The next morning, white waves splashed high into the air.
After soaking in the sea for the whole night, Lorne emerged from the deep ocean, crossed the overlapping waves, and walked toward the camp on the shore.
In front of the extinguished ashes, the early-rising Thetis and Hecate were sitting beside the dry branches, chatting and laughing.
A cheerful and relaxed atmosphere spread around them.
It had to be said that this Ocean Goddess, famous for her wisdom, had quite the talent for social interaction.
Even when facing Hecate, who had suddenly appeared, she could communicate calmly as if nothing had happened, not mentioning at all the matter of Hecate being left alone on the sea.
When she saw Lorne approaching, Thetis subconsciously let out a small sigh of relief.
"What are we making this morning? I will help you."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and tossed some wood into the fire, reigniting the embers, looking as though she was preparing to assist.
Seeing the flames rise, Hecate tactfully smiled and stood up, giving the positions of head cook and assistant to the two of them, then strolled leisurely along the shore, waiting for breakfast.
After glancing at this Goddess of the Underworld in the distance, Thetis turned back to Lorne and lowered her voice."She stayed in your tent last night?"
"Yeah. If Astraea had not accidentally barged in, I probably would not have been able to escape."
Lorne stirred the wheat porridge in the pot and glanced irritably at Thetis beside him.
After a moment, Thetis understood what he meant, and a trace of an awkward apology appeared on her face.
"Sorry. It seems my magic skills are still lacking. I actually let her sneak in silently."
The defensive spells last night had basically all been drawn by this Ocean Goddess herself.
Yet Hecate had broken through them so silently and even reached their doorstep.
To be honest, she felt somewhat guilty toward the unfortunate person involved.
Lorne rolled his eyes and asked with a teasing smile.
"Then does that mean you owe me a favor?"
"No!"
Thetis immediately grabbed the bronze elephant emblem in her arms and held it tightly in her palm.
At the same time, she looked at a certain debtor who wanted to settle accounts with vigilance and argued seriously, word by word.
"You were the one who threw her into the sea. It is perfectly natural for her to come after you. Whether I set up defensive magic or not makes no difference. And if we calculate properly, I was the one who got dragged into this. You owe me instead."
"How heartless..."
Under Thetis' calm analysis, Lorne covered his chest and muttered resentfully, his face showing a deeply wounded expression.
The Ocean Goddess glanced at the guy who was clearly putting on an act.
While continuing to add firewood expressionlessly, she spoke in a cold and indifferent tone.
"Are we that close?"
'Good grief, was that not my line from last night?'
Tsk. Women...
Seeing the Ocean Goddess' lips that were almost unable to suppress their upward curve, a teasing smile appeared in Lorne's eyes.
"Not close? Then why did you enter my tent early this morning?"
"Can't I be hungry?"
Thetis pointed at the soup pot that was bubbling vigorously and snorted irritably.
"Yeah, I am hungry too! What delicious thing are you making this morning? It smells amazing. Let me see!"
Just as the two gods by the fire were arguing back and forth, a head that completely ruined the atmosphere leaned over.
She deeply inhaled the fragrance of the food drifting in the air and stared eagerly at the seafood porridge boiling in the pot, urging impatiently.
"Quick, quick, quick, give me a bowl first! Running around all night yesterday almost exhausted me."
Hearing Astraea's casual complaint, Hecate slowly looked at a certain junior apprentice by the fire, and a strange meaning gradually appeared in her eyes.
If she remembered correctly, the two of them had spent the whole night together.
And as soon as morning came, they went to the sea to bathe?
Who would have thought.
Some people look righteous on the surface, yet act so quickly behind the scenes.
Thinking about it, the goddess sneered inwardly while looking disdainfully at Astraea, who was eating heartily with a bowl in front of the fire.
'So what if your heart is as dead as ashes? Once it touches a spark, it still ignites instantly.'
'However, this time, the "seed" that I personally planted will not be left for you to touch.'
But when Hecate's gaze fell on the golden scales swaying upright at both ends of the sword hilt, she suddenly felt uninterested.
Tsk. How boring.
"Give me a portion too."
Accompanied by a lazy murmur, she squeezed forward and positioned herself between Lorne and Astraea, revealing a bright smile toward her junior apprentice.
However, Lorne, who had already developed a stress reaction, trembled slightly and almost used the ladle in his hand as a weapon, stabbing it straight into his grandmaster's face.
Seeing Hecate's expression gradually turning dark, he quickly calmed himself, forced a smile, and carefully served food for this hidden big boss.
At the same time, under the excuse of serving food, he moved a little closer to Astraea.
Although he did not know the exact reason, Hecate seemed to have a faint sense of caution toward this Goddess of Justice.
