by Brick ONeil
Part TWO
Three Fates and Three Furies
“What’s all this?” asked Atropos as three solemn and purposeful maidens, who were wearing the richly adorned attire of huntresses, with a band of serpents around their heads in a crown. The Three Furies entered the home of the Three Fates, Atropos, whom we’ve already been introduced, her sisters Clotho and Lachesis. The Fates have the subtle but awesome power of deciding a man's destiny. They assign a man to good or evil. Their most obvious choice is choosing how long a man lives. There are three Fates. Clotho, the spinner, who spins the thread of life.
The Three Furies, like the Three Fates and the Three Graces, have the same deity mother, Nyx, their father could have been Uranos or Zeus. Their names being Allecto (endless), Tisiphone (punishment), and Megaera (jealous rage). Usually humans imagined them as monstrous, foul-smelling hags, the sisters then transform and have bats' wings, coal-black skin, and hair entwined with serpents. They would carry torches, whips, and cups of venom with which to torment wrongdoers. The Furies could also appear as storm clouds or swarms of insects. They considered the worst crime of all, killing one’s parents, either matricide or patricide and offenses by children against their mothers and fathers. They eventually came to be the divine punishers - along with Zeus - of anyone who committed perjury.
Allecto was wheeling a miniature globe of Earth, Tisiphone was tossing a pebble up and down to herself and Megaera held a hand mirror, with some lesser furies carrying platters, bowls and urns of food and drink.
“So, what do we owe this pleasure?” Lachesis asked her other set of younger triplets.
“We heard about those little goody two-shoes paying you a visit and wanted to show you we could pay just as nice a visit.” Spat Megaera.
“What is that you’re holding, my dear?” Lachesis asked the bitterly jealous Megaera.
Before she could speak up, Allecto spoke up all too eagerly.
“She stole Narcissus’ mirror because he wouldn’t even look at her.” Allecto burst into laughter. “Narcissus! Can you imagine?” She set down the pull for the hand cart and seated herself on one of the pillows around the squat table. Lachesis sat down beside Allecto and patted her knee.
“Now now, dear Allecto.” Lachesis suppressed a smile. Allecto could not help but to twist the words again.
“He didn’t even want Echo and you asked him out!” She howled in laughter again and Tisiphone joined in, reaching for a handful of figs.
Atropos put her arm around Megaera’s shoulders and brought her to a cushion opposite Lachesis and sat beside her.
“Tisiphone, child, what is that you’re tossing around? You know we don’t care for dirt in our home, for it would damage the Tapestry!” Atropos chided the younger triplet, angling her aged head at the Tapestry of Life she and her sisters had frozen in time to enjoy the visit.
“It’s not dirt, it’s a pebble.” She answered, sitting between Atropos and Lachesis and setting the pebble carefully on the table.
Allecto leaned over to Atropos and Lachesis “It’s Sisyphus’ boulder. You know, the one he was condemned to roll up that mountain by the Gods for tricking them? Well, it starts as a pebble at the base of the mountain and the higher he goes, the bigger it gets. Then near the summit it is a giant boulder, it slips and rolls down again.”
“You’re enjoying this all too much, Allecto. I’d be careful if I were you.” Tisiphone warned her equally dark triplet.
“Yes, well, we all know of the fool Sisyphus’ trickery. And he paid for it. But why, Tisiphone, do you have it?”
Megaera could not help herself, she spoke up and ratted her sister out to Clotho, who was gazing at Earth on the trolley.
“She asked Sisyphus out as well. He turned her down, flat!” She and Allecto howled with laughter, causing their snake headdresses to shift upon their heads. “So she stole his boulder at the base of the Mountain!”
“Now, he is in trouble for shirking his punishment by Zeus at Mt. Olympus. The other Gods have placed him next to Tantalus so they could find his boulder.” Howled Tisiphone in great delight. For she loved punishments meted out for crimes.
“He deserves it.” Tisiphone stated flatly, as Clotho politely veered the simmering young woman to a cushion at the table and joined her, patting the hand that held the pebble.
