48 Creation

Zeus arose from his throne, striding onto the world projection, and cast his lightning gaze over everything.

Then, he declared, "I have decided to flood the mortal world, cleaning it off the filthy humans."

"No!"

Immediately, voices of opposition filled the entire council.

Poseidon looked around in disbelief. Everyone, except him and Hera, was on their feet, opposing his brother, their king.

Hera looked at them all, her legs crossed, and she gave Zeus a venomous smile, as if to say. 'Look at your ridiculous council, Zeus. I was right yet again.'

But then she frowned and turned to her side, as if she had finally noticed. And there he was, Ares, her obedient and sweet son, now opposing her husband, his father.

Hera fell into a trance. Her grip on the armrest tightened gradually, almost cracking it. Then, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to return her attention to the council temporarily.

"Reconsider, brother." Hestia implored. "They don't deserve such a fate."

"Yes." Demeter nodded quickly, her divine eyes filled with sadness and agony. "The poor trees and plants don't deserve such a fate. The entire agriculture will be ruined in flood. All of my hardwork."

"Demeter..." Hestia exhaled a sigh.

"Father, humans are vermin, indeed." Ares stated emphatically. "But their usefulness is already all too clear."

Aphrodite gave Ares a sidelong glance and concurred. "It would be a waste to destroy all of them."

Hades slammed his armrest. "I will not have my realm flooded with mortal souls."

Artemis looked down at the vibrant land beneath her. "Think about the entire world, Father."

Athena inquired, "Humans can never compare to us, and especially to you, Sky Father. Their actions matter naught but less. So, why? Why such severe punishment, Father?"

Zeus looked at them all, his blue eyes streaked with cataclysmic lightning. The stormy sky of the mortal world was lit up with thousands of silver lightning bolts crashing and thrashing through abysmal clouds, signifying his wrath.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunder rumbled across the abyssal sky. In fear and dread, many humans knelt across the mortal world, praying and pleading to their gods above. But their fragile voices and prayers were drowned out by the roars of thunder.

The dark clouds swirled in the infinite sky like an abyss of storms. And Olympus, the heavenly abode of gods, floated within it, trembling and quivering as silvery bolts of lightning flashed all around it.

"Enough!" The abyssal sky roared. The mighty aura of the Lord of the Sky pushed the gods in the council into their seats. The shimmering white clouds and light that shrouded the palace of the gods were shaded a stormy black, and the entire palace of the gods dimmed and cracked.

"We gave these filthy humans everything: knowledge, fire, love, and strength, and they repaid us with such insolence. They will be wiped off the face of the earth. I've made my decision, and it's final!"

Zeus declared, his majestic voice reverberating throughout the council, trembling it to its core.

The gods and goddesses fell silent, their disgruntled hearts waning in the face of his might. However, some remained opposed, defying his will.

"Zeus!" Hades hollered, his all-black eyes shining.

"Please reconsider, Father." Athena said justly.

Apollo rose from his seat, his figure emitting a gentle light that was like the sun, illuminating the stormy and despondent world.

"Uncle Hades. Athena." He nodded gently at them. And Hades and Athena exchanged glances with him and went silent in their seats.

Apollo descended from his throne, walking into the world projection and joining his father, whose lightning gaze was fixed on him.

He looked down at the darkening world beneath them. "They are my creations, Father. I will not let you destroy them."

Zeus glared belligerently at his obstinate and rebellious son. "Of course, who else but you, Apollo, the ridiculous patron of humanity? But, my son, you fail to recognise something. You are the reason for all of this."

He pointed to the world, to the humans crawling under their feet. "You granted them fire without a cost. And now, some of these vermin already think they could rise up to challenge us. They believe that by using fire, they can become our equals."

"Father." Apollo spoke loudly, emphasising each word. "Their allusion and ignorance are unmistakable. However, punishing the entire human race for a few blasphemers is truly unwise."

