The laws, too, desired to witness the gods transform towards a more benevolent nature. As humanity's proliferation enriched the world's essence, their faith could simultaneously regulate the actions of the deities. This represented a dual benefit for the laws, manifesting immediately as Tike stepped forward.
With the assurance of the laws, Tike's words were beyond doubt. Some astute deities drew parallels to Prometheus's peculiarities, quietly formulating their own plans.
"However, you must understand that in gaining, you will also lose certain things."
Tike articulated the drawbacks of faith, for she too wished to avoid laying traps for herself. The tide of belief had already begun its unstoppable advance; these matters would inevitably come to light.
"The power derived from humanity will also depart with humanity if you demand more than you give. Thus, trust me, those glories acquired through plunder will ultimately become burdens from which you cannot escape! O gods, choose wisely."
In the unseen realm, the power of faith began to sprout. Should any deity choose to fully immerse themselves in the embrace of faith, the strength it brought would simultaneously become a shackle.
The gods of law and faith resembled civil servants and private enterprises; deities that rejected faith might grow slowly but were assured stability, free from the risk of downfall. Those who embraced faith could gain power according to their abilities; this power was genuine but meant a certain loss of freedom, as the gods of faith must safeguard the interests of their followers!
For the majority of deities, this price was entirely acceptable.
To gain power by merely dedicating a portion of their eternal lives to responding to the prayers of their devotees was evidently a lucrative deal.
Tike conveyed the will of the laws to the assembly of gods, igniting a flurry of discussions within the pantheon. Among the chief deities, the weakest in power, Aphrodite and Demeter, were clearly intrigued. The powers of love and abundance were indispensable for the survival of humanity; with the enhancement of faith, they could swiftly catch up with their more powerful counterparts.
As this momentous gathering concluded, Tike prepared to depart when the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gathered her courage to approach Tike.
"Esteemed goddess of the earth, ruler of the skies and seas, bringer of opportunities, please grant me guidance in light of my past support for your son in his ascension to godhood."
Aphrodite was no longer the shallow and ignorant vase of the past; she implored Tike for a revelation of fate. "You once advised me that the key to becoming a deity of great power is to offer sincere love."
"Yet, I have yet to encounter a god who stirs my heart."
The goddess of love appeared anxious. "Please tell me, when will the god to whom I can pledge my heart make his appearance?"
Tike instinctively glanced at Hera, the goddess of marriage, who was strikingly beautiful, yet unlike her sister Demeter, had not engaged intimately with any male deity.
When would the craftsman god Hephaestus and the war god Ares be born? Surely, the composed Zeus would not act as recklessly as the myths suggested.
Aphrodite followed Tike's gaze towards Hera, her expression shifting from shock to disbelief, then to relief, clearly misunderstanding the implication.
Tike observed the ever-changing expressions on the face of the goddess of love and quickly clarified, "Marriage will give birth to the fruits of love; the god to whom you will entrust your affection will be born from Hera."
Only then did Aphrodite breathe a sigh of relief. The powers of Hestia, goddess of the hearth, Hera, goddess of marriage, Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Themis, goddess of justice, could form a perfect synergy. Yet, the goddess of justice had already retreated, and Hestia harbored a vague desire to become a maiden goddess, which conflicted with her role as the goddess of the household. The determination of the goddess of the hearth was thus evident.
The remaining two deities, Hera and Aphrodite, could scarcely maintain a facade of harmony. After failing to win over Amphitrite, Poseidon had set his sights on the goddess of love, but this time the fickle god of the sea faced a significant setback.
No longer the naive maiden, Aphrodite could clearly see through Poseidon's insincere affections; the god of the sea sought her for her lineage as the daughter of Ponthos and her status among the chief deities!
Due to the overwhelming victory of Tike's faction in siding with Zeus, a debt of gratitude was owed to Aphrodite, and Zeus had promised to protect the goddess of love's honor from infringement even before vanquishing the god of growth, Krios.
Empowered by the support of the king of the gods, Aphrodite unabashedly used her golden girdle to ensnare Poseidon, leading the sea god into a trap where he was caught sleeping with a mare under the watchful eyes of many.
