"Destiny is equitable, to gain something, you must pay something."
"If you wish to defeat Typhon, you need to put a comparable stake on the table; if you wish to kill it, the same applies."
Withered fingers touched that single Thread of Fate, and Atropos transformed it into a seed, then handed it over to Zeus.
"Give it what you can pay... it will then produce the necessary effect. Typhon will not be able to touch you, so you must give it the chance to do so."
"Put up your Divine Power, your destiny, your throne as the Divine King, endow it with the ability to take all that from you. If you are defeated by it, you will lose everything—you shall fall into an eternal slumber, and Typhon will usurp your destiny."
"If I can defeat it," Zeus said coldly, his voice detached, "then what use do I have for this seed?"
"If not, how is that different from giving Typhon a gift?"
"The difference is that you've bet your throne, and it must also bet its own power—as long as you both do so willingly."
"It will gain the capacity to thoroughly vanquish you, but if it fails to do so within the allotted time, the situation will completely invert, the agreement witnessed by fate will draw out its power and add it to yours, shifting the balance of power between you two. By that time, you will have the strength to defeat it."
With a chuckle, the wrinkles on her face crowded together, reminiscent of the wicked witch in future fairy tales.
Atropos lifted her pallid eyes and finally issued a warning to the Divine King:
"However, I must remind you, Divine King."
"Those wise enough to peer into destiny do not scrutinize their own, as it only places them under fate's dominion, to be manipulated at will. And the punishment from destiny is only postponed; it never disappears."
"What kind of Fruit of One Day to grow, is for you to decide, as long as you can afford the price—and I, will only be responsible for handing it over to Typhon,"
"Of course, I understand."
Nodding, Zeus reached out and took the seed.
He studied the oddity resultant from the Thread of Fate between him and Typhon, but could discern nothing special about it. It seemed so ordinary, as if only something special could elicit a response from it.
After a long examination, Zeus gave up on trying to study it. He prepared to infuse it with his "price" as Atropos had instructed, but as if he remembered something, Zeus suddenly stopped his actions.
"I remember... you said 'the power to defeat it,' not 'the power to kill it.' And Typhon, it seems, is not immortal; it only possesses a very high degree of undying nature—so, could it be that I cannot kill it?"
The cave fell silent for a moment, as the Divine King and the Fates looked at each other. After a while, Atropos averted her gaze.
"...Of course you can, Divine King, but to break through such strong undying nature, you would have to stake your own 'death.'"
"No, hence in theory, 'death' is not a stake you can make, because you can renounce your Divine Power, you can give up your throne, but even if you wish to, you cannot give up your life..."
"But I feel," the Divine King interjected lightly, "that I can stake my death—and moreover, even if I do and lose, I will definitely not die, because the world cannot tolerate such an event."
"That being the case, I might as well do so."
"After all, this price only stands if I intend to kill Typhon. If I do not kill it, then it is a non-existent agreement."
In the cave, seeing that Atropos no longer spoke, Zeus smiled and sowed the seed in the ground.
Then, the next moment, that seed, which had drawn the Divine King's 'price,' took root and swiftly grew into a tree. A single fruit formed at its peak, and as the aged hand plucked it, the entire tree turned to dust.
"...As you can see, Divine King. I will present it before Typhon, but whether it eats the fruit is up to it."
Taking the fruit into her sleeve, Atropos turned around. She glanced at Zeus, who was still staring at the spot where the tree had vanished, and then walked towards the cave entrance.
"Afterwards, we sisters will find a place to reside, so as not to trouble Olympus... But I advise you once more, Your Majesty, the Divine King."
"The price that you think you can evade will have to be paid one day... and those who try to play with fate will in turn be played by fate. This is an unalterable truth, and not even the Divine King is an exception."
As the owl-like voice faded away, Atropos and her sisters left, and with the departure of the Fates, the cave once again became quiet.
Seemingly oblivious to the warning for a while, it wasn't until the three goddesses' figures had vanished that Zeus finally seemed to come to his senses, straightening his garments.
He looked at the small pit where the tree of destiny had borne fruit, then his expression became indecipherable. He strode out of the cave, and the next instant, the cavern that had witnessed all of today's events was reduced to ruins by the whispering of the Divine King.
"Heh, destiny cannot be played with... that of course I know."
"But I am the Divine King... Atropos, and has the Divine King not always been played by fate?"
All three generations of Divine Kings, it had been the same.
If debt was destined, then for Zeus, what harm was there in shouldering a bit more?