Dian Yi's public identity was an envoy of Tyche. Although the Winter Goddess possessed only lesser divine power, the gods treated her with great deference due to the primordial god standing behind her.
Poseidon was furious, unable to let go of the Winter Goddess's offense.
"Dian Yi! You are merely a lesser deity, how dare you offend my majesty!"
Athena, standing nearby, was somewhat surprised and perplexed by Poseidon's bluntness. Ordinary lesser deities might not be taken seriously by the God of Tsunamis, but Dian Yi was an envoy of a primordial god. Even the Rainbow Goddess, a subordinate of Tyche, had guided the Winter Goddess, indicating that Dian Yi was not an insignificant figure on the Unseen Island. Where did Poseidon get the nerve to reprimand such a goddess?
Dian Yi, however, was not surprised. The Winter Goddess stepped forward, shielding Athena, and her chilling divine power manifested as a ring of ice, forcing Poseidon back.
"The attendants of the God of Calamities are not far, and this is Mount Olympus, controlled by the King of the Gods. Are you sure you want to make a move against me?"
The laughter of the sons of the river gods reached his ears, and Poseidon immediately halted. His face alternated between green and white. He cast a resentful glance at Athena, then turned and left the temple of the strategic goddess.
"Your Highness Dian Yi, thank you for your righteous words." The daughter of wisdom sensed trouble in this conflict and couldn't help but probe, "If you need it, I am willing to plead your case before the King of the Gods."
"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare do anything to me."
Dian Yi's smile remained unchanged. "I deliberately provoked him. Poseidon's reaction confirmed something for me, something that could bring him disaster."
Poseidon's reaction undoubtedly indicated that he knew Tyche could not intervene! This was why he was so audacious towards Dian Yi, Tyche's messenger, making it impossible for Tyche and Zeus to tolerate his duplicity any longer.
"Sometimes a foolish opponent is more helpful than a powerful friend," Dian Yi mentally labeled Poseidon as a liability. "Goddess of strategy and planning, with your intelligence, you should understand that a group united by self-interest is too easily fractured internally."
The bright-eyed goddess, having received the guidance of the Goddess of Wisdom, naturally understood what needed to be done at this moment.
Athena had glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of turmoil. She stated without hesitation, "My stance will never waver."
Dian Yi smiled with satisfaction and left her own assurance, "Daughter of wisdom, this turmoil might be the beginning of you earning respect! This is your stage, seize the opportunity."
The next day, the gods were surprised to find that the King of the Gods, Zeus, appeared weary and dispirited. The King of the Gods explained that this was due to the great expenditure of power during his battle with Typhon, and he needed to enter a period of slumber to recover his divine power.
The gods were skeptical. As the God of Thunder slept, the lightning on Mount Olympus began to dissipate. The gods watched this scene with astonishment. Since his ascension, the King of the Gods had never fallen into slumber. The throne of the King of the Gods and the position of the chief god provided Zeus with inexhaustible primal power. If not for extreme depletion and weakness, the mighty King of the Gods would not need sleep to recover his divine power.
For several days and nights, the King of the Gods showed no signs of waking, which made certain deities impatient and eager to seize the opportunity to enact their plans.
Queen Hera took over her husband's authority and handled affairs with her children. Mount Olympus remained as peaceful as when Zeus was awake, but beneath this calm, turbulent undercurrents surged. Some gods who had survived the era of Cronus also sensed the calm before the storm and left their earthly followers to hide in their temples.
Believing the time was ripe, Poseidon returned to the temple of the strategic goddess and issued an ultimatum to Athena.
"Goddess of strategy, the immensely powerful Titan Atlas has decided to join my alliance. Together, we can overthrow Zeus and reclaim our glory!"
"Although you cannot contend for the throne of the King of the Gods, I can help you! If you are willing, I will marry you, and after I seize the glory of the King of the Gods, we can enjoy supreme divine authority together."
Athena listened quietly to Poseidon's enticement and replied in a calm and measured tone, "You do not understand. My birth was not meant to bring about strife. Fate's arrangement led to my divine birth, and the wisdom inherited from my mother has made me understand the reason for my existence!"
"I will bring peace and prosperity to the world, sharing the spark of reason and wisdom with all beings!"
Athena paused here, then continued looking at the bewildered Poseidon, "Power is not what I crave. I firmly believe I bear a greater mission! This great world needs peace and reason to nurture it."
"I have no intention of joining your alliance. Power, like love, can blind reason."
The Goddess of Strategy's words were pointed. "I do not have high hopes for your alliance. As male deities, you will instinctively desire to monopolize this glory, which will prevent you from truly trusting each other! Can such an alliance truly be meaningful?"
Poseidon's brow furrowed. The God of Tsunamis had his own plans. The God of Strength, Atlas, was undoubtedly more powerful than him, and the seer Prometheus was Atlas's brother, who would certainly stand by his brother's side.
These two deities united were enough to exclude the God of Tsunamis from the beneficiaries. Poseidon did not hesitate to bind Athena through marriage in hopes of obtaining assistance. Metis's wisdom was no less than that of the seer Prometheus. As long as Athena became his wife, Metis would have no other choice but to support him. What further reassured Poseidon was that Metis was a goddess; no matter how great the reputation the Goddess of Wisdom gained, she could not touch the most precious prize, the throne of the King of the Gods!
The God of Tsunamis did not give up and revealed that the Goddess of Wisdom had conceived due to Zeus's lightning.
"Zeus is your father. You could have received the glory of a chief god like Apollo and Artemis. Don't you hate him?"
"I know Zeus is my father! I also know that goddesses will emulate their mothers to gain glory. The world after the Typhonian chaos needs to recuperate and cannot afford to stir up further pointless disturbances."
Athena's reply caused Poseidon's brow to furrow even deeper. He couldn't understand why the Goddess of Wisdom and Athena made such choices. The God of Tsunamis said, "I don't believe it! Athena, I prefer to think this is a fabricated lie to reject me."
Athena smiled gently and said slowly, "There are indeed things in this world that are more important than that supreme power."
"The ties of destiny created me. The moment I was born, I felt something more worth pursuing than supreme power. But when I looked for it, I found nothing. I firmly believe it is something more worth pursuing than power, love, or freedom! That is also the meaning of my birth as a goddess!"