Chapter 3

In an unprecedented move we have double post this week!

 



Chapter 3

(chorus)

The rules of the game have been laid out;

Now those who feel cheated must make their voice heard

          The media was tumultuous: there was not a paper, magazine, newschannel, website, podcast, cooler talk or random raving homeless person without a perspective on the scientific bombshell that Sci-volution had unleashed; and they all made it known. Some spoke out against it, others commended it and a few even made viral videos about it. Meanwhile churches were crumbling, others were lashing out and some even replaced their books of faith with graphing calculators in hopes of salvaging their worship. Society had perched itself precariously on the edge of anarchy. Among all the differing opinions of the subject there was one fact they all accepted unanimously, the math; try as they might (and there were a number whom tried awful mighty) no one could find a single problem with the math.

          The feelings on earth were a swirling vortex, littered with everything from euphoria to just plain pissed off; but nobody could claim to be more pissed off by Sci-volution Advancements’ discovery than the residents of Olympus.

          It’s a common misconception that gods are omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. To clarify: they don’t see all; they don’t know all; they don’t command all; and certainly cannot be all. They can, however, see, do, command and be quite a lot; and if used effectively, they can definitely make one question the qualifications for using the prefix omni.

          In centuries past the Olympians decided to take an inactive role in human lives; since then the gods have found themselves rather bored. They’ve spent most of their time watching the humans, occasionally putting them on their toes with unexplainable events; freak storms, people lifting busses, keeping people alive who should have died, letting people die that should have lived and overall, just making life a menagerie of destitution for the little mortals. They consider this an inactive role because, while the gods may still hold bearing over the concepts they embody, they had vowed to no longer walk among man. They would reside in the realm of Olympus and let humans take the reins of their world. Sadly, the mythical creatures of yore were neither gods nor man; this resulted in an inequitable fate for a deal they had nothing to do with, and thus were sealed away in a space and time envelope within the planet.

          After doing this, it was not long before the gods realized humans are remarkably uninteresting to watch when beings beyond them were not causing mischief; this led the gods to decide, influencing their areas of expertise would be okay, because it did not involve them walking on earth and interfering directly; but still allowed them their capital source of entertainment.

          None of the gods had watched Pan for entertainment on that infamous Thursday. In fact, none of the gods had watched Pan for entertainment in quite some time (they found her to be quite humdrum after leaving her ex); because of this, it was not until Sci-volution went public with “its” discovery that the gods even received word that they did not exist; information that never sits well with any being that knows it is.

          “Those ungrateful little ants! Who do they think they are? I don’t exist? WE don’t exist? I have half a mind to lay them all to waste!” erupted Ares, in a fury not felt since a time long passed.

          He was standing in the center of the Olympian Parthenon, an architectural master piece, nestled snuggly among the clouds of Olympus. The composition of the Parthenon (like all buildings in Olympus) were the very clouds that made its foundation: the walls, pillars, roofs, floors, and all existing forms of architecture always seemed to be moving but held their shape as if by some unseen force.

          “And you would be well advised, to use the other half of your mind to not react so brash; everything from Tartarus to the Elysian Fields are being filled faster than ever by what these people do to each other; they do not need you to help them destroy,” came a response in more of an absence of voice than an actual tone.

          “Hades, you do not spend enough time in Olympus to tell me how I should think!”

          “Perhaps I don’t, but your actions on Olympus have repercussions on earth, which I am ultimately affected by and you would be well advised to remember the process works both ways.”

          Ares struggled for a moment, before eliciting a response less enlightened then anticipated given the duration designated specifically for the moment, “Well, what else can we do?”

          A response came not from Zeus on his mighty throne of clouds which seemed to circumscribe his form; the champions of the Gods had remained uncharacteristically silent through this debate; rather it was delivered from his beautiful (in a way comparable only to the seasons) sister and goddess of the harvest, Demeter.

         “I am convinced we should just leave the situation alone,” her appeal demurring the preceding argument, “In their eyes we have been dead for a long time, we may as well leave it as such,” her eyes begging for rationalism and composure.

          “Wise words Demeter,” Athena responded as she emerged from the crowd of deities. “However, I do not fully agree with them. While I do not share my brother’s wonton lust to ravage their world, I do agree that we must, in some way, directly address this issue with the mortals. I fear the behavior on earth when the entire world accepts that there are no gods.”

