The Reign of Cronos Ch. 03

Chapter 3: The Madness of Cronos

Days passed after Cronos' act of cannibalism. None of his siblings would dare confront him over this outrageous behavior as he was King on Olympus.

Instead, it was Gaia who tried to see her wayward son. Though, in the end, she did not come to discuss the loss of Aether. Her thoughts were not with Ouranos and Rhea, but rather the children who had been punished unfairly.

The weight of that concern was visible on the Earth Primordial. She gazed into the brooding eyes of her selfish son, knowing that her fight would be an uphill battle..

"Cronos," Gaia began with cautious solicitation. "Now that you have spoken to the Fates, I implore you to reconsider the future of the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires. You know their imprisonment in Tartarus has gone on far too long, and it was another injustice of your father."

She was careful not to mention Ouranos by name because she feared that hearing mention of the Sky Primordial might set Cronos off. Despite being Cronos' mother, she knew that the Throne of Olympus was sacrosanct. Chaos had crowned Ouranos himself. Gaia crowned Cronos. She had given her son the power to reign over the realm. That was Gaia's choice (perhaps even a mistake), but that entitled Cronos to decide the future of all in Greece, including Gaia's.

Cronos, while shirtless, was clad in his regal attire befitting the King of Olympus. His belt was made of gold, his forearms were adorned with a bronze pair of bracers, and his legs were covered in baggy, bloody burgundy pants. Ouranos never needed such regalia, yet for Cronos it only accentuated his Titanic allure. His bald head and stubbled chin looked all the more appealing to the eye. He was strong, power itself, commanding the Throne Gaia's husband had lost in death.

He stood with pride as an enormous structure. Gaia could see how immovable her son was becoming in his role as king.

His brow furrowed at his mother's request, reflecting the weight of his responsibility as the Ruler of the Titans. He faced Gaia, no longer recognizing her as his mother but as his subject.

"Gaia," he replied with resolve. "After Aether and seeing the Fates, I have no intentions of freeing the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires." Gaia began to protest when Cronos held up a hand to silence her. "They possess too much power, and could be a great risk to Olympus."

Gaia stared at Cronos with hurt indignation. To see him lose so much of his empathy when he gained his throne was not something she had intended for her son. However, she could not let that cloud her judgment or deter her from her quest.

She softened her expression, knowing that she could not lose this chance. If she allowed anger over this injustice to rule her, Cronos would ignore her just as Ouranos had. Setting aside her maternal concern, she persevered. "They are family, Cronos, yours as well as mine" she said softly. "They helped you even before you knew you needed it. They deserve a chance at freedom. After all, you could not have bested your father without the tools they crafted for you."

Cronos sighed heavily at his mother. Perhaps he was teetering on the decision. Maybe Gaia's words could make the difference. He nodded his head, recalling the day of his rebellion against Ouranos. "You are right. The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires did play a vital role in helping me depose Father. I recall that kindness," Cronos acknowledged. Though he agreed with his mother, his voice was tinged with aggression. "But what if someday a child of mine wants to fight me as I fought Ouranos? Couldn't my 'siblings' decide that I waited too long to free them or that they want the Throne?" Cronos stopped and shook his head. "No. Their powers are too great," Cronos repeated. "I won't risk them being free."

Even before he gave his decision, Gaia could see the negative coming. Still, she reached out, gently placing a hand on Cronos's arm. "Son? Please?" If nothing else, she was his mother. She loved her son since his birth. Surely, he returned that familial affection.

Cronos' gaze softened at her love, returning a kindness in turn by placing his hand atop of hers. For the smallest moment, Gaia believed her son would do the right thing. His resolve momentarily seemed to waver as he looked upon Gaia's earnest face.

"Gaia," Cronos spoke with soft sympathy yet heavy conviction. "I will not do it."

With a heavy heart, Gaia locked eyes with her son. The judgment was final from what she could see, and so all she could do was nod, accepting Cronos' decision.

She did not weep, she did not wail, she did not cry, and she did not fight him. Gaia had once been Queen of Olympus. She was a true daughter of Chaos, one of five beings to wholly be made by the Progenitor. There was a dignity in that distinction from other divinities.

As such, when she fully accepted his words, she turned away from the Titan King of Olympus. The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires would continue to deteriorate, which could only destroy Gaia's soul, but for now, there was nothing to be done.

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News of Cronos' devouring of Aether spread throughout Greece. Rhea's wailing was a tale all the Titanesses would come to know. Cronos' disrespect and denial of Gaia's reasonable request was also being told among his siblings.

It was deep within the confines of a secluded cave on the coastal edges of Greece that Hyperion, the radiant Titan of Light, met with his siblings.

Hyperion, for all his majesty, stood tall and imposing. His golden hair cascading down his broad shoulders. Though he was smooth along his jaw, it only added to his attractiveness. If ever another divinity from another land were to visit the lands of Greece, they would be forgiven for mistaking Hyperion for the King of Olympus with all of his amazing, outward beauty.

