We talk to Zeus and he thinks it's a really good idea. He doesn't have to go to the Commissioner with it unless it all goes wrong, so he gets to keep a good relationship with his family....and they get to keep their jobs, assuming they play ball. He agrees that he will keep an eye out for us and promises that nothing will happen to either of us while this is being sorted - and if it does, he will bring us back, as it were. I get the impression he is really, really pleased that we've tried to sort it out without involving the Commission - they do seem seriously unpopular with the gods - more interested in upholding the rules than in seeing that things work - so we have earned some brownie poibnts by doing it this way.
He suggests that Calliope stays out of it as much as possible, and leaves it up to me. He says mostly because I won't be linked with her son and his girlfriend, so I won't create any gossip whe I visit. He also suggests that I go and talk to Mr H first, because he is most likely to agree to doing a deal, and because it won't mess up my relationship with Aphrodite.
He says that I should stay away from Ares at all costs - he will not listen in normal circumstances, and I will just be a red rag to his bull. Not productive, he says.
He suggests that if Mr H won't play, that Artemis is the next weakest link - mostly because for her it was a contract, not anything personal, and the Commission like to lay down the law more if a god hasn't got a real grudge. So she could have a lot more to lose than the others, and be more willing to make them sort it out.
So that's the game plan then, I have to go and talk to Mr H and see what happens next.
We do have to agree what we want to happen - Calliope wants Orpheus to be happy, and for her that means bringing Eurydice back to life and them both living together happily ever after....I say that maybe we need to ask them first, just to see if that's what they want too, and she kind of agrees with that - says she'll track her son down and ask him, and leave Eurydice to me.
So that's it sorted then, I'm off back down there as soon as I get out of here.
Bump into Hermes again on the way out - he's still after a story. Tell him that Calliope is on her way to sort out her son's sex life - or at least his attitude to it - and that I'm on my way to Hades to make sure her son isn't there already. He seems to go for that too - let's hope he really has.
Off we go then - crusaders in the cause of truth and justice.....well, something like that, anyway
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Decision Making - first things first
Me and Calliope have had a bit of a chat about what to do next. She reckons we ought to play it a bit clever, not go public just yet, because there's so much to lose for everyone - not least because once the Mortal Rights Commission get involved, the whole thing tends to go pear shaped, because they go into every little bit of detail they can, and it can take forever to sort out. She thinks we could come up with a plan that will make it OK for everyone.
What she suggests we do is to have a word with Zeus about things - tell him about the plan and get his agreement to try it - then if it doesn't work, he can go to the Commission and get them to sort it.
Her plan goes like this - we let the "bad" gods know that we know what they've done and why, and that they had better sort it back out again - get Eurydice back up there and leave them both alone from now on - or we will go to Zeus and he will go to the Commission. Don't tell them we already have, just see what they do. She reckons that by telling Zeus about it we will be OK - he has the power to get us both out of it alive if they play up rough, so we should be OK anyway. We can get them to agree something properly ( promises, written or stuff like that) that they will back off Orpheus and make sure things don't happen to him or Eurydice "by accident".
She reckons that makes it what she describes as a "win-win situation " - personally I think nymphs shouldn't use business speak like that, kind of devalues their mystical role, but maybe I'm old fashioned that way.
Must admit that what she says makes a lot of sense, just need to decide who we talk to - whether we say something to all of them, or just one or two - I have a feeling that Aphrodite will go off me more than a bit if it's obvious that I've been involved in it, so we need to look at all the possibilities.
So now we have to go back to Zeus and tell him. And hope he agrees and will back us up, keep us alive all that sort of thing.....here we go.....
What she suggests we do is to have a word with Zeus about things - tell him about the plan and get his agreement to try it - then if it doesn't work, he can go to the Commission and get them to sort it.
Her plan goes like this - we let the "bad" gods know that we know what they've done and why, and that they had better sort it back out again - get Eurydice back up there and leave them both alone from now on - or we will go to Zeus and he will go to the Commission. Don't tell them we already have, just see what they do. She reckons that by telling Zeus about it we will be OK - he has the power to get us both out of it alive if they play up rough, so we should be OK anyway. We can get them to agree something properly ( promises, written or stuff like that) that they will back off Orpheus and make sure things don't happen to him or Eurydice "by accident".
She reckons that makes it what she describes as a "win-win situation " - personally I think nymphs shouldn't use business speak like that, kind of devalues their mystical role, but maybe I'm old fashioned that way.
Must admit that what she says makes a lot of sense, just need to decide who we talk to - whether we say something to all of them, or just one or two - I have a feeling that Aphrodite will go off me more than a bit if it's obvious that I've been involved in it, so we need to look at all the possibilities.
So now we have to go back to Zeus and tell him. And hope he agrees and will back us up, keep us alive all that sort of thing.....here we go.....
