For His Majesty the God-King, whose resistance to enchantment was nearly zero before a dazzling goddess, his divine thoughts were in an instant submerged by a pure and radiant, limpid sea, and his heart was stilled.
It was Eurynome, daughter of Ocean, the embodiment of pure, gentle water.
The half-veiling gauze upon her body was like thin waves lifted lightly by sea-breeze—clear, shimmering, so pure it seemed to rinse a god's very divinity to brightness.
She stood gracefully in that grand Temple of Wisdom, quiet as a tender flower reflected in water, yet also like a gentle sea shell lifted by the ocean's tide, holding within the coy light of a Grace.
When His Majesty the God-King recounted this glorious episode to the author, he solemnly issued a sacred statement: this truly was not His fault!
It was that half-veiled, limpid, gracious daughter of Ocean—she was simply too beautiful!
"I only have eyes that easily find 'beauty,'" He said, earnest and innocent.
The humble author, looking at the golden-white lightning flickering faintly beneath the hem of the God-King's robe, gathering and scattering by turns, immediately expressed one hundred and twenty percent of absolutely loyal belief!
Seeing her beloved dazed under the "great charm" spell, Metis felt both exasperated and amused.
So her beloved God-King truly was just this kind of god!
He was beyond saving!
The goddess of wisdom couldn't even be bothered to look at Him again.
She merely let a faintly icy, crystalline hum slip from her delicate nose.
At that cold hum, the "great charm" upon His Majesty was dispelled in an instant,
and Eurynome—long unable to lift her head beneath the God-King's burning gaze—was freed as well.
Eurynome quietly drew a deep breath, moved forward on lotus steps, and bowed gracefully. "Eurynome pays homage to His Majesty the great God-King."
The voice of this pure daughter of Ocean was like an autumn breeze stroking a calm sea; without a sound, it sent ripples shimmering wide.
Zeus's heart gave an itch, and thunder rang a bright echo in his breast.
And as she bowed, the single, thrifty clasp of her bodice revealed a breathtaking curve.
His Majesty's gaze was keen beyond compare; at once he took in the focal points clearly and nearly succumbed to the charm again.
The plump fruits traced a line beneath the gauze thin as a cicada's wing—like two rich fruits swaying lightly on a branch. The springtime hint, half-hidden, did not shout, yet was enough to halt the lightning in place.
Those snow-and-peach-like fruits were hazed in thin mist, but could not escape the God-King's golden eyes.
How could such a view not set a god's heart adrift?
There was no help for it: for all His Majesty's might across the cosmos, His resistance to enchantment was indeed too low.
This was not His fault—truly!
His Majesty, as usual, smiled without changing color and nodded, then said with a warmth and tenderness enough to melt an iceberg, "Dear Eurynome, my beloved wife—why be so formal before me?"
Saying this, He moved to take the little hand of this lovely goddess.
Yet, just enough reason remained to Him that, once He had taken shy Eurynome's hand, He immediately reached to take Metis's as well.
The goddess of wisdom gave a soft hum and slipped cleverly past her beloved's unruly hand.
With an air of cool indifference, she said lightly, "His Majesty the God-King handles myriad affairs daily, bears the cosmos's great matters, holds the eight horizons in His heart, and plots numberless designs. What—still has time to visit us sisters?"
His Majesty beamed. "My beloved Metis, my dearest love. You and the lovely Eurynome are the light and flame my heart cannot do without. What in this universe could be more important than keeping you company?"
"My longing for you makes my heart feel at every moment as though it were set amid blazing flame. If you don't believe it, feel whether my chest is hot."
With that, He neatly reached out again and drew Metis firmly into His arms,
and gathered docile Eurynome in as well.
The goddess of wisdom only pushed symbolically twice; when she could not break free, she simply nestled into her beloved's arms, the corners of her eyes holding an unhideable tender smile.
Crystal-clear Eurynome had already, longingly, pressed herself to her beloved God-King's hard chest—like a pool of clear water lying upon thunder—her pretty little face full of rapture.
With an armful on the left and the right, His Majesty felt exceedingly pleased.
The goddess of wisdom rolled her eyes at her beloved in silence, then scolded, not unlovingly, "Your Majesty's longing, I fear, exists only in these lovely words."
"Pity my dear little sister here—she is the one who truly pines. Each day she grows absent-minded for longing's sake, uneasy day and night."
"I wonder which heartless one has caused my sister to be in such a pitiful state?"
Speaking thus, the goddess of wisdom reached out a tender jade finger and lightly scratched Zeus's chin.
