Chapter 246: Sharing And Fulfillment
Hera gazed at Metis, her golden eyes clear as a mirror, and said earnestly and firmly: “Metis, I don’t know why Zeus hasn’t yet gestated a lovely child with you, when your origin is so great and bright.”
“However, I think He must have even more magnificent and thorough ideas.”
“But, from today onward—”
She gripped Metis’s hand even tighter by three degrees, her words falling into her heart like a beam of light: “I hope you will also become the mother of this child in my womb. You shared your beloved with me, and I can only respond to you in this way.”
“Please become the sole godmother of this child! Please shine the radiance of wisdom lovingly upon His path of growth!”
“This is not only my respect for you, but also the child’s greatest glory.”
“The mother of the God King’s eldest son, I hope it will be you and me, together.”
The Goddess of Wisdom, her beautiful eyes always brimming with endless wisdom, suddenly widened.
Shock, stunned astonishment, disbelief surged through her layer by layer like a tsunami.
An unbelievable feeling instantly pierced through her calm and unwavering divinity.
She was truly utterly shocked.
She knew Hera was a gentle and loving goddess of divine quality and nobility, and that her visit today must be out of guilt to apologize.
But she truly hadn’t expected Hera to go this far!
For a Great Mother Goddess, willingly sharing her child with another was equivalent to carving out her own heart!
What’s more, this was her eldest son, the God King’s eldest son!
Eurynome, who had been silently watching carefully from the side all along, was now shocked beyond measure and couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath.
A faint “hiss” was clearly audible inside the hall, and the air inside the hall seemed to tremble from her sharp intake of breath.
But she quickly suppressed her emotions carefully, not daring to disturb this most sacred moment.
She looked at her sister, then at Hera, her heart blooming with a flower both sour and sweet.
“Hera, you… I…” Even the enlightened Metis, who had achieved supreme wisdom, was truly at a loss for words at this moment.
She took a deep breath, forcibly calming the violently surging tides of her heart, and said softly yet solemnly: “Dear Hera, it’s not necessary, really not necessary. You don’t have to make such a sacrifice.”
“How could I encroach upon your great glory as a Mother Goddess? That is your supreme sacred right!”
“We are the best of friends, I… I cannot accept it, no, I cannot.”
Hera smiled serenely, her smile carrying unprecedented firmness and relief, and she said softly: “Dear Metis, how could this be encroachment? This is my willing sharing. It is my own volition, my sincerity.”
She leaned forward slightly, her tone soft almost to the point of pleading: “You, enlightened and holy, becoming this child’s godmother is also the child’s supreme glory.”
“Dear Metis, please do not refuse me, otherwise my divinity will never find a moment of peace of mind.”
“Tolerant Metis, what could be greater than the sacrifice you have made for us? You sacrificed everything for love; how could I let you be alone?”
“Aren’t we the best of friends? Aren’t we one family of gods? If so, why refuse?”
“For a child to have the love and guidance of two Mother Goddesses, His future will always be happier, won’t it?”
“Or… do you disdain this child?”
Metis shook her head repeatedly, almost rushing to deny it, saying urgently: “No no no! How could that be? That’s impossible!”
Her mood was incomparably complex, she chuckled lightly and sighed lightly: “This is something I’ve dreamed of, yet never dared to hope for.”
“It’s just…” Metis hesitated, undecided; she truly wanted to accept, yet truly couldn’t bear to accept.
So she found an excuse: “Dear Hera, I am certainly very willing and very joyful. But this child is, after all, Zeus’s eldest son. Will He consent?”
Hearing this, Hera gave a light hum, with a trace of spoiled and arrogant tone she herself hadn’t noticed, her voice gentle yet indisputable: “Dear Metis, you need not worry about that.”
“Right now, I haven’t accepted becoming Zeus’s wife, so regarding everything about the child, I have the final say!”
“What’s more, this is something we both wish for; could He possibly object?”
Metis still hesitated, saying softly: “I think it’s still better to consult Zeus’s opinion.”
Hera shook her head lightly in helplessness, sighing lightly: “Dear Metis, gentle you are just too accommodating to Zeus, letting Him have His way in everything. Your constant indulgence will only make Him increasingly unrestrained.”
Metis smiled helplessly as well.
They looked at each other and smiled, their smiles containing only the same doting and helplessness toward that “rascal.”