He waved his hands at the world projection beneath them, and it expanded to reveal Earth, with shimmering points on various continents indicating the divine realms of gods.

"In this world, we are not alone. Other pantheons of gods and prosperous civilizations exist. And, whether we like it or not, every decision we make is recorded and engraved in the annals of history."

"The world will remember this. History will tell of our cruelty and callousness for all of eternity. And those divine beings of other pantheons will jester and jeer at our actions behind our backs."

"And humans, as Athena stated, can never compare to us, divine beings. We are above them. Their actions mean naught but less to us. So, flooding the entire world and obliterating humans for a few acts of blasphemy is extreme."

Apollo looked into the eyes of Zeus, his figure emitting blazing light. "Father, calm down and reconsider this course of action, because the entire world is watching us, watching you."

There was a moment of heavy and deafening silence, as Apollo and Zeus gazed at each other. The Gods and Goddesses were on the edge of their seats, their hands clasping against the armrest. Athena and Artemis exchanged glances and nodded, both ready to intervene at a moment's notice.

Zeus's lightning eyes finally dimmed, and he spoke up, breaking the silence, his voice thundering as ever. "So, my son, you're implying we should forgive them? And, in the face of their blasphemy, we should act all benevolent and kind..."

"No, father." Apollo shook his head. "Every action has repercussions. Their blasphemy should not go unpunished. All I am asking is for you to reconsider a lighter punishment, like everyone else."

Zeus gazed at everyone. All expect Hera nodded in concurrence with Apollo. It was the will of the council.

The Lord of the Sky returned his gaze to his rebellious son, Apollo. "Reconsider, huh? ..."

"I will, but only under one condition..." His lips curved into a vicious smile. "You, Apollo, will send down divine punishment in my place. You are the one who created humanity. There is no one better suited to punish their children than their father."

Artemis' eyes widened, realising the intention of their father. He was trying to push all the blame on her brother.

She stood up and clasped her hands tightly on the armrest to stop her brother. Athena rose from her seat as well.

Apollo waved his hands at them gently. "Every action has consequences, isn't it?"

Then, he turned his hardened gaze toward his father. "I will send down divine punishment on the humans."

____________________

Hermes strode back and forth in the depressing corridor outside the council chambers, fiddling with his fingers and ruffling his hair.

To say he was nervous would be an understatement. They still hadn't called him, and every passing minute made him more anxious. And his brother's words continued to ring in his head, exacerbating his feelings. To top it all off, Olympus was trembling and quivering, metaphorically and literally, like a toppling boat in the middle of a storm.

It was his father's rage. Hermes knew all too well, recalling the terrifying booming of the thunder.

He can even somewhat guess the cause behind it. Hermes let his thoughts run, trying to divert his attention.

It should be Lycaon, King of Arcadia. Arcadia was one of the first human kingdoms in the mortal world, and their patron deity was Zeus, his father. Because of his father's blessings, they were extremely prosperous, so much so that some mortals compared to his brother's Trier.

Hermes sneered as he remembered this. He'd been to both of these places, and to be honest, comparing them was like comparing heaven and earth.

Ah, mortals. They are truly an ignorant bunch.

Nonetheless, Arcadia was extremely wealthy in comparison to other rising kingdoms in the mortal world. And humans flocked there in droves, hoping to start a new life in the kingdom of opportunities, as stories and folklore dubbed it.

The people of Arcadia wanted to especially honour the Lord of the Sky, and as their King, Lycaon heeded their wishes, though with a twisted and arrogant heart.

He offered his prayers to Zeus and invited him to his palace. Surprisingly, the Lord of the Sky accepted the invitation and went to Arcadia.

Lycaon, either to test Zeus's omniscience and discrimination or for other brutal reasons (even Hermes wasn't really certain), killed and roasted the flesh of his own son, Nyctimus, which he served to Zeus.

Obviously, Zeus was so revolted and digusted that he cursed Lycaon to turn into a humanoid wolf...

