The Greece Antagonist

Knossos City, the residence of the Goddess of the Hearth.

Three virgin goddesses were seated together in the living room, tasting fruit pastries before their meal while waiting for the sumptuous food to be served.

And, to pass the time, they naturally started discussing several major events that had recently transpired on Mount Olympus.

First, due to lax control, Sea Beasts from the Sea of Okeanos had proliferated and attacked the surrounding human cities. Poseidon, as the god of the ocean, was summoned by the Divine King Zeus to Olympus and severely reprimanded.

To compensate for the losses of the human city-states and to showcase the deities' benevolence, Zeus required Poseidon to grant the afflicted human cities three years of abundant fish and precious minerals and seafood from the Sea of Okeanos.

Among them, the compensation awarded to Crete Island, which had suffered the most, was undoubtedly the most generous.

However, Athena, as the guardian goddess of the Minosians, had a significant issue with this seemingly lenient punishment and proposed more substantive demands, such as demarcating safe zones and asking the Sea Beasts to retreat from the coast for a distance of thirty miles.

Of course, Poseidon was also dissatisfied with the verdict proclaimed by Zeus and stubbornly demanded a thorough investigation to find the culprit behind the attacks on his Atlantean Guard and for the humans to account for the immense losses suffered by his divine-blooded kindred in recent years.

Thus, both parties continued to argue ceaselessly over who was responsible and who had instigated the conflict first, repeatedly clashing for months.

Hestia, who was listening attentively, couldn't help but ask curiously.

"And then?" Continue your adventure with мѵʟ

"That's it," Athena replied indifferently, calmly sipping her honey water.

"That's it?" Hestia, eagerly awaiting the rest of the story, raised her voice in surprise.

Wasn't it said that Zeus was going to uphold justice?

Seeming to see the confusion of her aunt, Artemis spread her hands and spoke wearily.

"Because the Father God recently descended to the mortal realm, an incident occurred, and he's currently quarreling with the Queen of Heaven to no end."

"..."

Hearing such an unexpected but reasonable outcome, Hestia was speechless. She then couldn't contain her curiosity about the whole business and covertly inquired about what had happened.

It turned out not to be terribly complex.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Not long ago, Zeus, who habitually descended to the mortal realm to seduce women, fancied a nymph named "Aegina" and, transforming into a mighty eagle, abducted her.

But Aegina's father, the river god Asopus, possessed a strong paternal love, rare in the Age of Greek Gods.

Having fathered nine daughters and taking pride and joy in having so many innocent and adorable daughters, he was especially affectionate towards them.

However, fate always seemed to torment this river god who didn't quite fit in with the rest of the Greek divine age.

One by one, his daughters mysteriously disappeared, which brought him great sorrow.

For this reason, the old river god had searched many places, asking passersby and deities about their whereabouts, to no avail.

After eight daughters had disappeared without a trace, leaving only his youngest daughter Aegina, the old river god, in extreme agony, took great care in guarding her, not wanting to lose his last beloved daughter as well.

But no matter how watchful he was, he still didn't stop the descending Divine King,

When the river god was resting, Zeus transformed into a mighty eagle and swiftly stole the nymph Aegina.

However, the old river god, having already lost everything, did not collapse upon hearing the terrible news. Instead, he tenaciously followed the traces of his daughter, blatantly ignoring the oracles sent by Zeus, trailing the changing form of the Divine King with the intent to reclaim his daughter.

In the end, Zeus, with his passion inflamed and unwilling to give up such a beautiful maiden, hurled down his lightning, striking one of the river god's legs. While the river god collapsed, Zeus took the nymph Aegina to a solitary island, consummated the union with her, and fathered a divine son named "Aeacus."

This deed Zeus thought to be perfectly executed, yet it was witnessed in its entirety by King Sisyphus of Corinth.

Then afterward, somehow, the event reached Mount Olympus and found its way to the ears of Hera.

Thus, the enraged Queen of Heaven naturally caught her constantly unfaithful husband and vented furiously.

With such an unexpected situation, Zeus, embroiled in a heap of troubles, had neither the inclination nor the time to handle the dispute between Athena and Poseidon. He was currently avoiding his wife, who was roaming the world looking to reprimand him.

Despite narrating in a calm tone, the Goddess of the Hunt seemed to betray a sense of schadenfreude.

