Tike watched quietly as the Queen of the Gods dissipated, not telling her that the Primordial Eros would take away her love.
Rhea's opposition to Gaia and Eros aligned with Tike's own interests. The patient Queen of the Gods would feign obedience to Gaia, lie dormant, and await her chance to strike back.
How could Tike underestimate Rhea's intellect? Her dreams were teetering on the brink as more and more unspeakable secrets became known. Driven by a sense of crisis, no one could predict what this Queen of the Gods might do.
The goddess sighed, "Truly, these are turbulent times."
Tike increasingly felt it was best to act low-key and observe the situation.
As she had predicted, it wasn't long before Rhea, under the guise of using the power of desire to invigorate life on Earth, rescinded her punishment of Aphrodite. The goddess of love's return to the divine mountain baffled the gods who harbored ill intentions towards her. Speculation ran rampant, and even the rainbow goddesses reporting to the main gods believed the situation was not as dire as initially thought, and that Aphrodite might have merely offended the King and Queen of the Gods.
Tike smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation to her subordinate deities.
Since the visit of the Queen of the Gods and the Primordial Sea God, Tike had not appeared before the other gods, remaining hidden on the Isle of the Unseen. This undoubtedly gave Gaia the impression of weakness. The goddess's silence was not inaction, but an attempt to find a way out of the suffocating stalemate.
Silence could be the most powerful thing. Just as visible impurities dissolved in water would settle over time, Tike had also untangled the threads she needed from this mess. She had guided the situation and laid a net, waiting for her prey to stumble into it.
Aphrodite had matured considerably in her thinking after this ordeal, and her methods of handling affairs had become much more sophisticated.
In Tike's words, the goddess of love had evolved from having princess syndrome to becoming a queen of the seas. Eros generously granted her access to more divine domains, and when Aphrodite reappeared on the divine mountain, she had already acquired the divine office of Joy, becoming the beloved Goddess of Joy.
Paired with Aphrodite's existing beauty and the divine office of Love, the power of the emotional realm allowed her to easily glimpse the superficial thoughts of the gods. By setting aside her pride and reserve, and catering to their preferences, she naturally became a welcome guest at banquets. The Goddess of Joy, freely displaying her charm, captivated the male gods, leaving them utterly enthralled.
The gods on the divine mountain now held banquets almost daily, with each god boasting about inviting Aphrodite. The power of desire, subtly fanned by her presence, led the gods who did not want to lose face to flock to her, extending olive branches. Mount Othrys became exceptionally lively.
Aphrodite continued to frequent banquets, but her conduct had become more restrained, which surprisingly led to an improvement in her reputation.
The only other prominent figure who could be compared to Aphrodite was Zeus.
The gods close to Tike were all matchmaking for the God of Thunder. Unlike Aphrodite, who was still met with resistance from the goddesses, Tike, who was subtly becoming the leader of the goddesses, held considerable prestige in their eyes, which also benefited her sons.
Even Themis, who had always been detached from worldly affairs, actively extended goodwill to Zeus. This Titaness, representing justice and law, hoped that the God of Thunder would take over the divine office of Justice and become the protector of law and righteousness.
On the divine mountain, Zeus was discussing with Themis the invitation of the Furies to provide just punishment and retribution for the law. The goddess Themis readily accepted the God of Thunder's idea and entrusted Zeus with extending the invitation to the Furies.
Zeus, speaking eloquently among the gods, captured everyone's attention. Both male and female gods were willing to listen to his advice. Unlike Aphrodite's emotionally charged charm, Zeus's rational words were more convincing to the gods, who all agreed that the God of Thunder was the most outstanding among the third generation of gods.
Oceanus, observing Zeus's performance through the eyes of his avatar, had already settled on his choice for the successor to the main divine position, a decision he had been wavering on. The God of Calamity, who was politically unengaged, had no desire to become the main god, and the free-spirited Kynnas did not wish to be bound by the chains of power.
Tike's avatar also sat at the head of the divine hall, but the goddess did not descend her consciousness into it; the avatar was no different from wood or stone.
Beside them, the Oracle Goddess again suggested to her eldest brother, "My eldest daughter, Leto of the moonlit night, is a gentle goddess. Coeus and I have always worried that our delicate daughter might not find a husband who treats her well. Perhaps Zeus would be suitable for her."
Before her elder brother could speak, Phoebe sweetened the offer, "As long as Zeus treats my daughter Leto well, I am willing to pledge my main divine position to him!"
With the precedent of Aphrodite, a middle-ranking deity, sharing the main divine position with the Memory Goddess, the powerful divine rank was no longer an absolute prerequisite for becoming a main god. As long as the main gods did not object, Zeus's succession to the main divine position was highly probable.
The Great Ocean God was also shocked by his sister's generous offer and turned to ask for the opinion of Coeus, the main god of darkness and intellect.
Seeing that his brother agreed with his wife's decision, Oceanus couldn't help but laugh with pride. The two main gods of the prophetic lineage clearly had high hopes for Zeus's future, investing their precious main divine positions without regard for cost, and even willing to marry their beloved eldest daughter to Zeus.
Phoebe and Coeus's daughters were very popular among the second generation of Titan gods. Unlike other main gods who had many children, these two main gods had only these two daughters.
The strategy of obtaining their parents' main divine positions by marrying Leto and Asteria was highly feasible. Atlas, the eldest son of Iapetus, the God of Souls, and Klymene, the Goddess of Renown, had long been pursuing Leto. However, the Oracle Goddess Phoebe had refused Iapetus's proposals several times and was unwilling to offer prophecies for Atlas. In their desperation, the God of Souls and the Goddess of Renown sought Tike's help.
Oceanus loudly called out to Zeus, who was surrounded by the gods. The God of Thunder, escorted by the star gods, parted the throng of gods to approach his maternal grandfather.
The Great Ocean God smiled kindly and relayed the Oracle Goddess's proposal to his grandson, "Before you were born, Leto, along with Asteria, helped your mother mend the cracks in the sky. She is indeed a rare and gentle goddess."
He added at the end, "Even if you cannot ignite love in your heart for her, you will certainly not dislike her."
"I am unwilling to accept the main divine position of Princess Phoebe," Zeus said, under the gaze of his maternal grandfather and the Oracle Goddess. "If I were to fall in love with Leto, this main divine position would become an unremovable thorn between us. Our love would be tinged with the color of profit, which would prevent us from ever fully trusting each other."