Just then, Epimetheus suddenly cut in as if offhandedly: "If you want to create intelligent life, you obviously can't do without 'wisdom.'"
Prometheus rolled his eyes hugely at that.
Isn't that nonsense?
Do I need you to say that?!
!!!
Wait!
A brilliant lightning like none before suddenly thundered through the depths of Prometheus's divinity.
Prometheus's thoughts, stalled by vexation, seemed to have a spark tossed into them by that foolish remark.
In an instant, an unprecedented flash of insight exploded in his heart like the thunder of creation!
In this vast cosmos, is there any deity wiser than the great Goddess of Wisdom who presides over all "wisdom"?
So long as the wisdom goddess helps, then—
And further—
Since he meant to truly create beings with "true wisdom" and make them the lords of all mortal life upon this earth,
then the form and visage of this mortal lord…
ought to—
From the depths of Prometheus's heart surged a bold notion—so bold it could be called a fearful trespass upon the gods' sanctity and majesty!
This mad idea made the steadfast, composed heart of the Titan god—long inured to cosmic upheavals—pound uncontrollably like a drum!
Yet the more he thought, the more feasible it seemed!
Not only feasible, but perfect!
The earthshaking boldness of it set his divine blood to boil!
A fire called "pride" and "glory" blazed up from the depths of his divinity!
His heart was wholly seized by a fevered urge to forge immortal glory!
As a god, he possessed endless, eternal life.
Then, in so long a life, he ought to do a deed great enough to be eternally unforgettable and eternally glorious!
He sank deep into this thought, and an unbidden, hot and keen divine radiance spilled from him.
For the sake of this mad idea, he fell into profound contemplation.
Kelaunia and Epimetheus, watching Prometheus suddenly sink into this uncanny meditation, were seized by an inexplicable awe.
They felt something nameless at the same time, something that stayed any impulse to speak and disturb him.
For a time the place fell into absolute stillness, broken only by the faint susurrus of wind through grass and leaves, like a nameless god whispering.
The breeze stirred all things, and stirred, too, Prometheus's eyes, which glimmered with the light of wisdom.
And his heart, which kept growing ever more searing hot.
He knew not how long had passed before he at last made up his mind.
This can be done!
Not only can it be done—it must be done!
Do it!
Of course, he could not possibly do it on his own.
This great endeavor required His Majesty the God-King's support.
At the very least, tacit consent.
Failing that, it had to be something His Majesty would acknowledge.
Yet Prometheus could not be sure what that God-King, whose thoughts were deeper than the abyssal sea, would think of it.
Proud and clever as he was, he had never been able to see through Zeus.
Even so, this he must do!
And he must succeed!
Then—
That's it!
Whether it succeeded or not hinged entirely on the wisdom goddess!
The help of the wisdom goddess Metis was the critical link!
So long as the wisdom goddess supported him, then even for the sake of that most beloved goddess, His Majesty would surely let it be.
Yes!
Drag the wisdom goddess into the water!
Get it done first!
He had to pull the wisdom goddess in!
Strike first; make it a fait accompli!
Once it was a done deed, then with His Majesty's magnanimity and his deep love for the wisdom goddess, this matter would surely be settled!
The wisdom goddess was, after all, His Majesty's beloved first wife!
Having resolved himself, Prometheus suddenly threw back his head and laughed aloud.
That laughter, full of boundless exultation and spirit, carried his resolve across the land; the whole forest quaked and shuddered, and birds and beasts scattered in fright.
A sense, unprecedented, of undertaking an immortal enterprise, and an exalted, future-bearing burden of honor, filled his heart to the brim.
His gaze sharpened at once; not a trace of hesitation remained.
Epimetheus and Kelaunia watched in silence, puzzled yet sensing that Prometheus had figured something out.
He would do a thing—a great thing!
Prometheus said in a low voice to his brother and to Kelaunia at his side: "I think I know what to do. Wait here for me to return."
