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‘Listen, Hypnos, we were all very drunk last night.’
The God of Thunder shifted on his throne as if it had suddenly outgrown him, and his eyes wandered to the faces of his fellow Olympians. But even those who had the inclination to help him dared not.
'I don't even remember half the night, my boy!' Zeus said, ignoring the glare Hera was giving him. 'You know how strong Dionysius's wine is. Ha! Of course you do, you were asleep the whole time!’ He stifled a cough. ‘Except, well… you sleep with or without wine, don't you?'
Hypnos was dwarfed by the Olympians in their thrones; a tiny, skinny little man wrapped in a red cloak more akin to a quilt than an item of clothing. The gods of Olympus were used to seeing him wrapped up inside it, but today the god of sleep was very much awake. His gaze held the mighty Zeus in place like his mother, Nyx, once had.
Without a sound, Hypnos rose from the ground until he and the king were level. Zeus flinched. Hypnos's eyes were red, like poppies set ablaze, and his pupils as black as the darkness that sired him.
‘Now, see here,’ Zeus stammered. ‘I made a mistake, that's all. A big mistake, I admit it. You have every right to be angry, but don't lose your head, Hypnos. Nothing good will come of it, believe me…’
'How weird,' murmured the god of sleep.
'Excuse me?'
'How weird, that you think I want to hear your excuses.'
'I invite you into my presence and this is how you speak to me?' Zeus thundered. His anger made the clouds above blacken and rumble.
Hypnos was unmoved. 'Huh. You think you can dictate what I say to you. Even weirder.'
'Your mother is not here to save your miserable skin, boy!' roared the king over a thunderclap. 'Mind your tongue, or I shall tear it out! I wanted to resolve this matter peacefully, but -'
Hypnos smiled, and Aphrodite clutched Ares's arm with a whimper. 'I think you're misunderstanding the situation a bit.'
'Send this brat back to his master!' Zeus bellowed.
Nobody moved.
'Have you all gone deaf?'
Lightning filled the chamber with light, forcing the king to shut his eyes. Opening them, he saw Hypnos drifting slowly toward him.
'How dare - ?'
One by one, the gods of Olympus keeled forward and collapsed to the floor in helpless repose at Zeus's feet.
‘You touched my wife,' Hypnos said. 'You frightened my wife. She cried all night long. I think you ought to know that. And I think you ought to know, also, that you have no say, and I mean no say whatever, in what I do to you now.’
The mercilessness of Hypnos’s insolence reminded Zeus of an uncomfortable truth; that the lord of all living things was not the one sitting on the throne. The thunder dwindled to nothing, the lightning faded. Robbed of his power, all the king could do was scream.
'STOP!'
Hypnos stopped, hovering motionlessly in place. With a steady hand, he lifted the mask on his forehead. His third eye blazed.
‘Listen, Lord Zeus, sire,' said the little god quietly. 'I can’t make you sleep like my brother can, but I can make you wake up from sleep changed. Touch my wife again, and the next time you wake, you won’t be king. Not ever again. Your call.’
What little of the king's realm remained in view began to bleed. A volley of thunderclaps blasted his ears, warped beyond recognition; the noise clenched his soul like a scream of terror. Zeus pressed his hands to his ears, but the din squeezed through his fingers. He screamed, but the screams of the women he had harmed were louder.
'Enough!' he cried. 'I yield! Hypnos, I yield!'
'Husband!'
The king of the gods jerked, staring like a wild-man into Hera's worried face. His sweaty hands gripped the arms of his throne as his mind reeled from the shock. His throne. The great hall. His fellow Olympians, awake and seated on their thrones, staring at their lord like he'd lost his mind.
'What - what happened?' Zeus gasped.
'You must have been dreaming,' Hera said, giving his hand a quick pat before returning to her seat.
Zeus cast feverish glances into every corner of the room, looking for Hypnos.
'Can we get on?' Ares complained. 'I have some... business to attend to.'
Athena gave him a look. 'I am sure, Lord Ares, but let us bring Lord Zeus up to speed first.'
The goddess spoke clearly, but not a single word reached the king's ears. All he could think about were Hypnos’s three eyes and the threat they burned into his brain.
Once more, Zeus was forced to quietly concede defeat. Humiliation was a small price to pay for power and peace of mind.