At least the weather was pleasant thus far, he decided, leaning over the rail and looked out at the crisp Caribbean waters. Deciding to speak to Kratos was the easy part, even after his conversation with Hera. The where and when was a bit more... complicated of a matter. No matter what her thoughts might be. Oh, certainly she always thought he was paranoid and looked too deeply into matters, but that paranoia is what had helped keep them successfully where they still were. Few other pantheons could say that now could they?

( Why did Hera have to go out of her way to make it so difficult to love her sometimes?  )

The chase... was on.

It was a peculiar chase. It wasn't one he hadn't had to engage on in quite some time. Longer than he could recall, actually. But it was becoming necessary. It originally hadn't been necessary, it hadn't been necessary in centuries or even milleniea because he'd just grown so accustomed to it being there when he wanted it to be so that Zeus had been getting irritated at first.

( Hera was avoiding him )

The problem with Pop-Tarts was their availability. One generally didn't go to the Egyptian marketplace and find street vendors selling them. There were a few countries where they were more common, but among those, the best selection by far was found in the U.S. So every few months, Re took a trip and stocked up. Raspberry and cherry were his favorites, but his purchases were never limited to just those. Variety was the spice of life, after all.

If he got a few odd looks pushing a shopping cart full of cases of Pop-Tarts, Re just smiled in his friendly way and overlooked them for the most part. He had the look of a well-dressed yet senile man, so let them think what they would. They got their money, he got his Pop-Tarts, and everyone was happy. He also never went to the same town twice, because how boring would that be? They might go home, mention the old guy that bought a shit-ton of Pop-Tarts, and that would be the end of it. They'd go on with their day to day lives, and forget it ever happend.

( This shopping trip he'd decided to visit Louisville. )

There were days when Dionysus felt remarkably normal. Things around him were calm, rational, and ran smoothly. His brain did not flare off into wild tangents that led him down rabbit holes or into abbattoirs of horror. He could simply sit and think pleasant, normal thoughts, while doing nothing out of the ordinary at all. It was incredibly boring.

( Fortunately, this was not one of those days. )

The place was packed, which was how it was supposed to be. There were costumes everywhere... also exactly how it was supposed to be. Because it was Halloween. It was also Chicago and Americans went all crazy for the holiday. On top of that, it was Thirsty Thursday, something everyone in the American Midwest was familiar with. Professional drinkers, this lot, and Ninkasi loved them for it. Most of the costumed were immortal in some way, not just gods but nymphs and the like as well, but she was clearly allowing an occasional mortal in as well. There were rules outside to her bouncers for screening them properly.

Shortly, the specialty taps would be opened and her private brews would begin to flow. Which is what, she was sure, Kratos was hoping and/or waiting for. ( Wherever he was. )

Njord loved the island that he lived on for its lack of tourists. That perfectly suited a god that waned to avoid unwanted attention. However it did not help an extrovert who liked to have people to chat with. So he sometimes had to range further afield to find some companionship.

( Today... )

Over the years, Sigyn had developed a sense for knowing when her husband was up to something. But it had been some time since she'd had to employ that skill, she was a bit rusty. So when she finally caught on that Loki was planning and being sneaky about it, her first reaction was to panic. After all, they were in a rather precarious peace, and rocking the boat could damage the calm to the point that certain one-eyed lechers might feel it prudent to let certain other hammer bashing idiots do things that would completely ruin Sigyn's life. ( Again. )

Prometheus had spent a month trying to sort out the return of his immortal grace. After he'd calmed down, he thought maybe it was a fluke. Perhaps Zeus had gotten distracted by something, or had undone some other proclamation and accidentally undid his banishment as well. Then he thought maybe he wasn't actually un-banished, and he'd always still had the ability to bring to life small things. Just... in two thousand some odd years he'd never accidentally used it? Yeah, that had made little sense to him. It wasn't likely that this was an ability he'd always had and could just now use. Then he spent a week or so thinking that perhaps it was just something small, it wasn't his full powers.

( Here goes nothing. Remember. Keep calm. It's been thousands of years. Bury the fucking hatchet )

Zeus paced for a good hour after Hermes left his office. The fact that the information needed to be delivered in privacy had automatically given the Olympian a sick acidic feeling in the pit of his stomach -the likes of which he couldn't even recall the last time he had felt. This was bad. It was very bad. Not just for Hades, but for Zeus as well. It was bad for Greece as a whole.

As soon as Hermes left, he first sat back in his chair and sighed. Then, alone in the privacy of his office, he leaned forward over his desk, drank some scotch and rubbed at his face while deep in thought. It was then that he stood and started pacing about the room. There was no good or easy way to broach this subject with his brother. Though, as much as he wanted to handle this as delicately as possible for the benefit of both himself and his brother, and their realms as a result, now was not a time for careful planning. Now was a time for action.

The longer Bragi -and creation help them all Idun was stuck there now too, remained in the Underworld while Zeus knew about it the worse this was going to look in the eyes of the Norse. Not even to mention that Hybris may have forced them to eat or drink down there. In which case, rules were going to need to be broken. Abducting an Olympian and holding her captive to serve as a bride because her mother was impossible was one thing. Kidnapping, imprisoning and possibly torturing two foreign gods was a whole other animal. Rules would be broken.