"Now I am going to Olympus to seek the wisdom goddess's invaluable counsel, to consult Her Excellency the great and wise Metis, and ask her to grant, for me and for this world, the greatest oracle of wisdom."
At this, Kelaunia cried out in delight: "What a splendid idea! With the great wisdom goddess herself to guide you, there will surely be the brightest path!"
"Our great His Majesty's wisdom goddess, that most exalted supreme wisdom, will surely bring this cosmos its most flourishing and resplendent future!"
Prometheus showed a faint, unreadable smile and said slowly, "Yes. She will."
Meanwhile, far away atop Mount Olympus, Zeus sat high upon the supreme God-King's throne, eyes closed in thought.
He was pondering whether he ought first to soothe his beloved Hera, or first to comfort his beloved Metis.
The tenderhearted God-King wavered for a long while, unable to decide.
Yet the moment Epimetheus spoke those words, and as Prometheus's "bold idea" was about to coalesce within his divinity,
the God-King's golden eyes opened, divine light flooding his gaze. In an instant his sharp sight pierced all barriers of time and space, spanning immeasurable void to fix unerringly upon Prometheus.
After Prometheus set his resolve, a meaningful smile likewise bloomed upon the God-King's flawless, divinely handsome face.
He rose slowly from the throne without further hesitation, turned into a blazing bolt of golden lightning, and in a flash appeared within the wisdom goddess's temple.
That bolt, without the least warning, startled the two goddesses who had been conversing merrily within the temple.
At that moment within the temple, besides the wisdom goddess Metis, was her sister, the most gracious and elegant Eurynome.
This Oceanid, in a sense, might also be called a true great mother of creation.
The great goddess of creation, source and mother of all things—Eurynome.
And now she was one of the most beloved daughters of Oceanus and of the Mother of Streams, the Nurturing Mother, Tethys.
She was the eternal emblem of grace and goodness, the embodiment of purest water, a great mother goddess of water presiding over the five laws of "clarity," "purity," "crystal luster," "rippling sheen," and "nourishment."
There was no god who did not love the ocean's daughters.
Especially those who were standouts even among the Oceanids.
For who would not love a great mother goddess gracious, good, gentle, clear, and pure?
Seeing Zeus's figure appear from the lightning, both goddesses were at first delighted, but what followed differed greatly.
After her initial joy, the God-King's beloved wisdom goddess immediately donned a bland expression.
She only cast Zeus a mild glare, then turned her gaze aside and looked at him no more.
But the gentle Eurynome, after her delight, felt…
even greater joy!
She gazed at Zeus with a touch of bashfulness, her eyes bright, as if she had forgotten everything else.
She simply stared at him, lovestruck, even forgetting the most basic courtesies all over again.
Metis, at her side, felt utterly helpless.
Her dear little sister was truly going to be utterly taken by her own beloved God-King!
Well—so was she.
The goddess Metis could only give a soft cough to smooth things over for her adorable sister.
She gave a light snort and said in a tone of dry irony, "Well now, I thought some blind fool had barged in with no good intent, wanting to skulk about and do something naughty."
"So it turns out to be His Majesty the great, supreme, all-loving God-King."
"What a lapse in our welcome. We hope His Majesty will not blame us; we two sisters could not bear His Majesty's thunderous punishment."
Metis sat still and steady, not even deigning to look straight at Zeus.
Jolted back to herself by her words, Eurynome hurried to step forward to offer formal greetings.
But her good elder sister gently tugged her sleeve to keep her from rising.
The poor, delicate goddess was torn for the moment; her lovely face flushed as she fretted, not knowing what to do.
Zeus paid it no mind, smiling as he strode forward. With a casual gesture he conjured an ornate chair and sat at ease before the two sisters.
And without the least ceremony he pulled the wisdom goddess—protesting with her lips, willing in her heart—straight into his arms.
Half-resisting, half-yielding, the wisdom goddess made a token push against Zeus, humming incoherently in feigned displeasure, a look of disdain on her face.
But her tender, adoring eyes and that feeble show of resistance had long since betrayed her true feelings.
______
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