Chapter Text
Great sire of men and gods in heaven's abodes, mighty Titan whom all revere, endued with various council and gifted with prodigious strength, to whom perfection and decrease belong, by whom matter’s flowing forms die, by whom restored, thy power is contained in everlasting chains across Earth's silent plains. Kronos, etherial father of Time, Kronos, crooked-counseling father of vast eternity, divine, blossom of Gaia and of starry Ouranos; obstetric power and venerable root, indestructible Titan, best of beings, of a subtle mind, propitious hear, to suppliant prayers inclined; the sacred rites benevolent attend, and grant a blameless life, a blessed end.
Bring to those who pray to thee the promised new Golden Age. Receive our sacred offerings. Avert thy ancient wrath from us; may it be unleashed on those who have imprisoned thee in the depths of the earth. We summon thee. We adore thee. Free thyself from the Tartarean confines where the race of Titans, forefathers of our ancestors, have for too long nurtured their vengeance.
Eternal Kronos, Most-Excellent Kronos. Hear our songs. Answer our prayers.
These words, for a length of time impossible to quantify, echoed louder and louder in the sulphurous air of Tartarus. No light shone on the prisoners in the bowels of the Earth. Not even the threatening glow of the river of fire could reach them, for their punishment condemned them never to receive light or feel a cool breeze on their skin. The atmosphere was stifling. In the distance, the cries and lamentations of the damned souls could be heard. The Titan stroked his thick, bushy, disheveled beard, inhaling deeply the pitch fumes of the primordial deep. He clenched his fist. His chains rattled on the rocky ground.
On earth, far above the vast depths, as far from the bottom of Tartarus as from the summit of heaven, the fumes of sacrifice no longer rose towards the aether and Olympus. They descended – a sign of chaos to come, defying the order of the Cosmos – and gradually seeped into the layers of the Earth. They descended, crossing the nearby Erebus, carrying with them the prayers and invocations of the worshippers of the Ancient Gods, forefathers of their ancestors.
"Be ready," he said in a hollow voice. The sound echoed between the rock and brazen walls. A few chains creaked in response as the other prisoners turned to listen to the voice. "It's time."
"My brother..." sighed another prisoner in the darkness. "We've tried a thousand times to free ourselves from these chains. All in vain..."
"Our vengeance is written, Coeus," the first replied curtly. He made an annoyed gesture with his arm, and one of his chains clattered against the rock. "The prayers and offerings of mortals feed me and regenerate my strength. Their faith and devotion bring me closer to the surface of the Earth. As soon as I've left this abyss, I'll return from the outside. I'll tear down the walls my sons have erected, and we'll all be free. Then we'll reclaim this world that's been stolen from us."
"Such a perfect plan... It's been failing for years, Kronos."
"Rest assured, if you continue to doubt me, I won't break your chains, Iapetus, and you'll stay in this abyss forever."
With this threat, the Titan rose to his feet, dragging his icy chains behind him. He stretched his arms upwards and once again inhaled the stale air of Tartarus. This time, the scent of the offerings reached him, and he felt a shiver of power run through him. He closed his eyes and listened to the chanting of prayers in his ears. He followed them, knowing he was heading in the right direction as they grew louder. The putrid haze of Tartarus became less pervasive, the invocations clearer, more distinct.
Kronos gasped as he felt a draft of air, cool at first, then warmer. He opened his eyes. And he saw. He saw because there was light all around him. The dancing light of the pyres. Right before his eyes, he saw a man take a few steps back, staring wide-eyed in fright. The chanting and praying suddenly stopped. Kronos tried to move, but only his head obeyed his movements. He looked around.
It was night. Fires all around him filled the air with fragrant smoke and cast dancing shadows on the rock wall behind him. Several men and women stared at the Titan with horror and amazement. Some screamed and fell to their knees. They were at the entrance to a cavern.
After a few moments, Kronos felt his limbs come to life. He could now move. He carefully raised one arm. Before his eyes, a reddish clay was gradually taking on the color of skin. The Titan ran his freshly enlivened hands over his face, tracing its contours with his fingertips. His body was still cold.
"Free. At last," he muttered, inhaling the fresh air. "Out of the bowels of the Earth that gave me life."
He turned his head towards the first man he'd seen, who was only human in appearance."Prometheus," the Titan called him. "To you, then, I owe this clay body? To you, I owe this rebirth?"
The other Titan, whose name had been spoken and heard by all, bowed his head in deference. Kronos smirked. He turned around, startling some of the worshippers, and faced a hitherto discreet woman.
"Rhea." The woman, the Titanid, lowered her head in turn. So Kronos walked over to her, raised his hand to her cheek, and forced her to raise her head. "My dear sister, my tender wife," he said, caressing her cheekbone.
Her lips trembled, as if in fear, or as if the Titanid hesitated to utter a word.
"The mother of my children," the Titan added.
His gaze darkened as he continued to speak. His touch on his wife's cheek became stiffer. Then he stopped moving. His hand tightened. He leaned over and breathed a single word at Rhea's face:
"Traitor."
The Titanid let out a frightened cry. Kronos saw a tear glisten on her cheek. He wiped it away with his fingertips.
"Have you chosen your side?"
She nodded. "Yes, my king..." she whispered.
Kronos stared at her for several seconds before turning away and leaving her to weep. He returned to the hearths and looked at each of the worshipers. All trembled before the presence of the Titan, and the king was delighted.
"There's no time to waste," he announced loud and clear to anyone who would listen. "I will free my brothers. Then we'll find the traitors and give them a chance to repent." Suddenly, he pointed at Prometheus, who froze. "Starting with you. In the war against my son, you chose his side. Rest assured, if you make that mistake again, you'll receive the same punishment I received from him."
"I obey you, my king," the Titan stammered.
"Good... I'll make sure of it."
With that, he resumed his monologue. "Then we will annihilate the race of gods and the race of mortals who have replaced me with Zeus. They will pay with their blood. It's time to raise the army that will overthrow the established order." One by one, he pointed to the men and women who had prayed to him. "If you are my faithful, then engrave in your skin the glyph of the sickle with which I will mow down those who oppose me."
No sooner had he spoken than one of the women around the pyres seized the knife that had been used for the sacrifice and, with the point of the blade, cut the back of her hand, quickly followed by all the others. The spilled blood stained the ground and delighted the Titan. He was about to take a step towards the exit of the cavern to expose his new clay body to the night, when the voice of the Mother of the Gods echoed faintly:
"My king..."
Kronos turned abruptly. "What ?"
"Your children and their children... have had children with mortals from the Lower World."
"What of it? Why should I care?"
"It's said that the gods created them to fight and defeat you."
Kronos tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowed, then an incredulous smile twisted his face. He burst out laughing. "Have they created demigods to fight me? Are they so afraid of me that they send mortals as sacrifices?"
His laughter suddenly died away. His face veiled in cruel anger.
"I'll kill them all. Mere mortals will not prevent me from taking back my throne.
"They say they are powerful..." Rhea warned him.
"And I say they're already dead!"
His wife fell silent and shuddered with fear. The Titan's shout echoed through the cavern like the muffled roar of a volcano about to erupt. When the echo died down, Kronos turned without another word to Rhea. This time, nothing could stop him from revealing himself to the Night. He looked up at her starry veil. At this appalling sight of the Titan escaped from Tartarus, the stars and the half-moon concealed themselves behind dark clouds, plunging the world into a deep, ominous darkness. And Kronos, his gaze cold yet burning with rage, calmly announced:
"Let's go and get my weapon."