Hera finalized the matter: “Dear Metis, this is settled. No need to consult any other god’s opinion.”
“Now, you only need to follow your heart. As long as you don’t disdain me or this child, please accept and be His godmother!”
“From now on, He will call you ‘Mother Goddess’ just the same, serving and respecting you as He does me. You and I will both be His Mother Goddesses!”
With the matter put this way, how could Metis have any room left to refuse?
Moreover, she who likewise adored the child had no desire to refuse at all.
Deep in her heart, she had long yearned for the child’s call.
She let go of all restraint and concern, gripping Hera’s hands tightly and gazing deeply into her eyes.
In an utterly earnest and deeply moved tone, she said word by word: “Dear Hera, thank you for your bounty! This is the glory I have sought in vain!”
“I, in the name of the Goddess of Wisdom Metis, hereby declare: I shall be this child’s godmother! I shall treat Him as my own flesh and blood offspring, caring for Him wholeheartedly, loving Him wholeheartedly! Witnessed by the name of Zeus!”
Hera likewise gazed firmly, responding solemnly: “I, in the name of the Goddess of Reproduction and Fertility Hera, hereby declare: the Goddess of Wisdom Metis shall be my eldest son’s godmother! This is a sacred bond equivalent to that of a mother! The Goddess of Wisdom Metis, from this day forth, shall be this child’s Mother Goddess just as I am! Witnessed by the name of Zeus!”
Words followed laws; the sacred oaths of the two great goddesses transformed into two streams of golden divine runes intersecting in the air.
Then, the Heavenly Dao network faintly appeared inside the hall, their declaration witnessed under the Heavenly Dao Order.
Finally, the sacred golden oath runes separately merged into each other’s divine origins, impossible to alter henceforth.
The two goddesses, in this moment, achieved the most thorough reconciliation and understanding.
Amid their shared longing and loving-kindness for the child, in that joint protection.
Eurynome watching this scene from the side smiled radiantly, her eyes and brows bright, her heart sincerely glad.
She deeply loved her sister and admired Hera’s divine quality.
Having long been in Olympus, she and Hera were quite familiar, counting as good friends.
She truly didn’t want her beloved sister and gentle Hera to reach the opposing shore of enmity.
Her own sister and Hera were originally the best of friends, both the best of gods, and both the goddesses most beloved by the God King.
If they truly fought over this, it would really be quite bad.
Now like this, all were greatly pleased, everyone happy.
The current situation made her once heavy heart of worry light and airy like a spring breeze.
And His Majesty the God King, still lounging leisurely on the flowery meadow of the Earth but closely attending to all this, finally quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Though, when the jade clams contend, the fisherman benefits.
But these two goddesses were the type who, if they fought, did so ruthlessly.
If they truly clashed, even the fisherman wouldn’t find peace.
For his two most beloved goddesses to truly go all out against each other, shattering their originally good feelings into hatred—that was truly not the outcome He wanted.
Palm and back of hand, both were flesh.
Now like this was so good—you good, she good, I good!
Perfect!
All of this was thanks to Hestia!
The God King secretly praised in his heart: As expected! Family conflicts like this must be resolved by finding Hestia!
She was the true stabilizing divine needle of the Olympian family!
Praise Hestia!
In the Temple of Wisdom, the previous heavy and tense atmosphere had completely dispersed, becoming ever more tranquil and lighthearted.
Hera and Metis still held each other’s hands, not hurrying to let go.
The warmth in their palms was like two overlapping fine streams, flowing ever warmer; many words no longer needed to be spoken at this moment.
Many promises had already, in that sacred oath just now, deeply sunk into each other’s divine origins.
The gloom on Hera’s beautiful face had completely vanished; now she had returned, as in times long past, to her initial gentleness like the sea of spring.
Her heart hadn’t felt this relaxed in far too long.
She spoke softly: “Dear Metis, after the child is born, I will personally bring Him to you, so He can call you ‘Mother Goddess’ with His own mouth.”
Metis first nodded, then shook her head, her smile full of loving-kindness and anticipation: “The moment His first cry rings out, I will know.”
“I will teach Him everything I know, everything I think of, without reservation, opening the path of wisdom for Him.”
“This child, our child, will surely become a great deity illuminating the entire universe, just like His Father God.”
“Mm,” Metis changed the subject, teasing with a smile tinged with helplessness, “He can learn all of His Father God’s virtues, just not that one thing…”
“I hope He doesn’t learn to make goddesses sad, like His Father God always does.”
