Orb of the Protogenoi

Divided

It was late in the evening when they got back home. They were soaking wet from looking for the boy in the rain. Only seven arrived at the apartment, and the looks on their faces meant that their search was a failure. No one spoke. They were still too speechless from what had transpired. One of them hastily went to his room and the others heard the slamming of a door. One by one, they also decided to head to theirs, until only three remain.

The blond boy quietly sat down on the arm chair and covered his face with his hands. He was a mess.

They were all a mess.

His brother went to him and sat down on the armrest. He put a hand on his back and ran it over to soothe him. The other one went to sit on the sofa and leaned his head back while closing his eyes. For a few minutes, they sat in silence. The room was dim because only the light from the lamp brightens it. Only the sound of ticking from the clock broke the peace every second.

Poseidon continued to rub Zeus' back while he softly said "Don't blame yourself…"

That was one of the things he was thinking. A lot more plague his mind, and some of them were not even connected to the problem at hand. It all just came up out of nowhere.

"It's not your fault, Zeus."

Those words just went in and out of his ears. He knew he was at fault. No matter what they say, he was part of this.

Zeus brought down his hands and stared at the floor. "When I became the king of the gods…I thought life would be better. I had a massive wealth, power over the lands, and women to satisfy my needs. But once, I looked back, and saw my wrongdoings, and that day, I promised to myself that I will change." A small, sad smile crept his lips. "It looks like I'm still a failure…" He stood up and made his way to the platform leading upstairs while Poseidon watched him. He stopped, and staring at his right hand on the railing, he said "Cronus is right. I shouldn't be the one on that throne." He heard footsteps coming near him, and as he was about to look at his brother, a fist landed on his cheek. He fell to the stairs, but he did not look up, just stared at the floor.

"H-Hades!" exclaimed Poseidon as he rushed to the boy on the floor.

"Come on Zeus, say it. Say what you have been wanting to these past hundred years."

Zeus slowly stood up, and he stared at his older brother. "Hades, you should have been the one to rule us." Another fist hit him, and he dropped again.

Poseidon took Hades by the shoulder and said "What the hell Hades?! What's wrong with you?!"

The boy did not look at him but answered "Most of the humans and our kind think that we hated one another to the point that we shall kill each other for the throne. I'm just doing what they expect me too." His eyes went to his. "Come on Poseidon, I know you have been wanting to hit me for a long time. Am I right?"

Poseidon glared at him. "The only reason I want to hit you is you're becoming a jerk!" He let's go of Hades and continued "We shouldn't be fighting like this! If we break down now, what will happen to the goddesses? To Olympus? To the world?" He crouched down and took the younger boy by the shoulders. "What about your sons? They have faith that you'll lead us against them and take back what's ours. They may not show it but they're scared, Zeus. They need their father. They need you."

Zeus, who had been staring at the floor, said "I know that. But that's what I hate about myself, I couldn't be the one to guide them at these times." He stood up and glanced at the windows. "It's you who they look up to. You're smarter, stronger, and you have the qualities of a true lead-" He was cut off by another hit, but instead of falling, he grabbed the railing to hold himself up.