A variant Eris back story

[The Wizard Joseph]

Here is my most interesting current project involving Eris. It's all in one lump as I wrote it with a few notes from a friend in double parentheses. This one I also started writing spontaneously as the story hit my brain. The difficult part for me has been not the story but my attempt at expression. It fourth part is incomplete and there is a fifth needed to close the story.

I hope you folks enjoy!

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Waiting for Joe to notice he forgot the link....

[LMNO]

10/10, would read again.

[The Wizard Joseph]

Doh!


On the Secret Genesis of Eris, (revised but incomplete V2)

part 1

There are persistent rumors and disagreements whispered most quietly in the halls of the gods. The best remaining records will agree, and all the gods have seen, Hera declares Eris to be her daughter. Those among the Olympians that have been around the longest, and have seen Eris lose her top a few times, wonder quietly to themselves, and to each other privately, and always with utmost caution, whether the rumor that she is in fact the daughter of dark Nyx, the titan who is the cold, deadly, and radiant night sky, could possibly be true.

I am but a privileged mortal, and so no sure source of the truth. If you have ear though I shall tell you a tale that even the gods may hesitate to utter.

'Tis said that Nyx was most upset by the doings of the gods and their little monkey pawns in the earliest days. They were so loud and obnoxious in the evenings when she displayed her greatness and even the most ferocious creatures felt compelled to their quiet, worshipful night sounds.

The gods had their revelry, ambrosia and dark wine, their hateful fire. These were bad enough, but far more obnoxious, and puzzling, were the noises that the pathetic human wretches far below made that echoed against rough cave walls and from under even rougher furs stolen from other creatures in attempt to keep back from their thin flesh her breath. She watched on, rapt by their strange cries and wondering about what these tiny mortal beings dared to do in her presence.

Much was obscured from her sight by fur and shelter though it must be said that she was then quite blissfully unaware of how much more she was missing. Nyx's singular obsession in the earliest days had been with the sounds that they made in her presence. Rapturous and savage the sounds were. So unlike the sonic nocturnal emissions of all the other creatures they were.

Where most creatures crawling upon the dirt produced a song and began the rituals of survival, and procreation, and rest under forever present stars humanity hid themselves from her splendor. They made not music but a riot of sounds so like the revels of the distant gods and yet somehow more. More desperate and savage and needful and so warm against the endless chill Nyx was accustomed to. A riotous and obnoxious, but so very compelling, symphony that followed it's own rythym and respected no seasons.

Often Nyx believed that perhaps some humans had died after emitting particularly terrible cries only to see faintest movement as her train receeded into the west as she often turned to allow some few of her luminous eyes to linger for one final glimpse. Though it often so happened, often enough to keep ageless and enigmatic Nyx wondering, that one or both stirred no more.

Nyx pitied or was apathetic toward the humans in every concern other than the mystery of their hidden doings in her presence. Often she would hear word of their deeds during the sport of grand Helios, he who is the day. Other than an amusing occasional scornful eye when his glory proved too powerful for them, and caused a retreat to their caves and pathetic wooden shelters, he seemed clearly better regarded by them than she.  Yet the cries continued unceasingly in her presence.
And so Nyx continued listening ever more fervently to the riot and rythyms of it as ages passed into aeons.

This went on, and was the way of things until, as is ever more certain than even immortals might prefer, things changed.


On the Secret Genesis of Eris, part 2

The gods had long ago won their place on Mount Olympus in a terrible war against the the Titans known as the Titanomachy, finally banishing all but the most powerful, gargantuan, and remote, such as Nyx and Helios, to fetid imprisonment in Tartarus. Indeed those struggles had borne the upstart gods considerable fruit.  They had no desire to share this fruit with lowly humanity.

Zeus, upon taking the throne as mighty king of the gods, had outright  forbidden any interaction between gods and mortal men that was not one of abject reverence. He saw fit to declare that humanity's place was to be forever beneath the gods of Olympus. Few of the Olympians had a care about this. No god was fool enough to say otherwise.

It was only the insightful and treacherous titan Prometheus that looked upon humanity and saw a use; as he did when he looked upon all things.
He had betrayed the other titans from the outset of the war and proven  more than once a turning point in that ancient struggle. He had forseen victory for Zeus and his siblings.

In joining the young gods and their campaign Prometheus had sought both to survive the war in freedom and to mitigate the limitless destruction the war would cause to the world and it's inhabitants. He was fond of these things as he had been instrumental in helping to form them from ancient Chaos. He was especially fond of humanity. He alone understood their minds and had granted them much of his own vaunted foresight, mostly to see what would come of it.

The thin hope that had swayed Prometheus was that Zeus would rule more justly than had his father.
Zeus had been quite full of assurances while there was need.

In the aftermath, as reward for his contributions, Prometheus had been granted a minor estate upon the lower slopes of Olympus. His place for all time was to be right by the billowing smoke stacks of the forges that Hephastus and Athena tirelessly worked to produce for the gods their many wonders. It was the least desireable estate upon all of Olympus and a clear insult. It must be said that even more than the Olympians the Titans are selfish and vengeful. Prometheus was also thoughtful, patient, and treacherous.

