I tell the tale of a family

violent and free and unpredictable 

No soul would believe they existed in our everyday lives 

I tell the tale of the real gods of Mt. Olympus 

 

The god of lightning, the god of thunder 

for his quick feet on the field, his powerful tackles. 

They called him Lord Zeus, unwavered and unbeatable

a star athlete turned struck business mogul.

King of Olympus

Everything from buildings to animals, he conquered at the speed of lightning

He married rich, famous, influential 

 

Hera, a mythic, monstrous, influencer

A silver screen star turned sour 

by years and years in the cruel world of moving pictures

Her looks were the only pleasant thing about her

Not even her husband wanted to be around her, 

hopping from bed to bed

spreading himself faster than the plague. 

Countless affairs that ended up in an extended family

as far as the eye could see. 

 

Spawns of Thunder sprouted in every corner of the world

A brain child they called her, 

quick-witted and tricky. 

Rising to success without the aid of the lesser of the species. 

Her fame and fortune came in the quickest, simplest way

weaving together the most beautiful clothing the eye has ever seen 

Unproblematic in most cases, 

save when challenged by an incompetent fool

for Athena shall always win

 

Spawns of Thunder still spread

A musician using his proceeds to fund his journey through med school

getting his license and turning down the path of music 

for it is the best medical alternative 

A true child of Thunder, never far from the bed

of guys and gals and non-binary pals

For he had no preference 

 

His twin sister was a different story

Turned off by the idea of men and romance, 

seeing the ways her father treated her stepmother 

As if he owned her, 

disregarding her humanity and using her for clout 

hopping from mattress to mattress until he was a common name 

in the terms of adulatory 

No, Artemis would have nothing to do 

with men like him. 

 

Artemis saw the ways of the world, 

the under representation, 

under appreciation, 

of the women of the world. 

With nothing but her words, 

and a inklings of supports, 

she went out to change and changed the script. 

 

Still more children came to be. 

Two brothers: one a rapper and one a welder

Ares and Hephaestus, both consumed with the one woman, 

radiant as a diamond, 

married Hephaestus for nothing more than his riches. 

From bed to bed, Aphrodite went, 

her radiance unlocks every door. 

For like her father-in-law and her brother-in-law, 

she was loose and free, being with everyone she could, 

and away from the one she needed. 

Two brothers fought, 

day and night, over a woman 

whose legs were spread more than butter on toast. 

 

A family, a mess, the world already knew

A family’s tale, that entertains the world. 

For unlike others that tell a similar tale, 

their stories are real. 
For this family's story goes further and deeper

than just eight.

Every person in related is wilder than the last.

Yikes.