          “You all sound like squabbling children!” the words struck venomously from Hera’s lips as she dramatically detached herself from the crowds, “allow my son to march his army across the world! It will not be ravaged,” she emphasized, while glaring at Athena, “but a lesson shall be wrought,” her expression softened as she looked around the Parthenon.

            Ares bristled at mention of using the Olympian army, a compromise Zeus had allowed to appease his whining after the treaty with humans was made. The souls of all fallen heroes came before Ares and were given the choice; pass on to the underworld, or join the Olympian army, be trained by the greatest heroes the world has ever known and gloriously serve Ares for the rest of eternity.

           “My army is ready! After all these centuries it would be good for them to see combat!”

           “Use of the Olympian army, will only teach humanity to hate us; an outcome we are not seeking,” the words crashed from Poseidon’s mouth, and tumbled Ares argument, “Punishment should be laid out and it should be decisive, not foolish. We must appear all powerful and vengeful, yet merciful and forgiving.”

           The defense of the mortals was a pyrrhic verbal ensemble brimming from Apollo as he wafted forward, “how can we blame them for losing grasp of reality? We left them alone in the world. When anything is left from sight long enough it will be forgotten.”

           “Go play your lyre and prance about; you know nothing of the order of things!” Ares raged stepping to face Apollo, pushing his fiery red armor against the semi bare chest of the light god.

           The tip of a bow, belonging to Artemis, forcefully pushed Ares back a step, “and you would be well advised to hold your snide tongue when speaking to a god greater than you,” her response more piercing than any arrow she could unleash.

          “BAH!” was the response Ares decided to use as he sulked off.

          Demeter had grown tired of the juvenile direction the debate had digressed into and offered a solution.

          “This arguing is getting us nowhere. I believe our response to this situation must be decided by the Great Olympians only. The assembly is too vast, and to hear everyone’s opinion could very well lead us through the destruction of man.”

          Ares, who was doing a superb job of avoiding hints to stop talking, decided a response was in order, “HA! That is the most sensible thing muttered from your lips! Take yourself out of the decision, let US the twelve High Olympians decide the fate of mankind!”

           The demeanor of Demeter completely displaced its usual soft and inviting purple glow which emanated from her toga, and instead relished a dark, cold void of light. Her features which had been warm and comforting were now callous and distressing, “And YOU son of Hera, shall not forget, that before twelve “High” gods of Olympus there were six Great Olympians of which you are NOT included!”

           “ENOUGH!” Zeus’s voice struck louder than the bolts of thunder he commanded. “I will have no more squabbling or bickering; and on this issue, Demeter is correct,” he rose from his throne, taking the encompassing clouds with him to resolve into his toga and hair.

           “But Zeus!” whined Ares.

          “Do not try my patience because I have little! This is a decision best made by the original six Olympians; three brothers and three sisters. We shall decide the fate of man,” his expression softened as he explained his decision to the assembly, “it is not that I lack faith in any of you, however the opinions among all here differ so greatly, by the time every argument is heard, I fear Athena may be right and mankind will have destroyed itself.”

           It was one of those rare moments when Zeus offered what could be considered a rational decision.

          “But there are six of us, what if there is a tie?” the question timidly escaped Hestia, who until now had remained silent.

          “The decision will ultimately be made by me. I am chief of the Olympians and as such will fully carry the burden of the decision. However, I ask for insight from my oldest and wisest siblings before finalizing any actions.”

           Hera, feeling the situation slipping away from her chose to attack her husband’s response, “if the decision is ultimately made by you, Zeus, why bother asking our input?”

           “If you feel your opinion is of no value, I will bare that in mind when you give it, my wife,” Zeus’s response seemed to repel her complaints and further challenging, “now come forth my brothers and sisters; let us decide the fate of man.”

            Poseidon swelled forth to the center of the Parthenon, his briny body ebbing next to his sister Demeter, who had returned to her natural warm self. Hera left the side of her son, giving him a slight squeeze on the shoulder, to reassure him that mommy could handle this (a gesture ultimately lost due to the encumber sum armor he wore). Hestia who had tried to stay detached from the debate, reluctantly made her way forward; arms wrapped around herself in a menial attempt at support; it merely highlighted the contrast of her peach toga against her pale skin, which seemed to have lost more pigmentation as her anxiety grew. The last of the siblings to make their way forward was Hades, drifting forth from the fringes of the assembly, his wraith like form reluctant to haunt the progressing skeleton it shrouded.

