<div style="
margin: auto;
height: 600px;
max-width: 500px;
background-color: #232323;
box-shadow: 0 0 2px 2px grey, 0 0 2px 2px grey, 0 0 2px 2px grey;
color: white;"><div style="
/*GIF*/
height: 110px;
max-width: 100%;
box-shadow: 0px 2px 2px #F9E79F;
background: url(https://i.gifer.com/KEER.gif);
background-size: cover;
background-position: 50% 17%;
font-size: 0px;">hh<div style="
/*IMAGE*/
margin: auto;
height: 130px;
max-width: 130px;
border-radius: 100%;
margin-top: 40px;
box-shadow: 0 0 5px 5px #F9E79F, 0 0 5px 5px #F9E79F, 0 0 5px 5px #F9E79F;
background-image: url(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/aa/d2/22/aad222be0cd258a844edc458df265453.jpg);
background-size: 250px;
background-position: 60% 20%;
font-size: 0px;">hh<div style="
/*NAME*/
height: 50px;
max-width: 100%;
margin: auto;
margin-top: 120px;
margin-left: 8px;
font-size: 20px;
letter-spacing: 10px;
text-align: center;
text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black;
color: white;">ZEUS</div></div></div><div style="
/*TEXT BOX*/
margin: auto;
margin-top: 80px;
height: 350px;
max-width: 90%;
padding: 5px;
overflow: auto;
font-family: Book Antiqua;
font-size: 12px;">Zeus has never felt so powerless in his life. Sure, the war with the Titans had left him feeling unsure of himself for a time, but he'd known that his newer generation was stronger than their parents, and they'd eventually come out victorious. And that's exactly what had happened. He's always been good at predicting things, much better at strategizing than people give him credit for. How else could he keep the world so firmly under his thumb? But this... what can he do about this?<br/>
<br/>
Just moments ago, they'd been having a meeting. Surprisingly, for once, it hadn't been called by him or Athena but Hades. It was of utmost importance, the god had emphasized, in regards to the humans. Naturally, Zeus had been intrigued. There seems to be a common misunderstanding that Zeus and his fellow gods are omnipotent and constantly surveying the human world, but that's untrue. Humans are, despite their complexes, usually exceedingly dull, and history repeats itself again and again. There's only so long you can watch it before you get bored. While some of his fellow gods seem to prefer living life with the humans for some inane reason beyond his comprehension, most of them just live their own lives in their own little worlds, taking glimpses here and there to check on the progress of the species. For the most part, Zeus only pays attention to the human world when someone else brings an issue to his attention, relying on the numerous eyes that exist underneath him. But even then, things slip through the cracks. While long to a human, a decade is like a blink to them and thus not something worth surveying.<br/>
<br/>
So it should be no surprise that when Hades had briefly mentioned a virus spreading over the course of a year, it was news to him. Hades had promised to elaborate further at the meeting, and so Zeus had called upon his fellow Olympians to hear him out, and a few days later they were all gathered together on their thrones, about to listen to Hades's speech —<br/>
<br/>
And then all came crashing down. Literally. The walls of Olympus began to collapse, struck down by a mighty paw with claws big and sharp enough to shred a god in sections with one swipe. It seems that the humans were not the only things they hadn't been watching closely enough. He's seen chimeras before, of course, but nothing like these things. Nothing as giant, nothing with so much power nested in its body, nothing so impervious. They'd tried to fight them with swords, with arrows, with magic. Zeus himself had delivered bolt after bolt to the creatures tearing down everything he'd built, and yet it hardly seemed to slow them.<br/>
<br/>
He feels like a coward, bobbing and weaving around falling debris, running from snapping jaws seemingly intent on devouring him, but it's hard to <i>think</i> through the chaotic noise of his fellow gods. Their screams, their questions, their demands for him to <i>do something</i> as if he's meant to have all of the answers to every problem. Perhaps it's his fault for letting them believe that. It isn't until Athena is lying there, head ripped from her body with a sound like ripping wet paper towel, bleeding her ichor down the marble steps of the pantheon, that the reality of their circumstances truly begins to set in. A goddess has been murdered. Any one of them could be next, and they haven't even managed to fell one of their enemies.<br/>
<br/>
But there's no time to mourn right now, even as his eyes fill with tears for his beloved daughter. How many even are there? It's hard to count the squirming mass of shapes blocking out the sky above them like the storm clouds he creates, all of them dark and growling and dangerous. He can't know how many there are, nor their goal, nor where they have already struck and where they might go on to attack after, but there's no way he's going to figure it out here. Here is only death. There's no choice but to run.<br/>
<br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#f9e79f">"Take human form!"</span> he shouts, but does not elaborate, lest the distraction cost another life, and simply acts. He closes his eyes...<br/>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: center"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#f9e79f"><i class="fa fa-bolt"></i> <i class="fa fa-bolt"></i> <i class="fa fa-bolt"></i> <i class="fa fa-bolt"></i></span>​</div><br/>
And when he opens them again, he's in Spain. Murcia, Spain, if he were to be exact. He's visited the country enough times to be able to recognize the streets. He's also alone. Disturbingly alone as the roads aren't just empty of his fellow gods but also life in general. The traffic should be bustling, even at this time of night, and yet there's nothing but an eerie silence interrupted only by the sound of his echoing footsteps as he presses forward. He's not entirely surprised that no one teleported with him — concentration had been difficult given the circumstances. Hopefully, the others landed close by, and they can all regroup soon enough to discuss what happened and where to go from here. If only Athena...<br/>
<br/>
