"So, how do you want me to help you?"
Aphrodite asked impatiently, her face full of eagerness.
From a public standpoint, as the Goddess of Love, she possessed divine authority to bless love and protect those who pursued it.
Especially a love that was not accepted by the secular world and carried the label of "tragic beauty" made Aphrodite empathize deeply, reminding her of the experiences between her and Adonis.
From a personal standpoint, the soul of her lover was suffering in the Underworld, still waiting for the kind messenger before her to risk his life to rescue him.
A journey like this, one that was almost certain death, required sufficient compensation.
Otherwise, even Aphrodite herself would feel uneasy, fearing that when Lorne truly faced life-or-death danger, he might not try his hardest to save her beloved Adonis.
Moreover, if the person before her could successfully seduce a pure virgin goddess under her assistance and make her break her vow, falling madly in love, would that not perfectly prove that her power of love and desire was even stronger?
It could even indirectly strengthen her authority over love and desire.
Under the eager gaze of the Goddess of Love, a trace of shyness appeared on Lorne's handsome face.
"I... I want to formally pursue Lady Hestia. I hope she can fall in love with me."
Hearing such an innocent answer, Aphrodite became even more satisfied and immediately made a solemn promise.
"Good! When you return from the Underworld, I will have the Three Graces personally bathe you in my sacred pool!"
The Three Graces refer to the three beautiful goddesses in Greek mythology who represent charm, elegance, and beauty.
They are the daughters of Zeus and the Oceanid Eurynome, performers of song and dance among the gods who bring beauty and joy to the world.
They are Aglaea, the goddess of splendor; Thalia, the goddess of festivity; and Euphrosyne, the goddess of joy.
In Greek mythology, they embody all the beauty of life.
In fact, they also represent banquets, enjoyment, and colorful living.
They are the personification of human desire, the embodiment of consumption and celebration, and the incarnation of joy that life brings.
Whether human or divine, anyone who pursues the beauty of life will inevitably be influenced by the divine authority of the Three Graces.
More precisely, elegance or charm is the external manifestation of this divine authority, and it can exist in different forms.
For example, the charm of desire carries the blessing of Aphrodite and can create attraction between the sexes.
Glory is the charm of a warrior.
The charm of a king can inspire respect for laws.
This kind of "charm," which merges with flesh and penetrates deep into the bones, is far more lasting and stable than "desire," which comes like a tide and leaves like a tide.
At the same time, this charm can also be bestowed as a blessing.
For example, the great hero Odysseus, after being served and bathed by the princess Nausicaa of the land of the Phaeacians, received the gift of "charm" from Athena.
Thus, his appearance became like that of a god, and afterward, he was unstoppable in his interactions with the opposite sex.
In the original history, even the great witch Circe eventually fell for him.
And that was only a blessing Athena granted through the hands of a mortal princess.
But now, Aphrodite had decided that after Lorne's journey to the Underworld succeeded, she would join forces with the Three Graces under her command and personally grant him a blessing in the sacred pool of the Paphos sea region.
This alone was enough to show the sincerity of the Goddess of Love.
Faced with Aphrodite's favor, Lorne could not help showing gratitude.
A blessing strong enough to influence a virgin goddess like Hestia was obviously not some cheap buff based on low-level lust.
Aphrodite was definitely going to pay a heavy price for this.
Lorne estimated that given the strength of Hestia's virgin vow, the divine authority of love he could harvest from Aphrodite and the Three Graces should be enough to condense another incarnation.
Moreover, once Adonis revived, he could use the excuse of escaping pursuit from the Underworld to persuade Aphrodite and Adonis to hide their identities and live a secluded life together.
At that time, who would be the one taking care of such eye-catching Three Graces?
Without Aphrodite protecting them, how could they possibly survive from the Greek gods, who'd fuck any hole known to existence?
How could he possibly allow them to suffer any longer?
Perfect.
A certain clerk from the island of Crete, inheriting the essence of Minoan civilization, felt the soul of a Minotaur burning fiercely within him.
He was even somewhat impatient to see the developments after returning from the Underworld.
Completely unaware that she had been tricked, Aphrodite regarded the black-hearted villain before her as a fellow lover devoted to love and even began to worry about his safety.
"Although my Adonis is very important, you should also be careful..."
Lorne touched the little bit of consciousness he had left and smiled slightly, gently comforting her.
"Do not worry. As long as you do not speak and I do not speak, who would ever connect me with Prince Adonis' situation?"
The reason he dared to take such a risk by entering the Underworld was precisely because, on the surface, he had no motive to do such things.
And during the infiltration of the Underworld, if he wanted to do something along the way, it would also be easier to act alone.
