With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

No, I think they get their power from the guys that have those names, and Zeus is one of them.

Though Achilles and Solomon could have achieved some level of divinity.

Plus they didn't die when they were giving the Marvel's their power.

 

Achilles definitely had some level of divinity, since he was a grandson of a deity (and a great-grandson of Gaia).

Also, while I was looking at his Wikipedia page, I learned that his mother spurned Zeus’ marriage proposal, which enraged him and caused him to punish her. An interesting parallel to current events in this story. Also, interestingly, Zeus apparently offered to marry her while still married to Hera.

 

I believe he's actually a demigod, no? His mother was a Nereid, which is a minor sea goddess/sea nymph, and his father some hero that was chosen for her because an oracle said she would birth a god too powerful to be comfortable, I think?

Which means, Zeus was all for boning her until there was a danger of producing a possible rival and then, screw her, marry her to a mortal!

 

Luthor is killable, but has definitely done worse than Zeus and gets far more effort to sway him.

Zeus was an asshole. But he was also king of the gods. And the gods were shaped by human belief. Is him being an asshole not a reflection of the ancient kings being an asshole?

It's not even like this punishment is really that harmful. It mostly just takes up her time. And Diana could refuse. Zeus is an asshole, but it doesnt mean he cant be reasoned with.

Paul was perfectly cordial to Hera despite all the murders she committed.

 

I'm going to... actually back Paul on this, at least partway.
Yes, planning to kill a god does seem rather extreme. But the planning is the part you should do whether or not there will be an attempt. Ideally, this plan will not end with killing Zeus. But the worst outcome is needing to be able to kill him and not having the capacity. Because he might flip out at being questioned and start laying waste to the innocent.
Paul doesn't try hard enough to avoid killing or attacking things he shouldn't... but that's a fault he hasn't committed just yet in this endeavor, so I can't call him out for it. Right now, this is a what can we do and how and what happens after, which is the prerequisite to what leverage can we apply to changing the outcome. That's what you should be doing in any kind of negotiation. And then you can all sit down and decide how far you're willing to go to get the outcome you want. Or rather, which sets of outcomes are exchanges you want.
The problem is "and the other guy lives" usually isn't a heavy weight in Paul's ethical calculus, but a mild preference usually overweighed by things like "but I would have to push an extra button to save him".

 

Except Paragon was asked by literally everyone to keep his nose out of it.

And Diana asked him directly not to fight Zeus. Where upon he weasel worded to avoid promising so.

 

(Replying to Vaermina)

Weasel worded? it seems like he's pretty directly promising not to fight Zeus.

 

What a well intellectual argument to parry attempts to deescalate his stance. Taylor Hebert would be proud.

The art he will make if this will be his greatest masterpiece yet!

Wonder how Common Sense Paul would handle this?

 

When Zeus gets uppity, you know who to call (TEEN TITANS!)
From their mountain, they can reach it all (TEEN TITANS!)
When there's a dick god talkin smack
You can bet they'll stomp him into the ground
'Cause Diana's been sent to some Hellenic hole
TEEN TITANS, GO!

With their super powers, they unite (TEEN TITANS!)
Never met a perv god that they liked (TEEN TITANS!)
They got Zeus staring down the gun
They never stop until the job gets done
'Cause when Zeus is a massive a*&hole

TEEN TITANS, GO!

One, two, three, four, GO!
TEEN TITANS!

 

She called him on lying about that, where upon he promised extra double hard not to "consume" Zeus.

 

I'm fairly sure Erebos, Gaia, and the rest haven't been teenagers in about 35,000 years.

I mean, OL could always hire Dr Sivana to age regress a Titanic Domain Of The Dreaming, I'm sure he'd be up for the challenge.

 

What if they are 35016 years old?

 

True.

Diana is in an afterlife that has a bunch of extremely powerful gods that hate her employer and probably anyone that works for him.

This is not a safe place for her and he was probably planning on harming her for refusing him.

And Diana can't exactly refuse, since Zeus could probably try to directly kill her or harm some other innocent.

Rejecting him one time may have worked, but a second time may not.

And while this started because of what Zeus did to Diana, it's a much bigger problem than that.

Zeus is an overgrown manchild that has committed all sorts of evil deeds and has not shown any inclination to change.

Getting rid of him or at least just getting the means to get rid if him is necessary to stop him.

The first time he met her, he didn't know it was her.

And Hera has actually stopped doing her shit, while Zeus still is doing it.

We don't know how Titan puberty works.

They could still be teenagers and the Olympians could still be children.

Actually that would explain a lot.

 

Can anyone who knows who this is referring to please share with the rest of the class?

 

She is a goddess of death, so it makes sense.

Her other two siblings aren't.

