The High Court

by Chris Ledbetter

  “What in the Underworld do you even mean?” I gasped. “Hera, Metis, and Shade—er, I mean, Hades—were with me when we all found Ouranos. Together.”

  “It’s just a little convenient, yes?”

  “As in what?” I coughed. “They were there. They’d never cover for me.”

  Themis pointed at me. “You and Metis have quite a close relationship, yes?”

  “Metis has more integrity in her little finger than Kronos has in his entire body. Don’t you dare attack her,” I fumed. “And none of my friends would ever run interference for me if they thought I did what you’re asserting. They loved Ouranos. Besides, we’ve already been through this … with Eros, Phanes, and Erebos.” Iapetus squeezed harder. I drew as deep a breath as I could. “By the way … who here thinks that I was strong enough to affect an Elder deity in any way back then? Ouranos would’ve broken me like a plate at celebration.”

  “There was a weapon that you could’ve used.”

  “Even so!” I huffed. “Enough. I didn’t do anything. Here’s where the hammer meets the anvil … how would I get him into the Titans’ Armory?”

  “Good point.” Themis tilted her head to the side. “And just to reiterate to the court for clarity and corroboration … what did Ouranos say just before he died?”

  “Find Kronos.”

  “And to be clear, he did not say ‘Kronos assaulted me’ or ‘Kronos did this to me’?”

  “No …”

  “All right,” Themis said. “I have no further questions. You may return to your seat.”

  I grasped the fabric over my chest. The pressure around my lungs relaxed. The image of Iapetus disintegrated before my eyes. I inhaled deeply and took measured steps back to the witness holding area and gingerly sank down onto my seat.

  Themis turned to Gaia. “Finally, let’s hear from Kronos himself.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Kronos stood, hands still bound by the dark matter shackles. He winked at me, and then walked in slow, even strides to stand on the black square. I bared my teeth and glared as much animosity as I could at him.

  “Do you swear upon the Immortal Queen, Most High Goddess, All Mother Gaia that your words in this proceeding will be the unabridged truth?”

  “Sure.”

  “State your name for the court,” Themis commanded.

  “Kronos. Son of Gaia. Headmaster of Othrys Hall. All around badass.” The vapor began to seep from the floor. “And, here we go with the crazy hallucinations. Bring it on.”

  “Damning evidence has been presented that you in fact assaulted, then abducted Hestia, Demeter, and Poseidon. All of them students at Mount Olympus Preparatory Academeia. All of them your children, in fact. What do you have to say in response?”

  “Simple misunderstanding. I invited each of them to the Agora to talk about their schooling options. Recruiting, if you will.”

  “He did not!” Hestia yelled.

  Themis whipped her gaze toward Tia. “Hestia, maintain order or you will be removed.”

  “He’s lying! He didn’t invite me anywhere. I was taken. Forcefully. His little energy manipulation thing he does.”

  “Hestia, you’re a bright girl. Consider this my final warning,” Themis said. “We have already heard your testimony. Once is enough.”

  Rhea put her arm around Tia’s shoulders and whispered something in her ear. They both sat back down. Kronos laughed heartily. My stomach tightened.

  Themis returned her attention to Kronos. “May I remind you that you are under oath to our mother, our queen, this proceeding, and this court to tell the whole truth.”

  “But I am. Facts and truth are relative.”

  Themis’ voice deepened an octave and gradually got louder. “I beg your pardon. The truth is the truth. Period. And you will adhere to it or find yourself committed to Tartarus until such time as you find it. In this court, we neither parse words nor obscure their meaning. We trade in facts, brother. Facts that lead to truth. This is not negotiable.” She paused for emphasis to allow the weight of her words to sink in. “I will ask again, do you maintain that you invited Hestia, Demeter, and Poseidon on a recruiting jaunt to the Agora?”

  “Yes,” Kronos said without hesitation. “Those students deserve better education than they’re receiving at MO Prep under inferior leadership.”

  “By leadership, you’re referring to Ouranos as headmaster and Rhea as headmistress, who also happens to be your wife, the mother of your children.”

