God Files will alert you to the Deities that walk the mortal plane of Eleusia and travel between the world below and Mt. Olympus above.

The people of Eleusia and the rest of Ancient Greece are of a polytheistic religion. They worship many Gods and claim that these deities control different aspects of lives. In Eleusia, more than in other Graecian cities, it is apparent that the Gods have a hand in every day affairs. There are many who swear to have seen Apollo or Hephaestus, and even more have noted that their specific prayers have been answered by Athena or Aphrodite.

The King of the gods and the Father of heaven, Zeus keeps the rest of the gods under his control with a bit of fear and a giant Thunderbolt at his side. He had lead the rest of the Olympians to overthrow his father, Cronus, and had received his Thunderbolt from the Cyclops. He keeps the stars and planets in order, makes laws (that he is very much above), enforces oaths and is, arguably, one of the more human of the deities.
His relationship with the women in his life is terrible, by any standards. When his mother, Rhea, tried to stop him from marrying his sister, Hera, Zeus strangled Rhea to an inch of her life. When Hera stole his Thunderbolt, Zeus hanged her from the sky with a golden bracelet on each wrist and an anvil fastened to her ankles. Zeus is fond of beautiful mortal and immortal women and takes any steps he can to impregnate most of them. Indeed, almost all of the demi-gods are from Zeus' trysts.
Zeus had no initial interest in Eleusia. But, like any dysfunctional family, once he got wind of Hera's interest, he turned his attention to the small village. His Temple is a glorious guilded structure made of bronze and gold plating and is located within walking distance of the Palace. Though he is a patron of males and traders, he is also a favorite god of prostitutes and children born of wedlock - each of these hoping for Zeus's blessing of fatherhood. (That he grant the Prostitutes a demi-god for a son, or the children the powers of Zeus's offspring.)
Zeus never comes to Eleusia in his own form. If he is seen, it is in the form of an animal or beautiful youth, depending on his duty. He usually only arrives when his fancy is tickled by a beautiful woman, or a powerful man. He does not tolerate any sort of desecration of his Temple and has been known to smite those who have spoken ill of him, even if they spoke in the confidence of their most trusted neighbor.

Without her special persuasion powers, some say Hera would never be. Something within Zeus keeps him from killing the wife he so hates, and something in Hera keeps her from nagging or annoying Zeus so much so that he kills her. Hera is the Queen of the gods, the mother of heaven. Further, she is the mother of Ares, Hephaestus, and Eris - three of the most unpleasant gods. She has the special ability to prophesize future events, and can bestow the gift of prophecy on mortals. Of course, her bestowment usually came with some sort of caveat - for most prophets Hera blessed could only prophesize terrible future events.
Not only is Hera the victim of Zeus' out-of-marriage trysts, she is also the victim of his wrath. Though Hera usually sought revenge upon the women who Zeus slept with, she was rarely completely successful and if Zeus found out about her efforts, she was punished severely.
Hera does not get along with most of the other gods. She specifically hates Athena and it is known she has no love for Artemis. However, she does enjoy the company of Demeter and Hestia and has been known to smile upon Poseidon. She is known to the rest of the Gods to be a strong mistress, determined and stubborn in her ways, but not unchangeable. Further, she does have the power of persuasion over Zeus.
Hera's interest in Eleusia is still very strong. Her Temple is a gathering place for oracles and prophets and is located to the north of the city at the very base of Mt. Olympus. Hera has been known to show herself in Eleusia, though it is not known where her favors fall most often. She is often sacrificed to in hopes of her persuading Zeus for favor. Hera is the Patron of the Aristocracy.

Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis, which makes her an easy target for Hera's consuming anger. Though when she was first born (having sprouted out of her father's skull fully armoured) she was well liked by Hera and even taught her step-mother how to weave, the relationship between the two has steadily deteriorated as Athena garners more attention from her earthly followers than Hera.
Athena is a popular goddess both amongst mortals and the other gods. Though she is the goddess of stratgey, she hated wars and especially hated her half-brother Ares. Even with these human flaws, Athena can be counted on to be much fairer than any of the other gods and hardly ever acts on a whim or from spite. Of course, she is occasionaly filled with jealousy and vanity and has been known to turn women into spiders for their lack of humility.
Athena has no personal want of Eleusia. Indeed, she already is the Patron of many cities, Athens being the greatest. However, she seems interested in how the 'City of the Gods' will play itself out. She has always wanted the gods to get along, even begrudgingly, and so offers what help she can in ruling the fair city.
The goddess Athena is a warrior Queen who quite resembles a beautiful and powerful youth. An aura of her immortality surrounds her at all time - there is no doubt as to whom Athena is when one sees her. If she does come down from Mt. Olympus, she comes in her youthful form, led by a chariot that is pulled by two white stallions.
Her Temple resembles a large library and is filled with scrolls. It is used for both learning, orating, studying, and praying. She often accepts sacrifices of olive branches and wine. Athena is the patron of lawyers and philosophers.

Born of the waves, Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty and the most enchanting woman ever born. When she stepped from the sea to shore, flowers bloomed where she stood and men fell prostrate before her in fits of consuming passion. Hera, eyeing the newest Olympian, could not help but fall into jealousy and demand of her husband that Aphrodite be married off immediately. Knowing that Aphroidte would never be happy with the disfigured Hephaestus, but that Hephaestus would be eternally grateful, Zeus took Hera's advice and the two married. Her status a married woman, however, did not change the fact that Aphrodite had thousands of lovers, both mortal and immortal.
Aphrodite is a more tragic figure than one would imagine. The fates, on the day that Aphrodite was born, decreed that she would never accomplish anything other than to make men love her. Even this can become boring after a while. Wanting to try her hand at something else, Aphrodite started weaving. Athena saw this and complained to Zeus who then forbade Aphrodite from practicing Athena's sacred art. This may be the reason for Aphrodite's flighty nature - she may never do anything but make love occur. One must realize that Aphrodite, as beautiful as she is, is paying a heavy price for her unparalled beauty and her power over love.
Aphrodite has become tired of her fate and continues to try her hand at other practices. Since she is not the patron of any single city, but a Goddess that most worship from time to time, she had wanted to take Eleusia for her own. However, Aphrodite is afraid of Hera and her power over Zeus. Unless Hera turns her head from the city at the base of Olympus, Aphrodite will never make a bid for it.
Though she is a tragic figure to the other gods, Aphrodite is still a figure of glamor and beauty to mortals. When she appears in Eleusia, she usually appears in the same beautiful form - a finely dressed, statuesque woman, obviously a noble of some sort, draped in robes of the most exquisite materials. Her Temple is an intimate den, filled with fountains and gauzy hangovers of fabric. The centerpiece of Aphrodite's temple is an altar where men and women sacrifice all that they have for love. Aphrodite is the patron of young people in love and is diametrically opposed to the wild women of Ares' control.

The most loved child of Zeus, Apollo was born during Hera's chase of his mother, Leto. His beauty was unseen among the men of Olympus as was his extraordinary talents in music, poetry, mathematics, and medicine. He is a happy, fun-loving God, willing to be fair to both mortals and Gods alike. Though he may avert his conversations from the truth, he can never tell a bold-faced lie. It is known throughout Olympus that Apollo usually speaks in riddles to hide the truth and yet not speak a falsity.
His twin sister, Artemis, did not share his talents and was, in personality, the night to his day. Therefore, Apollo became the God of the Sun - beautiful, life giving, yet sometimes deadly. Apollo preached moderation but did not always practice what he preached. He had a terrible jealous streak and would come down harshly on those who disobeyed him. Further, he had a talent for falling in love with those that did not return his favor. In most cases, the lovers turned themselves (or were turned by other gods) into items of nature.
Apollo has no want or need of the city at the base of Olympus. He is more interested in continuing as the patron of doctors and artisans within the city. He frequently attends athletic, social, and religious events under the guise of a young hunter with golden hair and dark blue eyes. His Temple is on the outskirts of the city and is a hall for healing and practicing the new arts of healing. Apollo accepts sacrifices of original artwork and medicinal plants. He is the Patron of doctors, healers, musicians, artists, and, with Hera, attends the Oracles.

