The confrontation culminated in the divine might of Athena, whose gift of the olive tree prevailed over Poseidon's steeds, securing its place in the city-state henceforth known as Athens.
The sea deities faced hard times, as Athena commanded her followers to expel their worship under the guise of protecting maritime navigation, hunting sea monsters under the pretext that they were sent by Ceto and Phorcys to attack passing ships.
The reputation of this divine couple plummeted, and they were forever stained with infamy.
As their worship waned, the sea deities grew anxious and, with no other recourse, turned to their overlord, Poseidon, for support.
To demonstrate their sincerity, Thetis, at her father's behest, married Poseidon's grandson, who was also her sister's son.
Poseidon, harboring guilt towards his son, readily agreed to the marriage of Peleus and Thetis; Peleus, handsome and strong, was a match for the gods, and Thetis did not mind pursuing a romance with him, knowing that as a mortal, Peleus might die before she could ever tire of him.
Their wedding was a grand affair, with all the gods bestowing precious gifts upon them, except for those from the underworld. Although most of the infernal deities were preoccupied, this blatant favoritism infuriated some of the gods.
Amidst the revelry, a golden apple appeared unobtrusively among the gifts!
Tyche, in the guise of Boreas, the winter god, was the first to notice the golden apple; indeed, a golden apple had been stolen from Zeus's garden, plucked by Tyche and given to Prometheus, who did not value it highly and carelessly tossed it into a crevice of Mount Caucasus.
Tyche chuckled softly, casually concealing the presence of Eris, the goddess of discord.
She was sowing the seeds of suspicion between the couple; if Peleus were to consume the golden apple that granted immortality, Thetis would be forever bound to her husband.
However, if Thetis prevented Peleus from obtaining the golden apple, their marriage would inevitably crumble; after all, the apple was a gift, and Peleus could not resist the temptation of immortality, his love for his wife turning to hatred due to Thetis's interference.
Nereus also saw the golden apple and immediately perceived the sinister intent behind the gift.
The anxious father, drenched in sweat, wary of the gods' watchful eyes, had a sudden inspiration as he saw Aphrodite dancing among the Graces, and swiftly inscribed a line on the golden apple.
Then, Nereus feigned anger and exclaimed, "O gods, why do you seek to rob my daughter of her honor on such an occasion? Prometheus was locked in the caves of Mount Caucasus for stealing the golden apple, do you not hear his cries?"
The gods' gazes fixed upon the golden apple in Nereus's hands, the alluring golden fruit inscribed with a line - "To the Fairest!"
The eyes of the goddesses immediately lit up, and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, stepped forward and claimed, "This golden apple should belong to me, for the domain of beauty is under my control, and this title is rightfully mine."
Her status as a chief goddess did not intimidate the other goddesses who shared the title; Artemis, Hera, Demeter, and Athena were unwilling to let Aphrodite claim the prize alone, and they began to argue, each believing that the title of the fairest should not belong to Aphrodite.
Artemis believed that the honor should go to her mother, "My mother Leto is the wife of the King of the Gods, and the golden apple should belong to my father; it is only right for the Queen of the Gods to receive it!"
Athena, however, had her own agenda and said, "This is the wedding of the goddess Thetis, and this gift must be a kind gesture to the couple, sparing Themis from the suffering endured by the Dawn Goddess."
Nereus's expression changed, nearly blurting out a denial, but Hera and Demeter's interjection drew the gods' attention, and his slip went unnoticed.
Hera and Demeter were not truly concerned with the title of the fairest but sought to undermine Aphrodite's domain of beauty.
After becoming the consort of Ares, Aphrodite did restrain herself for a time, but as the goddess of love had said, once something is obtained, it no longer seems as precious.
To enjoy love and pleasure was Aphrodite's nature, an innate instinct; although she loved Ares, she would not stop for him.
This behavior of Aphrodite only worsened her relationship with Hera, the goddess of marriage, who saw the goddess of love as toying with her son's affections and showed her hostility on multiple occasions.