Tilting her head up, half smiling, she asked, "Your Majesty, would such a heartless one not be too wicked? Ought we not refuse to heed Him? Wouldn't it be better to shut the door and see Him not at all?"
"Er… this…" The little hand of his beloved scratched so pleasantly that the God-King had to narrow his eyes in comfort.
But the words between those red lips and pearl teeth were truly sour and spicy; each one was like a silver needle wrapped in honey. The God-King dared not reply carelessly.
He was just about to shift the subject by habit when the lovely Eurynome, full of heartache, spoke up urgently: "Sister~"
That shy, timid cry, with a hint of pleading sweetness, rescued Him of her own accord.
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty also has His difficulties."
Metis felt both exasperated and amused. Her silly little sister was even more yielding to this rascal than she herself.
She lifted her hand and tapped her sister on the brow, rebuking with mock severity yet looking at Zeus: "Silly sister, I did not say it was His Majesty."
"His Majesty shines upon the cosmos and holds the four quarters—how could He be 'heartless'?"
Zeus turned a deaf ear. This degree of teasing was, to Him, no more than a breeze upon a hill—without the least harm.
His Majesty knew well that in verbal bouts, one must never follow the other's rhythm, and above all must never fall into the "self-justification trap."
At once He forcibly changed the topic and, in a voice full of surprise, said, "Oh~ my dear Metis, the tide of love drove me here today; the storm of longing blew me to your side."
"I have a premonition that today something unexpected and delightful will happen between us."
That subject-change was truly stiff.
Metis rolled Him another graceful eye-roll—elegant and beautiful.
But she was not the kind of goddess to cling to a point without end.
A teasing word or two was enough; how could she truly embarrass her beloved God-King?
As for the "delight," she truly was curious.
She did not doubt in the least whether such a "delight" existed, nor whether it could be realized.
The God-King's "premonitions" were never mere premonitions.
They were realities certain to be.
Whatever it was—if the God-King wished it, it must be realized.
Whatever it was.
At her side, Eurynome, feeling the heat of the big hand stealing and wandering at her waist, had already gone soft as beach sand.
Fortunately, after Metis's special training, she still remembered the "homework" her sister had urged upon her again and again.
Just now she was boldly, as instructed, giving her beloved God-King a little response.
She slyly reached out a small hand and greedily stroked her beloved God-King's solid chest.
Those sapphire eyes had grown liquid, almost dripping, and her long lashes trembled nervously, like two little fish flicking their tails on the water.
Metis pretended not to see these small gestures—or rather, this was just what she wished to see.
She teased her beloved again by scratching His chin, and at last, willing to treat Him tenderly, she asked softly, "My love, what delight is it?"
Zeus hummed twice in comfort and said, "This one… can only be spoken of in private. Dear Eurynome is here. It would be unseemly for me to speak; it would be disrespectful to our lovely Eurynome."
At these words, Metis's heart gave a soft "thump."
Wise as she was, she had a fair guess at once.
A flush crept quietly over her face, but she suppressed the tender thought.
She already had a child; there was no hurry.
For now, her sister's happiness mattered more.
Yet Eurynome, who had been sunk in deep waters, upon hearing Zeus's words, suddenly felt as if a wall of ice had fallen between them; her heart hollowed out and lost footing.
Her little hand, which had been stealthily misbehaving, stilled, and she pressed her pink lips tight. Her blue eyes filled with a sudden mist; red welled, aggrieved, at the rims.
Seeing it all, Metis felt a pang and hastened to mend: "Zeus, my love, Eurynome is also your wife and my dearest sister. We are the closest family—what could there be that cannot be said?"
Zeus realized at once that His words had likely cut the sensitive little goddess to the quick.
He gathered Eurynome tighter and murmured to soothe her, smiling low: "There is nothing that cannot be said. But my dear Eurynome is simply too dear. She is my beloved wife—I cannot bear to 'bully' her."
"I fear I might not say it well and only make her shy. I wish in days to come to give her a perfect and beautiful memory. I love her and respect her—how could I treat her so lightly?"
At this, Eurynome finally let go her worry and sighed long. She hugged Zeus tighter still, unwilling to let go—she wished she could grow into Him then and there.
The ample "baby's canteen" was squeezed so pitifully it seemed about to spill from her sides.
Hearing this, the goddess of wisdom put on a look of sudden understanding. "Oh~ so that is how it is."
She had no wish to make more trouble. Seeing the moment ripe, she seemed suddenly to recall, "Ah, that's it—I just remembered something urgent. I must go to Hera for a while."