While her twin brother, Apollo, seems to be always surrounded by the glow of a golden sunlight, Artemis is just as beautiful and is continuously surrounded by the silver of the moon. On Artemis' third birthday, Zeus asked her what she wanted, and she replied to remain an eternal virgin. She also asked for the best pack of hounds in the universe and for an enternally replenishing silver bow and arrow. She was granted all three, with the condition that if she found love, she would be allowed to marry.
Artemis would never want to marry, however, being the patron saint of single women, virgins, and hunters. She is the embodiment of the wild animals of the forest and is often seen by the other Olympians as the most animalistic on Olympus. She has beauty almost beyond compare (only Aphrodite is above her), but she does not take kindly to the affections of men or to the betrayal of her followers. Men who look upon the Goddess when bathing are turned immediately into animals, and females who pledge their lives to eternal chastity are shapeshifted to animals once they become pregnant.
Artemis does not have any city under her patronage and this is what brought her attention to Eleusia. Before Hera had even turned her attention to it, Artemis had started building up a following within the young women of the city. She hadn't made any official moves to capture the city as her own, but she had put time and effort into doing so. When Hera saw the city and its location so close to her natural home, she took it for her own. Then, the game ensued.
Artemis is not afraid of Hera and, at this point in time, is Hera's greatest rival. Though her powers do not compare to Hera's, her sway with Zeus almost does. Further, she is more loved amongst the mortals than Hera is and her revenge is usually taken on those who best deserve it, unlike Hera whose main motivation is jealousy and anger. Artemis hardly ever comes into the city and is found mostly amongst Ares' wild women of the forest and satyrs, centaurs, and nymphs. When seen, she is a gorgeous light-skinned beauty with dark hair and an amazing bow at her side. Artemis is the Patron of virgins and hunters and the protectress of the forest.

There is an amusing story that Apollo frequently recounts about his half-brother Hermes:
It seems that when the child Hermes was born to the mortal Maia and Zeus, Zeus gifted the bright baby with a special lightness. He was given wings on his feet and a helmet that allows him to fly easily anywhere on earth or Mt. Olympus. It so happened that one day Hermes the infant came upon a herd of beautiful white cows. Though the Crows told Hermes that these were favorites of Apollo, Hermes took the cows anyways. When Apollo returned to the field, he was amazed to find the cows gone and searched high and low for them.
On his search, he came upon a cave with the lovely Maia in it and a baby at her side. The baby was playing a musical instrument made with a tortoise shell and cow gut. As Maia pointed out the work of her intelligent child, Apollo asked, "Yes, but where did he get the cow gut?"
Hermes answered, "I came upon a herd of beautiful cows and though the crows told me they were yours, I did not believe them. So I sacrificed the animals to the twelve important gods and made this instrument for you."
"Twelve?" Apollo asked, "But there are 11 gods!"
"Twelve," Hermes answered, "You have just met the last."
Hermes is one of the most pleasant gods on Mt. Olympus. He's always got a smile and a kind word for those in his sight. He's also a joker and enjoys pulling pranks on mortals and gods alike, usually doing so for the fun of the game and for no malicious reason whatsoever. He is the messenger god and is usually performing important tasks for the other gods on Olympus. He doesn't particularly like Hera and her children, most of all Ares, but he tolerates them for the sake of peace. In his spare time, Hermes helps Hades's minions in bringing dead souls to the Underworld.
Hermes is the Patron of messengers, the protector of commerce, and the guardian of travellers. He has no true Temple, but his main altar is in the headquarters of the city's messengers. When Hermes appears, and he often does, he looks just as he does on Olympus - but without the wings. He is a beautiful youth who tends to gamble and cheat at cards when in mortal form.