          Once the six Olympians had gathered Zeus spoke, “Now brothers and sisters, I wish to hear from each one of you, what are your opinions regarding the matter at hand…”

          “Let Ares march his army across the world and punish the frail mortals!” interrupted Hera, before any other deity had the opportunity to speak.

           “Yes, I’ve heard those same words from your mouth already Hera; and being that you’ve already told me your opinion has no value and because you did not take the time to eloquently present your valueless opinion in a more structured way, but rather repeated yourself, I demand to finish what I was saying and proceed forth in a cordial and orderly fashion,” Zeus turned to Poseidon, “brother, what do you feel should be done?”

          “It is clear to me mankind must know of our existence, our silence has bred heresy; we must show them Olympus and the power of the Olympians.”

          “I see…”replied Zeus as he approached Demeter, “and you sister, no deity better understands the human response to changes in their environment; how would you proceed?”

          “We are the architects of our own fate in this situation; it was our choices and our decisions that have allowed this heresy to flourish. I do not believe we can justly punish the mortals for actions we ourselves are responsible for.”

          “Indeed…”

          “However, if we expect to correct our languishing behavior we must first rebuild a dialogue with the mortals, and though I personally fear the repercussions, I find this course of action less worrying than an act of violence against them.”

         “A fair perspective, for indeed we must consider the consequences against ourselves for our decisions,” Zeus attention shifted, “Hestia, sister, guardian of the hearth, what insight do you offer on this subject?”

          The foreground of the debate was clearly an unsettling area for Hestia, “Well…I’m unsure…I am offended by what has transpired, yet I don’t know where the blame should settle…I feel we are the guilty party, but that admission does little to solve the problem.”

          “It’s true; simply identifying an error in judgment on our part does not rectify the volatile situation. Hades, you are all too familiar with punishments, do you believe that is the course of action we should implore?”

           Hades raised his head from below his cloak’s hood; revealing the blue flames of his eyes, illuminating the skull beneath his wispy gaunt face, “Punishment implies guilt of a crime and while the humans have indulged in heresy, we are the perpetrators of the crime. We allowed them to forget the order of the universe; we let them believe they could find all the answers they needed through their math and science; that these concepts held true not only to their reality but to all realities. We handed them the tools to pursue a means of existence, for which we have punished them for in the past. As such, we cannot punish them for our mistakes, rather we must seek a resolution to isolate the consequences we are responsible for and rectify our indiscretion.”

          “Very insightful, brother. I’d expect nothing less from a man whose existence centers around just judgment,” replied Zeus. He turned his attention to the rest of the assembly, “Now the decision comes down to me; I have listened to the arguments regarding our course of action and have witnessed validity all around. I remember a similar situation when the mortal’s actions brought down my full wrath…”

           Ares began to bristle at the mention of wrath.

          “…however, that situation lays in ruins and now a worse case of heresy has arisen. Times have changed, and so must we…”

          Ares stopped bristling.

           “We could have intervened at any point and prevented the mortals from this logical train of thought, but we choose to remain silent. An ancient pact we decreed allowed life on earth to happen independently from life on Olympus and we have all obeyed. There has been neither fraternizing, mingling nor directly interfering with man since this decree. None of us have returned to Gaia’s world…”

           It’s interesting to note, Zeus had become so wrapped up in his own monologue at this point he failed to notice the uneasy shifting that washed over the crowd of his peers.

          “…and because of this we have been forgotten by its inhabitants. We must also consider the ramifications of our actions, for the mere act of taking action, is in itself, a direct violation of our pact with mankind. War is not our goal; we are gods, but they are numerous and even the mightiest of lions may fall when swarmed by enough ants. It is with this in mind, I decree, mankind shall not be punished; rather we shall reveal ourselves to them and begin work with the mortals to clarify their true nature in existence.”

            Zeus finished his speech and allowed for his decree to wash over the crowd.

