She could no longer contain herself; the long-suppressed tears surged out of those ice-blue bright eyes like a breached dam.
It was not because of pain, but a catharsis after a wild swing of despair and hope, a weeping brimful of joy and gratitude.
Her lovely jade hands clutched the God-King's robe with all their strength, as if grasping a lifeline.
No, not a straw—this was a sky-pillar that could prop up the entire cosmos!
Hope once more flooded her whole divinity.
Prometheus, that stubborn child—there were many things he did and many words he spoke that might be wrong.
But there was one thing he said that was absolutely right.
The God-King as He stands today truly is the most merciful, most magnanimous, most loving, and most gentle God-King in the cosmos.
Yes! His Majesty the God-King is the loving Father of all beings beyond dispute!
Whether mortals or gods, they are all His children!
Zeus used His vast, broad chest to shield her from the curious gazes of the other goddesses, and with this seemingly absurd romp, covered her helpless, discomposed state.
How could the discerning Clymene not understand all this?
When the flame of hope once again blazed in her heart, that sea of despair was forced down once more.
Indeed, this time it was pressed down even more thoroughly.
For this flame of hope was bestowed by the brightest source of light and could boil away every last drop of bitter water.
The grace and dew brought by the god who commands wind and rain were enough to fully moisten this daughter of Ocean's almost-parched divinity.
Clymene quickly recovered her former radiance; in those beautiful ice-blue pupils, a moving luster bloomed again.
Even amid that dignified and graceful glow, there was a few notes of girlish charm that had not been there before.
Smiling softly, she gently pushed the God-King away.
Then, according to the rules of the game, she ran to the side of the hall to join the group of "already eliminated" goddesses and watched the "farce" still underway with a smile.
Only, from this moment on, whenever she looked at the God-King, there was always seven parts more tenderness in her gaze.
The wise and steadfast daughter of Ocean had never been a dithering goddess.
She had barely run to the side when she sent out a new message over the mind-channel.
Only this time, it was a private message to the God-King alone.
(The private contents are omitted here, but anyone can guess.)
The Oceanic line had always been His Majesty's most loyal vassals!
Then as a daughter of Ocean, she naturally ought to offer His Majesty her all—both body and heart.
Prometheus had said it too: His Majesty is the Father of the gods; he himself called His Majesty father.
So… let that relationship be made a bit more concrete!
Though all beings are His Majesty's children… the fingers are not all the same length.
As a mother, she must, after all, find a way to make her child more favored by "Father-God."
That is only reasonable!
A few days later, Zeus posted an announcement in the big group "Olympus: One Big Loving Family of Gods":
He decided that on the first day of the new year, they would go down together to the mortal world to receive humankind's first formal sacrifice and offering.
And on that occasion, establish the "covenant of gods and mortals" for that newborn intelligent life.
This group was the big group of the Olympian gods.
Though it was unclear why—besides the sky gods—the Goddess of Night and her whole Night-family were in there as well…
Zeus did not immediately issue a divine-web bulletin to all the gods of the cosmos.
That would be the final proclamation after the covenant with humankind was formally made.
This descent would be, more than anything, a rare "family team-building."
Though participation was not mandatory, once the message went out, almost all the gods of Olympus signed up at once to take part.
The gods have always liked a lively affair and are ever eager for it.
Even the Mother of All, Gaia—who would rather have stayed out and remained low-key—signed up at last after much thought.
Not because she cared much for humankind.
Mainly, she feared that if she alone did not participate, she would stand out all the more.
Lately Zeus had not troubled her; better not draw His attention.
And if it drew Zeus's displeasure, that would be worse.
Ever since Zeus had spoken of that as-yet-unspoken matter destined to offend, she had truly not rested well.
The more she thought, the more flustered she felt; these days had been hard.
If Zeus had simply done it directly, perhaps she would have suffered less.
But waiting like this, not knowing which day something would suddenly happen—and that it must happen—made the waiting hard to bear, even for the Mother of All who had seen everything.
As for Lady Night, Nyx, she, with no ceremony at all, enrolled together with all her children.
At such a grand occasion, she would of course appear!
She must make her presence felt before the God-King!
What the children borne by the Olympian goddesses possessed, her children must possess as well!
She must not be a step behind them! Absolutely not!
She had only by great effort found a (clumsy) reason to comfort her beloved daughter.
More accurately—a pretext.
But that is a tale for later.
At last, after another six months of waiting, the day arrived.
