We begin this story with the names of two individuals that most have never heard in their lifetimes.  The two names that I speak of are Cronus and Rhea.”  None of the nine showed faces that they have heard these names before.  “Both were powerful warriors of a group that were called the Titans.”  Now, almost all faces showed they have heard this name before.  “They defeated many enemies and became King and Queen of a place they called Mount Olympus.”  All faces were now in shock.

“You mean to tell me that these stories are true,” stated Dyamion.  “I have heard legends about Mount Olympus, but they are fairytales told to young ones.  They are myths.” 

The General eyed Dyamion. “Every myth has some truth.  The key is to know, what is truth.”  Confusion appeared on Dyamion’s face, but he did not say anything more.  The General continued, “Cronus and Rhea were honorable King and Queen, and they had many children.  There are many myths about what happened to them, but there were many real memories formed on Mount Olympus.  Most of them were wonderful and inspiring.”  He turned to Rose, who nodded, and tears could be seen in her eyes.  “But for you to understand the rest of the story, I must explain Mount Olympus.” 

The General leaned back in his chair and interlocked his fingers and stared towards the fire roaring in the fireplace.  “You see, Mount Olympus was only part of a large world.  The rest of the world consisted of everything you see on this planet.  Large spectacular forests, spacious valleys, incredible rivers that ran for miles and miles.  It was beautiful and everywhere you looked was a gorgeous sight.  Very similar to what you see here on this planet.”  His eyes grew thin, and everyone could tell that he was pondering on how to say what he was going to say next.  “The individuals that lived on Mount Olympus had great power.  Many referred to them as gods.”  Everyone began to shuffle in their seats and fidget nervously.  Igetis continued to give all attention to the General.  He could see what was coming.  “The rulers of Mount Olympus thought that harsher laws had to be given so that no one would use their powers to create havoc or overpower the King and use their authority to destroy and take over other worlds.  They wanted peace.  The laws they laid forth were most unforgiving and all that broke one of these laws did receive harsh punishment.”  Now all eyes were focused on the General.  They were astounded by what they were hearing.  “As time pressed on, many wanted to leave Mount Olympus to live in the world below.  They felt that their lives were under too much control, and they wanted more freedom to live how they wish.  Many argued against this, knowing what could happen if they left home.  It would cause further division and could make them vulnerable to their enemies.  The most important part is that they did not know how their bodies would react after leaving the mountain.  They had left before but only for a small moment and only from the direction of the King.  Not wanting to create a civil war, Cronus allowed many to leave as long as they vowed to never return.”  The General looked around at all the faces at the table and saw that he still had everyone’s attention.  They knew there were still major secrets ahead.

“After living in the lower part of the world, they found that their bodies did not have the same power and strength that they had living on Mount Olympus.  Their life span dramatically decreased, and they were more acceptable to disease and injury.  But their freedom was more important, and they could travel anywhere in the Universe that they desired.  They invented items that were unique at the time, and this allowed them to create, travel, and trade with any other planets around.  They became extraordinary in their talents and powerful with all their resources.  Many young ones were born and the number that lived in the lower part of the world became even much greater than the number that lived on Mount Olympus.”  The General gave a heavy sigh, knowing the story became much harder to tell from here.

“After thousands of years, those that lived in Mount Olympus became fearful that those of the lower world could overpower them.  Cronus laughed at that thought and did not believe that this could ever occur.  There was one that was a direct lineage of the King and he argued fiercely that they should overtake the lower world’s cities and kingdoms and make them serve those of Mount Olympus.  Cronus humiliated him in front of everyone which caused this individual to become extremely angry at his King.  This individual hatched a devious plan that he hoped would change the King’s mind.”  All heartbeats of the listeners had quickened as the story became more intense.  “Working with individuals from the lower world, he gave them the resources to attack and overtake Mount Olympus.  Those from the lower world did attack and just as they were about to overtake the Kingdom, this individual who hatched the plan in the first place, backstabbed those of the lower world and Mount Olympus stayed under the control of Cronus.  This aggravated the King greatly.  Knowing nothing about the plan, the King thought that they needed to overtake the lower world so Mount Olympus would not be overtaken.  Exactly the wants of this individual who hatched the plan in the first place.”  The General saw all jaws dropped and eyes widen as they thought disaster was about to be told.

