The Reign of Cronos Ch. 06

Chapter 6: The Choice Made

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." - William Penn

Cronos paced back and forth in his chamber.

For all his rage at his father and wife, time had dulled that wound. The enormity of his decisions after becoming king were weighing more and more heavily upon him. He was starting to wonder if he was making the right choices.

With Aether, Cronos had good reason to consume him. Ouranos' taint needed to be removed from the world. It had been necessary.

Hades, as Cronos heard Rhea call the child, had done nothing wrong to him. If Cronos did to Hades what he did to Aether, he would be playing into the hands of the Fates. But if he gave Hades the throne, would he not be giving into their hands anyway? Was there a right choice to make?

He wrestled with the choices he might make, the consequences of those choices, and where it would all lead. He could not find an acceptable answer. In the end, he was torn between his fear of prophecy on one hand and not becoming like his overthrown father on the other.

Maybe it would be easier to just let. The strife could be over if he just let go of his throne.

The room was silent, save for the whispers of his conflicted conscience. Cronos leaned back, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, searching for the answers that were not there. The flickering torch flame mirrored the flicker of doubt in his heart; he had no solution to the dilemma.

Expelling the air from his lungs, he went to the nursery. Three baby girls had been raised in the room. He felt no threat from them because the Fates had foretold that only his son could depose him. The girls were innocent in all of this. Harming them would be wrong because, in the end, they were his children.

Looking upon Hades, Cronos saw himself in the small little deity. Was Hades not his child as well? Caressing his son's cheek, Cronos considered what it would mean to consume him as he had Aether. Hades was his son, unlike Aether.

Hades glowed with a light unlike Aether, as if divinity flowed through him more naturally than in Cronos. Rather than be jealous, Cronos felt a bit of pride in Hades' might. Hades' gifts were a reflection of Cronos. To eat him would be a betrayal of the ideals he held when he fought his father.

Those thoughts sunk deep into his mind, imbedding there. Harming Hades would make Cronos just like Ouranos. That was enough of a condemnation for Cronos to leave Hades to rest.

**********

Morning came and went in a blur. When she went to the nursery, Rhea was surprised Cronos had not devoured Hades as he had Aether. He did not appear to speak to Rhea, nor did he readily ignore her. Rhea found that her husband was sullen but not vindictive towards her or her child.

As the days went by, Cronos did nothing. That gave Rhea cause for concern. She seemed so sure that Cronos would eat Hades as he had Aether. Finding the baby alive was a surprise, but Rhea was not sure if it was a welcome one or not. Rhea felt, since Cronos was not being antagonizing to her, that she was safe enough to go to Gaia.

The Primordial Earth deity looked out at the ocean where Ouranos had been castrated and murdered when Rhea appeared in an instant. The blood and other fluids from the battle had long been washed away by the ever-moving waters.

"He has not eaten Hades," Rhea informed Gaia.

Gaia did not reply quickly; rather, she surveyed the Realm of Greece with her preternatural sight, which allowed her to see far and wide. While the gift of magical foresight was not hers to have yet, she could see more of what was happening in the world. She watched, despite Cronos' erratically sabotaging actions, her Titan children filled Greece with more divine children than she could imagine.

"That might be for the best," Gaia remarked, aware of Rhea's shock. She was too busy smiling at the lands of Greece to fully care for Rhea's vengeful mind.

"How? How can you do that after we have started preparing Hera to be the next Queen," Rhea said with bewilderment.

"You are a mother," Gaia said distantly. "I see how you care for Demeter, Hera, and Hestia. Even with your disdain for Cronos, you want what's best for them. I want that for Cronos."

"Even after what Cronos has done? To your husband? To my little Aether? To me?" Rhea exclaimed. As she cried, tears of pain rolled down her face.

"Yes, Rhea, even now, after all of his poor behavior, I want him to be better," Gaia answered magnanimously. "But if he has it in him to walk away from his evil path, should we not forgive him? He is loyal to you, which is so much more than Ouranos did for me. He helps his siblings cultivate our Realm. We are not doing what other Realms do from what I have heard from Hyperion. We have so much beautiful potential. We should be glad for the chance for change, not destructively sabotaging it by plotting against our king."

