The Olympians

Origins
Stories of the Olympian gods, the divines that reigned over Greece (and, under different names, Rome) are among the most well known and studied in the Western academic world. Hailed as the bedrock of modern society, the myths and legends that the Greeks used to explain the forces of nature or the whims of men shaped not only their own civilization, but almost all of Europe. Depictions of the Greek and Roman gods and their exploits and conquests are the most frequent in art stretching as far back as archaeologists can find.

What few know, mostly due to the enterprising efforts of Warehouse 1 and 3, is that the Gods, Goddesses, and monsters of legend were very much real. For centuries a group of men and woman wielding artifacts of immense power declared themselves the Olympians, rulers of the mortal worlds.

By the time the Warehouse was first established by Alexander the Great, the original Olympians were long dead. Despite their claims of grandeur they were little more than successive generations of mortal with powerful artifacts handed down over the generations. By the time Rome was founded many of these artifacts had been dispersed over the Mediterranean, used in bloody conflicts and eventually coming to be owned by the new, more warlike Roman gods.

This era of divines was not to last, and as the empire of Rome grew and fell with various Emperors and tyrants there became less need for the gods. Artifacts became lost of the fields of battle or stowed in family crypts and villas, eventually falling out of knowledge of even their owners.

History with the Warehouse
Alexander the Great was the one to rediscover these artifacts, starting with the Minoan trident owned by generations of Poseidon's and later Neptune. It's not known where he located it, but it is known that he never made use of it. It's power made for a credible threat, expediting his conquest of the Mediterranean. Following the discovery of what could only be a tool of the Gods, Alexander devoted much of his time between victories scouring for more artifacts.

He would, eventually, find several, and so the First Warehouse was established to contain his collection. The gathering was not without contention, as one family had maintained a solid record of their ancestor's glory days. The unknown descendant of Jupiter fought back with Zeus' Lightning Bolt and, while he was overcome and the artifact collected, the generated power reacted poorly with how it was stored. This was the first time a fire broke out in a Warehouse and would not be the last.

While the exact inventory of Warehouse 2 is still being processed, it is known that Warehouse 3 greatly expanded the collection of Olympian artifact, collecting at least one from each of the major 12. it also became clear that minor deities and even mythological monsters were also artifact related instances and a small section became dedicated specifically to them. Warehouse 5 expanded this area, creating a recreation of the Pantheon of Rome to hold the artifacts.

Artifacts of the Olympians would still trickle in over the centuries, each one telling slightly more of the story of how they were passed down, how they moved to Rome and other parts of the world and even how some versions of the Gods would alter and seemingly vanish and reappear over different myths and legends.

Artifact Use
It isn't known if the individuals created the artifacts themselves or if they merely amassed them over time and chose to take advantage of their power. It can be assumed that as more artifacts were obtained they were passed out to close friends and relatives, making the bulk of the minor and demi-god population. Several monsters, such as Medusa and the Gorgons, Pegasus and the Minotaur are suspected to be the result of transformative artifacts bestowed as "curses" to dissenting mortals.

Though the total amount of artifacts held by the Olympians is unknown, it can be assumed that a majority have been collected. Due to their age, the artifacts tend to exhibit extreme power that would be difficult to remain hidden. The last known Olympian artifact collected was Aphrodite's Girdle in 2010.