'Blood of Zeus': Zeus as cheating husband, scorned wife Hera bring war to Olympus as Heron flies to the rescue
Zeus, in a conversation with his mortal son Heron, explains how even gods are fallible and at moments powerless to what the Fates have planned in 'Blood of Zeus'. This is exactly what the show is all about in a nutshell. This is purely about the gods, their flaws, greed, and anger... and how that brings about a war leaving the pantheon in ruins. Zeus, as he usually is well-known to do, cheats on his wife Hera after he falls in love with the queen of Corinth who is ill-treated by her husband. He impregnates her and leaves her with his child, which angers Hera. If you have ever read any books that center on Greek Mythology you would know how Hera is a jealous woman when scorned and she is also not someone even gods would think to cross.
This is exactly what Poseidon tells his brother Zeus after Hera finds out about Zeus' latest son out of wedlock and lobbies him to support her in ensuring that Zeus doesn't interfere with what Fates have planned for the woman he had loved. Sure, it is possibly the worst thing for a mother to be killed by her son whom she believed to be dead. However, what is even worse is for the son to have turned into a demon who has been out to seek vengeance against all nobles in the country because of the way he was treated by one and left with a scar. Seraphim doesn't realize that his real mother is the one that he stabbed with his staff, while the woman who took care of him was his mother's loyal servant while she was still a queen.
In an effort to save his son and the woman he loved, Zeus ended up taking her away from the palace and leaving Seraphim behind as a baby. He had calculated that the child, who was the blood of the dead king, might be safe in the palace while his own son wouldn't and made the decision. However, what he hadn't expected despite being the God of the Universe is that the baby's uncle, the late King's brother would attempt to kill the baby out of greed for power and position.
The most intriguing and also impressive thing about 'Blood of Zeus' is that the anime has very brilliantly portrayed the dynamics between the gods in Olympus. How Hades remained removed from the politics of the pantheon as he ruled the underworld to how Poseidon loved his sea more than his brother, it was accurately portrayed in keeping with the myths that we have already become familiar with. You might wonder if the idea of the show being based on myths and lore that we are aware of would be stale. However, the twist here comes in the form of Heron. He is a demigod, Zeus' son who is brought up by his mother in the mortal world. But he is unaware of his powers.
It is only after his mother is killed does the boy who recently learned the truth about his father leave the village and travel to Olympus where he is trained to take on the demons led by Seraphim and the giants that are led by Hera. All of this because her husband cheated on her. She ended up conspiring against her husband, reiterating the very sexist belief that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Zeus initially makes it worse by making light of how hurt Hera is because of him repeatedly cheating on her. He doesn't heed comments about how he cannot keep it in his pants and ends up bringing Heron back to Olympus with him.
Not only does Heron end up getting involved in a twisted tale of betrayal by his own brother, by the end — as he begins to fight the demons and the giants, he also loses his father to Hera's anger. The episodes are short and binge-worthy as we see the gods scramble to face Hera's actions. If you are a fan of the anime and of Greek mythology, this is a great title to check out.
All episodes of 'Blood of Zeus' can be streamed on Netflix from October 27.