“We appreciate you three bringing such a lovely feast but you shouldn’t be so jealous of the Graces.” Clotho mentioned politely, reaching for something called ‘lemonade’.
“We’re not jealous.” Spat Megaera, not looking at anyone, but instead of at the back of Narcissus’ mirror. There was a hunting scene and she liked to pretend that Narcissus was in love with her because she was a Huntress. Of wrongdoers but a Huntress, nonetheless.
Atropos patted Allecto’s knee and Tisiphone’s hand on her left as she held onto the pebble. Atropos looked amusingly over at Clotho who politely sipped the lemonade.
“My this is tart. Wherever did you ladies find this drink?” Clotho, asked Megaera, to change the subject.
“Down on Earth, they have the most marvellous food!” She answered, taking a glass for herself. She reached for a plate of figs, thinly sliced preserved ham and some swiss cheese and handed it to Clotho. The others began helping themselves as well.
“Speaking of Earth,” Lachesis began, “why have you brought it here?”
“We thought you would enjoy seeing the results of your weaving.” Allecto answered, tossing her head over at the gleaming Tapestry and at Earth, next to it.
“That is quite considerate of you.” Clotho said, clearly amused.
“And that is something the lovely Graces DIDN’T bring you!” Megaera smugly answered to Clotho.
“But doesn’t Atlas know it’s missing?” Asked Atropos.
“Go on, Allecto, tell your tale.” Megaera teased and Tisiphone tossed some figs and olives at Allecto.
“You had your fun at our expense, so now it’s our turn.” Tisiphone teased.
“Oh all right.” Allecto acquiesced. “I thought Atlas rather handsome.”
“And strong.” Interspersed Tisiphone, smirking.
“Let her finish her side.” Atropos said.
“Yes, Tisiphone, Strong. With his head on his shoulders, I might add.” Tisiphone held on to the pebble, looking every bit like she wanted to throw it at Allecto, wishing it were a boulder.
Allecto adjusted the snake headdress on her head and continued.
“I simply took him a glass of this lemonsaid...”
“Lemonade, sweetie...” Tisiphone corrected.
“LemonAde,” throwing Tisiphone a dirty look, “and was hinting that he and I should go see some constellations together.”
“Megaera dear, please stop that giggling.” Corrected Atropos, patting her hand.
“...but constellations? Seriously? Atlas is the one that holds them up!” Megeara could not stifle her giggling as well.
“Anyway, he turned me down. Simple as that.” She crossed her arms not giving any other explanation.
“But that doesn’t explain why you have it, dear.” Asked Clotho.
Allecto squirmed a bit under Clotho’s steely gaze and broke down.
“Alright, he turned me down so I spiked his lemonsade with a sleeping potion and stole the Earth.”
“LemonAde....”Corrected Tisiphone once more, and once more earning another dirty look from Allecto.
“Girls,” Sighed Lachesis, patting the two hands of the girls on either side of her, “you know you are forbidden from keeping your trinkets?”
“And what is with your rivalry with the Graces?” Asked Clotho, confused as to why their younger triplets would be jealous of the other set of triplets.
“We’ll return the ‘trinkets’, sister dear.” Allecto answered the first question and pouted.
Megaera and Tisiphone squirmed a little before Megaera answered.
“It’s just they get to hobnob with the Gods. Go to parties.
I bet they get all sorts of goodies and favors.”
“Oh boy do you have it wrong!” Clotho spoke, laughing at the younger generation.
“Did you know they must entertain Hera? And you know how her temper gets the best of her.” Laughed Lachesis.
“She’s always going after Zeus’ other children, trying to turn them against their mothers!” Atropos agreed, adding to the list of chores the Graces had.
“And they must interact with humans, as do you. The six of you have more in common than you realize. They just deal with the happiness and cheer while you mete out punishment of those guilty of killing parents, not minding parents or those that do not follow rules.”
“After all, ladies, we each have our jobs to do.” Clotho gave the same reminder as she gave the Graces at their earlier visit.