As she spoke, they smiled at each other, their eyes full of shared helplessness toward that “rascal.”
But this knowing smile held only the relaxation of reconciliation.
Hera chuckled in reply: “That point, certainly will not happen.”
“My dearest sister, Hestia, she bestowed that precious ‘Civilization Creation Fire’ upon this child.”
“With her eternal warmth as heartfire, our child will only become a warm god, never making His beloved goddesses sad.”
“Hestia bestowed fire upon Him?” Metis, upon hearing this, flashed genuine surprise in her eyes, which then turned to complete joy. “This is truly wonderful!”
“The child is inherently the miracle wielder of ‘Creation’: Zeus gave Him the ‘model laws’ of order and rules, this is the skeleton; you gave Him the ‘Ocean of Reproduction’ of life and growth, this is flesh and blood; henceforth, I will give Him the ‘Star of Wisdom’ of enlightenment and direction, this is thought.”
“And all of this will merge into the furnace of creation and tempering. Ultimately, forged into reality by the ‘spark of inspiration’ and ‘eternal motivation’ bestowed by Hestia.”
She looked back at Hera, her eyes holding the light only one mother has when looking at another: “Our child lacks nothing!”
Metis was sincerely joyful for this child; just gestated, he was already the object of myriad doting.
Upon birth, he was destined to be flawless!
Now, she too was this child’s mother, naturally rejoicing from the heart.
Eurynome had been listening quietly from the side all along; only now did this pure and beautiful goddess serene as a lotus speak softly for the first time.
Her voice was both soft and tender, like flowing soft white clouds, filled with a lovely aura.
With an expectant smile, she said softly: “I hope… I hope that when the time comes, I can help too.”
“For this lovely child, I can’t wait to see Him.”
Hearing this, Hera and Metis both turned to look at her simultaneously.
“Of course.” They said in unison.
The gazes of the three goddesses overlapped in the air, like three points of the gentlest starlight forming an utterly stable triangle of radiance.
“Me too. Everything is imminent.” Hera nodded lightly in agreement.
Her jade hand once again rested on her abdomen, infinite tenderness beneath her fingertips.
From this day forth, many things quietly began to change:
Hera’s steps grew steadier.
The path in her heart, once riddled with hidden reefs and ravaged by storms, was soothed by the warm sunlight at her side.
Metis’s sighs grew lighter.
The sense of urgency in her heart had dispersed. Due to her generosity and magnanimity, she lost only needless obsession. Gained were two sisters and friends to whom everything could be entrusted, the dearest.
And Eurynome’s smile became even brighter.
She had more good sisters to care for her, and she became a pure mirror, allowing her sisters, while caring for her, to also see their own most beautiful selves.
This was the reconciliation of promise and reality, the coexistence of loyalty and sharing.
Magnanimity is not concession, but the wisdom to protect what is more precious; fulfillment is not cowardice, but stems from selfless love.
Two long rivers that once flowed separately in light and shadow finally converged in an open place into the most brilliant light.
The universe remained vast, the laws weighty.
Love remained the unavoidable tide.
But henceforth, every surging return of the tide had a safe harbor to anchor.
Hera’s harbor was the “dam of restraint” built from her own bedrock after the storm; Metis’s harbor was the “bay of tolerance” that accommodated all rivers, allowing myriad vessels to dock.
Eurynome’s harbor was the calm and forever gentle “shore of grace”; Hestia’s harbor was the “hearth fire and home” forever burning at the universe’s center, no matter how far one sailed.
Everyone had a bright future.
Only God King Zeus
This indulgent and willful thunder, He couldn’t change a bit.
Of course, no one held any expectations for Him; He was beyond saving long ago.
Before Hera rose to bid farewell, she shared a gentle embrace with Metis.
The embrace of the two supreme goddesses was light, yet entrusted all the heaviness to each other’s shoulders to bear together.
The wind, from the ridge of that divine mountain, slowly turned, gently turning the page on all that came before.
The future awaited a new chapter to be written together.
And in that higher, farther place, the Warmth of Fire, Hestia, likewise revealed a smile of relief.
Flames not monopolized, warmth will spread.
Kin and beloved friends will, because of sharing, ultimately become true “family.”
And all of this benefited most that child yet unborn.
In order, he gained bloodline and fortitude; in motherly love, source and charity; in wisdom, agility and cleverness; in flames, strength and warmth.