“That is where the story takes an unexpecting turn.  Just as plans were being set to overtake the lower worlds, another of Cronus’s direct lineage told of a plan that would save them from war.  This individual was brilliant with the powers of science and technology.  He had studied the effects that happened to those that live on Mount Olympus and why they had such great powers and very long-lasting lives.  He found the reason from where the power comes from and thought he could replicate it and make them able to take their powers anywhere.  He also told everyone that he could make them more powerful than they could ever imagine.”

“What was the reason that they had such great powers?” asked Gelio with her memorizing eyes.  “I bet it was their Sun, right.  The Sun shined upon them so high in the mountain which gave them Superpowers and they could fly and shoot things out of their eyes.”

Everyone except the General gave a small chuckle.  The General gave her a confused look and then calmly answered, “No, it was not the Sun.”

“I bet it was a microscopic organism that lived inside them,” stated Makarios. All eight of his eyes showed great excitement. “They formed a symbiotic relationship with them which made them able to shoot lightning and stuff.”

“Also, incorrect,” stated the General calmly.  “Please, let's ask questions when the story is over.”  The two gesture that they were sorry.

“The true answer lies with how life is created,” answered the General.

Filos laughed and then felt embarrassed as everyone looked at him. “Sorry, but are you talking about…um…well, you know.”  His lizard skin was turning all colors.

The General shook his head. “No.  I am talking about that either.  I am talking about how the body is created.”

“Interesting!” shouted Igetis.  “You’re talking about the creation of DNA and cellular mitosis.”

“Exactly,” answered the General.  “I think you know where I am going with this.”

“If I do, I think it is remarkable,” stated Igetis.

The others looked confused but said nothing so the General could continue.  “There have been many species from other planets that have searched for a place that held the key to immortality or being cured of a deadly disease or offered unlimited power.  Mount Olympus held that key.  Many knew this before Cronus, but they did not understand the basics behind it.  They only knew that being on Mount Olympus gave them all these abilities.  And the longer you are there the more powerful you become.  Once you left, those abilities would eventually disappear.” 

“But what caused them to develop these abilities?” asked Tharros.

“The composition of the planet,” remarked the General.  “The materials that the planet contained gave off radiation and energy that affected everyone that lived on Mount Olympus.  That mountain was where the strongest source was found.”

“Did they ever turn green and become angry?”  asked Gelio flexing her little arm muscles.  Everyone lightly laughed at her actions.

“I do not know where you’re getting these ideas from, but again, no,” answered the General.

“But it did change their DNA and how their cells are regenerated?”  asked Dyamion.

“I can see that we are not going to wait until the end of the story,” answered the General with a grin.  “To answer your question, yes.  But the better words to describe it are, build and enhance.”  He reached into a small bag that he had attached to his back and pulled out a device.  Rose saw it and immediately knew what it was.  She sat up which grabbed the attention of the General and he gave her a small grin.  He set it on the table.  It was octagon-shaped and about eight inches in diameter.  It had two levels, one sitting directly on top of the other and both were the same size.  The General pushed a button on the top and immediately the top-level hovered six inches directly above the bottom level.  A power field appeared between the two levels on the outer edge.  “I think a demonstration is needed for everyone to understand the power that Mount Olympus held.  Please understand that this power was one of the reasons why this place was hidden and if others found out about this technology, there would be chaos.”

“So, no pictures or recordings of what you are about to do,” joked Gelio.

The General smiled and said, “Exactly.”  He then removed an ordinary looking rock, that fit in the palm of his hand, from the same bag and placed it inside the device on the lower pad.  He pushed a button, and the device gave a small glow and then a second later the top level of the device lit up.  The General then removed the rock and then crumbled it in his hand, making sure not to lose any pieces.  He then placed the smashed rock with all the pieces back on the lower pad.  He pushed a button, and the device gave out a more powerful glow, which made some around the table shield their eyes.  Once the device was done, sitting on the lower pad was a rock in the exact form before it was crumbled.  The General took the rock from the device and threw it to Igetis who caught it and examined the restored rock.

“I have seen technology like that on other worlds,” explained Gennai.  “They can scan an object and then recreate it.”

“Down to the cellular level exactly and with the same material that it was created?”  asked the General.

“Not exactly,” answered Gennai.  “The composition was nowhere near the same, but the outer layer did look like the object.”

“This is just a small scale of the device,” said the General with a grin.

“You mean there are other devices that can handle bigger objects?”  asked Dunamis.

“Much bigger, Centaur.  And it doesn’t just build, it can enhance objects,” answered the General.

