After two years, Epimetheus not only failed to raise the favor of any Muse, he actually lowered his impression score quite a bit by being frivolous and foolish.
At least he still had a bit of self-awareness and knew he was hopeless with the Muses.
Now, upon seeing these three newly born Graces, gentler and more tender, his restless, fevered heart instantly switched to a new target!
They were all daughters of the God-King anyway!
And as daughters of the Ocean goddess, their temperaments clearly looked even kinder!
Freshly commended by the God-King in public, he fancied himself towering in stature again and felt he "had it" now!
Zeus could only be silently exasperated, but said no more—He waved a hand and granted his request.
If he wanted to stay on Olympus, he could stay.
It hardly made any difference down below whether he was there or not. And with this blockhead, on Mount Olympus where every goddess's standards were sky-high, chances were slim that any would take a liking to him.
How blind would His own daughters have to be to like this oaf?!
Left to himself, the fool's happiness looked doubtful.
In the end, most likely it would still fall to the great God-King to help him settle his lifelong affair.
Once these trifles were handled one by one, the fire in Zeus's heart blazed up again.
He turned and seized Metis, wanting to pull her back at once to delve into the hundred-and-eight marvelous ways a new deity might appear.
Eurynome, cheeks flushed, was very considerate and first led her children back to their own temple.
She did not wish to disturb her good elder sister again.
Besides, she truly wished to draw close and bond well with her dear children. After all, though she knew her daughters best, for the moment mother and daughters were not all that familiar…
Before parting from Eurynome, Zeus also took special care to whisper a word to her.
When Aglaea cast her coronet into the starry sky to delineate her sacred domain, have her Mother give her a hand.
The dear girl's power still lagged far behind that of her Mother—the Great Mother of Clear Water—who had already deeply conjoined divinity with Zeus.
With Eurynome's help, the expanse of the child's sacred domain would be at least several times greater.
These were words only a "rule-bending" God-King like Zeus could speak.
Otherwise, whether dignified Metis, gentle Eurynome, or three daughters of the highest virtue, none would ever use such a "cheat."
If it were the goddess of Fate—his most impish little Fate-daughter Atropos—Zeus could guarantee she would find every way to exploit loopholes!
Even if her spotless Mother Themis did not help, she would surely go seek out other powerful gods.
Zeus even suspected she might go ask the Hecatoncheires to help with the throw!
On the whole, at this celebratory feast, nearly every notable god attended—whoever could come, came.
Even the Lady of Night, whose heart was very far from happy, still arrived with all her children.
Now, wherever the bustle was, she would go—and bring all the children along…
For the sake of helping her children quickly blend into the universe's new order, this Mother truly had fretted herself out.
Though at the feast her supremely beautiful, stately face was cold as frost and she was not very lively…
Yet before so great a crowd, she certainly would not do anything to shame her beloved God-King or herself.
But in the private divine-thought channel, the storm had already risen!
Messages urging Zeus to come to the Underworld quickly had long surpassed a thousand.
Hard words, soft words, scolding, pleading—she had said nearly everything.
She had even hinted to Zeus that she had prepared a tremendous surprise for Him.
The poor Lady of Night was about to become a complaining wife.
Or rather—already was…
After all, a god of Night's emotions were always stronger—whether love or hate, ever more intense.
Especially she, the very embodiment of Night—the Great Mother of Night—her emotions ever more unbridled and ardent.
Long repressed, once she had been wholly pierced and released by Zeus's domineering thunder, she tasted the marrow at once and could not stop.
The endless agony of longing, and envy and jealousy toward other goddesses, left her overfull heart without a moment of calm.
She had never expected that, before she had Zeus, though it was hard to endure, she could still bear it.
But once she had tasted the supreme joy of divine union—truly, she could not bear it for an instant…
And she so dearly wanted a son!!!
If she could not have the God-King's firstborn, then the second would barely do!
Zeus even suspected that if He were truly to set the Lady of Night in the rightful place, her jealousy and methods would be a hundred, a thousand times fiercer than Hera's.
Though the night's driving force was not from pure love, but from greedy possessiveness…
Still, the dear Lady of Night's hopes were fated to be disappointed…
If she wanted a son—she could get in line!
His Majesty the God-King, deep as the sea in feeling, had already drawn His beloved wisdom goddess back once more to her Temple of Wisdom.
They both sat upon the cloud-bed that had witnessed too many stories and secrets; the soft, undulating bed seemed to welcome its masters in silence.
Facing each other, His Majesty the God-King clasped the supple, boneless little hands of his beloved goddess and began His performance.
He sighed and sighed; between matchless brows and eyes a "sorrow" would not dissolve; in his golden eyes, "grievance" that could break a god's heart brimmed—truly the look of one wronged by the world.
Wise Metis had long seen through it all; she felt amused, but did not call Him out.
She simply watched as her beloved God-King, having gained a great advantage, still played the pitiable—letting Him act to His heart's content without a word—while the light in her eyes gleamed ever brighter, like stars.
Zeus sighed and groaned for a long time, each heavier and more plaintive than the last—acting that would be enough to make the goddess of drama bow in admiration.
Truly, worthy of the father of the Muse of tragedy and drama—if Melpomene were here now, she would surely study hard at Father's side.
Yet this performance of His, before the keen and wise goddess, was indeed ineffective.
His carefully brewed emotions were about to ferment, but when He snuck a glance, He saw his beloved Metis wearing only the faintest smile and quietly watching Him—unmoved.
Zeus sighed inwardly: Not good—gentle Metis has turned bad!
