The two gods rested in tender closeness, and the tireless God-King was by no means idle.
His broad hand moored back and forth upon the tide at the pure goddess's bodice, like thunder reaching into clear water.
Yet because of the Ocean daughter's magnificence, the pure water in turn wrapped the lightning in gentleness.
Being drowned in this endless tenderness kept the God-King in a sweet daze; at every instant He could not bear to leave.
The limpid goddess's compliant devotion was truly beyond imagining.
She had carved "taking her husband as her heaven" into her very bones.
Shy as water in hue, yet gentle as the tide.
Her docile initiative, and that willingness to let her husband have His way, were enough to make up for any clumsiness.
As the God-King's restless, lightning-tipped fingers roamed, Eurynome—long since without a trace of strength—still trembled gently under those fine, tingling sparks.
The sensation of truly being "shocked" made her both love and fear it, long for it and fluster at it, as if her body and soul would utterly melt.
Unknowingly, a curious sound—like a nightingale's low, winding song, or a kitten mewling coyly—rose again in secret.
It was that thunder's electric light passed through the spring, and the spring's voice, trembled by the current, became a string of silver bells in the mountain stream.
That clear, lingering sound finally let the enraptured God-King come a little back to Himself.
Looking upon the limpid goddess before Him, autumn waves gliding in her gaze, lustrous and hazy, He could not help but bow His head and kiss the overly compliant little darling in His arms.
The God-King never stinted to show His love: "My love, on behalf of the whole universe, I thank you. Because of you, from this day forth, the cosmos can become more beautiful."
"Our children are so dear and lovely. They have brought joy and happiness to the universe. I believe that under your tutelage, they will one day make the cosmos more harmonious."
Eurynome answered with a soft "mm," and rather than waking from her trance at her beloved's words, she sank deeper into them.
For a full thirty days, the supreme, vast, domineering, and resplendent divinity of the God-King had utterly suffused her body and soul.
From without to within, from within to without, she had truly and continuously felt her beloved God-King's peerless, blazing radiance.
She felt as though a tiny drop of water at last had merged into that boundless ocean named "Zeus."
Her beloved God-King's all-knowing, all-powerful, absolute grandeur had conquered all her divinity.
Endless glory ran through her within and without; in their union she had heard those sweet words of devotion to the God-King countless times.
And yet each time they were spoken felt like her first fall into love.
Listening to her beloved God-King's tender words, the Ocean's daughter could no longer hold back those murmured words of adoration that echoed like a clear spring; they poured from her dewy red lips—
just like herself…
"Mm~ Your Majesty~ my love, my lord, my light of divinity… Eurynome—Eurynome—is so happy, so blessed!"
"It was your boundless compassion and love, like sweet rain, that irrigated my parched divinity, drenched me through, and let me, together with you, bear these three dearest children I will cherish for eternity."
"My Majesty, the universe's every grandeur shines because of you! Only you let all existence enjoy true peace and glory!"
"Mm~ Your Majesty—I—I love you so…"
Unable to restrain herself, the lovely goddess found strength from who knew where, and she could not help but nuzzle like a kitten against her beloved God-King's solid chest; her red lips, too, greedily landed a scatter of tiny kisses.
Zeus narrowed His golden eyes in comfort, a gentle smile upon His face: "My little darling, perhaps the universe is grand because of me, but it surely is beautiful because of you. How can you not feel how much I love you? I can never, ever lose you."
"Mm~ Your Majesty~"
Willingly eaten up by Zeus, Eurynome mustered the last of her strength to make her beloved God-King even happier.
Her elder sister had taught her that a vital part of "love" is making the other happier.
But the goddess of wisdom, truth be told, had waited quite long enough.
True to her principle of "not lying to her beloved God-King," she had indeed gone to Hera.
And she had indeed discussed something extremely important, namely—
Eurynome was about to get her wish.
Well, that was certainly important…
Though Hera had already known, and had no objection at all.
That her dear, lovely sister could fulfill her heart's desire was also what Hera wished to see.
Hera no longer had to be rained upon, but there was a noble, pure goddess still at a loss in the downpour.
Greedy and bewitching goddesses deserved to be rained upon; but for this holy and pure goddess, Hera truly could not bear it.
Metis kept Hera company as she nurtured her child for a while, and even pulled Hestia in to discuss—full of interest—how they would teach the child in days to come.
