The war between the two goddesses raged for a day and a night under the tacit approval of the King of Gods, whose intentions remained inscrutable. The other gods, sensing the King's ambiguous stance, dared not intervene and quietly observed the unfolding events.
Tyche's eyes blazed with white light, the threads of fate clearly visible to her. Gracefully evading the light arrows, Tyche moved with unhurried steps amidst Theia's attacks, mockingly remarking, "It seems you are not as confident as you believe, Princess Theia!"
The Goddess of Radiance stood upon the ruins of the divine temple, her expression grim. "Just because a new god has been born from the divine essence of climate, you intend to oppose me?"
From the perspective of the gods, the birth of a new deity through the union of divine essences hardly warranted such a full-blown conflict.
Tyche lowered her head, her expression hidden in shadow. Though she had long since abandoned any hope for the moral compass of the gods, Theia's tone, as if questioning why Tyche was being so unreasonable, finally broke through her composure.
The dice, which had been spinning ceaselessly in her hand, quietly stopped. An ominous, scarlet divine power emanated from them, silently connecting with Theia along the threads of causality.
The opportunity of fate roared at the goddess who had miscalculated. The ruins beneath Theia's feet suddenly collapsed. Caught off guard, Theia stumbled into a crevice, her protective shield of radiant divine power flickering for a moment. Tyche seized the opportunity, striking a blow that sent the flustered Theia flying. The sturdy body of the Titan remained unharmed, but after crashing through several icebergs, she soared back into the air to face Tyche.
"Hand over the newborn deity!" Tyche issued a stern warning to the disheveled Goddess of Radiance.
Theia, having lost face, naturally paid no heed. She swung her fair arms, piercing the ice wall separating them. The enraged Titan revealed her colossal form, her massive palm descending upon Tyche, who stood on the waves. Tyche, having anticipated this, channeled the currents, slamming them forcefully against the goddess's legs. Theia, losing her balance, had her palm strike easily evaded. The ocean currents transformed into tenacious ropes, quickly scaling Theia's body, only to be shattered by her power in the next instant, unleashing a torrential downpour.
The back-and-forth clashes between the two goddesses captivated the onlookers, who marveled at their immense power.
Tyche opened a portal, distancing herself from Theia. Close combat was too disadvantageous; the Ocean Goddess's body could not match the sturdiness of the Titan! If Theia landed even one hit, she could secure victory. Tyche could only engage in a protracted struggle, inflicting minor disturbances, as a prolonged defense was bound to lead to a breach.
Her fractured divinity, leaping wildly, continuously drew divine power from the celestial domain. Layers of portals opened silently, and Tyche skillfully weaved through them, striking and retreating, giving Theia no chance to close in.
The enraged Theia let out a deafening roar. Hard, multicolored gems condensed into sharp spikes, piercing the ice and hurtling towards Tyche, soon occupying most of the space. Helpless, Tyche was forced to retreat further. Gradually, the goddesses' battlefield moved away from the mist's confinement.
The game of chase was interrupted by three other deities. Phoebe, the prophetess, intervened in the battle, while Themis, the embodiment of justice, halted Theia's assault. Asteria then approached Tyche, calming the goddess.
After a silent exchange of glances, Theia accepted the clothes handed to her by Themis and changed. Tyche, seeing the opportune moment, also ceased her aggressive actions. The two goddesses then presented their arguments before the Goddess of Justice.
"Respected Goddess of Justice, guardian of the law, please heed my plea!"
Tyche spoke first, initiating her case. "Theia created a new deity using my divine essence without my consent, infringing upon my domain! Whether as a god or a goddess, this is a desecration of my dignity!"
Themis raised her scales and spread her wings, proclaiming in a loud voice, "I am here to listen! The truth cannot escape my sight!" The eyes, hidden by a white satin blindfold, lit up with golden light. A solemn divine power unfolded, rendering it impossible for anyone within Themis's domain to utter a falsehood.
"Theia! Did you, as Tyche claims, erode the climate domain's power!"
The Goddess of Radiance calmly replied, "I did indeed create a new deity, but I did not erode the climate domain! The divine essence in my hand was exchanged for by my son, Helios, from the origin of heat! It has nothing to do with Tyche anymore!"
Themis turned to Tyche. "Tyche! Did Theia's climate divine essence come from an exchange with you and Helios?"
Tyche knew that due to the exchange, she had lost ownership of that portion of climate divine essence and no longer pursued the matter. She nodded calmly, "Yes, I exchanged it with Helios."
The scales in the Goddess of Justice's hand tilted slightly upwards on Tyche's side. Before Theia could feel smug, Tyche added, "But this does not mean Theia can use this divine essence to shape a new god! I could accept her using it to create new climate domain deities or even share the power of the sky domain! But not a child!"
"This concerns my dignity as a goddess! My children should be born amidst parental love and the blessings of Eros, not become pawns in the entanglement of schemes and interests!"
Tyche's emotions grew more impassioned. "Whether to choose to be a mother is my right, an inviolable right! All goddesses should possess this right, the right to decide for themselves!"
As if touched by Tyche's words, Rhea quietly emerged from a golden radiance. Disregarding their previous discord, she stood by Tyche's side.
Upon seeing the Queen of the Gods appear, all the gods turned their attention towards her. The goddesses looked at the impassioned Tyche with admiration, and one by one, they declared their stances. The scales in Themis's hand immediately returned to equilibrium. Tyche, looking at the displeased Theia, felt a surge of satisfaction. She had long been annoyed by these unruly children, and today, she would let Theia taste the power of public opinion.
Theia found herself in a difficult position. Tyche's opinion was endorsed by all the goddesses. If she were to object, she would be standing against all of them, jeopardizing her future standing. Though unwilling, seeing the goddesses appearing one after another, Theia finally relented.
"I agree with Tyche's words," Theia conceded calmly. "Just Goddess, I am willing to accept your judgment."
The scales in her hand tilted towards Tyche. Themis raised her golden sword, bringing an end to the dispute and inscribing the right to reproductive freedom for goddesses with the divine power of law. The laws responded to the Goddess of Justice's decree, and the divine status of protector of women and children was bestowed upon Tyche, the involved party.
Tyche raised the divine status, which emanated a warm white light. The goddesses offered their praise and blessings, celebrating the victory for all.
Metis, the wise, appeared with the sea nymphs, accompanied by Helios, the Sun God, whom they had jointly restrained. The Sun God's golden pupils remained dazzling, but Tyche had no mind to admire them. With Theia's surrender, her vision returned to Tyche's eyes.
Steadfastly walking towards Helios, Tyche asked, enunciating each word, "Your Highness Helios! Do you know of Theia's actions?"
The Sun God remained silent. Tyche's gaze grew increasingly dangerous, and the ice and snow that had melted with Helios's arrival and the withdrawal of divine power began to freeze again beneath her feet.
Eos, appearing as a rosy radiance, materialized before Tyche, anxiously defending her brother. "Your Highness Tyche! My brother knew nothing of Mother's intention to create a new god! She merely told my brother that you would accept her proposal, which is why she provided the solar divine essence!"
The wind stirred Tyche's robes, and a faint consciousness appeared with Eos's arrival. The nascent consciousness instinctively drew closer to its mother's power, lingering around Tyche with affection.