Even if it was only a false sense of security, it was still better than staying beside that woman.
At this moment, Astraea watched the ladle being extended toward her again and again, and her bowl that never seemed to empty.
Her eyes shone brightly, overflowing with gratitude.
Lorne is such a good person!
After a breakfast full of hidden scheming, everyone extinguished the fire, packed the tents, and prepared to officially set out.
However, just as the team was about to depart, a different voice appeared.
"Since the matters at sea have already been resolved, I should return home to take a look."
As Thetis spoke, a trace of apology appeared on her face and she slightly nodded farewell to everyone.
"So, please forgive me for not accompanying you to Athens."
Hearing that Thetis was about to leave, although Lorne felt a little regretful, he still generously gave his blessing.
"Alright. Then be careful. If anything troublesome happens, remember to use that."
"Mm."
The latter nodded gently, then pointed toward the seaside ahead and softly asked Lorne.
"Who knows when we will meet again next time. Why not walk me there?"
Lorne naturally agreed to such a small request.
He entrusted the remaining trivial matters to Astraea and Hecate, then stood up and escorted Thetis.
The distance was not far.
Within a few minutes, the two arrived at the shore.
Among the three goddesses present, the one he trusted and even cared about the most was obviously Thetis.
But now they were truly about to part.
"Then..."
However, before Lorne could finish his farewell, the goddess suddenly pounced forward and gave him a passionate embrace.
So fast?
The sudden rise in their relationship left even Lorne a little surprised.
Had his charm already reached this level?
"Do not speak. Listen to me!"
In the next moment, the sudden serious whisper beside his ear instantly pulled Lorne out of his romantic fantasy.
His gaze sharpened, and he nodded slightly.
"You should leave with me now."
Taking advantage of the embrace, Thetis whispered softly.
Her eyes flickered as she looked toward the camp.
"I feel that your situation might be a little dangerous."
"Dangerous? You mean Hecate?"
"No. Both of them!"
Perhaps feeling that her accusation sounded too abrupt and weak,
Thetis pursed her lips and added,
"When I was with Hecate earlier,
I noticed that she seems to have a strange interest in you. I cannot explain what it is, but it feels dangerous.
As far as I know, excessive attention from a god is rarely a good thing for most people."
"As for Astraea..."
Thetis paused for a moment, her eyes flickering uncertainly.
"Ever since we left that island,
I have felt that something about her is strange as well. But I cannot say exactly what the problem is. So..."
"So you only dared to tell me this after deciding to leave?"
Lorne picked up the conversation and narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
"And you came to see me this morning because of that?"
"Mm..."
Thetis nodded and glanced at the two goddesses chatting while packing their luggage beneath the trees.
"For safety's sake, it would be better if this journey ended here."
"Sorry. I have a reason that makes it necessary for me to go to Athens."
Lorne shook his head and gently refused.
Then he hugged the Ocean Goddess who had risked warning him, a little tighter and whispered near her ear.
"And besides, only if I stay here can you leave safely."
Immediately, Thetis trembled in his arms.
The disappointment and self-mockery she had felt, believing that she was not trusted, vanished completely.
In their place appeared a complicated emotion.
The ocean was far broader and more primitive than the land.
The gods and lives born there often carried a savage nature.
Because of that, struggles were more brutal, and warmth and reliance were extremely rare.
Since her birth, aside from her father, no man had ever stood by her side like this at the moment of life and death, refusing to abandon her and stepping forward for her during danger.
Although their relationship had originally been nothing more than an exchange of interests that forced them together.
After going through several dangers and life-threatening situations together, something else seemed to have begun to grow between them.
Suddenly, an inexplicable impulse surged in her heart as Thetis stood on her tiptoes and kissed the man in front of her on the forehead.
"You must be careful!"
Lorne touched the warm mark on his forehead.
Hearing the lingering whisper in his ears, he released his arms and blinked playfully, his lips moving silently.
"Do not worry. I value my life very much. Besides, I still have not repaid the favor I owe you."
Hearing his words, Thetis held the bronze elephant emblem on her chest and nodded gently.
Then she looked deeply at Lorne, turned around, walked into the sea, transformed a colorful fish tail, and plunged into the blue ocean.
As her graceful figure disappeared completely within the white waves, the gentle warmth in Lorne's eyes faded.
At the same time, another polite hypocritical smile appeared on his face as he turned back toward the two goddesses waiting at the camp and muttered while shaking his head.
It seemed that this trip to Athens would not be boring.
.
.
.
Several days later, outside Athens.
"Screech!"
The sudden braking and tail swing of the bronze chariot interrupted Lorne's nap.
