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"Human ignorance and arrogance. A stupid mortal king attempted to put our father's omniscience to test. He killed and roasted the flesh of his own son, serving it to our father."

"Impossible! We created them..." Artemis vehemently denied him, her voice thickening with astonishment. "Such barbarism..."

Apollo's lips rose to smile, a mocking and knowing smile that all too pricked her heart with irritation.

"My dear sister," he chastised. "Stop feigning ignorance. We know all too well that humanity is capable of much, much more in both ways."

Artemis scowled and crossed her arms. "There is more to this, isn't there?"

"Yes..." Apollo drawled, raising her hopes, but he continued, crushing them all with harsh words. "Father is about to do something very significant that will change it all. And... well, humans are still the same."

"Apollo..." Artemis seethed, her silver eyes burning and blazing with anger and disappointment, not at her brother, but at her humanity.

She was also the Goddess of Childbirth and the protector of children, so the idea of someone killing and cooking their own children just to test her father utterly repulsed and abhorred her.

Why would someone do this? It completely perplexed her divine mind.

Apollo pointed to the stormy and thundering clouds. "We don't want to be late for that."

He reached out his hand to her.

Artemis grasped his hand and asked, her thoughts reigning. "Has mother arrived yet?"

"No." Apollo's head shook. "She is still in Delphi, offering humans oracles."

"It is better." Artemis looked at the abysmal and heavy clouds.

"Yeah." Apollo gave a nod. "I'll send her a message to tell her not to leave Delphi."

"Is it really that bad?" Artemis inquired, her gaze fixed on him. "What is he actually going to do?"

"It's best if you find out on your own." As light erupted from their clasped hands, bathing their figures, Apollo whispered.

"I totally hate it when you act all mysterious..." Artemis whined, and light engulfed them.

They were gone.

___________

Olympus.

The heavenly abode of the gods looked dim and dull, having lost all of its otherworldly vibrancy and effervescence. The city of mansions, with its white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers, appeared deserted. Above it was the largest palace of the gods, gleaming against swirling stormy clouds and flashing with lightning. The air was thick with heaviness and depression, as if attempting to suffocate the entire Olympus.

As the lush plants and trees withered away in death, Apollo and Artemis strode the deserted roads of Olympus in silence. The roads wound up crazily to the main palace of the gods.

Apollo stooped in his path, his gaze fixed on his side.

"What happened?" Artemis inquired, her arms crossed.

"Just a second." Apollo waved his hand and vanished in a flash of light. He reappeared in the next second, holding someone by the shoulders.

It was a slim young man with curly black hair, blue eyes, elfish features, and a sly grin. His legs, on the other hand, were in a running position in mid-air.

"Who the hell is this?" Artemis asked, her brows furrowed.

That appeared to startle the young man, who looked in and around himself in a daze before focusing on Apollo, who was holding him. His eyes widened with a wide range of emotions, from shock to anger to fear to indignation.

"This is our brother, Hermes." Apollo introduced him, shaking him slightly to Artemis. "God of Speed, Messengers, Roads, and..."

He emphasized. "Thieves."

Hermes took a deep breath. Then, using the air as support, he jumped with incredible speed, attempting to escape Apollo's grasp.

Surprisingly, Apollo let him go. And Hermes ascended into the air unhindered, looking down at Apollo and Artemis, who were both amused and indifferent to him.

He hesitated, debating whether he should just bolt towards the main palace of the gods or following them.

Meanwhile, Artemis asked strangely, looking at Hermes, who was going through such emotional drama looking at her brother.

"What's the deal with him?"

Apollo's lips curled into a smile. "He tried to steal my lyre from Delphi."

"Oh…" Artemis nodded impassively.

Hermes' glazed eyes caught Apollo's mocking smile, and that was enough.

Apollo….

Hermes clenched his hands, supressing his raging emotions. He then descended without hesitation, his feet gently touching the ground in front of them.

"Apollo, my brother, I am sorry," the God of Speed said, looking Apollo in the eyes.

"Looks like..." Apollo said, his brows raised in intrigue. "The imp has grown up, but still not enough."

"I didn't know how precious that lyre was to you..." Hermes said it with firm eyes and a firm tone, as if he really wanted to mean it.

"Oh..." Apollo cut in with a chuckle, his tone dangerously low and his golden eyes gleaming brighter. "But you absolutely did."

"I was but a boy back then, Apollo," Hermes argued, however stopped when he noticed Apollo's narrowing eyes. Then he quickly continued, emphasising his words. "Anyway, Apollo, we are brothers and immortals; it would be unwise to hold a grudge as a family; I want to make things right between us..." He drawled purposefully, looking away.

Apollo snorted, clearly seeing right through him. "What more could one expect from the God of Thieves? But tell me anyway, I am intrigued."

He smirked, an evil and unforgettable smirk for Hermes, causing him to shiver ever so slightly.

Gathering courage, The God of Thieves said. "I just want to ask you one thing.."

"You are one brave fool." Artemis raised her brows at the audacity of this thief, who was actually making demands on her brother, after everything.

"Go on." Apollo, on the other hand, spoke calmly as he walked towards Hermes.

Hermes took a deep breath and stated unequivocally, "I want a match, a speed match with you." With that, courage flared in his heart. He declared, looking directly into Apollo's golden, surging eyes. "I'd like to challenge you to a race, brother. And, regardless of the outcome, it will be water under the bridge for us."

There was a brief silence as Hermes fixed his gaze on Apollo. Then, it was broken by the boisterous laughter of Artemis.

The Goddess of the Moon lost her ever-serious countenance and laughed loudly with her hands on her stomach.