In this way, he could stir the waters using the matter of Adonis, protect the life of the future god of medicine, and at the same time harvest a bit from Aphrodite.
It was simply killing several birds with one stone.
Now everything was ready.
Only the east wind remained.
~~
Several days later, on an island near the Bay of Paphos.
"You want to go to the Underworld?"
Thetis looked at Lorne, who had come to ask for help again after many days, and could not help showing a dark expression.
The first time he came, he had provoked the god of war Ares.
The second time, he had provoked the Goddess of Discord Eris and the Erinyes, the Three Furies.
And now, the third time, he had come to ask her about the path to the underworld.
Judging by how sneaky he looked, he probably was not going there to celebrate Hades' birthday.
Why did this guy never bring any good news whenever he came looking for her?
"I do not know!"
Thetis ground her itching silver teeth and turned her head with a cold snort.
Lorne quickly stepped forward with an awkward smile, making a solemn promise.
"I will owe you another favor. Is that acceptable?"
He knew that the Oceanus Sea was connected to the underworld, but he did not know the specific path.
His teacher Circe might know.
But considering the relationship between Hecate and that stupid bird, Lorne did not dare reveal his movements to Circe in order to avoid alerting the enemy.
After thinking about it, he could only set his sights on Thetis for directions.
After all, this sea nymph was famous for her knowledge and wisdom, and among those near the island of Cyprus, she was the one most familiar with him.
Seeing that Thetis still remained cold and unmoved, Lorne raised another finger.
"Two favors. Two favors!"
Thetis looked gloomily at the troublesome person who had come to her door and asked with a frown.
"Do you really have to go to the Underworld?"
"Yes, I must go!"
"Does it have something to do with the underworld moon goddess Hecate?"
"More or less..."
Lorne nodded, looking somewhat helpless.
That was not entirely wrong.
The origin of everything was that Hecate had come to investigate the imbalance between life and death, which then triggered a chain of changes.
In the end, after some careful thought, Thetis let out a quiet sigh.
"Alright, I will take you there..."
~~
Two days later, in the primordial ocean, at the former seabed ruins of the continent of Atlantis.
Three towering giants with one hundred heads and one hundred arms stood upon the desolate ruins like three colossal pillars guarding the sea.
The surviving Atlanteans had been stripped of their human forms. All of them had transformed into half-human, half-fish creatures and were imprisoned within that dead nation.
Even worse, some Atlanteans had been deprived of their intelligence by the curse of Zeus.
They could not even maintain the form of half-human, half-fish and had become mindless humanoid sea beasts, killing and devouring each other in the dark and lightless trenches.
"Rip... rip... rip..."
The sound of flesh being torn echoed from the deep rift at the bottom of the sea.
Murky blood floated upward, attracting large numbers of twisted monsters that rushed in to fight and feed.
The leader of the Hundred-Handed Giants, Briareus, glanced at the scene with boredom.
After a moment, he lost interest.
Just like usual.
Some of the fallen creatures in the trench were fighting again.
Soon he turned several of his heads back toward the underwater ruins of the Kingdom of Atlantis, continuing to monitor the remaining Atlanteans.
At the same time, two inconspicuous "sea beasts" sensed that the cold gazes fixed upon them had disappeared and breathed a sigh of relief, cautiously swimming toward the deepest part of the black fissure on the seabed.
As they reached the end of the crack, the "sea beast" on the left suddenly transformed into the appearance of Thetis.
"We have arrived!"
The sea goddess pointed toward the dark red glowing patterns at the bottom of the fissure and spoke in a low voice.
"So this is the entrance to the underworld from the sea..."
Lorne, who had been disguised as another sea beast, returned to his human form, then reached out and touched the dark red light curtain that seemed almost solid, as well as the orichalcum gate within it, secretly marveling at the immense divine power contained inside.
According to Hesiod in Theogony, the hell of the Underworld, Tartarus, is surrounded by three layers of dark veils and three bronze walls.
Its bronze gates were forged by Poseidon.
The defeated Titans from the Titanomachy were imprisoned there, guarded by the Hundred-Handed Giants.
For those entering the Underworld from the human world, this was an extremely hidden passage.
Because of her close relationship with the sea king and the sea queen, Thetis was one of the few who knew about it.
And even if something went wrong later, the blame could seemingly be pushed onto her dear brother-in-law or onto some of the Atlantean remnants in the trench who had been stripped of their rationality.
The two conspirators with the same dark thoughts exchanged glances and nodded silently.
Then they stepped forward and touched several secret inscriptions carved into the bronze blocks.
A moment later, the three enormous walls cast from orichalcum began to glow.
The bricks shrank and retracted like living creatures, opening a narrow passage.
Soon a deep blue vortex spread downward along the fissure.
