Dian Yi respectfully declined, shaking her head and saying, "Death is the domain of your brother Thanatos. My involvement would dilute his power, and it is truly not a good idea."
Without waiting for Hypnos's plea to stay, she turned and left. The Iris goddesses found Dian Yi amidst the bustling deities and led her to a secluded spot. They worriedly relayed the Moon Goddess's request to the chief goddess.
Waiting in the secluded area were the attacked Moon Goddess Selene and the Dawn Goddess Eos, accompanied by the long-absent Sun God Helios.
Pausing her steps, Dian Yi donned a cold mask and stepped forward, asking, "Daughters of the Radiant Goddess, why do you seek my aid?"
Selene softly replied, "Someone attacked my sister Eos. Although I intercepted them, we both feel an unusual unease."
The primordial love god Eros, attached to Aphrodite, unleashed a curse, and the flames of love burned within the two goddesses. Fortunately, Aphrodite, who was still of moderate divine power at the time, had no intention of killing Eros. She merely wished to teach Eos a lesson, so the consequences of the curse were not severe.
Her icy divine power suppressed the flames of love. After an examination, Dian Yi informed the two goddesses, "This is a curse of love. You will pour all your emotions into a love affair, which will end in disappointment and pain."
The Moon Goddess and the Dawn Goddess exchanged a glance, and the heavy stone that had been weighing on their hearts finally lifted.
"Thank you for your help, Goddess Dian Yi."
Helios nodded his thanks to Dian Yi and left the divine mountain with his sisters.
The Iris goddesses followed Dian Yi, silently comforting their chief goddess.
"Do not worry about me," Dian Yi said calmly as she walked back to her temple. "The power of Mnemosyne has made him forget everything about me. This was my decision after careful consideration."
The messengers remained silent, watching Dian Yi return to her temple.
The primordial love god's revenge soon arrived. He inflicted the power of lust upon Atlas, who held up the sky. Amidst the love fluid splattering from the god of strength, he transformed seven nymphs. These nymphs were not complete deities. In Eros's plan, they were meant to fall to the earth and be born there, thus gaining the title of daughters of the Earth Mother, receiving territorial divine authority to divide the earth's power, and shaming Tyche.
However, Styx had long been prepared for this move. She used the mountains of Uria to block the nymphs falling to the earth. The nymphs, imbued with the power of the mountains, were born as mountain nymphs. The eldest among them was named Maia, and they were collectively known as the bright-eyed Oreads, meaning daughters of the mountains.
Eros could not act for the time being, so Pontus had to step in.
The primordial sea god Pontus and his lineage suffered undeserved disaster due to the anger of the sea goddess Thalassa. The straits were sealed by the land, forcing the gods of the Pontus line to relocate further away, settling in the barren outer seas.
The offspring of the ocean god, who had carved out rivers and lakes with the great flood, rejoiced. Pontus's retreat was of great significance to these weaker deities. The additional territory at least provided them with an escape route. Even if their water sources dried up, they could still return to the ocean and continue to live as deities.
After venting their frustrations, Dian Yi finally had time to pay attention to the humans active on earth.
The chief gods increasingly craved faith, especially after two goddesses ascended to powerful divine status. The remaining two chief god positions had no owners, causing a restless agitation in their hearts.
At this time, the strategic goddess Athena traveled to Mount Etna on the sea. This volcano suppressed the rampaging Typhon. The father of monsters' fury was unceasing, and the Cyclopes and the craftsman god Hephaestus often visited this volcano, forging powerful weapons using Typhon's rage.
After leaving the divine mountain, the craftsman god returned to his temple on Mount Etna to craft a gift for the graceful goddess Aglaea, completely unaware of Athena's visit.
The sound of hammers striking hot iron was incessant. The craftsman god focused on forging the red-hot ore, with various impurities being stripped away by Hephaestus's divine power, leaving only pure gold. After re-heating, this liquid gold was poured into molds to cool, becoming ornaments that shone with brilliant radiance.
Only after completing this work did Hephaestus realize that the strategic goddess had been waiting silently for a long time. Like Hades, the god of subterranean wealth, the craftsman god, focused on forging and creation, did not covet power as much as his peers. He lived a peaceful life.
Hephaestus apologized to Athena for his oversight. "Daughter of Metis, the goddess of wisdom, I was so immersed in my creation that I failed to perceive the passage of time or the tremors of the earth. Please forgive my neglect. As compensation, please accept my gift."
With that, Hephaestus retreated to the back hall to change his sweat-soaked clothes. After cleaning himself, he took a beautiful necklace from a treasure chest and presented it to the strategic goddess.
The craftsmanship of the necklace was extremely complex. Clear sapphires were inlaid in gold. Upon closer inspection, one could see surging seawater and waves.
In his rare interactions with goddesses, the craftsman god found that exquisite and luxurious jewelry could always turn their anger into joy and bring smiles to their faces. His mother, Hera, the goddess of marriage, and his brother's consort, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, were all like this.
However, the strategic goddess did not accept this exquisite and beautiful gift. She chuckled and shook her head in refusal, saying in a gentle voice, "Respected Hephaestus, there is nothing wrong with your focus and passion. You are worthy of the title of craftsman god, and your love for metallurgy surpasses Ares's thirst for blood in his frenzy."
"I implore you to forge a sturdy shield for me. Please be assured, I will cherish it dearly."
The guileless Hephaestus readily agreed. He arranged a time with Athena to pick up the shield and then returned to his forging work.
Athena, who had come to earth, taught humans the art of weaving. Women adored this goddess of handicrafts and textiles, venerating Athena as their patron deity.
Athena inherited the power of thunder and her mother's wisdom. The goddess roamed the earth, continuously gaining strength from faith. Her divine duty of protection quietly added glory to the strategic goddess's divinity.