  “A fact she hid from me until rather recently. I am furious about this! She is the one who should be on trial, not me! More evidence that she’s unfit to lead.”

  “I see.” Themis glanced over at Rhea. “Back to what’s important now in this trial … you intend for the court to not only believe but also to endure your explanation that those students went willingly with you, despite earlier testimony that they did not?”

  “Indeed. I have no doubt that Rhea brainwashed them. She does a little thing with her mind. Telepathy is harmful.”

  Themis glared at Kronos for several breathless moments. “So let’s play this out to its logical conclusion.”

  “Let’s …”

  “Each child went willingly. Where did you and Hestia go from the Observatory?”

  “We weren’t in the Observatory.”

  “You damned liar!” Tia yelled. “I’ve had enough of your crap! I hope you rot in Tartarus!”

  Themis snapped her fingers and pointed at Tia. “Kottos, remove her please.”

  The many-armed beast stalked to the witness area, reached in, grabbed Tia, and carried her to the front door. Tia sobbed uncontrollably.

  Just before Tia crossed the threshold, Themis declared, “Hestia, if you re-enter this chamber uninvited before the trial is over, you will spend more time in Tartarus. Officially, this time.”

  Once the door slammed, Themis said, “So, Kronos, where did you go with Hestia?”

  “The Agora.”

  “Duly noted. Now, given that Demeter and Poseidon were in the middle of a search and rescue mission for Hestia, why would they willingly leave that effort to go with you to discuss scholastic options?”

  Kronos smiled. “I’m quite charismatic.”

  “And where did you go with Demeter and Poseidon?”

  “The Agora.”

  “Did you see anyone at the Agora while you were there with the students? Someone who might bolster your tale?”

  “Ummm, nah. It was dark.”

  “So as busy as the Agora usually is, no one saw you?”

  “It was late.”

  “When Hestia, Demeter, and Poseidon were found by Hera, Metis, Zeus, and Hades, they were locked in cells in Tartarus. How did they get there?”

  Kronos shrugged.

  Themis continued, “The only people who have keys to those cells are school administrators and Campe—”

  “Perhaps Rhea put them there.”

  Rhea shot to her feet. “I did not!”

  Themis turned. “Rhea, please.”

  Rhea retook her seat.

  Kronos chuckled. “She’s a feisty one, isn’t she? Mmm, I like ’em feisty.”

  Demeter mumbled, “Eww. Gross.”

  “If your departure with the students was consensual as you claim,” Themis began, “and they were under your care and supervision, how and why did you, as an academy administrator, not care for their safe return to MO Prep?”

  Kronos tightened his lips.

  “They didn’t go willingly, did they?”

  Kronos remained quiet.

  “And just so the court is clear … you were the last person to see them before they were found in Tartarus.”

  “Are you asking me or telling me?” Kronos queried.

  “Telling. By testifying that you went to the Agora with the students, you have willingly placed yourself at the scenes in question from where each disappeared.”

  Kr
onos clenched his jaw.

  “We’ll come back to that,” Themis said. “Let’s move forward. How do you suppose all of the ichor blood and the weapon ended up in Ouranos’ Observatory lab?”

  “No clue.”

  “Did you use the weapon to kill Ouranos?”

  “No. I told you … not guilty. Ultimately, Ouranos’ death was of his own design.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “No further comment.”

  “Moving on … you run a pretty tight ship at Othrys Hall, yes? You control everything, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I suppose it’s rather infrequent that students or faculty ever defy you or act against your interests, yes?”

  “Psssht, they wouldn’t dare.”

  “Do you hold all the keys to locked structures under your control?”

  “Iapetus has them now, but yes.”

  “And if a student or faculty member were to obtain unauthorized use of your keys and gain access to unauthorized area, you would—”

  “I would remove their kneecaps, crush them into a powder, and stir it into a goblet of wine to be consumed with bread and olive oil.”

