Chapter 2 – The Nymph

Tyche secretly made up her mind—she would never become anyone else’s subordinate. The most pressing problem before her now was to quickly gain enough power to protect herself. The Earth Mother Gaia and the Night Goddess Nyx were also goddesses, yet no one dared show them disrespect. Wasn’t it because they relied on the immense power of the primordial gods?

Thinking of this, then looking at herself, Tyche nearly burst into tears. Although both her parents were mighty first-generation Titans, all domains of the ocean belonged to the primordial sea god Pontus. The gods of the sea—Phorcys, god of the sea’s wrath; Ceto, goddess of the sea’s dangers; Nereus, the sea’s friend; Thaumas, the sea’s wonders; and Tethys, goddess of the sea’s surface—were all his children.

The children of Oceanus and the sea goddess Tethys had not inherited oceanic domains. Among them, the most outstanding, such as Metis and Eurynome, only received their divine offices after the world’s consciousness had clearly recognized their essence. That is why Metis, though a daughter of two sea deities, possessed the domain of wisdom instead. Most of the other children only held local offices—lakes, rivers, springs, and so on. If the water source they inhabited vanished, they would lose their divine power and become half-divinities like nymphs, stripped of any divine office. Still, there were exceptions—like the goddess of the frozen sea, Dione. Though she too held a localized domain, her divine power was so formidable that it inspired fear.

After Metis, the eldest, and Eurynome, the second-born, there were few cases of ocean goddesses acquiring divine offices through their own essence. Later-born daughters of Oceanus could scarcely even gain localized domains. Now, Tyche was nothing more than a sea nymph. Her power was feeble, and among the hierarchy of gods she ranked only slightly higher than tree nymphs who were born of nature, wandering on the lowest rung of divinity.

Nymphs were in the greatest danger. They not only had to hide from male gods, but even mortal heroes and demigods could easily overpower them. Her foremost task now was to obtain power under the protection of her Titan parents. With this in mind, Tyche began to examine the island where she had been born. The isle was not large: a dense forest filled its center, white sands ringed its edges, and there were no cliffs or natural defenses. Walking into the forest, she came upon a clear spring that gathered into a small pond. The pond’s bottom was covered with pearls of every color, sparkling with dazzling brilliance in the sunlight.

For a moment, Tyche was stunned by such overwhelming wealth, whispering to herself:
“So many pearls! I’ll have endless pearl necklaces, pearl earrings, pearl powder…”

But happy days never last long. Though she settled for the time being by the pond on this little island, the joy of discovering the pearls soon gave way to the nightmare-like dread that clung to her. After much thought, Tyche decided to seek her mother’s aid. Her father’s domain, the vast Ocean, lay too far beyond the world’s edges for her to reach now. Resolving herself, Tyche sat upon a white seashell and sank into the waters.

This was still the era of Uranus, the first king of the gods, when there were very few intelligent beings. As Tyche swam for a long time through the sea, she encountered only mindless marine creatures.

At last she safely reached the underwater palace of the sea goddess. Truly, the oceanic deities were extravagant! Gazing upon the temple adorned with sapphires, pearls, and corals of every hue, the once-proud Tyche now looked like a pauper dazzled by wealth. A group of blue-haired merfolk swam out from the temple, joyfully surrounding her in welcome.

“Our beautiful sister, noble daughter of Tethys, welcome to our mother’s temple!” they cried, escorting Tyche through the great doors.

Upon a throne of seashells sat a benevolent goddess. She beckoned Tyche to come closer. Tyche felt nervous—Greek myth was full of scant family affection. The only goddess famed for motherhood, Demeter, had not yet been born. Most children were nothing more than products of indulgence, left uncared for and unloved.

Tethys, seated on her throne, had long deep-blue hair drifting like seaweed in the water, radiating vibrant life. As Tyche approached, the goddess reached out and gently embraced her. At once, Tyche’s tense heart relaxed. Caressing her daughter’s dark-brown hair with tender affection, Tethys said:

“My dear little daughter, my precious one, at last you have returned to your mother’s side.”

The goddess comforted her:
“My child, I already know why you have come. I dearly wish to help you. But you must understand: if you accept a divine office bestowed by another, you will become their subordinate god. And to be a subordinate means that both your freedom and your strength will no longer be in your own hands. I do not wish such a fate upon you.”

The sorrowful goddess lamented the misfortune of subservient deities:
“Your sisters could have received domains from your father and me, but most of them refused our help. Only a very few chose to remain with us.”

To entrust her entire being to another was something Tyche could never accept. After a moment of thought, she said with firm resolve:
“I will be like my elder sister Metis, and gain a divine office through my own strength.”

The sea goddess felt both sorrow and pride—sorrow that yet another daughter would leave her side, and pride in her child’s unyielding will. She spoke earnestly:

“My daughter, once you gain a divine office, you must leave our embrace to fulfill the duties it brings. Helios and Selene each appear for half the day in turn, while Eos must open the gates of heaven at dawn and dusk. And remember: divine offices of violence and torment twist the mind of their holders, binding their actions to their domains. Never forget, if you abandon your duties, the power of the office will forsake and even harm you.”