Zeus, the God-King, set out for the first time in the truest sense with banners flying on a grand inspection.
It was also the first time the gods of Olympus had gone forth in such order and unison.
Zeus set great store by this inspection, so the pomp and might were turned up to the maximum.
From the summit of Mount Olympus, sacred clouds in dazzling hues unfurled to form a boundless cloud-road that led straight to the mortal earth.
The myriad, distinctive divine radiances that clothed the gods—each with its own godly charm—interwove like a flowing river of stars, shining on the eight quarters of the cosmos.
One thousand two hundred handpicked floral nymphs from different flower-lines danced along both sides of the cloud-road.
They scattered endless strange petals suffused with holy blessings; at once, a rain of sacred blossoms fell in brilliant colors, filling heaven and earth with a heady, wondrous fragrance.
The pert and cool Storm-Goddess Arke lightly lifted her hand and spread a thin, dreamlike veil of pale mist, like gauze.
Her elder sister, the bright and prismatic Rainbow-Goddess Iris, lavished her power without stint and laid seven-hued, dreamlike rainbow-bridges among mountain mists and over the faces of rivers, lakes, and seas.
The daughters of mighty, raging Atlas—the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades: the stately Maia, the steadfast-bright Electra, the brave and handsome Taygete, the sunny Alcyone, the shy and restrained Celaeno, the crisp and forthright Sterope, and their youngest yet most enchanting sister, Merope—
these seven brightest sisters, the sky's brightest star-cluster, had now turned into a vast, blazing galaxy!
That galaxy circled behind the God-King's head, becoming His most resplendent and gorgeous halo, shining upon heaven and earth with endless starlight.
And their sisters, the five Hyades—those rainy nymphs as gentle as dew, the Five Sisters grieving and tender: the soft, steadfast Ambrosia; the graceful, faithful Coronis; the coy and decorous Eudora; the smiling, sincere Phaesyle; and the gentle, yielding Polyxo—
these five gentle, pretty, yet lovely and steadfast rain-nymphs drew down the purest celestial rain, rich with life's power, and sent it to the mortal world.
That rain washed away every dust and stain between heaven and earth, ensuring that the path upon which the God-King trod was absolutely clear and bright.
There were also the four illustrious, noble, fierce, and loyal bodyguards of the God-King—born of the Goddess of the Styx and the Titan of the starry sky, Pallas—who guard the four quarters: Nike, who symbolizes the God-King's "Victory"; Bia, His "Strength"; Kratos, His "Authority"; and Zelos, His "Glory of Courage."
The four gods wore full holy armor, their divine radiance without limit, guarding tightly on four sides of the God-King's chariot like four unshakable mountains.
Their presence was not for beauty, but to manifest the God-King's "sacred and righteous order"—absolute victory and absolute glory!
There were, too, the God-King's beloved nine daughters—the ever-bright and joyous Muses.
And the three most lovely and gracious Graces, who represent the cosmos's "truth, goodness, and beauty."
Together, with sacred hymns that rang through all the world and immortal canticles, they sang the overture to their most beloved Father-God's procession, adding endless sanctity and splendor!
Close behind came the three Moon Goddesses unwilling to be outdone—the great Moon Mother Selene, symbol of fullness and plenitude, and Zeus's daughters: the bright first moon-daughter Ioskia, the blooming Kalanthae, and the mature, elegant Telesphora.
They summoned a gentle, limpid moonlight bright enough to outshine daylight, laying a soft radiance upon that awe-inspiring host and shedding it over the mortal world, bringing peace and calm to all beings below.
That limpid glow ensured that mortals would not be seized with fear and alarm at the God-King's supreme and sweeping might, lest it dim their Father-God's merciful radiance.
The other Olympian gods likewise displayed the wondrous signs of their domains, adding yet more grandeur and magnificence to a majesty already beyond words!
As for the heralds of the God-King's coming thunder and rain—the four winds of the four directions that bring life and change to the world!
The illustrious attendants of the God-King, born of the starry Titan Astraeus and the Dawn-Goddess Eos—the East Wind Eurus, the West Wind Zephyrus, the South Wind Notus, and the North Wind Boreas—
they had long since reached the destination ahead of time and raised the four quarter-winds that symbolize majesty upon the mortal earth!
With the wildest yet most reverent bearing, they drove wind and cloud, making the cloud-layer boil like a storm-tossed sea!
With the surging of the clouds, they awaited the supreme His Majesty the God-King's descent to the mortal dust!
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