Chapter 5

Sing, O Muses, of the Titan's reign,

Before the gods, in the golden dawn's domain.

Gaia stirred from her slumber deep,

As ancient tales and legends keep.

Bound with her in a cosmic dance,

Ouranos ruled with regal stance.

His allure captured Gaia's heart,

Defying ancient laws' depart.

But love's embrace defied the norm,

As Gaia birthed, against the storm.

Cursed with singular eyes they came,

In monstrous form, they bore their shame.

Ouranos, enraged, cast them away,

To Tartarus' depths, where shadows sway.

"Never again," his decree did sound,

Yet Gaia's cries did still resound.

"Husband, blame not my hand,

But fate's script, where destinies stand.

Thy lineage cursed, tainted by lore,

No pure offspring from you evermore."

Saddened, Ouranos, in morose,

Cursed Gaia with words of pain.

"Forge twelve gods, pure in their might,

Free from flaws, bathed with cosmic light."

True to him, Gaia did comply,

From ancient essence, the Titans did fly.

Twelve emerged, untouched by strife,

In their veins flowed eternal life.

Thus, the Titans rose, in celestial grace,

In the vast expanse of cosmic space.

No grotesque flaws did mar their reign,

As they stood, unblemished, free from stain.

So sing, O Muses, of this tale divine,

Of Titans forged in ancient time.

Their legacy echoes through ages past,

A song of power that forever lasts.

.....

Kampe body lies dead before us. Her head rolls below us, unshed tears sparkle in her eyes. We stop to catch our breath. Fear melts into relief. 

A little bubble rises within me. Laughter spews between my teeth. My left arm burns with a dull ache, raw and pink underneath the metal iron that encases it.

Sparks spit from the ruined armor encasing my injured limb, tempting me to strip away the bulky metal tomb that confines me. But despite the urge to rid myself of this cumbersome burden, I resist the temptation, knowing that now is not the time.

The redskin jumps next to me, "My liege, what do we do?"

I blink, trying to concentrate though the haze of pain. "We need t-"

Nest to me a voice like thunder sends shivers through me. I glance around and spot the hulking monstrosity. He was large, over 30 feet of hulking mass draped in dark robes. From underneath the robe I spotted multiple lights whirling and pointing disjointedly, additionally small ticking noises could heard.

"Who art thou?" The mass asks in a slow sluggish accent as though unused to speech.

I pause. Unnerved by the sudden appearance of this being. "I am Zeus. Son of K- Rhea, I was sent he-"

"Rhea." A voice boomed above me. "Sister." 

I whirled around to find, a similar looking being looking down on me from on high. Seriously, how are they doing that?

"Art thou her offspring?" the second figure questions.

"Yes." I respond. This was not the reception I had anticipated. Perhaps a little gratitude perhaps, for killing their jailer?

"Kampe is dead." I continue, "I was sent here by Gaia to rescue you."

"Ah, Gaia. Mother. Creator. Scu-." Another voice boomed to my left.

"Deceiver!" the second voice interjects, halting the third. "Along with her deceptive spawns."

The third voice booms angrily, "She played no part in that."

"Yet she made no effort to halt it." the second voice retorts.

"She slumbered, brother." The second says indignant.

"Bah!" scoffs the third, turning away in disgust. "That excuse is ever the same. Until, of course, she hath need of us. Then she recalls us. First was scythe, then the jammers."

He turns to me, the sound of whirling cogs filling the air, lights blinking in and out from under his robes. "So what doth she seek from us this time? Boy."

Before I can respond, the first being interjects with a commanding voice that brooks no argument. "Enough!"

The sudden silence that follows is deafening, save for the faint whirring noises emanating from the figures of the three beings before me. The weight of their collective presence bears down upon me like a tangible force, leaving me feeling small in their midst.

For a moment, none of us speak, the air heavy with tension, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air like a thick fog.

Finally, the first being, whom I perceive as their leader, breaks the silence. "My brother, Steropes, speaks true in his assessment."

The third being makes to speak, but is abruptly cut off when a metal hand pokes out from underneath the robes, silencing him.

"However," the leader continues, "he could have displayed less brashness. Thou hast indeed rid us of the foul presence of the beast, and at great cost to thyself."

He gestures with his metallic hand toward the fallen redskins that carpet the floor.

"Uncles," I step forward, hoping to take charge of the situation. 

But before I can continue, the third being, Steropes, interjects with a tone laced with disdain. "We share no kinship with thee, no more than we do with the vile sky-king."

His words hang heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the divisions that still exist between us despite our shared ancestry. Though I had hoped to bridge the gap and find common ground, it seems that the wounds of the past run deep, their scars still fresh in the minds of these ancient beings.