Hermes suddenly turned to the golden door, reining in his thoughts as it began to emit a blaze of light, showering him. Then it swung open in a brilliant flash. A great divine radiance swept over him from within.

The entire earth trembled as a powerful voice erupted from within the radiance. It was his brother.

"Hermes. The God of Speed, Messengers, Roads, and Thieves."

Hermes looked at it in silence for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, his eyes hardening.

He walked through the door, his figure consumed by the light.

A light trail appeared in his path, leading him down the next corridor and into the hall of the gods.

His brother and father were standing next to each other on a world projection, with the Gods and Goddesses seated in thrones behind them. In depression and heaviness, the entire hall was deafeningly silent.

Immediately, all turned their attention to him. And Hermes walked steadily, gulping, until he was face to-face with Zeus. The silence still reigned in the place of the gods, though the gods and goddesses turned their attention away from him and onto Apollo.

Zeus stood in front of him, his eyes scrutinising him.

Under his father's divine gaze, Hermes tensed inwardly, and his gaze subconsciously darted towards his brother. But Apollo wasn't even focusing on him.

Hermes called, his emotions surging, recognising the King of Gods, the Sky Father.

"Father." He bowed.

Zeus finally nodded, his indifferent eyes waning under his respectful gesture. He then stated unequivocally. "I, Zeus, the King of Gods and Skyfather of the Olympian Pantheon, proclaim Hermes, my son, as the Messenger of Gods."

With that, a bronze throne rose into existence, right next to the golden throne of Apollo.

Zeus patted his shoulders gently. "Ascend to your throne, Hermes. It is your birth right."

Hermes looked at his bronze throne. "Thank you, father."

And he ascended to his throne, only once returning his gaze to Apollo, who was turning to face their father. However, as if noticing his gaze, Apollo pointed his middle finger at him for a fraction of a second before clasping his fingers back.

Hermes didn't understand what that gesture meant, but it made him unconsciously smile.

On the projection of the world, Zeus said, his voice booming.

"It is time for humans to pay the price for your fire, a price that will bring balance to everything."

"Begin, son."

Apollo drew his lyre. Taking a deep breath, he strummed the golden strings with the utmost solemnity.

Hymn…

A hymn rang out, thoroughly rattling the hearts of the Gods and Goddesses.

The hymn was more than just a melody.

It was different. It was beyond.

Apollo closed his eyes and immersed himself in it.

It was the entire cosmos, whatever one could see, touch, hear, and feel. It was all that was within his perception and all that was beyond his perception. It was the core of his very existence. It was the substratum of all the things and all the beings of the entire universe.

It was an eternal song of the Divine.

He strummed again.

Hymn...

Light bloomed into existence.

The light beams cavorted to his tune, dancing to his whim.

The light rays appeared solid at first, but then began to fray. They looked like millions of light-gold semi-transparent threads of silk, light and soft. Barely even there.

Apollo thrummed the strings heavily. And it cut his fingers. Golden ichor flowed through his hand.

Light clumped immediately.

Parts of light travelled faster, parts of the thread clotted, parts of the beams fractured, and parts of the rays intensified.

The threads turned to dust. Motes of dawn light, blossoming in actuality.

The specks of light swirled in front of him, coalescing into a humanoid-figure, streaming with veins of light.

It was intense yet soft. It did not shine, but glow. It was precious, something to be treasured. It evoked the feeling of a new born, like looking at a baby.

It was heart-stirring...she was heart- stirring.

Apollo played and played, his strumming hands unwavering and untiring, his bloody fingers streaming for the final note.

Hymn….

The swirling molten dawn exploded with blinding and inconvincible brilliance, making gods and goddesses turn away instinctively from it.

The brilliance unfolded, unveiling a divine woman bathed in infinite light.

It was a miracle, a miracle of creation.

Apollo opened his weary and dimmed eyes, peering wordlessly at the divine woman.

Then, he declared.

"Pandora. You are Pandora."