Olympus wasn't like anything he had seen before, and Ron almost started drooling at the sheer beauty of the Immortal city.

A decapitated mountain rose from among the clouds in the distance, its peak covered in snow right at the heart of what looked like a beautiful Ancient City. Clinging to the mountain side were dozen multi-levelled places- a city of mansions, all with ivory white columnar porticos, gilded terraces and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound crazily up to the peak where the largest palace gleamed against the  snow. Gardens and trees were everywhere the eyes went, surrounding the jutting Mountain, hovering a few centimetres above the clouds. He could even see an open-air markets with colourful tents, stone amphitheatre and two more structures that he couldn't  recognise. Hermione would probably know and so he made a mental note to ask her later.
Whichever direction he looked to, all he could see was white and gold laid structures, beautiful fountains and gardens. But of course, what made him drool were the small shops on the pavement they were heading towards, selling all sorts of delicacies and something called 'ambrosia-on-stick'.

He glanced at his girlfriend. Hermione had this look of pure awe and he could literally see her mind fishing on about the beautiful architecture. It was like this Ancient City had its own entity, almost like Hogwarts but of sheer magnitude that was impossible to comprehend.

They followed Lady Hecate through the cobblestone path up the high Mountain, towards the colossal Palace at the top, which seemed to resemble those Temple structures of Ancient Greece he studied  back at Hogwarts while researching about their Mythology.

"Olympus has been threatened several times since it's establishment. The worst yet was four years back. The Titans had declared war on us and had destroyed this entire city to rubble, all except the thrones, the seats of power that are the anchor to this world," Hecate said, giving a mini tour on their way.

"After the war was won and the threat was defeated, the Gods bestowed the honour of redesigning this city, the home of us Gods and Goddesses and countless Immortals, to a Daughter of Athena, the best of all her siblings till date. What you see here now, is all the result of her immense hardwork along with all her present siblings. Her plans and blueprints brought to life, recreating the entire city from being confined to the Mountain to spreading it around it's on the plains."

Ron was surprised. A demidod designed this magnificence? He saw several statues on high pedestals, probably the different deities residing in the city. Something caught his eye and he looked towards his 10'o clock to see what it was. He could make the outline of a... Garden perhaps but that wasn't what stopped him in his tracks. It was the walls.. that weren't walls. They were a beautiful patchwork of vines and climbers with all sorts of exotic flowers woven in between crosslinks..... Well he wasn't really good with descriptions. It was beautiful, even from this far off.

"What is that place, Miss Hecate?" He finally asked. Hecate turned to see which place he was talking about and stayed silent for ten counts before she replied. "Grove of Heroes. That is The Grove of Heroes. All our children who grace death in the battlefield bravely with honour earn a place there. It wasn't there in the original Olympus. It was, once again, an idea proposed by one of the demigods that was unanimously accepted and put into action," she said, her voice reflecting slight sadness as she talked about the demigods.

He glanced at Hermione and Harry, both of who seemed to be having train of thought similar to his own. They barely survived their war against Voldemort and there were so much loss. How often did these people go into war to talk about it is it was a general occurence, that too in present tense, as if it is something that happens every other day?

He was pulled of his thoughts as Hecate stopped, in turn making everyone else halt too. He looked up and saw the colossal double doors that gleamed gold. It had various sculptures carved into it, stories from their history, he assumed. One scene showed a ginormous, terrible multiple-serpent-headed monster rising up from what he assumed was the sea facing a generously muscled man, a god he guessed, who had an equally fierce snarl etched into his face, a huge Trident raised obviously intended to slay the Beast. Another scene showed two people, a similar looking man and a woman back to back, bows in hand and double arrows notched, faces promising pure pain.

He didn't get a chance to admire the handiwork as just then Hecate pushed open those huge doors, that lead into the mighty Throne Room of Olympus. He didn't think could be any more amazed after what he had seen of the Immortal City, but he was so bloody wrong. As they all entered the what seemed to be an unending Hall with non existent ceilings, Ron's jaw dropped, quite unceremoniously might he add, at the sheer size and beauty or atleast what his brain could comprehend of the Throne room.

