In the Beginning Ch. 02

Chapter 2: The Children Called Fate

Erebus and Tartarus were not like their siblings. Tartarus was the Underneath. He was beneath the Earth that Gaia was helping grow and cultivate. Erebus, though, was a little more complicated. He was Darkness. Some of what made Nyx in her shadowy, wispy form was because of him.

In their own way, Erebus and Nyx were inseparable in the early days. But after the unity of Gaia and Ouranos, Erebus looked at Tartarus's example. As the Underworld formed, Erebus found comfort in the land. His physical form was once tall and mighty, imposing even amongst these earliest Titans. He had long, flowing robes; his skin was a deep and husky black, and his hair was inky darkness.

Each day after the coupling of the King and Queen of the immortals, Erebus realized he was fading from the world into which Chaos had brought him. This was fine by Erebus in the end. When Nyx brought the night to Gaia and Ouranos' Realm, she would rest in the darkness of Erebus's domain.

For Erebus, it was like when they were new to the world. He caressed her as she slept. In the dead of night, in his darkness, Chaos's words rang in his ears of a godly King who would be a hero and warrior but also a traveler. Instinctively, Erebus moved to protect Nyx, for the words felt dangerous to him. But when his grasp touched her, three beings sprung from Nyx. They were small by the standards of Titans. They could fit into the hands of Erebus if he chose to return to his living, breathing form. However, he could see the light of magic and purpose within each.

Nyx awoke startled. "What? Who are you?"

"I am Clothos," said the young girl.

"I am Lachesis," remarked the middle woman.

"And I am Atropos," answered the oldest.

"We are the sisters of Fate," they said together. "We have come to bring order to the cosmos and help you each discover your destiny."

Erebus blanched in confusion. Nyx, clutching her dress, could not be aware that her brother held her in his arms of darkness. For her part, Nyx seemed both excited and afraid.

"Our destinies?" Nyx wondered. "And what order?"

"Mother," said Lachesis. "You need not worry. We will not depose you or Ouranos. We have our own tasks, even as you and your siblings have yours."

"How did you come to be?" Nyx asked.

Clothos, the youngest looking, smiled at her Mother. "Chaos has given the First Prophecy, and it is for us, the Fates, to determine how to weave the past with the present into the future."

"That sounds wonderful," Nyx said joyfully. While the Moirai's birth was unconventional, Nyx's love for them was still every bit as maternal as Gaia's love for her children.

"But daunting, Mother Night," Atropos remarked. "It is we who shall see the lands of Greece have an order, and our magic will weave a fabric of destiny for all beings. Kingdoms shall rise and fall by our very wish. We will look into the hearts of all and see their demise."

"Demise?" Nyx inquired. "Surely, that cannot mean this will all end."

"Even the darkest shadow must give way to light, Mother," Atropos said. "But you shall come to know that. Well, at least, I think you should. The future is so hazy."

Nyx stared at her children's strange behavior.

**********

If Ouranos had been given more time, he would have been shocked by the arrival of the Fates, but in truth, they were an incredible addition to his dominion. The sisters offered him counsel. They explained that children from his union with Gaia came more from her body. Exploring his Realm, he found Nyx's children were correct. When they had made love and conceived the Hecatoncheires, he found three one-eyed beings of theirs watching the lands.

Like his immense might, they reflected the aspects of an angry thunderstorm. And so, he named them Brontes for the Thunder, Steropes for the Lightning, and Arges for the Brightness. Had they been born from the seeds of his disappointment as their Hecatoncheires brethren had been?

Upon realizing how powerful his children could be, he looked to the Fates. The sisters enjoyed traveling the land, but whatever the sky touched, Ouranos could see. Finding them was the easiest thing for the Sky Titan. The three were walking in the lands that would eventually be called Greece, though they were on one of the many islands surrounding the peninsula.

"You would do well to control your lustful urges, Great King," Lachesis remarked offhandedly. "The land cannot stand much more of your coital exchanges with Mother Gaia."

Ouranos could not say anything at first. The brazen fearlessness of the Fates was something to behold. "That is not why I have come."

