live long and fulfilling lives. In the end, I returned back home with Hestia and continued our life together.

It was nice and for the first time in years, I was content. Korinthos was safe after I decided to put some intent wards on the city. The centaurs and Satyrs deter most travelers but they couldn't hope to handle a single Olympian. My wards, on the other hand, did have enough power to do so. After all, Zeus had ordered some of his children to invade the city and they were stopped by the wards. Following their failures, he ordered some of his Olympian children to do the same, with the same result. After a while, he just gave up on Korinthos, accepting that the wards that I supposably had powered at the cost of my life, were indestructible.

All that was left was to rest and relax with my beloved. Speaking of Hestia, she had scolded me when she realized that I cursed Zeus. She was scared that he would do something stupid since he thought he was weakened. I did reassure her that I would handle anything he would do, and that if he goes too far, I might just kill him. She wasn't happy with me in the slightest and we ended up fighting for months about it. We ended up reconciliating and just ignored the issue. It wasn't healthy but it is was it is.

But his body was driving him insane, he was always afraid. If he was attacked, he would be as good as dead. Hell, if he was caught in an accident, he would likely perish as well. This constant anxiety was slowly turning him mad and there was nothing he could ever do to reverse the effect.

To clear his head, he decided to take a walk in the middle of nowhere. There were no people around for miles and that suited him nicely. He walked with what could be hours, thinking of way of prolonging the inevitable, his family's discovery of his weakness, when he heard a noise, "Mighty Zeus, king of gods, I'm here to bargain."

Zeus was startled, he hadn't sensed the man. Nevertheless, he ignored his surprise at being recognized and spoke, "Speak up, mortal, and I shall consider it."

For the first time, Zeus took a look at the man. He was a relatively old man, with a long white beard that was hunched over. He was wearing a purple robe and was wielding a green staff carved to look like a serpent. But what was most striking were his eyes. They glowed with red. There was something fundamentally wrong with the man, he could instinctively sense it but could not put into words.

The man smiled and presented his offer, "My liege, my name is Herpo and I was the student of the mighty Typhon, the father of monsters before he perished." That gained his attention, somewhat. Hestia had spoken of Typhon, the Atlantean that wanted to kill the Olympians and was later killed by Medusa. "As Typhon's student, he told me of your true origins, that you are not true gods."

Before he could smite the man in front of him, "But that can be changed. I have found a method to turn you into true gods."

Zeus was stunned, and couldn't help but ask, "How?"

Herpo smiled at him, "Gods are beings of pure energy, of pure magic. One must be born a god. However, a being with a body cannot absorb that much magic to ascend into a being of energy, but they can house something else, souls. Souls are energy, they are life. I'm not saying that we kill hundreds of people and retrieve their souls, because we don't need to. The number of people that worship you, and pray for your blessing grants you a certain link to them. Imagine hundreds of thousands of small shards of souls empowering you, the stronger their faith, the stronger you become, which means that you, king of gods, shall be the strongest. That's the ritual I have designed. In the end, your worshippers will be fine, if a bit tired for a few months but other than that they should survive."

This sounded like it was too good to be true, a way to become a true God and survive his current situation. But he had to be careful, "you said that it was a bargain. What do you wish in return?"

"I wish to join you, of course. I have been pursuing immortality ever since Master Typhon perished. I am not an Atlantean and am just as mortal as any other man. I found a way to turn myself immortal, but in doing so, I have cursed myself. Now more than ever, I fear death. This is my last chance. I have the ability to possess other bodies and all I ask is that you allow me to take over one of your subjects. For the ritual to work, I will need to be worshiped, so please make it a popular god. Allow me to ascend with you, to escape Death, and I shall serve you faithfully until the rest of my days."

Zeus grinned inwardly, this worked out perfectly after all. He could get rid of one of his strongest oppositions and ascend into a god at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

"Herpo, I will grand you your request. You shall take over for my brother, Hades. Now let us discuss of the specifics of the ritual."