Chapter 44 The Painful Price

Athena felt a sense of kinship with Prometheus. Inheriting the wisdom of her mother goddess, she was meticulous and insightful. To put it bluntly, most deities could only be described as arrogant and foolish in her eyes. Among the gods on Mount Olympus, only Prometheus caught her attention when it came to wisdom and strategy. 'I heard that Your Highness plans to create human females soon?" Athena smiled slightly, radiating an intellectual beauty. 'Indeed, Your Highness is well-informed. The new humans have settled down, and with the protection of Goddess Hestia, it's time for them to reproduce on their own," Prometheus replied, his expression softening at the mention of his proud creation. 'Then may I ask to be your assistant this time?" A gleam flashed in Athena's eyes. The benefits of creating new humans were undoubtedly immense. The unique status of being a creator would bring glory to both Hebe and Prometheus. This time, Athena did not want to miss out, so she took the initiative to compete with Prometheus for the opportunity. 'Well… I have already agreed to collaborate with Lady Hebe to create new human females," Prometheus said, a hint of regret on his face. Athena's grip on her wine glass tightened slightly, but she quickly relaxed, maintaining a composed smile. 'What a pity; it seems I arrived a step too late." Prometheus glanced at the goddess before him, thought for a moment, and then spoke again, 'Perhaps, Your Highness could create new human females alongside Lady Hebe? I believe that with the cooperation of both of you, the new females will surely be even more perfect." 'This…" Athena, who had already planned to give up, did not expect Prometheus to say this. 'But I am not familiar with the laws of the soul…" 'You need not worry, Your Highness. Wisdom and soul are inherently intertwined. I have not inherited the soul aspect from my father, so I can teach you the laws of the soul. With your intelligence, bestowing souls upon the new females will be a small matter," Prometheus said slowly, casually handing over the rights to create human females, as if he were simply tossing aside a precious pearl. A look of surprise lit up Athena's intellectually beautiful face. She smiled gratefully at Prometheus. 'I will remember your assistance, and in the name of the goddess of clear sight, I will repay this kindness in the future." 'Then I shall thank you in advance, Your Highness." The wise prophetic god raised his wine glass to clink with the goddess before him, signaling a pleasant collaboration. Having achieved her goal, Athena wisely chose not to disturb Prometheus any further. Raising her wine glass, she went to find her friend Al, who seemed to be in low spirits lately. Prometheus watched Athena's departing figure with a smile. He didn't feel regret in transferring the rights to bestow souls, even to create human females, to Athena. This goddess was one of the few wise gods on Mount Olympus. Born from her father without the protection of a mother goddess, she had established her position through her own abilities, ascended to the rank of chief deity, and built a good relationship with the future twin gods of light. Apollo had already gained the power of the sun. This sun god, along with his grandmother, the ancient goddess of light and prophecy, Phoebe, the ruler of the new moon, would undoubtedly assist Artemis in seizing the power of the moon. If successful, Artemis could very well contend for the position of chief deity. Athena's early investment in this endeavor was undoubtedly visionary. With such a chief deity becoming the creator and protector of the new human females, Prometheus felt this deal was well worth it. Deep in the Underworld, by the banks of the River Styx, this river, renowned among the gods of Olympus as the River of Oaths, flowed with gray-brown water that shimmered with a faint blue-purple glow under the dim light of the underworld moon. Occasionally, chilling screams of despair echoed from the river, the cries of gods who had violated their oaths and were pulled into its depths. By the River Styx stood a special palace, rarely approached by any deity, for it belonged to the elusive goddesses, the three Fates, who governed destiny and merciless punishment. The ancient stones were stacked to form this towering temple, with twelve colossal stone pillars standing in absolute symmetry within the great hall. The power of fate permeated the temple, and the stone pillars rotated slowly, entwined with silver-blue threads of fate spun from the lives of many, flowing in an orderly manner through two strange rings floating in the center, cascading down like a stream to the three goddesses seated at the bottom. They were once the daughters of Nyx, the goddess of night, who had undergone an unknown death and were reborn with the help of their mother, drawing on the powers of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Themis, the goddess of justice. Theoretically, they still had to refer to this thunder-wielding deity as their father. The Moirai wore simple gray robes, devoid of extravagant jewelry. Their unadorned long hair framed three similar faces, each representing a different age. The youngest sister, Clotho, was beautiful and youthful, her delicate hands selecting among the threads of fate with interest. Her silver eyes glimmered as she picked out one thread, her fingertips glowing softly as she began to weave the destiny from it. Once she finished, Clotho handed the thread to her elder sister Lachesis, who appeared middle-aged and exuded a mature charm. With her golden eyes, she scrutinized the thread that her sister had passed to her. After considering it for a moment, she made a faint mark on the thread, allocating its fate and bestowing upon it the unpredictable fortunes and misfortunes, before passing it to their eldest sister, Atropos. Atropos, with her aged face and gray, expressionless eyes, held a pair of golden scissors in her wrinkled hands. With a precise cut based on the mark made by Lachesis, she determined the fate represented by the thread. With these few simple actions, the destiny of the being represented by the thread was irrevocably sealed—there could be no alteration. The three goddesses worked methodically, so effortlessly deciding the course of a life that it was no wonder the other gods felt fear towards them and kept their distance. '… My sisters, let us pause our work. A distinguished guest has arrived," Atropos said slowly, lowering her golden scissors. As she did, the colossal stone pillars in the hall gradually ceased their rotation, and the judgment of fate was momentarily suspended. As for how many people in the world were fortunate enough to temporarily escape the harsh judgment of fate because of this, it remained unknown. The mystery of fate ensured that they could never grasp its intricacies. 'Great King of the Gods, Master of Thunder, since you have arrived, please come in." As the goddess spoke, the doors of the temple of fate slowly opened. A majestic eagle flew in, and with a flash of lightning, the tall and handsome god-king revealed his true form before the three goddesses. 'Lady Atropos, your intuition remains sharp," Zeus said kindly, still addressing the three goddesses as 'Your Highness." Despite being the father of their physical forms, he dared not overstep the boundaries of their true mother, the primordial goddess who ruled the night. Her high status made him cautious about claiming any relationship with them. 'It is merely the guidance of fate," Atropos replied calmly, her gray eyes seeming to see through everything. 'I wonder, Your Majesty, what brings you to the temple of fate this time? Your destiny is not within the control of the Moirai." As a Moirai, Atropos did not dare to claim to be the controller of fate. She was well aware of the capriciousness and terror of fate; long ago, they had paid a painful price for attempting to manipulate it. Having been reborn, they approached fate with greater caution and humility, considering themselves mere representatives of fate, fulfilling the duty of governing the destinies of all beings on behalf of that elusive world will. 'Lady Atropos, I have come this time because of a revelation from fate, to inquire about something," Zeus said directly, recognizing the gravity of the matter. He had no patience for slow probing. Although Prometheus also possessed the ability to foresee, Zeus did not trust him, and thus chose to secretly come to the Underworld to seek the Moirai's assistance. 'Not long ago, I had a dream. The divine light of Olympus dimmed, glory collapsed, and the immortal gods lost their power, becoming frail and aged. The gods faced twilight…" The Master of Thunder's gaze was heavy. He had previously mentioned that he did not believe his dream was baseless. Gods did not need to sleep, nor did they dream lightly. When they did dream, it was always a warning concerning themselves. Moreover, as the chief of the twelve Olympian gods, the ruler of all deities, his dream could not be taken lightly. 'Oh?" The young and beautiful Clotho expressed surprise upon hearing this. 'Great King of the Gods, are you receiving a warning from the world?"