The handsome Apollo's gaze fell upon another daughter of the old river god Asopos, the lake nymph Daphne.
The beautiful nymph was sorrowful due to the humiliation her younger sister had suffered at the hands of Poseidon. Suddenly, Apollo, who had appeared without warning, blocked her path. The handsome Apollo passionately declared his love for the nymph, which only filled Daphne with terror. The precedent set by her sister Aegina seemed to linger before her eyes, causing Daphne to feel a deep aversion towards the deity before her.
She struggled to break free from Apollo's entanglement, but Apollo, consumed by love, pursued her relentlessly, cornering Daphne with no escape. She looked at Apollo in fear and cried out to the gods of rivers and streams for help. The water deities appeared in unison, blocking the fervent Apollo. Their pleas did not deter Apollo, who, as a principal god, stepped forward and grasped Daphne's arm, pouring out his affections.
The old river god Asopos, hearing that another male deity wished to snatch away his daughter, hurried to intercept Apollo. Terrified, Daphne turned and fled, pleading with the virgin goddesses to keep her away from Apollo's pursuit. Hestia, the goddess of hearth and home, Athena, the goddess of strategy and planning, and Artemis, the goddess of the wild, nature, and the hunt, all sent their consciousness to impede Apollo.
However, Apollo did not heed the goddesses' counsel. His eyes were fixed only on the beautiful Daphne, and he disregarded even his sister's obstruction.
In despair, Daphne pleaded with her father to transform her into an emotionless tree, her final act of defiance in the face of helplessness. She refused to accept the love being forced upon her. The old river god, unable to bear his beloved daughter's suffering, tearfully granted her wish.
Just as Daphne tearfully bid farewell to her father, a gust of cold wind froze Apollo in his tracks. Eione, the winter goddess, appeared from a snowflake. Eione stopped the old river god Asopos and said to him, "Asopos, the flowing river god, your daughters have all brought disaster upon themselves due to their beautiful appearances. It would be better to let them go to the temple on the divine mountain as handmaidens to my lord, Tyche, and to guard the precious golden apple tree for the King and Queen of the gods."
The old river god naturally trusted Tyche's messenger and readily nodded in agreement, embracing his overjoyed daughter to comfort her.
Love had clouded Apollo's mind, but he still held a considerable degree of reverence for his grandmother. Although Tyche's temple, situated on the water, was unguarded, no deity dared approach it without permission. Asopos was assured of his daughters' safety and allowed his other daughters to go to Mount Olympus with Eione.
The power of ice and snow seemed to temporarily suppress Apollo's fiery passion. His reason returned partially, and thinking he could see his beloved on the divine mountain, Apollo did not hinder Eione.
However, Eione stopped Apollo, who was following behind. "Apollo, god of inspiration and arts, fate has brought you a glorious task! Your maternal grandmother, Phoebe, the goddess of prophecy, has a prophecy for you. Go to the island of Delphi, where she resides, and listen to the oracle."
As a third-generation descendant of Tyche, the goddess of opportunity, and Phoebe, the goddess of prophecy, Apollo was favored by fate and was one of the few deities who could discern the course of destiny. However, the goddess of opportunity did not favor this descendant unconditionally and set a test for him.
On the island of Delphi, the prophetess Phoebe and Koios, the god of darkness and intellect, lived in seclusion. Apollo received the prophecy from his grandmother: he was to build a strong city on Earth as a home for humanity. This task was impossible for Apollo alone; he needed the participation of the son of Aegina, the lake nymph. Otherwise, the city would never be built.
This prophecy concerned Apollo's opportunity to advance to a powerful divine status. Apollo suppressed his longing for Daphne and approached Poseidon, the god of tsunamis, to inquire about Aegina's whereabouts.
The dejected Poseidon's eyes flickered as he asked Apollo his intentions in seeking Aegina.
Apollo truthfully replied, "Goddess Phoebe has made a prophecy for me. The key to my advancement to powerful divine status lies in building a strong city for humanity and gaining their faith. This city will be the cradle of human civilization's development, the first nation! By becoming its builder and protector, I can successfully advance with the help of this power."
Poseidon, enticed by this, threatened Apollo into letting him participate, a demand Apollo could not refuse. He did not wish to see the old river god Asopos again, as this old river god would never reveal his younger daughter's location to this deity who had almost turned Daphne into a tree.
After reaching an agreement, Poseidon informed Apollo of his lover's hiding place, a secluded island far from the hustle and bustle, where the abandoned Aegina was playing with her son.
However, the young child was clearly incapable of completing the task of building city walls. Apollo had to return to Poseidon to prepare for this.
With Apollo's help, the fissures in the earth were quickly sealed. To repay Apollo for his assistance, Poseidon decided to stay and help him complete the city-building task.
Dardanos, who had succeeded Sisyphus as leader, had divine blood flowing in his veins. He led the people in establishing order, and the subjects, fearful of losing their old king, readily accepted this new leader.
That night, the radiant Apollo descended upon this land. Near this city-state was a plain that met the sea, and foreign raiders often arrived by ship to plunder Dardanos's people. Thus, Dardanos implored the shining deity to grant them protection. Apollo readily agreed to build an impregnable city for Dardanos, but in return, Apollo demanded that Dardanos and his people build a grand temple for himself and Poseidon and hold a grand annual festival to worship him.
The two deities used local materials to construct city walls. These colossal stones, like small mountains, could not be moved by humans and would undoubtedly provide protection for Dardanos's people.
Before long, the magnificent city walls were nearing completion, but a small section remained unfinished. No matter what methods the two deities employed, this final gap could not be sealed.
Apollo then realized that this final step required the son of Aegina, the goddess, to complete it. They ceased their futile attempts and traveled to the island where Aegina and her son resided.
Poseidon saw his son, Aeacus, with Aegina. The child of yesteryear had grown into a youth. The god of tsunamis hesitated. He had not fulfilled his duties as a husband and father, but he was not entirely devoid of affection for his lover and child. Poseidon hid among the sea spray, watching Aeacus, and at Apollo's urging, donned a cloak and approached his son.