21 Primordial Gods

Levi stared at Iris with a discomforted expression. After his body was eaten by the angler fish, the Great God Leviathan had returned to Olympus, to learn about 'humans'. When he'd returned, Levi understood why Iris was so knowledgeable.

'So they were the reason Prometheus was punished for all of those eons.. And I learned who Hercules was! She was just pronouncing Heracles' name wrong. I wonder if it's one of those 'language barrier' things she'd talked about before?'

Before Levi could slip down the rabbit hole of his thoughts, Iris spoke; "So? What's the Aquarian Candidate?"

"What have you learned so far?" Levi asked, curious to see if she'd done any of her own research.

"Nothing about what the Aquarian Candidate is," Iris replied sarcastically.

Seeing Levi becoming exasperated himself, Iris stated; "The Greae gifted the power known as 'Pontus' Legacy' to stop the Draconian War. Afterwards, the Undines were given dominion over the ocean currents, to maintain balance and prevent further war. I've also read that the war involved all of the kingdoms, and it had started over resources-"

"That isn't completely true, but continue," Levi interrupted nonchalantly.

"Seriously?! That's the whole foundation to the countless books I've read! The kingdoms basically became too greedy, so the gods gifted the Undines with the power, to regulate the other kingdoms.."

Selena cleared her throat, gaining the other two's attention; "It was far more complicated than that, dear. The Aquarian Kingdoms were stuck in a cycle of never-ending war that was literally threatening to tear the planet apart. Back then, all Aquarians had powers to some extent, and the result was utter chaos."

"Arrogant kings and queens were popping up left and right, claiming to be the true descendants of Poseidon, the fools. The histories all clearly state that the Merfolk are the closest descendants to Poseidon himself. But that is also the reason I assume they weren't picked.."

"Why? Did the original Merman piss him off?" Iris asked, half-joking.

Selena smiled, happy to see Iris finally paying full attention, then continued; "The 'Original Merman', as you put it, was named Triton. The full name of their current king is Atlas Triton. His family has ruled the Merfolk since creation. He is directly related to Poseidon, or so the ancient records say."

Levi perked up at Selena's knowledge; "I'm surprised that such details survived. Where did you learn that from?"

Selena beamed; "I'm an expert in the old language. I've seen most of the ancient texts, and am a regular consultant for the scholars studying them."

Levi smiled just as brightly at Selena as she had at him; "That is impressive. I didn't realize you were so dedicated to you Acolyte duties, or is this a personal interest of yours?"

Selena smirked; "I haven't maintained my position all these years by being dispensable.. I realized at a young age that learning the ancient language would help me in my endeavors."

"Speaking of languages: can one of you two explain why I can understand you, and read your language? I didn't want to say anything; I know I shouldn't look a gifted horse in the mouth, but it's kinda been eating away at me.."

Levi and Selena shared a look before Selena asked; "What's a horse?"

Before Iris could answer, Levi perked up; "Oh! I know what those are! Father made them as gifts for other gods, and apparently the human's world that Iris comes from."

"Oh yeah.. I kinda forgot about that. When I hear the name Poseidon, I automatically think of either the ocean, or a movie that I think I might have a strong aversion to now," Iris shook like she had a chill as she finished.

"I had an interest in Greek Mythology when I was a kid because I had to do a project on Greece.. But who's Pontus? I've never heard that name before."

Levi took a deep breath; "Pontus is a Primordial God. Do you know about the Titans? The siblings that rose up against their father with their mother's aid?

"Are you talking about Zeus, Poseidon, and their other brothers and sisters taking down Cronus?"

Levi chuckled at the happy gleam in Iris' eyes; "No, actually that was the War with the Olympians. I'm talking about Cronus himself. He wanted to rule the Heavens.."

"Once his mother Gaea(Gaia) became furious with his Father for locking away their first-born children within Tartarus, she plotted with her sons to dethrone him."

"Gaea fashioned a flint sickle, and then they removed his, umm... Y-You get the idea-anyway.. Cronus took power, married Rhea, and re-imprisoned the siblings he'd released from Tartarus to aid him.."

Iris quirked her head with a confused expression; "Then who is Pontus?! Why does he matter?!"