Of the three unpleasant children Zeus and Hera produced, Ares was the most terrible. He is the god of war, and although he is good looking in a sinister way, he is always pictured in mortal temples as bloodstained and crazed. Though poets have called him a plague on the human race, there are those who dare call Ares a coward and swear that he bellows in pain and runs away when wounded.
Ares contends that he's not as bad as mortals think. Though he may be the bringer of death and the advocator of war, he never forces men to do what they do not want to do or what is not already in their minds to do.
Ares and Athena have a terrible relationship and the two cannot even be in the same room with each other without fighting. The only gods that ever take Ares side are Aphrodite, Hera, and Hades, but even then, they do so begrudgingly. Ares and Aphrodite were once lovers and may be so still. Ares' only true supporter is Eris, his equally obnoxious sister.
Ares is the patron of the military and has taken his time building his 'flock' to his own acceptable standards. One day, he swears, the city of Eleusia will be his and by the looks of things, if the rest of the gods turn their heads, it may come to pass sooner than later.
Ares' temple is deep in the military encampment and is a place rumoured to accept human sacrifice, though no rumour of such has proven to be true. Ares comes to the mortal plane when he feels the whim hit him. When he does, there is no doubt that it is Ares standing before you. This god never hides himself behind a more tolerable facade.

Zeus was so fascinated by Dionysus' mother, Semele, that he told her he would do anything she asked. Hera took advantage of this and came to Semele in a dream, whispering to her that no mortal had ever seen Zeus in his true divine form, and how wonderful it would be if Semele could see this. So, she asked Zeus, and Zeus, having sworn by the river Styx to do anything Semele asked, had nothing more to do than show her his form. Semele died of shock, as all mortals do when shown Zeus in his true divine form.
Little did Hera know that Semele was pregnant and that Zeus had taken the baby to the Nymphs to raise. There, Dionysus grew into a young man that loved travel and adventure. He taught mortals of the Nymphs' knowlede of intoxicating wine.
Just as the wine he introduced to society, Dionysus is a god of a double nature. He could be kindly and helpful and add joy to the festivals held in his honor. However, he could also be terrible cruel and destructive. His followers, the Maenads, are a group of women who were often frenzied with drink and sometimes, in this frenzy, tore victims limb from limb. They live in the forests and often find themselves at odds with the Warrior Women also there.
Dionysus is a god of festivities and happiness, but also the patron of travellers and foreigners. His Temple is in the heart of the city, near the Agora, and is often the place for parties and rituals. It is also rumoured that the Satyrs, followers of his, have their own temple deep within their living quarters. Dionysus has no use for a city of his own and therefore would never make a move on Eleusia. When in his mortal form, Dionysus often appears as a jovial man, with a bearded face and always a container of wine at his side.

When the lots were drawn to determine the rulers of the universe, Hades drew the short stick and won the Underworld. It was, quite possible, very fitting that he won the least favorite of the sea, sky, and underworld, for he was the most gloomy of the gods. Unlike Poseidon and Zeus, who immediately built beautiful places in their own lands, Hades has done very little to improve the view in the Underworld. He has built himself a castle and has surrounded himself with the Erinyes (Furies).
Hades, though gloomy, isn't completely bad. He isn't hated by the rest of the gods, and though he's not the most welcomed party guest, he's allowed to Olympus whenever he choses to go. The fact is that Hades really doesn't need to go to Olymps. Not since he took Persephone as his bride. The two are like night and day, but get along so well that it seems that in the winter, when Persephone is in the Underworld, less people from Eleusia pass down to Hades' realm.
It is, most probably, wonderful for Eleusia that Hades likes his place in the Underworld far better than anywhere on the mortal plane. He is not the most kind and understanding of the gods. He is a harsh master and personally punishes those who have broken the moral codes and laws the gods have created for the world beneith them. Hades is most hated by Demeter, Persephone's mother, but is tolerated by the rest of the gods. He hardly ever comes into the views of mortals, but when he does, he is often a large, imposing, and somewhat beautifully melancholy man, taken to staring at sunsets and watching the everyday men and women pass by. He shares his Temple with Persephone, and it is Persephone who most men and women come to worship within.