  “Hmmm … as I suspected.” Themis nodded, and then took a slow swig of water from a nearby goblet. “So, then, if someone else killed Ouranos, how would they be able to get into the Othrys Armory if you control all the keys?”

  Kronos stared without blinking. “Perhaps someone stole my keys.”

  “You keep all keys together, yes? An obsessive control freak like yourself? And you can’t recall any instance of your keys being stolen?”

  Kronos remained silent.

  “Your silence is telling more than your words are.” Themis glanced at Gaia. “Now then. Lastly, it is irrefutable that you performed the unforgivable act of shapeshifting into another person. Enough witnesses were present to corroborate this turn of events. It is unlawful and expressly forbidden. But not only did you perform the act with the intent to impersonate and otherwise mislead under the gravest of false pretenses, you did so while said person was either incapacitated or already dead. Do you deny this?”

  The ferrets above Kronos’ eyes pinched together as a deep furrow creased his forehead.

  “Fine! I did those things.”

  “Wait …” Themis raised her hands. “You’re saying on the record that you are guilty of the charges, now?”

  “Yes, but my defense is solid. It was not my original idea, but I was the only one with enough testicular fortitude to carry out what had to be done.”

  Themis turned to Gaia. “This trial is over, High Goddess. I’m two for two today.”

  Kronos raised his shackled hands. “This proceeding isn’t over until I dress down all you cowards. Perhaps you never knew, dear sister, but Kottos, Briareos, and Gyges, the men of many hands and heads are not deformed monsters. They should not be distilled down to beastly guardians of Tartarus, cast from sight as they have been … maligned and misunderstood. And Arges, Brontes, and Steropes are not simply one-eyed, barbaric behemoths. They are our brothers!”

  “What are you on about now?”

  “Sister of mine, lover of divine order, do you even know how our brothers became so hideously grotesque? Do you?”

  Themis turned to Gaia. “Isn’t the trial over? This rambling doesn’t seem to fall under the scope of this trial.”

  “Gaia knows,” Kronos said. He cleared his throat. “Mother knows what happened. Long ago, Ouranos, in his infinite wisdom, tried to create a super deity race with his first children. He mixed a concoction more potent than nectar. He apparently discovered a way to extract tiny samples of dark fluid from the cosmos and mixed it with the flow from one of the rivers of the Underworld. The first batch created the Hecaton triplets, men of many arms.”

  Rhea gasped and turned to Gaia. “What? Is this true?”

  Gaia avoided Rhea’s gaze.

  “Ouranos nursed them with the first generation of nectar,” Kronos continued. “When they grew deformed he tried to kill them, but they wouldn’t die. Then he hid them deep in the Underworld and forced them to drink from the River Lethe so they’d forget the entire ordeal.”

  I wanted to say something. I even opened my mouth, but nothing emerged. Metis grabbed my hand.

  Kronos kept talking. “When the Cyclopes triplets were born he changed up the formula and tried again. You see how that turned out.”

  Themis shook her head and pointed at Gaia. “You knew about this?”

  It took several moments for her to respond. Gaia simply said, “Yes.”

  “Oh, All Father Ouranos was a crazy, half-baked, mad, pseudo-scientist.” Kronos pointed his shackled hands at Kottos. “Gaze upon daddy’s handiwork. And let’s not forget Hyperion. To prepare him to carry the sun, Father tried to make him impervious to the heat by bathing infant Hyperion in a mixture of dark fluid and olive oil and then dipping him in the fires of the Phlegethon.”

  A tear defiantly escaped the corner of Gaia’s left eye.

  Themis’ eyes leaked as she crossed her arms to comfort herself.

  Damn. I never would’ve guessed that had all happened.

  Themis sniffled and wiped the corner of her eyes. “Umm …” She bit her trembling lip. “There is still the matter of Kronos’ infractions, High Goddess. Murder is inexcusable, no matter what the scenario. Wait … Kronos, were you under the influence of mind control?”

  “Absolutely not. Sound mind and body. And I’d do it again.”

  Themis pointed at Kronos. “But, you mentioned that it wasn’t your idea. Whose idea was it?”