Rhea stared at Gaia in disbelief but said nothing. How could her mother just abandon their plan? She considered shouting, railing at her mother, but Rhea knew, in her heart, that her words would fall upon deaf ears. She would not waste the effort.

Defeat ran over her body, and she knew there was nothing she could do. Without Gaia, all of Rhea's ambition would be for naught. She turned from her mother, preparing to return to her mountain palace.

"Daughter," Gaia said to her daughter's back. She did not need to look into Rhea's eyes to know that her withdrawal of support hurt Rhea. "Let go of your anger towards Cronos. I think that is how we move forward. Cronos did not let go of his hatred of Ouranos, and it was poisoning him just as your hatred of Cronos is poisoning you. If Cronos has let go of that evil, you must too."

Rhea said nothing at first. "I don't hate him, Mother." She disappeared in a flash of light. The grand mountain of the divine accepted her once more to her home. Knowing Gaia, and no one else for that matter, would hear her emboldened her to add the simple truth of her plan:

"I just have no intention of allowing him to escape punishment."

**********

They had come into the world from the carnage of the first glorious battle, unaware of their purpose at first. In the beginning of their consciousness, the sisters were obsessed with rage and fury.

Though all were from the same ichor, each was different. One had white-blonde hair and wore a comfortable outfit of blue and red. She was Megaera, grudging, and craved an unrelenting resentment.

Another had gold and black hair; her clothes were black and red. She was Alecto, unceasing, and would go on forever to torment and battle whoever stood in her way.

The last had the thinnest skin over her skeleton and wore a green hood that covered her. She was Tisiphone, vengeance itself. She would go out and find justice through retribution.

Together, they would be called the Furies, who had come into the world through the death of Ouranos. They served only their desires. There was no king for them to recognize. No power could place a hold on them yet.

Some might say they were the unorthodox children of Ouranos and the Fates, serving as a perverse reflection of the pure daughters of Nyx. Perhaps they existed as revenge for the Fates using Ouranos. They could have been born of Ouranos' spirit of rage at his moment of death with his ichor as the medium for arrival.

Rage was their collective first sensation. These three sisters craved justice for their father's death. The retributional desire burned in their very veins. A pulse within them resonated, pushing them forward to fulfill that crusade. Luckily for them, their father's murderer had begun to walk in the Mortal Realm of Greece.

**********

The decision of Hades' fate was not an easy one to make for the Titan King.

To clear his head, Cronos ventured into the lands of Greece. Though he ruled over the luscious green domain, his mind was preoccupied by the potential consequences of eating Hades.

His circumstances would have been so easy if Ouranos' throne had gone to Crius or Hyperion instead of him. Wishing for that possibility was fruitless though. The more he thought about it, the more Cronos realized that he was meant to rule. Hyperion was never around, in love with both Theia and his pilgrimages to other lands. Crius had become a recluse in the aftermath of the wounds inflicted upon him by their father. If Crius had ever been meant to rule, it was before Ouranos maimed Crius from hands to elbows.

Cronos had to be the Ruler. He was the only one who possessed the power to command the respect of his siblings while also having the focus to care for the Realm.

Because he cared for Greece through the years, there was not much to do. Cronos helped guarantee no one became too possessive. Other beings came from Gaia (as she was as fertile as the lands); Pontus was one. Gaia could not tell if Ouranos' diluted blood in the water made Pontus or if it were her tears of mourning her husband's death, but Pontus emerged from the sea as its pure manifestation. Because of his possessive nature over the waters, it was inevitable for a clash with Oceanus.

Cronos had to establish that even if Pontus was the ocean, Oceanus ruled it. Arbitrating a peaceful arrangement between the two powerful beings was Cronos' job. As more creations came into the world, he wondered what other jobs he would have.

That was one of the beautiful qualities of life that Cronos knew his brother Iapetus adored about Greece. Iapetus' childlike fascination was something Cronos could almost find contagious. With so many possibilities and potentialities, it would be wrong for Cronos to steal the chance at life from Hades. Even if the small deity did not die in his stomach, the Titan knew that existing in a belly was not living.

Maybe he could give the throne to his son. Cronos could raise him up to be better than he was. Cronos could be a better father to Hades than Ouranos was to him.

In this distraction state, Cronos did not notice three shadowy figures flying towards him.