The domains of love and marriage became opposed, and Aphrodite's followers began to betray marriage in the name of love, angering Hera even more; recently, all attention on Mount Olympus was focused on the conflict between the two goddesses, and even Tyche on the distant Island of the Formless had heard of it.
Demeter needed Hera's protection for her daughter's marriage, and in exchange, the bountiful goddess of agriculture was willing to lend her support in these trivial matters.
Aphrodite was not as easily manipulated as before; the goddess of love approached Artemis and whispered, "Think of your brother, whose mind is clouded by love, the curse of the golden arrow has not yet been lifted."
Aphrodite toyed with a small silver arrow, like a toy, and said with a laugh, "Only the silver arrow can neutralize the curse of the golden arrow, goddess; you wouldn't want to see Apollo driven by love to commit some offense, would you?"
Daphne, the daughter of the river god, was serving as a maid in Tyche's temple, and Apollo often came outside the temple to sing love songs to his beloved; his ardor alarmed Leto and Artemis, who feared he might burst into their grandmother's temple and anger Tyche.
Leto was already a winner in life; she had no interest in the domain of beauty, and this gentle mother readily agreed to Aphrodite's terms.
"Deal!"
Artemis and Leto exchanged glances and agreed to withdraw from the contest for the golden apple.
After relinquishing the silver arrow, Aphrodite turned her attention to Athena, who wore a half-smile.
The goddess of strategy and planning had been granted the domain of protection; to some extent, Athena and Ares, who represented war, were natural adversaries, but this did not prevent the goddess of love from making a deal with Athena.
"Athena, if you return the domain of waves and foam to me and reaccept me as one of the sea gods, then I will make a choice between you and Poseidon."
Although Aphrodite had no remarkable achievements, she was still a chief goddess, and the support of a chief goddess was not an insignificant bargaining chip; Athena warmly embraced Aphrodite, reaccepting her among the sea gods.
Now only Hera and Demeter, the two sisters, remained as adversaries. Aphrodite's eyes shimmered as she squeezed between the two chief goddesses, disregarding Hera's reluctance.
"Beloved Demeter, I hope your daughter in the Underworld has not had her beauty worn away by solitude."
The goddess of love easily grasped Demeter's weakness, "What if the goddess of fertility becomes haggard? As a mother and a goddess of love, I can understand your selfless love for your child."
In a few words, she dismantled the alliance between the two sisters. Demeter nodded repeatedly, forgetting their past grievances.
"Take this to your daughter Persephone."
A silver casket appeared in Aphrodite's hands, "I wish to bestow the power of beauty upon the goddess of fertility, Persephone, to ease your anxious heart for your daughter."
Watching Aphrodite navigate through the situation with ease, forging alliances and sowing discord among her enemies, her skill in exchanging interests was almost on par with Athena's. This actually earned Tyche's admiration; the goddess of love had truly learned how to leverage her advantages in the realm of emotions. Since breaking free from the influence of the primordial god of love, Eros, her growth had been astonishing.
Only Hera was left, and Tyche couldn't help but look forward to seeing how Aphrodite would persuade her, stepping forward a few steps to get a clearer view.
"Hera, beauty should not be controlled by the goddess of marriage, for it fades with time!"
Aphrodite clearly did not intend to use the method of exchanging interests to make Hera back down, "If a marriage is formed because of beauty, then when that beauty fades, so will the marriage."
"And it contradicts your authority over childbirth. When a husband sees his wife covered in filth after giving birth, how many husbands would still want to embrace her?"
Her expression turned stern as she continued, "But I am different. Those united by love see their children as the crystallization of that love. Even if they are covered in filth and exhausted, in the eyes of their husband, a mother remains beautiful!"
The divergence of love and marriage had already shaken the concept of family. Aphrodite's meaning was clear: if Hera insisted on competing with her, the goddess of love would also encroach upon the domains of family and marriage.
