This all-knowing goddess, though jealous and angry, as the sovereign of civilization and memory, how could she truly lose her reason?
How could she not know the temperament of her own God-King?
She, who understands everything about Zeus, knew far too well.
Zeus yields to softness, not to force!
The heart of this God-King is both soft and unyielding.
He is not a god to be frightened by threats and tantrums!
If she truly disregarded everything and quarreled with him loudly, that would be the end of all things.
But like now, letting him feel guilty toward you, letting him feel tender pain—then won't everything go smoothly afterward?
But what comes next must be fast; the wise God-King will soon react.
After hearing Zeus's promise, this cunning, omniscient goddess quietly smoothed away the smile at the corner of her lips.
Of course, the tears in her eyes had never stopped at all.
Goddesses, even if they aren't daughters of the Ocean, are still made of water all the same.
She lifted her delicate head and looked at Zeus with a pitiful, heart-rending gaze, asking softly, "My love, d-do you mean it?"
Zeus nodded heavily. He lowered his head, and with utmost care gently kissed away the tears on his beloved goddess's face. In an unwavering tone, he said, "My beloved goddess, I know you love me beyond measure, that you are willing to give me your all. How could I bear to let you suffer pain that cannot be borne?"
Zeus spoke with sincere tenderness. "My love, how could I ever bring myself to deceive you? Besides, how could I possibly succeed in deceiving you? My love, please feel it carefully—whether my love for you is genuine."
The sagacious goddess shook her head hard, still speaking with a sob in her voice. "My love, I will always respect you and revere you; how could I rashly pry into your heart?"
"Everything you say I will believe, no matter what it is; I will believe without reservation."
The alluring goddess gazed obsessively at the God-King she adored, all her feelings melting into the hottest whisper: "Zeus~ I love you, I love you so much~~~"
"Please, my love, grant me your mercy, grant me your love like sweet rain. Please claim me—I want only to be possessed by you."
"Zeus, you already have a first child; please allow me to bear a lovely child for you as well!"
"That way, during the long spans when you cannot be with me, with the companionship of the fruit of our love, I can just barely endure the searing, bone-deep ache of longing."
No sooner had the bewitching goddess finished speaking than she gave Zeus no chance to reply, and she kissed him of her own accord.
A bit of crimson tongue slipped in with an irresistible decisiveness, utterly blocking all the words the God-King was about to speak.
How could Zeus, filled with guilt and love, bear to refuse?
Moreover, faced with this omniscient goddess before him—so charming, so full of allure, embodying countless temptations—he simply did not have the will to refuse.
Besides, his next goal had originally been this omniscient goddess who embodied the past.
He had already possessed omniscience of the present; now he needed omniscience of the past.
With past and present in hand, with spirit, wisdom, and memory, he could then weave the destiny of the future.
Thus the guilty and lustful Lord of Heaven, half-resisting and half-yielding, was wholly immersed in the irresistible enchantment of the all-knowing goddess.
Right there, halfway along the path from the Temple of Wisdom to the God-King's Temple, in the wilds of Mount Olympus, the supreme Lord of Thunder was completely "captured" by this omniscient goddess of civilization and memory.
In the sky above, the heavy clouds that had only just dispersed after a day and a night gathered once more with even greater grandeur.
And this time, a mysterious fog so thick that even gods could not see their hands before their faces arose, completely veiling the outline of all Mount Olympus.
Crisp thunder once again rumbled in the depths of the clouds, and merry lightning danced without ceasing.
In every flash of thunderbolt, countless strange and sacred runes—symbols of civilization and the past—were deeply inscribed.
As the supreme thunder of unmatched power and the arbiter of life and death, it now joined with the divine essence that symbolizes vast civilization, boundless memory, and omniscience of what has been—with the deep wellspring of wise inspiration and the enduring imprint of cosmic existence.
The light of thunder and the wisdom of memory fused completely, erupting between heaven and earth in a sacred celebration beyond words.
The light of the lightning was no longer mere electricity, but the radiance of creation suffused with the distilled essence of civilization.
The sound of thunder was no longer simple rumbling, but became the joyous hymn sung when all things in the universe comprehend and awaken.
All that is known, all that has happened—those fragments that had slumbered for ages in the boundless sea of memory—were, at this moment, utterly awakened by peal after peal of thunder.
A formless, imageless halo of divinity spread out from the heart of the clouds; this light did not come from the stars, but was the brilliance condensed of pure memory and civilization.