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Take your time. think about it.....
Well. This is a big decision and no mistake. If we go ahead with the complaint, Zeus will be obliged to take it to the Commissioner for Mortal Rights, and, given the information we've got, several Gods won't be any more. Well, that's not strictly true, they will still be Gods, but they won't have any power or authority. They will still be immortal, no-one can take that away, but I should imagine it won't be particularly attractive to them - especially since, with losing all their powers, stuff like eternal youth goes out of the window too, so they'll get very, very, very, very old...and still not die....eternal life isn't everything, you know. Got to be careful what you wish for....
Aphrodite would be absolutely devastated by it, for one, wouldn't be able to cope, if you ask me. As for the others, it will be a very nasty shock - the rules say they'd be replaced by someone else, and go into some sort of god limbo. And it all seems to be down to me. Me and Calliope. She's more of the injured party on this, it being her son they were after, so I suppose I'd better ask her what she wants.
Thinking about myself, I'd lose Aphrodite, lose the two thirds of the time I spend in the real world, and have to spend all my time down there with the dead folks. Not something I think I'd really want to do.
I did take the hint that I might be the boss down there, but I'm not sure it's a job I'd want - Perspehone is a bit bossy and possessive - and she might not be too pleased if Hades is kicked out, after all, she did pick him to begin with, and, although that was a few millennia ago, she still has feelings for him. Believe me, I know, she has made a point of telling me from time to time.
So it is a big decision - my principles about right and wrong against my own life and all its comforts and privileges....but it's more than that -there's Eurydice and Orpheus to think about too, and what it could mean for them...I'd better make sure I get this one right - and that could take some time !
So I'll be back with some ideas soon....
Aphrodite would be absolutely devastated by it, for one, wouldn't be able to cope, if you ask me. As for the others, it will be a very nasty shock - the rules say they'd be replaced by someone else, and go into some sort of god limbo. And it all seems to be down to me. Me and Calliope. She's more of the injured party on this, it being her son they were after, so I suppose I'd better ask her what she wants.
Thinking about myself, I'd lose Aphrodite, lose the two thirds of the time I spend in the real world, and have to spend all my time down there with the dead folks. Not something I think I'd really want to do.
I did take the hint that I might be the boss down there, but I'm not sure it's a job I'd want - Perspehone is a bit bossy and possessive - and she might not be too pleased if Hades is kicked out, after all, she did pick him to begin with, and, although that was a few millennia ago, she still has feelings for him. Believe me, I know, she has made a point of telling me from time to time.
So it is a big decision - my principles about right and wrong against my own life and all its comforts and privileges....but it's more than that -there's Eurydice and Orpheus to think about too, and what it could mean for them...I'd better make sure I get this one right - and that could take some time !
So I'll be back with some ideas soon....
Friday, February 10, 2006
Decision time - yet again !!
It doesn't get any easier, does it. Now I've got to make yet another decision about what happens next. Me and Adonis both. The story has kind of developed a life of its own - got out of my control - I've created a situation I didn't plan for - the power of creative thought has tripped me up, and set me a question to resolve that I wsn't going to ask....if you look back on the "potential endings" posts, this one wasn't on the list at all. Didn't see it coming.
So now what ? maybe I just need to let the story go and tell itself - it seems to work better that way - planning it out seems to make it dry up too quickly....who am I talking to ? Nobody......so these are my thoughts for a potential reader who isn't reading any of this.......makes about as much sense as the plot, I guess....so back to the story, after a suitable pause for Adonis to think......
So now what ? maybe I just need to let the story go and tell itself - it seems to work better that way - planning it out seems to make it dry up too quickly....who am I talking to ? Nobody......so these are my thoughts for a potential reader who isn't reading any of this.......makes about as much sense as the plot, I guess....so back to the story, after a suitable pause for Adonis to think......
What happened next - with thunderbolts !!
There we are, going in to see him , and we've got to get the story straight, decide who says what, because we'll only get the one chance to tell him. What's more, it's not going to be easy - after all most of the ones involved are either his brother, his sister, or one of his cousins, so he may not be that keen on finding out, and even less keen on making them pay for what they did. What makes it worse is that, before the new laws came in, he was one of , if not the worst for messing around witg mortals, and he wasn't impressed when the law came in, so that might be a problem too.
Anyway, since it's me who knows most of the plot, in both senses of the word, it's up to me to tell him. He obviously knows who we are, so no introductions necessary, but I do take the time to remind him that Calliope was the one he brought in to settle the argument about me, and that should also remind him that, in a way, he is responsible for it all. I need to keep an eye on his reaction too - given his history, he might see it all as a bit of a laugh, and just something Gods do when they've had a few drinks, so not worth reacting.