           “A rational course of action, brother,” the silence was broken by Poseidon, whose words were as calm as the blue sea water of himself, “it is not necessarily the decision I would have favored, however, it is well thought out. I will honor it and assure that all other gods of Olympus, do as well,” his eyes darting to Ares.

            “Thank you my brother, your support is invaluable. I feel we must do this sensibly as well, having Mount Olympus rise to the heavens will overwhelm the humans; as such, I feel we should send a single representative to Earth, rather than bring all of the Olympians crashing down upon them.”

           Hermes fluttered out of the crowd, “Should I prepare for a trip my lord?”

           “No my friend, I believe this is a duty best suited for me. After all, who is a better ambassador for the Olympians then chief among them, right? I shall depart immediately following the adjournment of this meeting.” Zeus pointed an open hand at the ground, the clouds beneath receded, leaving a hole to the blue sky underneath.

           On cue, the audience began to cheer and applaud enthusiastically; except for Ares, who seemed to only be clapping as to avoid a trident to his keester.

          As the congratulations faded Zeus spoke, “And with that I declare the debate adjourned and I depart!” He jumped into the air and began to glow, at the height of his jump he tucked forward, into a swan dive course with the hole he created; the light of his body built in intensity, and finally overcame any semblance of body, and as a bolt of lightning Zeus lashed though the opening on a striking course with earth.

***

          It was late in the workday on Friday and Toby Mikael was pacing in front of the Sci-Volution building, mumbling to himself; a behavior which would normally attract security’s attention, but currently went unnoticed because of the protestors assembled outside of the building, causing a much greater distraction than pacing and shouting profanities louder than any mumblings. Toby’s mind was honed on one thing: revenge. He was considering the exact course of action to make his fantasy a reality; all courses involved the .22 caliber derringer he had in his pocket. The difficulty with any course of action was his final words to Mr. Bodan. Toby would replay the events over in his head that led to his revenge quest, hoping to figure out what should be said: he’d been called to Mr. Bondan’s office; upon entering he had been decreed a lazy, no talent, pimple headed waste of flesh and was promptly fired for fraternizing and sexual harassment during the work hour; security escorted him out of the building where he found a box of his personal effects set in a water filled gutter. Overall it had been a shitty day.
          Toby went home and found himself lost in a metaphysical haze about life; his boss and mentor had performed one of the most merciless terminations Toby could have imagined; but Friday morning brought an epiphany to clear the fog. While watching the news, his attention was caught by a story on Sci-Volution Advancements; apparently the latest discovery the company brandished, was a mathematical proof that irrevocably disproved the existence of God. Toby was surprised to learn a “special team,” headed by Mr. Bondan himself, had made the discovery. The gears in Toby’s head had begun to turn, he realized he was somehow involved in this, and Mr. Bodan had wanted him cut out. Revenge was the first and only action he thought of; after all if there was no god then there would be no afterlife, and if there was no afterlife decisions in life carried no repercussions beyond life. So with that affirmation, Toby resolved to kill Mr. Bodan.
          Unfortunately for Toby, upon arriving at Sci-Volution he realized he did not know what to say to Mr. Bodan. In the movies, people always have a great one liner to recipients of revenge and Toby was afraid of cheapening his glory without the right zinger; resulting in the pacing on the sidewalk in front of the building’s entrance.
          Hours passed as he walked to and fro; Toby knew if he waited too long the building would close for the night and his opportunity for any revenge (even cheapened) would pass.
          He had nearly given up hope, when his righteous one liner hit him like a bolt of lightning. Excited, Toby turned toward entrance and took one step toward it when an actual bolt of lightning struck though him and into the ground, creating a fairly large crater and uncreating any trace of Toby Mikael.
          The cacophony drew attention from protestors and passer-bys, all of whom were surprised to see a man of large stature, rise out of the smoking hole, wearing nothing more than a white toga.
          The stranger walked past the protestors and spectators, straight into the building, as if his actions were an everyday occurrence. He made his way to the receptionist’s desk, surprised he had yet to receive any odd glances from the buildings occupants. As he laid his hands on the front of the counter the receptionist did not even bother to take her eyes away from her current tasks; transferring calls, surfing the internet and trying to figure out an eight letter word across for debauchery.
         “Welcome to Sci-Volution, where we are dedicated to evolving the sciences; my name is Tanya and how may I help you?” her voice nearly as uninterested as the rest of her.
         “I have come to speak with Mr. Bodan,” rolled a deep and thunderous voice.
          “Do you have an appointment?”
          “No. But I don’t need one.”
          “Oh? And whys that?” her interest still avoiding the party in question, and focusing in on rather charged comment in the blog she was reading.
          “I am the almighty Zeus, King of the Olympians, wielder of lighting and champion of Olympus!”
Tanya laid down her pen and focused all of her attention on commenting the bloggers word’s, “uh-huh, well Mr. Zeus you still will need an appointment.”
          “But I am the Great Zeus! I need no appointment!”
          “Sure you are,” she replied, making no attempt to hide her condescending tone while pulling up Mr. Bodan’s itinerary, “but even a god needs an appointment. I should be able to schedule you in for next Wednesday at three…”
        “This is important! I am a god, I do not wait!”
          “Well, if that’s the case you should have been here earlier because at this point I’ve scheduled meetings for 8 Jesuses, 6 Thors, 5 Alahs, 4 anitchrists, 3 vishnus, 2 Ohrimazd, a King in Yellow and believe it or not, you aren’t the first Zeus. So, as I said, if you wanted an earlier appointment, you should have come sooner.”
          “But they weren’t gods! I AM!”
           “There’s no need to yell sir.”
          “Yes there is! I came from Olympus to resolve this now! God’s do not wait until Wednesday at three!”
          “There is no way to resolve anything today and if you continue to remain irate I will have you removed from the premises, sir.”
          “Just try.” Zeus answered coldly with a slight flicker of lightning from his solid white eyes.
          This was enough to break the receptionists gaze away from her computer and crossword, in doing so she noticed for the first time that the robes and hair this man wore looked more like clouds than any fabric. Her response lost the condescending edge it had carried, “um…your only other option would be to…um…take the company to court for libel and slander, but…I don’t know how that will…um…work out…for you anyway…”
          “Very well. I will obey your mortal laws. Tell Mr. Bodan he will see me in court.”
          Zeus turned and left, planning a return to Mount Olympus for legal counsel.
          Tanya stared after the strange figure. After verifying his exit, she prepared to return to the crossword puzzle when a bright flash and thunderous noise rang from just outside the front door. She ran from her seat and out of the building to find a fresh smoking crater where the entrance way had been and another, slightly less fresh and non-smoking crater just down the sidewalk from this one.

