The clash concluded with Athena's divine power, her gifted olive tree proving more favored than Poseidon's horses, thus securing its place in the city bearing Athena's name.
The Sea Gods' hardship began. Athena commanded her followers to expel their worship, using the guise of protecting navigation to hunt sea monsters, claiming Ceto and Phorcys had dispatched them to attack passing ships.
The reputation of this couple plummeted, forever tarnished.
As the Sea Gods' faith dwindled, they grew anxious and, finding no other recourse, turned to Poseidon, their chief deity.
To demonstrate her sincerity, Tethys, at her father's plea, married Poseidon's grandson, who was also her sister's son.
Poseidon, feeling guilt towards his son, readily agreed to let his grandson Peleus marry Tethys. Peleus, as handsome and strong as a god, did not deter Tethys from a relationship, for Peleus was merely a mortal with a finite lifespan, perhaps destined to die before Tethys grew weary of him.
The wedding of the couple was grand, with all the gods bestowing precious gifts, save for the gods of the underworld. Although most underworld deities were occupied, this clear distinction angered certain gods.
As the gods reveled, a golden apple silently appeared among the gifts!
Tyche, appearing as the winter goddess Deione, was the first to notice the golden apple. Indeed, a golden apple had gone missing from Zeus's garden; Tyche had plucked it and given it to Prometheus, who, not valuing it greatly, had casually tossed it into a crevice in Mount Caucasus.
Tyche shook her head and chuckled, subtly concealing the presence of Eris, the goddess of discord.
She was sowing seeds of suspicion between the couple. If this golden apple, capable of granting mortals eternal life, were consumed by Peleus, Tethys would never be free of her husband.
However, if Tethys prevented Peleus from obtaining the golden apple, their marriage would inevitably crumble. After all, the golden apple was presented as a gift, and Peleus, unable to resist the allure of immortality, would see his love for his wife turn to hatred due to Tethys's obstruction.
Nereus also spotted the golden apple immediately, realizing the malicious intent behind the gift.
The father, sweating profusely, nervously watched for any gods who might glance his way. In a flash of inspiration, he saw Aphrodite dancing amidst the Graces and quickly etched a line of text onto the golden apple with his finger.
Then, Nereus feigned anger and shouted, "Gods, why do you steal the glory belonging to my daughter on such a day? Prometheus stole the golden apple and is chained in a cave on Mount Caucasus; have you not heard his cries!"
The gods' gazes converged on the golden apple in Nereus's hand. The tempting, golden fruit bore an inscription: "To the most beautiful goddess!"
The goddesses' eyes immediately lit up. Aphrodite, possessing the divine office of beauty, stepped forward, declaring, "This golden apple should belong to me. The divine office of beauty is under my control, and I am worthy of this title."
Her status as a chief goddess did not intimidate the other goddesses. Artemis, Hera, Demeter, and Athena did not wish Aphrodite to outshine them, and they began to argue, each believing the title of the most beautiful goddess should not belong to Aphrodite.
Artemis argued that the honor should belong to her mother, "My mother Leto is the wife of the King of the Gods, and the golden apple itself belongs to my father. It is only right that the Queen of the Gods receives it!"
Athena, however, had other intentions. She stated, "This is the wedding of Goddess Tethys. This gift must be from a well-wisher to the couple, ensuring Tethys does not suffer the same fate as the Dawn Goddess."
Nereus's expression changed, and he nearly blurted out a denial. Fortunately, Hera and Demeter's interjections drew the gods' attention, and his lapse went unnoticed.
Hera and Demeter were not truly concerned with the title of the most beautiful goddess but sought to undermine Aphrodite's divine office of beauty.
After becoming companions with Ares, the god of war, Aphrodite had indeed restrained herself for a time. But as the goddess of love herself said, the more one possesses something good, the less precious it becomes.
Enjoying love and pleasure was Aphrodite's nature, her innate instinct. Though the goddess of love cherished Ares, she would not stop for him.
Aphrodite's actions, in turn, worsened her relationship with Hera, the goddess of marriage. Hera, devoted to her divine office, believed the goddess of love was toying with her son's affections and frequently displayed hostility towards her.
The divine offices of love and marriage thus became adversarial. Aphrodite's followers began to betray their marriages in the name of love, further enraging Hera. All attention on Mount Olympus had recently focused on the conflict between the two goddesses, a matter that even Tyche, residing on the Invisible Isle, had heard of.
Demeter needed Hera's protection for her daughter's marriage, and in exchange, the goddess of abundance and fertility was willing to offer her support on these trivial matters.
Aphrodite was no longer as easily manipulated as before. The goddess of love swayed her slender waist and whispered to Artemis, "Think of your brother, blinded by love. The curse of the golden arrow has not yet been lifted."
Aphrodite toyed with a short, silver arrow as if it were a plaything and chuckled, "Only a silver arrow can counteract the curse of the golden arrow. Goddess, surely you do not wish to see Apollo commit any offensive acts under the influence of love?"
Daphne, the youngest daughter of the river god, served as a maid in Tyche's temple. Apollo often lingered outside the temple, singing love songs to his beloved. His ardor greatly alarmed Leto and Artemis, who feared he might impulsively intrude upon their grandmother's temple and offend Tyche.
Leto, already a victor in life, had little interest in the divine office of beauty. This gentle mother immediately agreed to Aphrodite's terms.
"Deal!"
Artemis exchanged a glance with Leto and agreed to withdraw from the competition for the golden apple.
After handing over the silver arrow, Aphrodite turned her gaze to Athena, who was smiling enigmatically.
The goddess of strategy and planning had obtained the divine office of guardianship. In a way, Athena was naturally antagonistic towards Ares, who represented war, but this did not prevent the goddess of love from making a deal with Athena.
"Athena, if you return the divine offices of waves and foam to me and accept me as a member of the Sea Gods once more, then I will choose between you and Poseidon."
Although Aphrodite had no impressive battle achievements, she was, after all, a chief goddess. The support of a chief goddess was not an insignificant bargaining chip. Athena warmly embraced Aphrodite, signifying her reacceptance by the Sea Gods.