Lorne and Thetis, caught within it, leaped forward at the right moment and landed lightly at the entrance of a rugged black pathway.
The surroundings were dim.
Only the faint blue ghostly flames drifting around provided a little light.
And the moment they landed, the deathly aura that resembled black fog seemed to sense the presence of living beings and turned into countless black serpents that rapidly coiled toward the intruders, trying to entangle and erode them.
Buzz!
However, a clear and solemn resonance suddenly burst from Lorne's body.
The golden halo behind him aligned with the sixth slot, and a cluster of golden flames rose up, illuminating the surroundings.
The serpents formed from deathly energy instantly melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun.
At the entrance of the path, Lorne looked down at the sacred flame in his palm, raised his hand, and gently pressed it against his chest, relief appearing in his eyes.
Fortunately, Hestia's sacred fire had dispersed the surrounding death aura.
Otherwise, as a living person entering the Underworld, he would inevitably have been affected.
"Cough... cough..."
At that moment, hearing a somewhat suppressed cough behind him, Lorne quickly came back to his senses.
And hurriedly cast a blessing spell from the lineage of Aeaea Island on Thetis, who was not adapting well to the environment of the Underworld.
Of course, in terms of effectiveness, that level of protection could only ensure that Thetis could move normally.
It certainly could not compare with the high-level divine protection surrounding Lorne, which could casually disperse large amounts of deathly aura.
Looking at the primitive and savage terrain before him and the chaotic masses constantly writhing nearby, Lorne frowned slightly.
Tartarus originated from the chaotic void that gave birth to the Greek world.
It was the Abyss, the true body of the infernal underworld.
Therefore it was both the resting place of gods and human souls and the prison for the most heinous beings, connecting to the ocean and the earth through the River Styx.
Furthermore, it was said to be the place where many enemies of Zeus, including the Titans, were imprisoned.
If they stayed here too long, trouble would inevitably arise.
To avoid unnecessary complications, it was best to move quickly.
Lorne immediately grasped Thetis' somewhat cold hand activated the sacred fire within his body, spreading warmth and light from the human world into the sea nymph's body.
Then, using the faint glow of the ghostly flames to confirm the direction, he quickly led his companion through the dangerous region.
The defensive layers of Tartarus were divided into inner and outer sections.
The outer section consisted of the three physical bronze walls, while inside were three dark veils that confused perception, suppressed divine power, and were filled with a deathly aura.
For most people, the dark veils behind the bronze walls were even more difficult to deal with.
But the sacred fire in Lorne's hand once again guided his path.
In the darkness, the two moved through winding paths.
The road branched in all directions but was uneven and difficult to walk on.
From time to time they stepped on dry bones, producing crisp echoes that sounded terrifying in the silent environment.
On both sides were slippery, cold cliffs or deep valleys that led straight into the abyss.
Danger was everywhere.
However, relying on the guidance of the sacred fire and their powerful endurance and perception, after about a day and a night of exploration, they finally walked out of the deathly region covered by the three dark veils.
The mournful roar of the River Styx came from the river channel not far away.
Even the wails of the souls within the water now sounded somewhat pleasant.
Both of them let out a long breath.
Their tense nerves relaxed slightly.
Soon they found a relatively flat wilderness and stopped briefly to rest.
Afterward, Lorne and Thetis drew a formation to repel evil spirits, built a small camp, and temporarily settled down.
Standing on a bluish-gray stone while keeping watch, Thetis looked at the lifeless gray world around her.
Thinking about the tragic fate of Atlantis after it angered the gods, she could not help feeling somewhat melancholy.
Seeing the gloomy atmosphere surrounding Thetis, Lorne stretched his limbs, clapped his hands, and took out a jug of wine from his magic array before handing it to her.
"Do you want a drink to warm yourself?"
"Alright..."
Since she had already boarded the thief's ship, Thetis did not hesitate much and took the wine jug decisively.
After taking a sip, her spirits improved slightly, and she reminded him.
"We should hurry. This place does not give me a good feeling."
Lorne nodded.
To speed up their journey, he simply lifted her in a princess carry and activated the divine speed of Capra, turning into a blur that pierced through the gray mist and dashed across the barren wilderness.
Soon a steep and jagged mountain peak appeared within the gray fog, rising high into the clouds.
On the rugged mountain path, a tiny figure wearing rune shackles, as small as an ant, pushed a massive dark boulder toward the summit.
However, just as the boulder was about to reach the peak, the heavy stone, influenced by some mysterious rule, inevitably rolled back down toward the foot of the mountain. Thunderous rumbling echoed along the way, as if mocking the overconfident prisoner.
Could it be him?
Lorne narrowed his eyes and cautiously approached while carrying Thetis.
(End of Chapter)