Each woman's beauty was beyond mortal comprehension. It was a sight that any mortal or god would dream about, but for Zeus, it had become routine. In fact, it was quite boring.
Every day is the same...
Zeus sighed, running a hand through his silver hair. He had all the women in his pantheon, but sleeping with them wasn't cutting it anymore. He longed for the excitement he once found among mortals, and missed the thrill of toying with their lives, seducing them, and causing chaos, all for his amusement.
But that was in the past. After losing a bet with Hera, he had to give it all up. He swore on the River Styx that he would not play with mortals and would honor his role as the king of gods.
He had kept that promise for over five thousand years, and now he felt it was enough. Although five thousand years was a short time for them, it was awfully long for the mortals.
Their world had changed in many ways, and each day, as he gazed into their lives, Zeus wanted to explore their world more and more.
"It's time I do something about it," Zeus mumbled to himself.
But that was easier said than done. Hera was pretty mad about him turning his palace into a brothel. But she had let go of the resentment for the sake of mortals' safety.
However, if he went back on his promise, then she might not be as forgiving. That's why he needed a loophole.
With that thought, Zeus visited the Three Sisters of Fate for advice. He found them in their cavern, spinning the threads of destiny as usual.
"Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos," Zeus greeted them. "I need your counsel."
The sisters sternly looked at him. Despite being their king, the sisters didn't hold him in high regard. How could they when he had ruined countless lives and made them do overtime?
Even though Zeus hadn't visited Earth in a long time, they were still busy correcting his mistakes. Besides, they were already aware of the matter he needed counsel for and were not happy about it.
"Zeus, you should focus on your marriage," Clotho said, her voice cold.
"You made a promise to Hera," Lachesis added. "Honor it."
"And do not come to us with your petty desires," Atropos finished, her scissors ready to cut a thread, namely, Zeus' thread.
However, Zeus frowned. He couldn't understand why they hated him so much. Usually, their stern tones were enough to make him stand down. But not this time.
"Fine," he muttered. "I'll find another way."
He left the sisters and made his way to the goddess of reincarnation, Mnemosyne. She was busy tending to her sacred pool of memories when Zeus approached.
"Mnemosyne," Zeus called, "I need your help."
The goddess turned, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"Oh, my king, are you here to seduce me?" she teased, beginning to undress. "I'll be right there to tend to you."
"No, that's not what I meant," Zeus said quickly, raising a hand. "I want you to reincarnate me on one of the millions of Earths. To fill my desire to live among mortals again."
Mnemosyne looked disappointed, but she got dressed again. She had always had feelings for the king, but because of Hera, she couldn't admit to her feelings, even when other goddesses did it freely.
Mnemosyne knew Zeus always went looking for new conquests to conquer. But his request was strange this time.
"Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to give up your divine form?"
"This divine form, as you call it, can't give me the pleasure those mortals can," Zeus explained. "I need excitement in my life and it's something I can't get while I'm stuck here!"
Mnemosyne nodded, understanding his wants but still confused. Besides, she didn't want to live a day without seeing him. But she didn't want to disappoint him, either. While she was thinking all that, Zeus made another declaration.
"I have another request. I don't want to be reincarnated as a baby and wait for years to become an adult," he announced. "Get me a readymade adult vessel so I can do what I want from the start."
Perplexed, Mnemosyne pondered over the strange request that might disrupt the balance of the said world. However, she didn't want to reject the request outright and make Zeus view her differently.
"That's not within the rules of reincarnation—" she said but was interrupted.
Zeus, foreseeing her reaction, approached her and raised her chin with his finger before kissing her passionately. Mnemosyne's eyes widened in surprise before she gave in and wrapped her arms over Zeus' shoulder, kissing him back passionately.
"This wasn't within the rules either," Zeus said with a charming smile.
Mnemosyne saw him and blushed. Finally... her dream was coming true. Even then, she couldn't just let him disappear without a thought. It would cause chaos in Olympus.
"Reincarnating His Highness would be difficult," Mnemosyne mumbled. "However, I could reincarnate a part of his majesty's conscience to a host."
Although it wasn't what he wanted, Zeus smiled, pleased by her response. "Thank you, Mnemosyne. I knew I could count on you."
Mnemosyne blushed and turned away. After a moment, she returned with a glowing orb and handed it to Zeus.
"This orb can collect souls and memories of those around," she said. "His majesty needs to pour his desires into it and I will take care of the rest."
"I appreciate this, Mnemosyne. More than you know," Zeus said, taking the orb.
He closed his eyes, pouring his deepest, most depraved desires into the orb. It took days to do it, but eventually, he was done. He handed the orb back to Mnemosyne, who nodded while carrying the orb like a trophy.
"I will find a suitable vessel for you, my king!"
Zeus nodded and left, since there was nothing else for him to do. The goddess watched him leave with a smile. She had Zeus' deepest desires in her hand.
As long as she did what he wanted to do in the orb, she would win him over and become his queen, unlike that undeserving Hera.
"No... I don't want to win him like this," Mnemosyne mumbled, staring at the orb. "For now, I'll deal with this."