"We know why you have come," Clothos said disinterestedly.

"And does my reason bore you?" Ouranos asked. He closed his fist, restraining the fury. He was the Sky King, chosen by Chaos. All the Realm was meant to serve him.

"It does," Atropos remarked as she looked at the dirt and rocks on the ground.

"If you are angry with your progeny, I will remind you again that it would be beneficial to refrain from laying with your wife," Lachesis warned.

"After all, she is the earth itself and as fertile as the ground that grows the trees that touch your skies," Atropos added.

"But will she have children like her and me?" Ouranos asked.

"Do you mean children you will not reject like your many-handed children or those you do not acknowledge like the Cyclopes?" Clothos wondered.

"Watch your tone, Daughters of Nyx! Chaos chose me to be King, and I rule, even over you!"

"Do you, now?" Atropos wondered. She and her sisters were entirely unbothered by the King. "Perhaps for now. But your greedy nature shall be your doom, Ouranos."

"But what of my children? Will Gaia bear beings like us to serve me?"

The three sisters looked at one another. The heavens above swirled with the weight of choice. The destiny of Olympus was unveiled to them.

"We shall tell you, Great King!" Lachesis warned.

As one, with a voice that sounded so eerily like Chaos, the sisters of Fate said thus:

Oh mighty Ouranos hear the words we impart,

The sisters of Fate, we bring forth a prophecy's art.

With threads of destiny, we weave and entwine,

The tale of your children, the Titans divine.

Hear us, Ouranos, and heed our decree,

For your heart's desire shall come to be.

Twelve children, born of your sacred union,

Titans of beauty, power, and divine communion.

The first-born, Oceanus, shall embody the vast seas,

With his grandeur and serenity, he'll bring you ease.

Coeus, the second, shall possess a mind so bright,

His intellect and knowledge shall be a guiding light.

But heed our warning, for the third-born, Crius,

May foster ambition and rebellion, causing strife within.

Hyperion, the radiant, shall wield the sun's flame,

His brilliance and radiance, a celestial acclaim.

Iapetus, the mighty, shall be strong and bold,

His power and strength, a force to behold.

Yet, dear Ouranos, be cautious of Mnemosyne,

Her memories hold secrets, both profound and unclean.

Tethys, the seventh, shall nurture the flowing streams,

Her gentle waters a source of life and dreams.

And Theia, the eighth, shall bring the light of day,

Her radiance and splendor, a luminous display.

Phoebe, the wise, shall possess prophetic sight,

Her knowledge and insight a beacon of foresight.

And lovely Rhea, the nurturing Mother divine,

Her compassion and love an eternal sign.

The three paused, careful of what they said next.

Clothos said in a calm, cool voice, "Cronos, the Titan with ambitious heart. In his veins, his Father's nature does impart."

Lachesis added, "A reflection of Ouranos, strong and proud, but within that resemblance, a warning shroud."

Atropos remarked slyly, "For just as Ouranos, Cronos shall rise. With power and might that reaches the skies."

Ouranos looked at each. "What must I do to have these amazing children?"

The three looked from one to another as if they were standing before the world's most foolish man. Their eyes glowed, and they spoke as one. The future was not being molded by them. Instead, they looked into the infinite possibilities and probabilities and chose the path most beautiful to them.

"To bring forth these children of divine might,

A union with Gaia shall ignite the light.

Twelve unions shall mark their destined birth,

Each a reflection of their celestial worth.

Embrace Gaia's embrace, twelvefold and true,

In each union, a titan shall come forth anew."

Ouranos stared at the women, his loins stirring with anticipation. The world would be his, and he would have the children meant to serve him. Through Gaia, it would all be possible.

"If what you have said is true," Ouranos said with delight, " I will forever be your grateful servant."

With a lightning bolt, Ouranos disappeared, returning to the Realm of Olympus. Or would it be Olympus? The sisters could not be sure.

"Do you see him, dear sisters?" Lachesis wondered. "So blinded by his ambition, he does not see the risk even when warned. So consumed by the few steps ahead that he ignores the destination."

