God of Lightning

Hercules still didn’t find the story to be that funny, but something about Zeus’ laugh and amusement had Hercules shortly laughing along. “Hopefully it wasn’t someone’s pet that had run away or anything. Truthfully, I’m not even sure what they ended up doing with it. But I think you’re onto something. Maybe we should’ve changed our team name and logo to a cat. Maybe it’s good luck.” 

“Let’s hope that the cat found its home or has found a home,” Zeus put two fingers to the air as if to give a silent blessing to the cat. “On Olympus, whenever an animal came close to any of our games, we embodied that animal and played to the best of our ability...” He paused for a moment and then said. “And that’s how the mascot was born,” He chuckled. 

Soon after her little outburst, Wendy realized how rude she probably sounded. She shook her head a little bit, giving him a small apologetic smile. “No- it doesn’t startle me. I apologize for my little outburst. That was terribly rude of me. What you said makes complete sense. But I think that is one of the things so wonderful and magical about stories, about good stories. Even though things are rapidly changing, the heart of a story remains this universal thing that people from all times can connect with. It’s like a time capsule for how the world once was, while at the same time showing us that we really haven’t changed all that much.”

Zeus was a little taken aback by the young woman’s fiery nature, but he was impressed. Way to stick it to the man, as they said. “Nonsense!” He smiled reassuringly. “You’re simply standing your ground, as one should. You believed that I thought your story was a mockery, just a simple misunderstanding,” He reassured her with a nod. “Huh, you know, I’ve never seen of it that way. Tell me, are you a storyteller? A historian perhaps?” 

Drew couldn’t help but to blow out a puff of air, practically being able to picture the milkshake going everywhere, especially as the man was right. She was gonna put some power behind that through if Drew was right. “Shit, mate. I’m going to be in for a bloody fucking mess. But I doubt there’s any stopping it at this point,” he said with a bit of a shrug. Drew was extremely observant, and everyone in town knew about Zeus and Hera. Though he didn’t care much either way, he was sure this man new quite a bit about blow up fights.

Zeus looked over at the couple, and he knew these kinds of fights all too well. Sure, he was lucky enough to anticipate and duck, sometimes, he wasn’t so lucky and this poor sap in front of them, was not going to be so lucky. “At this point, any intervention will get this lady to snap. But here’s the thing,” He pointed out. “He’s undermining her. You see how relaxed and nonchalant she looks? He’s questioning her power. Which, take it from someone who had his ass handed to him on a platter, the last thing you want to do is that. He’ll be lucky to leave with just a milkshake on him.” 

“We’ll see.” Hera smirked with a wink as she played coy however she knew already that there was something about Zeus that was already getting her. He did seem different at least different to the things she had heard about him. Although Hera wasn’t ready to tell him that just yet oh no she really had to be sure and to do that she had to keep him working. It was one thing to work for it for a little bit but if it was too easy well she could get duped. At his words she audibly gasped. “Oh wow.” Her eyes were bright with wonder and surprise. “This… it’s amazing.” When asked to join him she nodded and followed to the elegantly set up blanket. She would be lying if she said it’s hasn’t crossed her mind what it would be like being a Kolasi, a queen no less. Sure she came from one of the great Titan families she helped in the war and her name held weight in Olympus but nowhere near what theirs did for good reason. They saw and did what the rest couldn’t bear to. “So Zeus.” Hera grinned as she munched on a snack from the picnic blanket. “Tell me something about yourself no one else knows.” 