***

          Mr. Bodan was remarkably calm for a man whose building had been vandalized by a bomber. Tanya had been so shaken by her interaction with the alleged terrorist that Mr. Bodan had decided to send her home early and gain his intel from surveillance cameras.
          He had already formed a plan of action during his first viewing of the tape. If this lunatic philosopher was willing to blow up Sci-volution’s sidewalk to make a point, he would provide an ideal vessel to further Mr. Bodan’s plan. The legal department had contacted Mr. Bodan for approval to pursue criminal charges against the unidentified assailant (security still had not been able to find the identity of the man due to the extravagant lengths of his costume and special effects which he implored). The legal department was told to take the case in a different direction, rather than pursue criminal prosecution; they were to begin building a case to sue this Mr. Zeus for slander. Mr. Bodan decided to beat the maniac at his own game. If this activist wanted to take Sci-volution to court on the grounds of the company slandering his identity, Sci-volution would take the man to court on the grounds of his actions slandering the company. The CEO told the legal department to build a solid case, the kind of case that would find its way comfortably into the appeal system; a case ready to climb the rungs of the courts, right to the very top; a case whose ruling would ultimately influence the constitution of the country; a case that had to be ready for trial by next Wednesday. The company had the connections to bypass bureaucracy and move forward fast. It would not matter if this Mr. Zeus even showed up to the trial, someone would represent him, even if Sci-volution had to front the bill through one of its subsidiaries.
          Time was a crucial factor in his plan; the faster he moved the more control he would seem to have. The PR department was tasked to work alongside legal and have the first ever nationally broadcast subpoena (to be delivered by Mr. Bodan of course) ready to go for the ten o’clock news that evening.
          The surveillance footage was near the end of its sixth run through.
          “…Gods do not wait until Wednesday at three!” bellowed the man in the video.
          Mr. Bodan smiled to himself, “oh, I assure you, a god can wait until Wednesday.”

