Thunderstorms are many things: loud, violent, mean, and scary. To some it may be all of these things, but to others it is calming and relaxing to hear the booms of thunder go off in the distance and to hear the rain drizzling down. To others, it is mesmerizing to see lightning strikes take over the whole sky with their light. No matter how you feel about thunderstorms, the story of their existence is one that is fascinating to hear about. Most people are familiar with Zeus, God of the Sky, God of Lightning, and King of Mount Olympus. With all the power he holds, people assume that thunder is how Zeus expresses his anger and frustration, but they would be surprised to know why thunder actually rolls around. 

Thousands of years ago, Zeus was just a little baby. Zeus laid in his bassinet and let it sway with the breeze that flew through his home on Mount Olympus. He spent a majority of his days staring wide-eyed at the sky above his head. The sky was almost the same light blue every day. It was bright and fresh and extremely captivating to look at. He would watch clouds float across his line of vision until they were nowhere to be seen. Most people would become bored after a couple of hours of just laying there, but not Zeus, he never missed a chance to just lay there and let his eyes travel around the sky.

One day, Zeus was doing the very thing he loved the most, staring at the sky. He was enjoying the familiar sight until an unfamiliar object entered his line of sight. A shadow laid across Zeus’s face that was from the creature above blocking part of the sun. The creature had the lightest white fur with gorgeous wings that spread out wide to block the sun. Its neck stretched out with a long and flowing mane down it. Its crystal blue eyes stared down at baby Zeus and studied him. The creature tilted its head and looked at Zeus a little longer. This simple motion caused a smile to grow across the baby’s face. After being quiet for some time, the creature let out a huff and a loud neigh. This unfamiliar noise caused the baby to let out a little giggle, and the giggle soon erupted into a roar of laughter. The once bright blue sky was soon taken over by dark gray clouds. The pegasus turned its head, slightly taken back by the new skyline. A loud boom rang through the sky, causing baby Zeus to stop laughing and the pegasus to fly away. All of Mount Olympus ran around in fear as this new and unfamiliar sky took over. Zeus’s mother scooped him up as fast as she could and made way for some shelter. 

It took years for Mount Olymus to realize that their King was the one responsible for this change in the weather. Whenever a thunderstorm rolls around, people are now unfazed by the change in weather, rather they are curious about what made Zeus laugh so much.