Myth

The apricot colored sun lifted itself atop the horizon, and allowed a bright ray of light into the dark valley. Blue jays flitted across the red-orange sky, and smoke started to rise out of the many ramshackle mud-brick houses. A myriad of rough, oak doors creaked open, and a flood of muscular young men wandered into the valley, preparing for a day’s work. At the end of a valley, a gigantic gray mountain with a rounded snow white cap rose out of the moist earth, and reached out to the heavens. Atop the mountain, in a marble temple, resided the Gods. They sat upon their opulent thrones circling each other, and watched the morning unfold before them as they always had. In the center of the temple, circled by the Olympians’ elegant thrones, there lay an ornate mahogany table fashioned by Hephaestus. The sides of the table was studded with exquisite gems, and on the top there lay silver platters holding steaming hot breads, wines, and pastries; whose aromas were as seductive as the most beautiful women in the world. Zeus lazily extended his arm toward the table and picked up a bread bun, popped it in his mouth and slowly chewed it, allowing an explosion of flavor to take place in his mouth. Afterward, he took a swig of red wine and belched. After eating his breakfast and organizing his thoughts, Zeus raised his fist and rapped the armrest of his throne several times until all chatter subsided. As order was restored in the hall, Zeus began to discuss a problem about the cloud spirits that had been on his mind for quite some time. They transgressed the laws set by the Gods, and they needed to be managed. Since the cloud spirits would be able to sense his godly power no matter what guise he took, Zeus proposed that a young mortal man would be the one to take on the challenge. If he succeeded, he would be showered with riches and wealth. The Gods murmured in agreement, and Zeus began to set his plan into action. A ripple of newly cut grass flew out in all directions as Zeus descended from the big, blue sky, like a bird descends to a tree branch. As soon as Zeus touched down, he quickly transformed into a hawk to avoid being spotted in his godly form. His brown eyes gleamed in the sunlight as he spread out his massive wings, which were more than three feet in length. With a mighty flap of his wings, Zeus was off into the morning sky toward the King of Greece’s majestic palace. The palace stood tall and upright on a great, grassy hill, and overlooked the valley with a serene gaze. In the center of the palace on a solid gold throne, sat the King of Greece himself, Constantine. Constantine was flanked by two soldiers; each of them wore blank expressions and stood erect at his side. But, Constantine thought all of this protection was for naught, as he was at ease on that day, he chewed a puff pastry while he intently watched the soldiers of his army train directly below him in the courtyard. Just outside the walls, there was a peach tree where Zeus landed. He watched the soldiers train, but was not impressed by any of them. Suddenly, a blur of movement caught Zeus’ eye. A thief was scaling the easternmost ledge, probably looking for the king’s gold which was located in a chest camouflaged by tall ferns directly below the ledge. Although it was an odd hiding spot for something of great value, it has saved the king’s treasures on more than one occasion. At that moment, Zeus knew that the thief would be the perfect candidate for his plan to capture the cloud spirits. Then, Zeus transformed back into his God form, and rushed at the thief like a bolt of lightning. Once he was in range of the thief, he grabbed him and transported the thief and himself to a glade in the middle of the woods. The thief spun around, dazed and confused. Once he realized that a god was in front of him, the thief told Zeus that his name was Jaximus, and he was attempting to steal the king’s gold to help his impoverished family. Zeus proceeded to tell Jaximus that his stealth and cunning would be essential toward capturing the cloud spirits, and if he helped, he would be showered with riches. Jaximus accepted, and he talked with Zeus about the details of the plan.