Calling it a Room wouldn't exactly be correct. Imagine a Ball room of the biggest, richest palace you can imagine. And then multiply it times 100. That's how huge the place was. Beautifully crafted and sculptured pillars were nearly lined in rows towards the extreme sides, each pillar narrating a story. They rose up to a domed ceiling gilded with moving Constellations. The center of the throne room housed a Hearth lined with stones and comfortable but low benches, giving a campfire kind of a vibe. Surrounding the real homely Hearth were fourteen humongous thrones, seating fourteen giant beings. Their heads had turned towards the door in unison as soon as it had opened, creeping Ron out a bit, mostly beacuse these people were bloody intimidating. He could feel immense power rolling off from them, and it made his skin crawl slightly, like he was exposed in a nuclear fission chamber being subjected to radiation.

Wait... How did he know what radiation was, much less Nuclear Radiation? He saved that thought for later and focussed on the beings, who were very likely to be the Olympian Gods and Goddesses.

The fourteen Seats of Power, as Hecate had called them earlier, were arranged in a 'U' shape surrounding the Hearth. The six thrones at the centre where taller and slightly bulkier than the remaining eight. None of the thrones looked alike. One throne on the left was gleaming Gold while the throne opposite to it, on the right was bright Silver, which reminded him of Moonlight. However one thing that was common to all was that they were all engraved with symbols. A number of them.

Probably the symbols of the respective Gods and Goddesses, Ron thought.

The Olympians were all wearing ivory coloured.... Well whatever the Ancient Greeks wore back in their time... Chiton, probably. Over their Chiton they had ... Uh... Sheets, or rather a lot of folds of cloth, each of a different colour, which makes sense. The God who sat at the head had Navy Blue, the ones on his left had Sea Green and Obsidian, while the Goddess to his right had a Peacock blue cloth while the others to her right had Forest Green and Brown, and a warm Orange. The other gods on the the left sided Thrones had blood Red, Golden Yellow, Brownish Orange, Baby Blue and Dark Purple cloth in order. The goddesses on the right sided Thrones had Silvery Grey, Bright Silver and Pale Pink cloth. Hecate too, as soon as she came into the Throne Room had donned a Blackish Green cloth. All of them had a crown of leaves placed on their head which had glints of gold and silver in them.

"This is.... This is unreal," muttered Hermione, under her breath. She was looking around in such chilly amazement and wonder that it made Ron's heart melt. He reached towards her and gently clasped her hand in his. Hermione momentarily came out of her daze and gave him a small, yet adorable smile, and then went back to admiring the architectural beauty.

"I assure you, young witch, this is very real," a voice boomed throughout the Room. Everyone of the group flinched. The voice definitely reminded Ron of a scaled down thunderclap. He looked up to see where the voice came from. It was the God at the centre, the one with the Navy Blue sheet.

"Welcome to Olympus, young Wizards and Witches. It has been far too long since your world has met it's origins," he continued. "I am Zeus, King of the Gods, God of Sky and Lightning, or Jupiter Optimus Maximus in my Roman form. These are the rest of the Olympians. I will let them introduce themselves to you now,"

Ron simply stared at them as they introduced themselves, quite sure that his jaws might be mopping the floor. "Poseidon, Earthshaker, Storm-bringer, Father of Horses, God of Sea, or Neptune in my Roman form. Not really find of the Empire though," the God with the Sea Green sheets said, ending his statement with a look of distaste. He was muscular, yet lean and had piercing eyes that looked like it had the Oceans in them. His untamed Jet Black hair for some reason gave Ron an easy going vibe which could turn tables almost immediately with one wrong move. He had a strong, but gentle voice, which unfortunately, Ron couldn't say for the previous God, or the next.
"Hades," said the God next to Lord Poseidon. "God of Riches, Lord of the Underworld, or Pluto in my Roman form. Eldest of us three," he finished gesturing towards himself, Zeus and Poseidon. 

"Hera," said the Goddess beside Zeus, in the Peacock Blue cloth. "Queen of the Gods, Goddess of Marriage, Motherhood and Women, or Juno Moneta in my Roman form," she said with a cold face, which seemed ironical given her domains. Oh well, who was Ron to judge.