And so he waited and watched as humanity was being watched ever more closely by his distant aunt Nyx. As Nyx's obsession grew and humanity struggled and strove on for survival Prometheus foresaw that if nothing changed Nyx would overtake frail humanity and in her full embrace they would perish and Prometheus have nothing left of his most interesting experiment, and surely no notable status on Olympus,
forever.

And thus Prometheus patiently waited, and watched, and finally, as he had done by his immortal nature since the beginning all things, found the means to bring a change.


On the Secret Genesis of Eris, part 3

It all seemed so terribly far in the past now to Zeus, the almighty king of the gods. That daft old coot Prometheus had defied Zeus, stolen from his house, and worse disproven Zeus' claim to omniscience before the other gods, if not ignorant and wretched humanity. Zeus had grudgingly left his revelry and reasserted his authority swiftly and terribly after Prometheus had stolen the fire from his hall, while mighty Zeus slept, and then,  damnably, given it to the smelly beasts below Olympus.

In what was to the immortals but a few moments humanity had taken this forbidden gift and with it's powers had spread to all corners of the world and had begun to cling together and yammer and rut in it's warm light. Worse, even as Zeus sought to ensure that humans would use it to make sacrifices that would honor the gods with a portion of all their best produce, and so happen to slow their growth, Prometheus had slyly coached the human priests at Mecone into decieving Zeus.

He had been gallingly duped into accepting a pile of fat and bare bones as his sacred portion, and a deal struck by a god is forever; or they are no god at all. The torturous price that Zeus levied on Prometheus for the changes he had so slyly sought and wrought is well known to this day and, like all things, did not last forever.

Alas, that cloud headed old fool Prometheus was no longer the problem that roused Zeus to action. Fair and deadly Nyx had gone mad with hate and a dreadful desire.

On seeing humanity bearing flame into her holy darkness.
On seeing their wanton, unquenchable passions and defiance. 
On seeing their eyes clearly in firelight cast upward
as though they, though mortal,
would take as theirs the whole world,
and take even dread Nyx one day.
She had instead come to them.

In what seemed an unending frenzy, Nyx had begun madly spawning monsters from the beasts and terrible, cannibalistic giants from those poor mortals caught alone by her; those that had wandered far from the firelight. This horrible spawning had become such a constant problem that Zeus lamented in fury that he could not even get properly drunk anymore for concern that yet another terror would set foot upon Olympus while he was indisposed.
((Give Zeus more oomph! He's VERY displeased.))
Such incidents were becoming ever more frequent. Zeus was most displeased. He set forth to address the matter, after his fashion. He, after as much wine as he dared, declared to the other gods that he would resolve the matter by his might, and all in one day.
((Specify a bit his plan or intent, or that he has none. Also clarify or embellish Uranus))
Up and into the realm of near infinite Uranus Zeus rose. Uranus, whose age and vastness were second only to eldest Chaos, barely noticed as the speck that was the king of the gods rose to harry his little sibling Nyx. Nyx noticed. Long had she desired this encounter.

And so Zeus, in striving to return things to the way they had been, would be irrevocably changed.

On the Secret Genesis of Eris, part 4

It took twenty three days. Twenty three dark and terrible days passed after Zeus went upward into the endless sky seeking to bring an end to Nyx's mischief.  Zeus had ordered all of the gods under his hospitality to enter into his lofty palace upon Olympus and not to leave, if they valued their existences, until his swift return, save only his brothers Poseidon and Hades.

Their abodes beneath wave and soil were quite secure. Knowing their brother, in wisdom they had willfully remained in their own places, and a storm like no other before or since enveloped this ancient world.

To call it a storm is nearly a disservice.
((This?))
The storm is perhaps fitting.
The storm that filled every part of the sky with lightning and thunder and water and cruel winds.
The storm that shook the mountains and rivers  into new places as even steadfast Atlas groaned and shifted from the impossible force of it.
The storm that covered the world in ruin and buried ancient titanic wonders, that caused dauntless Helios himself to hide his face for twenty days; and three more in the horrific silence that followed, just to be sure.
The storm whose darkness froze much of the ground and slew vast numbers of beasts and plants, and nearly slew all mankind,
for none had been given warning.

Then Hera, great queen of the gods, stood alone on the private balcony on which she and Zeus had seen uncountable evenings become mornings. She had stood there with him shortly after final victory over the titans had been wrought. He had sworn to her that no more beautiful creature existed than she. Hera had seen his gaze lingering upon unreachable Nyx countless times and had made Zeus swear it before Nyx herself upon this ancient high place. And now the bitch had her fool husband, and Hera had far to fall.

During The Storm the gods had all remained sufficiently cowed by its terrible power. In the three days of silence following where Helios yet hid his face much had been whispered, and within her own house Hera missed nothing. Some believed Zeus dead but Hera certainly knew otherwise. No, her unaging eyes could not see Zeus in the empty, impossibly dark vault she searched quite fervently. The Storm had passed, but her immortal spirit would surely know had Zeus passed.

