The Cycle of Patricide

“	All that you have ever known, Kratos, will now suffer because of your sacrilege. You will never be the ruler of Olympus. The cycle ends here.	”
–Zeus

The Son-Killing-Father cycle

Zeus' imminent death, fulfilling the cycle.

is a vicious cycle that involves the son of a deity killing his father.

Greek Mythology

Although not being acknowledged in mythology, the cycle is present and began with the wiliest of the Titans, Cronus, castrating his father, Uranus with a flint sickle after being sent by Gaia, whom Uranos tortured by preventing her offspring from exiting her body. Cronus then married his sister, Rhea, and, in fear of being overthrown by his own children, ate them immediately after birth.

Rhea detested her brother's selfish and abhorrent acts upon his own children, and, so, she sent a large eagle to hide her last child, Zeus, wrapping a stone in cloth as a substitute. Cronus, believing the stone was Zeus, swallowed it whole. Upon reaching adulthood, Zeus released his brothers and sisters from Cronus' stomach, and then battled him and his kind, resulting in the Titanomachy. Zeus and his siblings defeated the Titans, and ruled the earth as the Gods of Olympus. Zeus, however, feared that his children would overthrow him as well.

In the God of War Series

Ghost of Sparta

The cycle is mentioned in Ghost of Sparta, although not directly, when Zeus sent both Athena and Ares to kidnap Deimos, Kratos' younger brother, for he believed Deimos was the Marked Warrior, destined to overthrow Zeus and Olympus.

God of War II

In fear that Kratos, his son, would overthrow him, Zeus decided to betray and murder him. While Kratos was destroying Rhodes, Zeus drained his godly power and gave life to a nearby statue, which was sent to kill Kratos.

Kratos, however, released all remaining power he had into the Blade of Olympus, which he used to destroy the renegade statue. Unfortunately, the statue's falling hand crushed Kratos, who had been rendered mortal from the departure of his powers.

As he made his way to the Blade in order to regain his godliness, Zeus appeared before him and slew him in a quick bout. Kratos then fell into the Underworld, but was saved by the Titan Gaia, who healed his wounds and allowed him to escape. After which, Kratos then journeyed towards Zeus in order to exact his revenge, with Gaia aiding him throughout his journey.

Once he reached Zeus, the two fought in a catastrophic battle, but, just as Kratos dealt a devastating blow to the king of the gods, Athena intervened, causing a chain of events which eventually led the Spartan warrior accidentally impaling her with the Blade of Olympus.

As Zeus fled the scene, Athena, before perishing, told Kratos of his familial ties to Zeus, and stated that the gods would not allow him to kill Zeus, for if he were to fall, so would Olympus.

Kratos, visibly moved by this revelation yet unwavering in his desire for vengeance, declared that all who would dare stand in his way of vengeance against Zeus, whether god or man, would die by his hand.

In an alliance with the Titans, Kratos made his way up Mount Olympus on Gaia's back, ready to exact his vengeance upon the king of the gods.

God of War III

After the Second Titanomachy began, the Titan Epimetheus was slain by Poseidon, who was, in turn, slain by Kratos. The vengeance-driven Spartan finally reached Zeus, but, after being struck by one of the latter's lightning bolts, was flung off Mount Olympus and landed upon Gaia, who was also wounded by Zeus' powers.

Kratos began to slip off Gaia's back, and demanded that she rescue him, but the Titan allowed him to fall, revealing that he was nothing but a pawn in her plans. Kratos fell once again into the Underworld, but escaped after killing Hades.

Upon escaping, Kratos found Gaia hanging off the mountain for dear life. Taking this opportunity to exact revenge on her, he used the Blade of Olympus to sever her hand, causing her to plummet down to Earth, supposedly killing her.

After which, Kratos slaughtered nearly every deity that stood in his path, whether they be Gods or Titans. After a long journey, Kratos finally battled Zeus but was interrupted by an alive, yet, enraged Gaia, who attempted to crush the two to death, only for Kratos to kill her as well.

After Gaia's death, Kratos and Zeus battled yet again, with the ash-covered warrior finally emerging victorious over his father, beating him to death with his bare fists.

With Zeus' death, the cycle had repeated itself and also Kratos ended the cycle because he killed himself in God of War III.