Jupiter’s Revenge

The old gods are said to predate our world if not the entire universe. While the meteorological operations of other worlds are unknown to us at this time, we know that Jupiter is the one tasked with reigning over our skies. He keeps the elements balanced above and around us every day.

Jupiter is a just god who values balance over all. The ice that covers the mountain during winter will nourish the creatures living in the valley come springtime. He is also a temperamental being.

Humanity has started to try to take over his role. Mere mortals are playing god. Artificial dams in rivers, climbers trodding all over the sacred mountains, garbage in the rivers, even irrigation systems to avoid Jupiter’s punishments. They were sick of living in a destructive cycle based on his moods, so they adapted. He could do the same. The difference is that the humans had lives to lose instead of mere egos to bruise. They were not playing the same game.

Jupiter sends the storm of a millennium to the region: tornadoes sucking up entire villages, hail the size of a child’s fist, and a blanket of frost over the land to choke the life out of every crop planted there. He screams in thunderclaps and throws rays of lightening at the people below. Beside him, his wife Juno sobs at the destruction she witnesses below. Her tears sweep entire homes and farms away.

A plane flies by Jupiter’s nose and leaves a cloud of fumes that swirl around him. A piece of scrap metal that had been jettisoned by a rocket falls from orbit and bounces off his head. Clearly the humans did not appreciate his contributions. They did not appreciate all he did to control the elements that would always rule over their society. They tried to take over his role. They tried to be him. They would get exactly what they wanted — to take his place.

Jupiter decides to leave. Us mere mortals are not quite privy to information about how other worlds function, or even their existence at all. We just know that he left for a new world, a new challenge, a new home. For months, there are no devastating storms and the people rejoice. They take the time to rebuild their homes and their lives. Then they realize that Jupiter had taken the rains with him, too.

That marks the beginning of the end. Crops wither into dust, fires burn entire forests into ashes. People eat what is left until no more would grow. Soon, the mountaintops lack their familiar glaze on top. People are parched. Animals are dying.

Juno waits dutifully for her husband to return. Eventually, she loses track of how long she had been in his absence. A gentle rain finally falls over the village. Juno weeps softly from the top of Mount Olympus.

It will be years before he returns. Legends of Great Floods and Droughts decimating humanity span throughout history. It has happened before and it will happen again. The great cycle restarts just like humanity’s countdown clock. It won’t be long before he is fed up with us all again. Our army is working hard to develop our own meteorological management devices for when that time comes. Next time, we’ll be ready for him.