"I am Demeter," said the Goddess next to her with a small smile, wearing a cloth that resembled foliage. "I am the Goddess of Harvest, or Ceres in my Roman form. The youngest of us three," she finished gesturing to herself, Lady Hera and the Goddess next to herself, who introduced herself next.

"I am Hestia," she said, with warm eyes which resembled a lit hearth. She wore a Warm orange cloth. " I am the Goddess of the Hearth and family, and the Last Olympian, or Vesta in my Roman form. Eldest of us six," she finished with a kind motherly smile gesturing towards herself and all the other gods and goddesses who had introduced themselves.
"We are the eldest Olympians, the six children if the Titan Lord and Lady, Kronos and Rhea," said Poseidon. "The rest of the Olympians are our direct descendents, or of distant relation in Aphrodite's case."

"I am Athena," said the Goddess next to Lady Hestia, in a Stormy Grey cloth. "Goddess of Wisdom, Crafts, Warfare and Battle Strategy, Daughter of Zeus and Titan Metis," she said and then her expression darkened as she continued. "In Rome I am called Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom and Crafts."  The change in expression left Ron thinking why she disliked her other form. Maybe he'll know later.

"I am Phoebe Artemis," said the next Goddess in the row, with a blank face and cold Silver eyes that resembled the moon. She had a Silver cloth donned. "Goddess of the Moon, Hunt, Archery Childbirth and Chastity, Twin of Apollo, Daughter of Zeus and Titan Leto," she said. "In Rome I am called Diana, Goddess of the Moon, Archery, Childbirth and Chastity." Ron's eyes moved to the next Goddess as he waited for the next introduction, however, Lady Artemis didn't appear to have finished speaking. "A fair warning to all of you. When you are in the company of my Hunters, be on your best behaviour. Any prideful act towards them and I will not be responsible for your injuries. And boys," her eyes became harder as she said that. "My Hunters are off-limits. You would do well to behave properly with them and respect them as women are supposed to be." I shiver ran down Ron's spine. He was quite unsure of meeting her Hunters as she put it. Who were they anyway?

"I am Aphrodite," came a very melodic voice, that belonged to the Goddess do need in a Pale Pink cloth. "Goddess of Love, Beauty and Procreation, the last Child of Ouranos, created from the Sea foam that arose when his genitals were thrown into the sea by the newly crowned Titan Lord Kronos." She paused for a moment as she took in all of the children's faces, most of them green, some twisted in confusion while others in disgust. Ron suddenly noticed that her form was changing rapidly, as if it couldn't decide how to settle. "In Rome I am called Venus, having the same domains." Her form finally settled into a woman with curly and bushy brown hair, slender features and intelligent brown eyes that seemed very familiar to Ron, but he couldn't quite put a finger to it. There was something in her voice that made him slightly squirm in his shoes, and he wasn't the only one. As he looked around his group of classmates and friends, most of them were looking down and fidgeting with some part of their uniform.

"I am Dionysus, but you brats are to call me Mr. D," a voice belonging to the God seated beside Lady Aphrodite drawled, filled with boredome and indifference. "I was born a Demigod, son of Zeus and Semele, and was given Godhood later in my life, my domains being Wine, Parties and Insanity," he continued in his bored voice, scrutinizing every single student in the Throne room. When his eyes landed on Ron's, he saw a purple fire in them, and terribly gruesome scenes that he didn't want to describe. "In Rome, I am called Bacchus." He was glad when the Gods on the other side started introducing themselves.

"Ares is the name, punks" said the God with a Blood Red sheet wrapped. His voice was gruff, deep, loud and hardened. He was very muscled and had a rigid face that seemed to be permanently twisted into a sneer, or a scowl. Ron couldn't say which one it was. His eyes though, were the strangest and scariest of all the present beings. They were hollow sockets filled with flames. Not just any flames, the kind of flames one can see in a battlefield. "I am the God of War, Son of Zeus and Hera. I am the Patron of the Roman Legion and known as Mars Ultor. Do not go around making an enemy out of me. It won't end well for you. You have all been warned." He ended with a dangerous edge to his voice which almost made Ron's knees buckle, but he contained himself and didn't collapse.