"My dear, I'll take my leave first. Let Eurynome keep you company here."
Zeus paused. The two deities exchanged a look, and all meaning passed unspoken.
Zeus fell into thought.
Seeing this, Metis kissed her beloved God-King's cheek gently and yielded the field—giving Him a pleading, soft look.
"My dear, I will go first. It is a matter of importance—I should… not be back soon. So do not bully our lovely Eurynome~"
With that she slipped away.
As she turned, she sent her dear sister a secret, encouraging glance.
Just so, all at once, in the grand and quiet Temple of Wisdom, there remained only Zeus and the coy, gentle Eurynome.
The hall fell still.
Only clarity and thunder gazed at each other.
Her good sister's departure removed the last screen from the limpid goddess—and loosed the last fetter.
The deep, unbridled love of the ocean finally, at this moment, broke through the shy dam.
Eurynome, earlier like a touch-me-not, instead let herself go completely.
She seized her beloved God-King's broad hand, filled with boundless thunder's might, and hugged it tight against the tall, soft swell of her heart.
She tilted her head up; in those blue eyes, limpid as water, there brimmed a passion enough to drown a god.
The resolute goddess, bashfully gazing at the god she adored, said tenderly, "Your Majesty—dear Majesty, my beloved…"
"Eurynome so wants, so wants… to be Your Majesty's wife…"
With things as they were, what more was there to say?
Zeus gathered all wandering thoughts and drew this limpid daughter of Ocean close.
In a voice as gentle as to melt the stars, He answered her deep feeling: "My Eurynome, my gracious goddess—were you not already my beloved wife?"
As the words fell, His arms closed.
The limpid waters at last gave themselves to the thunder-bone they would trust; the unbridled thunder pressed upon the gentle, nourishing wave.
Upon this mountain of wisdom, the fairest, most gracious daughter of Ocean, with her ocean-born, nourishing tenderness, wholly captured the amorous God-King.
Multicolored clouds veiled all Olympus.
But this time, there was no thunder's peal nor storm's roar.
Endless soft cloud gathered; glowing light shone gently upon the world. The whole firmament donned a veil of soft pale gold, as if the sky had been tenderly overlaid.
The warmest radiance drifted with the clearest, fine rain to every corner of the world.
In this new age, the universe indeed had, beneath Zeus's thunder, established the grandest, most inviolable order.
With forbearance, compassion, and loving-kindness, He had founded the most sacred order of justice!
This great, just order had brought peace, calm, and stability to the cosmos.
Yet it lacked only a soul-stirring softness of color, a moving harmony of charity, and the glory and grandeur that spring from the depth of spirit.
Zeus—King of All Gods, Almighty Sovereign, Lord of the Sky, Master of Thunder—He was the embodiment of this great order.
His will was the straight line of order that cannot tilt in the cosmos; the eternal axiom that defines all things; power itself of the highest degree!
The universe was austere enough, grand enough, and precise enough.
Yet it was not "gentle" enough.
It still lacked a "kindly" warmth, a movement with the melody of "love."
Eurynome, the embodiment of ocean's pure water, the Great Mother of Ocean who stands for "purity," "limpidity," "clarity," "shimmer," and "nurture"—
She is purity itself; she is the reality of clarity; she is flawless lucency; she is the soundless shimmer; she is the charitable virtue of nurture.
She is the great law that "makes existence more abundant and gracious."
Purity keeps true color; limpidity washes away chaos; lucency is the sparkle that longs for light; shimmer is the joy of life's flowing; and nurture is the utmost mercy that lets all goodness endure.
They were like two opposite poles—fated and irresistible in attraction and resonance.
Their sacred union was proof of "real" and "true," a harmony of "power" and "charity," and the perfect joining of "order" and "grace."
In that moment, within the sacred, rigorous, and supremely majestic Heavenly Order, the universe's pulse began to beat gently.
The cosmos displayed the softest, smoothest omen—
The Heavenly Law of supreme thunder turned to endless golden lines of order, spreading from the sky to form the stage's frame.
And the gracious waters of "limpidity, purity, lucency, shimmer, nurture," gathered from the ten thousand streams and rose to meet them, becoming a flawless mirror-sea reflecting the entire universe—the stage itself.
The cosmic sovereign spread thunder's "law" and "measure"; the Grace of pure water received them with lucent "form" and "body."
These two supreme concepts—hard and soft in balance—upon the sacred loom of the Heavenly network, became warp and weft, and began a two-god dance on the cosmic scale.
They corrected each other, welcomed each other, harmonized together.
