The Escape
I existed in a dreamlike state within my father, Cronus. At times, I could hear what lay on the outside, but the dark abyss became a comfort to me. It was all that I knew. Through time, I listened to snippets of words from my sisters’ whispers before my brother joined us. I could hear their whispers, but I never responded to them. Their names remained with me, but they grew anxious and began to irritate my solitude. We grew stronger, and our senses became heightened. I learnt how to suppress all my senses and the little emotion I had.
Our father feared his children, so he ate us to prevent anyone from overthrowing him as he had done to our grandfather, Uranus. I remained silent and learned what I could. At times, I could hear my mother ’ s sorrow. She had a soothing voice and talked to us often when Father slumbered. This eventually stopped, and I was glad for it. Her tears made me uncomfortable.
There came a time when my brother and sisters grew restless. There was talk of being free from the dark cocoon wrapped around us. It awakened me, but thoughts began to plague me.
Freedom . Did I want to be free? To leave the comforting darkness?
It would seem I was given no choice. My mother’s voice came back, and she was happy. I knew it was time when the contractions began, and shortly after, I was hurled out into the piercing bright light. There was a great stone that came out of Father before I did. I could see it falling before me.
My father’s head reached the skies, and I turned to see the fury in his black eyes. His hair and beard were almost white, which was a contrast to the darkness in his eyes. I felt a moment of sorrow for the loss of my darkness until I swung around to face the land.
The fall was long, but when I saw the colours of the land. A gentle wind was ushering me away from Father and his home. There were too many vibrant colours, and I shielded my eyes as I approached the land, bracing myself as I reached the soft soil. While I knelt with one knee and hand on the dark soil, a hand reached out for me.
“My brother, I am Zeus. I freed you from your prison. Will you join me to rule our world?”
As my other siblings landed around us, I took Zeus’s hand and stood up. He was as light as I was dark from appearance and our energy.
“A war against father?” I asked quietly, but my voice was devoid of emotion compared to Zeus’s. It felt as dead as my core. The truth was that I felt nothing.
“Yes, I have great plans for this world, and we will have many who will worship us. The world will be free from the Titan's tyranny. Gods and mortals. The golden age is gone.”
“And our mother?” I asked curiously, wondering if the queen of the Titans would go against her king.
“She is with us for now,” he said with a strange smile.
I glanced at Hestia, Demeter, Hera and Poseidon. They didn’t deserve death or an eternal prison of darkness. I released my brother’s hand and studied the ambition blazing in his eyes. Out of all of us, it was ironic that he resembled our father the most. We were born from the Gods, and we were immortal perfection. It was how we survived inside Father.
“I am with you, Zeus,” I said, sighing.
“Good, we need to move before Cronus recovers,” he said with a grin before he went to the others.
As I stretched my body, getting ready to move, I watched my sibling's relief morph into anger. Father was still spewing curses and coughing.
I missed the peace already .
◆◆◆
From Chaos came the primordials, who went on to birth the giant Titans. The Titans ruled only because Cronus castrated his father. The prophecy given to Cronus was that one of his children would overthrow him. Zeus was not wrong in wanting to build a new world, as he said the Titan's golden age era was over. The earth required new life with what Zeus called mortals.
Zeus knew his mission from a young age and convinced many allies to fight by his side. I watched Hera study Zeus briefly before he sat beside her as we discussed the plans. Something was going on between Zeus and Hera that I didn't understand. Zeus was his charming, optimistic self but I remained aloof with everyone. Talking did not come easily to me.
I remained silent and only spoke when a question was directed towards me. Poseidon was looking forward to the fight, but we all had much training to go through. Combat would be something worthwhile.
For all my love of darkness, I enjoyed the air and freedom of movement. This was not something I wished to lose. After studying everyone, I noticed that it was Demeter who kept a calm disposition. She didn’t hunger for vengeance but was drawn to the earth in a way that I couldn’t fathom. She wanted to create more on the landscape of the world.
Hestia wasn’t as mature in her build or manner, and there would be brief moments of darkness in her eyes. Hera harboured much resentment towards her capture. She had a childlike demeanour.
Zeus was a natural-born leader. He watched and assessed us with a keen eye, while I simply observed in order to understand. His confidence and ambition would not be swayed. The world would need a new ruling class over the old Titans’ ways to suit the new landscape Demeter envisioned.
The Titans would not relinquish their positions without a fight. It made me wonder what death would taste like if it were possible.
Would there be eternal darkness with a touch of despair?
I almost smiled at the thought.