***

          The news headlines were remarkable; article titles fitting of the supermarket tabloids riddled reputable news outlets spreading from the LA Times to the NY Times: Math vs. God; Ancient Myth sued by Scientist; Let There be Court and There Was, just to name a few.
          The entire populace of earth was captivated by this stranger in a toga; this philosopher willing to go the distance. Numerous others had stepped forward claiming to be divinities, but only this man calling himself Zeus was willing to be sued over the claim. The majority felt he was just some philosopher trying to make a name for himself; using the legal system as a publicity stunt. Conspiracy theorists thought Sci-volution was putting the whole thing on to take over the world. No one was willing to believe this Zeus character was actually a god, and if they did they kept it to themselves.
          The reality of the situation was simply an actual god, trying to prove his existence to humanity in nonviolent terms it could comprehend; a task that surprised Zeus in its difficulty.
          Nothing leading up to the trial surprised Mr. Bodan, rather it all worked out the way he planned. The media attacked the situation like a starved pack of piranhas; a fresh graduate from Harvard Law, Timothy Levin, eager to claim recognition in the law world had happily taken Mr. Zeus’s case; and due to some swindling and bribing the case was able to begin on the very next Wednesday.
           The only situation that came as slight surprise was when Mr. Zeus had used his trademark lightning bolt entrance to arrive in front of the courthouse; a dangerous gimmick that a city prosecutor was already building a case against. Mr. Bodan felt there was about a fifty-fifty chance the lunatic would show up; on one hand, you would have to be crazy to actually appear at court case you stood no chance of winning, but on the other, you would have to be pretty damn crazy to dress in a toga, blow things up and call yourself Zeus.
           The flashes from cameras and barrage of questions that awaited Zeus on his arrival paled the thunderous blast of his entrance. Every reporter, journalist and paparazzi in the nation (and a few neighboring ones) wanted a piece of this “historically artistic trial.” Inside the courthouse, cameraman stood ready to broadcast the trial nationally, but the masses of picture takers and question accouters were left to wait outside.
          The spectators were divided into two crowds; the religious and philosophical reich, which sat directly behind Mr. Levin and Mr. Zeus’s bench and on the opposing side sat the educated and scientific community, which were directly behind Mr. Bodan and Sci-volutions legal department’s bench. Even though Zeus himself had never been in a court room, he assumed the judge would sit behind the stand in the front (even though he felt entitled to it) and his bench would most likely be at the one Mr. Bodan was not at. What he did not know was why there was a man standing behind what he assumed to be his bench.
          “So, you must be Mr…um…Zeus?” Timothy asked.
          “That is I, young mortal.”
           “Alright, my name is Timothy Levin and I will be your defense attorney. Do you have a real name or are we sticking with Mr. Zeus?”
            “I don’t understand your question.”
          “Riiight…well Mr. Zeus, I must say I would really have preferred some sort of consultation with you before the case. My employers at the O.F.E.T.R.P told me you wouldn’t be appearing today.”
          “The O.F.E……what?”
         “The Organization for Fair and Equal Treatment of Religions and Philosophy, I assumed you were a member.”
            “I know not what this organization is, which you speak of.”
             Timothy stared at Zeus blankly for a moment, “Sir, this case will run a lot smoother if you can drop the charade with me.”
           “Your concern honors me young mortal; I will be sure to remember you when this is all over. I may have a very special place for you in my worship.”
            “Um…I have compiled a fairly strong case for you Mr. Zeus, but to be honest I don’t know if we can win this. Just let me do the talking and I will do my best to make sure this ends as well as it possibly can for you.”
           “Again, I appreciate your concern, but this trial…this burden, is mine alone.”
          “With all do respect Mr. Zeus, I really don’t think you understand the severity of the situation or what you’re up against. The legal team at Sci-volution Advancements is second to none, without someone familiar with the law beside you, it will be a blood bath.”
          “HAHAHA,” erupted the laughter from Zeus, “young man, I have smote titans and ruled gods, nothing these lawyers can do frightens me.”
          “That’s all well and good sir, but…”
          “That’s enough Mr. Levin. You have honored me enough already; but now you shall honor me by taking your leave.”
          “But…”
           “I COMMAND it!” boomed Zeus.
          Timothy’s face lost all color and fear became his default emotion in the wake of the powerful response he elicited from his client, “Very well. Good luck sir,” he replied as he gathered his briefcase and left the bench.
