chapter 8

* It was said that in the beginning, mates were created together. The first humans were molded out of clay as two heads, two torsos, four arms, and four legs into one body. One day, as tends to happen with evolution, humans felt they owed nothing to Zeus or any of the gods and marched up to their home in Mount Olympus to rebel against them. Naturally, this was an unevenly matched war as humans were no match for the gods.

To punish them for their uprising, Zeus decided to separate the mates in body, as well as in proximity. They were to worship the gods day and night as a penance for their pride and once Zeus felt they had repented enough, he would allow mates to find each other.

Enter Endymion, half-human son of Zeus. He was a beautiful shepherd who sacrificed the best of his flock to his father every spring; he made Zeus proud. One day, Zeus asked him what he wanted in life more than anything, he would allow for anything. Endymion had fallen in love with Hera and asked for her as his bride.

Naturally, this was the one thing Zeus could not give as Hera was already his own wife. With sadness in his heart, Zeus had to renege on his word to his son. He asked Endymion what else he could give him, as he could not give him Hera.

“Everlasting sleep,” Endymion said, for he had seen the perfect woman that was Hera and he could not live the rest of his life without her by his side.

And so, his wish was granted. He would never age, he would never wither. His beauty would be eternal as would peace in his soul.

No sooner Endymion closed his eyes for the last time, Moon Goddess caught sight of him and his perfect, slumbering face and instantly fell in love with him. She spent years visiting him, invaded his dreams, but always lamented a life they would never be able to share.

Once she realized how close they had come to being able to have a life together, she felt sorry for all the mates that were separated from each other. She begged Zeus to let her hold the reigns of lovers’ paths so that she might unite them while they were still young.

Zeus denied this request, but as Moon Goddess was Leto’s cousin, Leto interceded on her behalf. Zeus valued Leto and thus, he allowed the request with one change: Moon Goddess would only be able to unite Leto’s descendants.

And so, Moon Goddess accepted his terms and she began working with the Three Moirai to make sure the lovers who were tasked to her crossed, sooner rather than later. Usually it was Clothos, the fate in charge of the beginning of life and Lachesis, the spinner of longevity, who would cross the lovers’ life threads and on rare occasions, this would fall between Lachesis and Atropos, the fate who cut the thread and ended lives.

On very special occasions, Moon Goddess herself joined the mate-threads. Those lovers in particular, were fated to bring good not only to themselves, but to those around them.

*