With these thoughts in mind, Tyche gathered her spirits and admonished, "Aphrodite, perhaps love may lose its initial flutter over time, but it is undeniably genuine!""The sentiment of love is real, and so is the pain of its loss. Disguise is but a weapon for defense; do not let the mask you wear deceive your heart."Aphrodite clearly understood the implication of Tyche's words and forced a smile to mask her embarrassment."Moirai is not a suitable deity for Hera. There should be no trade-offs or sacrifices in marriage. If one forsakes their own desires for the sake of familial bonds, such a union is doomed to wither away.""I have made it very clear to you that Hera will only bear the fruit of love within a happy marriage. Should a new deity be born without the love of its parents, it would not be a worthy recipient of your affection."The goddess of love grew serious, "What about Menoetius? I truly believe that the union of the god of courage and the goddess of marriage would be blessed by love."Menoetius, the god of courage, was the youngest child of Iapetus and brother of Prometheus. This suggestion struck Tyche as most peculiar, for Aphrodite had once been coerced by the former queen of gods, Rhea, into becoming Menoetius's wife. Tyche's first thought upon hearing this name was that Aphrodite was seeking revenge, but the goddess of love's eyes were filled with sincerity. It was like a replay of the past, only the male lead remained the same while the female lead had subtly changed."Courage is required to enter into marriage, and it takes courage to face the reality of marriage and uphold it. In that sense, Menoetius is indeed a fitting choice."After a moment of contemplation, Tyche grasped Aphrodite's meaning—Menoetius, being a minor deity, was of a lower divine rank than Hera, who was of medium power. However, the power of marriage was not adept at combat, and Menoetius's strength surpassed Hera's, creating a balance between them."This concerns your opportunity to ascend to great power. I trust you would not treat this matter lightly out of old grudges with Rhea."Pausing for a moment, Tyche decided to place her faith in Aphrodite, "Create opportunities for them. Remember! Do not interfere excessively with your power; everything must proceed according to their wishes!"Tyche had experienced the dire consequences of meddling in relationships, and the children that Styx had brought forth served as a stark warning.Tyche returned to the Isle of the Formless, where Phryne immediately reported to the principal deity that Eurydice had arrived.Her heart skipped a beat instinctively, and Tyche thought that the Goddess of Fate's affair with creating children had been discovered by Eurydice, who had come to seek justice for Pallas. But then she recalled that Zeus and Hecate were not the type to gossip, and she wondered what other matters this sister, who had dissolved her marriage with the god of growth, might need her assistance with.With this doubt in mind, Tyche met the anxious Eurydice. Since Tyche had connected Eurydice's marriage with the god of growth, Crius, to her avatar Eurybia, the liberated wave goddess had indeed indulged in a period of uninhibited behavior. According to the grapevine among the rainbow goddesses, Eurydice and Poseidon had shared a romantic liaison. It was unclear whether this was to avenge Demeter for taking Crius, but Eurydice's attitude towards the goddess of fertility was certainly not amicable.However, Eurydice, representing the abundance of the sea, and Demeter did have overlapping divine roles. Yet Demeter's fertility manifested in fruit trees and crops, deliberately avoiding direct conflict with Eurydice."My dear sister, the mistress of waves and tides, why are you in such a hurry?"Eurydice paced anxiously on the beach, and upon seeing Tyche's arrival, her joy surged like the waves beneath her feet."Tyche, come with me at once!" Eurydice impulsively grabbed Tyche's hand, intent on leading her into the sea.Tyche quickly restrained the anxious goddess, "Eurydice, calm down and tell me what has happened.""It's Metis, something is wrong with Metis!"Eurydice exclaimed in urgency, "She was struck by lightning and became pregnant, and she is about to give birth!"Tyche was bewildered, "You mean Zeus impregnated Metis?""I'm not sure, you'd better ask Metis yourself!"Although it was certain that this was not Zeus's deliberate action, only the parties involved could clarify the truth! After inquiring about Metis's whereabouts, Tyche opened a portal to the temple of Tethys.Since Tethys and Oceanus had chosen to live in seclusion together, the once bustling sea temple had become desolate. The various sea goddesses, out of respect, had not taken up residence in their mother's temple, and at this moment, Metis was the only one present."Wise Metis, please tell me, who is the father of the child in your womb?"Faced with Tyche's pointed question, the goddess of wisdom did not take offense but replied with a sense of helplessness, "I cannot be certain. The lightning strike brought a spark of life to me, and thus I conceived this child."Tyche recalled that Zeus had obtained the divine essence of life under her guidance and felt a sense of shame.Thunder imbued with the power of life could indeed have such an effect; it awakens life and brings forth new beginnings, not to mention that after defeating the god of growth, Crius, Zeus had acquired all the divine roles in the domain of life from this vanquished deity.Tyche awkwardly looked at the pained Metis and stammered, "Such a situation could indeed occur. What are your plans moving forward?""Do not reveal this secret to anyone!" the goddess of wisdom groaned in agony, "The gods need only know that this child was conceived by me alone."Metis had already anticipated the attention this child's parentage would attract. Zeus, recognizing their connection, might protect the child conceived because of him, but Leto and her offspring would certainly not welcome this child. If this matter were not kept under wraps, ambitious goddesses would surely follow her example and bear children of the king of gods, for with her precedent set, who would not be tempted by such a lucrative opportunity?In order to prevent such chaos, Zeus might not even be able to consider Tyche's feelings, and even if Metis was innocent, she would have to endure a punishment severe enough to deter the other gods!For the sake of her own and her child's safety, Metis had not wanted to disclose this matter to anyone, but the burden of carrying the child forced her to seek help from her sisters. She approached Tyche to secure a guarantee—that the secret would remain confidential, but Tyche needed to provide protection!
