Bend Game

Olympus during wartime hardly suffered any change, attributing to Zeus' unshakable confidence. Dionysus walked in without even so much as a road bump getting in his way. Soon he was presented before their king, who, contrary to his prior announcement, looked nowhere near forgiving.

"Did you come to renounce your treachery? Have you at least brought a traitor's head with you?" Zeus inquired hotly, disappointed at the turnout of his benevolent offer. It was pretty much given that Dionysus, who hated conflict more than hangover, would have this change of heart.

"No, my king, but I brought something better," the party god replied, before producing the Antigod potion from his chlamys.

Zeus stared at the item with wonder. He vacated his throne to get a closer look, which he rarely did during audiences. The concoction brimmed with magic so potent, it was hardly contained by its spelled receptacle. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, your highness, the one true weapon the Underworld had against you—now your victory is certain."

"Are you saying that it was not before?"

The Bluetooth glint in Zeus' eyes caused Dionysus to squirm. He answered the opposite of what was obvious, "More certain than certain, my lord—apologies."

Thankfully, Zeus was too taken by the potion to stay cross. He lusted after the bottled power before him, thinking feats he could do with it in advance. "It's hard to imagine Hades blundering this much… Are you certain that this is the genuine article?"

"Yes, my king, Hecate and I brewed it ourselves, there is no mistaking it. There is but one minor issue…"

"And what is that?"

"The potion was brewed specifically for you… it will not work against another." Upon finishing, Dionysus bowed his head back, both in apology and fear of reprisal. As invested over and over, Zeus had enough power to pulverize anyone dead.

Doubtful, the godking decided to give the tonic a whiff. But Dionysus, knowing its potency stopped him. This unfakable display of compassion finally rested Zeus' concern, absolving the wine god of treason before dismissing court. He then headed straight to his chambers to retire, and mayhap contemplate on matters still at hand.

Inside, he was joined by his wife, Hera, who congratulated him for his imminent victory. "This war is as good as ours." She started caressing him all over, and Zeus knew that reprieve was no longer in the menu. "I believe a celebration is in order…" The goddess clapped her hands and a choir of Muses filed into the room, instantly disrobing before them.

Zeus being Zeus, charged up and indulged them all.

***

Meanwhile, back in the Underworld, the war council was up in flames. Lesser beings couldn't care less about a whatchamacallit tincture, but the ones who knew the stakes were indisposed of its theft. Without the Anti-Zeus potion, it wasn't just a long shot to beat the mightiest of them all, it was suicide. Even with the Cronkris still in their armory, they were facing an uphill battle that scaled with Olympus itself.

But within this riled convention, Hades sat calm and pretty, immersing in the chaos that was amusing only to himself. He waited until before Poseidon skewered a bitching Hecate, and Demeter was about to cause another walkout drought, to unveil his twist. "Shut up and listen!" he exclaimed with a slam of his fist. When he got everyone's attention back, he slipped his hand from under his sleeve, where he withdrew another vial of Anti-Zeus.

"Is that the potion?" Poseidon asked. Beside him, Hecate needn't even question it; she knew the exact composition of her own brew.

"You can all rest easy…" Hades said as he stowed the concoction back away. "I needed to bait a traitor within our ranks, so I set a little snare."

Ginrius raised his hand. "What if there wasn't one to begin with?"

It was a pointless question, one rife of naivete and inexperience. But Hades chose celebration over reproach when he gleefully said, "There's always a traitor, son—it runs in the family."