Mount Olympus: Zeus' seat, torn down

Mount Olympus was the famed home of the Olympian gods and the sacred mountain from where they ruled over all of Greece. After the first Titanomachy it became the symbol of the might and opulence of the Olympians. A sanctuary beyond the reach of all but the gods themselves, only those invited could set foot in its golden halls. It was the seat of Zeus, the throne for a time of Kratos as God of War, and ultimately the place of its own destruction when Kratos turned against the gods. (God of War (2005); God of War II; God of War III)

The mountain of the gods#

Mount Olympus became the seat of the Olympians after the first Titanomachy, the great war in which they overthrew the Titans. Atop it stood a large solid gold palace housing the various deities, and upon the mountain lay the city of Olympia, home to many mortals who worshipped the Olympians. The mountain and its temples were heavily defended by creatures that served Olympus, among them undead sentries, archers, guardians, centaurs, cyclopes, harpies, and gorgons. Within its halls were rooms filled with relics and shrines dedicated to the gods, the chambers of Poseidon and Aphrodite in the upper gardens, the Flame of Olympus, and the throne room of Zeus at the peak. The portal to Olympus could be reached from Suicide Bluffs. (God of War (2005); God of War II; God of War III)

Kratos enthroned#

After Kratos killed Ares in a legendary duel, the death of the god left an empty throne in Olympus, which was offered to the Spartan in recognition of his services. Kratos became the new God of War for a time, and from his throne room he waged endless wars across Greece for the glory of Sparta. But his warlike and disdainful conduct toward his fellow gods wore on the pantheon. As he was about to deal the final blow to yet another Greek city, Athena intervened on the pantheon's behalf, and Zeus himself stripped Kratos of all his godly powers, leaving the seat of the God of War vacant once more. (God of War (2005); God of War II)

The Second Titanomachy and the fall#

Robbed of his power, Kratos sought vengeance. With the help of the Titans, eager for revenge of their own, and after defeating the Sisters of Fate, he changed the course of history by preventing the Titans' defeat in the Great War and bringing them forward into his own time to assault Olympus. The Second Titanomachy raged across the mountain, tearing Greece apart and killing the overwhelming majority of its inhabitants. The Titans attempted to ascend the mountain, but many were pulled off and cast down during the climb. Gaia herself was knocked from the slopes, and Perses was among the Titans who died there. (God of War II; God of War III)

As Kratos pulled the Labyrinth up the mountain, it destroyed much of the structure's inner supports. When the Titan Gaia died, her body crumbled into boulders that fell upon Olympus, destroying most of its buildings and part of the mountain itself, and the death of Zeus shook the mountain further. The Olympians fell one after another at the hands of the vengeful Spartan, and with Zeus slain, Kratos released Hope to mankind amid the Chaos that followed. Mount Olympus was destroyed, leaving nothing but a field of ruins where one of the most flourishing pantheons had stood. Kratos then left Olympus and headed north, eventually reaching Midgard. (God of War III; God of War (2018))