About 50 miles southwest of Thessalonica, is the highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus is 9,570 feet in elevation, and the prominence of the peak in comparison to the surrounding land, and the sea only 11 miles away, makes it one of the most noticeable mountains on the entire continent. Mt Olympus is a series of rugged peaks. In ancient times, sacrifices were made to the gods at the mountain and at the nearby sacred town of Dion.
In Greek mythology it was the home of the twelve (or so) Olympians; the twelve deities, six gods and six goddesses, who ruled over mortals. They are probably the most famous and arguably the most alluring pantheon the world has ever known. Their home was a place of perpetual warmth and sunshine. They consumed ‘ambrosia’, the food and drink of immortals. And they never shed tears.
Mortals did not have the ability to meet the gods, only the Gods could appear to humans when they had something important to announce to them. Many times they appeared in a different form to deceive them. Just because they lived on Mount Olympus doesn't mean they didn't leave their home.
When mortals died they would go down to the underworld where they would live in a dark, shadowy, state of existence. One of the greatest Greek heroes was Achilles. Yet he was mortal. When Odysseus visits him in underworld he offers him a little eulogy, reminding him of his greatness.
The Olympian gods, and Zeus in particular, gained supremacy over the cosmos after a long war in heaven with the previous ruling gods, the Titans, led by Cronus. However, the Titans had actually won an earlier rebellion against a primordial god, Uranus (sky/heaven). These primordial gods seem to have been personifications and concepts, such as heaven, earth, sea, light, darkness, time, etc. According to Greek mythology, Cronus wanted the power of his father, Uranus. Uranus had angered Gaia (earth, mother goddess) after placing some of their children (Titans) in the darkness of Tartarus (the abyss) because he was angry at them.