“And create as well, correct?” asked Dyamion.

“It does not create,” answered the General.

This confused everyone except Igetis and Rose.  “We just saw you create a rock in the device,” commented Atromitos.

“Not create, build,” answered the General.  He gestured to Igetis for the rock, who tossed it back to the General.  He took the rock and broke off a tip and placed that part on the table.  He then crumbled the rock again and placed the pieces on the lower pad of the device.  “I am using the same scan as before.”  He pushed the same button and a powerful light shined.  Inside the device was the rock once again with the tip still missing.  He picked up the rock and said, “If the device could create, this rock would be whole again without the missing tip but as you can see the tip is still missing.  But it can enhance an object.”  The General once again crumbled the rock and placed it on the lower pad along with the missing tip.  He then pushed a few extra buttons and then pushed the same button again.  It shined brightly and inside it once again was the rock with every piece.  The General then picked up the rock and then said, “Careful.”  He then tossed it to Igetis who caught it and was surprised by the weight and began to rub his hand.

“It is more solid and heavier,” Igetis exclaimed with astonishment in his eyes.  “That is remarkable!”

“Yes, it is,” explained the General.

“But isn’t enhancing and creating the same thing,” asked Filos.

“The device can only enhance and rebuild an object, but it cannot grow or increase the size of an object.  Or in other words, create or replace missing parts for an object,” explained the General.  “But there is one additional thing that it can do.”  He gestured for the now-famous rock and Igetis tossed it back to him.  He then placed the rock back into the device and then pressed several buttons. He adjusted a couple of dials and then one final push of a button and the device roared to life more powerful than any other time that this group had seen.  The light was very bright and continued for over ten seconds and then it stopped.  What they saw looked like tiny moving particles of light that moved slowly around the middle part of the device.  A shield barrier was now protecting the inside contents of this device.

“Where is the rock?” asked Atromitos.

“What you see now is the simplest form of this rock, or in other words, matter,” answered the General.

“How is that possible?” asked Tharros. Her large yellow eyes were glowing.

“The device can degenerate an object back to its simplest form and now I can rebuild this rock to any shape, but no bigger than its original size,” explained the General.  He pushed a couple of buttons and the device emitted more light.  When the light died down, there was a completely flat rock. A few more buttons and then a perfectly shaped triangle. Another bright light and then a perfectly formed circle. Then a small statue of something weird looking. Then a symbol with detailed shapes. All of them no bigger than the original rock. Then another bright light and the original rock had returned. He removed the rock and tossed it back to Igetis.

“You can shape it to whatever design you give it?” asked Filos.

“Within reason.”

“Do you have a name for this incredible device?”  asked Igetis.

The General tilted his head and gave a small shrug.  “In our language, it sounds inspiring.  When you translate it to other languages, it does not have the same appeal.  There are other nicknames that we have given this device, but the first name that it was given was ‘The Matter Shaper.’”

“The ability to take any object, change it to its simplest form and then rebuild it to whatever design you give it,” stated Igetis.  “That would be disastrous if it fell into evil hands.”

“Not only objects can be placed in the device. Imagine when a live individual steps into this device,” explained the General slowly with a deep tone.  “Your cells and therefore your body can be shaped, rebuilt, and enhanced to whichever design you give it.  Making you more powerful than you can imagine.”

“Truly frightening is what comes to my mind,” exclaimed Igetis. His large frog-like eyes appeared bigger than ever.

“And you said that there are bigger versions of this device?” asked Dyamion with a stunned look on his face.

The General smiled. “Let us leave a demo of those devices for a different time.”  Dyamion nodded his approval.

“But this was why everyone that lived on Mount Olympus developed these abilities and lived for so long?” asked Igetis.  “It affected their bodies at their cellular level and their DNA?  And this device mimics this phenomenon and allows you to control this power?”

“Correct to all three questions,” responded the General.  “This individual that was a direct lineage to Cronus had developed this technology using Mount Olympus as the example.  After years of developing and testing, they created devices that would mimic,” he nodded at Igetis, “the power that Mount Olympus had.  They could control and use this power to not only enhance themselves but shape and build or rebuild the world around them.”

“So, anyone could become like those that lived on Mount Olympus, just by using this device?”  asked Tharros with great excitement.