"I am Phoebus Apollo, in both Greece and Rome, so don't worry about a different name for me," the next God with a gold sheet started off with a smile on his face. He had sky blue eyes that were filled with mischief and humour, but there was another expression there, something that Ron couldn't quite put a finger on. It almost seemed like deep regret or something. "I am the God of the Sun, Music, Archery, Healing and Poetry, Twin of Phoebe Artemis, Son of Zeus and Titan Leto," he said, I troducing himself. "You lot want to hear any haïkus anytime, do not hesitate to ask," he ended with a huge smile, which got Ron wondering what the heck haïkus were.

"I am Hephaestus," said the next God, who had a very deformed face and looked to be cripple, donned in a Brownish Orange cloth. "I am the God of Blacksmiths, Forge and Fire, Son of Zeus and Hera. 'am called Vulcan by the Romans. Any of ye interested in Metalworks and forging can approach me or me kids to learn more 'bout it," he said, finishing with a grunt. Oh well. It went well, atleast he didn't threaten them.

The next God was familiar, as he was the one with Lady Hecate to have come to Hogwarts. The only thing different was his attire now. He was wearing what everyone else was wearing, and his cloth matched his eyes. A baby blue colour. "I am Hermes, as you all know by now, the winged herald and Messenger of the Gods, God Travellers, Roads and Hospitality, Mail, Herds and Flock, Thieves and Cunning, Trade and Commerce, Son of Zeus and Titan Maia," he said in a friendly voice, scanning all them. "The Romans call me Mercury. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. Help will always be given, in some form, to those who ask for it," he said with a wink and Ron suddenly felt a very strong sense of déjà vu. Where had he heard this before? With Hermes re-introducing himself, ended the long line of introductions.

"Now that you know us, get settled and rest for a while. We will be bringing the Greek and Roman campers here in a while, with whom you will be staying for the duration of your stay in this world. With that, Zeus, Ron thought, waved his hand a four long benches appeared to one side of the Throne room, benches exactly like the ones they had in the Great Hall back in Hogwarts.

Ron glanced at his friends once and then all of them made themselves comfortable in their seats. "Thank you, Lord Zeus," piped up Neville from a few places right of Ron. The said person simply smiled and was about to say something when the doors of the Throne room opened, and in walked a girl with long, curly, Honey-blonde hair put up in a very haphazard and messy bun on top of her head, and a pencil was tucked being her ear. She was wearing an orange T-shirt with a Black Pegasus at the centre, combined with black pants and what looked to be like Combat boots. How Ron knew what combat boots looked like, he had no idea.
The girl was engrossed in something in the bunch of papers in her hand as she walked into the room and without even looking up went towards the Grey-eyed Goddess.

She must've felt eyes on her because she stopped in front of the hearth, and finally looked up to scan her surroundings. Ron heard Harry's sharp inhale of breath when the girl's eyes fell on their group. He turned towards his friend with a questioning look. "She is the girl from those dreams. Annabeth, I think her name was," Harry whispered to him in a very low voice. Ron simply stated as the girl, supposedly Annabeth, walked towards the Grey-eyed Goddess, Athena, he remembered, with a confidence and certainty Ron wished he possessed as well.

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Hello, my beloved readers!!
Yeah I am aware it's been months since my last update, but in my defence, I too am getting restless, I can't wait to get to the main plot already!
But you guys are awesome to have stuck through with me on this and I absolutely love you for that!

The next chapter is going to be a whirlwind of emotions. You guys can comment if you want a specific POV as I have a basic idea of what I am gonna write, but it's not any POV specific yet. So go on, comment and let's see whose POV it is.

Also, wish my fellow Indian readers a Very Happy Dussehra, and to any Bengalis out there, Shubho Bijoya! Best wishes to you and your families!

See you guys next chapter! Happy reading!!

Date: 26th October, 2018
Time: 12:02 IST / 06:32 GMT