So I start telling him all about it, hoping that it doesn't annoy him too much, but just setting the scene. He doesn't seem that interested to start with, not the bits about Eurydice's plan to make Orpheus jealous, but when I get to the stuff that's been going on, you can tell it's got him really annoyed. How ? He picks up a thunderbolt and chucks it down through the clouds. No aiming, just throws it. Then another one. Go on, he says - so I tell him about the messages from Artemis and the meeting I had with the snakes. Then he really loses it. " Ungrateful bastards" he shouts - " How dare they ! It was all their fault in the first place and all I was asked to do was sort it out - and now they're having a go at you for doing what they asked. Bastards !! " So much for my theory about him not seeing it as important - he's obviously taking his King of the Gods role seriously and that includes upholding the laws. He picks up a handful of thunderbolts and hurls them angrily - about three or four of them. I'm getting a bit worried about what's happening down there - thunderbolts can do quite a bit of damage when they hit you, especially if you're not expecting it, and right now there could be four or five people who have been walloped for no reason, which will probably lead to a complaint or two to the Mortal Rights Commissioner.
He calms down for a minute, stops pacing up and down, and says, a bit sadly " Why do they think they can get away with a stunt like that ? It's all so obvious - if you can spot it ( he says, meaning me - and I don't take it as a compliment to my mental ability) then anyone with half an eye can see it. It breaks just about every rule in the book , and now you've told me about it, we've got to do something. I really don't need this right now - not that many of them all at once - if the Commissioner finds out about it they could close us all down, and for good, and where would that leave everyone ? No valid belief system, no reward for a good life and no punishment for a bad one. The possible impact on moral imperatives could be devastating, to say nothing for the ritual artefact industry and its retail arm." He'd lost me at this point, I hadn't really got much idea of what he was talking about, but Calliope whispered in my ear, explaining it, and it all made sense. He was obviously taking his King of the Gods role very seriously indeed.
So he sat and thought for a while. Then he said " You do realise the potential implications of all this, don't you ? " I didn't, so I said so. He said " If I take any action on this, you'll alomst certainly lose your main girlfriend - possibly both of them, if the one down there had any involvement - and you won't get brought back to life every year any more, because none of the gods will countenance that. There will need to be a new King of the Dead, though, and it will probably be you, because no-one else is up to it. How do you fancy spending the rest of your life down there with Persephone (if she's still there after all this ) or with one of the other dead girls ? " He looked at me hard. " Have a think about it - let me know what you want. If I go to the Commissioners with this lot, there's five gods who will be out of a job right away, and you will not be popular with the rest, but that might not matter too much. I'll give you a few hours to think it through and tell me what you want to happen"
Great - more decisions. So we go back out to have a think....see what's what
Anyway, since it's me who knows most of the plot, in both senses of the word, it's up to me to tell him. He obviously knows who we are, so no introductions necessary, but I do take the time to remind him that Calliope was the one he brought in to settle the argument about me, and that should also remind him that, in a way, he is responsible for it all. I need to keep an eye on his reaction too - given his history, he might see it all as a bit of a laugh, and just something Gods do when they've had a few drinks, so not worth reacting.
So I start telling him all about it, hoping that it doesn't annoy him too much, but just setting the scene. He doesn't seem that interested to start with, not the bits about Eurydice's plan to make Orpheus jealous, but when I get to the stuff that's been going on, you can tell it's got him really annoyed. How ? He picks up a thunderbolt and chucks it down through the clouds. No aiming, just throws it. Then another one. Go on, he says - so I tell him about the messages from Artemis and the meeting I had with the snakes. Then he really loses it. " Ungrateful bastards" he shouts - " How dare they ! It was all their fault in the first place and all I was asked to do was sort it out - and now they're having a go at you for doing what they asked. Bastards !! " So much for my theory about him not seeing it as important - he's obviously taking his King of the Gods role seriously and that includes upholding the laws. He picks up a handful of thunderbolts and hurls them angrily - about three or four of them. I'm getting a bit worried about what's happening down there - thunderbolts can do quite a bit of damage when they hit you, especially if you're not expecting it, and right now there could be four or five people who have been walloped for no reason, which will probably lead to a complaint or two to the Mortal Rights Commissioner.
He calms down for a minute, stops pacing up and down, and says, a bit sadly " Why do they think they can get away with a stunt like that ? It's all so obvious - if you can spot it ( he says, meaning me - and I don't take it as a compliment to my mental ability) then anyone with half an eye can see it. It breaks just about every rule in the book , and now you've told me about it, we've got to do something. I really don't need this right now - not that many of them all at once - if the Commissioner finds out about it they could close us all down, and for good, and where would that leave everyone ? No valid belief system, no reward for a good life and no punishment for a bad one. The possible impact on moral imperatives could be devastating, to say nothing for the ritual artefact industry and its retail arm." He'd lost me at this point, I hadn't really got much idea of what he was talking about, but Calliope whispered in my ear, explaining it, and it all made sense. He was obviously taking his King of the Gods role very seriously indeed.
