If we look to the employment of the gods, we find that it consists
chiefly in pleasant idleness; though they endeavor, like the rich among
mankind, to make time fly by indulging in their favorite pastimes. They
take their meals in common, and assemble for this purpose in the palace
of Zeus, on the windy heights of Olympus. There they refresh themselves,
while Hebe ministers to their wants, listening to the strains of
Apollo’s lute, and to the songs of the sweet-voiced Muses, and
entertaining themselves with pleasant conversation. Not always, indeed,
is the company so peaceful and pleasant. At times these great gods
quarrel finely; nay, even small conspiracies arise to interrupt the
uniformity of their existence, such as that of Hera, Poseidon, and
Athene against Zeus during the Trojan war, which is related in the
fifteenth book of the “Iliad.”