Oceanus, the Titan of the Ocean, was thoughtful and serene when compared to his bright sibling. He was as fluid as the water itself. His skin had a tinge of blue about it, but he was as tall and as strong as his brothers. On his face was a long flowing beard to match the one sported by his fallen father. He sat on a large, jagged rock as if it were the most natural activity with his supernatural grace.

Crius, the Titan of Constellations, bore scars on his hands and forearms from a battle that few would truly know or understand. His broken hands were a testament to the cruelty of Ouranos. However, he was still a pinnacle of strength and power with honed muscles that were more pristine than even Cronos. Starlight and battle coursed through his veins. He wore sky blue shorts held up by a bronze belt. He had a fierce face and short black hair.

Coeus, the Titan of Intellect, possessed an air of calm wisdom. He wore fabric on his shoulders, acting as both a cape and covering for his chest but left his abdomen exposed to the world. He had another white and silver toga around his waist to cover his ground and the upper parts of his legs. His keen mind was always searching for solutions, even ones his brother did not admit or recognize.

Each brother sat or stood in the cave, quiet at first.

Hyperion, having called the meeting, spoke up with concern. "Brothers, I fear Cronos is descending into madness. His actions grow increasingly erratic. I know Father needed to be defeated. You know I will never question our actions on that score, but devouring a child, no matter who the father was, is deranged." He shook his head at the very thought of eating a child. Never in his life would he hurt Theia in such a way. Thoughts of his wife reminded him of another crime of his brother-king. "I believe he has Rhea trapped on Olympus as well."

Oceanus nodded solemnly in agreement. "I agree. I think the darkness that had a hold on Ouranos is clouding Cronos' once noble heart. I know for a fact that he has turned away Gaia when she wanted an audience with him. I fear the only thing that he might listen to is violence, and we can't go from king to king this way."

Despite being a recluse, Oceanus was revealing his authentic concern for his brother.

"Do you fear any dissent from us might be met with violence?" Coeus asked empirically. His logical mind cut straight to the core of the concerns of his brethren.

At that question, none of the brothers had an answer. The silence that set in was more uncomfortable than an answer might have been.

Crius stood in defiance of their complaints. While he had no rhetoric for Coeus, he did possess passion for his arguments. "Let us not forget it was Cronos who freed us from the tyranny of our father, Ouranus. Ouranos raped Rhea, betrayed our mother, and tried to break me!" Crius exclaimed, lifting up his scarred hands and arms. The golden red ichor gleamed in the scars that laced his strong appendages. "We owe him our gratitude for liberating us from his oppressive rule."

Coeus swiftly replied, knowing a fight could break out if Crius was not calmed. "I understand your loyalty to him, Brother," Coeus said respectfully to Crius. "I do not deny that Ouranos was problematic. His evil would have spread to affect us all. We were right to fight him. Cronos was right to remove his head," he continued.

When Crius accepted that concession, Coeus was careful in continuing. "But..." he said, lifting both hands to ask Crius not to snap at him. "Just because he was right in one aspect does not make him infallible, Crius. One right does not equate to perfection. He can do wrong, as we all can."

Crius rolled his eyes at his brother's assessment. Hyperion nodded, but Oceanus scoffed at the 'intellect' their brother offered.

"Regardless of his actions, allow me to offer a different path for us," Coeus went on.

"Why?" Oceanus asked, somewhat suspicious. "Not to be rude, but if Cronos becomes like Father, doesn't that mean we deposed one evil king only to place another on the throne?"

"Might I continue?" Coeus asked. His irritation was apparent in his words to Oceanus. Conflict, like the one they were experiencing, was why the Titanic children of Gaia and Ouranos went separate ways after they were old enough to take care of their own domains. They fought too much as children. Battles between grown Titans might destroy Greece.

"Fine, fine," Oceanus remarked with flippant disregard.

"Thank you," Coeus replied with a grateful inclination of his head to Oceanus. "In light of Cronos' more erratic actions, I believe we should wait and place our individual focuses on our Realms and duties to preserve the beauty our mother has cultivated. In time, hopefully, Cronos' anger will subside." He looked left and right. "We should trust Cronos will overcome his inner struggles in time."

"Beauty?" Hyperion asked, suspicious. "Who are you? What have you done with our brother?"

Crius squinted at Coeus. Oceanus let out a laugh.

"It is logical to be loyal to Gaia. She did give birth to us. While I do not personally care for the beauty or appearance of this land, our mother does. We owe her to do our best in light of Cronos' recent disrespect," Coeus answered serenely.

Hyperion's eyes bounced from brother to brother. He could not deny that Coeus was making sense, as per usual, but he was torn between trusting in Coeus' intelligent judgment and his uncertainty over Cronos' behavior. Cronos' disrespect of their mother needed to be answered. More than that, mistreating Rhea after they went to battle Ouranos over her honor felt like a slap to Hyperion's face.

"Coeus, you might be right," Hyperion conceded with an exhaled breath. "I could be overreacting. But can we ignore Cronos' actions??"

Coeus saw Hyperion's worry and Oceanus' apprehension. He raised his hands in supplication. "Patience is not the same as ignoring, Brother. We will wait and watch, like I said. If it persists, I will talk to him personally.. He has never been so cruel as to dismiss my counsel."