So he sat and thought for a while. Then he said " You do realise the potential implications of all this, don't you ? " I didn't, so I said so. He said " If I take any action on this, you'll alomst certainly lose your main girlfriend - possibly both of them, if the one down there had any involvement - and you won't get brought back to life every year any more, because none of the gods will countenance that. There will need to be a new King of the Dead, though, and it will probably be you, because no-one else is up to it. How do you fancy spending the rest of your life down there with Persephone (if she's still there after all this ) or with one of the other dead girls ? " He looked at me hard. " Have a think about it - let me know what you want. If I go to the Commissioners with this lot, there's five gods who will be out of a job right away, and you will not be popular with the rest, but that might not matter too much. I'll give you a few hours to think it through and tell me what you want to happen"
Great - more decisions. So we go back out to have a think....see what's what
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Meeting the top dog - or god
So there we are, at the top of Olympus, waiting to go in and see him.
It's all very odd - I'm kind of on nodding acquaintance with quite a few of the gods and demis, so I have to say Hi a few times, and getting quizzical looks - as in "What's he doing all the way up here, and with her too ? Isn't he supposed to be somewhere else with Aphrodite, or Persephone or something ?" Can sense the immortal rumour mill starting to grind away, and so when Hermes turns up, I get a feeling everyone will know what's going on pretty quickly. For some reason I can't quite fathom, he sees himself as a bit of a star journalist, a paparazzi without a camera, a sleuth on the trail of a story.....which he isn't - he just tells tales, passes on news and generally operates a rather bad gossip column for the immortals. Don't like him a lot, in case you wondered , not that it's obvious (much)
So he asks me what I'm doing there, and I'm obliged to say "No Comment" like a politician who's just been caught out with a mistress or two, and when he asks why I'm here with Calliope, it's really tempting to tell him to **** off and mind his own business, but I don't - I'm tempted to do the " No Comment" thing again - but he's not looking happy, and I know this one is going to play in the storybook for a few days at least, and everyone will know - including the ones who did it - and given I'm not alone, they will fairly quickly put two and two together, and even the most educationally challenged immortal ( which is quite a few) could hardly fail to make that four !!
So I have to come up with a story for him, and quick. I decide that the reason we're up there is because we've heard that her son is trying to persuade blokes not to stay with their wives, and that we've heard a rumour that someone is going to kill him for that- a rumour that has come through the nymph network, and the reason I'm here as well is because I heard the rumour too, and that he was ging to be ritually sacrificed like I am and so I wanted to help her get it all sorted before things got too far - we can't be having more than one sacrifice in a year, now can we ?
Not sure if he believed me, but he did nod a couple of times - well, it is kind of plausible, not too far fetched - so let's see. Glad that's sorted - now we've been summoned to see the big one, the boss....
It's all very odd - I'm kind of on nodding acquaintance with quite a few of the gods and demis, so I have to say Hi a few times, and getting quizzical looks - as in "What's he doing all the way up here, and with her too ? Isn't he supposed to be somewhere else with Aphrodite, or Persephone or something ?" Can sense the immortal rumour mill starting to grind away, and so when Hermes turns up, I get a feeling everyone will know what's going on pretty quickly. For some reason I can't quite fathom, he sees himself as a bit of a star journalist, a paparazzi without a camera, a sleuth on the trail of a story.....which he isn't - he just tells tales, passes on news and generally operates a rather bad gossip column for the immortals. Don't like him a lot, in case you wondered , not that it's obvious (much)
So he asks me what I'm doing there, and I'm obliged to say "No Comment" like a politician who's just been caught out with a mistress or two, and when he asks why I'm here with Calliope, it's really tempting to tell him to **** off and mind his own business, but I don't - I'm tempted to do the " No Comment" thing again - but he's not looking happy, and I know this one is going to play in the storybook for a few days at least, and everyone will know - including the ones who did it - and given I'm not alone, they will fairly quickly put two and two together, and even the most educationally challenged immortal ( which is quite a few) could hardly fail to make that four !!
So I have to come up with a story for him, and quick. I decide that the reason we're up there is because we've heard that her son is trying to persuade blokes not to stay with their wives, and that we've heard a rumour that someone is going to kill him for that- a rumour that has come through the nymph network, and the reason I'm here as well is because I heard the rumour too, and that he was ging to be ritually sacrificed like I am and so I wanted to help her get it all sorted before things got too far - we can't be having more than one sacrifice in a year, now can we ?
Not sure if he believed me, but he did nod a couple of times - well, it is kind of plausible, not too far fetched - so let's see. Glad that's sorted - now we've been summoned to see the big one, the boss....
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