“Yes, we shall,” Zeus smirked at the woman, eyeing her up and down. It wasn’t in a flirtatious way, but it was more of a ‘damn woman, you’re gonna give me a run for my money’ type of look. Hera was powerful in her own right, she had her head held high, always looked straight on, she was a queen in her own right, but Zeus wanted her to be his queen. He wanted to love and rule Olympus beside her, but she was going to make him work for it, and with good reason--and he’d do whatever it takes to win her heart. Watching her eyes light up in wonder, her smiled, Gods, she was a beautiful goddess. “It admittedly took a few times to get this to light up the way it needed to, I hope it’s to your liking,” He nodded with a smile. As he sat down, he looked over to her as he took his own snack and looked over to her. With sincerity, he said, “Although I’ve adjusted to the fame and grandeur of being king...I don’t always enjoy it,” He admitted to Hera. “I miss the freedom of sailing the skies, truthfully.”

“Wasn’t that christ thing like before you two started dating?” Hades asked. “It’s hard to keep up I mostly deal in deaths so the land of the living plays a small part in my roles I don’t keep much track of it.” Hades shrugged nonchalantly. He was really not entirely vested in the comings and goings of the mortal realm unless it affected the underworld. “Maybe if you didn’t try to tell your peace in the heat of arguments or when it would serve to end your humiliation then people might believe you.” Hades offered. It was something he’d noticed anyways and after millenia of Zeus’s giant tantrum things he spewed in the heat of arguments weren’t exactly things he was inclined to believe. 

“Christ came right after our marriage,” Zeus recalled and then crossed his arms. “For the love of Gaia, that was so long ago. Imagine to my surprise at Pluto’s humiliation that the mortal escaped his realm and was exalted to godlihood,” He laughed, shaking his head, remembering the fall of the Roman pantheon. Serves them right for their arrogance, especially Jupiter. He was a dick. The man let out a rather heavy sigh, shaking his head. “Well, how else am I supposed to express myself? There is no time than in the heat of the moment. I am not going to say it while we’re in the middle of eating a hearty breakfast, how rude is that to bring such a thing up?” He scoffed, shaking his head. 

“Oh I’m well aware.” Heare smirked. “I am friends with your brother after all.” The only Kolasi who didn’t seem to act like he walked on water, Hera had been on a few dates with Hades until they realized they were better as friends. Zeus however… well she had always thought he was the handsome one but then again so had more than half of Olympus and the mortal realm and the way he walked he knew it. Hera knew if she wasn’t careful she could get hurt but boy was she already getting caught up in him. “We are here and yet I am still not entirely sure why. Do you feel like cluing me in at any time soon?” Her eyes were alight as she smiled up at him doing her best to keep him on his toes. “Or am I supposed to trust you because I’m not sure if I do just yet don’t go getting ahead of yourself.” 

“Aside my older brother,” Zeus pointed out, “I don’t want to use the cliche ‘I’m different’ monologue to try and woo you but, looks can be deceiving,” he ended with a smile. Sure, Zeus was a flirt, but he wasn’t a ridiculous flirt like his brother Poseidon, but he also wasn’t as reserved as Hades either. He was a normal middle ground, went on dates, but knew when things didn’t work out, but with being in the limelight, all of that was publicized so it was no surprise that he was seen as a playboy right next to his older brother. He secretly hated it. Zeus looked over at Hera with a smirk as the trees began to light up to reveal a picnic. “I told you, it was worth the wait. Care to join me? And I promise, I’ll be on my very best behavior.” 

It was a pretty busy day at the Shake Shack. Drew for the most part was hanging around, monitoring how everything was going and would step in when he needed to. He currently was wiping down the Milkshake bar, but was keeping that keen eye of his on a couple a few tables over. If there was one thing Drew picked up on from his childhood, it was how to read people and body language. And these two were clearly about to get into a huge fight. The woman was growing more and more tense by the moment, though the man seemed to not be picking up that whatever he was saying was pissing her off. Drew could just tell it was going to very soon end in disaster. “I bet within the next 5 minutes, she tells him to piss off and throws that milkshake in his face,” he mused aloud to no one in particular, with a mischievous little grin.

