Accompanying Kannas on a stroll around the island, Tyche patiently listened to the wind god’s endless accounts of his travels. The two deities approached Pegasus, and Kannas meticulously groomed its mane with a comb. The pure white Pegasus snorted contentedly and rolled lazily on the grass.
Tyche smiled and crouched down, reaching out to stroke the Pegasus’s soft mane. The cleaned Pegasus spread its wings, shook off the grass clinging to its coat, and went off to ask the tree nymphs for fruit. The tree nymphs, who doted on it, were never stingy, always ensuring the gluttonous creature had its fill.
Kannas then recounted a strange incident he encountered during his patrol to Tyche. “As the Sun Chariot was nearing the end of its patrol, I saw a deity quietly descend from the divine mountain to the mortal realm. Prince Helios informed me it was Hera, the beloved daughter of the King and Queen of the Gods, the goddess of marriage.”
“It was rare to meet a deity born after me, so I wanted to greet her, but Prince Helios stopped me and sternly told me not to approach her.” The youth’s tone was tinged with confusion. The steady Sun God, who was usually accommodating to his requests, had spoken to him with a warning tone for the first time.
Upon hearing Hera’s name, Tyche’s interest was immediately piqued, and she earnestly asked Kannas to recount the details of what he had seen. After a moment of thought, she inquired, “Do you know where Hera went?”
“She went north.”
North? Tyche wondered why Rhea would let her daughter leave her sight. The northern mountains concealed fissures leading to Tartarus, and the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires imprisoned in the abyss constantly emitted cries that disturbed the peace of the gods, causing them to keep their distance.
Sensing that the matter was not simple, Tyche’s expression changed, and she asked in a deep voice, “Kannas, can you still see Hera’s figure now?”
The youth looked up at the bright North Star. The star’s radiance pierced through the mist, reflecting in the boy’s grayish-white eyes. The divine power of tracking, aided by the stars high in the sky, searched for the traces of the goddess of marriage.
“Found her!”
Leveraging the authority of the sky, Tyche shared the North Star’s perspective and indeed saw Hera, drawn by the giants’ cries, curiously peering into the fissure. Tartarus, the abyss, unlike Gaia, possessed no humanity or desire; its all-consuming instinct greedily fixed its gaze on the curious goddess, and tentacles stirred in the darkness.
Tyche immediately manipulated the threads of causality, her divine power of fate connecting with the innocent goddess of marriage. A mist enveloped her silver robe, concealing the goddess’s form. Opening a portal, Tyche pulled Hera through and returned to the island. Seeing Tyche, who had clothed her at birth, the startled Hera quickly bowed.
“Your Highness Tyche.”
Tyche smiled and invited the goddess of marriage to sit. “Welcome to my domain, this is the Isle of the Unseen.”
Unaware that she had narrowly escaped disaster, the goddess of marriage felt a strong affinity for the gentle Tyche before her. After bowing, she turned to look at Kannas.
Tyche introduced him, “This is Kannas, the deity who controls wind and direction, the god of tracking and the master of the North Star.”
Kannas already bore a resemblance to Helios, nodding steadily, “Your Highness Hera.”
Hera nodded slightly, “Salutations to you, free tracker.”
The three deities took their seats in the temple, and maidservants silently served them fine wine and various fruits before withdrawing.
Tyche, her expression unreadable, asked casually, “Hera, why did you leave your mother’s embrace to wander the mortal realm?”
The newly born goddess, who had always resided in her mother’s temple on the divine mountain, answered without any reservations, “I heard that the Cyclopes underground are highly skilled, so I wanted them to craft some jewelry for me as a gift for my mother.”
Heard? From whom? Tyche’s doubts grew. She feigned arrogance, saying, “Cyclopes? Those crude giants only forge fearsome weapons. When it comes to exquisite ornaments, no one can compare to me! I am the goddess of craftsmanship recognized by all the gods, and Princess Gaia even rewarded me with a golden basin that flows with gold and gems!”
With that, she had Kannas bring out newly crafted mirrors and jewelry inlaid with pearls and gems. Hera admired them, exclaiming in praise and caressing the exquisite pieces with delight.
Tyche generously allowed Hera to choose freely, casually complaining, “To think someone believes the Cyclopes’ craftsmanship surpasses mine; it must be those male gods who lack appreciation.”
Unaware of the deeper meaning behind Tyche’s probing, Hera stood before the mirror, carefully admiring the ruby necklace around her neck. The intricate and opulent necklace was made of gold clasps and equally sized rubies, with waterfall-like tassels cascading down, making a striking impression against Hera’s golden hair.
Satisfied, she removed the ruby necklace and picked up a bracelet made of pearls and crystal. Hera tried on each piece with great enjoyment, casually replying, “It was my esteemed mother. She must have grown tired of these luxurious jewels and wanted to try the giants’ craftsmanship.”
Tyche’s heart skipped a beat, feeling that the situation had become even more complicated. The distressed Queen of the Gods would not have been paying attention to such trinkets at that time; the Queen Hera saw must not have been the true Queen! Someone had impersonated Rhea and deceived Hera!
Thinking further, Tyche felt the matter was not so simple. Rhea had always kept Hera hidden within her temple. The control a deity had over their own temple was absolute; it was impossible for someone to impersonate the temple’s mistress without being detected, akin to stealing someone’s clothes while they were awake.
Despite her inner shock, Tyche maintained her composure and had two rainbow goddesses retrieve crystal boxes to pack the jewelry Hera had chosen. She then quietly withdrew from the temple and went to the kapok tree. The silent night enveloped the forest, obscuring light and sound. Taking out Rhea’s golden hourglass, Tyche prepared to contact the Queen of the Gods when suddenly her divine power of fate issued a frantic warning, causing Tyche’s heart to skip a beat and nearly crushing the hourglass!
