The Greece Antagonist

Sunset approached.

Three chariots crossed the vast sea and one after the other, arrived at Sicily.

At the camp, smoke was rising from the cooking, and the Goddess of the Hearth, tasked with staying behind, was actually busily preparing a meal.

Seeing that the lesser deity she thought had been abducted had safely returned, Hestia didn't think much of it and immediately got up excitedly from the fire, rushing to greet Athena and a few others she knew well, chattering nonstop about the new dish she had developed that day.

Looking at the face that was slightly blackened by the smoke under the sunset, yet showing a hint of pride, Luo En raised his hand to his forehead, inwardly rolling his eyes.

——With this intelligence and level of awareness, he thought, in the future it's not just about guarding the vegetable garden, even taking care of herself would be difficult...

——Sigh!

As both he and Athena shook their heads in a nearly synchronized sigh, their gazes met and they couldn't help but suppress a chuckle.

With just a glance, they managed to communicate more information beneath the oblivious Hestia's nose and started complimenting the increasingly skilled cooking and housekeeping abilities of the Goddess of the Hearth from either side of her, while casually planning the evening's entertainment.

——I've heard there's a type of seaweed called kombu in the sea that, when brewed into a soup or added to food, can produce a marvelous effect of enhancing flavor.

——As for where to find it, Athena, who is half descended from sea gods (her mother being the Ocean Goddess Metis) and is knowledgeable as the Goddess of Wisdom, indicated that she might have some information and could take Hestia to look for it in the evening.

However, deep sea diving can be dangerous.

Trying to find that type of algae in the dark and lightless ocean depths would require a top-level collector...

Next, almost without needing a reminder from Luo En and Athena, the Goddess of the Hearth, whose intelligence seemed to be operating on autopilot, set her sights on the bright God of Light, who naturally emits light at night.

Hearing that the Goddess he was pursuing had, for the first time, taken the initiative to invite him, Apollo was instantly thrilled and accepted the invitation with wild joy.

In the corner, watching Apollo eagerly take the bait, Luo En and Athena exchanged a glance and simultaneously curled their lips upwards, revealing sly smiles.

Given the uncertainty of the species and the vague geography, Apollo's venture into the sea to find that so-called flavor-enhancing algae was unlikely to be easy.

Of course, he was most likely to return without success.

After all, Luo En forgot to say

——Kombu is primarily found in another realm, and it seems to clash a bit with the Mediterranean environment...

Apollo, totally oblivious to the setup, ate a few quick bites of a hot meal and, in his eagerness to impress the Goddess, hastily gathered The Nine Muses and followed Athena and Hestia to the sea in search of the legendary umami ingredient.

As the three chief gods and their accompanying lesser deities moved increasingly away, Artemis immediately put down her half-eaten roast meat, stood up, cleared her throat at the Nymphs around her, and announced in all seriousness.

"It looks like we're on vigil tonight. You groups of three, keep a close watch on the nearby seas. Absolutely do not end up like those Muses, who don't even know when a creature has crept up beside them!"

The Nymphs solemnly nodded and then, following the orders of the Chief God Artemis, spread out in all directions, creating a protective perimeter around Sicily on the sea.

Watching as the lesser deities completely disappeared into the night, Artemis could no longer contain herself, grabbed Luo En's hands, and once again vowed earnestly.

"I really didn't do it on purpose at sea!"

Looking at the anxiously flustered Goddess of the Hunt, Luo En smiled and nodded just as he had before.

Nevertheless, Artemis, as the prime suspect, couldn't help but reassert.

"I really didn't!"

Given the spell of chastity, she had more of a motive to silence him than anyone else had at the time.

Normally, even if she had done it, the Goddess of the Hunt wouldn't bother to explain.

And the only reason she would speak so humbly and fretfully was due to some particular cause.

It seemed to Luo En that Artemis was much more smitten than he had anticipated; no wonder Apollo couldn't resist making a move on him so quickly.

He sighed inwardly and once again nodded in earnest.

"It was that woman who struck first!"

Upon hearing Artemis bluntly point the finger at her rival Athena, Luo En was somewhat caught between laughter and tears.

"If that were true, Goddess Athena wouldn't have left us alone here."

"...She's helping me?"

Surprised by this unexpected answer, Artemis, covertly snitching to her lover, was slightly taken aback and her face colored with embarrassment.

Seeing that the iron was hot, Luo En proceeded to clear Athena's suspicion.

"See, I told you, it was just an accident, and you're the only one taking it seriously."

