Tyche, though she had been waiting for this moment, couldn't help but feel Rhea's sacrifice was in vain. Her mother's instincts and love for her husband tore at Rhea's heart. Judging by the Queen's increasingly weak aura, she would eventually return to the source of time, losing her emotions.
"You have received what you sought; this was your choice," Tyche murmured in her heart, looking at Rhea's struggling form with pity.
The primal connection between the King of the Gods and the Queen meant no secrets existed between them. Kronos, aware of Rhea's suffering, still chose to devour his children. His thirst for power was like a red-hot iron, continuously tormenting his wife's soul.
Tyche found Kannaos, who was studying diligently, incredibly pleasing. For the first time ever, she allowed her son to stop practicing and relax.
The Wind God immediately drove the plump wolves, raised by nymphs, to hunt on the earth for the first time in a long while. Running freely across the land, Kannaos let out a wild cry, startling the animals hidden in the woods.
The wolves' eyes were sharp, scrutinizing the panicked prey for their master. The Wind God, ignoring the weak pheasants and rabbits, focused his gaze on the strong beasts.
Among the fleeing beasts, a giant white bear caught Kannaos's eye! The bear's size and fur, unusual for its kind, made it stand out in the dark forest. Kannaos immediately grew excited, whistling to lead the wolves in pursuit of the white bear.
This peculiar beast fled in a panic, destroying vegetation along its path and leaving clear tracks. After a period of pursuit, Kannaos was somewhat surprised; the white bear's speed was astonishingly swift, unlike an ordinary wild animal.
Following the trail of broken trees, Kannaos found the white bear's tracks in a forest clearing.
Selene's chariot traveled across the sky, and the bright moonlight illuminated the clearing. The white bear lay prostrate at the feet of a deity, who, clad in animal skins, was calming the frightened bear.
The wolves' luminous pupils in the shadows revealed Kannaos's position. Under the gaze of the unknown deity, Kannaos emerged from the woods.
The unknown deity's orange eyes flickered with a dangerous glow. His bare upper body revealed a robust physique. Looking at Kannaos, he asked, "Stranger god, why do you harm my servant?"
Kannaos bowed his head in apology. "I am Kannaos, son of Tyche, the Sky Goddess, who governs wind and hunt."
Waving to halt the approaching wolves, the Wind God said with some embarrassment, "Please forgive my presumption. I did not know this beautiful beast already had a master."
The unknown deity also nodded in return, his deep voice echoing through the forest. "I am Pallas, son of Krios, the God of Growth, and Euryonome, the power of the sea, the God of Monstrous Beasts."
Only then did Kannaos relax his guard and approach Pallas, saying, "Greetings to you, brother of Perses, the God of Destruction, and Astraeus, the God of the Starry Sky."
The God of Monstrous Beasts started a bonfire and invited Kannaos to sit. The Wind God curiously asked, "Why do you wander alone in the forest at night?"
Pallas let out a low chuckle. "I received a revelation from my brother's wife, Asteria, the Goddess of Astrology. The first deity I encounter here will help me obtain the power of the wild."
"Prince Kannaos, I wish to obtain the divinity of the hunt from you."
Kannaos knew that Perses, who possessed the divine offices of destruction and ruin, was the husband of Asteria, the Goddess of the Starry Night. He trusted the Starry Night Goddess's word and immediately asked, "Respected Pallas, what can I gain in return?"
Tyche and Helios's teachings had long ago taught Kannaos the principle of equivalent exchange. Moreover, his own birth stemmed from a divine exchange. Therefore, the Wind God was very cautious about transactions involving divinity.
"This is a trace of pure divinity of slaughter." A scarlet glow appeared in Pallas's hand, and Kannaos immediately smelled the scent of blood. "It originated from the divine office of slaughter I once possessed. Later, I lost myself in the slaughter and nearly returned to the primal source of killing. Finally, with my father's help, I struggled to regain consciousness, and since then, I sealed that divine office."
The power of slaughter was dangerous and potent. Once one lost themselves in this power, they would lose their identity and become a puppet of the divine office of slaughter.
"I need the power of the wild divinity to balance the impulse of slaughter. The natural power of the wild can counteract the chaos of slaughter, allowing me to remain clear-headed when using the power of slaughter."
Kannaos immediately agreed to the exchange. "I am willing to trade with you, but you must swear to the Goddess of Justice! You shall not create new gods with my divinity of the hunt."
Under Themis's witness, the two gods exchanged their divinities. The brilliance of the hunt divinity was mixed with the red of blood. Due to the fusion of pure divinity of slaughter, the hunt divinity underwent a subtle transformation, becoming the divinity of the hunt and kill.
Pallas couldn't help but remind the young Kannaos, "Do not let the pleasure of slaughter ruin you."
After a moment of flushed excitement, Kannaos immediately remembered the divinity of frost gifted by his mother. The divinity of frost, condensed from the cold primal source, emanated icy divine power, immediately suppressing Kannaos's impulse and excitement.
Still recovering from the shock, Kannaos hadn't had time to breathe a sigh of relief before he was terrified by Pallas's eyes, which flickered with madness.
Pallas feverishly sensed this cold power and eagerly asked, "Where does this divine power that brings clarity come from?"
Under Pallas's oppressive gaze, Kannaos, with a pounding heart, blurted out, "It is a gift from my mother."
Sensing that something was wrong, the Wind God transformed into a gust of wind, sweeping up the wolves and retreating far away. He vigilantly raised his bow and arrow, aiming at Pallas, and warned sternly, "Prince Pallas, what do you intend to do!"
Pallas's eyes, which had been scarlet, shifted several times. The scarlet hue faded, returning to its original orange.
"May I meet your mother, the newly born Sky Goddess?"
Seeing the interest in Pallas's eyes, the Wind God became furious and shot a barrage of arrows from his silver bow. The two gods, who had been peacefully interacting moments before, began to fight without a word. The sound of collapsing trees was continuous, and birds, sensing danger, flew out of the forest in large numbers.
The disturbance on the ground caught Selene's attention. The Moon Goddess, driving her chariot, narrowed her eyes and shot an arrow, forcing Pallas back. Eos, the Goddess of Dawn, who had come to assist her sister, was also alerted and cast a curtain of light to obscure Pallas's vision.
The instinct for slaughter allowed Pallas to move unimpeded even with his eyes closed. He weaved through the swift arrow volleys of Kannaos and Selene. The Wind God, barely avoiding Pallas's charge, drew the short blade at his waist and stabbed towards Pallas's eyes.
The blade flashed past Pallas's eyes by a hair's breadth. Kannaos agilely dodged Pallas's hand, slipping away from the God of Slaughter's attack like a fish.