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Zeus Teaches Poseidon the Power
An Excerpt from Pantheon, by Gary Devore
Copyright 2010, All rights reserved.

From what seems to be another dimension, the entity claiming to be Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah explains to Zeus that it has found a way to manipulate electromagnetic waves in order to communicate through typed text.  For the first time in human history, such things as cell phones and computers exist on earth and are able to receive these impulses.  It also promises to show Zeus how to manipulate the waves while on earth, an ability that will give him, and the other former gods, seeming divine powers they can use to reclaim their worship.  Zeus begins to train on a small Greek island, intending to eventually show his siblings what is possible if they agree to become divine again.  Zeus communicates with the entity through his iPhone.  In this excerpt, Zeus is visited by Poseidon, the former god of the sea, who also wants to be trained.


At the appointed hour, the message was swift: "YOU ARE NOT ALONE."

     "I am with Poseidon." Zeus typed on the iPhone keypad, vocalizing all of the text so Poseidon could hear. "He has come to also learn the power."
     "FIRE"
     "No, water. He was the god of the sea."
     "FIRE IS ON HIS MIND"
     Zeus looked at Poseidon and shrugged. Poseidon's throat went dry.
     "Will you teach us both?"
     "YOU MUST TRAIN HIM IN WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED I DO NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH FOR TWO"
     "I will teach him. I will convey the lessons."
     "YOU WILL NEED TO TEACH ALL OTHERS"
     "In time."
     Poseidon touched Zeus' arm. "Are you sure this is not a joke?" he whispered. "How do you know this is not just someone sending messages?"
     "HE DOUBTS LIKE YOU DID."
     Zeus smiled and typed in, "Yes. Like I did."
     "SHOW HIM I WILL HELP."
     Zeus placed the phone in his pocket and closed his eyes. He turned to the olive grove and held his arms out in front of him, the backs of his hands touching. Poseidon watched as Zeus began to visibly concentrate, bowing his head. Nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes. Eventually, Poseidon became aware that one of the trees, the one closest to them, was quivering slightly. He thought at first it might be the wind, and Zeus was trying to conjure a breeze, but none of the leaves on any of the other trees were stirring. Progressively, the quivering became stronger. One olive dropped to the ground with a thump. Then another. Then a few more as the tree's shaking continued. Poseidon put his hands on his hips. If being able to shake a tree from a few feet away was the best Zeus could do, perhaps he had misunderstood what was possible. He was about to say as much when his first word was cut off by a tremendous crack that roared from the tree. Zeus whipped his arms apart and instantly the entire center of the tree disintegrated in a cloud of splinters. Torn in two lengthwise, both halves of the tree collapsed to the ground spraying olives and branches in all directions with a roar. Immediately, Zeus did the same motion quickly with his hands and two more crooked olive trees were burst asunder.
     As the remains of the final tree came to a rest, it took an amazed Poseidon a few moments to realize that Zeus was no longer standing beside him. He had collapsed backward and was propping himself up into a seated position with one hand while breathing hard. Poseidon bent down to help him to his feet.
     "I told you," Zeus said smiling between gasps, "it is still a bit draining."
     When Poseidon could find his voice again, he could only manage a quiet, English, "Wow."
     "Indeed. I really felt him helping me that time. Finding the right waves to target at the center of the tree." He fished the phone out of his pocket.
     There was a message waiting: "HE KN OWS N   OW"
     "Yes he does," Zeus typed with numb fingers. "Are you alright?"
     "YES I A M G  ETTING BETT   ER TOO"
     "Tell it I want to learn everything," Poseidon interjected.
     Zeus relayed the message. The reply was quick: "CONDITIONS"
     Poseidon looked at Zeus. "What does it mean?"
     Zeus started to reply but had to sit down. Finally he found his breath again. "The entity means that there are conditions on our being taught the power."
     "What are they?"
     "We must convince the others to help us reclaim our divinity down here on earth. As many of them as we can. And we must then destroy Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and every other religion and become gods again."
     Stunned, Poseidon found himself sinking down on the ground next to Zeus.
     "Yes," Zeus continued. "That is why we must meet with the others. It will teach us a bit now. Enough to show the others. With its help. But if we agree to go forward in this, it will teach us the truly divine powers it has discovered."
     This was more than Poseidon had expected, but his first reaction was sheer and utter elation...

 

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Watch the video excerpts from Pantheon
Athena Excerpt Video Dionysus Excerpt Video
Hermes Excerpt Video Hera Excerpt Video
Artemis Excerpt Video Pantheon by Gary Devore





Copyright © 2011 Gary Devore except for the following images:
Pantheon Ad Statue- www.flickr.com/photos/33725200@N00/ (Creative Commons); Image of Zeus:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/srgblog/ (Creative Commons)
The use of any imagery does not imply that the original photographer or creator endorses this work in any way.