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forced.
    When the applause died down, Poseidon stood up and cleared his throat. “Am I the only god who sees the danger in having all of us on earth in mortal form at the same time? I fear some of us should remain behind to keep the world from crumbling, and I, for one, volunteer.”
    “Some of the lesser gods will remain behind,” Zeus said. “But my gift to the couple diminishes in grandeur for each Olympian who does not attend. Now, if you ask me, brother, you’re just trying to get out of having to wear a suit.”
    Zeus chuckled, but Poseidon frowned.
    Zeus added, “And those legs of yours could benefit from an activity other than swimming. You look now as though you might topple over. Or is that because of the wine?” Zeus laughed more boisterously than before, and Ares and his children dared to join him.
    Poseidon glared at Zeus but said no more as he returned to his throne.
    Someone else object! Therese pleaded.
    Hades stood, “Your gift is generous, but unnecessary, Lord Zeus. Therese and Thanatos appreciate the thought, I’m sure, but the splendor of your beautiful palace cannot be surpassed anywhere on earth.”
    Therese held her breath as she silently thanked Hades.
    “Flattery will get you nowhere,” Zeus said. “My mind is made up. I want to meet her mortal family.”
    Hades returned to his throne.
    Zeus lifted his golden goblet. “We shall hold the ceremony in exactly six months, on the summer solstice.”
    Six months? Therese met Than’s eyes. She didn’t know how to feel about that. On the one hand, she was anxious to be Than’s wife. The summer sounded so far away right now. On the other hand, it gave her allies time to regroup and plan their next move.
    “We will hold the ceremony in Therese’s beloved Colorado forest,” Zeus continued. “Her parents will be able to watch from their special Elm tree. Won’t that be splendid?”
    Therese thought how nice it actually would have been, had the biggest scheme in the history of time not been wrapped up in her wedding plans. The gravel pad outside her childhood home was spacious and flat and would serve as the perfect place for folding white chairs. If the audience faced away from the house, they would see the reservoir to their right and the mountains to their left, and a huge line of pines as a backdrop before them. The deck that wrapped around the house would be a nice place for the reception. At least a dozen round tables and chairs could fit around it, not to mention the enclosed porch and the gravel path, which could be cleared after the ceremony to make more room for tables, if needed. Oh, it would have been perfect if Zeus had not been told that his fall would occur on that day. She bit her lip and sighed.
    Zeus continued. “So let’s raise our glasses to Therese and Thanatos and wish them a happy engagement as we celebrate their love with them today. Let there be joy, laughter, and music!”
    The music began again. Than bowed to Zeus and led Therese across the hall to their seats by the other gods of the Underworld. Therese glanced at Aphrodite and managed to make brief eye contact with her before the goddess turned away. Therese slumped in her chair. At least for the moment, it seemed she and Than were safe.
    A figure looming over her brought her from her reverie.
    It was Poseidon. I will stand with you and Athena.
    Therese looked up at him in shock. Was it a trick? His turquoise eyes were filled with rage. Could the god of the sea be trusted?
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Four: Athena’s Plot to Bind Zeus
     
    The Parthenon was quiet after dark, when all signs of tourists and travelers were gone, and the gods, invisible to all but one another, stood in a ring to discuss their plan to betray their king. Unlike the Hydra’s lair beneath Larissa Hill, where they dared not speak their plans out loud, in this refuge, they spoke, because Athena’s wards around the Parthenon were too powerful for even Zeus to break.