It illuminated every dimension of time and space, making every inch of the void reflect silhouettes of wisdom from the past; those ancient epics of civilization long forgotten were being silently recited anew.
Wherever the light reached, all things were endowed with a profound understanding of their own origins; an unprecedented, clear and deep self-knowledge arose unbidden.
Thunder tore out from the depths of this radiance; every golden bolt was woven with the pulse of civilization and bore the imprint of memory.
They rent space in perfect, sacred geometric patterns, as though countless divine brushstrokes were sketching an endless and magnificent map of knowledge upon the canvas of the cosmos.
Each crack of thunder became the proclamation of an ancient maxim—this was the perfect union of strength, wisdom, spirit, civilization, memory, creation, and many other primal sources, brought to their utmost good and beauty.
The world thus became more whole, more clear.
In joy, all beings finally recognized the meaning of their own existence, and felt their inseverable bond with the grand past of the cosmos.
In this moment, thunder was no longer merely Zeus's weapon; it had become a messenger that carried and guarded the light of civilization.
With every surge of the thunderclap, in the grandest and most magnificent manner, it declared to the entire universe the glory of civilization and the truth of existence.
In this moment, what arose between heaven and earth was no mere portent, but a majestic resonance that echoed directly at the root of the universe, stirring the spiritual being of all things and bringing heartfelt joy to all existence.
For all existence had become clear about its own source and origin.
On the road to "omniscience," Zeus took a great step forward.
The omniscient and sagacious goddess of civilization offered all of herself without reserve to the great God-King destined for omniscience and omnipotence—the God-King she loved most.
At the same time, she unabashedly seized that sweet fruit which belonged to her alone, the token of her beloved god's favor.
Within all past civilization and memory, within the God-King's wisdom and thought, within the essence of unmatched power and inspiration, new goddesses representing wisdom, inspiration, creation, knowledge, art, science, and literature were being quietly conceived.
The erudite goddess of memory who knew all things, under the irrigation of the God-King's mighty divinity, was nurturing children even deeper and more learned.
On the second morning, Calliope, who represents eloquence and epic, mistress of the language arts, was born. She gripped the blade of rhetoric and slashed the barriers of silence!
On the third morning, Clio, who represents the social sciences and records and spreads eternal history, was born. She held the chisel of history and carved the lines of truth.
On the fourth morning, Euterpe, who can sing all lyric poetry and the music of all things, emblem of the auditory arts, was born. She stirred the springs of melody and washed the cochleae of all beings.
On the fifth morning, Melpomene, mistress of tragedy, who can create all novels and drama, was born. She cast the furnace of theater and tempered the cruelty of fate! (Praise Melpomene)
On the sixth morning, Thalia, adept at writing graceful prose, creating pastoral idylls, and praising the world's flourishing, was born. She sowed pastoral seeds of poetry and urged ripe waves of grain to bloom.
On the seventh morning, Erato, who chants the poetry of love, able to inspire every romance in the world, so unspeakably lovely, was born. She plucked the strings of love and bound the fluttering heart. (Praise Erato)
On the eighth morning, Polyhymnia, who can reveal the mysteries of cosmic existence, extol the primal laws of the gods, and represents the natural sciences, was born. She intoned nature's cipher and unlocked the origin of all things.
On the ninth morning, Terpsichore, born to love dance, who delights in every leaping rhythm and represents the beautiful visual arts, was born. She kindled the flowing fire of dance and ignited the stiffened shell!
On the tenth morning, Urania, favored by the sky, able to measure the stars and representing the applied sciences, was born. She lit the arc of the celestial track and bound the vastness with science!
During nine full days and nights of sacred union, the Almighty Lord and the Omniscient Goddess brought forth these nine maiden goddesses, crowned with dazzling gold, who touch upon nearly all existence, all civilization, and all laws—the Muses!
Because of their existence, the civilization of the universe could flourish; because of their song, all living beings came to know the meaning of their existence.
Praise the Muses!
This "greedy" omniscient goddess ruthlessly seized from this great Lord of Heaven the compensation she deserved.
All the new authorities concerning art, science, and literature—she claimed them all without hesitation for her children.
The God of all, full of guilt and immersed in the land of tenderness, let the Omniscient Goddess have her way. After all, they were his children—what was there to quibble about?
Besides, his beloved goddess had truly suffered a colossal grievance this time. What could Zeus do? He could only allow his beloved goddess to do as she pleased.
After all, as the God-King who rules all, everything he creates, whatever it may be, is under his jurisdiction from birth.
