History is said to be written by the victors. They could twist any information they wanted, any events they wanted, to be the righteous party in wars and conflicts. The victors could have been the aggressors, the villains, but history would show them as the victims who only retaliated once coming under attack.
As I looked at my mother, I realized that Zeus was the victor for this portion of history. He had held no ill will towards our mother and made stories up on how she helped him survive under our father's cruel rule. I knew that was far from the truth, but again the victor's always wrote history.
"How do you know of me?" Rhea asked me in intrigue.
"Rhea, mother of Zeus. Everyone knows of you. How are you alive?" I asked before dropping the sword on the ground. I wasn't going to raise a blade in front of my mother, regardless of the fact that she didn't recognize me. Zoe quickly picked up the sword and pointed it at me unsurely.
"Call it pity, boy. I'm alive because of pity. I've heard of you as well. The Restorer?" Rhea began with a somber smile. "What will you restore, boy, while making alliances with the Olympians?"
"Order," I replied simply and glanced at Zoe. She was my sister, I realized and couldn't help but smirk. She was older than me, one of the children who had set out on their own before I was born. She had come back to Rhea's side no doubt after learning about our brother's transgression. "This world is broken. I intend to restore order. My alliance with the dregs are none of your concern."
Rhea studied me silently. I could feel her gaze latching on to my form as I helped Denit. Denit looked past me and whispered,
"You're Rhea? Zeus's mother?"
"I'm also Zoe's mother but it seems as if I'll always be remembered for the actions of my eldest," Rhea smiled sadly.
"You said you needed my help," I changed the subject quickly. I could see that the mere mention of my brother was causing my aged mother an immense amount of pain. The son she had held on such a high pedestal had twisted the teachings bestowed upon him for his own selfish gain. He had forsaken his own kind to rule over the ignorant. Rhea's gaze continued to follow me once I turned around to face her. Had she recognized me, even though every fiber of my being had changed?
"I don't know who you are or where you come from, Restorer, but you have done GREAT things in such a small time frame. We have been battling the Olympians, my son, for centuries," Rhea began before shaking her head.
"We need to get going, Mother," Zoe whispered quickly as one of her scouts returned. "Athena has descended from Olympus."
"That meddlesome child," Rhea sighed and glanced at me. "Join me, Restorer. I have much to discuss with you."
Denit glanced at me apprehensively and I sighed before whispering, "I'll join you, but you must guarantee that my friend is free to go."
"Of course," Rhea nodded and shifted her attention to Denit. "Neither of you are my prisoner, child."
"Go home. Inform your mother that you are alright. I'll meet up with you when I can," I instructed Denit.
"Zro-," Denit began and I noticed how my mother quickly turned.
"Go. Don't argue. Show your speed and stay safe," I whispered quickly and watched the younger jinni nod and disappear in a flash. My mother seemed to brush off what she had nearly heard and returned to talking to my sister. A few moments later, we wordlessly set off to wherever my mother had hid her community.
It seemed as if many surviving rebels had taken to setting up their communities in vast networks of caves and my mother's community was no different. My mother led the way inside and I could see that she commanded respect in this community. I wasn't surprised. My mother had naturally received an overwhelming amount of respect when I was younger as well. She exuded authority even while sitting quietly.
"Rhea, tell me you brought good news," an elder of the community called out as he approached my mother.
"Only time will tell if what I bring is good news," Rhea whispered and shook her head before turning towards me. "Tell me something, Restorer."
"I'll do my best," I replied.
"Have you no fear? My reports indicate you faced Hercules head on. You even faced Ares. Even I'm not that foolish. He is the most bloodthirsty amongst the Olympians," Rhea asked before leading me to a large hut.
"When you've seen the things I have seen, you realize that the only one has to fear is our Creator," I explained before sitting down at a table in the hut. My mother sat down across me and looked at me in thought while members of her community began filtering into the room. I wondered if she believed me or if she thought I had an ulterior motive. She had every reason to be suspicious of me, especially since i made a deal with Iblis's minions. Yet, she stayed quiet, studying me while I pretended not to notice.
"You remind me of my husband," Rhea finally spoke up after a few moments of silence.
