The problem here is the imposition of the modern concept of "worship" onto an ancient culture. Indeed, the very word, "gods," implies something when taken from our modern perspective, imposing ideas that are not directly transferable.

The ancient "gods" or classic mythologies were powerful supernatural beings, but they each had limits - they were not omniscient and omnipotent in the sense of the modern Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity. (Sometimes, one sees evidence of a vague, powerful, universal supernatural force, but this is not what one generally encounters in the classic mythological texts; and this force was too vague and removed to warrant worship in the modern sense.) The ancient supernatural beings were considered to be extremely dangerous and because they were capricious they warranted extreme caution and respect: they were capable of great harm and great good. Fortunately - from an ancient point of view - one's culture provided rituals and other means to placate these powerful entities, providing the person enacting these practices some solace when facing a dangerous world with so many threats - natural and supernatural (although to the natural mind, there was no real distinction between the two).

These rituals could hardly be regarded as "worshiping," even though from a modern perspective peering into the past, it might seem that the ancients were engaging in religious practices that were analogous to those of modern cultures.

At the same time, one might feel a special relationship with one or more of the surrounding supernatural entities/forces, and here there could be something more akin to religious devotion and ecstasy, but this "relationship" with the supernatural entities was by no means universally applied.

The premise of your question (gods being bad people) is a bit off as gods aren't people. See this excelllent answer by u/mythoplokos.