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The City of Byzela
The City of Byzela was once a glorious city, with lands cultivated in the riches of gold, wood, and metals. Men and women from afar were said to have visited the city to see it in its glory. The goddess of luck herself was said to have blessed the city in all its flourishing glory.
That is, until the Byzela succumbed to its greed and was cursed. The city had fallen from its grace, and only the ruins of temples and statues remained, along with the sickness that plagued it. A city once filled with people's laughter had devolved into children's cries.
***
It was said that the Goddess of Luck herself had fallen in love with a mortal girl—already a terrible thing to happen. Gods were never supposed to fall in love with mortals because things would never turn out right in the end. In the blink of an eye, a mortal is gone— unlike the eternity that immortals would have to forever live.
Just as luck is seldom given in a person's life, the Goddess of Fortune, Tyche, liked to stay hidden herself. Luck can be found in the most unexpected places, such as a farmer's bountiful harvest or a marketplace on a hot afternoon.
Tyche continued to walk among the crowd, disguised in a commoner's tunic. The Agora smelled the same as any other that she had ever been to, with the stench of raw fish being the usual odor, and of course, it wouldn’t be a marketplace without the strong stench of piss.
As per usual, the Goddess did not have a concrete plan to arrive at her destination. Perhaps it was back then because she was still a young goddess, curious.
Particularly about humans
Mortals were an enigma, an unanswered question. Despite her divinity, Tyche still did not understand humans and how they worked. She thought that for such beings who lived so briefly, they were difficult yet so simple to understand.
And so that was why she was there at the Agora, scanning a small collection of fruits and berries, that were presentable but not good enough to sell— the girl selling them had to be lucky if she even made a sale that day, Tyche assumed from the amount of leftover fruit at her stand. Perhaps she should bless her with some luck, as she had thought.
She reached out her hand to grab an apricot when the mortal girl grabbed one first and offered it to her. "An apricot?" said the girl cheerfully.
Tyche pulled back her arm and looked up at the mortal girl. " I will take three," she answered. She watched as the girl plucked three apricots and handed them to the Goddess.
"Here, take these three," said the mortal girl. "You don't need to give me anything."
Tyche raised her eyebrows. "And your reason?"
The mortal girl shrugged. "It’s not as if someone’s going to buy anything from here. If anything, If my father asks me later what happened to the missing apricots, I will tell him that a few had fallen and were unfortunately lost. You look like you really need it too."
The Goddess had accepted the apricots gratefully. "I will not forget this kind gesture."
The girl stretched her arms and yawned, the sun colouring her hair a brighter shade. "Don’t think too much about it. Back then, someone was kind enough to give me the food that I needed the most, so I thought to do the same. I hope you do too." She smiled warmly.
Tyche could not quite understand the actions of the mortal girl— why did she choose to give the fruits to her without anything in return? It was a strange phenomenon Tyche had observed among mortals, for a moment, kindness was given unconditionally, but the next, it was given with a condition, normally, it was the latter, but that day, it had been the former.
Tyche left the Agora with a small smile on her lips.
***
Years after her fateful meeting with the mortal girl at the market, the Goddess had yet to forget the mortal girl's gesture; she had travelled from town to town, but the memory lingered in her mind.
***
Tyche had decided to visit the city of Byzela once again, perhaps because there was a chance that she would be able to see the mortal girl again, but time had passed in a blink of an eye and so had people, unlike Gods, who remained unchanging for eternity.
The Goddess had decided to descend at dusk, but it seemed to be an error on her part as clouds had begun to gather and a storm seemed to be brewing. Unfortunately, she was only the Goddess of Fortune, and Tyche wondered what her grandfather was irritated about this time around.
With the heavy rain, a gust of wind swayed merchants' carts. Curses were heard from the crowd. Among the crowd, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder and said, "Hey! What are you doing standing there in this weather? Are you crazy?"
Tyche could recognise that melodic voice anywhere, so she let herself be taken. All the while, she had changed her form from what it was when she first met her. They had made their way inside a temple, though it appeared to be abandoned.
As the mortal girl twisted her soaked hair with a frown on her face, she seemed to be in deep thought. Tyche noticed the effects of age on the girl’s body because no longer was she as pretty as a young maiden, but time had taken its toll. Tyche noticed her hunched posture as well as the many scars tattooed onto her arms and legs— most of all, she just looked tired.
Before Tyche had the chance to open her mouth, the mortal girl interrupted her, her eyes widening. "I’d know that face anywhere—I swear I have seen you somewhere before! Tell me, please."
Tyche was just as surprised that the girl remembered her. "Decades ago, you gave me three fruits for free." she said.
The mortal girl covered her mouth with her hands in glee. "It’s you! I’ll never forget that day. It was that very same day— it was that very same day that mother bore a male heir and not all the burden would not fall on me. It was as if Lady Luck herself had given us a blessing."
Of course Tyche knew; after all, she was the one who gave her that fortune. She knew nothing about the girl except that she was a farmer’s daughter. She smiled sadly. "Well, that seems to be good news for you."
"It is. Because my brother was born, a large burden was taken off my shoulders." She leaned in closer. "So I am forever grateful for that," she said. "I was very much able to be with the one that I love the most. You’re like a lucky charm."
Tyche smiled unironically. "Perhaps."
"Say, what’s your name?"
"Cassidia," Tyche answered. "And yours?"
The mortal girl smiled. "Iris."