Hyperion nodded. While content with the solution, Coeus was offering something that did not lead to another fight in their family. Crius nodded in regard to Coeus' suggestion, but since he was rubbing his forearms, it was clear he was more focused on the lingering pain. Oceanus, however, shook his head, unconvinced. He would follow the lead of his brothers, but it was clear Coeus did not win him over.

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No matter how much time passed, Rhea could not repair the damage that had been afflicted upon her soul. Her heart was shattered from Cronos eating Aether. She no longer sought out company, as all she could do was mourn her son's demise.

The simplest truth was that the loss of Aether devastated her, not only that he was the last remnant of her father and lover, but Aether had been her firstborn. She had carried him in her belly, felt him grow, and went through the rigors of pushing him out of her body. Seeing her darling child sleep had been a peace that she had not felt since the loss of Ouranos.

And Cronos had taken them both away from her!

Rhea screamed in her palace, expelling her rage at the powerlessness of her predicament, but in the end, that was the problem. She was powerless and unable to harm Cronos in any meaningful way.

Her husband was aware of that much of it. He did not need to use his physical might (or even his magic) to confine her to the grand mountain. He could exercise his will over her as king, so much so that when she finally felt well enough to travel, Cronos barred her from leaving the mountain other than to see Gaia.

Gaia had an island on the southern western sea within the lands of Greece. On this island, there was a secluded grove adorned with lush foliage for Gaia to entertain the few guests that she received. Though, after the fall of Ouranos, her children scarcely visited.

Perhaps it was because seeing Gaia reminded her children of their tyrannical father. Maybe the distance existed because they were ashamed of listening to her depose him. She could go mad wondering why they did not visit. It could be as simple as children did not want to visit their parents once they reached a certain maturity. For Gaia, as well as the rest of the world, familial relationships were entirely new.

Gaia lit up when Rhea arrived one day.

Rhea, in turn, was grateful for the escape from Cronos.

But where life gave one solution, it presented another problem. Rhea could open up about what Cronos was doing to her mother, but Rhea could never tell Gaia about her feelings for Ouranos, as the affair between Ouranos and Rhea created a chism between Gaia and Ouranos.

However, that shared mistreatment by prideful husbands was enough to bring the two closer. Beyond all of that complication, Gaia comforted Rhea for a single, simple truth: Rhea was her daughter. When a daughter was being harmed by another, it only made a mother want to help their daughter all the more.

Gaia listened to Rhea's inner turmoil and welcomed her daughter to her island with open arms. They sat in the shade of ancient trees.

"Gaia," Rhea began with a slow trembling in her voice. "I will not survive on Olympus, alone with Cronos." Rhea shook her head in muted frustration. "Since devouring Aether, all he talks about is how he will not be overthrown like Ouranos.."

"I don't want to agree," Gaia lamented. "But...I can't... I never thought my little boy would turn his back on his siblings, but to hear talk about Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires." She found herself struggling just as much as her daughter to speak. "All that mattered to Cronos, when we talked, was preserving his power on Olympus."

When Gaia saw that her words were not what Rhea had expected, the Earth Primordial placed a comforting hand on Queen Titaness.

"My daughter, I know. I do know that you are suffering unfairly," Gaia said with comfort sewn into every word. Rhea could sense her mother's authentic affection, and laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "I am almost sorry for ever having helped Cronos defeat Ouranos."

Rhea looked up at her mother, shocked at the declaration.

"Ouranos had hurt me," Gaia admitted through restrained anger. "He was not perfect, but Cronos is descending into darker depths than my fallen husband."

Rhea could only stare at her mother, hoping (in silence) that some profound wisdom would be dispensed from the Primordial. What Gaia said next was not what Rhea was expecting.

"Our only hope lies with you," Gaia definitively said.

"With me?" Rhea wondered, confused.

"As I understand it from the Fates," Gaia recalled. "Cronos will be displaced by one of your children. I believe it was the most deserving."

"The most deserving?"

Gaia was careful in her reply as it was all a guess. "If I chose Cronos to defeat Ouranos," Gaia supplied, "it would make sense you would choose the son that overcomes Cronos."

Rhea did not fully understand, but Cronos' cruelty made Rhea reach for whatever possibilities were available to her. "But which son, Gaia? Cronos ate Aether and the child in my belly could be a girl."

Gaia's gaze was one of soft kindness. What she was saying was guesswork at best, but she knew that her daughter was looking to her for guidance, and to give Rhea nothing would be abandoning the girl to an eternal pit of sorrow that she would never escape.

"Rhea, I don't have all the answers. I think that is for you to discover in time. Maybe this child will be a girl. Maybe it will be a boy. I can't promise the path ahead will be without problem, but I can promise that I will be by your side to help you."

While it was not exactly what Rhea wanted to hear, the words were a balm on the emotional wounds inflicted by Cronos. "What should I do?"

"For now, you wait, but, in the end, you will have to choose if you want to take this course. If you see what I already do, you will have to choose a son in the future to do to Cronos what Cronos did to Ouranos."

Their hands tightened in solidarity. Rhea looked into her mother's eyes and nodded to seal the silent oath.

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