[LMNO]

You know, that's pretty good.

[The Wizard Joseph]

You know, that's pretty good.

Thanks! The story is complete in my head but telling the tale has taken some research. The really weird part was when the research seemed to fit the bits of the story I was myself unsure of in  terms of veracity.

working now but will tell the parts I'm hung up on in flat prose later.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That was very good indeed, especially for an unfinished piece. Nicely done!

[Eater of Clowns]

It read like myth! Very good.

[The Wizard Joseph]

well thanks both of you! That just perked up an otherwise cold and taxing day of work.

[The Wizard Joseph]

I initially began writing this story spontaneously while conversing with some unknown but intriguing person behind a sock account on TDS2014. The story just seemed to pour into me as I went to post a comment, and I quickly realized that I would need to do the work separately from the FB app. I posted parts 1-3 to that group as separate threads.

The story continues on from what I have written in my head alone, along with some motivational bits and other trivia that I've left out of the telling for reasons of style and some personal comfort.  The fine bits are little things like the depth of Zeus' secret lust for, and later dread of, Nyx.
Nyx has no such 'human' motives as real lust per se, only her nature. 
It's not very nice at all, as is said.

Nyx's memory of the slight Hera demands of Zeus is forever, and he's such a cute boy. Seeing humanity by firelight was an outrage, true, but Nyx also learns new forms of passion and betrayal and revenge from watching them, and the concept of getting even. In a sense Nyx starts sending Zeus flirty little gifts that only seem like deathly "kaijuesque " emergencies to the uninitiated.

Zeus had conquered everything already long ago by this time. She's annoying him only superficially. She knows exactly what will provoke little Zeus into action, the chance at plunder and glory again. He never had a chance once Prometheus set her off.

Watching the humans became more than mild obsession for Nyx. The firelight essentially forced her to watch the trashy human drama and copulation all the time and it 'drove her mad'. This was Zeus' public interpretation. Privately, as the muse tells me, he saw what he always wanted, a reason Hera could swallow. A chance. The poor fool took it.

He sets out to essentially rape Nyx, with all his forcibly, into submission then plunder her realm for interesting things; because that mortals is how a Zeus do. He sincerely expected swift and sweet success. He strives upon her with all he has and nearly undoes the world in the process. He doesn't even try to pace himself in his folly and presumption and is, relative to a diety, quickly and suddenly exhausted. Then Nyx simply holds the feisty little king in icy arms strong as the jaws of a T-Rex and so old that they saw the most terrible earthly predators, before humans anyway, die out. Zeus is trapped. This is when the storm ends.

Nyx has a private word with Zeus. A negotiation from an extremely well leveraged position you might say. She is well aware of the precarious nature of Olympian politics. She can't hold Zeus forever, but she can hold him more than long enough to watch the others turn on Hera, or maybe she on him. Pitched down from above with no ceremony, Zeus would lose everything and at best one day manage to rebuild his position. Failure truly is the only sin in politics. Zeus literally got caught.

Nyx offers to release Zeus in exchange for one of the only things she can't just take from the King. Only the King can share out his essence and make a new god. This was the case among the ancient Titans as well. In fact by the lore Kronos ascended the throne after committing castration on his own father-king Uranus. This also cursed him to be overthrown by his own children, and so it goes.  Anyway, Nyx wants Zeus' essence.

Zeus may be exhausted, trapped, and dealing with new and very fluid political realities but he's still king. His consent will require some concessions of course.  First it is HIS essence not hers by right and the offspring rightfully also his. Nyx is quite, quite happy to "reluctantly" agree there. Second Nyx will stop it with all the monster spawning and never take direct action on Gaia again for any reason unless Zeus releases her to. This one stung her monstrous feelings, but again Nyx agreed. Thirdly and most importantly Nyx is bound to silence for all time. This last was galling beyond measure, but the only way to seal the deal.

Nyx was inhumanly pleased that Zeus had failed to specify how much essence and in what way she might take delivery. Zeus had not the habit of considering the details, seeing logistics as beneath his station.
(I imagine this annoyed Prometheus to no end during the war)
Nyx TAKES all she can. Nobody has ever taken from Zeus before, and she has well over half of his essential nature before he comes to his senses, makes himself stop her, and manages to flee.

A traumatized and hideously wasted Zeus manages to return to Olympus without notice. He has not only nearly been devoured by Nyx, but while held and drained for 3 days in a paralytic fugue he got a look at her mind and the true depth of the ancient and terrible things hidden just behind her sidereal veil. He is quite mad.

This is where I've not so much hit a wall as I've felt the need for some months to pause in the telling. I am now sure in part my hesitation was a need for feedback from folks I respect to whom such a tale may be of interest. All yalls.

I have a solid idea of the plot from here but would like feedback on these bits first.

Again my sincere thanks for any critique, insight, or encouragement.
Don't worry much about how I'll take what you say, I don't bruise easy.
If I'm slow to reply or don't at all please take no offense.  I'm still uncomfortable with the Internet in some ways and still very much prefer the world before my eyes and the other one strictly in my head.