Jupiter

Things were heating up in the Great Red Spot. Of course, the atmosphere on Jupiter was always tempestuous; it was only fitting to match the personality of the god who ruled the planet. Jupiter could be angry for any number of reasons. These days, the pollution of his beautiful earthly skies was always sure to have him thunderous; those disrespectful humans irritated him infinitely. They flew contraptions back and forth between his clouds like they had invented flight. HA! Had Icarus and the Miracle on the Hudson taught them nothing? Did they not know who he was?! Were they not aware of the power he held?!?

The breaking point had come just a few months ago.

It was bad enough that the humans insisted on holding "elections," as though they had any control over the happenings on Earth. America had named a haughty man their leader; his pride rivaled Jupiter's own. As such, it was natural that he had challengers. North Korea, on whom Jupiter was keeping a careful eye, had risen to the occasion. They had been developing nuclear weapons for years, but had not begun testing the missiles outright. Until now.

At first, Jupiter was amused. But as the humans became more determined to succeed at nuclear warfare, he began to feel furious. Who were they to believe they could strategize better than Mars? What made the puny humans think they could make Jupiter's own skies their battlefield?

Jupiter was ready to act. He had taken his time deciding the humans' punishment. But now, he had a plan.

This time, not even Deucalion and Pyrrha would survive.

Neptune and Pluto jumped at the sudden change in the atmosphere, signaling their brother's agitation. They could feel that storms were brewing on Jupiter's surface. Wordlessly, they both materialized in Jupiter's palace in the Great Red Spot. Juno appeared unaffected by the sudden arrival of her brothers in their throne room.

"He's lapping the sun right now, boys," she said, bored. "But, you're welcome to wait with me until he's returned."

Fortunately, it did not take Jupiter his usual twelve years to orbit back to the Great Red Spot. While he was still emanating a faint electric buzz, his brothers hoped that his storming off had allowed Jupiter some time to calm down.

"Jupiter, I know the human leaders have been making waves. You must have a plan for them...?" asked Neptune.

"It looks like hell down there," said Pluto, "but we didn't want to step in without your support."

"Of course I have a plan, little brothers," retorted the King, as his eyes sparked lightning fury.

Wasting no time, Jupiter told Neptune and Pluto of his intentions. Neptune was so shocked that his planet almost went into retrograde. It made him nervous to think that Jupiter would willingly cause such turmoil to his brother's seas. Pluto, however, was indifferent to the destruction Jupiter was proposing, but then again, his Underworld would grow tremendously as a result.

In his fear of a tremendous flood, Neptune began to reason with his older brother.

"Jupiter, give these urchins a warning. You may remind them of their foolishness, but shouldn't Mars be allowed to step into the war before such a decision is made?"

Jupiter allowed that Neptune had a point. His son's kingdom might become inhabited by the humans soon enough; Mars deserved the chance to make his own rulings.

"Okay," Jupiter acquiesced. "They still must pay for what they've done thus far."

"Simple," replied Pluto. "Send them one of those blazing iron storms you're so proud of."

And so Jupiter did, calling it Harvey.

Author's Note: In "Jupiter," I have given a modern twist to "Deucalion and Pyrrha," from Ovid's Metamorphoses. In the original story, Zeus becomes angry with ungrateful humans, and destroys the world in a flood. Deucalion and Pyrrha are the only survivors. In "Jupiter," Jupiter (Zeus), is angry once again, but his brothers convince him to send Hurricane Harvey, instead of flooding the Earth outright.

Bibliography: The following articles inspired aspects of "Jupiter."

• "Deucalion and Pyrrha" from Ovid's Metamorphoses - This reading was a starting point for "Jupiter," proving the destruction Jupiter might cause when he's angry.
• Great Red Spot - This centuries-old storm on the surface of the planet is the site of Jupiter and Juno's palace.
• Harvey (name) - The name Harvey means blazing iron, an appropriate name for a storm sent by an angry god.
• Hurricane Harvey - Instead of sending floods over all of Earth, Jupiter sent a cautionary message through Hurricane Harvey.
• Icarus - The tragedy of Icarus proves what happens to humans when they attempt dominion over Jupiter's sky.
• Juno/Hera - Jupiter's wife Juno played only a minor role in this story, but can be read about here.
• Jupiter (planet) - This article provided facts about Jupiter, such as the length of its year.
• Jupiter/Zeus - Jupiter is the main character of this story, although he will continue to be a feature play in Three Brothers.
• Mars/Ares - The son of Jupiter and Juno, this god of war has a planetary kingdom of his own.
• Miracle on the Hudson - Jupiter made another statement about humans' misuse of the sky through US Airways Flight 1549. However, he smiles up pilot Chesley Sullenberger.
• Neptune/Poseidon - A brother of Jupiter and Pluto, Neptune will have his own feature in Three Brothers in the coming weeks.
• Pluto/Hades - A brother of Jupiter and Neptune, Pluto will have his own feature in Three Brothers in the coming weeks.
• Timeline of the North Korean Missile Program - This article was a source of information regarding North Korea's missile launches.

Image Information: Time lapse sequence of Jupiter, featuring the Great Red Spot