          Mr. Bodan had to use all self control not to laugh maniacally. This had worked out even better than he planned; the lunatic had refused free legal support and seemed determined to be crushed by Sci-volution. Mr. Bodan took solace that anyone this deranged had probably ruled out an insanity plea.
          And then the trial began.
         “All rise! The honorable Judge Fredrick presiding over the case of Mathematics Vs. God, Religions and Other Worldly Philosophies!”
         An older man, whose dark graying buzz cut framed his sharp uninviting face, made his way out of the judge’s chamber. The black robes he wore sat rigidly on his jagged posture, as he took his seat behind the podium.
         “You may be seated. First I would just like to say, I find this whole situation to be a mockery and perversion of the legal system. Exploiting a court of law for a publicity stunt, I believe, should be a crime in itself. The great state of California, for which I represent feels differently however, and as such I must proceed with this trial. That being said, my ruling will be harsh and carry the full authority of the law.”
Judge Fredrick allowed his words to settle, “Prosecution, you may proceed.”
          “Thank you your honor,” replied a faceless suit from Sci-volution’s legal department.
          It was Mr. Bodan that would speak for Sci-volution from here out, no labor on the company was too much for him to personally attend to.
          “Honorable Judge Fredrick, I come before you not as a man trying to maintain his discovery, but as a representative of the entire scientific community. Science and math composed the very fabric of which we base all things true and…”
          “Science is not true! You mortals classify it, thus it is flawed!” interrupted Zeus.
          “ORDER!” Fredrick yelled as he slammed his gavel down, “this court will not be some circus of interruptions! You will have your chance to speak Mr. Zeus. Prosecution proceed.”
           “Thank you your honor. As I was saying, we as a society, base our reality on the fundamental concepts of mathematics and science. Without these principles we have chaos; but this man is trying to say that all we know is wrong and all we have is chaos. He would have you believe that is not the most base mathematical principles that bind what we know, rather it is his will! Over the course of this trial I will prove to you judge, and everyone watching, that what this man claims to be is a blatant lie!”
           With that Mr. Bodan made the first strike in the lawsuit to determine the fate of the world. The curtain was lifted on the razzle dazzle, spare no expense prosecutions attack. It opened with the proof itself; mathematically validating it and all the proofs used within it. Parading forward, it attacked the defendant’s credibility; as to this point, no acts of god had occurred. The duet of this being, the only “miracles” to have yet been witnessed were all achievable with the use of modern special effects and a large amount of explosives. The final number addressed the dangerous and possibly psychotic, if not sociopathic tendencies of a person willing to implore said technologies and explosives with indiscretion among the public. The entire act, for the judge, audience in the building and the majority of the population watching on television, was a long drawn out explanation of what they already knew.
          Mr. Bodan did what the world expected, but the world was not watching to see him; what did the zealot know? Most shared Sci-volution’s view that he was criminally insane; but what if he held some piece of philosophical revelation comparable to Sci-volution’s breakthrough?
          One viewer, watching the proceedings from the sanctuary of her living room sofa, was particularly interested in what this Mr. Zeus was going to do. She happened to be the same individual responsible for discovering the mathematical proof, which was responsible for this whole trial.
          A feeling of guilt had settled over Pan while watching the proceedings. She had been relieved when Mr. Bodan had accepted the responsibility. The taunting green light of her cellphone had been replaced by a never ending barrage of red since that Thursday. Mr. Bodan had been relentless with emails, phone calls and text messages; checking on her welfare, updating her on developments, offering more time off and countless legal forms to give the company the rights to the discovery. The unremitting nature that he had perused Pan with was magnified in this current situation. Pan almost felt as if Mr. Bodan was determined to destroy the poor man standing opposite of him in a toga. She blamed herself for the public ruination of the robed man’s life.
         There was another feeling, beside guilt pestering Pan. Some sort of uneasiness, a sense of worry; almost like a building dread. It was the same type of feeling she had the day she lost focus and discovered the theorem in question. Pan had no idea what was going to happen, but she knew it would be radical.
           Her attention focused back in on the trial, as Mr. Bodan was ending his battery. Confident he had eroded any counter argument, and sufficiently proven that the nut in a toga was just that, Mr. Bodan rested.
Judge Fredrick sat for a moment then turned to the defenses bench and the one man behind it; the one man willingly taking on the entire scientific world, “The defense may now present its argument. Mr. Zeus, if you will proceed.”