The divine power of fate surged, adding layers of concealment and seals to the golden hourglass. Only then did Tyche’s racing heart calm down. Her fluctuating expression was filled with lingering fear. Had Rhea set a trap for her? What was her motive?
Baffled, Tyche could not fathom Rhea’s reason for scheming against her. Rhea had already openly declared her intention to overthrow Kronos; could she still be planning a betrayal? She would never dare to antagonize the line of Oceanus! At least, until Kronos was truly overthrown, the line of Oceanus could be counted as a potential ally.
Hiding her myriad doubts, Tyche smiled and bid Hera farewell. As Hera’s figure disappeared into the mist, Tyche immediately contacted her avatar on the divine mountain to investigate the anomaly with the Queen of the Gods.
The temple on the water remained as silent as ever. The ice-and-snow avatar emerged from the spring. Summoning mist to conceal herself, Tyche quietly mingled with the nymph attendants to gather information. The usually busy nymphs were quite leisurely at the moment. Few gods resided permanently on the divine mountain; apart from the King and Queen of the Gods, most Titans had their own domains and temples. The temples on the divine mountain were established by the laws to showcase the gods’ majesty, and all gods left a permanent avatar in their respective temples. The nymphs belonging to the temples maintained their cleanliness.
Most of the nymphs on the divine mountain served the King and Queen of the Gods, their duty being to serve Rhea as her attendants. Following Rhea’s attendants, Tyche indeed discovered something amiss.
A group of nymphs went to the garden to pick flowers, and two of them hid in a corner, whispering. The blonde nymph said in a low voice, “Since reconciling with the King of the Gods, Princess Rhea hasn’t appeared for a long time.”
The green-haired nymph smiled and said, “Princess Hera’s appearance has brought the King and Queen of the Gods back together. Isn’t that a good thing? When the two princes were swallowed, the arguments between the two main gods were unbearable for us.”
Saying this, she covered her mouth with a shy expression and whispered, “I’m afraid the Queen of the Gods is now nurturing a new deity.”
The blonde nymph also shyly covered her mouth, teased her companion a couple of times, and playfully joined the work of their other companions.
Tyche, shrouded in mist, wore a grave expression. Leaving the nymphs, she went to the outside of Rhea’s temple. Her eyes emitted white light as Tyche carefully observed Rhea’s temple. The divine power flowing around the temple was indeed gradually weakening, which was why the nymphs believed Rhea was nurturing a new god.
Tyche was still puzzled as to why her divine power of fate had issued a warning about Rhea, but it now seemed to be because Rhea and Kronos were together conceiving a new god, and Rhea’s power at that moment would have been detected by Kronos.
Feeling slightly relieved, Tyche quietly returned to the temple on the water. Just as she was about to leave the divine mountain and return to the island, she suddenly and keenly noticed the sealed silver box deep within the temple emitting a faint light. The sealed divine nature of Prometheus, sensing the arrival of the temple’s mistress, trembled as if trying to convey some information.
Before Tyche could open the silver box, Rhea’s voice suddenly echoed from outside the temple. The anomalous silver box immediately fell silent. Tyche, on high alert, immediately submerged the silver box into the lake beneath the temple.
“Tyche, thank you for helping my daughter.” Rhea arrived at the temple with Hera, her sincere gratitude, however, made Tyche feel a profound sense of incongruity.
“Your Highness Rhea, I am the protector of women and children; it is my duty.” Tyche mustered her spirits to respond, but her doubts deepened.
The two goddesses took their seats, and Hera stood by Rhea’s side, serving her respectfully. Tyche cast a deep glance at the bowed Hera, and her suspicion of Rhea took firm root in her heart.
Rhea’s smile remained unchanged as she suddenly asked, “Tyche, how did you know Hera’s whereabouts?”
Tyche’s face remained impassive as she calmly explained how she discovered Hera’s trace. “Kannas was patrolling the sky with Helios. This child always wanted to hunt black panthers to offer to me. His first hunt was not skillful enough, and the prey escaped, leaving him very unwilling. So, during his patrol, he paid close attention to searching for the black panther’s tracks and happened to discover Hera.”
Rhea chuckled softly, “I will surely repay your kindness. How about letting Kannas become a subordinate god to the King of the Gods? What do you think?”
Tyche’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately replied, “Thank you for your generous offer, but Kannas has not yet learned to control his powers and cannot undertake such an important responsibility.”
Sighing with regret, Rhea smiled meaningfully, “I will remember your help. If Kannas wishes to obtain any divine position, I will surely grant his wish.”
The atmosphere immediately shifted, and Tyche’s nerves tensed. She forced a smile and said, “Your Highness is joking. This is within my duties; I dare not ask for too much.”
After dealing with the unsettling Queen of the Gods, Tyche immediately leaped into the lake, evading the chilling gaze of scrutiny.
Returning to the mist-shrouded island, Tyche’s tensed nerves slowly relaxed. She collapsed into a patch of lilies, waving away the surrounding rainbow goddesses with trembling hands before retreating somewhat disheveled into the pool.
Following the underground channel in the pool to the sea, Tyche instinctively steered the ocean currents, intending to go to her mother’s temple in the deep sea. The warning from her divine power of fate again made Tyche return to the pool immediately. Alert to the prying eyes, Tyche reinforced the illusion of the magic net with the powers of the sky and fate, and only then did she relax.