They struck at him without fear or concern. Their blows landed true, slashing and slicing at his skin. Ichor ran down the cheek of his face from the cut. On his left shoulder, the attack from the others was not deep enough to break his skin, but it was enough to capture his attention.

Cronos turned to see his attackers. The Three Furies flew around the gargantuan Titan like gnats before a man.

One of them had claws coming from her back. They were all winged creatures, and their hands were sharper than Cronos' scythe. Cronos grabbed the side of his head and felt warm reddish gold ichor drip down the side of his head and on the two fingers that touched it.

He looked up to see these three terrible women and growled, "Have you come in a new visage, Sisters of Fate?"

"Do you hear that, Sisters?" the center figured guffawed. His ignorance brought her more joy than anything else in her life. "He thinks we're the ones who look through time!"

The other two let out long bursts of laughter. "Of course he does, Megaera," said the hooded one. "His success blinds him. He believes the old powers are the only ones that matter."

"Too true, Tisiphone," added the last. Even as they spoke, the sisters started to spread out, making it as difficult as possible for Cronos to harm them

Megaera laughed out, "He is a foolish King, Alecto."

Drawn by the ancient blood of their Primordial father and their eternal duty to punish those who transgressed, they descended upon Greece's first murderer like avenging shadows. A sudden gust of wind rattled the trees from the powerfully quick movements of their wings. Overhead, dark storm clouds started to gather. Whether from their wrath or a sign of the late Ouranos' approval was irrelevant.

How dare these winged creatures remind Cronos of his debaucherous, rapist of a father.

Cronos batted at the smaller beings, unable to harm them, and his powerful hands would not stop their precise attack. In his large size, his body was not controlled enough to halt their vindictively precise blows all over him.

Though he could not always see them, their eyes were unable to lose him as they blazed with an intensity that matched the fires of Tartarus. The Furies were newer to the world than Cronos but they were not children. Furthermore, they were empowered by ancient blood and righteous retribution. This propelled them to be relentless against the one who had caused the downfall of their shared father, Ouranos.

Their voices resonated with enraged pain, rising in unison. "Cronos! Murderer! Usurper of divine power! Overthrower of Ouranos!"

Each declaration was an accusation. These charges would be answered only one way.

"We are the Furies! We have come for your blood. We have come... for justice!" Their voices echoed through the air, ringing in Cronos' head.

Cronos could say nothing in response. He was too busy batting them away, helpless to their accusations. Fueled by their righteous revenge, they pressed on. Their voices echoed throughout the Mortal Realm. "You slayed Ouranos, our father, to claim dominion over Olympus! How dare you!"

Cronos would not tolerate being insulted for defending his honor and removing a selfish thief from the world. He stood tall, regaining himself. As he held out his hand, the diamond-edged scythe that slew Ouranos appeared in it.

"I am Cronos!" He declared with finality. "Ruler of Olympus! I did what needed doing! I will not regret my actions!"

With a swing of his weapon, the Furies were blown back. The strike missed, but the wind threw them back. In their flustered confusion, Cronos saw his opportunity and struck once more. Alecto and Megaera were lucky to be just out of his reach of his blade, but Tisiphone was hit on the back by the the top of the scythe. The blow stole the tip of her wings, throwing her so far off course that the other two Sisters raced to catch her.

The Furies might relentlessly pursue justice, but their familial love was second to none. Cronos, unaware of their sisterly affection or one another, chased them down.

"Stop!" Cried the two uninjured Sisters.

Cronos did not halt for them. Their weakness only encouraged him to finish them as he had with Ouranos.

"We apologize, King Cronos!" Megaera pleaded in earnest. She looked to Alecto, who was focused on their injured sister. "Spare our sister, and we will leave you in peace."

"Only for you to come and harm me when you are well?" Cronos challenged.

"We will give our bond, as Spirits of Justice, to serve Olympus and only hunt those that break their oaths," Megaera swore. As one who loathed oath breakers, such as Cronos, Megaera understood the depths of the importance of one's word.