It must be that those near cinnabar turn red—she's been influenced by my profound wisdom! She won't even play along with my act!
With the opponent not taking the bait, He could only attack outright.
His Majesty knit His brows and, in a tone like one lamenting betrayal by the whole world, said low, "My dear Metis, my beloved—could it be… could it be that you no longer love me?"
"I have gone so long unable to hold you in my arms. My longing for you has made all my divinity endure endless torment."
"Even the most delicious ambrosia and nectar slide past my lips without taste, for all my divinity, all my senses, are long since wholly filled by your image!"
"Standing is you, sitting is you; eyes open is you, eyes shut is you. Lowering my head to gaze at wine in the cup, the rippling reflection is you as well!"
"How I long to pour out to you this passion engraved in my bones, to hold you tight and relieve the pain of longing."
"But—but…" He turned the tone, sorrow deeper still. "Alas—you could bring yourself to push me away! My beloved—I feel that your sea-like love for me is no longer what it was."
Though she knew full well her beloved God-King was acting hard, hearing such sweet words—stars and honey ground together—Metis still could not help her heart's delight.
The corners of her charming lips finally tilted up, unfolding a smile that could topple crowds, and the feeling in her eyes softened further.
Her beloved God-King's tender words—no matter how many times she had heard them, in however many ways, whether true or partly contrived—she never tired of them.
All the more since her beloved God-King's variations were too many to count—endlessly inventive!
He could always come up with new ways to give her a different, fresh experience.
Faced with this pitiful act of her beloved—especially such words—Metis truly could not bear to give no response.
She smiled gently; with liquid eyes she rolled Zeus a fond, scolding glance.
Then she simply lifted her arms and pulled this still-acting God-King hard into her soaring embrace, and in the softest way stopped that mouth with far too many lines.
"My love—how can you say such things?" Her breath was like spring-tide, warm and sweet. "Here—come and feel carefully. My love for you only ever grows day by day—how could it lessen by even a hair?"
Then, by his ear, she dropped her voice: "Ahh~ dear, why aren't you speaking now?"
The poor God-King could not speak at all—and Metis gave Him no chance to breathe.
Her soft voice held a clear note of mischief. "Since you are not speaking, that means you know you said wrong. Since it was wrong, you must never say such things again."
Having learned too many "strategies" with her beloved God-King, the wisdom goddess knew perfectly how to deal with him.
She decisively launched a surgical-precision counterstrike—the effect was remarkable. The God-King, neither above nor below, had no power to resist.
And she was not done.
Her offensive had not stopped; while the God-King was trapped in the tender snare and had not a word to answer with, she continued: "Mm~ but speaking of which, my love—since you did not care for the 'surprise' I prepared for you, then…"
"I can promise you—such surprises will never come again."
At that, Zeus's divine body trembled; in urgent haste He moved to sit upright.
He was just about to protest, when Metis, with a light push, moved Him gently back.
Cheeks already rosy, she still looked at her beloved God-King with a smiling eye and dealt the final blow: "My love—now let me confirm one last time. Do you, after all, admit your fault?"
"Do you still want me to prepare surprises for you again?"
Breath and nose full of intoxicating fragrance, the God-King straightened His face at once and said firmly, "My love! It is that my divine power has been a bit out of balance of late, making my divinity slightly dazed—thus the lapse in perception!"
"Just now, I have been quite certain—our love is forever steadfast and unchanging!"
"Whether your love for me, or my love for you, it is the same! It is the most beautiful treasure our eternal lives cannot lack!"
The God-King clasped his beloved goddess's jade hands tight; his golden eyes looked straight into hers, holding only unquestionable seriousness and sincerity. "Dear—about the surprises—I love them! Truly, I love them very, very much! Thank you so much!"
"I feel there should be more in the future—the more the better! Between spouses, such lovely surprises are needed—this is an indispensable charm of our life!"
Hearing this, the wisdom goddess put on a look of sudden understanding and nodded lightly. "Since that is so…"
"Then… we'll speak of it later."
"Ah?!" Hearing this final outcome, the God-King was struck dumb on the spot.
That dazed look of His made the wisdom goddess unable to hold back another moment; she laughed until the flowers shook, her poise fully gone. Her tender body went soft and she fell laughing into her beloved God-King's arms.
Her body, indeed, was already somewhat without strength.
The God-King, anxious in his heart, pulled his beloved tight—and the thunder in Him was already growing unruly.
He breathed heat upon the beloved goddess's sensitive ear and asked in a low voice, "My love—this 'later'—just when is it?"
The wisdom goddess was flushed all over under her beloved God-King's burning breath. Nestled in His arms, she gave a light "mm" through her nose; her charming tone was already brimming with inextricable sweetness. "Well~"
"I don't know either. But I think that will depend… on a certain god's performance."
"Speaking of which—I think a family being together, happily and contentedly, is what matters most."
As the wisdom goddess spoke, her small hand lay upon her beloved God-King's thunder-strong chest.
Her body leaned slightly forward; she lifted her fine head. In her wise golden eyes lights flowed and feelings spun, and within her stately holiness a trace of irresistible allure quietly bloomed.
"My love, don't you think so? Tell me—my sister and I, our whole family being together in harmony and happiness—isn't that what matters most?"
Zeus swallowed hard; His heart pounded faster and faster and divine blood surged like a tide.
At once He nodded with utmost earnestness—He did not dare contradict in the least, fearing to speak a word too many and show poorly.
The wisdom goddess had, by now, entirely taken the field.
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