The hard straight lines of measure, encircled by soft water, began graceful turns; the formless soft water, guided by order, gained a firm embankment.
The grand threads of the Heavenly Order were tenderly washed and dyed by the goddess of grace—thus, the hard, cold order took on softness and gentleness.
The clear ripples of noble virtue were supported by the thunder-lord's firm bolts—thus, gentle and goodly morals gained strength to hold to the right.
Power was no longer cold severity; grace no longer powerless softness.
Law gained a warm, gentle heart; goodness grew a strong, sinewed spine.
At the sky's hardest point, the "rule of order" appeared; at the calm sea's softest point, a "lucent score" was raised.
Thunder fell without shattering and entered the clear water without being quenched.
Golden-white lightning roamed freely in the pure sea, breaking the waves; the limpid water met it in smooth welcome, trembling lightly under thunder's pulse.
Each "roar," refracted by clarity, saw its destructive scar congeal into harmonious strings—becoming a rhythm one could hear.
Each "water-glint," gathered by order, struck and rang into strings of crisp bells, cast far upon mountains and rivers.
Thunder was no longer only the awe of law, but the glow of honor and merit; the earth was no longer only the bearer of existence, but a warm couch that could nurse joy and festivity; rivers were no longer only flowing waters, but limpid springs shimmering with nurture and mercy.
In this great resonance of "hard" and "soft," "power" and "grace," "law" and "benefit," three more concrete, exalted, holy concepts were born from their union.
They were the eternal main theme the Supreme, most good and most beautiful Lord established for the universe—
"Truth," "Goodness," and "Beauty"!
This was the first time the universe touched so clearly the essence of "truth, goodness, and beauty."
Power is the arm that guards "beauty"; grace is the gentleness that guides "power."
"Power," through "grace," grows approachable; "grace," through "power," grows trustworthy.
In the instant of their mingling, the future main melody of the cosmos, under Zeus's will, was set completely.
It was to take joy for its rhyme, grace for its lyric, and splendor for its chapter, so that all civilization and the prolonging of existence would be an endless hymn to the final concept of "the good."
All things and all living beings in the universe should pursue the good.
This is the will of the most high, most good Father.
At this most radiant moment, three clear, bright figures emerged in turn from the waves of light in the sky:
The first, a noble goddess, leapt from the nexus of thunder and water-light.
She wore gauze woven of golden cloud; in her hair flashed a diamond light personally tempered by Zeus's thunder; in her hand she lifted high the coronet that signified "radiance."
It was glory crowning power, order in harmony with gentleness, the truest brilliance existence longs to show forth.
Her name—Aglaea!
She is the cornerstone of all value—"Truth"!
To objective existence she is essential verity; to subjective spirit she is sincerity without deceit.
She stands high in the ninth heaven, so that all achievements shine without scorching, and all sincerity is real and not false.
She refuses all falsehood and distortion, existing only by truth and candor.
She represents the "accurate," the "real," the "actual," and will bring "radiance," "grandeur," and "glory" to all beings who hold to truth and sincerity!
The second, a compassionate goddess, touched her toe to the sea and raised countless bubbles of joy, descending with the laughter of pure goodness.
Ocean's spray became her hem, and the pearls she held were condensed from Eurynome's happy, fragrant sweat. All sorrow, at the touch of her skirt, turned at once into notes of joy.
It was life finding a purpose for living, kindness guarding all beings' survival, emptiness of heart filled by endless compassion.
Her name—Euphrosyne!
She is the core of all meaning—"Goodness"!
To concrete deed she is respect and nurture; to inward thought she is mercy and purity.
She dwells in the hall of good hearts, so that all sorrow and joy are measured and not excessive, and all acts that benefit others are not done for evil.
She refuses all harm and plunder—she only wishes existence itself to grow joyful and happy.
She represents "kindness," "morality," and "friendliness," and leads all civilizations and wise beings to enjoy, in "delight" and "gladness," a gracious "celebration" full of good will!
The third, a bright goddess, grew from the final kiss-mark of pure water and rain of light.
She wore a lovely, unfading floral crown, and all blossoms together had woven her splendid dress. Where her hem brushed, flowers bloomed unendingly; where her steps fell, grasses thrived and granaries swelled.
It was cold order at last given the most splendid colors, so that all growth would be filled with richness, and all civilizations might, within order, move toward final flourishing.
Her name—Thalia!
She is the outward manifestation of all harmony—"Beauty"!
For the beauty of existence, she is harmony and nature; for the beauty of spirit, she is richness and fulfillment.