As they waited for the storm to pass, Iris explained to her the circumstances of the storm. She had said that a nymph had overseen the city, but was nowhere to be seen. Without a patron being, the city was defenseless—the city could easily fall if an immortal enraged. When Tyche asked Iris what the cause of the storms was, she answered that they had been caused by a river nymph, which the town had been unable to fend for themselves.
Tyche stood and turned her head towards Iris—this would be the third time she would offer this. "I will offer you protection if you swear that your kingdom will worship me as your goddess."
Iris’ eyes widened. "Huh…? Worship you, Goddess?" she stammered. "What does that mean?"
"Nymph!" she called out as she began to walk towards the exit of the temple. "End this foolishness at this moment!" Only strong winds heeded her calls. Once again, she called out to the heavy wind with no answer.
Though her strength in controlling the winds was not equal to those of the Olympian Council, she still possessed the power to control her environment. She raised her hand and closed her eyes, focusing. Opening her eyes, she saw that the storm had ceased to exist.
The men, women, and children behind her cheered. "The goddess of luck has saved us! Praise the Lady of Luck!"
Iris walked to her side and gazed at the setting sun. "My lady, I apologise for the rudeness that I have shown you," she said, lowering her head.
Tyche shook her head. "Do not be alarmed; this city was left in the hands of a fool."It's only natural for this to happen. I would not be surprised if this were to happen."
"It has," Iris said, nodding. "For the past decades, our crops have scarcely grown, and when they do, there is not enough for everyone. Even my children have barely anything to eat, and I have nothing to eat."
"And my offer to you?" Tyche said. "Have you considered it?"
Iris raised her eyebrows. "No disrespect to you, my lady, but why are you asking me?"
She had taken a liking to the girl. But she mustn’t let herself get too attached to mortals. “Your answer?"
The girl smiled. " That would be the greatest honour”
Tyche turned her head, announcing her patronage of the city.
But perhaps your devotion would be enough, and mine own to yours too.
The very next day, the construction of her temples began, and the polis began to build a monument that would last generations. Tyche’s glory and fame began to grow and spread.
Little by little, the city began to flourish, with a bustling market that began to explode in business, as did its fruitful harvest and the lucky catches of fish. Temples were built, and worshippers from afar came to worship her glory. Byzela had also begun to take more land for itself. Celebrations had lasted well over a month in celebration of her glory.
***
Tyche witnessed the town in all its glory, and while she appreciated all that was said about her, she could not help but notice her most devoted ruler. Iris, who would spend her days at the temple, knew Tyche could not answer, but Tyche still listened to her thoughts and prayers, and when she could, she sent some blessings her way.
But time had passed, and nothing ever stayed the same, that included the life of a mortal. Tyche cannot sense death just as well as her uncle. There was a chilling sensation that shouldered her once she visited Byzela once again, sensing that Iris is no longer there.
***
There’s a reason why immortals not only instill respect in mortals but also instill in them a driving force of worship—fear. As time continued to pass, it seemed that the citizens of Byzela had neither.
The Goddess of Luck had given the city her protection, her blessing, and its fortune— yet no respect was given to her in return. It seemed that the citizens were too busy drowning in their own glory and fortune— too caught up in showing off the riches of the city and worshipping the God of Wine. Still stuck in their endless party, it seemed that no one had time for the Goddess, where their happiness had originated.
Tyche considered herself to be a forgiving immortal as compared to other members of her family—her temper was not as stormy as her grandfather Zeus’ nor as warm as her great aunt Hestia’s. As the goddess of luck, she liked to give people a chance, but enough was enough.
So the Goddess of Luck had decided to take away her blessing— take away their treasure, their fortune, and their luck— to make them really remember where their fortune was really from. to make them see what they did wrong. It was dirty, but nothing compared to what the King of the Gods did.
Byzela was not the only goddess that she looked over, this city was one of the many that worshipped her. She only did it for the sake of that one girl's kindness. Tyche left the city to its demise.
A couple of hundred years later, coming across a lovely iris in Demeter’s Garden, she was reminded of the city and decided to take a visit.
Of course, she came back knowing that when she visited, it would not be the same city that she once knew, and nothing of the city that she once recognised could be seen anymore. Fire destroyed it, other cities looted it, and sickness ravaged it.
In the corner of her eye, as she continued to walk between the fallen temples, she noticed a girl feeding her younger brother, who happily chewed at the little bite of food that he had eaten. The girl then threw the rest of what was left into the fire and closed her eyes.
"I offer this to you, my lady, I don’t know if you hear my prayers— my grandparents have once told me that you once watched over this city, but I pray that you keep my dear brother safe. He is only a little one, but we have already lost both of our parents, and soon I will not be able to find any more food to feed my brother."
Tyche sighed and summoned her cornucopia. At least there was one mortal. She discreetly dropped a loaf of bread as she walked past the girl.
"I... I need to thank you for this!" the girl cried out.
"No need," Tyche answered.
Maybe—maybe by the mortal's insignificant action, she was going to turn a blind eye to what had happened and reverse her actions—she even told the mortal girl of the events that had unfolded, to which the mortal girl had listened attentively and told her of the trials she needed to pass in order to restore the city to its former glory.
But in the end, nothing would change because the mortal girl would die a few days later from a sickness.
***
This is a story often told to little children, to remind them to always worship their god— because if they did not, there would be consequences, just as the Goddess of Fortune herself had cursed the city of Byzela with misfortune.