"Cronos?" I asked, fully knowing the answer.
"The most respectable and law-abiding jinni to grace this world," Rhea smiled as she reminisced about her husband fondly.
"That's not what I've heard about him," I countered, wanting to get a reaction from my mother.
"Do you believe he ate his children as well?" Rhea chuckled.
"I heard he was cruel," I lied.
"Did you hear that from his executioner or his jury?" Rhea asked, her tone now showing mild anger.
"Executioner?" I asked in surprise.
"My husband fought against those tyrants until his last breath. He was captured protecting one of our communities. Hera proceeded to judge and execute him. Whatever you may have heard about my husband until now, forget it. He blamed himself for what Zeus had become and vowed to restore order. He did his best, but it wasn't enough. Hera doused him much like she doused my son. That daughter of Iblis will pay two fold for it," Rhea whispered seriously.
"Your son?" I asked. Perhaps my mother could fill me in on what happened after I lost consciousness. I needed to put things together to form a story within my mind. So far, I only knew that things fell apart in my community after my supposed death. The Olympians rose to power and my parents disappeared. Hopefully, now I could get some closure.
"My brother," Zoe began and sat down next to Rhea, holding our mother's hand gently. "His name was Zrous and he was the youngest. You could even say that he was the catalyst for this entire situation."
"How so?" I asked in disbelief. How could I be responsible for this entire fiasco? Rhea began by explaining Ityan's trial and execution as well as the coup that occurred during that time, all facts I had personally seen.
"And my youngest threw himself in front of the solution," Rhea continued and inhaled deeply. She closed her eyes a moment and collected herself before whispering, "And then my son burned. I watched as his flame burned and burned and burned. He was always a patient boy. He remained patient even when he burned. He didn't deserve the cards he was dealt."
"He was doused," I murmured.
"And he burned. He burned so brightly that we could not extinguish him. He burned for days, for weeks, and we could do nothing. Finally, my husband found a cave. We placed him in there and closed the entrance to let him burn in peace. Zeus was broken after that. Zrous's death changed something inside of him. He blamed us for his death and vowed to destroy everything we built, everything we stood for. He did and continues to do so everyday," Rhea finished and smiled sadly. "I lost my eldest and youngest that day. I sometimes wonder what grave sin I had committed to receive this retribution."
"Nothing," I thought. "You did nothing Mother. This was all us."
She continued to brief me about what happened after I was doused and I watched as my mother remembered me fondly. It seemed after I was doused, Zeus gathered his friends and overthrew my parents, banishing them form Olympus. He recruited more jinn that believed they were better than humans, that believed they should be worshipped and eventually set up modern day Olympus.
I met and mingled amongst various members of the community before calling it a night. My mother headed towards her own house before leaving me standing alone with Zoe. My sister glanced at me before leaving as well and whispered,
"I really hope you turn out to be the savior my mother hopes you are. I can't say that I am as optimistic as her. I still don't trust you, especially since you've made an alliance with the lesser Olympians."
I inhaled deeply and headed out of the caves. I needed a moment to process this information, to form a mental timeline of the events that had transpired after my "death." Wordlessly, I strolled a good distance away from the cavernous network and came upon a boulder in the thicket that hid the community. I sat on the smooth boulder and sighed. "I was the catalyst. I was the reason Zeus broke and thus, it is my responsibility to stop him," I thought and ran my hands over my face in frustration. My mother was leading a rebellion, but if I was the reason this happened, I would have to lead.
Before I could dwell on Zeus anymore, I felt a blade pressed against my neck. I frowned and whispered, "I don't have the patience for you today."
"How did you survive?" Athena growled. She had snuck up on me while I thought of protecting my mother. I hadn't even considered the dangers that I nearly exposed the community to. I was being hunted by the Olympians, obviously. I needed to start being a leader by drawing Athena away from the community.
"Execute me, then. I'm not running," I murmured. I knew that if my niece wanted me dead, she would have wordlessly killed me already. I turned, knowing the blade was pressed dangerously close to my being and whispered, "Or do you need me for something?"
Athena frowned, dropping the blade to her side before whispering, "I need the truth and it seems you're the only one that has it."