The God-King replied in almost the exact same tone as the earlier "fate indictment."
"Such a mischievous, willful nature—even I, the most high God-King, do not know how, in the end, one could change her."
"It seems only the icy waters of the Underworld River could truly wash her heart clean."
"We can only hope she won't be so willful and naughty hereafter. That would be a great fortune for all beings in the universe."
Hearing this exchange, Atropos gaped, even forgetting to struggle.
She slowly turned her little head to look at her most revered Mother Goddess; her small mouth rounded to an "o," her eyes full of incredulity, as if she were meeting her mother for the first time.
Zeus, still speaking with gravity, went on: "My love, how long do you think it would take to change this child thoroughly? I think… at least a thousand years, wouldn't you say?"
"No." Themis shook her head without a moment's hesitation.
A flicker of hope flashed in Atropos's eyes.
But then she heard her own Mother Goddess say, in an indisputable tone, "Nature is hard to alter. For a temperament like hers, how could a mere thousand years be enough?"
"I think it will take ten thousand years at least to force her to reflect."
"Ah—!" Atropos let out a scream, her eyes rolled up, her head lolled to the side, and she played dead on her Father's knee without moving.
Zeus and Themis exchanged a glance; Themis lifted a hand to her lips and smiled; Zeus burst out laughing.
Then He plucked His beloved daughter from His knee, hugged her in His arms, and vigorously rubbed her little cheeks.
The arbiter of fate remained "fainted," soft and limp against her Father's chest, still playing dead.
Zeus grunted twice and warned, "You have one last chance to admit your fault. If you won't do it properly this time, we'll have to deal with you seriously!"
Atropos gave a whole-body start, sprang to attention, and in a tone of utmost seriousness, earnestness, and sincerity, spoke with stirring fervor:
"Ah—greatest God-King! Most radiant God-King! Most merciful, generous, and broad-hearted—great God-King!"
"And the most spotless Holy Justice—the God-King's goddess of Order!"
"I, your dearest daughter, Atropos, hereby solemnly examine my faults before you both!"
"I swear to you! I will never be naughty again! Absolutely—never dare again—"
With that she dove into her Father's arms and scratched playfully at Zeus's chin, pouting in pitiful coquetry and pleading for mercy. "Father— I was only teasing you—who told you to go so long without coming to see me?"
"I missed you so much. Not only me—my sisters all missed you. And—"
A sly gleam flashed in her eyes. "And this most beautiful Lady of Justice—my most revered Mother Goddess—she missed you very much, too."
At these words, a faint flush rose upon Themis's flawless face, white as creamy jade; she cast her daughter a reproachful glare, yet in the end could not keep the corners of her lips from lifting.
She went on softly, "It seems your Father is right. How can a god like you be changed? I think… the original sentence should stand."
"Ah—!" Atropos gave another extravagant shriek and threw herself into her Mother Goddess's arms—higher and softer still.
She snuggled and wriggled, coaxing again and again. "Mother Goddess, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn't have spoken out the thoughts in your heart."
"Mm—I'll never dare again! Please, please, forgive me this once!"
As she spoke, she flicked a fierce look at her sisters.
The meaning was very clear: no more spectating! Get over here and help—otherwise I'll inform on you all!
The five goddesses first shared a knowing glance, then, with an easy conscience, showed smiles of "schadenfreude," and only then did they "firmly" step forward.
They crowded in to embrace their revered Father, romped and chatted about their endless longing for Him, and pleaded on behalf of their good sister.
Without a ripple, they also tugged Atropos out of their Mother's arms and, in the same motion, nudged their Mother into their Father's embrace.
Gently pushed full into His arms, Themis's pretty face flushed as she rested against Zeus's broad chest, and naturally she said no more.
Zeus drew His beloved goddess of justice close and then hugged each dear child in turn.
Watching them giggle, easy and joyful, He felt his heart brim with happiness.
For a time the whole big family was warm and harmonious, everyone delighted.
Except…
Except for Atropos, who had been so naughty that she'd gotten a proper lesson.
She felt she had been badly wronged.
When she'd first proposed that "prank Father" grand idea, her sisters had supported it unanimously—or at least, not one had objected.