Cronos paused, slowly realizing that harming one was enough to subdue them all. At that moment, as he had with Hades, Cronos had a choice about the Furies. He could destroy them or show mercy. He questioned if he could punish beings for loyalty for one another. He was, after all, the one to depose Ouranos as a show of misplaced loyalty to Rhea

Lifting his scythe away from the Furies, he looked at them coldly. "Go! Begone from my sight. Go hunt your oathbreakers, but so long as I am King, leave me alone!"

A glint reached Alecto's eyes, and she bowed her head, motioning for Megaera to do the same. Together, they replied, "Yes, Majesty!"

**********

Rhea could hear Cronos' return to Olympus. Since so little was going her way, she was beginning to think the Fates' prophecy was complete nonsense. She was willing to consider letting it all go. From Cronos to his siblings, there was very little Rhea could do to stop Cronos herself. She would need powerful allies or children in her plan. With no one, there was nothing to be done.

A different part of her considered different options. She could go to other lands, but the divinities of those lands were young too, no matter what stories Hyperion brought back of their unique splendor.

She had to use her wit if she was to make a difference in the reign of Cronos.

Upon entering the Throne Room, she could see her husband bruised, battered, and bleeding, but unbeaten. "Cronos!" Rhea wailed. While she was surprised, her cry was not one of concern "What happened to you?"

"It would seem our father left me a gift in the Realm after his demise," Cronos spat. He was certain his wife would be pleased that her lover had found a way to harm Cronos even in the afterlife.

Rhea looked at him, visibly shocked. In her heart, she had wished that the gift, whatever it had been, had taken him out. That would make all of her goals easier.

She walked quickly to inspect the damage the others had inflicted upon him. "But you survived," Rhea commented sympathetically. No matter her private desires, Rhea would not allow Cronos (or anyone else for that matter) see beneath the armor she had crafted to appear a loving wife.

"I was victorious. Nothing will take Olympus from me. Neither the Furies nor the Fates."

She did not know who the Furies were, but Rhea recognized something had changed within Cronos. Her mind raced for a moment, considering what she knew of him and what she observed.

Rhea's eyes lit up as she saw his weakness and put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Cronos' deficiency was not a physical frailty but a mental one, which would prove Gaia's assessment of her son to be wrong.

She lifted her dress slightly to test her theory. "You are right, my husband. No one will take your throne. You can overcome any threat to it."

Cronos looked up to see the seductive look in his wife's eyes. He was unaccustomed to Rhea being sexually motivated. "No?" He asked the question with suspicion over his wife's actions.

"Of course not," Rhea said, straddling her husband's lap. She brushed her hand over his face and wounds. Her touch slowly healed them. "You're King on Olympus, vanquisher of Ouranos, ruler of the Titans," she declared with supportive inflections. "These 'Furies' were never going to be a match for you. The Fates are wrong. No offspring of yours could harm you."

While Rhea did not know the Furies, nor was she sure what they had to do with the Fates, she could see the cracks in Cronos' control over Olympus and himself when the head of his member grazed over the entrance of her womanhood.

He had enemies. He was not invincible. He could fall even if Gaia did not want to help Rhea.

Cronos, for his part, did not understand what Rhea was doing. He was lost in her controlled actions, unable to help himself. The contact of his wife's thighs against his manhood was inspiration itself. How could he not surrender to the pleasure?

Rhea kissed her husband's neck as she ran her hands over his chest. "You deserve your throne, my King. No one has the right to take this from you."

"No..." Cronos moaned.

"You deserve everything in the cosmos," Rhea cooed into his ears, rubbing the lips between her legs against the head of his manhood.

"I do," Cronos groaned out. He could feel himself sliding into Rhea. Inch by inch, as he moved in and out of her body from her slow, deliberate riding, Cronos cupped his wife's breasts. "By Chaos...this is good."

Rhea kissed her husband fiercely. "Yes, it is, my King. And I am yours to take! It's all yours," she hissed into his ear.

Cronos, so lost in his lust, submitted to the passion. "Yes! Yes, it is!"

Rhea freed her breasts for her husband's view.

"Then take it!" Rhea screamed. Even as she envisioned the future, she grew increasingly aroused. She could imagine it, a future where Cronos was undone. He would forge his enemy. With every thrust, Rhea's longing grew, and with it came her climax. She wanted revenge for the loss of Ouranos, and through Cronos, she would have it. Cronos, for all of his desires, was blind to her plan.