The Trial of Ares and Poseidon - (2)

The next day I went to the hills near Athens. 
This must be the place Ares told me about. 

I have to go through Athens, so I'll have to take the main road.
While I'm at it, let's have a look at Athena's city.

As you would expect from a city dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, there are many olive trees planted along the streets. 
It was as prosperous as my own Thebes, with many free citizens carving statues of Athena from cedar wood. 

"I sell bronze lamps brought from other cities!
"I have olive oil blessed by the goddess Athena for a mere penny..."
"I need some sacrifices for the goddess, can I buy some of these pigs?"

The folklore of the goddess was not bad. It was easy to see that most of the citizens were Athena's followers,
and the olives she distributed had long since become a staple of every city dweller's diet. 

After a bit of exploring, I soon came across a Nexus in the hills near Athens. 
I passed through the lattice, which contained the power to bite the people around it and to illusionise the landscape within...

"Hmph. Do you think Hades would side with an asshole like you? I'm sure they'd be rather bothered if the population of the underworld increased with the war."
"Nor would I side with the son of a bigot who tried to rape my daughter!"
"Enough, both of you. The other gods will arrive in a few minutes, so let the trial decide."

Ares and Poseidon are already having a nervous breakdown, and Zeus is trying to mediate between them.
All the gods were there to give their opinion on the matter. Even Amphitrite, Poseidon's faithful wife, is there. 

"The consequences... I want this, for not a day goes by that Olympus is quiet.
"The goddesses Demeter and Artemis have not yet arrived.
"If we wait a little longer, perhaps... Ah, Hades!"

The goddess of beauty, whose beauty even her flowery veil can't hide.
Hestia, the goddess of hearth and home, sees me and calls out. 

"Hestia, you're here too."
"I usually try to stay out of these things, but..."

The goddess of the braziers sighs and shakes her head, her eyes still on Poseidon and Ares, who are in a foul mood. 
Ah, now that Zeus has intervened, they're backing off. 

"Well, Hades is here and the other gods... I think we're all here, so we'd better get started."

One by one the other gods arrived,
and finally the process of settling the flirtation between Poseidon and Ares began. 

* * *

So began the first trial of the gods on a hill near Athens. 

The court was well furnished, with stone chairs arranged in rows.
Off to the side was a separate room for Zeus, Hestia and other gods of high rank...

"Let us begin, then."

I stepped up to the appropriate dais as judge and looked down. 
Let's see, first... Was it Ares who argued in his favour?

The Goddess of Wisdom, parchment in hand, stepped forward and bowed to everyone. 
She exchanges a glance with Ares before stepping forward... Athena has decided to speak on his behalf.

"Let me begin by saying that Halilithios was a man rumoured to be the bane of Athens. He was known to harass and assault the nymphs and priests who served me, to eat in my dining hall without paying... to cut down my symbol, the olive tree, and so on, I can attest to his unworthy behaviour."
"What do you have to say about this incident, apart from Halilithios' behaviour?"

Athena cleared her throat at my question and continued. 

"The sin of forcibly attempting to rape a chaste woman is a great one. Ares, on the other hand, only reacted in defence of his daughter, and if the daughter of Great Father Poseidon was about to lose her virginity to another man, I believe that Great Father Poseidon would have punished that man as well."
"Hmph... but that doesn't mean you dare to kill my son with a single blow..."
"Poseidon, this is the time to hear Ares' side of the story, so please control yourself."

Poseidon paused and nodded to Athena. 

"Finally, I will present as evidence the testimony of the nymphs who witnessed Halithios' attempt to rape Ares' daughter, as well as the whispers of the flora and fauna."
"Evidence from the gods of nature, Pan and Demeter."

A quick glance at the parchment revealed the testimony of the nymphs to what Halithios had done. 
They swore on the River Styx that it was all true. 

"Next, Poseidon, it is your turn to speak."
"Hmm. Hades, as a god of the underworld, you know the weight of life, and no god would think it right to wield a sword and slit my son's throat for a slight misstep in his courtship of a woman he disliked. It is a matter of my dignity, and it is also the murder of a kinsman, so the goddesses of vengeance must act".

Poseidon cleared his throat for a moment, then continued. 

