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While it was solely the responsibility of the Princess of the Underworld to fight the great Titan Chronos, it was not a duty she took on alone. Many of the Gods, namely Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hestia, Demeter, Hephaestus, as well as those more familiar to the Princess like Artemis and Selene, lended their aid how they could in her battles against Time Himself through divine boons
Even with the might of an entire Pantheon, and all her many skills in battle, Chronos was no easy foe. She needed an edge, something else to balance out the fact that he had Fate in the palms of his hands.
Whilst on another run, battling up to Olympus to aid her relatives there, Melinoë came across the solution she had been looking for. A simple prayer, written to the Goddess of Fortune by some unknowable being, asking for her assistance.
It was so simple that Melinoë wondered how she hadn’t thought of it before. After all, prayer and incantation were hardly different in a practical sense. All that differed was intention.
One fated night, Melinoë announced her intention to invoke the Goddess of Fortune to the Crossroads. The Patron Goddess of the Crossroads and guardian of the pocket of Erebus where it resided, and Headmistress of Witchcraft herself – Hecate was quick to inform Melinoë of the risks involved.
“Invoking Tyche here… that comes with great risk, Melinoë,” Hecate remarked in her typical low and contemplative drawl. “Though she is oft regarded as a Goddess of Fortune, not all fortune is good or desirable. Her divinity is closer to that of Chaos than most other Gods, after all.”
Melinoë nodded. “I know. But this incantation… I can’t help but feel as though it was no mere coincidence that I came across it on my way towards Olympus. Perhaps, with what they could possibly preordain before Chronos came for them, the Fates wanted me to find Tyche?”
Hecate did not seem convinced. “Or ‘tis possible that this fortuitous discovery was simply that: mere luck. Luck is not a force that we can rely upon in a fight against Time, Melinoë.”
“Nor is Fate, Headmistress,” Melinoë insisted. “Not while Nyx’s daughters remain under his capture. We don’t know whether they’ve been able to weave enough to outlast Chronos, or how soon it’ll be that they’re forced to succumb. We have to take our allies where we can, don’t we?”
“I see your point,” Hecate relented. “Very well. I trust your judgement on this, Melinoë. Just do be careful.” It was unlike Hecate to express such obvious reservation and apprehension. Normally, it would have given Melinoë some pause, but she had come to trust better in her own knowledge and experience, rather than lean entirely on that of her Headmistress’.
With renewed energy, Melinoë placed three moly flowers, seven pieces of Fates-woven fabric, and a single golden apple into the cauldron and recited the incantation.
“Great Goddess of Fortune Eutychia, in the name of Hades, I ask for your aid. Through your gifts alone may the balance of war be swayed,” Melinoë recited with ease. “So mote it be.”
The cauldron bubbled and a flash of green magic rose from the cauldron in a puff of smoke, but otherwise it gave no indication of whether the incantation had worked. Hecate hummed with an imperceptible air about her. “Now, we wait to see if your cries have caught her attention.”
A night passed unceremoniously. A second night passed much the same way. The third and fourth nights too wielded no different result. Melinoë tried the same incantation again, to no avail. After many more nights of trying but failing to invite Fortune into the Crossroads, she surmised that once again it had failed.
She tried it a third time, all but ready to give up. Though fortune it seemed to be paying close attention that night, as the puff of steam that burbled from the cauldron flashed a brilliant gold and suddenly, she was there in all of her glory.
Tyche, Daughter of the great Titans Oceanus and Tethys, Goddess of Fortune and Luck Incarnate appeared in the Crossroads of Erebus in resplendent golden finery. She glanced around the realm of darkness with a contemplative hum. “Well, this is interesting. Of all places to follow my fortune to… Who might you be, little Godling? Would you happen to know why I find myself here?”
“I am Melinoë, daughter of Hades,” the witch greeted. “I was given an incantation meant to guide you here to the Crossroads of Erebus, whilst I was on my journey towards Olympus. I had hoped to invoke your aid here.”
“Well then, my greetings to you, Princess,” the Goddess remarked, with a gentle smile. “I see fortune smiles in your favour this day. I am Eutychia, though you may call me Tyche. It is an honour to make your acquaintance. ”
“Goddess Tyche,” Melinoë observed, bowing respectfully. “I was not sure that my incantation had worked. I am honoured that you would take the time to greet us here from Olympus.”
“My arrival is never guaranteed, little witchling, though with such a gracious offering, I did find myself hoping I might come to you sooner rather than later,” Tyche replied with a shrewd look in her eye. “Now, you mentioned my aid. What specifically can I do for you?”