This incident caused a stir on Olympus and quickly spread throughout the world, reducing Poseidon to a laughingstock among the gods for a considerable time. The older deities recalled how Aphrodite had once cursed the previous king and queen of the gods, indirectly leading to their downfall, and thus they treated the goddess of love with reverence.
Poseidon was thoroughly humiliated and retreated into the depths of the ocean, seldom to be seen again.
Regardless, Poseidon was Hera's brother, and the goddess of marriage was greatly displeased with the actions of the goddess of love. She gathered the wealth god Hades and the goddess of harvest Demeter to confront Aphrodite. Although Zeus managed to pacify them, the two goddesses harbored animosity toward one another, neglecting each other and even resorting to physical confrontations at banquets on several occasions.
Upon hearing that the god to whom she would pledge her heart would be Hera's son, the goddess of love's demeanor visibly brightened, though it still could not be described as relaxed.
"Aphrodite, find Hera the love that belongs to her."
Tike, having heard of the disputes between the two goddesses from Leto, left this parting remark with a sense of unexplainable amusement before withdrawing.
Seizing the opportunity presented by Tike's awakening, Zeus consolidated his power, satisfied with his accomplishments, and escorted Tike out of the temple along with Leto and their children.
Kanas returned with his mother to the Isle of the Unseen, where the nymphs warmly welcomed the arrival of the goddess of disaster. These loyal handmaidens presented Kanas with treasured wines, attending to Tike as she returned to the temple to change out of her bejeweled garments.
In the pool outside the temple, a towering tree had sprouted. Kanas, curious, approached to touch the strange tree. The pool in front of the temple was Tike's private domain; nothing placed within it went unvalued, and it was evident that this great tree held extraordinary significance for the goddess.
As Kanas circled the massive tree, pondering its origins, Tike had already changed out of her majestic attire into a simple robe and walked through the increasingly lush fields of lilies to the edge of the pool.
The fresh scent of plants enveloped the air as Tike plucked a branch to weave into an oak crown, placing it upon Kanas's head. The god of disaster felt a coolness wash over his mind, an endless wisdom bestowed upon him, and the mysteries of the laws began to unfurl before his eyes, allowing his stagnant divinity to experience growth once more!
Soon, this wondrous sensation vanished into thin air. Cannas removed the oak crown and scrutinized it closely, discovering that the once vibrant branches had dulled, resembling decayed wood.
"Mother, where did you find it?"
Cannas's expression shifted repeatedly; such a treasure was more precious to the gods than even the position of the chief deity, a closely guarded secret of immense value.
"This is not a product of this world; I obtained it from another realm during my travels through the Sea of Chaos."
This was not a secret that warranted concealment, as Tika briefly mentioned. She took the wine cup from Cannas's hand and drank the dew collected in the hollow at the tree's roots. The dew's effect was akin to the Well of Wisdom in Norse mythology, though it was fleeting, a renewable resource.
The first act upon awakening for Tika was to plant the World Tree, and under the primal god's unyielding essence, it grew overnight to its current form.
Odin's eternal spear, Gungnir, was crafted from the branches of the World Tree, yet Tika still lacked a suitable weapon and contemplated replicating one.
The spear, which never missed its mark, involved the power of fate; the cause of throwing Gungnir and the effect of hitting the target were reversed under the influence of determinism—the moment it was thrown, it had already struck its mark.
Taking a section of the World Tree's trunk, various magical runes were inscribed upon the budding branches. The power of this magic was no less than that of the runes themselves. Tika wielded the unfinished weapon with a sense of tentative satisfaction, knowing that adding the divine essence of Stix would complete her creation.
Just as she prepared to open the portal to the underworld, Tika turned to see Cannas, his face filled with envy, gazing longingly at the spear that gleamed in his mother's hands, the meaning of his expression unmistakable.
With a twinge of reluctance, Tika broke off a branch and handed it to Cannas. "The one-eyed giants will craft for you the most exquisite bow and arrows; use them wisely."
After sending her eager eldest son on his way, Tika approached the river of the underworld.
As she stepped through the portal, an ominous feeling washed over her—Stix's power had significantly waned!