On the day he stands, the stars will raise lamps for him, all things will sing his praises!
Myriad arts will, because of him, gain “forms that can be learned”; and the myriad spirits will, because of him, know “objects that can be created.”
And all this, because he has the warmest of mothers.
——
As for the other side, His Majesty the Great God King, after noting his beloved Hera’s departure, sneaked over to the Temple of Wisdom.
Now, the “fire” in the backyard had been perfectly extinguished.
He figured it was time to properly “comfort” his beloved Metis, who had likewise endured much grievance.
It was also time to gestate another equally lovely child with Metis.
He ultimately loved Hera most; this favoritism eternally immovable.
But his guilt toward Metis was equally genuine.
Because of guilt, He gave the title of “first wife” to Metis.
Yet ultimately gave his eldest son to Hera.
Goddesses with whom he had been intimate mostly had children.
But only she, as first wife, had none.
This was both to resolve the knot between Hera and Metis today; and to give his second son to Metis.
If not first, second was good too.
Eldest son to the Queen of Heaven, second son to the first wife—perfect balance!
His Majesty the God King felt quite smug about his own wise ingenuity.
His Majesty the God King, thick-skinned, crept stealthily onto the divine mountain where Metis resided.
He first meticulously adjusted his divine appearance, even summoning a water mirror to practice a smile enchanting enough to bewilder goddesses.
Only after ensuring he could still smile in a way to disorder divine hearts did he stride boldly into the divine palace.
The Nymphs naturally could not and dared not stop Him; they didn’t even have time to report.
They could only urgently send a swift notification to their main goddess via the divine thought channel.
In truth, even without their notification, the moment Zeus set foot down, Metis had already sensed the familiar aura of her beloved God King.
She rolled her eyes helplessly; for her own thick-skinned and cunning God King, she truly didn’t know what to say.
But her actions didn’t delay a bit.
In the divine thought channel, she silently urged her beloved good younger sister to hurry and change clothes!
To change into attire that would absolutely highlight her enchanting divine figure!
As a Mother Goddess, Eurynome had the most elegant and serene temperament, but her figure was exceedingly voluptuous and graceful.
She was the Daughter of the Ocean; pure water formed her delicate body, waves shaped her form.
Her graceful and curvaceous figure, slightly accentuated, was enough to land Zeus with a Great Charm Technique at first glance.
The reserved and dignified Eurynome, blushing, mustered all her courage before waving her hand to don a gossamer star gauze long skirt as instructed.
Shoulders and neck like jade, waist like willow; with a sway of the skirt hem, it was like the ocean parting in flowing patterns.
Beneath the gauze skirt, those breathtaking curves appeared and vanished, both shy and tense, reserved like a ripe peach.
Lowering her head and glancing back, that gentle downward gaze was like a water lotus shy beyond the cool breeze.
Merely pursing her lips in shy smile was enough to halt the thunder in its tracks.
However, under her good sister’s guidance, wearing such bold clothing truly made this bashful and reserved goddess hard to relax.
Though, there wasn’t really need for any big movements anyway.
Metis looked on satisfied, shaking her head fondly.
This silly girl, really; she’d taught her many times already.
Dignity and grace were for outer gods to see, for important public occasions to support her beloved.
In private, holding back like this absolutely wouldn’t do.
When it was time to make her beloved God King take a hard hit of Great Charm Technique, she must resolutely strike!
But this was enough.
With her good younger sister so lovely and gentle, given their God King’s nature, even a thousand times more resolute, he’d still fall beneath her skirt!
He was just that kind of god!
Metis herself remained clad in dignified and solemn robes.
She could guess her beloved God King’s visit was mostly to “compensate” her.
But she still decided to first create an excellent opportunity for her good younger sister.
It was time for this God King, who always thought himself the hunter, to taste falling into a sweet trap.
Her good younger sister had a reserved and delicate heart; with this pitiable temperament, if she didn’t give her a push from behind, who knew how long it would take to truly have her wishes fulfilled.
When His Majesty the God King strode into the hall, his incomparably handsome face bore the sunniest, most brilliant smile.
He was just about to open his mouth and unleash his most adept sweet talk, enough to make myriad goddesses fall.
In the end, his peripheral vision had only just caught sight of the pure beautiful goddess Eurynome on the side when it happened exactly as Metis had foreseen.