Whatever the law, he can command it innately, standing with the embodiment of the law as coequal supreme administrator.
The stronger the children, the more authority they wield—the better it is for him.
For now, enjoying this boundless tenderness is the most important business!
The nine goddesses—forever merry, forever wise, forever brimming with vitality—began to dance their gayest dance the moment they were born on the new moon, and sang together the most beautiful songs.
They were singing for their Father-God and Mother-Goddess; for their great Father and their omniscient Mother they wrote an imperishable hymn, to record this great and sacred moment of their union.
Hymn: A Song in Praise of the Union of the Almighty King and the Source of Omniscience
(in the shared voice of the Muse sisters)
Oh~ undying gods and mortal beings!
Hear our praise, hear our song:
We sing of Olympus that towers into the clouds,
We praise the supreme Lord of Thunder,
Zeus, the Almighty Lord of the universe, the Father of gods!
We extol the all-knowing, all-perceiving goddess of memory,
The pearl of the sea of inspiration, the wellspring of all civilization!
——
On the paths of Olympus we beheld that sacred capture,
The King of Thunder pausing for the goddess of memory's eyes.
Memory untied the belt of time and offered the quickening of civilization to the God-King,
The thick fog was a fallen veil that covered the nuptial bed of creation.
——
When the thunder-voice of the Almighty Father rang over the peaks,
Lightning engraved the runes of every nation, thunder became a song of wisdom.
When the light of the All-Knowing Mother's memory shone through the void,
The sea of memory awakened, the halo lit all time and space.
Strength and memory, like heavenly fire and abyssal sea, commingled,
Heaven and earth quivered, all things rejoiced in the primal tremor,
The miracle of creation unfurled slowly before the gods.
——
We saw with our own eyes that the matchless bolt was no longer savage,
But became the sacred script that records the epic.
We experienced ourselves that boundless memory was no longer silent,
But was awakened by thunder's call.
Listen! The drumbeat of thunder strikes the universe's hush,
It is Zeus, with his authority, knocking upon memory's abyss;
Look! The golden shuttle of civilization weaves lightning's brocade,
It is Mnemosyne, with knowledge, stitching the God-King's robe!——
When power is steeped in the nectar of wisdom, when imprints drink the honey of inspiration,
Heaven and earth leap in song, and all beings finally learn their names!
This is a sacred oath, a universal celebration,
A heartfelt joy of all things, the whole truth of existence!
Zeus, you embraced the Mother-Goddess with supreme might,
Mnemosyne, you answered the Father-God with all-knowing love.
——
In the union of thunder and memory, we were born,
We are art, we are science, we are civilization,
We are epic, we are history, we are poetry.
Nine nights of gestation, dawns inducing us in turn:
Calliope bears language and chants the heroes' epics;
Clio carries the annals and writes the sacred chapters of history;
Euterpe makes music and plays the moving strains of heaven;
Melpomene regards sorrow and joy and stages the tragedies of mankind;
Thalia sings the pastoral and praises the flourishing homeland;
Erato intones love songs and delivers the burning verses of love;
Polyhymnia speaks of the laws and expounds the principles of the cosmos;
Terpsichore rises to dance and beats with life's rhythm;
Urania explores heaven and earth's secrets and measures the boundless stars;
Nine days completed, nine sisters with golden crowns that dazzle.
——
O nine golden-crowned Muses! Nine dazzling colors of civilization!
We are the stars forged of thunder and memory, the greenhouse of power and culture,
Conceived in Zeus's divine thought, grown in Mnemosyne's womb.
Where thunder peals, there must be poems breaking through the soil,
Where fogs lie thick, there are songs to cleave the maze!
Bearing the pact of thunder and memory, keeping the covenant of wisdom and civilization,
With poetry, music, history, art, letters, and reason connecting the cosmos,
Let civilization be undying, let existence be made plain.
——
Praise Zeus! You are the great Father-God!
Praise Mnemosyne! You are the great Mother-Goddess!
We are the fruit of your love, the embodiment of your divinity,
Our birth reveals the secrets of existence,
Makes known the meaning of all things, and keeps the fire of civilization forever aflame!
Praise you, great Father and Mother!
Praise this sacred union, praise this eternal miracle!——
When mortals look up to Olympus's peak, remember that what thundered in the fog was no storm,
But the first song of love that Father and Mother sang, with the universe for their marriage bed,
To birth all things!
Our song will forever testify: this sacred union is the most resplendent embrace of the universe!