He stops, squeezing his eyes shut to fight against the sting. It doesn't help much, as the tears still fall from his eyes without his permission. Still, he carries on after a moment, letting them fall as they please. He has no idea where he's going, no idea where the others are, but if he has no hope, he has nothing. Hope is an odd feeling, though. Not one with which he's well-acquainted. At least, not anymore. It's been millennia, longer even, since he's needed to feel it. He never required hope when the universe revolved around his rule. All he needed was to bark an order, and it was done. Say something, and it was so. It's somewhat surprising that he can even feel such an emotion anymore.<br/>
<br/>
He's traveled down only a few roads when an intense dizzy spell suddenly possesses him. He manages to catch himself against one of the exteriors of the many buildings lining the street before it brings him to his knees. He winces as he practically <i>feels</i> his energy being pulled from his body like a wet shirt peeling from his back. When the sensation passes, he feels... not lethargic, per se, but certainly weaker. Horror sets in when he realizes his powers that he can typically feel buzzing beneath his skin like a swarm of angry bees are entirely absent. He tries to conjure a lightning bolt, passersby be damned, but nothing comes. What the fuck? He tries again, and again, and again, but each time he comes up empty-handed. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck.<br/>
<br/>
Sure, he's human now — he'd intended as much when he'd transported everyone, and he recognizes the body as one he has used many times in the past, but the transformation is always a disguise. He's not meant to be human. His throat catches on itself, and he fights for air as the panic swells. His powers have been stripped. By whom? For what purpose? Did the beasts do this? How? He's tempted to slit his wrists to see if his veins still run gold, but he doesn't even have the tools to do so, even if he were of a less sound mind.<br/>
<br/>
He barely has time to reflect upon his tragedy before there's shuffling ahead of him. The sound is startlingly loud in the silence that had surrounded him. <span class="fixed-color" style="color:#f9e79f">"Oh, thank Gaia,"</span> he sighs, moving toward the noise. Perhaps someone has the others and can point him in their direction. But as he gets closer to the noise, the more suspicious it becomes. What sounded like shuffling now sounds more like the grunting of a pig, far more animalistic than human. He slows his pace, ducking into a nearby alley to avoid the creature. And a creature it is, as he's not sure any rational being would call it human. It must have been at some point, but the way it sniffs the air and grunts is far more like the earlier versions of the species than what he'd come to expect from its evolution. It looks like it hasn't seen a bath or a comb in weeks, and even through the darkness, he can tell it's caked in blood.<br/>
<br/>
Its head suddenly snaps toward him, spotting him between tangled strands of hair, and he curses as it charges. He manages to swerve to the side as it throws itself at him, giving him enough time to bring a foot down upon its head as hard as he can, clenching his teeth against its loud screech. He does it again, glancing around for something else to use to protect himself. There's not much in the alleyway with them, but there is some shattered glass beneath a shop window, so he grabs a large piece. Just in time, too, as the creature throws itself at him once more, snarling. He tries to push it back as it snaps its jaws, not unlike the beasts he'd just faced earlier, but this being is decidedly more fragile. He shoves the glass shard into the creature's jugular, turning his head away to avoid the spray of blood as he drags it across the stretch of flesh with adrenaline-fueled strength. and its hands that had been reaching for his throat now shooting to its own as it gurgles, desperately trying to keep its blood inside. He sends it to the ground with an elbow to the temple, panting as it collapses. It squirms pathetically for some moments but eventually grows still, its terrible noises dying with it.<br/>
<br/>
His heart is hammering in his ears, but still, he can hear more shuffling growing closer. The creature's scream must have alerted more to their location. Is this the virus that Hades had briefly mentioned? Either way, he needs to run, and so he does. Until he finds something better to protect himself with, there's no way he can fight off a slew of those things by himself. He runs as fast he can, diving down random alleyways with no actual destination in mind, rubbing his bloodied hand on the still dry portion of his shirt, grimacing at the feeling of the liquid cooling against him.<br/>
<br/>
Where the fuck are the others?<br/>
<br/>
Eventually, he finds a place to rest in an abandoned apartment complex, locking the door and barricading it as best he can before collapsing on the couch. Now fully human, he has to rest or face the consequences, and he's not going to be able to make much progress when he's exhausted. So, better to sleep for now and explore more in the morning.<br/>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: center"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#f9e79f"><i class="fa fa-bolt"></i> <i class="fa fa-bolt"></i> <i class="fa fa-bolt"></i> <i class="fa fa-bolt"></i></span>​</div><br/>
In the morning, there's little to find in the cupboards besides a small package of crackers that the previous tenants must have missed when clearing them out. He devours them, glad that he at least has something, and sets to dismantling his barricade. Before he leaves, he makes sure to grab the largest kitchen knife from the knife block, and then sets off on his way.<br/>
</div><div style="
/*TAGS*/
height: 20px;
max-width: 100%;
margin-top: 15px;
font-size: 12px;
text-align: center;">「 EVERYONE 」</div><div style="
/*BOTTOM*/
margin: auto;
margin-top: 10px;
height: 15px;
max-width: 100%;
background: #F9E79F;
text-align: center;
line-height: 13px;
font-size: 10px;
color: black;"><abbr class="bbc-abbr" data-trigger="hover focus touchclick" data-xf-init="tooltip" role="button" tabindex="0" title="OLYMPUS → MURCIA, SPAIN • STREETS → APARTMENT → STREETS">LOCATION</abbr> | <abbr class="bbc-abbr" data-trigger="hover focus touchclick" data-xf-init="tooltip" role="button" tabindex="0" title="EVERYONE">INTERACTIONS</abbr> | <abbr class="bbc-abbr" data-trigger="hover focus touchclick" data-xf-init="tooltip" role="button" tabindex="0" title="EVERYONE">MENTIONS</abbr></div></div><div style=" margin: auto; margin-top: 5px; height: 10px; max-width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: 8px;">Code by Jenamos</div>