Zeus was definitely in the mood for a giant milkshake after the day he had at work. That meeting really drained the shit out of him. As he went to order, he noticed that the man had been staring over behind him and turning around, he could see a couple just moments from an explosion. “See the way she’s gripping the side of the table?” Zeus pointed out. “That’s going to be her source of power to lunge at him when she throws the milkshake. It’s going to be very messy in the next few moments. I personally wouldn’t recommend it.” 

“Wasn’t that christ thing like before you two started dating?” Hades asked. “It’s hard to keep up I mostly deal in deaths so the land of the living plays a small part in my roles I don’t keep much track of it.” Hades shrugged nonchalantly. He was really not entirely vested in the comings and goings of the mortal realm unless it affected the underworld. “Maybe if you didn’t try to tell your peace in the heat of arguments or when it would serve to end your humiliation then people might believe you.” Hades offered. It was something he’d noticed anyways and after millenia of Zeus’s giant tantrum things he spewed in the heat of arguments weren’t exactly things he was inclined to believe. 

“Christ was well after, I asked first, by the way,” Zeus pointed out with a knowing look. “No one really paid attention to the whole thing until the Romans murdered the man for turning water into wine and Jupiter lost his crown to the crucified mortal,” He shrugged as he finished the story of what had happened in the mortal world. “I suppose so,” He muttered, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair. “I wasn’t humiliated, by the way. I was, how the mortals say, ‘discombobulated’.” 

“Mmmm from you? Probably not. From myself definitely. I know I’m special. You are a Kolasi I doubt any girl is special to you.” Hera laughed softly as she finally caught up to where he was standing. Looking up to him the young woman was doing everything in her power not to get caught up in those beautiful ocean eyes or that charming smile. He’s a Kolasi Hera don’t let yourself become a notch in the belt. She had to consistently remind herself so she didn’t give in because damn did she want to. 

“There’s more to the name that meets the eye, Hera. You’re a smart woman, I trust your better judgement, which is why we’re here, after all,” Zeus smiled a rather crooked smile at Hera. He wasn’t going to blow it this time with her. She kept him on his toes, that’s for sure, but he had to be just as quick as she was, but he couldn’t help look into those deep hazel eyes of hers. While he’s been told she was out of his league, something told him to just go for it, to just try. 

“Of course not that seems like some sort of self righteous bullshit that Poseidon would cook up. Or you I wouldn’t put that past you either.” Hades pointed out. “But you understood the reference.” He didn’t want to split hairs because again he didn’t care. Hades sighed. “Admitting that you messed up isn’t weakness brother, if anything it might make me rethink categorizing your maturity with that of Poseidon.” Hades knew that Zeus would not admit it easily, he also knew that there was more potential for him to become less of an asshat than their middle brother. He had middle child syndrome coursing through his veins. 

“You really think I’d have the time to talk about parenthood after my own right to parenthood was stripped away?” Zeus asked with a serious look. “Yes, yes, I did,” He nodded. Looking over at Hades, he shook his head. It was hard for him to be vulnerable, especially after everything that happened. What was vulnerability, if not some sort of weakness? “The cruel irony of this is if I were to say that I did fuck up, which I did, and that I admit my faults, neither you or Hera would take my word for it,” He admitted with a sigh. “So what is the point, Hades? I’ve lost everything. My home, my wife, our child, my family.” 

Wendy loved to tell stories, and she prided herself on being an amazing storyteller. It was something she took quite seriously. So, when she had finished retelling a very mundane story about a silly argument between her younger brothers was not her best work, and truly was not that funny. So at his laughter, her eyebrows pulled together ever so slightly, and she let out a confused little laugh. “That is the greatest story you’ve heard? That is dreadful! I have much better stories than that one.”

Zeus cleared his throat and then grinned, “You’ll have to forgive me, I tend to find things quite amusing. Especially due to my--rather out of this world nature, listening about interactions between people from the mortal realm tends to just--give me a tickle. I’ve been told not to be so obvious about it, but truly, I am just one to immerse myself as much as I can, but with the times rapidly changing, it’s difficult for me to catch up. I hope that doesn’t startle you?” 

