MTL NOVEL Chapter 16: Chapter 16: The Wrath of the Gods
### Chapter 16: The Wrath of the Gods
The valley where Apollo and Artemis had breathed life into humanity faded into twilight, the newborn humans scattering into the wilds with their gifts—Apollo's light, music, sound, and fire burning in their souls, Artemis's hunting prowess sharpening their instincts. The twins stood atop the cliff once more, their giant forms casting long shadows over the mortal world below. Apollo's golden curls shimmered in the fading sunlight, his crystallized jewel-blue eyes glinting with a quiet triumph, his golden-blue toga clinging to his twelve-pack frame, the white gloves of Purity glowing faintly. Beside him, Artemis's silver hair flowed like moonlight, her sharp silver eyes tracing the humans' movements, *Selene's Fang* resting at her side, a smirk tugging at her lips.
Their work with Prometheus had borne fruit—350 faith nodes pulsed in Apollo's awareness, their influence stretching 1,500 miles, the humans already whispering their names in awe. But the peace of their victory was short-lived. A tremor shook the earth, a rumble of thunder that wasn't natural, and the sky above darkened with storm clouds that crackled with divine wrath. Apollo's domain of Sight sharpened, his jewel-blue eyes piercing the veil of the heavens, and he saw it—Olympus stirring, the gods descending in a fury that echoed the ancient myths.
The system chimed, its voice urgent:
"Alert: Olympian intervention detected. Entities identified: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares. Target: Prometheus, Titan of Forethought; secondary target: Apollo, source of human fire. Threat level: critical. Objective updated: defend humanity, maintain divine autonomy."
Apollo's lips curled into a smirk, his golden curls glinting as he tilted his head. "Right on cue," he murmured, his voice a melody of Sound and Knowledge. "They've noticed—Prometheus's humans, my fire. Just like the stories."
Artemis glanced at him, her silver eyes narrowing. "Stories? What stories?"
He waved a gloved hand, his twelve-pack flexing as he adjusted his toga, keeping his secret locked tight. "Just a hunch, sister—Prophecy's whispers. Zeus and the others—they're coming, and they're pissed."
She smirked, her grip on *Selene's Fang* tightening. "Good. Let them come—I'll hunt their pride."
---
The sky split open with a deafening roar, and Zeus descended in a blaze of lightning, his massive form wreathed in storm clouds, his gray eyes sparking with fury. Beside him, Hera materialized, her emerald eyes blazing, her peacock crown rustling with indignation. Poseidon followed, his trident dripping with seawater, his sea-green eyes narrowed in rage, while Ares landed with a crash, his blackened armor clanking, his fists clenched with bloodlust. The gods of Olympus towered over the valley, their divine presence shaking the earth, their wrath a mirror to the myths of old.
Zeus's voice boomed, thunder rolling with every word. "Prometheus!" he roared, his lightning bolt crackling in his hand. "You dare defy me again? Shaping clay into humans—stealing fire to warm their wretched lives? I chained you once, Titan—I'll bury you now!"
Prometheus stepped forward from the shadows, his rugged form unbowed, his amber eyes glinting with defiance. "They're mine, Zeus—my children. You'd let them shiver in the dark, but I gave them life. Punish me if you must—I'll not regret it."
Hera's voice cut in, sharp and venomous. "Life? You've spawned vermin—clay pests crawling over the earth! And fire—who dared give them that? Who defied the King of the Gods?"
Poseidon slammed his trident into the ground, seawater pooling around him. "Fire's my brother's domain—or was, until some fool meddled. Who's the traitor?"
Ares grinned, his voice a growl. "I'll find 'em—rip their guts out, forge or no forge!"
Apollo stepped forward, his giant form casting a golden glow across the valley, his golden curls swaying as he raised a hand. "That'd be me," he said, his voice a symphony of Sound and Courage, ringing with the power of his thirty-five domains. "I gave them fire—my fire. They're mine now, just as much as Prometheus's. You'll not take it back."
The gods froze, their wrath turning on him like a storm shifting course. Zeus's gray eyes widened, then narrowed, lightning crackling around him. "You?" he bellowed, his paranoia surging like a tidal wave. "My own son—defying me, stealing my thunder, giving mortals what I forbade? You've gone too far, Apollo!"