"I will give you my word," Tyche assured solemnly, "and I will offer the child all the help I can. In exchange for not being able to walk in the world as Zeus's offspring, I will bestow upon this child the divine roles of craftsmanship and weaving."Thinking of the unexpected child in Metis's womb, Tyche felt a sense of destiny. Perhaps there was a force in the unseen realm that corrected paths, and Athena had emerged in this surprising way."Perhaps this child's talent is enough to inherit my principal deity position," Tyche grasped Metis's hand, "The responsibility of the head of the sea goddesses will come with this honor!"Metis and Eurydice were both shocked. The two goddesses looked at each other for a long time. The goddess of wisdom, enduring the pain, said, "Tyche, I never meant to force you to give up your principal deity position! I just hope this child grows up safely. I don't dare to hope for anything more.""Do not refuse, Metis! This is what the child deserves. The principal deity position inherited from our mother, the sea goddess Tethys, has become dispensable to me. In fact, all deities who have inherited the blood of the ocean god and the sea goddess are qualified to take this principal deity position from me.""When the new deity grows strong enough to command the respect of the gods, it will be time for me to lay down this responsibility."Seeing Tyche's sincerity, the two goddesses were somewhat moved.At that moment, the bright-eyed Athena descended. Tyche draped a pure white gauze dress over the newborn goddess, covering her naked body. Athena, inheriting the divine essence of wisdom from her mother, took control of the roles of strategy and planning. The daughter of wisdom, with a determined gaze, came to her mother's side to support the weakened goddess of wisdom.The young Athena also possessed the power of a minor deity, her talent on par with Apollo and Artemis."Eurydice, we should leave now," Tyche and the goddess of the waves quietly departed, leaving the space for the mother and daughter.Unlike their anxious arrival, the two goddesses strolled leisurely over the sea. Eurydice suddenly spoke, "Tyche, have you ever thought about what your goal will be after becoming a primordial deity?""Why do you ask that?" Tyche turned her head to look at the goddess of the waves."I thought I would peacefully spend the long ages with Crius, but he carelessly abandoned me for Gaia's aid."The damp sea breeze tousled Eurydice's long hair by her cheek. The goddess took a deep breath of the slightly salty sea air and sighed, "I was once so angry about it. After you helped me break free from that marriage, I thought about taking revenge on Crius!""Was everything I gave him just dispensable to him? Is my dignity, my feelings, like this gust of wind, gone as soon as it passes?"Turning to meet Tyche's eyes, Eurydice continued, "But over time, I began to understand why he abandoned me, and I no longer let these past events entangle me.""I didn't really love him; I just wanted to find a companion to dispel the loneliness of eternity. I projected my hopes and expectations for the future onto him, thinking that would help me endure the tormenting time."Tyche stopped in her tracks, becoming a good listener, absorbing Eurydice's pain and growth. Abundant emotions are not necessarily a good thing for immortal deities. Without a reason to keep going, deities can lose their humanity as their emotions are eroded over the long years."I was like a vine clinging to Crius, using him as a pillar to escape the fate of returning to my primal state, deceiving myself into thinking I loved him.""When he was cast into the abyss, I didn't feel any sadness. I was just upset that the energy and time I spent on him were wasted. I would have accepted it if it had been anyone else!"Tyche suddenly asked, "Isn't that good too? You realized that you loved yourself.""I should love myself," Eurydice's eyes were filled with gravity. "So I indulged in pleasure, no longer bound by marriage. After doing everything possible, I lost my taste for all excitement!""I don't understand how you maintain yourself," Eurydice voiced the question that had been in her heart for a long time."You don't like feasts, you don't like pleasure, and you even refuse to interact with the other gods. What is your goal to balance your divinity? This monotonous life hasn't made you want to give up. Even after becoming a primordial deity and gaining unparalleled power, you still persist in your tedious life as before."Tyche was silent, shifting her gaze away from Eurydice."Loving yourself is not just about sensory enjoyment. You are limited by the actions of the gods.""Go see our mother. The first generation of Titans, who live in seclusion, have existed longer than us. See how they preserve their abundant emotions."Eurydice nodded calmly and went to the secluded place of the sea goddess and the ocean god to seek answers.As the gods entered the scene one after another, the situation of the Silver humans changed dramatically.Demeter taught them how to cultivate crops, allowing them to be full even after leaving the paradise; the scope of human activities gradually expanded. They left the caves and migrated to the fertile plains.Prometheus taught the Silver humans to make various tools. The enlightened Silver humans began to form settlements, and dwellings made of wood and stone began to appear.Under the guidance of Aphrodite and Hera, love and marriage were accepted by the Silver humans. With the help of the gods, they established their own civilization.In this process, more and more gods received feedback from the power of faith, which undoubtedly inspired the enthusiasm of the gods. More gods joined this competition.Although the power brought by faith is restricted, who among the gods is willing to see those originally weaker than themselves gradually become stronger? A sense of crisis made many gods who originally did not plan to accept faith change their minds. Disputes over faith became more and more frequent.The quarrels of the gods on the earth made Tyche restless. Some irritable gods even fought, and the frequent loud noises made Tyche gradually irritable. Finally, the new earth goddess could not bear it and summoned the gods on Mount Olympus.The contradictions caused by the struggle for faith are actually irreconcilable. No one is willing to give up the power they have obtained. Tyche's patience was worn out by the endless shirking and pulling of the gods.Tyche stood up and shouted, "Enough! I have had enough of your noise. Since words cannot move you, then show your abilities to attract believers!"The gods retreated because of Tyche's anger. Hera, who was also involved, stepped out from among the gods, "Princess Tyche, please forgive our offense. Do you have any way to fairly resolve this issue?"