Well, Zagreus is connected to rebirth, but that's it.

Ahh, Canis.

 

Hecate.

 

And to the surprise of nobody, Zoat has decided to nerf Zeus.

 

How so?

 

Ouranos?

Or Tartarus -and everyone within it- that would be some proper divine minmaxing.

 

Presumably, how the Greek Gods appear to have plugged themselves into various protogeni for a power up like Hades and Erebus.

Which granted, is something I've only seen in Zoat's work.

 

Huh. Renegade did team up with Circe and piss off Hecate, iirc. So Paragon going to Hecate works.

 

Why would she of all people help Zeus?

 

She wouldn't, which is why OL is going to meet her. You mistook Darko referencing the person OL is meeting with the being supposedly supporting Zeus.

 

I don't think renegade pissed off Hecate.

He did recruit Circe and had her get rid of the connection she had with Hecate, but we don't exactly know how Hecate feels about that.

 

Jesus Christ Paul. Just find him a good match. There's no need to do this much work.

 

There has to be a sexy bi sexual woman with a queen cuck fetish who is willing to marry a god somewhere.

 

I think even the petitioner might well have taken one look at OL, seen the aura, and went 'My business can wait.' This is not a casual visit. This is an angry demi-god (inexact, but the Olympians seem to see him as such) come to discuss something Important.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

For reference: Macaria. Little is known of her, but it seems like she is the Goddess of 'Blessed Deaths'. Likely the sort of thing that gets Heroes spoken of in Myth. You know, like OL has managed.

But, just to make sure everyone's on the same page, and no-one makes any mistakes, let's lay it out clearly... Meanwhile, I bet Zagreus is sizing up Canis like a hunter gauging prey. 'I think I could take him.'

That's so mildly put, it may as well be a plain cracker.

In other words, 'It's your own damn fault.' And, to be fair, OL isn't proving them wrong.

Or, to put it more crudely, "Keep your fat nose out of my business, brother."

Except hope Zeus looses interest quickly? Wait for him to catch the scent of another pretty face and run off, so he forgets about Diana's little 'chore'?

I should hope so.

The joy of dealing with the 800-pound gorilla of Olympus.

So, that's a 'no' on overthrowing Zeus, then? I suppose he's busy enough with all the fresh business OL has brought in, anyway.

A great many things. Now, of those related to 'chastising' Zeus, well...

...And you're trying to draw a parallel to Zeus being an asshole? Problem is, his throne, his rules. It's hard to break rules he's laid out. And I can't think of any higher authority that would care...

Whether they can hope to be successful? That's another tale.

And we saw how well that worked out.

Heh. A smear campaign against Zeus? Kind of hard to remove what few worshippers he has at this point.

Now, does he like what he's hearing? Well, he's keeping that to himself.

Well... Not much point seeking out Poseidon. I doubt he'd be any more inclined to even humour OL.

Too much power gives them ideas above their station, eh?

Confusion over who to worship, or whether he'd want to see them fight?

Well, she does have nice bone structure. I'm sure she'd enjoy having a portrait done...

...Okay. I shudder to imagine what he might produce while zonked like that...

From that context, it's Hecate. Who did dwell in the Underworld, mythologically speaking.

And what precautions have you taken against her simply hexing you and sending you on your way?

...A not unreasonable assumption given the evidence. By that logic, Poseidon probably has a similar link to Oceanus or another such progenitor.

What, seek to make contact with said entity, if possible, and tell it Zeus has been a bad little boy? Somehow, I don't see that working.

He's got a logical plan of attack there... Assuming his initial assumption is true. I suppose we'll see soon whether it is. But there's still the issue that whatever primordial entity of the sky, or storms, or whatever, that Zeus is maybe-bonded to, may not even be capable of conscious thought? After all, is Tartarus still able to think in his current state?

 

And I think Canis would want to take him.

Because he's a weirdo.

And he's not exactly better than Zeus.

I'm betting that's why Canis is there.

As a New God he's resistant to magic, so Paul can throw him at her and while he's getting killed, Paul can leave.

If things go well, then he'll have the help of a magic goddess.

If things don't go well, then a horrible person dies.

Either way, the world is a better place.

I think that was confirmed in this story.

 

They're going to visit Hecate, Goddess of Magic and Crossroads, to find out what being Zeus is bonded to that gives him strength. The assumption is that Hades let Zeus become king of the gods because he is stronger than him, even though he is bonded to Erebos and much stronger than the other "regular" gods if Olympus, so by the transitive power he must have bonded to someone or something strong enough to cow Hades. Once Paul finds out what or who it is and how he did it he can do a lot. Like threatening to cut the connection or convincing whatever Zeus is bonded to to force Zeus to leave Diana alone etc.