But such matters, however one delayed, could not delay long.
When she felt that her beloved God-King and her good little sister had borne dear children, she was both surprised and gratified, and instantly returned to her own sacred mountain, eager to see them at the first moment.
They were, after all, the God-King's and the Ocean pantheon's first children in the true sense!
Of extraordinary, great significance!
Yet when Metis returned to the Temple of Wisdom, she was immediately left speechless.
Well now—the gentle omens that veiled the whole world not only had not faded, but seemed to be growing stronger.
And those dear children had been unceremoniously left outside the hall by their irresponsible parents, sitting there all alone, lost in contemplation.
At such a tender age, they had already learned heavy thought…
Had they not been born divine—great gods who knew innately from birth—Metis would truly have been furious.
What sort of parents leave newborn "children" outside the door?!
Nor was that the end of it.
As she watched over Aglaea on the steps, two more equally dear and lovely goddesses descended leisurely beyond the hall.
For a time, the first ones these three newborn maidens saw were not their father and mother, but their aunt—the goddess of wisdom!
Perhaps many third-generation goddesses know that feeling well…
Metis had no time for speechlessness and complaint. Looking at the three children, her heart was full of joy; the more she looked, the more she loved them.
These three children were truly full of the Ocean's and the Mother's qualities that nourish all things.
They were destined to bring endless joy and laughter to all beings and all civilizations in the cosmos.
She stayed outside the hall, carefully caring for these three joyous goddesses. Watching them play delightedly, her heart melted along with them; they laughed, and she laughed too.
They were three goddesses forever joyous, forever carefree, forever radiant.
A deep envy rose in her heart.
Who would not wish to have such dear children?
Fortunately, a sister's child is one's own child.
Thinking so, Metis's heart grew softer still.
When the omens across the sky slowly faded, and yet the two gods within still showed no sign of coming out, Metis found her displeasure truly hard to tamp down.
If they were busy with serious matters and could not tend to the children, so be it.
But now the wind and rain had ceased; it should be over, should it not? And still they did not come out to see the children!
These two gods were truly going a bit too far!
Seeing the golden clouds at the horizon gathering again—as if there might be an encore—Metis could no longer hold back.
She lifted a delicate hand and flung a thread of purifying divine light into the temple, deciding to give the two a proper reminder.
That purifying light, like the coolest water of wisdom, poured with precision upon the kindling set to reignite.
Breathed upon by wisdom's clear light, the two gods—who had nearly sunk again—met each other's eyes and blinked; at once they understood Metis's meaning.
Eurynome's already rosy cheeks went "whoomph" to a deeper crimson, so hot as to be nearly feverish.
His Majesty the God-King, of course, kept an unchanged face.
He had long since forgotten what it meant to be embarrassed.
He only gave a soft cough—an emblematic smoothing of the awkward air—and said lightly, as if nothing were amiss, "My little darling, dear Metis has finished her important errand and returned. Let us go together to see her and our dearest children."
Eurynome's small head bobbed again and again.
With her beloved God-King's help, she managed at last to rise.
Once off the cloud-bed, her shyness and dignity returned to her side.
At the height of passion, she knew not heaven and earth.
But now that reason had retaken the high ground, one glance at the overly fervent scene nearly made her collapse again in shame.
At once she lifted her hand and summoned a great flow of pure water to wash the inner hall—too full of damp and thunder-traces—clean as new, then let out a light breath.
And just as she lifted her eyes, she caught her beloved God-King looking at her with a face full of mischievous grin.
That gaze plainly said: "Truly worthy of an Ocean's daughter~~~"
Eurynome nearly fainted from shame on the spot.
Zeus, quick of eye and hand, drew the dear goddess—who was almost a puddle of spring water—into His embrace, murmured a line at her ear mischievous enough to make body and soul go weak, then held her up with divine power as they flew out of the hall together.
Outside, the three newborn Graces were circling Metis with joy.
They were like three pure little wavelets, lovingly wrapping a gentle reef.
Their bell-like laughter filled the whole mountain of wisdom with boundless delight.
When Zeus and Eurynome came forth hand in hand, Metis ignored the over-the-line God-King and cast her dear little sister a glance full of reproach.
"Good sister! You must not be too shy—but you must not be too forward, either!"
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