Realizing she had been overanxious, Artemis shyly bowed her head, and her perception of her rival became tinged with a complex sense of guilt.

——It's my misunderstanding; she's actually quite nice.

Then, the Goddess of the Hunt by the firelight glanced ruefully at her beau, murmuring with regret.

"Fifteen days until the full moon..."

For the straightforward Artemis, making a mistake naturally required compensation.

As she spoke, the huntress licked her moist cherry lips, and a flame seemed to rise in her silver eyes.

Seeing this, Luo En couldn't help breaking into a sweat, and he quickly pressed down on Artemis, who was about to crouch down.

"There's no rush for this, let's leave it for later..."

Even though this method of compensation was thrilling and enticing,

considering the several chief gods who had come to the island—one was as crafty as a hive, the other already harboring murderous intentions against him.

In addition, there was a whole host of lesser deities accompanying them.

For the sake of his own life, there was plenty of time in the future—there was no need to crave for instant gratification, better to play it safe.

Seeing her lover's attitude, the passionate Goddess of the Hunt could only resign herself with disappointment.

After successfully calming Artemis, Luo En took the initiative and extended his hand, showing a faint smile.

"Since we both have some time, walk with me."

"Okay!"

The huntress nodded earnestly, smiled and took his hand, pulling her lover along for a walk through the woods.

Moonlight caressed the rolling waves, and the rhythm of the nearby tides added a symphony to the atmosphere.

Under the night sky, the two silhouettes walked side by side, talking and laughing, like a perfectly matched couple.

In this harmonious atmosphere, Luo En also gradually let down his guard and admired the calm and elegant side of the Goddess of the Hunt up close.

In fact, he was well aware that the rapid warming of their relationship was a product of the suspension bridge effect.

—The suspension bridge effect describes when a person in a tense or fearful situation, like crossing a suspension bridge, experiences an involuntary acceleration of the heartbeat. If they happen to meet another person at this time, they might misinterpret this acceleration, caused by the environment, as being attracted to the other person, thereby developing romantic feelings towards them.

The initial accidental union and the subsequent fear had jointly cultivated this "romance."

But in reality, such a relationship was not stable.

Once the passion faded and the crisis was over, it was easy for various emotional problems to arise between the two.

Therefore, to avoid leaving too many problems for the future and the possibility of being knifed by a frenzied Artemis someday, Luo En, after finishing his 'role', naturally had to synchronize and refresh the true emotional buildup.

At present, it all seemed to be going according to plan.

—He figured that, with this favorability level, even if he were to reveal his fling with Athena at this time, Artemis would perhaps spurn him a little less when dismembering him.

—Probably?

Under the moonlight, the man and woman shared a loving smile and continued forward.

Meanwhile, a group of hunting nymphs responsible for patrolling the nearby sea were resting near the rocks.

Artemis subconsciously let go of her lover's tightly held hand, intending to step forward and greet them, when a snort reached her ears.

"Our chief deity is getting more and more disgraceful, all day long sticking with that stinking man. She gets more excited seeing him than a hunting dog spotting a rabbit. What kind of behavior is that?"

Under the moonlight, a hunting nymph with an androgynous beauty leaned against the rock, admiring her reflection in the ocean and growing more satisfied and proud by the moment.

"If you ask me, since she has taken a spring fancy, I might as well take her place as the Virgin Goddess,"

Hearing her companion's wild talk, two other hunting nymphs rolled their eyes nonchalantly.

She was the daughter of the giant Rhea and the Ocean Goddess Periboea, hence more noble than an average ocean nymph; therefore, she was not only very proud but sometimes even looked down upon her mistress, Artemis.

Accustomed to their companion's unrestrained speech, the two nymph attendants couldn't be bothered to respond.

After all, it was just talk...

At this moment, Artemis, from within the shadows, stopped, turned her head to her lover, and asked with a radiant smile.

"Is she pretty?"

"..."

Just as Luo En was about to instinctively process his thoughts and prepare to answer this deadly question in his usual analytical manner, the atmosphere under the moonlight shifted as the huntress's tone took a sudden turn, her smile brimming with a hint of madness.

"The beloved daughter of the giant Rhea and the Ocean Goddess Periboea... is her name Ora, perhaps? Since she so wants to replace me, let her have her wish tonight!" Discover stories at empire

And as the name of that hunting nymph reached his ears, Luo En couldn't help but twitch, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

—How did he encounter her?

It seemed... there was a big problem...