Continued
-------------
Lachesis exited the cottage and strode to where her younger sister, Atropos, stood; gazing up at Mount Olympus. Lachesis put her arm around the
younger woman's shoulders, and the two embraced in a sideways hug.
"Clotho will be coming out soon." Lachesis said, as she too lifted her eyes toward Mount Olympus.
"That's good." Atropos nodded.
They stood in silence, arms around each other, looking towards the peak of the mountain. Each sister supporting, and gaining support, from the other.
The eternal light of Olympus flickered for a brief moment.
"Did the light dim?" Lachesis asked in disbelief.
The light flickered again, and again; getting noticeably dimmer after each flicker. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and a voice broke through
the heavens with a deafening roar.
STOP THIS NOW!
The sisters looked at each other, and both turned to run, heading for the still-open front door of the cottage. Before they could take a step,
however, a blinding light filled the sky, and a great bolt of lightning descended upon the small cottage. The two sisters were knocked back as a
thunderous clap assaulted their ears.
-----------
Clotho held the last glowing thread in her hand.
STOP THIS NOW!
The giant voice thundered across the land, and the ground beneath Clotho's feet, shook. Clotho instantly moved the scissors forward to cleave the
thread in two, bracing for what she knew was to come.
The lightning bolt hit her with the force of a falling tree. Every muscle inside her tensed, and her body tightened into an inhuman knot.
Even so, before the thunderbolt struck, Clotho had managed to shove the massive thread as tightly as possible into the mouth of the shears, forcing it
against the blades. There was instant electrical stimulation of her muscles, greatly augmenting the grip-strength of her hand and causing her to
involuntarily shut the shears.
Clotho sliced through the large thread in one clean chop.
------------
As Zeus collapsed, he realized his mistake.
Hubris, was his final thought.
------------
In the cottage, the brightest of the illuminated threads faded. Clotho's muscles relaxed, and she dropped the dark, severed cord that had once held
the life of Zeus. It fell to the floor and disappeared into the wall. The scissors also fell from Clotho's grip. They hit the stone floor with a loud
clang; a final bell to the slaughter she had just caused.
"What have you done?" The calm voice came from from behind Clotho; it was Atropos.
"He wasn't supposed to choose war. It had to be his choice, though, I couldn't change that. Now, he is dead."
Turning away from the wall, Clotho faced her sisters. The pair stood just inside the open front door, gaping at her.
"He was supposed to return home. He was supposed to become the invincible warrior who chose peace! He was supposed to change the world." She pointed
towards Olympus, "But they interfered! They told him he would be hated and forgotten. They lied! They forced his choices, and he chose war and
death! They changed his fate. So, I changed theirs."
"Do you realize what you have done!?" Lachesis wailed at her sister, "Do you!?"
Clotho just stared at her.
"Who is it, then? Who did you slay the gods for!?"
"Achilles, son of Thetis, the Nereid, and Peleus, king of Pythia." Clotho spoke as if introducing him to a great hall.
Atropos could no longer remain calm. "By the gods, Clotho, you two have never even met!"
"Never met?" Clotho spit out a laugh. "I wove Achilles into being! I put my heart and soul into the thread that bore his life. He was a child of my
heart! Achilles was to be my greatest joy on earth, and his light was going to bring hope into the world. The Olympians took that away from me; they
took that away from the world!"
Clotho stopped. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and was suddenly calm. She opened her eyes.
"The days of the gods meddling in human affairs are over. Humans are now free from undo fear or favor. For it was I who wove the threads of the gods,
and it was I who decided to sever those threads this night!"
Atropos and Lachesis could only stare silently at their sister.
"I speak true. You think I weave only the lives of humans and heroes? You thought I was created by Zeus!? I am the spinner!"
Clotho's skin began to emit an unearthly glow. "I wove the gods. I wove everything you see."
Clotho stretched out her arms. Behind her, the wall of threads began to shift and move.
"It was I who wove the earth and the stars!"
The walls of the cottage bent away from her, the roof stretched, and the floor appeared to dip below her, as if a giant, invisible bubble were
expanding around her. Clotho's glow intensified, and for the briefest of moments, it appeared to the sisters that the fabric of the very earth had
come unspun.
As she lowered her arms, the walls and floor straightened, and became their rigid selves again. Likewise, Clotho's glow faded. She eyed the two
ladies standing before her. She saw the fear, confusion, and anger on their faces.
This cannot be easy for them. Clotho smiled warmly, knowing it would calm and reassure them.
"We are not your true sisters." Lachesis stated soberly, giving no hint of the turmoil inside her.
"You are my true sisters! I wove my purest self into the both of you. We are more alike than any womb-born could ever be. I love you both, and I
could not bear the idea of a world without my sisters by my side."
Clotho stood tall, and took a step towards the two of them. She thrust out her right hand.
"Sisters!"
It was a gesture the three of them used whenever they settled a disagreement.
When three hands are threaded together as one, let all differences be
discarded and done.
Clotho stood with her hand out and hoped that her sisters would take it, confirming the bond of sisterhood and love. The bond of family.
Please,
sisters, take my hand!
The room was silent. The three fates were frozen, and time seemed to stand still.
It was Atropos who broke the silence.
"I should make you stand in that foolish pose for the next three years! You deserve as much!" She strode over to Clotho.
"In truth, though, you are the only two sisters I've ever known, and I am proud to call you family." She grasped Clotho's hand.
"Sisters!"
Lachesis stood there, feet sewn to the ground.
So many questions! There is so much that I still do not understand! She spoke.
"I have one condition of Clotho."
"I will gladly pay that toll." Clotho stated.
"You must tell us everything!" Lachesis blurted out.
Clotho let out a short laugh. "Yes. I will tell you everything! I promise you this."
"Settled!" Lachesis' feet freed themselves. She rushed over to the waiting pair and joined her hand with theirs.
"Sisters!"
They stood there, hands locked, silent in their shared bond.
Atropos took a moment to study the young woman standing before her. Her sister looked no different than she had the day before. She was the same
Clotho that Atropos knew and loved.
Nevertheless.
"Is Clotho your true name?"
"As true as any name given to me. I am happy to wear it."
Clotho reflected for a moment.
"I have not recalled it for ages, but Neith was the first name given to me by humans."
A smile born from a distant memory spread across her face.
"Neith, The World Weaver."
The End
edit on 2/29/2024 by Dapaga because: ...