  “I refuse to divulge. That person’s not on trial here.”

  “Seriously?” Themis huffed. She turned to Gaia. “Mother, can you compel him?”

  Gaia tightened her lips and shook her head slowly. Another tear slipped down her cheek.

  “So, Kronos,” Themis said. “Someone else conceived the plan to murder Ouranos, but you actually performed the act. You got caught. And now you’re on trial. And you confessed. You’re prepared to go to Tartarus all to save the one person who’s really responsible for this entire mess?”

  Kronos scowled. “If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s a spineless snitch.”

  “Very well then. My work here is done,” Themis said. “All that remains is the ruling. Gaia?”

  Kronos stiffened his back.

  Gaia rose to her feet.

  Themis announced, “All rise.”

  Everyone stood. Metis grasped my hand.

  Gaia steepled her fingers in front of her lips, took several deep breaths and then crossed her arms. “On the counts of assault, the circumstantial evidence does not support punitive action.”

  The court erupted in murmurs and whispers.

  “Really?” Demeter said. “Are you serious, right now?”

  Rhea grabbed Meter close and stared at her, mouthing something inaudible to me. We knew some shadiness like this was possible given that it was our word against his, student versus headmaster, with no hard evidence. Kronos was the slimiest snake I’d ever seen. Worse even than Hyperion. But in the end, Hyperion found justice; I would just have to believe that Kronos would too.

  Once the court settled down again, Gaia continued, “On the counts of abduction, I find Kronos guilty as charged. But, in light of his in-trial confession, a reduced sentence is awarded. Consider it a plea deal, of sorts—”

  “Plea deals are pre-trial!” Themis argued.

  Gaia cut her eyes at Themis. “Is this your court or is it my court?”

  Themis avoided Gaia’s gaze. “Yours.”

  “You serve this court at my pleasure. And since this is, in fact, my court, I rule.” She peered at everyone else in her presence. “Now then, for the abductions, Kronos shall spend a term of three hemeras in Tartarus for each charge. Nine hemeras total.”

  “That’s horrendous!” Hera yelled.

  Meter argued, “I
was taken by force and deity magic. Is this how you show the degree to which you care for the safety of your students?”

  “I honor and respect The High Court and all that it represents, High Goddess,” Phanes said, “but this ruling seems highly irregular. Yes, he admitted guilt during the trial. And he should be punished commensurate to the infractions as well as punitively to deter future instances.”

  “Why do you grant Kronos such leniency, Mother?” Rhea said. “These are my children he abducted. Kronos clearly violated the covenant between headmaster and student … between father and child.”

  “And Ouranos didn’t?” Gaia blared uncharacteristically.

  Themis pressed her hands downward. “With all due respect, Queen Mother, Ouranos is not on trial. Not to mention, he’s dead—”

  “I’m glad he is dead. He needed to die for what he did to my children,” Gaia interjected, amidst audible shock around the room. She then smoothed down her chiton and collected herself.

  “Where is your humanity?” I yelled.

  “Pardon me!” Gaia’s face tightened.

  “Your ruling seems like the actions Kronos took were justified. Justice served against Ouranos? What about forgiveness for a man who simply tried to do his best by his children? Isn’t that what all parents want? He made an honest mistake. But his intentions were good. From what I heard, despite the accounts and the results, there was no malice. Rhea tossed all her children to far flung islands and lower schools for their own good. Any number of ills could have happened to us while others looked after us. In fact, Hyperion tried to take my head off. Should we seek vengeance … or forgiveness for that?”

  Gaia’s tone turned somber and dire. “Did forgiveness dwell in your heart when I sentenced Hyperion to Tartarus for killing Anytos? I bet the rage from that day has warmed you on cool nights, festering, growing, and feeding on your memories and guilt for not saving him or doing enough. You can’t talk down your nose to those who are above your station.” A tear sat at the corner of Gaia’s eye. “Ouranos needed to die for what he did to my children. When you have children of your own one day … you’ll understand the lengths parents will go to protect their offspring.”