Olympus Council Hall was in chaos. Ten of the twelve thrones wandered around the long, rectangular open space, walking between the bordering columns, randomly looking for a victim. Statues were playing, jumping around the burning hearth at the middle of the hall. Flying objects sought targets to hit. The loud thumping of everything metal hitting stone walls, floors, and columns whenever they missed flesh and bones was constant, irritating if not dangerous.
Hera sat on her gold, silver, and ivory throne; her eyes tightly closed. The bronze willow leaves on its back rest danced as if blown by a breeze. She didn't speak a word but rather grinded her teeth while Charis, one of her servants, cleaned her lower body with wet rags. She looked up and saw Thalia, another servant, dropping a clay amphora full of fresh water as she got knocked off her feet by Athena's throne.
"I told you to watch out for them!" Charis yelled.
"They are everywhere!" Thalia complained.
"Just go back and get more water and some rags," Charis said waving her off while she looked at Hera, cold as stone, out of the corner of her eyes.
On their right, Zeus sat on a wooden chair placed by the side of his black marble and gold throne. Two gods stood in front of him. Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and the occult had an eerie edge to her pale beauty, which was framed by her dark, straight short hair. Young Hermes stood barefoot, restlessly waiting while his eyes scanned for incoming danger.
"This is no magic," Hecate told Zeus. "This is not a spell, or some curse born out of hatred."
Zeus lowered his head as he took a deep breath. "I don't doubt you. Your domain spans all realms. I don't know where else to turn. What do you think this all might be?"
"You really have to ask?" Hera snapped at him. "You shouldn't have thrown Hephaestus away. His creations are loyal to him and now everything rebels against us."
He raised his head and scowled at his wife, "Easy for you to say now. You didn't have your head nearly sliced in two."
"A minor inconvenience!" Hera yelled back. "You must get him to return."
Zeus pressed his lips and looked at a silver and bronze statue of a swan, nipping at Hecate's tunic. He waved the Goddess off, who faded away at the silent command. He turned his attention to Hermes. "She is right. Hephaestus either returns or we throw his creations into the abyss."
"You are willing to throw everything out?" Hermes whispering question got lost within the loud continuous noises.
"What? Speak up!"
"He said that you should not throw everything away, which is why you must find him." Hera answered Zeus.
"It will take some time," Hermes said as he eluded one of his winged sandals which tried to fly right through his head.
"You may not be as fast as before, but you are still physically gifted and an Olympian, nonetheless. Just grow a beard and find a way to do it quickly. Seek help from anyone skilled to do the job. People or creatures foreign to Olympus, if necessary. Anyone or anything no matter how far away they might be. If we don't find a way out of this, we might have to leave Olympus behind."
"You know you will never leave Olympus," Hestia said as she entered the hall through the entrance's giant maple wood doors. Not one of Hephaestus creations got in her way as she approached Hera. She walked through the chaos as if nothing was happening. She carried a water amphora and a wooden plate with ambrosia on it.
"Where is Thalia?" Charis asked.
"I offered her some help. She'll be here in a moment. She is getting the rags you asked her for." She glanced behind and smiled at Demeter's throne who offered its seat to her. She gave the amphora to Charis and sat. She offered the plate to Hera while raising an eyebrow and a corner of her mouth. "Hungry?"
"Did you come here to brag on how everyone and everything around here loves you?" Zeus asked her.
"I came to offer food to my sister."
"Hmm," Zeus looked back at Hermes. "Go, be quick about it."
"Would you care accompany me?" Hermes asked Hestia.
"You'll need to find your own way out of here." Hestia smirked.
After a couple of bumps and falls Hermes was able to leave the hall.
Black, twisting smoke rose from the hearth's fire. Hades, The Dark One, was paying a rare visit.
Zeus and his throne looked at each other surprised.
"Leave us," Hera told Charis, who was quick to obey.
Bronze forks and plates flew towards Hades. The thrones of Ares and Artemis rushed to ram him. All passed right through The Dark One, as if he were a walking cloud of black smoke. He didn't flinch at the attacks from all things metal.
"Where is Demeter?" Hades asked Hera as he stopped in front of her and Hestia. He raised the eyebrow of his black eye while narrowing his gray one.
"Why should I know?"
"Summon her," Hades scowled.
"You are not my husband, much less my king." She gave her plate of ambrosia back to Hestia and tried to stand but her throne would not let her go.
"You best get Demeter or urinating and defecating on your throne will be the least of your worries."
Hera snapped her head towards Zeus, her face flushed, her lips pressing against each other, her eyes glistening.
Zeus acknowledged Hera's silent plea and asked his brother, "What's the trouble?"
"Persephone is not back yet. She is never late."
Hera and Hestia crossed glances, while Zeus took another deep breath.
"Brother, when are you going to let go of this infatuation of yours." Zeus stood and approached Hades when Hephaestus' metal owl, Bubo, flew towards him. He raised his hand and wielded lightning which stunned Bubo onto the floor. His eyes behind a scowl glanced around the hall. "Anyone else?"
"I never liked that thing," Hera said at the convulsing owl. "It's hideous."
Everything Hephaestus, slowly circled the four Gods, either listening or waiting for the opportunity to strike.
"I don't need to talk about this with you. I've held up my end of our agreement. Someone best get Demeter now."
Behind his thick white beard and eyebrows, Zeus semblance turned heavy and somber.
Hera opened her eyes wide in disbelief upon seeing Zeus reaction.
Hestia closed her eyes and frowned.
"Hera, summon Demeter," Zeus said.
"Why?! What is this agreement your brother speaks of? Why do you let him humiliate me like this?"
"Just do as I say."
"No!"
"You must," Hestia said while placing her hand on Hera's forearm.
"Hestia, don't," Zeus warned.
"You can't make her if she does not want to," said Hestia. "Do you see any other way to persuade her?"
Zeus sighed and retreated to his wooden chair.
Hades stepped back and sat on Zeus throne, crossing his legs as he fixed his black robe.
Zeus stared icily at his throne.
"Hera, do you remember how our brothers split the domains of the sky, sea and the underworld amongst themselves after the war with the Titans?" Hestia asked.
"They drew straws," Hera said with a wrinkled nose and a crease between her eyebrows.
"Yes, but that is not the whole story. Zeus was obsessed with the sky, and he would not leave his desire of ruling it to chance."
"Lightning is useless in the sea or the underworld," Zeus interrupted.
"So, he tried to convince him to voluntarily pick the underworld," Hestia continued. "He didn't want to, but Zeus offered him what he could not refuse."
"Persephone," Hera whispered.
"I chose an eternity surrounded by ghosts and darkness just so I could be by her side," Hades said.
"When it was time to draw straws, he and Zeus knew which straws to pick."
"And you offered the straws to them," Hera remembered.
"Zeus picked first, I did second," Hades said.
"Is Poseidon aware of this?" Hera asked.
"He would have never accepted such an arrangement," Zeus asserted.
"Without a doubt, he'd considered it a betrayal to our equality," Hades said while narrowing his sight on his brother.
"If he were to know of this, it would disrupt the balance we've fought so hard to achieve," Zeus said.
"It would change everything," Hestia said.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Hera asked her sister.
"It is not up to her to disclose my secrets," Zeus replied.
A momentary silence flooded the hall, which was interrupted by Hera. "Can you please take me away?" Her trembling voice asked her throne as she crossed her legs on top of it.
Her throne waddled out the hall, carrying her towards Olympus' balcony.
After a moment of silence, Demeter entered the hall.