The extradimensional beings who inhabit the realm known as Olympus claim their descent from Gaea, the Elder God who has infused her life force with that of the Earth itself. Olympus has many aspects which are similar to that of the Nine Worlds of Asgardian cosmology. Among these similarities is the fact that solid matter on Olympus is thrice as dense as that on Earth; this means that a person or object which originated on Olympus weighs three times as much under Earth's gravity. Despite this, Olympus's gravity is the same as Earth's; a mortal from Earth has no troubles with gravity or breathing while on Olympus. There are a number of regions on Earth where it is possible to travel to Olympus, but the best-known location is on the slopes of Mount Olympus in northern Greece. Because of this location, the Olympians were worshiped throughout ancient Greece.
The Olympian gods are superhumanly strong. Most are able to lift (press) around 25 tons; some, such as Hercules, Ares, and Zeus, are able to lift (press) much more. The are immortal, not aging once they reach a certain point; the oldest still appear as if in their mid-30s, while some, such as Hebe, goddess of youth, Hermes, the messenger, and Eros, god of romance, appear much younger. In addition, most of the gods have unique abilities which relate to their deific portfolios.
According to ancient Greek mythology, Gaea gave birth through parthenogenesis to Ouranos, the primordial god of the sky. She then mated with Ouranos to produce the three Cyclopes, the three Hecatoncheires (Hundred-Handed Giants), and the first generation of Titans. Ouranos confined the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires to Tartarus, a region of the underworld. Upset that six of her children were being treated with such callousness by their father, she encouraged Kronus, the oldest of the Titans, to overthrow Ouranos's rule and free his siblings. Kronus did so, reportedly castrating his father with a flint sickle, but then cast the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires back into Tartarus. In rage, Gaea prophesied that one day one of his own children will overthrow him.
Kronus had six children with his sister-wife, Rhea. In order, they were Hades, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus exiled the first five at birth to Tartarus (according to myth, he swallowed them whole). Zeus escaped this fate because Rhea substituted a stone swathed in rags for the infant Zeus, who was raised on Earth on the isle of Crete. Upon reaching adulthood, Zeus freed his siblings from Tartarus, as well as the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires. He then led a war which lasted ten years against the Titans, ultimately overthrowing them and banishing the majority of male Titans to Tartarus; the female Titans as well as the Titan Prometheus either stood with Zeus or did not interfere, and hence were spared from the Titans' fate.
As the main gods who fought in the war, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades decided to draw lots to divide the realms between them. Zeus drew the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld.
Many tales involving the gods are well-documented by mythographers. As Greek influence spread, so did the worship of the Olympians. Their worship spread primarily due to the empires forged by Alexander and later by Rome. This expansion brought the gods into conflict with the Egyptian, Babylonian, Hindi, Celtic, and Norse gods, the latter of whom were worshiped by the Germanic and Teutonic people on Rome's northern frontier. Poseidon, under his Roman name of Neptune, grew to be worshiped by the Atlanteans. Ultimately, the worship of the gods faded as Christianity and later Islam spread; Poseidon was allowed to retain his Atlantean worshipers. The worship of the Olympians gained a brief resurgence during the Renaissance, as study of the ancient classics became widespread.
Today, the Olympians appear to be content with simply watching and subtly interfering with mortal affairs. Some of the gods, such as Hercules and Hermes, have spent time on Earth learning mortal ways. Others only venture to Earth when the situation demands it. Because of the amount of information available about the Olympians, many neo-pagans have begun worshiping them; this pleases many of the gods, especially those who did not agree with Zeus's proclamation to let their worship fade.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: HERCULES: THE LEGEND CONTINUES #1.
Olympus has a native TL 4, raised over time from the original TL 1. Some of the gods, particularly Ares, Hercules, Hermes, and Hebe, have bought off the Low TL disadvantage.
This template is also suitable for other immortal extradimensional beings worshiped as gods in their respective areas, such as the Egyptian, Celtic, Chinese, Japanese, Aztec, and Hindu gods.
605 points
Attribute Adjustments: ST +9 [90]; HT +2 [20].
Languages: Ancient Greek (Native) [0].
Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Immunity to Disease [10]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /3; Limited Defense: Crushing Attacks, -40%) [45]; Super ST +11/+150 [440]; Unaging [15].
Perks: Racial Gifts (Deific Powers) [1].
Disadvantages: Low TL -4 [-20].
Features: Interbreeds Easily With Mortals [0].