"You were born from the great mother's womb herself, as was my mother." I reply to him, "I think that is kinship enough."

I turn back to the first one.

"We may not share blood, but we share a common enemy," I assert, my voice firm with conviction. "Kampe was a threat to you, and I have vanquished that threat. Now, we must focus on what lies ahead and find a way to unite our forces against the greater dangers that await us."

"Thy sire." He says to my astonishment.

"How did you-"

"Such is the course of life. To ascend, a man must consume his progenitor and claim his vigor as his own." Though I could not see underneath the robes, I could have sworn he smiled.

"I- I suppose." I stammer, not knowing what to say to that.

"From whose loins dost thou emerge?" he asks, his tone expectant, though I sense that he already knows the answer.

"I am the son of Kronos," I reply, my voice steady despite the turmoil raging within me. "But I am also my own man." I add.

Steropes laughs, a harsh booming sound that sends visible waves through the air, "His own man, he says. Dost thou hear so, Arges?" he jeers, casting a derisive glance towards the second figure. 

"Enough of this Steropes." Arges replies haughtily.

But Steropes pays no heed to Arges's admonition, his laughter continuing unabated, the whirring noises from under his robes ring louder. It's as if he takes pleasure in our discomfort, reveling in the power he holds over us with his mocking words and derisive laughter.

For a moment, I am taken aback by Steropes's callousness, unsure of how to respond to his taunts. But beneath the surface, a flicker of defiance begins to stir within me, a refusal to be cowed by his mockery.

"Yes, I am my own man," I snap, my words cutting through the tension like a blade. "You have suffered much at the hands of my father, that much is true. But so have I."

I turn to look each one of them in the, eye? My gaze steady and unyielding.

"Kronos has gone mad with power," I continue, my voice ringing with conviction. "Many years ago, as he laid low the dreaded sky-king, he was forewarned that such would be done to him as well, by his own children nonetheless. And when each and every single child was born to him by my mother Rhea, he tore their essence from their flesh, casting them into the depths beneath his mountain."

As the weight of my words hangs heavy in the air, I sense a shift in the atmosphere.

"So yes, I know your pain," I assert, my voice unwavering as I address each of them in turn. "Ride with me. Let us all gather, those who have suffered the unending spite of the Titan-king. And when we are done, I promise, never again will you suffer the darkness."

"Thy sire made similar pledges." the leader said, his voice tinged with skepticism.

"I am not my father," I reply firmly, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination. "Test me as you wish, but know that I harbor no ill thoughts for you."

Arges steps forward, his usually reserved demeanor replaced by a newfound assertiveness. "Wilt thou maintain such sentiments when confronted with our true visage?"

With one swift motion, Arges rips off his robes, revealing a 30 foot tall patchwork of machinery and cybernetic enhancements beneath. Gears and electricity lines intertwine with one another, while multiple cybernetic hands stretch out, clasping and grabbing at empty air. The blinking lights I had seen underneath the robes now illuminate the grotesque spectacle before me.

"Mother's mercy." whispers the redskin beside me.

Beneath the mechanical facade lies a mass of raw pink flesh, a horrifying amalgamation of man and machine. It is a tiny slurry of meat ensconced within the metallic exoskeleton, with one lone golden eye peering out at me with a strange defiance, as though daring me to recoil in horror at its abominable presence.

I do not.

In a realm where divine perfection reigns, where beauty amongst the gods is as common as dirt, there exists no room for ugliness; it is merely a matter of whose beauty eclipses the rest. In such a world, beings such as they would indeed seem as nightmares brought to life.

"It matters not what form you take," I declare, my voice steady despite the unsettling sight before me. "What matters is the strength of your spirit and the conviction of your heart."

I step towards him, barely half his height, and look him straight in the eye. "A man's measure is not how he looks, but what he does."

I meet each of their gazes in turn, refusing to falter under the weight of their scrutiny. "We stand at a crossroads," I continue, my words ringing with determination. "Together, we can forge a new path, one free from the shadows of the past."

The leader, his metallic hand raised in a gesture of contemplation, regards me with a newfound curiosity. "Thou speakest with conviction, son of Kronos," he acknowledges, his voice echoes with a sense of respect. "Perhaps there is more to thee than meets the eye."

I nod, a sense of relief washing over me at his words. "I seek only to bring about change," I reply earnestly. "To break the chains of the Titan-king's rule and unite the galaxy under a better one."

Silence falls over us once more, the weight of our shared history hanging heavy in the air. But amidst the tension, there is also a glimmer of hope, a sense of possibility for a brighter future.

"Very well," the leader finally concedes, his metallic hand extends. "We shall ride with thee, Zeus, Son of Kronos. Together, we shall forge a new destiny under the stars."

I grasp his hand.