“I know that things up on Olympus are fraught, Goddess,” Melinoë acknowledged. “But we could use your assistance down in the Underworld. Some fortune would be greatly needed in our fight against Chronos.”
Tyche beamed brightly, though seemed to place herself back into some semblance of formality as she replied, “I see. May I just ask first… why not reach out to the Fates? My gifts are always in accordance with their design.”
“That’s just the thing, Lady Tyche,” Melinoë reported unhappily. “Chronos has captured them, in an attempt to make them weave according to his will.”
Tyche’s pleasant expression fell. “The Fates have been captured? By the Titan Chronos?”
She squashed down her momentary panic and corrected herself. “I see… Well, as a Goddess of Fortune, normally it is the Fates who guide my hand. If Chronos convinces them to change their designs to favour him, there is little else I can do. Even I cannot deny my divine duties.”
Melinoë grimaced, an unimpressed expression coming to rest upon her face. “Truly? You would show favour to Chronos if the Fates commanded it?”
“It is not in my nature to deny someone fortune where Fate demands it,” Tyche insisted, firmly yet not unkindly. She paused for a moment. “Though…I suppose…”
“What?” Melinoë prompted.
“When things cannot be left to Fate… They are left to Chance,” Tyche hummed as if coming to some great epiphany. “I cannot guarantee my skill in weaving can match that of our cousins’. All circumstances appear to be against us. But if you can find a way to even the odds… I’ll do my very best to grant you the fortune you deserve, Melinoë.”
True to her word, Tyche got to work weaving the threads of life and death that she could find to the best of her ability. She was no greatly skilled weaver, certainly not one that could rival the Fates themselves and their mastery of their craft, but she was not a Goddess who needed to rely on skill. Luck was her domain, after all.
In addition to her workings with the weavings of life, in the nights that followed, the venerable Tyche would do her best to grace the Crossroads with her presence and her many gifts, often when Lord Moros was inconspicuously absent.
Many of the Crossroads’ inhabitants took it as a sign of their impending victory and began to rally behind her, namely Shades. Others were slightly less enthusiastic about having to rely on the whims of chance and fortune, perhaps especially Nemesis.
“Really? You invoked Tyche?” Nemesis deadpanned at Melinoë with great disappointment, glaring just beyond her shoulder at the gleaming golden goddess gleefully gabbing with gaggles of ghosts and shades. “Things must be really bad if you’re willing to stoop low enough to rely on her, rather than your own skills.”
“I would’ve thought having the Goddess of Fortune on our side would be seen as a good omen, Nem,” Melinoë glowered, though not viciously. “Besides… She seems eager to help.”
“Too eager. Trust me, you don’t know her like I do,” Nemesis insisted. “She’s flighty and led entirely by her whims. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve had to clean up her messes because she’s favoured someone who didn’t deserve it.”
Melinoë sighed. “You’re not the only one who has expressed such doubts to me, Nem. But we need all the help we can get. Even if Fortune only favours us temporarily, she may give us the edge we need to push the balance towards us.”
Nemesis’ glare was like steel as she spat, “Fine. But when fortune conveniently falls the other way and goes to Chronos instead, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
A little more than perturbed by the outburst, Melinoë busied herself with one of her many other duties that did not involve bothering Nemesis at her post. Eventually, she slipped out of sight, leaving Nemesis alone to guard the glade of the Crossroads.
Soon enough, much to Nemesis’ own misfortune, the gleaming golden visage of the Goddess Tyche approached, adorned in fine woven garments, with her ever-symbolic metal rudder in hand and a chain of coins minted in her image laid delicately upon her neck.
“How fortuitous that I might find you here, Sweet Retribution,” Tyche greeted with a playfulness full of promise and gifts yet to be given. She ran a gentle hand along Nemesis’ shoulder, lightly brushing her nails along the other goddess’ pauldron.
“Fortune. Nice seeing you,” Nemesis replied dryly, conveying her disdain plainly. Tyche giggled. “Ah, Nemesis. Same as ever. I’ve missed you, y’know. With all that’s been happening, we’ve not had the chance to catch up.”
Nemesis glowered, “Of course not. Some of us are busy trying to fix this mess.”
“I know right? Lucky for me, the Princess of the Underworld helped redirect me from my fruitless search for the Fates. I’m just impressed that her incantation to summon me actually reached me.”
“Yeah, after, like, the fourth try, Tyche,” Nemesis shot back. “The amount of resources she wasted in getting you here could have been used for something worthwhile.”
Tyche pouted, “Aw, come on, Nem. You of all people should know that my—”
“Your arrival is never guaranteed, yeah, I know,” Nemesis interrupted. “I can be damned sure your departure is though.”
