The Reign of Cronos Ch. 02

And so, the three, in rhyme and verse declared Cronos' cosmic causal conclusion:

The trueborn son, the destined heir, shall rise against his sire,

With power and purpose, a struggle foretold, a cosmic dance of fire,

Each King deposed by his kin, in echoes of the past,

But with each passing era, a twist of fate, a gentler blow to cast.

For as the wheel of time turns and dynasties come undone,

The pain that fills the regal halls shall fade with each new son,

With mercy granted, fate's decree, a kinder touch shall reign,

As Kings succumb to destiny's hand, the cycle repeats again.

So heed the words of prophecy, dear Cronos, Titan King,

Release the hold upon your throne, let destiny's song sing,

In the ebb and flow of power's tide, let the cycle gently turn,

And grant your heirs a future bright where compassion's fire shall burn.

Cronos heard every word, but could only stare at them in powerless disbelief. He might have objected or demanded as his father had, but a force pulled him from their palace.

He exclaimed his frustration at his inability to command them. This was not his fault. This was Ouranos, Rhea, even the Fates would take everything from him.

With all roads wrested from him, Cronos realized what he needed to do. They all had stolen his choices from him.

Summoning the divine power from within him, a flash of light carried Cronos from the depths of the Underworld to the mightiest peak in Greece.

The Grand Halls of Olympus welcomed its king back with an open invitation. His heavy footsteps mirrored the storm within his mind. Even the serenity of the divine realm could not stop his face from contorting with rage, and his eyes burning with ferocity.

With all that he had heard from the Fates, from all he knew of Ouranos and his taking of Rhea, from Rhea's love of Aether, from Gaia caring more for some disfigured monsters than him, he knew what needed to be done with crystal-clear intent.

As Cronos shoved open the doors to Rhea's private chambers, the room fell under the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the windows. On the sumptuous bed adorned with silken sheets lay Rhea, his wife and Queen, peacefully lost in slumber.

She had once loved Ouranos; of that much, he was convinced. She must have loved him. Why else would she love her precious bastard boy? But what about Cronos? Had he not loved her first? Was that not enough for her? He had cared for Rhea since he was little. They were made for one another, meant to spend eternity together.

Then, for their father no less, she threw that away!

Cronos approached the bed. He was careful not to show his rage, but his anger seethed just beneath the surface. He looked at Rhea, cherishing her serene face, soft features in the gentle moonlight, and the beauty that he had admired since they were children. She was lost to bliss in her slumber.

Her very happiness only hardened his heart further because her euphoria was from a source other than him.

His gaze fell upon Aether, a symbol of Rhea's love and devotion to Ouranos. That had somehow been the core of her bliss: Ouranos. And through him, that bastard Aether.

She cradled that abomination gently in her arms. The sight just further fueled his resentment of Rhea, reminding Cronos of his shortcomings and fears of the union of Ouranos and Rhea.

If what the Fates said was true, and Cronos was unsure if he could trust them, Aether would not be the one to overthrow him, but he would always exist to remind Rhea she loved another and had allowed Ouranos in the one place where Cronos was meant to be. That was the greatest pain. It was not that she had laid with Ouranos but that Rhea had loved that selfish monster.

Ouranos already had a wife in Gaia, but he had conspired to steal Rhea. Cronos did not know why or what for, but Ouranos had taken Rhea, not for love, but for his own gain. Cronos loved Rhea with all his heart, and he had not been enough because he had not been King at the time. He had rectified that mistake of destiny through his action against his father.

He would fix the mistake known as Aether (and so many more) through his actions.

Cronos forcefully snatched up Aether from Rhea's embrace. His grip tightened, betraying the desperation and bitterness that had captured him. The cracks in his veneer of control would soon break.

Rhea slowly stirred, starting to wake as Aether cried out for her. Though he did not know it fully, the baby was sensing the danger emanating from the Titan King.

Rhea was by no means a morning person, so she was struggling to even open her eyes. Cronos, in turn, waited for her to wake just enough to watch what he was doing.

Rhea rubbed her eyes before she gasped in startled realization. Her precious baby boy was no longer in her arms. She looked left to right before seeing the mountainous Titan that was Cronos with her innocently vulnerable baby.

Cronos had madness in his eyes, and Rhea panicked. "Cronos! What are you doing?" Rhea cried out.

Even with the child that represented his wife's infidelity, Cronos still held back. He needed to know, needed the confirmation from Rhea.

"Did you love him?" Cronos asked, demanding of Rhea. Pure Madness gave way to a cracked clarity when Cronos asked his question.

Rhea was still exhausted from a day's worth of caring for her child. She was not aware of what Cronos meant. It did not help that she was panicking at Cronos' actions.

"What? What are you saying, Cronos?" Rhea asked, still trying to decipher what he wanted. She knew that since Cronos had killed Ouranos, he had been the only being to end a life in Greece. He could easily end the life of the child she adored.

"Did you love him, Rhea?" Cronos asked, enunciating every syllable as if it were both accusation and confirmation of his suspicions. "Did you love Ouranos? Did you willingly go to his bed? Do you love him still?"

Rhea hesitated, afraid of how to answer. The truth would seal her son's fate, and a lie would likely do the same since Cronos would not likely believe her.

"Cronos. You're talking madness!" Rhea cried out in motherly desperation. "Please. Put Aether down!" Tears welled up in Rhea's eyes. The danger Aether was facing was becoming more and more palpable by the moment, and she knew when she hopelessly begged there would be only one inevitable conclusion.

"Answer me!" Cronos demanded.

Rhea stared at her husband without options. "Don't hurt him!"

Her mind was working furiously, hoping that her fears were somehow unjustified, but even if they were not, she was not powerful enough to stop her husband from physically harming her child. This weakness told her that Cronos would decide the future for not just Aether, but her as well.

The look in Cronos' eyes only grew more intense from her lack of an answer. "Did you let Ouranos fuck you, Rhea?"

When the question was heard, Rhea could fully see the hatred and malice in her husband's eyes. There was no saving Aether. No answer, lie or truth, would be enough for Cronos.

An icy coldness overcame her at the idea of Cronos taking the great gift that Ouranos gave to her.

"Yes," Rhea hissed in protest of her husband. It was not much, but this would be how she could last out at him. "I did, and I would have laid with him a hundred more times! He never would have done something like this. He was more deserving than you!"

"Perhaps he was!" Cronos barked back. The confirmation of his wife's betrayal was not the painful blow he had once worried would be. It was the final push he needed. "But I have the throne! You are my wife. I will have from you all the things Ouranos always wished for. And you!" Cronos shouted at the baby. "You will never see the light of day again."

Rhea jumped up and fought at Cronos, trying to stop him from harming Aether, but it was too late. The tiny baby dropped into Cronos's maw as the Titan King swallowed the child whole. Cronos pushed Rhea to the floor. "You will give me many children. You will give me all I want! But be certain of this! Any boy you give birth to, I will devour, and they will keep Aether company in my belly."

Rhea stared fiercely back at her husband. She might not have the strength or power to harm him physically, but from that day forth, she would do anything to undo him and his reign.

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