“Yes,” answered the General who immediately looked at Rose who smiled at him.  “When they stepped into the device, it was as if they were being reborn.  Every cell is rebuilt. Each muscle becomes stronger than you ever thought possible.  Every one of your abilities is greatly enhanced and you learn that there is so much more that you can do. All your senses become heightened and the ability to learn and understand is quite remarkable.”  He looked around at everyone at the table and their faces showed a look of shock and awe.  He then looked at the fire burning in the massive fireplace, lighting the large dining hall.  “It is as if a fire is burning inside you.  Constantly purifying, rebuilding, and enhancing your body.”

“Quite remarkable,” stated Igetis with fear in his voice.  “I can see why you hid this technology.”

The General sat forward in his chair.  “What was quite remarkable is that this power affected each individual differently.  Some had abilities to make whirlwinds and others could shoot fire or even lightning.  Some developed incredible strength.  Others could form objects in their hands, but not actual objects.  These objects were formed out of energy that their bodies created.”

“What type of objects?”  shouted Gelio.

The General looked at Rose and smiled.  “Some could make different weapons or create a shield to protect themselves.”

“Amazing!” screamed Makarios.  “They are like powerful heroes!  No!  They are Superheroes!  I think I just made up a new word!”

Igetis rolled his eyes. “I think we need to get back to the story.  There are still many questions to answer.”  Igetis looked at the General and could see he was pondering something deeply.  “This individual that created this device, he is brilliant.  There is no other in the Universe that could create something that incredible.”

The General seemed to be caught off guard and then said, “Yes.  This individual was more than brilliant.  His work was astounding.  There was no other one like him.  With this device and what it could do, it could bring that light of hope to everyone that needed it.”  He then placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands.  Everyone could see that he was pondering greatly on this individual. “But that is where this story turns from a light of hope to that of darkness.”

Concern filled the faces of everyone around the table, except Rose showed a face of complete remorse.  Igetis and her locked eyes and she immediately turned her head away.  He could sense a deep regret that she thought she would never have to face.

 

 

“If you remember,” the General continued, “that there was a war between those that lived in Mount Olympus and the lower world.  There were rumors on how it began but no one knew exactly except for a small group that kept it hidden from everyone.  I, of course, have already told you how it began so I was in that small group.”  The General gave a sorrowful face at Igetis who smiled back.  “You see, there were two plans put forth.  One to overtake the lower world before they grow any stronger or to share our power with them.”  The General paused and there was complete silence as they waited for him to continue.  “I, with many others, wanted to share our power.  Let all have what we have and live in a world united.”  The General then looked down and lightly scratched his forehead.  He was deep in thought on how to continue the story.  He then looked straight ahead at the glowing fire and his eyes were slightly watering.  “Cronus would not hear of it.  He felt betrayed by those of the lower world and would not dare share anything with them.”  He looked at Rose, who was also starting to tear up.  The General continued, his voice breaking, “There were some of us that thought we should tell him the truth that there was one among us who conspired against him with those from the lower world.  But we knew the consequences and dare not tell Cronus because we did not want to lose our friend.”  Again, he paused, finding it difficult to continue.  “You see, Cronus had become ruthless and unpredictable, and we feared what he would do.  He lashed out at many and began fighting all who dare oppose him.  He killed many, even his own offspring.”  Now, tears were rolling down the cheeks of the General.  No one dared to speak but only listened.  “So that is why many of us designed and successfully fulfilled a plan,” Rose could be seen crying heavily, “to kill Cronus.”

Everyone was in shock.  No one spoke.  The fire continued to crackle and burn.  No one expected this, not even Igetis. Finally, after several minutes, Igetis said, “We can see that it was not an easy decision to make.  It is difficult for us to judge because we were not there.”

The General nodded, his serious face had returned.  “I warned you that this is not an easy story to hear or tell. And we are only halfway through.”  He took a bottle of the drink that Rose liked and took a long swig.  He then placed the bottle on the table and gave a heavy sigh.  “Wow!  It has been a while since I had this drink.”  He turned and looked at Rose.  “I can see why you miss it so much.”

Rose smiled and showed that she was currently enjoying one now by holding a bottle up with her left hand.  “It was the first thing I drank when I got here.  They can attest to that.”  She gestured to everyone around the table, and they all gave a nod or a grin in return.  “Takes away the pain,” she said looking downward, showing remorse.