Tyche could hardly contain herself from applauding Aphrodite; her threat was undeniable, and she had provided a reason for Hera to withdraw from the contest for the golden apple. If Hera continued down a path of confrontation, Aphrodite would not back down either.
A faint greenish hue appeared on Hera's face, and after weighing the pros and cons, she used the goddess of love's reasoning as an excuse to withdraw from the competition.
"Indeed, my authority over childbirth is not compatible with the domain of beauty."
The victorious Aphrodite took the golden apple amidst the silence, while Thetis, who had been completely distracted by the unexpected turn of events, did not show any displeasure but instead secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Peleus learned of the golden apple's power amidst the gods' discussions, but as a mere mortal, how could he dare to ask the chief gods for it in front of everyone? He could only watch helplessly as the goddess of love took the fruit that could grant him immortality.
The wedding of Peleus and Thetis did not receive much attention; the gods were still discussing how the golden apple had appeared, with occasional remarks about Aphrodite's selection as the most beautiful goddess.
As the gods departed one by one, even Peleus's grandfather, the sea god Poseidon, did not stay behind. Naturally, he noticed the private conversation between Athena and Aphrodite and went to the depths of the sea with a heavy heart to gather the sea deities to discuss countermeasures.
Nereus, the last to leave and the god of friendly seas, felt guilty for his daughter's sacrifice and quietly admonished her before leaving with unease.
This unequal marriage had its sweet moments, and Peleus knew how fortunate he was to marry a goddess. He doted on his wife with tenderness and affection, which once made Thetis utterly captivated.
However, as Thetis's passion gradually cooled, her affection for her husband also waned. Peleus's status as a king did not impress her in the slightest.
To the gods, the wealth and power of a human king were insignificant; the treasures of an entire kingdom might not even compare to the collection of a nymph.
After their passionate moments, Thetis began to feel weary. She truly loved Peleus but was not accustomed to his cautious behavior around her. After discovering she was pregnant, she temporarily left Peleus to reside on an island for some rest and relaxation.
This child awakened Thetis's maternal love and was born amidst the goddess's expectations, named Achilles by Thetis.
Achilles inherited strength almost equivalent to that of the gods, surpassing even his father Peleus, which brought Thetis both joy and concern. At their first meeting, Tyche had left her with a prophecy that this child would possess strength beyond his father but would bring misfortune that would cause Thetis to lose her son.
Now, the first half of the prophecy was beginning to manifest, and the thought of her son's death filled Thetis with fear and regret.
If she had remembered Tyche's prophecy earlier, perhaps the golden apple could have been obtained by her son, granting him the glory of immortality.
Regret was useless now; besides, how could she possibly snatch it from the hands of the chief gods?
With this thought, Thetis hurriedly took Achilles to the Island of the Formless, hoping to seek guidance from Tyche, who had bestowed the prophecy, on how to avoid such a fate.
All the gods knew that the Misty Sea could cause intruders to lose their way, but Thetis still held onto hope as she arrived there. As a goddess, she could wait!
After searching for a long time in the mist, the Island of the Formless remained elusive, but Thetis did not give up, continuously calling out amidst the fog.
Finally, the sea mist parted to reveal a path, and a rainbow bridge appeared before Thetis.
The rainbow goddess Iris and the goddess of the aurora, Arke, stood at the end of the rainbow bridge to welcome Thetis.
Flying over the towering cedar forest on the outermost edge, Thetis landed in a field of lilies, where Tyche and Medusa were already waiting.
"Thetis, the wisest of Nereus's fifty daughters, have you come for that prophecy?"
Thetis clutched her baby tightly and said mournfully, "Princess Tyche, please help me! You are the protector of women and children; I beg you, I am willing to pay any price to keep my son!"
"The method is simple, but you will suffer."
Tyche parted the swaddling clothes around Achilles and gently stroked his delicate cheeks.
Thetis was overjoyed and quickly said, "I am not afraid of suffering! As long as Achilles can survive, I am willing to accept anything!"