The riverbank was crowded with souls clinging to their obsessions, yet the River of Obsession had shrunk by nearly a third, the damp waterline faintly visible along the exposed banks.
This was indeed peculiar, Tika mused, pondering the cause.
It was unlikely to be an attack; the River of Oblivion was not far off, and Nyx would not stand idly by! Moreover, the gods of the underworld would not allow Stix, the embodiment of the River of Obsession, to perish. If Stix truly faced peril, the vengeful goddesses guarding the underworld would undoubtedly seek Zeus's assistance! The relationship between the goddess of determinism and Tika was well known to them.
Thus, the weakening of Stix seemed reasonable to them, at least not to the point of life-threatening danger.
Though both were manifestations of Tika, Stix possessed more autonomy than the temperature incarnations of the goddesses; the goddesses of determinism were akin to another facet of Tika's subconscious.
The River of Obsession was calm and undisturbed as Tika stepped lightly upon its surface, softly calling out to the goddess of determinism.
Stix parted the waters and emerged, her face betraying evident fatigue. The goddess's eyes sparkled with joy as she exclaimed, "You arrived just in time; come and see my children."
"!" Tika was left speechless, unable to believe her ears. She grasped the goddess's hand, incredulously asking, "You mean children? Whose? Yours?!"
Tika had intended to leave swiftly after acquiring the essence of determinism, eager to refine her half-finished eternal spear, but Stix's weakening compelled her to hesitate; after careful consideration, she decided to take her time, planning to complete the spear once the goddess of determinism had regained her strength.
Her desire to meet Stix stemmed from concern, initially intending to inquire about the source of the goddess's dwindling power, but she was taken aback by the bombshell of news.
Tika stammered, "No, no, the children are undoubtedly yours; I meant to ask who their father is?"
Tika's expression was beyond words, and Stix couldn't help but chuckle, "Do you not recall what Aphrodite attempted?"
Long ago, the goddess of love had tried to forge a connection between Tika and the god of slaughter, Pallas. At that time, Tika was distressed over Cannas's departure, and had it not been for the goddess of determinism's keen insight, she might have fallen into the trap.
This causal thread linking Pallas had been embraced by Stix, who now seemed unaware of why she had not severed it.
Tika clearly recalled Aphrodite's antics and cautiously asked the goddess of determinism, "Did these children come into being from your union with Pallas?"
"Not quite." Amused by Tika's discomfort, Stix finally revealed the truth.
"As the goddess of determinism, I foresaw that becoming Pallas's spouse would yield four deities." Stix's eyes sparkled with pride and satisfaction.
"But I bypassed the process and directly achieved the outcome!"
Once Tika regained her composure, she realized that Stix had transcended the threshold of moderate divine power to become a being of great strength!
"Determinism, the established outcome, and fate!"
Sensing the divine power of fate surging within Stix, Tika breathed a sigh of relief, transforming her worry into joy as she extended her congratulations to the goddess of determinism.
Through causal connections, Stix had carved her own path! Although the process consumed immeasurable time and divine power, even causing the goddess to weaken for an extended period, the result was undeniably joyous!
In the temple surrounded by flowing waters, Stix called out to her children.
Leading the way was a goddess with golden wings, whose presence illuminated the dim underworld. She inherited her mother's divine essence of fate, and her power could bring victory to those she favored; this golden-haired, golden-eyed goddess radiated confidence, uniquely blessed by fortune and destiny.
"The goddess of victory, Nike." Through a faint connection, Tika learned of the goddess's name. This lesser goddess was one of the few martial types, her combat prowess formidable; even the combined strength of the chief deities Demeter and Aphrodite might not match her.
Trailing half a step behind Nike was a brown-haired, brown-eyed god, who, despite sharing the same level of divine power, was not as formidable as his sister.
This was the god of competition, Zelus, embodying the essence of survival of the fittest. His power evidently stemmed from slaughter and savagery; while Zelus bore a striking resemblance to Pallas, his demeanor was notably gentler, imbued with an inexplicable scholarly air.
Behind the elder brother and sister stood the mighty god Kratos and the god of violence, Bia. These two male deities possessed far lesser power than their siblings, classified merely as weak divine strength, yet their attributes still applied to combat.