May the Fates guide you

The Fates were even more powerful than the gods, though this did not stop the gods from trying. The ancient Greeks believed that many aspects of a person’s life were determined by the three mythical women known as Fates. They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate, and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction. These were three sister goddesses that appeared in Greek and Roman mythology and were believed to have “spun out” a child’s destiny at birth.  They determined when life began, when it ended, and everything in between.  At the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life.  The gods and men had to submit to them, but in the case of Zeus he is portrayed in two ways: as the only one who can command them (the Zeus Moiragetes) or as the one who is also bound to the Fates as incarnation of the fates. However not everything was inflexible or pre-determined.  A man destined to become a great warrior one day could still choose what he wanted to do on any given day.  The gods could simply intervene with decisions that could be helpful or harmful.  In a sense, they controlled the metaphorical life of every mortal born.

Clotho: spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. She is depicted as a maiden and is often seen carrying a spindle or a roll (the book of Fate).

Lachesis: measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod. She appeared as a matron with a staff with which she points to the horoscope on a globe. 

Atropos: the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person's death; and when their time was come, she cut their life-thread with "her abhorred shears". She chose the manner of each person’s death and when their time was up, cut their life-thread with shears.  The smallest of the three, she is also characterized as the most terrible. 

But the Fates were not always deaf to the pleading of others. When Atropos cut the thread of King Admetus, who happened to be Apollo's friend, Apollo begged the Fates to undo their work. It was not in their power to do so, but they promised that if someone took Admetus' place in the gloomy world of Hades' domain, he would live. The king's wife, Alcestis, said she would take his place. But Hercules, who happened to be Admetus' guest, rescued her from the underworld, and Admetus an Alcestis were reunited.

Known as Moirai or Moerae in Greek Mythology and Fata or Parcae by the Romans, the Fates were comprised of three women often described as elderly, stern, severe, cold and unmerciful. In various accounts, the three goddesses are shown with staffs, scepters or wearing crowns as symbols of dominion.  They all lived in Zeus’s palace on Mount Olympus. Their names in Greek were Clotho, (“the spinner”), Lachesis (“the apportioner”) and Atropos (“the inevitable”).  The Roman names for them were Nona, Decuma and Morta.  While Greek portrayal of these deities was that of grave and busy maidens, Romans often showcased them as being mean or denying humans their hopes and desires.