Her laughter, her mocking laughter, pricked the heart of Hermes, and he clasped his hands heavily and said fiercely. "It's just a fair challenge. You don't have to mock me for that."

"No.." Artemis said, in between her fits of laughter. "I am not mocking you. It is just....just ridiculous. Didn't my brother just catch you without your notice?"

Hermes, on the other hand, ignored her words and stared obstinately at Apollo for a response.

Apollo simply crossed his hands and said. "If it is a match you seek, Hermes, I accept."

"Really?!" Hermes asked, as if he couldn't believe that Apollo would accept it so simply.

"Yes, yes, yes." Apollo nodded. "You can come to Delphi once things have calmed down, and we can have it." He went on, pointing to his sister, who had finally calmed down. "And my sister, Artemis, shall preside over it."

"But…" Hermes spoke, his gaze unconsciously drawn to Artemis.

"What?" Artemis interrupted, glaring. "Are you implying I won't be fair?"

"No." Hermes waved his hand, vehemently denying it. Then he cast a sidelong glance at Apollo, scratching his chin. "I just want to ask for more details."

Apollo snorted, ending this debacle. He pointed to thickening grey clouds. "Let's go."

Artemis shrugged after giving one last glare at Hermes, and strode down the path towards the main palace of the gods.

Discreetly, Hermes breathed a sigh of relief and gave a grateful look to Apollo.

With his surging golden eyes, Apollo abruptly turned and stared at Hermes. "Listen imp, this doesn't mean I am going to let go of my grudge." He grumbled. "You. Dare. Tried. To. Steal. My. Lyre."

Hermes shivered under his words, backing down with a disappointed look in his eyes.

The indifferent expression of Apollo collapsed, and he laughed vivaciously.

Seeing this, Hermes also laughed with him, as the atmosphere turned quite awkward.

"I was just joking." Apollo patted his shoulders, his laughter dying away.

Hermes forced a smile on his lips, which looked worse than crying. "Were you really..."

Apollo nodded briskly, putting his hands around his shoulders. "As you said, it's all water under the bridge."

"After all, we are brothers, aren't we?" he smirked.

Looking at his evil and terrifying smirk, Hermes felt the bleakness of his own future.

However, he still nodded hastily. "Yes. We are brothers, Apollo."

Apollo's evil grin broadened, and he dragged him into the path to the main palace of the gods, following his sister.

"Come on, imp. We don't want to be late for the council."

"I am not an imp!"

"Okay, imp."

"Enough you both!" Artemis bellowed from the front.

And they walked in between smiles and jeers, jests and glares towards the council of Olympus.

___________

In between ivory pillars, Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes strode towards the magnificent golden door at the end of the wide corridor.

"Did father also summon you to the council?"

Looking at the looming golden door, Apollo inquired.

"Yes." Hermes fiddled with his fingers as he nodded. "Do you have any idea why?"

"Perhaps to make you a member of the council." Apollo shrugged coolly. "Perhaps not."

"So he's going to give me a seat on the council, huh?" Hermes drawled, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

"Why are you so downcast about this?" Apollo stated. "This is Olympus' divine seat, something that all immortals dream and yearn for throughout their eternal lives."

"I know." Hermes shuffled his toes and nodded lightly. "But I don't really know how to feel about that. I mean, you're all strong, but I'm so..." He looked at his hands.

"Well..." Apollo patted his shoulders, saying lightly. "Who knows? Our father may just be inviting you for some other reason. Don't take my words as an edict from fate, as it is now ever-changing."

Hermes looked disappointed at that. His forlorn expression deepened.

"You are one complicated imp, aren't you?" Apollo chuckled.

Hermes glared at him, but he didn't scowl back, just retraced his glare to the ground in silence and despondence.

Apollo sighed and dragged Hermes towards his sister. "Well, brother, strength is not so linear in destructive potential. Any power can be mighty and powerful in its own right. In the end, it all comes down to who uses it."

"Who uses it…?" Hermes repeated in deep thought.

"He simply means, you should think 'out of the box'." Artemis said, listening in on them as they joined her.

"Out of the box..." Hermes repeated again, confused.

However, Apollo and Artemis didn't heed his confusion, as they had arrived in front of the golden door.

"Only enter when your name is called," Artemis instructed Hermes, solemnity shining in her eyes.

She then dragged her brother through the golden door. Their silhouettes became gradually lost in the auric light of the door.

Apollo looked back, smirking. "Outside the box. Hermes, you're already thinking outside the box."

Then, he was gone, leaving Hermes in a daze of confusion and thought.

____________

Apollo and Artemis entered the palace of the Gods. It had grown grander and more magnificent, shrouded in white light and clouds. Massive white columns rose to a domed ceiling, gliding with moving constellations.

Ten thrones were arranged in an inverted U shape around a projection of Olympus's territories: Europa, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, and Northern Africa. All the thrones were taken, except for the blue and black thrones, which belonged to Poseidon and Hades.

Zeus, the Sky Father, peered at the projection of the world under him. His eyes darkened with haze, like a brewing cataclysmic storm. The palace was silent, as gods and goddesses sat at the edges of their seats.

Gazes were cast on them, and Apollo and Artemis nodded before ascending to their thrones.

Artemis whispered, taking her seat on the silver throne. "Has Hephaestus still not...?"

"He is making gifts for all of us, and Father gave him all the time he needed, so he's still in Lemnos," Apollo stated as he leaned back in his golden throne.

Artemis nodded, and they fell silent, joining the others in waiting. Poseidon and Hades soon arrived and took their places. With that, the council of gods began.

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

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

"No!"

Immediately, oppositional voices filled the entire council.

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

Their King.