Smiling, she brushed aside the recent interlude, a vague premonition of unease stirring within Tyche. Though fate's revelation had foretold a favorable outcome, it certainly wouldn't unfold in a manner she approved!
Her inner disquiet grew, leaving Tyche with no mood for meaningless social activities. She subtly signaled to Astrea. The latter understood, promptly rising and leading Eurynome and her son away from her mother's temple. Linking arms with Eurynome, she smiled, "Your Highness Eurynome, please accompany me to my father's temple for an audience. He can hardly wait to meet my future husband."
Eurynome, naturally, offered no objection at this juncture. He rose with a composed demeanor and followed, with Perseus bowing respectfully to Phoebe before also rising and pursuing them.
Tyche made no pretense before Phoebe, directly stating, "Your Highness Phoebe, please help me ascertain why my divinity has become erratic!"
Having sworn an alliance with Tyche by the Styx, and considering the unusual climate anomalies likely related to the sky, Phoebe readily agreed.
The divine powers of the two Fates connected, breaking free from the constraints of the River of Fate and flowing upstream. Phoebe's silver shuttle intercepted the threads of causality from Tyche. Propelled by Fate's divine energy, it spun rapidly, soon discovering a clue within the dense web of karma.
The two goddesses immediately followed the lead into the past. A scene appeared on the river's surface: Tyche aimlessly wandering the sky. Before the goddesses could examine it further, a ripple blurred the image on the water, and a blinding radiance forced the goddesses to close their eyes.
Exiting the River of Fate, Tyche's expression had soured. Phoebe gently tapped the armrest of her throne and slowly said, "Although I don't know exactly what happened, it's undeniably connected to my radiant sister."
"I once exchanged my climate divinity for the origin of heat with Helios!" Tyche saw no reason to conceal anything and laid it all out, "Thea was the one in charge!"
"Then it's not surprising," Phoebe became serious. "This sister of mine is a goddess of light no less than Hemera. She might be seeking partial authority in the domain of the sky, to reign above the day!"
"That's not what I'm worried about," Tyche gave a wry smile. "This isn't the worst of it. I fear she..."
Seeing Tyche hesitate, Phoebe didn't press further, calmly stating in a low voice, "Perhaps this is an opportunity. Didn't fate already reveal the outcome?"
After a hurried farewell to the prophetess, Tyche transformed into an aurora and flew towards the eastern mountains. Landing before the Temple of Radiance, Tyche didn't rush, seeing the doors were closed. Since the deed was done, haste would be futile, but she still needed to make her stance clear.
The land of perpetual daylight was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, obscuring the light. A torrential downpour began with a rumble. The sprites in the mountains curiously peeked out, gazing at the sky's clouds and rain, their exclamations of wonder causing a stir.
The closed doors finally opened, and Eos, the rosy-fingered dawn, emerged. Seeing Tyche, who clearly intended trouble, she lowered her head in silence, her embarrassment unable to be concealed.
Following the silent Eos into the temple, Tyche confronted the majestic Thea with a question, "Your Highness Thea! What have you done!"
Despite being in the wrong, Thea showed no fluster on her face, a stark contrast to Eos, who averted her gaze.
Thea elegantly gestured for Tyche to be seated. The nymphs immediately served golden goblets filled with fine wine. "The climate divinity was your exchange for the origin of heat. How you use it or create new divine offices is no longer your concern."
Feeling a severe headache, Tyche knew she had no grounds to stand on based on the exchange agreement. She shifted her approach, "Currently, all the gods are unwilling to see Uranus awaken. Why are you hindering me at such a time? The instability of the climate divinity could alter the situation in the sky's domain. Aren't you afraid of being reprimanded by Your Highness Gaia?"
"I would not have done this without sufficient confidence," Thea waved her hand, dispersing the sky's dark clouds, and said with a smile, "I merely saw my son driving the sun chariot day after day and felt pity. I couldn't bear Helios's hardship and wished to lighten his burden. Is that wrong?"
Looking at Thea, who was impervious to reason, Tyche laughed in anger. The golden goblet in her hand was crushed into dust by her surging divine power. Enraged, Tyche no longer cared about awakening Uranus. The sky's divine power pierced the temple's roof, summoning dark clouds and heavy rain anew. Eos and the nymphs cried out in disbelief, scrambling to dodge the falling debris.
The majestic Thea's face turned ashen with anger. She stood from her throne and sternly roared, "Tyche! What are you doing!"
The commotion in the sky attracted the attention of the gods, who cast looks of surprise and suspicion. The downpour mixed with hail, and the radiant temple emitted piercing cracking sounds under the impact of the hailstones. Thea frantically shielded the temple, clearly not expecting Tyche to openly flip the table.
"How dare you offend my majesty!" Thea, shocked and furious at the sight of the damaged temple, confronted Tyche. The power of radiance and the power of the sky stood in opposition.
"You are mistaken, Thea! You were the one who offended my majesty first!" The divine power of the water cycle roared, and surging floods washed over the peaks, forcing Thea back. Tyche had no more patience for Thea's pretense. If she didn't act, she wouldn't let it go once the facade was broken. A minor skirmish would be useless. Not only would Thea, allied with the Titans, reprimand her for offending the majesty of powerful divine forces, but with strong reinforcements, a few perfunctory words could nullify her actions. Her own dignity would be utterly lost! She would likely be controlled by Thea.
Having decided to escalate the matter, Tyche was going all out today. After all, the gods currently needed her to hold back Uranus and wouldn't do much to her. Power unused expires, so why not use it! Today, she would let everyone know she was not to be trifled with!
The divine power of ice and snow permeated the area, freezing the entire mountain. Though Rhea was a powerful deity, her divine offices of light, gems, and sight lacked combat strength. She could only watch as Tyche gradually established home-field advantage.
The sun and moon deities patrolling the sky sensed the disturbance. The Moon Goddess, having just finished her patrol, immediately steered her chariot towards the frozen temple. Tyche shouted, "Don't get in the way!" and unleashed an aurora, striking down the moon's chariot. The pure white celestial horses, their vision obscured by the unpredictable aurora, scattered in panic. Selene struggled to control the reins to avoid being thrown from her chariot.
The divine power of Fate dispersed into the aurora, encircling the Temple of Radiance and isolating it from the prying eyes of the gods. The gods on the earth were astonished by this conflict. Tyche, always known for her gentle demeanor, rarely showed such a furious side.
The gods of the sea paid close attention to this. Tethys and Oceanus joined forces to intercept Hyperion, who was patrolling the world's perimeter. With Pontus's tacit approval, Metis led the sea goddesses to add to the chaos, and the ocean waters immediately flooded the land.
Standing on the waves, Tyche loudly called out to the origin of the sea. The origin of the sea immediately responded to the call of its favored one. Underground streams surged, converging at Tyche's feet and bolstering the might of the waves.
Thea's divine power erected a shield to protect the damaged temple. The enraged chief deity dispersed the surging waves and used her authority over sight to strip Tyche of her vision, rendering her unable to see. Fortunately, the power of fate granted Tyche transcendent perception, allowing her to remain at a stalemate with Thea.