          This was the moment philosophers, the religious and the curious had been waiting for. The philosophical breakthrough, if there was any, would come now. The secrets this man had uncovered about perception of reality were about to be revealed.

          “I am Zeus, God of the thunderbolt and Champion of Olympus; I stand before you now to offer my assistance. I assure you that the gods do exist and will return. I am not here to demand penance; simply to ask for acceptance. You must embrace the fact your view of reality is limited and thus broaden it to forego any hostilities with the return of the Olympians.”

           Those waiting for a deep revelation were adamantly struck down with this. The long pause that followed seemed to emphasize the disappointment.

          Almost reluctantly, Judge Fredrick broke the silence, “You are a god? That’s your argument?”

          “My argument is that I am standing before you!”

          “Mr. Bodan just finished a detailed explanation of how you are not; an explanation that follows the laws of mathematics, science and understanding.”

          “Laws governed by your perception, which is limited. Laws which hold true in your world, but not in realities beyond!”

          “Laws that we see working everyday in the universe, Mr. Zeus! If you are a god you must prove it!”

          “Because I am a god, I must NOT! If I prove my power you will become frightened and hostile. I’ve seen it countless times; your kind fears what it doesn’t understand.”

          “I cannot believe, Mr. Zeus, that you are a god who has been around for centuries and just recently decided to reveal yourself. If you have no proof to offer the court, regarding your divine nature; I rule in favor of the prosecution!” his gavel slamming home, “God is dead Mr. Zeus! Furthermore, given the dangerous, terrorist like attempts you implored to mislead the public I am choosing to detain you, pending a psychiatric evaluation! Bailiff put that man in custody!”

          “ENOUGH!!!” Zeus lashed as he slammed his hands down on his desk, shattering it, “I have shown all of you patience beyond that which I have ever shown!” He raised his right arm above his head, instantly spiking the humidity and static in the room, “I tried to do things by your mortals rules, and it has become clear to me your perspectives are too obscured!”

         Attention was focused on the small cloud which had formed above Zeus’s head. It seemed to be growing and darkening with every moment.

          Lightning flickered from Zeus’s white eyes, “If you will only believe what you experience, than I shall erase all shades of doubt from your minds! All that was in the time of the great heroes shall be again! All manner of beast will return, Mount Olympus will reconnect to the heavens and the Olympians shall return, with expectations of being honored!”

         The cloud had clearly defined itself as a thunder cloud, with its dark color, rolling electrical currents and thunderous rumble.

          “I Zeus, God of the thunderbolt, champion of Olympus decree it and so it shall be! And you Mr. Bodan, shall be the example of what happens when a god is crossed!” Zeus reached into the cloud and ripped out a crackling bolt of lightning. He hurled the beam of light into Mr. Bodan, leaving a charred, empty set of crocodile skin shoes, which once belonged to him.

           As the crowd began to scream, Zeus began to glow. With blinding intensity he shot through the cloud he created, exploding the roof of the court house. The ground continued to shake, after the lightning strike; those in the court house could not see the ongoing affects, but all over the world fissures were opening and from them, every manner of mythical beast was spilling forth. On land centaurs, minotaur, wood nymphs, hydras and the like crawled forth for the first time in centuries. In the oceans kraken, water nymphs, mer folk and other children of the earth poured into their former habitats. Islands of lands long forgotten rose from the ocean depths and in Greece mount Olympus grew towards the heavens; and when at last it stopped, a large coliseum was at its base; the training ground of the Olympian army.

          Of course none of the people in the court room were privy to these events and in the immediate moments following the scene they witnessed, relief tried to take residence. Perhaps it had all been one big special effect.

           It was not until the harpies came through the newly added skylight of the courthouse and tore at Judge Fredrick and Sci-volution’s legal team, that true panic struck and the severity of the situation took hold.

          Pan who had watched the entire event on her television and experienced the earth trembling, was unable to shut her jaw and come to terms with the level of disgust she was developing for her nagging little feeling.


By: Michael Wilshire