She stands guard between "truth" and "goodness," so that all is full and ordered without spilling over, and all shows forth in harmonious unity without ugliness.
She refuses all destruction and ruin, and answers the cosmos's harmony and purity with "splendor."
She represents "the good," "the pure," "the harmonious," and, amid the light of "truth" and "goodness," makes order not cold and kindness not weak; under order's unified harmony, she repays all with "splendor," "feast," and "abundance"!
Thus the three Graces were born!
They are the most holy, sweetest fruit borne naturally, beneath the will of the most good and most beautiful God, of the union between the universe's "power" and "beauty"!
"Truth" is the skeleton, "goodness" the flesh, and "beauty" the holy radiance without.
"Truth" gives "goodness" power—only goodness in accord with law can endure.
"Goodness" gives "beauty" a soul—only beauty that bears good will has warmth.
And "beauty" makes "truth" and "goodness" visible, lovable, and worth pursuing.
"Truth," "goodness," and "beauty" never exist in isolation.
Without "truth," "goodness" degrades into "hypocrisy," and "beauty" becomes a "false ornament."
Without "goodness," "truth" becomes a cold, unfeeling rule, and "beauty" loses its soul as well.
"Beauty" is the outward showing of "truth" and "goodness," the harmonious state of order.
"Beauty" is not mere "looks," but the harmony, delight, and holiness that "truth" and "goodness," when intermingled, at last present.
To seek truth, goodness, and beauty is to seek "to know the essence of the world, to practice the goodly beauty of kindness, and to feel the joy of existence."
Only by seeking truth, goodness, and beauty can civilization be sustained and evolve toward a better future!
Lose truth, goodness, and beauty, and all civilization and spiritual beings can only perish in darkness and terror!
The most high Father and the limpid pure water, in their gentlest supreme union, poured the clearest tenderness and goodness into the cosmos and made of it an eternal, precious law!
From then, the three Graces took their seats upon the universe's spine.
With "reality" as their base, "good will" as their direction, and "harmony" as their form.
They are the goodly longing by which all beings evolve amid joy and abundance—the beginning of the great philosophy that "beauty and power coexist"!
Thunder still guards firm order—yet now forever flickers with a lucent glow; lucency still nourishes all beings' vitality—yet now is forever wrapped around a bone of thunder.
Their advent taught thunder a gentle smile and gave water-light a power to nourish all beings.
A new epoch arrived hand in hand with kindliness and love!
From now on the mightiest power shall show itself in the loveliest form; the deepest truth shall go hand in hand with the most moving joy!
In the tenderness of Grace and beneath thunder's defense, the whole cosmos shall move steadily toward a brighter, merrier, fuller morrow.
The most true, most right, most good, most beautiful Lord set the eternal main theme for the universe's motion—that it should be developed for goodness and joy, with grace and loving-kindness for its ground!
All beings will thereby know:
To seek "truth" is to avoid being deceived by illusions;
To practice "goodness" is to keep each other from hurt;
To dwell in "beauty" is to sing the eternal song in harmony!
Thus the person becomes approachable, civilization endures, and the future can be hoped for.
All this is Zeus's will.
Because this one Lord, one Father, loves all beings!
He wishes that power be not only feared, but loved; that order not only walk, but sing; that each step forward stand beside a shared laugh.
Praise Zeus—the most good, most beautiful, eternal Lord!
Praise Eurynome—the limpid pure water, fount of grace!
Praise Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia—the three Graces—light of truth, joy of goodness, flower of beauty!
May thunder stay warm; may water-light stay bright;
May all law have its body;
May all love have its form.
Heaven holds the virtue of goodness and beauty.
The whole world was wrapped in the gentlest, tenderest omen for thirty days.
Sky and sea embraced in each other's reflections, until the three newborn Graces, amid unending joy, brought to the cosmos a new order named "tenderness."
Only then did the greedy God-King, loath to part, end for a time that supreme, joyous, sacred union.
The great God-King, having generously bestowed all goodness and beauty upon His dear children,
decreed that the three Graces would forever walk the world in the loveliest maidenly form.
Their radiant beauty, compared even to the purest law of beauty—Aphrodite—was only a hair's breadth less.
Indeed, that slight hair's breadth, in spirit and air, was more than made up.
For inner beauty can always mend the twists of outward form with a road toward the light.
Dear Eurynome, this time, truly and completely had her wish.
An almost overflowing, endless sense of fulfillment and joy filled her entire divinity.
Not only could she curl and nestle in her beloved God-King's broad, warm arms—at her first time she also received three dear children.
That first experience truly left her the most beautiful, eternal memory!
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