The most benevolent of Hera's children, Hephaestus, is the god of the forge and steel. When Hera was pregnant with her first child, she was, for once, filled with joy and love for her husband, Zeus. But when Hephaestus was born, disfigured and ugly, she felt no love for him and considered his deformity a trait given from his father's infidelities. She threw him from Mt. Olympus where he fell to earth and was injured severely. He was found by Zeus and given to a water nymph, Thetis, to raise.
One day, Thetis showed Hera a lovely brooch her foundling had made and Hera immediately recognized it as the work of Hephaestus. Because he was so talented and because Hera wanted her own unique jewels, Hephaestus was returned to Olympus to take his place as the god of the forge and the craftsman of the gods.
Suprisingly, Hephaestus is the husband of the beautiful Aphrodite. And though his wife sleeps with many other men, he has never stopped loving her. Neither has he stopped loving his hating mother, Hera. He tries to protect her from Zeus' wrath whenever possible, even if it means hurting himself.
Hephaestus is a hardworking everyday man. He is the patron of a vast many merchants and workers, and is beloved amongst mortals who see him almost as their equal. He would love for Eleusia to be his own, but has no illusions about his position as one of the lowliest of the gods. When he comes to Eleusia, he is seen in a form very close to his true form: an average looking man, deformed at the hip so that he is lame and must walk with the aid of a crutch. His Temple is a gathering place for artists of all types, but of forge workers in particular.

The eternal beauty, Persephone, is the only daughter of Demeter and the once unwilling wife of Hades. One of the most well-known stories of the gods in Greece is that of the rape of Persephone. Persephone was picking flowers with her friends in the fields near where an entrance to the underworld stood. As she and the other girls laughed and enjoyed themselves, Hades viewed the girls and immediately fell in love with Persephone. Knowing that her mother would never allow a marriage between the two, Hades did what he felt he must: He drove his fastest chariot to the surface and stole Persephone away from the field, her friends, and her mother.
Demeter, of course, was not happy with this at all. Not only was she overly protective of her only daughter, she was also not one of Hades major supporters. Upset and sad at the notion that her daughter was gone to her forever, Demeter forgot to warm the earth for summer, and winter prevailed for the entire season. Zeus, upset that the word was so cold, asked Demeter what she would want from him so that she could return warmth to the earth. Demeter requested that her daughter be brought back. So, Zeus sent Hermes to retrieve her, but before Persephone could be taken from the Underworld, she indulged in 6 pomegranate seeds. Of course, eating the food of the Underworld binds you to it, but Zeus, seeing that the girl had only eaten six seeds proclaimed that Persephone would only stay six months with Hades - and therefore the other six months would be spent with her mother.
Over the years, Persephone has not only grown to love Hades, but has also grown to learn the intricate ins and outs of the Underworld. Though she enjoys spending her time with her mother on earth, she has really come to like residing over the dead alongside Hades. She is never seen in her godlike form on earth, but when she does arrive, it is with the breath of fresh air she had shown to Hades all those years ago when they first met.
Persephone has no need for a city of her own and is not nearly powerful enough to take Eleusia if she did want it. She gets along well with most of the other Goddesses except for Aphrodite, with whom she had a falling out over a certain Adonis. Her Temple is set within Hades' Temple and is a place where people go to pray for a good spring crop, luck, and a happy afterlife for their loved ones. Persephone is also known as the protectress of young, unmarried females and many of those women who see Artemis as too unforgiving find themselves worshipping Persephone.