Tyche’s expression fell even further, no longer playful however, as it bled into genuine hurt. “Nemesis—”
“Where did you go after Troy, Tyche?” Nemesis interrupted again, as her resentment and upset bubbled over into a blossoming rage. “You just disappeared like you always do, leaving behind scores upon scores of hapless mortals who didn’t deserve half the gifts you gave them, and as usual, I was left behind to fix it.”
“If I had stayed, you would have said I was spoiling them,” Tyche laughed bitterly, suddenly small in the face of retribution. “Besides, even I am subject to the whims of Fate. They don’t leave anything up to me, much less allow me to bask in the company of their dear sister if it doesn’t suit them.”
“You must be thrilled that Chronos has allowed you to be cut from their influence, then,” Nemesis surmised with equal vitriol. “I heard what you said to Melinoë. ‘If things aren’t left to Fate, then they’re left to Chance?’ You really think you can pick up where they left off?”
Tyche paused, allowing herself to just look at Nemesis for a moment. It had been quite some time since she’d seen Nemesis, much less been able to talk to her. As much as Nemesis was hurt and vengeful, Tyche herself shared that pain.
Their separation had not been her choice. It was decided for her.
With Fate, Tyche’s departure was absolute. With Luck, nothing was certain. Perhaps for one such as Retribution Incarnate - who could no sooner understand Tyche’s drive to go wherever the forces of her divinity led her than she would understand Chaos itself – was not capable of grasping that the same as the Fortune and Chance Incarnate.
“I think that Chronos’ return has demonstrated we cannot rely on a few forces to guide us through the universe,” Tyche determined after a moment. “I am not lesser than the Fates, Nemesis. Some of us just remember our roots in Chaos better than others.”
“Don’t blame Chaos for your inability to commit to anything. You can’t guarantee that you’ll stay here, much less use your influence to help our cause,” Nemesis retorted.
“You’re right. I cannot guarantee that,” Tyche stated simply. “But it is as I told Princess Melinoë. There are things that can be done to even the odds. Do not think me so fickle that every whim I have possesses an equal chance of whisking me away.”
Nemesis seemed to hesitate for a moment, almost contemplatively, but then hissed with low and obvious disbelief, “Oh, you are so full of it.”
That had Tyche’s patience fracturing in an instant.
“Nothing is guaranteed in the face of Time. Not even Fate itself, anymore,” Tyche snapped as her own hurt returned with a vengeance. “I’m sorry that I’m not good enough for you Nemesis, but as it happens, I’m all you have.”
Good and Noble Tyche stepped back, bearing the face of one often taken for granted, as she spoke grimly, “You know that I try to do more good than harm. Do not scorn me before I have been given the chance to help. I want to be here, so let me.”
As the Goddess of Fortune went to depart from her treasured companion, Nemesis called out again. “Then why couldn’t you have come earlier? Why didn’t you find me before now?”
“You’re not the only one who needs me, Nemesis,” Tyche scoffed, turning on her heel as if to chastise the other goddess. “I cannot always be with you, much as it pains me. You know that I am fond of you, that I seek you out above all others when I can. Can you not be content with the fact that I will always come back to you, no matter where my fortunes lead me?”
Nemesis said nothing, just sighed deeply and grimaced. “You… have a point. I’m sorry.”
A fond smile stretched across Tyche’s face. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Her eyes flickered to the newly built Taverna across the glade. Nemesis’ hard-won apology had all but soothed the sting of her earlier hurt. Tyche hummed contemplatively. “Say… I do believe Melinoë has departed for the night, well and truly. If you’re up to it, would you care to share some Ambrosia with me?”
“You brought Ambrosia with you to the Crossroads?” Nemesis deadpanned, but with an air of exasperated fondness about her.
“Well, I am Fortune, after all. It’s my job to come bearing gifts in plentiful supply. And I’m sure Melinoë won’t mind if I keep this one bottle for you and me,” Tyche proposed with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Nemesis gave a long sigh, attempting to hide her own growing grin. “Fine. Though just the one bottle. No point overindulging in the middle of a war.”
Tyche chuckled affectionately and linked arms with her trusted companion. “Always keeping me in check, Nem,” she hummed, as the two made their way over to the Taverna together. It was there that the two Goddesses luxuriated in each other’s company, reuniting over the intoxicating and indulgent bottle of Ambrosia.
It seemed that for now, Fortune was on their side in the battle against Time. And though it was uncertain what the future held for those fighting against the Titan Chronos, it was safe to say that the scales had tipped in their favour.
With any luck, that Fortune would soon be followed by Victory.