introducing...
The Olympians
Twelve tremendous seats. One mountain.
Welcome to Mount Olympus, home of the twelve olympian gods.
Most myths include one, or many, of the olympian gods. Some are well-known, such as Zeus and Poseidon, whereas others have not yet had their time in the spotlight, such as Ares and Hestia (no Dionysus here, sorry!)
Without further-ado, let's introduce the leaders of the new world, the gods that sit upon their mountain and rain chaos down on humanity.
Zeus
[ zoo - ss ]
God of the Skies, God of Thunder and Lightning
Zeus is the Olympian God. The one that rose up against the Titans (including his father, Kronos) and challenged their reign. In doing so, Zeus earned the title of God of Gods, King of Gods, or any other flattering variation of the title.
Zeus' stories are endless. He is the father of many heroes, the forth bringer of many sad tales and everything in between.
Zeus flip-flops often between liking humanity and hating them, which is exactly where our tale - Trial of the Gods - is born.
One of the "Big-Three" (three brothers; Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades)
Poseidon
[ po - sigh - dun ]
God of the Sea, God of Earthquakes and Storms, God of Horses
Where there is Zeus, there is often Poseidon. One of the "Big-Three" (three brothers; Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades), Poseidon rules over the parts of earth that Zeus does not. While his brother controls the sky, Poseidon controls the waters and the space between them.
Poseidon is another god whose tales are endless - ranging from assisting heroes and encouraging downfalls of entire kingdoms, Poseidon always seems to find himself in the center of most stories.
Hera
[ hair - ah ]
Goddess of Marriage, Goddess of Family
Hera - Zeus' wife. As such, Hera is perpetually in a scorned mood from his continuous escapades. Unsurprisingly, Hera finds herself - more often than not - overrun with jealousy. From this emotion, Hera brings forth many famous myths.
Artemis
[ ar - tuh - miss ]
Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, and Childbirth
Speaking of events that upset Hera - Artemis is one half of the twin duo (Artemis & Apollo) born from one of Zeus' affairs with a being named Leto.
Artemis is well known for her independence and desire to remain a maiden. As such, we see in a few myths where she aims to protect women with similar stories, often favoring them.
Apollo
[ ah - poll - oh ]
God of Light, Music, and Archery
The second of the twin duo - Apollo. Not only is Apollo regarded for his extreme beauty and radiance, but he often takes a much different approach to life than Artemis. Many tales and myths are born from his pursuit of suitors.
Athena
[ ah-theen-ah ]
Goddess of Strategic Warfare and Wisdom
Not many can claim that they were born from the forehead of their father, fully developed with armour and a helm - but Athena can. As one of Zeus' daughters, it's no surprise that she is highly acknowledged for her relentless wisdom and her ability to strategize her way through a battle.
Athena, like her somewhat-sister Artemis, values maidenism.
Her name can often be found in myths regarding war and battle.
Aphrodite
[ ah - fro - die - tee ]
Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Passion
Aphrodite is the one of the only olympians not related to them through blood. Born from the sea-foam that collected ashore after Kronos castrated his father (Uranus) and cast his goods into the sea.
Many like to underestimate Aphrodite, considering her a soft-hearted deity linked to a happy, simple, type of love. But Aphrodite is also the raw passion, the intense overwhelm of all that is involved. That is, after all, how her and her lover Ares found common ground.
Ares
[ air - ees]
God of War, God of Courage
Where there is Aphrodite, you can rest-assured that Ares is not far behind. Unlike his somewhat-sister Athena, Ares is the god of the carnage, bloodlust, chaos, and brutality of war.
As the son of Zeus and Hera, Ares take the unfiltered wrath from either of his parents and weaponizes it, crafting a being of undisputable warfare - not the type of god that one wishes to cross.
But while he is bloodthirsty and forever charged, Ares is also tender and caring for those he loves - which is primarily Aphrodite. Their union rattled the pantheon, especially as it was an affair considering Aphrodite's marriage to Hephaestus. But nothing could separate the lovers, earning them their "happy-ever-after" at one another's side.
Hephaestus
[ heh - fess - tus ]
God of Smiths, Fire, and Metalwork
After Zeus bore Athena from his forehead, Hera had to bring forth her own child - and Hephaestus has drawn the short-straw at every turn in his life.
First it was his mother, Hera, who cast him down from Olympus after considering him lame and ugly, at which point she caused a permanent limp.
Needless to say, Hephaestus has a strained relationship with his mother. That was why it was so easy for him to trap her, exchanging her freedom for the respect of being considered an olympian and the hand of Aphrodite.
His path only got more jagged when his promised wife ended up falling in love with his brother - Aphrodite and Ares.
​
Hermes
[ her - mee - ss ]
Messenger God, God of Travel and Mischief
Hermes has many jobs, many titles. A son of Zeus and Maia, Hermes is tasked with being a messenger of sorts for his father.
On top of that, Hermes is a psychopomp, which means that he is a guider of souls to the Underworld.
While many focus on his role as a messenger, Hermes is much more than that - he is a lord of thieves and delinquents, craving mischief at every turn.
Demeter
[ duh - me - tur ]
Goddess of the Harvest and Agriculture
Demeter, a daughter of Rhea and Kronos, is most commonly known as the mother of Persephone. Through her tales of the 'abduction' of Persephone, Demeter causes winter and spring between her cyclic sorrow at her daughters departure and her joy at her return.
Hestia
[ Heh - stee - uh ]
Goddess of the Hearth and Home
Another daughter of Rhea and Kronos, being Zeus' eldest sister, you would think Hestia would be as dramatic and theatrical as her brothers and sisters. But, of all the gods, Hestia's warm heart and gentle soul means that she is the least troublesome, often keeping to herself entirely.
*NOTABLE MENTION*
Hades
[ hay - dees ]
God of the Underworld, God of the Dead, Lord of the Dead
While not an olympian god, Hades deserves his spot amongst the rest. The last of the "Big-Three", comprising of him and his two brothers - Poseidon and Zeus - Hades is notoriously powerful. When the three brothers first decided to divide up their domains and Zeus and Poseidon drew the "better" draw of the earth, Hades was initially disappointed at his assignment to the Underworld.
But as the ages have continued, Hades treasures nothing more than his role as Lord of the Dead, protecting the afterlife of the souls that he cares for.
Hades does everything he can to avoid the drama of his kin, locking himself down in his domain and rarely including himself in the comings-and-goings of his family.
Other than the Underworld, he cherishes one other thing - Persephone. His wife, who most believe him to be cruel-hearted for "kidnapping" - but that's a story for another day.
