Succession Planning for Immortals: A Roadmap from HR and Compliance

0800 MT Olympus HQ

“Why can’t he just keep it in his pants?” Athena asked no one in particular as she reviewed the fourth sexual harassment claim that had crossed her desk that morning.

As Chief Human Resources and Organizational Strategy Officer at her father’s company, MT Olympus, she was unfortunately well acquainted with this genre of paperwork. The corporation functioned as the world’s largest vertically integrated reality-management enterprise, with clients often referring to its leadership as “gods and goddesses” due to the breadth of their reach and the inevitability of their decisions.

Athena pinched the bridge of her nose.

She was going to have to inform Hera, Chief of Compliance and Brand Protection. This was never a pleasant task. Unfortunately, Zeus was both the CEO and the single greatest repeat offender of the company’s Code of Conduct.

She closed the file, stood, and booked a cloud hop on the Hermes Transit System, the official inter-realm transportation network of MT Olympus, operated by Hermes himself. Selecting the executive priority lane, she materialized outside Hera’s office in seconds.

Hera glanced up from her screen, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arching.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon,” she said evenly, continuing to type.

“What do you mean by that?” Athena asked, taking the seat across from her and sliding the folder onto the desk.

“We just logged a Level-4 Disruption Event,” Hera replied without missing a keystroke. “Thunderbolt deployment. Unapproved. You will need to remind your father, once again, that divine intervention requires pre-clearance from both Legal and HR.”

Athena blinked. “That hasn’t hit my dashboard yet.”

This made Hera stop typing. Slowly, she turned.

“Then what exactly are you here to report?”

“Zeus is creating another PR situation with the mortals,” Athena said carefully, opting for professional understatement over graphic detail.

Hera leaned back in her chair and brought her fingers together in a precise steeple.

“How many open investigations?” she asked.

Athena exhaled. “Forty-seven total. Zeus is named in thirty-nine.”

She slid the summary sheet across the desk.

Hera read it in silence.

Hera studied the page for a long moment. When she finally looked up, her expression was not angry; she was resolved.

“Thirty-nine,” she repeated softly. “In a publicly traded reality-management corporation, this would already have triggered board intervention.”

Athena said nothing. She knew better than to interrupt.

“Founder clauses protect him from removal,” Hera continued, standing and moving toward the window that overlooked the mortal world. “But they do not protect him from reputational collapse. And reputational collapse is a governance issue.”

She turned back.

“You said PR is escalating.”

“Yes,” Athena replied. “The mortals are starting to document patterns. Stories. Movements. Hashtags, if you can believe it.”

A faint smile touched Hera’s mouth.

“Excellent.”

Athena stiffened. “That’s not the word I would use.”

“It is exactly the word I would use,” Hera said. “Because compliance does not remove kings. It replaces them.”

She tapped the folder.

“This is no longer an HR issue. This is a board matter.”

Athena’s voice lowered. “The Fates won’t intervene unless the narrative destabilizes.”

Hera met her gaze. “Then we will demonstrate instability.”

She returned to her desk and opened a secure channel, encrypted even by divine standards.

“Loop in Legal. Activate Ethics Review. Draft a temporary governance motion citing systemic leadership risk, repeated boundary violations, and mortal trust erosion.”

Athena’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re initiating a vote of no confidence.”

“I am initiating succession planning,” Hera corrected calmly. “The company cannot continue to be led by a liability who confuses omnipotence with immunity.”

A pause.

“And you will support this,” Hera added.

Athena inhaled slowly.

“Because it is correct,” she said.

Hera nodded. “Because it is inevitable.”

On the screen behind her, a title was typed:

MT OYLPUS

BOARD AGENDA – EMERGENCY SESSION

SUBJECT: CEO CONDUCT RISK & INTERIM LEADERSHIP

Hera straightened her jacket.

“Schedule Zeus,” she said. “HR and Compliance will be conducting a joint performance review.”

“And the board?” Athena asked.

Hera’s smile was thin, precise, and lethal.

“They will be meeting their next CEO.”