"I sympathise with Halithios for his mischief in the temple of Athena, but otherwise his actions were reserved for mortals, and it is unjust that my son, the demigod of the sea, should be considered unworthy of honour because he played a little prank on mortals."

First of all, Poseidon isn't entirely wrong. Killing relatives is right. 
But he doesn't dare accuse the 12 Gods of it, so the 3 Goddesses of Vengeance don't come...

But shouldn't the rape of relatives have happened before the murder of relatives?
In my opinion, of course, Poseidon was to blame... We should hear from the other gods.

He turned to the chairs where Zeus and the other high gods sat. 

"What do you think, my friends?"

* * *

"The son of Poseidon deserves to die for attempting to rape an innocent woman."

This from Hera, who crossed her arms and looked displeased.

"That's what I think too."
"It is not right to take by force without true love, and I would have punished him too."

Artemis, Aphrodite, in that order.
The goddess of purity and the goddess of love would naturally side with Ares...

"Ugh... If this had happened to my daughter, I would have torn the earth apart".
"Life is precious, but isn't that a justified reaction from a father who cares for his daughter? I think Ares is right.

Demeter and Hestia also side with Ares. 

"Hmmm... I won't say anything, I'm sure you're the better judge."

Zeus looks pleased, but doesn't say much. 
He's already decided that the trial has turned in Ares' favour. 

I look over at Poseidon and he's frowning. 
Perhaps he thought he would win the trial because of his position and Ares' usual warlike behaviour.

"Then I will give my verdict. I too believe that Ares had no choice but to kill Poseidon's son."
"Hades, you are also his nephew, how could you..."
"And the daughter of Ares, who was nearly raped by my nephew, is my great-granddaughter."

Poseidon interrupted, unable to accept the outcome. 

"I have searched the memories of Halilithios, who came to the underworld yesterday, and he was just as Athena said... He even tried to rape Ares' daughter. Ares even killed him, not realising in his haste that he was the son of Poseidon. I doubt anyone would wield a sword to do such a terrible thing to their own daughter."
"No, but..."

[Poseidon. I have searched your son's memory with the help of the goddess Mnemosyne... I see that you had a small part in the mischief Halilithios made in Athens].
[Athena has often interfered in my affairs].
[Do I really need to reveal all this here, I'll save your dignity in moderation]...
[......]

He looked at Poseidon and used his divine powers to make his point. 
Zeus isn't paying attention, he's chatting to Hera next to him, so no one can hear him. 

It's true that Halithios was an asshole, and it's true that he tried to rape Ares' daughter.
But there's also a bit of Poseidon, who deliberately sent his son to the outskirts of Athens to get him to go rogue. 

"And while Ares' actions were justified, he did kill Poseidon's son. It was technically kinship murder."
"But Big Daddy, that's..."
"So, Ares, you will spend two months in the underworld."

[Ares, understand that if you go unpunished, Poseidon's retribution will surely follow].
[Ah... no, thank you for your consideration]. 

Ares lowers his head slightly towards me. 
Zeus is nonchalant, and Poseidon grumbles that the punishment is too short, but that's about it. 

I think that's enough of a setback. 
The other Gods nod in agreement with my judgement. 

"Hmmm..." 
"So Ares will be punished for two months?"
"Well, that seems about right."
"Mild for a punishment for killing the son of the Lord of the Sea."
"Nonsense, Hades is trying to save face."

"Aha! In the judgement of Hades and the other gods, Ares' actions were justified, but as punishment for killing Poseidon's son, he will spend two months in the underworld..."

Looking around, Zeus rose from his seat and cleared the room, 
I stepped down from the dais and advised Poseidon. 

"Look after your own children. That Triton I saw the other day seemed to be in good shape."
"That's why he's my heir. The others have many sore fingers."

As he turned and left, the Sea Lord looked rather lonely. 
It wasn't Poseidon's orders that made Halithios go rogue near Athens, it was his own personality.

He doesn't know how to treat his own children, and not everything goes their way...

The way he embraces his children should be seen as a twisted affection.
It may be a characteristic of the ocean that it constantly creates rough and unruly waves, but it embraces all life below the surface.