Hestia's own personality is not very well known amongst the mortals of the earthly plane. And though she is shrouded in mystery, almost every Eleusian worships her daily. Hestia is the sister of Zeus and the protectress of the home and family. When newborns were first taken from their mother, they were carried around the home fire (and therefore blessed by Hestia) before they could be received into the family. Every meal is begun with a prayer to Hestia and finished with a ritual tossing of the last piece of meat or bread into the hearth.
Since Hestia is so sacred, she is hardly gossipped about. She is one of the Virgin Goddesses (along with her sisters Artemis and Athena) and is depicted in long, white flowing gowns. If she does come to Eleusia, the only people who would know are the Hestian Virgins - women who devote their life to learning the sacred magics of Hestia. The Virgins carry the Hestian flames during ceremonies and festivals, and often work with Hera's Oracles when deciphering premonitions.
Hestia's temple is well-guarded by the Virgins. It is a rotunda, crowned on the top by an open window that allows sunlight, moonlight, and all elements of the weather in to fall on the tiled floors. It is told strange ceremonies happen here - ceremonies that might even involve the priests of Hades. But rumours are rumours and it is hard to believe that Hestia would have anything to do with the dead.

Most well known as the mother of Persephone, Demeter is a beauty in her own respect. She is the sister of Zeus and one of the only goddesses well-liked by all other gods on Olympus. The only dissonance is between Hades and Demeter for obvious reasons. Demeter is the goddess of the seasons and the harvest - she forces winter upon us and pulls summer back to its roots. She allows trees to grow, flowers to flourish, and fruit and grain to be harvested. However, when she is angry, the whole world knows it.
With Hestia, Demeter is worshipped daily. She is thanked for bountiful harvest and prayed when meager pickings are all that is available. She usually has a small altar in every farmer's home. She is also worshipped along side Dionysus, as both are gods of harvests.
Demeter enjoys walking through the mortal lands and she does so in her favorite form, that of a middle life woman with long, flowing blonde hair and gold robes. Though, in the winter, she takes to wearing blue and silver and pulls her hair into a bun at the back of her head. Her Temple is beautifully ornate, done in colors of the harvest, and men and women gladly offer up sacrifices for good harvests. She would like her own city, but if she must go against Hera, she would probably think twice and therefore Eleusia will no more be Demeter's than Artemis'.

Though one would imagine that Hermes is the practical joker of Olympus, one would be closer to guess that Poseidon were the actual trickster. Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and when lots were drawn for kingdoms, Poseidon won the Sea. He was delighted with his world and set to creating what he could in the quickest time. Out of his jokes came the strange creations of the octopus, blowfish and whales - he tried to scare the other gods with each one of his creations.
A popular story tells of Poseidon and his search for a wife. He took a few water nymphs at first, but none produced male heirs. Therefore, he looked a little closer to home. Finding Demeter beautiful, Poseidon chased her everywhere. Demeter, trying to trick her brother, told Poseidon that if he made her the most beautiful creature on earth, she would be his. Poseidon agreed and created horses. Demeter adored them, and would have begrudgingly gone to her brother's bed if not for Poseidon's terribly fleeting nature. Poseidon took one look at the horses and forgot about his sister. He spread the horses all over Greece and made little version of them for the sea.
Poseidon has no use of Eleusia. He is the god of the sea and all underwater and top-water creatures and travellers. Since Eleusia is not a port city and the only few streams and lakes in the area do not tempt him from his underwater palace. However, he does enjoy watching the other Olympians tiff. Therefore, he may come to Eleusia when he pleases and when he does, he is seen as a salty sailor with a full beard and traveller's gleam. His Temple is at the southernmost part of the Eleusian territory, closest to where the waters meet the ocean, and is set with cool blue tiles.

Each person's destiny is decided by three goddesses commonly called 'The Fates'. The three sisters determine everything that would happen to those on earth, but they can be swayed in different directions. However, they will never alter the time of someone's death. The sister Clotho spins the thread of life, beginning a person's time on earth. Lachesis winds the thread, plotting the person's destiny. And Atropos cuts the thread, causing the person's immediate death.
The Fates never come down from Olympus and have no interest in Eleusia. Praying to the Fates is about as useless as asking Ares to end war and strife. They listen only to the clicking of time and are above all Gods except Zeus.

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