Clash of the Titans Read Online Free PDF

only within his own laws; and something seemed to be threatening them now, perhaps threatening even his very rule.
    Then again, it might only be his stomach, which was subject to depressingly humanlike convulsions from time to time. Such discomforts were only indications of internal upset, not harbingers of the future.
    A little less ambrosia next time, he told himself firmly. You're not the god you used to be.
    His awareness of presence was as keen as ever, though. He turned to see Hera walking toward him, accompanied by Thetis, Aphrodite and Athene. It was good to see Athene with them. She was his favorite child and always supportive of his actions, though she from time to time displayed a disconcerting tendency to act on her own initiative.
    He wished for Poseidon's gruff council, but his brother preferred the ocean depths to the rarefied coolness of Olympus. Oftentimes he envied his brothers their limited, special domains, even that of dark Hades. Their problems seemed simple, their eternities uncomplicated.
    But someone had to rule, and he had taken the responsibilities upon himself. He smiled slightly, trying to imagine Poseidon coping with sweet Hera's intricate plots.
    "Greetings, Father Zeus," said Athene brightly.
    Ah, sweet daughter and fount of wisdom, Zeus thought. How I would like to set aside the mantle of ruler for a while, to be free of these devious dealings and decisions. You alone understand the reasons for my occasional sojourns down to earth to live and love among the mortals. Goddess of wisdom, you would make a fine ruler.
    But he knew that could not be. The mantle of ruler was fixed. He would have to carry it, no matter how it tired him, until the end of time.
    Hera was staring at the statuette her husband still held.
    "Perseus," he told her. "Grown to a young man. Honest and caring, athletic and intelligent despite his lack of a formal education."
    "Handsome, too." Aphrodite eyed the statuette appraisingly, her lips pursed.
    Zeus glared at her warningly. "None of your games, now. The boy is uncomplicated. Save your wiles for more experienced mortals."
    "But Father Zeus, surely a little innocent divine inspiration could but help speed the boy's maturation."
    "You'll mature him beyond his time, and he doesn't need that. Stay away from him."
    "Oh, very well." She crossed her arms and looked piqued.
    Aphrodite's interest only annoyed Hera. "Since you've taken such an interest in his life, what do you plan to do with him now that he's become a man?"
    "I have done enough," Zeus said, sounding quite pleased. "He has enjoyed a happy childhood, something which escapes most men. He has the advantages of a strong body, a handsome face, and a sharp mind. What more could I give any mortal, what more could one desire or deserve? Now he is a young man. The rest must be left to him . . . and to chance."
    "Since when did you ever leave anything to chance?" Hera murmured, but too softly for anyone to hear.
    "We are not here to discuss the future of this boy," said Thetis, "but that of my mortal son, Calibos." Her tone was stiff and anxious. "That is why we were summoned."
    "Yes," Zeus agreed, placing the figure of Perseus carefully in its niche in the wall and choosing another from the endless rows. "That is a future that cannot be left to chance." His expression changed abruptly, darkening like one of the storms he so often raised over the Earth.
    "His crimes are unforgiveable. They are too many and too monstrous to be ignored any longer. I have overlooked them, allowed them to pass unnoticed until now, but I can no longer continue. To do so would make the laws of the gods less than a mockery among men. This cannot be permitted. We must abide by the laws set down amongst us and so must our minions on mortal Earth."
    "Be merciful to him! Show pity, I beg of you."
    "Do not beg me, Thetis." Zeus eyed her distastefully. "It is unbecoming for a god to beg, even of another god. I have said that I have overlooked the crimes