"I'm getting there! Supposedly Gaea was faithful to Uranus, but two of their children were clearly different from the rest. Pontus, being the primordial water god, and Uranus being the primordial god of the heavens.."

"Oh!" Selena shrieking upon her realization; "Oceanus and Tethys! They were from Pontus?!"

"Yes.. Gaea couldn't hide her betrayal, and that was what had set Uranus down the road of distrust. If he hadn't of been betrayed, then he might have left his children be.."

"I recognize Oceanus.. Wasn't he the only Titan that completely stayed out of the Titan's war with the Olympians?"

Levi blinked in surprise at Iris; "Yes, you are correct! Like their father, Pontus: Oceanus and Tethys generally stayed out of the affairs of the other gods. Instead, they created the Potamoi and the Oceanids-"

Selena shot up from her seat; "The Oceanids are our ancestors! So, s-so we're related to a Primordial God?!"

Levi chuckled; "Your generation is actually related to both Pontus, and Poseidon. The Fate's Spindle necklaces made sure of that. Some Oceanids and Merfolk were matched eons ago. The only ones that resemble their original ancestors are the Gorgons."

Adjusting his position, Levi continued; "After Zeus rescued the Olympians, and freed the Hecatoncheires and Cyclops from Tartarus; he and a few of the other Titans fought and won against Cronus. It took them over ten-thousand years, but they'd done it-"

'I thought the War of the Titans lasted ten years? Isn't that what Hesiod and Homer wrote? Well, considering how long people lived back then, and how little we understood about space and time.. I guess ten-thousand years would be incomprehensible to the ancient people..'

Hearing Levi say Pontus' name again, she refocused her attention on him as he spoke; "Poseidon was granted dominion over the sea after the war, but he had to get the power to control it: this is where Pontus comes in.."

"When mankind rose up, Poseidon created a world for all the gods' children that resided within the sea, to keep them safe. The power to create an entire world couldn't be done without Primordial Magic, so Poseidon had to go to Pontus. Not being of his direct bloodline, however, Poseidon couldn't directly wield it, so he entrusted it to his relatives that shared a common blood tie-"

"The Greae?" Selena interrupted without realizing it.

Levi beamed at Selena for her enthusiasm; "Correct again! Through Ceto, Oceanus' daughter. They wielded the power until the Draconian Wars began.. The amount of magic being released was affecting the flow of the currents. Causing massive crop failures, earthquakes, and Ray Bursts."

"What's a Ray Burst?" Iris asked, never having heard the term before.

Selena chimed in; "That's because you haven't experienced one yet. It's when our Star rotates abnormally close to our planet during it's cycle."

Iris unintentionally scoffed; "Sorry to tell you this, but planets rotate around stars, not the other way around-"

Levi chuckled; "Not here. The planet is eight times larger than the sun. It has to be to hold all the different creatures and species that live here. Krakens aren't the biggest creatures here.."

Iris sat in silence for a moment as she processed what she'd learned. 'That still defies the laws of Physics, but hey: when in Rome..'

After a few minutes had passed, Iris looked at Levi as she motioned with her hands; "So the Greae gave the Undines the power, but how did that stop the other races from having magic?"

Selena leaned forward slightly as she spoke; "That was the Pact of the Greae. They could only pass the power to the Undines if all of the other gods agreed to seal their children's powers. Each offered a drop of blood. As the drops build on top of each other, they crystallized, and turned into a crown.. The Aquarian Crown."

"Is it that Tiara thing I never wear?!" Iris asked nervously, recalling the multiple times she'd knocked the surprisingly heavy thing onto the floor.

Levi and Selena both chuckled at her anxious expression, then Levi answered; "No, that's not the real one. It's just a ceremonial head piece. The real one was lost shortly after the Draconian war ended."

His appearance turning serious, Levi added; "There is a Prophecy that says 'when old mistakes are made anew, a Candidate to the crown will appear. When their Labors are acknowledged by the gods, the Heir will be proven. Bringing eternal peace and hope to creation'..."

Iris was blankly staring at the tiny god in shock when she commented; "'Labors', hmm? Where's Hercules when I need him?"

Levi cleared his throat; "Ah, it's actually Heracles.."