Previously… Cronus had carried out his sinister plot and with the aid of his mother, he castrated Cronus, buried him in the depths of the earth, he freed the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes as he promised, and now he was the lord of the heavens and time. He married Rhea and Gaia was still astonished at what she just set off. Despite achieving his goal, the last words of his father rang in his head “Just as how you have overthrown me, your own children will do the same to you”, He paid no heed to it, but little did know what the future held for him.
The New Overlord
Cronus was now the new undisputed ruler of the heavens, Gaia had retreated and was more of a passive being, he had wrested the control of the waters from his fellow Titans, he now had dominion over the earth, heavens and waters, truly an overlord of all creation, he trusted no one, a lone ruler. His wife Rhea was elated at his achievements. Their love was about to bear a child, and with every passing day the voice of his father rang in his head “your own children….will overthrow you”, just as her belly grew with each passing day so did the frequency of his deposed father’s voices, the day Rhea gave birth to her first child, just as she held it and named her as “Hestia”. The next event which transpired was unforeseen, Cronus held his newborn and he swallowed it whole, his wife was speechless, never in her wildest dreams did she think her love would do this to her child, Cronus walked away as if nothing happened.
The Fate of the Fruits of Love
Cronus continued to indulge his desires with Rhea, Rhea still loving of her husband consented to it, and she deluded herself into believing that the incident was a mishap, an aberration. Sadly, it was not. She bore another child, this time it was Hades, the future ruler of the Netherworld, he suffered the same fate, and he too was devoured whole, next she gave birth to a girl, Demeter, the same fate, the next boy Poseidon, the same, the next girl Hera, the same, It took the price of 5 children to know that, she was in a toxic relationship, that truly was an early realization. By this time, her love for him had turned into pure hatred, she swore that she wouldn’t let him have her sixth child, but how could she? He was an Omni-potent being, unparalleled in power.
She suffered from nausea one day and knew she was pregnant with her sixth child, her divine instincts told her it was a boy, and she left Othrys and went on a journey to find her father and mother. She knew that despite her being the wife of the man who was responsible for the fall of her father, they would aid her as a parent would aid a daughter in times of need. For three days, her pleas sounded through the caves and hills, then the earth split open and she could hear the harsh voice of her father and within it contained the gentle voice of her mother, together the three of them hatched a plot to save her future sixth born, who will go on to make history among the gods and mortals.
The Deception
To put her ploy into action, she went to Crete, she conferred everything that transpired to Amalthea, the she-goat and the Meliae, the Meliae were one group of individuals who were birthed from the blood of Ouranos, satisfied with what just transpired, she went back to mount Othrys, she knew that Cronus would visit all his Titan siblings every morning, to ensure they were not plotting against him, she took this time to go to a nearby hill and take a rock of the perfect size called magnetite, it was smooth and round, just like what her mother had described.
The day of birthing was upon her, she screamed out of pain, and the baby was in her hand, Cronus came to snatch it, Rhea pleaded, saying he was a cute boy, he wouldn’t do anything, he didn’t listen to reason, he took it and swallowed it like how he swallowed the other children, it went down his throat smoothly with no resistance, he burped and walked away, Rhea cried inconsolably.
Soon after he went her cries stopped, it slowly turned into a chuckle, and she was laughing uncontrollably, and she hurried down the mountainside in a pregnant state, she rushed to the island of Crete and prepared to give birth under the care of the Meliae and Amalthea in a cave.
The Birth of The Future King
Rhea gave birth safely in the caves of Mount Ida, she delivered a transcendent healthy boy and named him Zeus, just as how her mother used her youngest child to plot vengeance against her father, she too desired the same, the cycle of hate was to be continued until the next generations, unbeknownst to Cronus about his failed attempt at swallowing his sixth child, he declared himself that he should remain childless to remain in power, so he ordered his Titan brothers and sisters to breed and populate so he can rule over them. Rhea returned to Othrys so her husband wouldn’t suspect her.
The Future
The ploy of Rhea will spiral into what can be dubbed as the biggest war in the history of the gods, this war is said to last a long time, but that is a story for another day.
