Beginning

Zeus opened his eyes, urged by the constant change in the surroundings. His heart almost stopped when he saw another woman standing before him, staring at him from a few centimeters away. Upon seeing Zeus wake up, she smiled.

"It seems that you have woken up, Zeus." Bikawo, Hiruzen's wife, said, caressing his few strands of white hair. "Look around, this will your new home."

Despite not wanting to go along with her words, Zeus still complied. It was a pleasant-looking room with wooden walls and one desk in the corner. There was also a window opposite of him, through which Zeus got to see the huge shining moon. 'So, this will be my prison?'

"Also, look this way." Biwako waved, interrupting his line of sight, as she pointed toward a teenager standing a few feet away. The young man had brown eyes, olive skin, short black spiky hair, and a clean face. His clothing consisted of a simple green long-sleeve, and there was a wristband on his forehead with a peculiar symbol. "This is Asuma. He will be your brother from now on. Get along well."

Bikawo hit the teenager with her hand, forcing him to scowl in pain as he slowly made his way toward Zeus. Scratching the back of his head, Asuma reached out with his finger toward the kid. "Hello, Zeus."

'What do you want me to do with your freaking finger? Suck on it?' Zeus cursed internally, trying to imitate his frowning expression to his fullest abilities. Yet, his expression didn't change, and only a strange sound came out from his mouth. 'Fuck me.'

"I think he likes you, Asuma." Bikawo speculated, caressing Asuma's disheveled hair. "Still, this baby is quite strange. Normally, kids would cry until their lungs stopped working when they were just born, but this one seems unusually quiet."

"I have no idea, Mom." Asuma put his hand back into his pocket. "Still, quiet babies are better than others. Don't you think?"

"Certainly." Bikawo beamed a smile, then glanced at lying Zeus. "Alright, let's go and let this baby have some peace of mind. I think we have been pestering it enough."

Nodding, Asuna and Bikawo left through the door that was in the opposite direction from the window. As soon as they did, Zeus tried to force all of his muscle power to stand up. Unfortunately, such a thing turned out to be impossible.

'I need to escape before I am humiliated even further!' Zeus shouted internally, turning his head sideways. There were wooden bars all around him, probably to secure him from falling out of bed. However, right now, they looked even more overwhelming and huge than those in a real cell.

Forcing himself to sway to the left, he gathered his epicenter of gravity on the right, managing to roll his body.

After doing so a few times, his body collided with the bars. Despite being a simple wreck, it hurt more than a full-on swing from Achilles. It really was difficult to get used to being so weak. With some more apprehension, Zeus reached out to grab the bars, only to understand that his hands were too small to even grip them properly.

'The hell I am doing...there is no way I can escape. I can't walk properly or even speak.' Zeus sighed, putting his head back down, and looking at the wooden ceiling looming over him. He had descended from Heaven in order to feel some excitement, yet now he will have to spend a few years trying to adapt to this body.

'Well, at least I won't need to conversate with those pompous gods anymore.' Zeus thought, producing a little smile on his baby face. Of course, it disappeared a moment later, as the realization once again kicked in. 'Alright, I have spent centuries doing nothing, so a few years is nothing. Instead, I should use this time to cultivate my strength.'

And so, Zeus did. He closed his eyes and started scanning his tiny body. Mentally imagining the whereabouts of his organs, Zeus passed through each of them, searching for anything out of distinction. He felt the blood passing through his arteries, keeping him alive, keeping him warm.

His weak heart pumped the blood, being the source of it all. His lungs rose up and down, enabling him to breathe properly. His brain functioned like crazy, allowing him to think and consider. Zeus scanned and scanned, continuing to search for anything irregular until he felt it.

It was weak, barely noticeable, but still present. Unnatural energy passed through his veins, boosting his usual body capabilities. Zeus latched onto this power, twisting and spreading it carefully like a thin thread. He forced it to abide by his command, pushing it toward his fingerprints.

Reaching out towards the ceiling with his hand, he pushed all the spare energy there, and a few strands of lightning ignited at the tip of his fingerprints. They encircled his fingers, playing with Zeus, as if happy to see its destined owner.

'This is a good start.' Zeus thought, feeling the energy seeping away from his body like a river. Perhaps being reborn as a baby wasn't that bad, for he could properly build his own foundation, in the sequestration of this prison.

Turning his head towards the window, Zeus stared at the night sky. Stars shone within it, beautiful and unbothered, uncontrolled by anyone. The wish of a ruler reignited within him, and he smiled bitterly. This was going to be a long road, full of danger and unknown, but exciting nevertheless.

'I shall show this world the power of thunder.' Zeus thought internally, pretending to grasp the moon. 'All shall hail the rule of mine.'

However, when he said those words, there was a moment of awkward silence. A wild stench entered his nostrils. Together with it, his energy was also depleted a lot, so he could barely keep his eyes open.

'Did I just poop myself?' Zeus thought to himself, trying to not breathe the obnoxious smell. 'No, I don't accept this humiliation. This didn't happen if I pretend that everything is alright.'