Zeus's Arc

Chapter 2 of 6

Zeus left the council floor and climbed alone to his golden palace. The doors closed behind him. He set the blank tablet on the arm of his high seat and stared at it. The eagle landed nearby, lightning sparking in its feathers. He lifted the stylus and tried a first line. No god shall break this law. The gold surface drank the mark and pushed it back out. The words faded before his eyes. He tried again. All gods must obey the king. The tablet smoothed itself clean. He sat back on the stone seat and stared at his own hand. The tablet would not hold a rule he stood above. He saw it now. He had been writing chains for others and leaving himself free. The tablet knew. He pressed the stylus down once more. This time he wrote a single line. No god, not even I, stands above this law. The gold held the mark. The letters glowed and stayed. The eagle let out a sharp cry. Lightning ran along the rim of the tablet and locked the words in place. Zeus felt the weight of what he had just signed. He had bound himself to win the rest. The first line was written. The next session was coming, and now he would have to stand inside his own law before them all.