M³ Blushing Bride

            Previously on Zeus, Rise of the Storm King (What? I have poetic license.) Zeus took down his dad Cronus and cut his siblings free of dad’s stomach, and, um, raped his mother. Now that he’s free he needs to consolidate his power, and one of the best ways to do that is to marry. For his bride he chooses his sister Hera. But, well, she’s not exactly willing to marry him. Might be that whole thing where Zeus raped his mother Rhea that put her off, or maybe because the whole reason Rhea forbid him to marry was that he would be a womanizer who would perpetually cheat on any wife.

F³ WIP Too Much Feeling

            The catwalk allowed us a vantage point that wasn’t available, otherwise. We crept up until we could look down over a wide spot in the production line—I thought that this was a fish-packing plant. Below were two groups of people, one decidedly larger than the other, one decidedly less human than the other. The greenish-white lights were hovering orbs of green-white fire that bobbed slightly near the inhuman part of the group. The lights allowed me to easily pick out the tall, gaunt, and thoroughly ordinary-looking Mr. Daniels, the wight, where he stood next to an open carry-on. But instead of a normal interior, this had been decked out for jewelery. Specifically, the pendants. I didn’t recognize the young man in front of him, but he held open a zip-topped bag with at least a dozen more pendants in it.

M³ Zeus's Mommy Issues

            Okay, I need to warn about this one. It gets bad, way, way fast. As in sexually bad. As in rape. It’s a Greek myth, so well, that’s something you have to get used to seeing in their stories.

F³ Realization

            By the time Natalie and Kate coasted down on their cloudboards, Moron had vomited twice and fainted. He was out pretty deep, too, as zapping him didn’t wake him up. I entertained myself by flicking pebbles at him from my perch on an old log.

            “Well?” Kate asked.

            I shrugged. “I got nothing. He is in some deep denial.”

M³ Zeus's Daddy Issues

            So Zeus has daddy issues. Not like how most people have daddy issues. Cronus wants to literally eat Zeus to prevent his wife Rhea from spending any time with the kids. He might also be worried one of them might supplant him as king of the gods.

            Cronus has already done this with all of the other kids, but Rhea pulled a switcheroo when it came to Zeus. She wrapped a rock in a blanket. Cronus fell for it.

F³ A Small Bribe

            The kid was trouble, no doubt about it. He seemed to know just how far to push his mom before real trouble ensued, and she was limited in what she could do to him on the plain. He kicked his legs, thunking them against his own chair instead of the seat in front of him. And, occasionally, he would poke his sister, which would set off a new round of wailing and Mom shushing.

            Amanda, up at the front, chatted with another flight attendant, but had worried eyes and emphatic whispers for our row.

            What am I doing?

M³ UnHEA

            The last story got me thinking about mythology in general, how they don’t end happily ever after (HEA). I’m honoring my promise by not talking specifically about the Levite priest, Gibeah, and the Benjamites. I ended the discussion on Monday by referencing how the Greeks favored tragedies over comedies, so I’ll pick up there.

F³ WIP Bad Memory

            Nikki brought us to a fire door, but the building was so old, any connected alarm had long since been sabotaged by squatters or the criminal element.

            “Now you can dazzle me with your lockpicking skills,” she gestured to the door.

            I shook my head. “Not part of my repertoire.”

            “A pity, you really should expand your horizons, Matthew.”

            “Some of us don’t have hundreds of years to learn new skills. Why don’t you show me.”

            For answer, she grasped the handle and gave it a firm tug, pulling the door open despite the protest of the deadbolt and door frame, which tore apart like aluminum foil. “Sometimes the direct approach is best.”

            That was pretty hot, actually.

            We ghosted inside, Nikki weaving her way through, guided by instinct or supernatural senses. I didn’t like roaming through the warehouse, it brought back memories of another warehouse, not too far from this one, where a vampire named Jared had attacked me.

            I felt a twinge in my right forearm from where he had clamped a hand down on me. Likewise, I was conscious of my left palm. The slice on my hand had healed without a scar, but I still remembered. My heart beat faster as I remembered the panic run to get out, to escape into the sunlight. I had to pull debris onto the path as I ran while cradling my arm and wheezing through bruised ribs.

            “Matthew,” Nikki stopped to whisper, “your heart is beginning to race. It is distracting.”

            “Sorry.”

            Focus, Matt. Thinking about that warehouse will surely get me killed in this one.

            I took a deep breath, banishing the memory.

            Nikki looked at me for a moment, then nodded. I was grateful she didn’t ask me what happened.

M³ Final Thoughts on A Bad Story

            This is it. I won’t be dealing directly with this story any more after this. This might feel like a bit much after I’ve spent so much time on this story, but I think it’s necessary.

            This story is not well-known in the Bible. When you start listing off Bible stories, this one is never on the list.

            At all.