157. Metis’s Eyes Burned with Fire
Metis’s Eyes Burned with Fire
‘Zeus was brought up by Goddesses.
By his mother, Rhea, as an infant,
the mountain nymph Adrastia as a child,
and now, it is I who brought him
into his godhood. We have trained him
well to be everything his father is not.’
Perses shook his head.
‘Power does not work this way, Metis.
Do you not understand what storm
you are about to unleash?’
I put my hand on my consort’s shoulder.
Upsetting her would make things worse.
Styx pleaded, her voice softer than
I had ever heard it. ‘My dear one.
The amount of times I have wanted
to give you the truth. All this time
I wanted to tell you. You must know,
no one here wanted to hurt you.
We have always loved you.
Have we ever given you a reason
to doubt our love?’
At these words, Metis was silent.
And then, her face growing weary,
she sighed deeply.
‘No. I have never had cause to doubt your love.
That is why this hurt. And Rhea was…’
She squared her shoulders and stood tall,
‘Rhea needed help. Support. Zeus was close to
my age when she asked me to aid her.
She could not manage his powers alone.
He was far too powerful for his own good
and he needed someone to guide him.
Who better than the Goddess of Wisdom
and Cunning? Ask yourself
what you would do if your children
were devoured by their own fathers?
Ask yourself what you would do
if you lived with a mad king?
Would you not try to save
your own children too?
Would you not pay any price?’
She took a deep breath.
‘And if a Goddess came to you
and begged you to help her protect
a child you knew was in danger,
your own kin, would you not
do everything in your power
to save that child too?’