Double Punch

Present day on Mount Olympus

“Boys, your mother is driving me absolutely nuts by denying my needs, and I can’t take it any longer! You don’t know what it’s been like here on Mount Olympus. For centuries, since I cast you both up into the sky, she ignored me. That was hard to take, but it was her choice, and so I stayed away. Then, to my surprise, she sought me out on Valentine’s Day. We talked about you two and Leda claimed the position you two found yourself in was my fault. By not granting you immortality, she said, your destiny was fiddled with, and you were both lost to us forever. By the way, you should know that to your mother, you two can do no wrong, and we know that’s not true. You’re good boys, but you were up to no good on that day, and you Castor, were dying from a spear to your chest. What else could I do? I had to act quickly.”
The powerful man speaking to them hadn’t changed during all the time they’d been relegated to existing in the sky. Strength of mind, body, and purpose radiated from him, proving the full head of grey hair didn’t mean he was incapacitated in any way. Pollux knew it would be a monumental mistake to consider him old, feeble, and therefore, easily manipulated. Zeus was still very much in control and would dispose of someone who went against him without a moment’s hesitation.
“I’m proud of you both and how well you’ve handled yourselves as such an important constellation. Pollux, you proved yourself a good man when you agreed to give up half of your immortality so your brother wouldn’t die, even though it meant you both could only exist up in the sky. I’ve never said this before, but you two need to know that I admit I was wrong. I should’ve ensured Castor was also immortal. And Castor, my son, I’m sorry for that lapse. Neither of you should ever have been placed in such a position as dying. But I didn’t do what I should’ve and therefore did what I could at the time so you weren’t left to exist down in Hades as a common man would.”
Pollux looked at his brother and found him to be as surprised by their father’s admission as he was. After all the time that passed, they never expected to see the man again, much less have him admit to making a mistake. One minute they were floating in the sky, like they always did, and the next thing they knew, they were standing before Zeus, in his throne room, on Mount Olympus. Looking around the magnificent space he remembered fondly, he nodded a greeting to various occupants, and marveled how nothing had changed physically. How was that possible?
Despite their home being untouched by time, there was one thing he was sure of, and that was how something important was happening and he and Castor were a part of it. Not all of the seats were filled by the Olympians, but Hades, Aphrodite, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus, and Hephaestus were there, and each of them was paying close attention to their conversation.
While it would be easy to lay the blame for what happened to them at the feet of the man standing before them, they were too honest to do that. He and his brother had known if they were caught cattle rustling, it could lead to trouble. The adrenalin in them spiked whenever trouble was involved and that was part of why they’d done it. Even though they were the Dioscuri, the Sons of Zeus, only he, Pollux, had been born immortal. They’d never considered the possibility of Castor being killed on one of their missions. They were born protectors, willing to kill and maim anyone who knowingly harmed another. That was who they were, and they took on their duty without any restrictions or second thoughts. If someone managed to hurt them or managed to kill Castor while they carried out their missions, so be it. Only when it came down to the moment of losing his brother, his twin, who was not really his twin, he couldn’t let him go.
“Well, I’m done. The white flag has been thrown and I’ve worked out a satisfactory compromise with Leda.”