So how had it ended with only her held down for a thorough lesson?
She wrinkled her pretty little face like a small white flower whose petals had been tousled by the wind and fell into deep thought.
Only when her sisters pulled her along with many hands and feet as they left the temple did she belatedly realize:
She… had truly gotten the short end of the stick!
No—this won't do! I'll report you!
I'll inform! I'll inform on you all!
Everyone was in on it—Father can't just punish me alone!
Is that reasonable? Is that fair?
But she was surrounded so tightly by her sisters that she could not break free at all.
She pouted, cheeks puffed, and accused angrily, "You're setting me up! I'm going to Father to inform on you! Let me go—let me go!"
Elder sister Clotho just chuckled, threw an arm around her, and, in a chant-like tone with an extravagantly worshipful expression, said:
"My dear Atropos, do you know what an utterly great thing you have done today?"
"You actually, in person and in grand style, criticized our Father God! Our greatest, most high God-King Father! The supreme, strongest sovereign of the cosmos!"
"My heavens! Father above! Atropos—there is no other god, no other being in the universe who could do such a 'great' (outrageously impudent) thing!"
"You're truly amazing! I, your elder sister, am just overwhelmed with admiration!"
Eunomia, eldest of the goddesses of Time—who represents discipline and law and symbolizes the season of sowing—nodded again and again, lavishing praise without stint:
"Yes, yes! Dear Atropos, you are simply incredible! No god in the universe could do what you have done!"
"Even we, your sisters, could never do it. We do not possess that peerless courage you inherited from our Father!"
"And only you—the most favored of Father's daughters, the one He loves the very most—could do such a thing!"
"Think again—after such earthshaking deeds, Father only played with you a bit and gave you a slight 'lesson.' That is proof enough of how greatly Father dotes on you!"
Peaceful Eirene, the radiant goddess representing the season of harvest, nodded vigorously too and exclaimed in a tone of deepest envy, "Yes, yes! Illustrious Lady Atropos!"
Her voice was as clear as a sun-warmed golden bell. "Consider—merely receiving the Father's simple, tiny, negligible 'education' and in return accomplishing something worthy of being written into divine history—how worthwhile is that!"
"It's not that we don't want to—it's that we lack the chance and are not so favored as you. If we had a chance like yours, we absolutely, absolutely wouldn't give it to you!"
"Second Sister, isn't that so?" As Eirene spoke, she threw a look at Dike, the goddess of Justice.
Dike truly could not bring herself to utter something quite so against her conscience.
She could only press her lips together and nod hard, managing, "Indeed… indeed so."
Batted back and forth by their words, Atropos felt a bit dizzy.
She still felt something was… off.
But her sisters spoke so firmly—and every sentence circled "greatness" and "being favored."
She felt what they said was, well… indeed rather reasonable.
Thinking again, she decided she was… truly amazing!
In the whole universe, who dares criticize the God-King to His face?
Besides me—who else?!
Tell me—who else!
At this thought, she even felt a touch of pride; her little head lifted without her noticing, and even the pain in her little backside seemed to lessen a great deal.
Meanwhile her dear second sister, Lachesis, measurer of fate, had already laid a firm path to the next big pit.
"Dear Atropos—truly, truly—you should be our eldest sister!"
"You have wisdom and courage beyond all of us, and you have the greatest, most unique love from our Father! Heaven help me, little sister—I can't help but be jealous!"
"I swear—if there's such a chance again, I won't let you have it!"
"Such a splendid chance to accomplish something surpassing all—next time, it must be given to me! Please! I'll seize such a rare opportunity well!"
Hearing this, Atropos snapped to alert, waved her little hand, and said with cloud-piercing grandeur, "No! Such things can only be done by me! Next time it still has to be me!"
Feeling that sounded a bit too domineering, she hastened to add, "Dear sister, I don't mean to rob you of a chance. It's just that such things will certainly bring Father's 'lesson.'"
"If Father happens to be in a bad mood, who knows—maybe you really would be cast into the Underworld River. Such dangerous work—let me take it on alone!"
"You keep planning for me, helping me in the shadows. Whatever comes of it, I'll bear it myself and never drag you into it!"
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