"Is that what all the Kings shall be like?" Clothos asked, lost in memory.

"No, my sisters. We shall ensure there is a King unafraid to share the burden of rule," Atropos declared. "These Kings who hold onto control so desperately and have ambitions for everything will consume this world in destruction. We will ensure that does not happen."

"What shall we do, dear sister?" Lachesis asked Atropos.

Atropos considered the question for only a moment before the thought was but a memory, and once it was a memory, even Clothos could see Atropos's intentions.

"You're right, dear sister," Clothos said. "We shall need a place that is our own so those like Ouranos cannot try to harm us."

"But also so we might master our gifts from Chaos. We cannot see all yet, and we are vulnerable to the choices of beings like him," Lachesis said with disdain at the thoughts of Ouranos.

"Then let us go," Atropos declared, "while this King of the dawning times is held hostage by his ambition and desires."

The three shrouded themselves in the darkness of Erebus and Nyx's night, for they were the first of the Chthonic deities of that union.

**********

She was the Earth, made of rock, bark, streams, and vines. That did not stop her from having skin or experiencing sensations. Her body had the outline of a woman, but she was more. She was Gaia, Mother Earth. She stared out, loving this world being made, and even as she gazed at it, she swore she would do everything possible to ensure its survival for herself and her offspring.

She saw the Cyclopes traveling in her Realm. She adored them. Ouranos at least had the decency not to show them the disdain he gave the Hecatoncheires. Nyx was right; they were growing in size and arms and grew more heads every day. Still, Gaia loved and wanted more for them, including more siblings. If Ouranos could not give them the love Chaos had given Gaia and her siblings, she would have to fill that void with sibling and maternal affection.

Her naked titan form rested in the empty Realm of Olympus. She wondered what purpose Chaos would give them to be separated from her creations. Were the children of her children meant to walk on the lands of the earthly Realm? She could not know. Those thoughts quickly faded with the arrival of Ouranos.

He stood before her in all of his majesty. He was power, grace, and eternity personified. He was the embodiment of perfection in a man, and when he removed what little he wore, Gaia knew his intentions. The look in his eyes said he would have her. She was part of his Kingdom to claim, and when his heavenly body crashed against hers, Gaia moaned in reciprocation. She ran her hands over every inch of his torso, and Ouranos groaned in desire.

"Yes," Ouranos said to his Queen. "Give me your body, Gaia."

Gaia did not know the reason Ouranos came to her with such passion, nor did she care. She could feel her husband's fingers between her legs. A river of lubricating pleasure coated them in response to his possessive touch. She moaned into his mouth. The gushing waterfall of sensation made Gaia call out. For the second sexual experience of creation, it was wonder itself. She cried out as Ouranos licked her large brown nipples. While her body was comprised of earthly matter, she was nothing more than clay in the hands of Ouranos.

When he pinned her to the floor of their divine Realm, she called out his name. His strong, sacred hands grabbed her thick, wide hips, and she could not contain her first true orgasm when he plunged his godly manhood into her. Her female cavern wrapped around his throbbing erection. She did not comprehend what had come over him, but Ouranos claimed Gaia's sex as if nothing else in all creation was worth his time. As her breathing was lost, she could feel his penis throb inside her. She grabbed him, pulling all of him inside.

They were unaware of what the future held, but in that moment of coital connection, they would never have cared. The explosion of Ouranos' orgasm inside Gaia was a testament to his ambition for creation, and the moist, fertile acceptance of Gaia's womb was a sign of her motherly love for her future offspring.

**********

As Gaia rested in her orgasmic stupo, Ouranos smiled with pride. It would only take eleven more times for him to have all his children, and he would have them. If they were to take after him, they would be powerful beings, not the broken, misshapen things like the Hecatoncheires or Cyclopes. Those beings were more of Gaia's creation than his.

If the children were to resemble him, they would be obedient to him as Erebus, Nyx, and even Gaia were loyal to Chaos. With twelve Titans at his back, not even Chaos could deny Ouranos anything. He would be the master of the lands, and with time, he would go to those other lands that Chaos spoke of and rule them, too.