There was not time to consult Hera. He needed to talk to Hades immediately to rectify this problem in as expedited a manner as possible with as little collateral damage as possible. And Zeus was going to have to not only convince Hades that one of his subjects had seized not one but two Norse deities but also that it was in their best interest if they be handed over to Zeus to be returned to the Norse as soon as possible. It would give Hades the opportunity to deal with Hybris as he saw fit, Zeus a chance to save face for all of Greece in front of the Norse, and would hopefully keep all of Asgard from beating down the gates of the Underworld. For all the difficulties between he and his brother, Zeus did not wish that on him.

Which brought Zeus to the gates of the Underworld himself, scowling at Cerberus in a very alpha-dog manner in order to keep the creature from drooling on him and calling for his brother. “Hades. Brother. We have matters to discuss. Grant me passage.” He tapped his foot and stared at Cerberus. This was far from ideal. But to summon his brother to Olympus would probably be futile. No, Zeus hoped that by entering the Underworld that Hades would not be able to avoid the truth. He'd even force his brother to take him to Hybris to prove that he was wrong. And when he was right, he'd rub his brother's nose in it rather like a pup that had piddled on the floor. Hermes was a silver-tongued devil at times, but this was not something he would lie about.

“I demand entrance!” This time it was directed to whomever would hear him. If no one responded soon, well, he'd just use a Thunderbolt to blast his way in. That would serve his brother right for ignoring him. It wasn't so much that he couldn't just go in. But politics demanded he go through the proper channels and be let in.

He had five minutes before Zeus brought down the gates. Less if the cursed dog drooled on his suit.

Odin's rage blinded his mind to reason. The Secret Santa gift was a taunt, and proof that someone not only knew where his son was, but was keeping him against his will. It took him only seconds to work his way through the possibilities.

The Celts and the Nords might not get on as well as they could, but this was not their style. Nor was it the way of the Sumerians. He could only think of one who would take action against another god, and his son would have been dead long ago had that one taken him. He wouldn't play this sort of cat-and-mouse game. One by one, he similarly ticked off the other pantheons in his mind until he came to one obvious conclusion.

( The Greeks. )

It was rare this time of year that he was able to sit down and put his feet up on the tasseled hassock in his study. Which was why, as he settled into the cushy plumpness of his red velvet chair, Santa began mentally reviewing his to-do list for today. Did he really have time to enjoy his peppermint hot cocoa, or had he forgotten something that would require his attention?

( The List )

It was not often that Hera did something of this fashion for her husband. Frankly there were too many risks involved. Too many things could become emotional landmines, waiting to be stepped on by unwary, careless feet, and she really did hat to start the day with a metaphorical explosion. ( Even if Zeus sometimes thought otherwise. )

It was a good show.

Zeus had seen pretty much every major show in Vegas over the years. “Pretty much” instead of a definitive statement because he wasn't as fond of the musical headliner acts -a la Celine Dion, and tended to avoid them. But, he was quite fond of Cirque du Soliel. There was only one show of Ciruqe's that he hadn't seen yet and that wasn't for any lack of desire. It was for lack of opportunity and proper company that would appreciate it.

So when Hermes agreed to join him for a night of frivolity on the strip, he decided it was time to see Zumanity over at the New York, New York. They could easily see the show before heading over to the Bellagio -Zeus' favored hotel/casino for betting his money. ( Anything to get away from Olympus and the memory of that horrid dinner he had been privy to. )

Posting Order: Zeus, Hera, Eris, Enyo, Hebe

This had to have been Hera's idea, he thought to himself as he drummed his fingers along the table in the informal dining room of his palace on Olympus. It wasn't that he despised his children with Hera, quite the opposite in terms of Hebe and Illythia, but some of them were quite difficult and tended to cause him moments of disgust where Zeus couldn't help but wonder if it was really worth claiming them as his own. Three troublemakers: Ares, Enyo and Eris. They tended to cause him more headache than pride. ( True, they could be useful, but that was only on an occasional basis and he didn't find there was ever much need to interact with them when they weren't needed. )

Zelos loved his job. Most of it, anyway. He was bodyguard and sometime assistant to the king of the gods. He was in a trusted position among the Greek pantheon. He always thought that it was remarkable that Zeus had taken in the children of one of his enemies and not only gave them a home, but trusted them with his life. He doubted any other king would be as generous.

They weren’t there as hostages, either. He had heard that some kings did that. After wars, they would keep the children of former foes in their household to ensure peace remained. But their father had been killed in the Titanomachy so there was no fear of him ever causing trouble for Zeus again.

( Then there was the paperwork... )

Churchill Downs was all a flutter with activity. Which made sense. It was the most exciting two days of the year at the Louisville, Kentucky track. Zeus had been on site since early yesterday. Mostly for networking purposes, as while he had interest in the Oaks -the filly race held on Friday, from a gambling side of things, he had other things on his mind. He had a horse in the Derby.

( It was a very tricky business, racing horses. )

Hera frowned at the screen in front of her, scanning through the names again.  It wasn’t there this time any more than it had been the previous two times she had done the same thing.  She slowed down, scrolling down very carefully, her finger moving the mouse by small increments through the spreadsheet, just in case she had missed it the first few times.  Or perhaps it had been misplaced, somehow logged out of alphabetical order.

( But no. )