Hestia, after hearing the story, began to feel sorry for the wronged old river god and couldn't help but express a word of fairness.

"Zeus, he's really getting too out of hand."

"Hasn't the Father God always been like this?"

Athena twirled the cup in her hand and asked faintly in return.

For a moment, Hestia had no response and could only sigh in resignation, as the compassion and indignation in her eyes dimmed helplessly.

Right or wrong, there were things in Olympus she truly couldn't control.

Moreover, if she desired to continue living in peace, she shouldn't control them, either.

——These were the words Athena had repeatedly warned her.

Since she was powerless to do anything, Hestia could only try not to think about these troubling matters, lifting her head to change the subject.

"So, the matter with Crete Island still doesn't have a real resolution even now?"

"Still negotiating..."

Athena replied calmly, her expression as serene as ever.

Her initial intention was not to covet Atlantis's local specialties, but rather to blow things out of proportion, muddy the waters, and pressure Poseidon into a situation where he couldn't openly lay hands on Crete Island under everyone's scrutiny.

The fiercer and longer the dispute, the safer Crete Island became.

And indeed, the situation was evolving just as the Goddess of Wisdom had predicted.

Therefore, she didn't mind wasting some breath to verbally spar with Poseidon for a few more days.

What she feared was that her uncle wouldn't be willing to let matters rest so easily...

Thinking of that colossal water-blue arm descending from the sky, Athena felt a twinge of irritation in her heart.

Seeing her wise and famous grandniece seemingly having her own clear ideas, the self-aware Hestia wisely refrained from asking further, turning her attention instead to another niece.

"What about you, Artemis? What brings you to me all of a sudden?"

Artemis smiled slightly and softly disclosed her purpose.

"Isn't the annual festival of the gods coming up soon? Father God asked me to inquire whether you'd like to return to Olympus this time."

"Not going!"

Hestia chose to refuse without hesitation, vaguely guessing another reason why the Divine King brother had specially sent Artemis to invite her back.

Besides the official festival of the gods, he probably also wanted her to help persuade Hera.

After all, Zeus would undoubtedly be aware of her true attitude toward the superficially cordial gatherings of the Divine King's family by now.

And the invites in the past were never so formal.

Unknowingly, the Goddess of the Hearth had guessed several of her Divine King brother's thoughts quite accurately.

Clearly, after repeated influences and constant indoctrination from a certain someone, Hestia developed a significant wariness and distance from her seemingly equitable Divine King brother, even if she was not one to think too deeply.

Upon hearing Hestia's usual response, Artemis wasn't surprised, but rather chuckled and affectionately wrapped another of her aunt's arms, showing a mix of fondness and hope.

"Then how about spending this year with me in Arcadia? Staying in one place for too long will become tiresome."

Ah, so she's here to poach...

Athena, who had put down her cup, scoffed silently, casting a faintly disapproving glance at the ulterior-motived Artemis, then offered Hestia a warm smile.

"Aunt, it's okay here, don't worry, you can go wherever you like."

However, faced with Athena's generous persuasion, Hestia decisively shook her head, conveying an apologetic look towards Artemis.

"No thanks, I've gotten used to it here and don't feel like moving."

Though both were her nieces and fellow virgin goddesses, their circumstances were starkly different.

Artemis still had the protection of her mother Leto and the care of her brother Apollo.

Athena? She had nothing.

Even the favoritism from Zeus seemed to have an ulterior motive.

Therefore, compared to Artemis, Hestia undeniably felt more sympathy for Athena.

Seeing Hestia so resolute, Artemis couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment.

"Alright then, I'll come to see you often."

"Sure, you're always welcome! I won't lie to you, ever since that kid moved in, the quality of food at my place has gone up more than a notch!"

Hestia was naturally overjoyed to agree to her niece's gesture of closeness, taking the opportunity to brag about her personal chef.

However, before the Goddess of the Hearth could praise further, a noisy commotion rose from the backyard, prompting Artemis to glance in that direction, her expression subtly changing as she swiftly stood up.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

"Doing, cooking..."

At that moment, Luo En, who was squatting in the backyard processing ingredients, pulled out two floundering rabbits from the vegetable garden, turned his head to look at the startled Goddess of the Hunt, and expressed his bewilderment and confusion.