I Am Zeus

The laughter still lingered in the courtyard. Hermes was doubled over, Apollo rubbing his temple in defeat, Athena glaring knives at Nyx while Ares looked like he wanted to break something but couldn't decide what.

Nyx spun in the middle of it all, arms wide, twirling like a dancer, her robe flaring with constellations. "Ah, Olympus," she sang, voice soft as a lullaby, "so stiff, so proper, yet so easy to rattle."

But then it came.

A sound.

Not thunder, not quake. A roar.

The air above Olympus split open like cloth ripped by claws. The sky groaned as if a wound had been torn in its very skin. Gods froze mid-laugh, their smiles dying at once. Even Nyx's spinning stopped, her silver eyes lifting.

Through the tear came a voice.

"ZEUS! COME OUT!"

The cry was so heavy it cracked the marble tiles of the courtyard. Statues trembled and split down the middle. Birds fell dead from the sky, their wings stiff mid-flap. The shout wasn't sound alone — it was law, command, the kind of voice meant for shaping worlds.

Every god staggered under it. Apollo clutched his lyre as if the strings might snap from the pressure. Hermes grabbed his ears, grimacing. Athena's spear hummed against the weight, threatening to splinter. Even Ares bent one knee, his rage swallowed by sheer force.

Nyx's smile thinned. "Well," she whispered, "that wasn't me."

The wound in the sky tore wider, bleeding scarlet light. From it, a figure stepped.

He wasn't Greek. His aura was foreign, older in flavor yet sharpened by a different forge. His skin was bronze, carved with burning lines that pulsed like magma. His eyes glowed red, two suns of wrath. His armor wasn't forged of Olympus's light but hammered fire and shadow, jagged and cruel. His weapon was a spear longer than any mast, its head glowing like it had been pulled fresh from a star's core.

A primordial from another mythos.

"Who dares?" Athena's voice cut sharp, though it wavered under the crushing aura.

The being sneered, fire rolling off him in waves that scorched the grass to ash. "I am Surtr," he bellowed, "flame-born of Muspelheim, breaker of gods, ender of worlds. And I call for Zeus!"

The name hit like thunder. Every god turned upward, waiting.

Zeus remained still at his balcony, watching. Only his eyes shifted, narrowing.

Surtr jabbed his spear into the ground, and the earth screamed. Flames erupted, black and red, spreading like veins across the courtyard. Nymphs fled in terror. Statues melted where they stood. The air itself warped, heat shimmering, choking.

Ares roared back, his own blade igniting in crimson. "You dare step on Olympus—!"

He charged, swinging down with raw fury.

Surtr caught the blade in one hand. Just one. The clash sent shockwaves ripping through the courtyard, marble shattering like glass. Ares snarled, pressing harder, but Surtr barely moved.

"Child's strength," the fire giant spat. With a flick, he hurled Ares across the courtyard. The god of war smashed into a column, the stone exploding on impact.

Hermes blinked to Ares's side instantly, pulling him away just as molten fire swallowed the spot where he'd landed.

Apollo's eyes blazed, his bow forming in golden fire. He loosed an arrow that streaked like the sun itself, slicing the air toward Surtr's chest.

The primordial lifted his hand. The arrow struck his palm — and fizzled to smoke. Surtr laughed, the sound like boulders grinding together. "Your light is weak in the face of flame that ends worlds."

Nyx stepped forward, her smile gone now, her aura swelling. Shadows poured from her like rivers, twisting against the fire, dampening its spread. "Careful, foreigner," she murmured. "This mountain isn't yours to burn."

Surtr's gaze snapped to her, his sneer deepening. "Night. Even you cannot smother Muspelheim's fire. Step aside. I came for Zeus."

The gods bristled, forming lines around Nyx, weapons drawn. Athena raised her spear, eyes sharp, while Apollo's bow glowed brighter, Hermes shifting from shadow to shadow, ready to strike. Even Ares, bruised and bloodied, staggered back to his feet, blade shaking in his grip.

But Surtr wasn't looking at them anymore. His gaze locked on the balcony.

On Zeus.

"SKY KING!" His roar shook Olympus again. "Do you hide behind children? Or will you face me?"

For a long breath, silence reigned. Only the hiss of Surtr's fire and the crack of cooling stone filled the air.

Then Zeus moved.

He didn't stride. He didn't descend the stairs. He simply vanished from the balcony and reappeared on the courtyard floor, the stone beneath his sandals glowing faintly where lightning coiled.

The gods instinctively stepped back, clearing space.

Zeus stood, robe brushing the scorched marble, eyes locked on Surtr. He said nothing. He didn't need to. The storm gathering above spoke for him. Clouds rolled black, thick, rumbling with fury, sparks of lightning flashing across their bellies. The scent of ozone filled the air.

Surtr grinned, fire rising taller around him. "Finally."

The two forces clashed without a word.

Surtr swung his spear, carving a wave of fire that split the courtyard in two, flames towering higher than the palace itself. Zeus raised his hand. Lightning speared down in an instant, shredding the fire into steam. The explosion lit Olympus brighter than day, sending shockwaves that flattened trees and shattered windows.

The gods shielded their eyes.

Surtr lunged through the steam, spear thrusting for Zeus's heart. The tip burned with starfire, reality itself warping around it.

Zeus twisted, his form blurring with lightning. The spear stabbed empty air, and in the same breath Zeus reappeared behind Surtr, palm sparking.

Thunder roared. Lightning burst point-blank into the fire giant's back, sending him crashing forward, molten blood spraying across the marble. The ground hissed and cracked where it landed.

But Surtr only laughed through the smoke. He turned, flames surging brighter, burning away the wound. "Good! Good! Worthy prey at last!"

He slammed his spear down. The ground split wide, rivers of fire tearing across Olympus, magma spewing upward as if the heart of Muspelheim itself had been pulled here.

Zeus leapt, his body a streak of lightning, soaring above the flames. The sky split open as bolts rained down like a storm of spears, each one exploding on impact, hammering the fire back.

Below, Surtr bellowed, spinning his spear. The flames rose higher, colliding with the storm, fire and lightning battling for dominion. The courtyard became a furnace, light and shadow clashing, each strike shaking Olympus's bones.

The other gods could only watch, awe and fear written across their faces. They were strong. But this… this was beyond them.

Surtr swung wide, his spear cutting a crescent of fire that slashed toward Zeus mid-air. Zeus lifted his arm, catching it with a shield of lightning that flared like a sun. The two forces clashed, pushing, straining — then exploded.

The blast shook Olympus to its roots. Columns toppled. The mountain itself groaned.

Zeus dropped back to the ground, eyes locked on Surtr. Sparks danced across his skin, his hair lifted by the charge. He finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with thunder.

"You crossed realms to challenge me. You've burned Olympus's stones. You will regret it."

Surtr grinned, baring molten teeth. "Show me, Sky King. Show me why they call you Zeus."

The storm howled. Flames rose higher. And Olympus braced for war.