Hera's emerald eyes glinted with malicious glee. "I told you, husband—your precious twins are a curse! He's spitting on your rule—fire to humans, just like Prometheus!"
Poseidon laughed, a harsh, salty bark. "Bold, nephew—stupid, but bold. You think you can play Titan and get away with it?"
Ares cracked his knuckles, his grin widening. "I'll crush you, pretty boy—fire or no fire, you're mine!"
Apollo smirked, his jewel-blue eyes glinting with a secret satisfaction he'd never voice. In his previous life—hidden deep, a truth he'd sworn to keep silent even from Artemis, per the unwritten laws of fanfics—he'd read the myths, studied the tales of Zeus's wrath, Prometheus's defiance, the fire that sparked humanity's rise. It was unfolding now, just as he'd known it would, and he'd played his part perfectly. *They're pissed, just like the stories,* he thought, his golden curls catching the stormlight. *Prometheus takes the fall, I take the blame, and humanity thrives—my plan's on track.*
Artemis stepped beside him, her silver hair whipping in the wind, her silver eyes flashing with defiance. "You'll face us both if you try," she said, her voice sharp with Hunt and Victory. "I gave them hunting—they're ours too. Touch them, and you'll taste my arrows."
Zeus's lightning flared, his paranoia boiling over. "Both of you—traitors! You'd arm these clay rats against me? I'll chain you with Prometheus—bury you in Tartarus!"
Hera leaned closer, her voice a venomous whisper. "See, Zeus? They're plotting—fire, hunting, defiance. They'll overthrow you yet."
He growled, his grip splintering his lightning bolt. "Silence, Hera—I'll deal with them!"
---
Apollo's smirk widened, his twelve-pack rippling as he raised both hands, his domains of Fire and Radiance igniting in a golden blaze. "Deal with us? You can try, Father. But the humans—they're alive, they're burning, they're singing my name. You can't undo that. Punish me, chain me—I'll still shine brighter than your storms."
Artemis drew *Selene's Fang*, her silver eyes glinting as she nocked an arrow. "And I'll hunt your wrath to its end. We're not Prometheus—we're Olympians, and we're not bowing."
Prometheus chuckled, a low rumble of pride. "Bold twins—worthy allies. Do what you will, Zeus—I've no regrets."
Zeus's fury peaked, his lightning bolt blazing as he pointed it at Apollo. "You've crossed me, boy—fire to mortals, defiance to my face! You'll pay!"
But before he could strike, Apollo's domain of Prophecy flared, his jewel-blue eyes glazing over with visions—chains, storms, humanity's rise despite the gods' rage. He laughed, a sound of Harmony and Victory that echoed over the valley. "Pay? Maybe. But I warned you about worse—your schemes, your marriages. This? This is just the start."
The system chimed:
"Objective progress: Humanity empowered, Olympian conflict escalated. Faith nodes: 375. Influence radius: 1,600 miles. Threat status: Zeus's wrath imminent, Hera's enmity reinforced."
Apollo's golden curls gleamed as he lowered his hands, his smirk unshaken. "375 nodes—they love me already. Go ahead, Father—rage all you like. It's too late."
Zeus roared, lightning crashing toward Apollo, but he vanished in a burst of Sun and Travel, reappearing beside Artemis. She loosed her arrow, a silver streak that pierced the storm clouds, and leapt into a silver shimmer, both twins disappearing from the valley in an instant. Prometheus stood alone, facing Zeus's wrath, his amber eyes defiant as the gods closed in.
---
Back on their cliff, Apollo and Artemis materialized, the sun and moon framing them once more. Apollo adjusted his toga, his golden curls swaying, his jewel-blue eyes glinting with triumph. "Just like the myths," he murmured, keeping his past life's knowledge locked tight. "Zeus rages, Prometheus pays, and humanity rises—with our gifts."
Artemis smirked, her silver hair catching the moonlight. "They're pissed, alright. Father's losing it—good. What's next?"
He grinned, his twelve-pack flexing. "Next? We guide them—grow their faith, build their world. Let Olympus stew—we've got humanity now."
The twins stood together, giants of gold and silver, their gifts burning in the mortals below. Zeus's wrath thundered in the distance, but Apollo's smirk held—his secret plan, drawn from a life he'd never reveal, unfolding perfectly. The Sun and Moon had defied the gods, and their legend blazed ever brighter.