Stephanie didn’t know why this man thought her story was that great, all she had been doing was talking about one of her favourite memories from her childhood and she didn’t know why he wanted to hear it again. “Well, as I was saying… it was the day that I discovered my love of interior design. Wait, actually it’s not really a fun story. So if you don’t mind, I’m not going to repeat it but thanks for enjoying it.” 

Zeus looked over at the woman and shrugged a little bit, “I just found it rather enjoyable. I mean, interior design, that’s absolute madness! I truly admire those who can decorate a room and know exactly what works and what doesn’t. You mortals truly have a keen eye for the aesthetic.” 

“Ooh okay uhm I can do my absolute very best to try to help you. What’s hip happening?” Ariel asked biting her lip as she looked over to his computer. She wasn’t always the most tech savvy person so helping him would either be easy or she wouldn’t be able to do it. 

“I don’t think it’s too bad, if I recall,” Zeus smiled sheepishly. “So, I was having a bit of an issue because apparently, there is a way to take a picture of the screen and this is my first time using this brand of the Apple?” He pointed out. “I was more of a Dell, like the singer, but, alas, the company has upgraded and everyone got these Macintoshes.” 

“Oh, uh,” Herc said a bit awkwardly. “Are you sure?” The story hadn’t been that funny after all. He certainly hadn’t expected Zeus to react like this. “Yeah, well, we were just, uh, in the middle of a football game and a black cat ran onto the field. We don’t know where it came from. The game ended up being delayed for forty minutes as field managers chased it but no one could catch it or get it off the field. It was an unforgettable game, I’ll give it that.” 

“Yes, I’m very sure. That truly tickled me!” Zeus chuckled and shook his head. At the story, Zeus shook his head once again and let out a rather loud laugh. “What a little rascal!!!” He said in between laughter. “I’d say if an animal interrupts your game, it is bound to become your mascot. Embrace the agility of the feline and go in for the kill during your game!” 

“Yeah well Zeus You said things like that we all kept up with the slang.” Iris pointed out to him with a laugh. Zeus was always the man who was a bit out of sorts when it came to the mortal realm and that was something that always made Iris laugh.  “You made Tik Toks?” Iris asked with a laugh. “This I gotta see.” 

“I don’t know how the rest of you do it. I can only keep up with so much. Like...old sport! Yes, that’s a good phrase to tell a friend, right?” Zeus asked with a curious smile. “I made one Tik Tok, but I just go to watch. My Tik Tok did, however, go viral, shall I show you?” 

@zeus-kolasi​

Hera wasn’t sure why the young god wanted her attention. After all he had tried and failed already. She knew of the Kolasi brothers and the young confident king would have to work harder than a flashy smile to get her weak in the knees. Making her way to where he had asked her to meet him seeing him standing there. “Do you always lure women out into the middle of nowhere or am I just special?” She asked him with a chuckle, and a smirk. 

Was the newly king of Olympus in over his head? Yes. But was he determined to winning the heart of the young and powerful goddess, Hera? Hell yeah he was. So here he was, waiting semi-nervously for Hera, really hoping he wasn’t going to fuck this one up again--the last time he needed to hear was his brothers roasting him for weeks on end. “Hera,” He chuckled. “Would you believe me if I did say you’re special?” 

Ariel laughed as Zeus called her over trying what she figured was his best to ask for her help. “I’m Ariel.” SHe shook her head. “You know like the air you breath.” SHe offered to try to remind him on how to make sure he remembered her name. “Depends Kolasi what do you need?” Ariel was still wary of some men and the Kolasi were definitely in that category. 

“Ahhh! Ariel! Like a breath of fresh air! I will do my best to keep that in mind, yes,” Zeus nodded with a grin. “I come in peace, I assure you,” He offered carefully. “I am having a bit of trouble with my laptop and, truthfully I’m not too tech savvy in this realm, unfortunately.”