After a brief moment of confusion, he looked toward the gates of the Athenian Acropolis that were gradually coming into view and let out a small sigh of relief.
"We are almost there."
"Mm!"
The two goddesses responded simultaneously.
Their faint gazes locked onto each other, sparks almost flying in the air, yet neither noticed the hidden wickedness in the eyes of the driver in front.
Driving a tiger to devour a wolf was the strategy Lorne had adopted for self-protection.
The specific method was to cater to Astraea's interests.
Every day he used the excuse of drafting laws and analyzing cases to stay up all night discussing academic matters with the Goddess of Justice, firmly refusing to approach Hecate.
Although Astraea also had some mysteries around her, she was still safer than Hecate.
After the previous night attack and seeing the value Lorne displayed, Astraea gradually became cautious toward Hecate and began protecting this rare legal talent of the divine era.
However, the closeness between the two naturally angered Hecate.
The Goddess of the Underworld Moon, who believed someone had stolen her territory, began to oppose the Goddess of Justice intentionally or unintentionally.
On the surface, Lorne played the role of peacemaker.
But behind the scenes, he stood behind Astraea and mischievously fanned the flames, allowing the two goddesses to oppose each other because of him.
Thus, within this delicate atmosphere of conflict that never fully broke out, the three of them successfully completed the journey.
The only pity was that the two were too restrained.
They had not fought yet.
As the magnificent white marble city appeared on the horizon under the sunlight, Lorne rubbed his aching forehead and let out a long breath.
Athens had finally arrived.
The Goddess of Wisdom Athena and the Goddess of the Hearth Hestia, two of the Twelve Olympian Gods, were both here.
If the newcomer behind him wanted to cause trouble, she would have to think twice.
After paying several Hera silver coins to the guards at the gate, Lorne eagerly led the two goddesses into the city.
Athens had expanded to twice its previous size.
Royal palaces, council halls, theaters, clubs, galleries, inns, markets, workshops, docks, and stadiums filled the city.
The bronze statue plaza dedicated to the gods and the founders of Athens was even more crowded than before.
Among the statues, Lorne even saw the classic image of a certain snake-haired demoness.
The Goddess Pallas, ancestor of one branch of the Pandion bloodline, had brought a large population and advanced techniques such as shipbuilding, farming, navigation, and metallurgy from the sea, promoting the prosperity of Athens.
Because of her achievements, a statue had been erected in her honor.
Not only that, in the city's core temple platform where Athena and Hestia were worshipped, this snake-haired goddess named Pallas stood to the left of Athena.
Together with the Goddess of Victory Nike on the right, serving as Athena's two closest assistants.
Following the terrain downward, eighty-eight statues wearing armor of gold, silver, and bronze corresponded to the trajectories of the stars.
Each stood upon a star map and guarded the road leading to the temple.
Lorne sensed a certain power flowing within the star maps and understood immediately.
Athena had already obtained the eighty-eight Cloths from Hephaestus, and by some special method had infused them with faith and divinity.
According to Hestia's previous letter, the twelve zodiac temples were also secretly being built on Ares Hill.
If the Cloths, the star temples, and human pillars were combined, they could silently erode the divine authority of the sky and create a private army comparable to gods.
Believers continued entering and leaving the temple to pray.
The star maps beneath their feet gradually emitted a mysterious aura.
Clearly, Athena's plan had already begun to succeed.
The only regret was that most of these Cloths still had no owners, lacking the heroes capable of truly using their power.
After all, facing Zeus at the height of his power, even if Athena wanted to recruit from his side, she would not dare to do it too openly.
After briefly observing Athens' development, Lorne did not linger in the busy districts and led Astraea and Hecate through the Acropolis.
The Acropolis, built jointly by Athena and her Minoan followers, had clearly absorbed the strengths of the old coastal defenses of Crete.
Its architecture blended closely with the terrain, forming a unified and ingenious fortress that could resist enemy attacks step by step using the mountain itself as a base.
The eighty-eight Cloths and temples scattered across the mountain could quickly support any location.
If another beast tide attacked, Lorne estimated that without the intervention of a high-ranking god, any number of enemies would simply be sending themselves to death.
Passing through the leaf-shaped mountain gate, the three followed roads shaped like leaf veins toward Ares Hill in the northwest.
As the monitoring light curtain at the entrance flickered, a petite girl who had been waiting near the exit suddenly lit up with excitement and rushed forward to promote her goods.
"Hey, travelers from afar, try my newly made herbal cakes. Three Athena copper coins each. They refresh your mind and..."
"Teacher?"
The cheerful voice stopped abruptly.
Looking at the pink-haired, colorful-eyed witch with eagle wings on her back and a confused expression, Lorne was equally stunned.
(End of Chapter)