"You remember?" Tike was greatly surprised, for Kannas had no memory of his infancy.
Zeus smiled even more happily, "We all remember, we just didn't tell you."
Although she felt a bit embarrassed, Tike was also relieved. "Rhea would not allow you to harm her husband; she is hopelessly in love. When I learned of all she had done, even I felt a tremor of fear at her obsession with Kronos."
"But now that I think about it, keeping Kronos alive would have been enough to satisfy Rhea. The Queen of the Gods doesn't care about the power that the throne of the God-King represents; she would have preferred to keep her husband locked away in a secret chamber where no one could see him."
Tike still felt a lingering dread recalling Rhea's madness. "Her possessiveness towards her husband was so terrifying, I would rather face an enraged Gaia than see a mad Rhea again!"
The mother and son tacitly avoided the topic. After a moment's hesitation, Tike finally asked, "Do you intend to obey the arrangement of fate and contend for the position of God-King?"
Zeus nodded and then shook his head. "I will not initiate war, but when the opportunity presents itself, I will seize it."
Tike gently consoled him, "Then let nature take its course. Remember, do not let your emotions dictate your reason; that is the path to self-destruction!"
The God of Thunder bowed his head in acceptance. At Kannas's call, he bid his mother farewell and went to his brother's side. Kannas, who wielded the divine domains of hunting and tracking, had grown tired of the hunt; such effortless activities no longer brought him joy.
Kannas proudly showed his brother the fox he had caught. The God of Calamities, who had recently found amusement in capturing black eagles, had now become infatuated with capturing live creatures.
The pride of lions he had gifted his brother not long ago had already caused considerable trouble for the dryads. Fortunately, the Furies were more than willing to take charge of these beasts, keeping them penned within the yew forest, thus relieving the dryads of their burden.
Kannas, still enjoying himself, reluctantly shifted his focus from large beasts to swift, small animals under his mother's subtle persuasion. The cunning and agile fox was particularly favored by Kannas, who would release a few of the fastest ones on the island each time he returned.
The wolves, having long lost their wild nature, naturally paid no mind to these small creatures with little meat. The food provided by the dryads was more than enough to satisfy them. The wolf pack had bred for a long time, their numbers having increased more than tenfold. The goddesses could spot a wolf with just a few steps in the forest.
Tike had long wanted to drive out these useless creatures, fatter than pigs, but only relented under the dryads' pleas. Philura promised the chief deity that she would resolve the issue, and these dryads, who had lived long enough, had indeed devised a solution.
The dryads obtained a pair of shears from the Furies and, after much practice, had mastered the technique. The dwindling wolf population on the island was the best proof of their success.
Unlike the lions, the foxes were well-loved by the dryads, who even allowed these beautiful animals to reside in the orchard – a privilege that even the wolves, who helped herd the livestock, had not received.
Unlike his truly steady brother, Kannas's steadiness was superficial. As the God of Calamities, feared by all living things on earth, Kannas's domain of the unexpected was perfectly aligned with the nature of wind. The essence of wind determined his endless curiosity and spirit of exploration. Tike was unwilling to diminish this precious quality in her son, so she let him have his way.
Tike looked at the young black cat in her elder son's hands and asked curiously, "Why didn't you bring its mother back?"
Kannas placed the kitten in his mother's hands, his excitement fading. He said softly, "Its mother died in the mouth of a venomous snake, protecting it."
"Do not grieve for her; it was her choice." Stroking the kitten's soft fur, Tike looked into her elder son's eyes. "Wasn't this mother's sacrifice worth the survival of her child? In her eyes, it was worth it. We must respect the choices of every life. Do not regret it; send her blessings, and she will live happily with her mother's hopes."
The attendant maids tenderly took the kitten from the chief deity's hands, promising to care for it until it grew up. The blessings of two powerful deities bestowed wisdom upon the wild beast. The kitten's intelligent eyes immediately captivated the dryads. They placed it to rest in cashmere and brought ewe's milk to nourish it, completely enthralled.
Tike chuckled. The dryads bustling around the black cat reminded her of cat owners.
The rainbow messenger brought news from the divine mountain to the chief deity. The two rainbow goddesses often mingled among the gods to gather intelligence, and the deities residing on Mount Othrys welcomed their arrival.
Seeing Iris's excited expression, Tike also became interested. Listening to gossip was a rare pastime for the gods during their long existence. "Your Highness, our newly appointed Chief Deity has caused a major incident!"
Aphrodite? Tike did not doubt the love goddess's capacity for mischief. The power of love was a weak combatant in direct confrontation, but it was an excellent tool for causing trouble.
Tike served Iris a cup of clear water. After drinking it down, the rainbow goddess excitedly said, "The Goddess of Love has already caused the male gods to erupt in conflict several times for her. To ascend faster to powerful divinity and become a Chief Deity, she shamelessly radiates her charm to absorb love, which has escalated the conflicts!"
Iris raised her voice in disbelief, "What is even more unbelievable to the gods is that she has declared her willingness to share the position of Chief Deity with her husband! The male gods are going mad over the position of Chief Deity!"
Tike was well aware of the Goddess of Love's plan. It was nothing more than seeing that the other Chief Deities were secretly ostracizing her and wanting to use her husband to regain control of the Chief Deity position from Mnemosyne. What a brilliant strategy of "driving the tiger away with a wolf"! Was Aphrodite not afraid of driving away the hungry wolves only to be unable to deal with the fierce tiger?
Such a scheme was obviously not something Aphrodite could have conceived; it was likely the work of Pontus.
"Moreover, Aphrodite has also announced that she requires the male gods to engage in a duel, and the winner will become her husband!"
No wonder Iris was so excited. This was truly a major event; there would be plenty of excitement to watch this time.
"This old man of the sea is truly not to be underestimated. He has not only exploited the vanity of the gods, causing their emotional power to overflow, but also won over strong allies and resolved the predicament of the Goddess of Memory monopolizing the Chief Deity position and excluding the Goddess of Love. It's killing three birds with one stone."
Tike marveled at Pontus's foresight. The Goddess of Memory had held the Chief Deity position for so long, and her application of divine power was incomparable to Aphrodite, who had only recently been born.
Even with the secret assistance of Eros, the primal god of love, this goddess, who had never focused her mind on the right path, had never considered studying the power in her hands. She lingered at banquets, unwilling to leave, and was fortunate that Pontus, as a powerful primal sea god, still held respect among the gods. Under the guise of being Pontus's daughter, the Goddess of Love had not been completely devoured.