——
The nine Muses thus sang, danced, and chanted of the sacred union of the Lord of All Gods and the Omniscient Goddess, that this great moment might be forever hymned by all beings.
And they also, by the way, etched their own names forever into the memory of the universe, to be sung eternally alongside their Father and Mother.
They are holy goddesses, forever undying, forever joyous.
They are forever happy, forever clear, forever profound.
As the embodiment of lovely art, vast science, and far-reaching letters, they are the final reflection of all intelligent life and civilization, and they will surely bring to this universe infinite splendor and brilliance!
Praise the Muses!
And the greedy, tightfisted omniscient goddess not only wrung compensation hard from her beloved, but also never let go of revenge upon her rivals.
Aiming at the wise goddess who took first place, she occupied Zeus for nine days and nights—one more day than Metis—to press her down by a head!
As for that shameless nobody of a Night goddess who dared covet the God-King, she did something even more excessive!
This nasty and black-bellied omniscient goddess of memory actually transmitted the imagery of her sacred union with Zeus—without concealment, with both sound and image—directly to the Lady of Night in the Underworld, implanting it straight into her memory.
And then there was her "good sister" Themis, who was still up on Mount Olympus stubbornly clinging to her principles.
She did not send it to the other goddesses; she did not wish to provoke that many. There were already too many mortal enemies under that tree.
She sent it to the Lady of Night because she truly disliked this goddess who thought every minute and every second about possessing Zeus and had already taken concrete action.
And she sent it to Themis naturally to drag her good sister down completely, to add a fiercest blaze to the resolve that was already tottering!
The Lady of Night, who had nearly gone mad with jealousy seeing Metis take Zeus's chastity, almost died of fury on the spot when Mnemosyne's "gift" arrived without warning.
You must understand, this was not viewing an image; this was direct implantation of memory. For the recipient, it was as if being there in person—indeed, as if personally experiencing it.
How could a pure and innocent goddess like the Lady of Night endure such a shock?
Her divinity went dizzy on the spot; for the first time in her life, the Lady of Night experienced blindness.
Metis was the beloved goddess Zeus had publicly declared, Zeus's wife. That she seized first place could still be considered within reason.
What's more, the wise goddess's temper was excellent, and she was widely liked among the gods—this much the Lady of Night could barely tolerate.
But you—shameless goddess of memory!
Truly! Truly! Truly!
Too much!
Absolutely shameless—to show such a private matter to another god!
Don't you know to avoid other gods?
Show it to a god?
Hateful! How do you know so much!
So many tricks!
Hateful! Hateful! Hateful!
Zeus~ boo-hoo~ my Zeus~
You've been spoiled by this little wretch of a goddess!
And that one called Dione!
An unknown, never-heard-of goddess, and she already has a child with Zeus!
Blow after blow, even though the Lady of Night had long known Zeus could not belong to her alone—
When all this truly came to pass, this pure "Great Mother Goddess," feeling love for the first time, after tasting love's sweetness and longing's bitterness, tasted for the first time the jealousy sour enough to corrode the soul and a knife's-edge stabbing pain of spite.
And that helpless fury, suppressed to the extreme.
As the Lady of Night's mood twisted to extremes, endless pure night rapidly shrouded the entire Underworld, making a realm already suffocatingly oppressive even more stifling.
Hades, the gofer god, only sighed deeply and threw himself once more into the heavy labors of building the Underworld.
There aren't many souls in the Underworld yet anyway—let the Lady of Night throw her tantrum.
As for soothing Nyx—this headache of a task—let Zeus handle it.
After all, I'm Hades! The trouble Zeus stirred up—what's it got to do with me, Hades?
As for Themis, this goddess of justice who was in her temple carefully sorting the order of the universe, even she, usually so focused, kept drifting off.
Sitting upright upon her high divine seat, she uncharacteristically showed a trace of absent-minded confusion.
Her waterfall of golden hair was like flowing golden radiance, cascading from her smooth shoulders.
It ran over her mountain-straight, sculpted back, slid past that handful-thin waist, and finally fell upon that full, plump peach that radiated boundless vitality at a glance.
A breeze drifted softly in from outside the hall, teasing a few locks to dance, like gold dust scattered and floating in the air.
If Zeus had seen such a scene at this moment, he would likely have been unable to control himself.
The union of Zeus and Metis had ultimately affected her mood, letting her taste for the first time a flavor called sourness, and even those feelings she herself dared not admit—jealousy and envy.
And afterward, when she received the news about Dione, her mood sank to rock bottom.
(End of Chapter)
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