Hearing this, Zeus wore a look of sudden realization: "Oh—so that's what you meant."
He dotingly kissed his beloved's lips in his arms. "My treasured love, we have endless, eternal years ahead of us, so why rush this moment? Just look at our two children—how adorable, how mighty they are."
"There will be more, without you even asking. With my dearest Nyx, how could I ever be satisfied with only two children?"
"I think we should have at least dozens."
At those words, the goddess of Night beamed at once, her little dissatisfaction instantly vanishing.
Snuggling shyly in Zeus's arms, she asked in a voice full of charming anticipation, "Then, Zeus, when will we conceive our other children?"
"I think your sacred Heavenly Order still needs perfecting!"
Zeus laughed inwardly: truly a greedy Night! Suppressed by the Ouranian gods for so long, she'd turned into a complete little glutton.
Lady Night hadn't noticed that, though the children she and Zeus conceived were also essential great laws of the Heavenly Order—even extremely important ones—
The source of it all, the laws brought forth, were born according to Zeus's will.
Moreover, they belonged under "Fate" and "Order," as supplements to those dominions—entirely within Themis's purview.
Though they were the goddess of Night's children, in principle they were to obey the Lady of Justice's jurisdiction.
Of course, even if Lady Night understood, she wouldn't care overmuch—at most she would grumble a little about Zeus's favoritism.
For Night, she had already gained the greatest prizes.
The God-King's favor, and complete, perfect integration into the world.
Her children were fully accepted by the new order and had even become weighty great laws, no longer those despised, unwelcome principles.
That was already enough to satisfy her (for now).
Zeus gently caressed the goddess of Night's back, whiter than snow and smooth as jade, still sheened with a thin, shining layer of fragrant sweat.
That exquisite sensation—as if stroking the universe's very source—made even a God-King who had known too much bliss loath to let go.
Bringing his lips to her ear, he spoke in a voice so tender even the stars would melt: "My love, I understand your heart."
"But don't be anxious for now; what should be will be. My love, how I long to bring you all that is finest in this universe and place it before you."
"Because I love you so! Believe me—I will conceive many more adorable children with you. This is my promise of love to you."
Zeus gave a soft laugh and lowered his head to press a string of light kisses upon his beloved goddess's rosy cheeks.
Upon the goddess of Night's fair, clear face, the sweet flush blooming from passion refused to fade for a long time.
The gentlest words flowed slowly from the God-King's thin lips: "My eternal, my great goddess—even if you were unwilling, I would never let you go again!"
The goddess of Night was deeply intoxicated by these words, brimming with endless love.
She felt that this moment was the happiest, most complete moment in her immeasurably long, lonely life.
Her black eyes, deep as the stars, shimmered now. She gazed at Zeus's handsome face with open ardor. "My love, my supreme God-King—how could I refuse you? I will never refuse you! Night will always be yours! Even unto the universe's end, forever yours!"
As she spoke, the goddess's elegant brows knit slightly, and in her peerless expression was the fragility of one fearful of losing what she had won.
Words most devoted—and most humble—spilled, unreserved, from the mouth of this supreme primordial goddess: "Forgive me, my love—I, I didn't truly mean to press you for anything…"
"It's just that I truly—truly long to have more tokens of our love with you. I'm so afraid, my love—I truly fear losing your love."
"Since gaining your love, these happy years have been the best days in Night's life. Endless ages past were not as joyful as this short time with you."
"My love, in these days with you, the boundless fulfillment I have known is something that, in the deepest slumber, Night never dared even to dream of."
"My love, my Zeus—you are my king, Night's only sovereign, her eternal sovereign. I fear this is all just a dream, a bubble that vanishes in an instant."
"Please, please forgive my greed—because if I were to lose your love, I truly could not go on alone."
"Children are the proof of our love. I truly want our children to be more."
"So that even in the endless ages to come, if—if you should tire of Night, perhaps for the sake of these adorable children we bore together, perhaps you would still grant me a little of your most radiant love—even if only the tiniest bit."
Zeus quietly listened to the words of the supreme Great Mother in his arms—words humbled to the utmost.
His heart was deeply moved by a vast tenderness.
This supreme primordial Great Mother—the great Lady of Night, the deep black Night at the world's root—had never, from ancient times, shown such humility before any god.
But before him, she had indeed humbled herself to the dust.
When Nyx finished, Zeus suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
Then he put all his strength into holding the goddess in his arms still tighter.
His words—full of strength, like his firm, powerful arms—came from his lips with utmost seriousness, one by one: "Nyx, my beloved goddess!"
"I will not allow you to speak such foolish words again! You are so deep, so beautiful; your divinity contains endless, supreme allure!"
"I shall forever gladly lose myself in your boundless charm!"
"I do not mind your entreaty or your possessiveness—and"—Zeus lowered his head, kissed the goddess's brow, and smiled—"nor your great greed."
"You wish to possess me—is that not the finest proof of your deep love for me?"
"I like it too much to mind! In the future, keep it up, my dear—I am very fond of it."
"My love, I understand your heart. Please don't dwell on such meaningless thoughts anymore."
"We shall certainly have many, many adorable children. I too long to have more children with you—like the stars in number, in endless happy years."
"Zeus…" Somehow the Lady of Night found strength again and once more pushed down the supreme God-King.
Her feelings ran deep as the sea, like a flash flood impossible to dam—she loved her God-King beyond all restraint.
She gazed at him with infatuation, breathing quick. "Good! Zeus—those are your words!"
"Night—Night will grow even greedier in possessing you! Ooh—my supreme love… Nyx, Nyx is yours forever!"
The Lady of Night's overconfidence was admirable, but reality cruel.
Soon she was once more routed completely—yes, a second bloom—with the same result.
And this time Zeus made her feel, even more keenly, the Lord of Thunder's most domineering love—so that his beloved goddess would not always fret; he, too, could be tenderly stern.
Who knew how long had passed before the goddess of Night slipped once more into a deep sleep of utter happiness and fulfillment.
Zeus personally tidied her up, preserving his Mother's dignity before her children.
Only then did he call over the two new daughters who had been playing merrily, asking them to take good care of their Mother.
As for himself, he had another important proper matter to attend.
Of course, among Zeus's golden (violet, black) locks, there was now one more strand of pure black—the color of Night.
Even on the verge of fainting, Night had not forgotten it.
Greedy Night had wanted to take a bit more, to exchange for a few more strands.
But Zeus, by the principle of "equal treatment," firmly refused.
All must be the same; if things looked different in plain sight, it would stir needless trouble.
Fortunately, the goddess of Night's hair was the purest black—the very same color as the all-knowing goddess Mnemosyne's.
For now, the colors in his hair were not too many—only gold, violet, and black. A happy state indeed.
But the colors in his hair appeared only in his youthful form.
In his mature God-King form, it remained pure gold.
After all, in formal settings, the God-King must keep his majesty.
Zeus had to maintain face!
As for a "mottled" God-King—he dared not even imagine the scene; even if no god dared speak of it, he would not bear the shame.
In the hidden place where the three Hecatoncheires and the three Cyclopes slept, Zeus appeared quietly.
The sleeping giants sensed the disturbance at once.
They woke with a start, and over a hundred heads bellowed in a roar like landslide and tsunami: "Who?!"
Lightning flickered about Zeus, and at the crack of thunder the giants knew immediately who had come.
At once, all one hundred and fifty-three heads broke into delighted grins.
They bowed deeply and paid the most sincere respect to Zeus: "We pay homage to Your Majesty the God-King!"
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