The General, scanning everyone around the table, felt it best to continue with the story.  “We then felt it best to elect a new King over Mount Olympus and the one we elected was the creator of this incredible technology.  He was our King, and his wife was our Queen.  Rhea, the previous Queen, graciously stepped aside and allowed the new ruler to proceed with his plan.  That plan was to create a treaty with those of the lower world and begin a new world greater than anyone could imagine.”  He then stood and began walking around the table, heading towards the left sidewall.  He continued to talk while he walked, “You see, when you have this extraordinary power, your choices are unlimited on what you can do.”  He then clicked a console on the sidewall, and it lit up.  He then tapped a few symbols that appear on the console and a giant hologram appeared that filled the entire dining hall.  The hologram showed the entire galaxy of where this planet that they were on, was found.  The whole group stood in amazement looking around at each part of the hologram and began talking at the same time.

“How beautiful!” remarked Tharros. Her wings fully extended.

“This is pure beauty!” shouted Gennai.  “It is just incredible.”

“We have only seen a few holograms and pictures around this building showing this galaxy,” explained Dyamion. His green eyes glowing with excitement.  “This one truly shows how remarkable this galaxy is.” 

“Spectacular!” yelled Dunamis. He began walking around the room, taking in every sight.

“Nothing compares to what I am seeing now,” commented Makarios. All eight eyes looked stunned.

“This galaxy just seems to go on forever,” remarked Atromitos while twisting her head in every direction, trying to see every detail.

“It just completely overwhelms you!” screamed Gelio. Her body seemed to be in knots because she could not decide on where to look.

“There are no words to describe it,” said Filos as he just stared with a memorizing look on his lizard-like face.

Igetis then said slowly in a powerful tone, “One word comes to my mind when I see this.  Power.  Never-ending power.”  He then looked at the General who was still standing by the wall and said, “You are telling us that you created this entire galaxy with this technology?”

The General nodded.  “It is just as you said. Never, Ending, Power.”  Igetis could sense the General’s fear and he was beginning to understand what this place holds.

“But…”  said Tharros being very confused and searching for what words to say. “How…?  How can you create … a galaxy?  You said that this device cannot create.”

“That is correct, and it cannot.  Only build and enhance objects,” said the General. 

Tharros looked around her at the hologram and held up her hands and said, “How do you explain this?”

“You have to provide the material for it to build,” stated Igetis.

“Exactly,” answered the General. “It cannot create things out of nothing.  It needs resources for it to work.”  He began walking around the room and talking once again.  “You give it enough dirt and rock then it will build you a mountain.  Enough wood, a forest.  Enough plant life and soil, acres of gardens that will feed many.  Enough water, a river, or an ocean.  And you combined that together, a planet. Then two planets.  Then 6 and then 12.  Then a couple of Suns and then you have a galaxy.” All nine continued to scan each detail of the hologram. Their faces continued to show looks of complete shock.

“How long did it take to build a galaxy?”  asked Igetis as he continued to look at the hologram.

“Much shorter than you think,” stated the General.  “The hardest part was obtaining the resources to build it.” He then began pointing at the hologram and explaining, with his voice and hands, different details, “Designing each detail, such as distance from the Suns so planets do not burn up, gravitational pull, orbiting around the Suns so each planet has all the seasons, building the Suns so they do not burn too hot and of course allowing animals on each planet to reproduce and function as a food source for all species,”  he smiled at Igetis and with a wink said, “that was far easier.” 

The General then spread his arms out wide and yelled, “This is Olympus!”  A smile came to everyone’s face as they now knew the name of this incredible galaxy.  “It was the dream of the King, to bring a home to everyone who desired it.  A home always building and enhancing.  Being reborn.”

“Most impressive,” stated Igetis as he looked directly at the General.  “And the species that lived on your planet in the lower world, they help built this galaxy?”

“Everyone had a part,” answered the General.

“They even brought others from different planets to join us,” commented Rose, who was standing and looking at the hologram.  “As soon as they saw this galaxy’s incredible beauty, they grabbed all their belongings and made this place their home.”

“How many lived on these planets?”  asked Igetis, sensing the answer will bring more anxiety.

“Billions and Billions of all types of species,” answered the General.

“And where are they now?” asked Igetis slowly, emphasizing each word while his eyes continued to focus on the General, sensing that he knew the question was coming.

The General’s face showed no emotion.  He just stared at the hologram for a long moment.  Igetis waited patiently.  Rose as well just stared ahead at the hologram.  You could see tears forming in her eyes.  Finally, the General gave a one-word answer, “Gone.”  He then walked to the console, tapped a button, and the hologram disappeared.  He then returned to his seat and took another long drink.