The Greece Antagonist

Hearing that Thetis was about to leave, Luo En, though somewhat regretful, still generously offered his blessings.

"That's fine, then. Take care of yourself. If you run into any trouble, remember to use that."
Your next journey awaits at empire

"Mm."

Thetis nodded lightly and then gestured toward the beachfront ahead, asking Luo En in a gentle voice,

"Who knows when we will meet again, will you see me off?"

Luo En, of course, consented to such a small request.

After entrusting the remaining trivial matters to Astraea and Hecate, he got up to see Thetis off.

The journey was not far; in just a few minutes, they arrived at the seaside.

Although among the three goddesses, his trust in Thetis was the strongest,

now it was indeed time to part.

"Then..."

However, before Luo En could say his farewell, Thetis rushed forward and gave him a passionate embrace.

So soon?

The rapidly warming relationship left Luo En somewhat astonished.

Had his charisma reached such heights?

"Don't speak, listen to me!"

The next moment, a serious whisper suddenly beside his ear pulled Luo En out of his fanciful daydreams. His gaze sharpened as he nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Right now, it would be best if you left with me."

Thetis whispered in his ear during the embrace, her eyes flickering darkly as she glanced towards the camp.

"I get the feeling your situation seems a bit dangerous..."

"Dangerous? Are you talking about Hecate?"

"No, both of them!"

Perhaps sensing that her simple accusation was too abrupt and unsubstantial, Thetis pursed her lips; she soon added,

"I noticed earlier, with Hecate, that she seems to have a strange interest in you. I can't clearly describe what it is, but it always feels very dangerous. And as far as I know, excessive attention from deities is often not a good thing for most people."

"As for Astraea..." Thetis paused, her gaze flickering, "ever since we left that island, I've felt something off about her too, but I can't quite put my finger on it, so..."

"So you only dared to tell me this now that you've decided to leave?"

Luo En took over the conversation, his eyes slightly narrowed, his face pensive.

"And your visit this morning was also because of this?"

"Mm..."

Thetis nodded and glanced at the two goddesses laughing and packing their bags in the shade of the trees, earnestly advising,

"For safety's sake, it's better if your journey ends here."

"Sorry, but I have reasons I must go to Athens."

Luo En shook his head, declining softly, then hugged the Ocean Goddess, who had warned him of danger, tighter and whispered in her ear,

"Besides, you can only escape if I am here..."

In an instant, Thetis's body trembled within his arms; the disappointment and self-ridicule that she had not been trusted disappeared, replaced with a complex emotion.

As the ocean is even more vast and primal than the land, it gives birth to gods and life often marked by savage traits.

Hence, their struggles are crueler, and warmth and dependency are exceedingly scarce.

From her birth, apart from her father, there had never been another of the opposite sex who had stood by her in life or death situations and stepped forward to protect her in times of danger.

Although their initial relationship was nothing more than an exchange of interests, forcibly binding them together,

yet, after several harrowing and life-dependent experiences, it seemed something else had brewed between them.

All at once, moved by an inexplicable impulse, Thetis stood on tiptoe and placed a kiss on the man's forehead before her.

"Then you must be careful yourself!"

Luo En touched the moist mark on his forehead, listening to the murmuring still in his ear, He released his arms and playfully blinked, his lips silently moving,

"Don't worry, I'm quite fond of living. Plus, I haven't repaid the favor I owe you."

Thetis, clutching the Bronze Eleph over her heart, nodded gently, then took a long look at Luo En, turned, and strode into the seas. A colorful, speckled fishtail emerged as she plunged into the blue waters.

As her graceful figure completely vanished into the white foam, Luo En gathered the warmth from his eyes, put on a formulaic smile, and turned back towards the camp where the two goddesses awaited to leave, muttering to himself with a shake of his head,

It seems this trip to Athens will not be too dull.

~~

Several days later, outside the City of Athens.

"Tssk!"

The bronze chariot screeched to a halt, snapping Luo En out of his dozing.

After a brief moment of confusion, Luo En raised his eyes to the Acropolis of Athens gates coming into view, breathed a sigh of relief, and quietly reminded the two goddesses behind him,

"We're almost there."

"Mm!"

The goddesses replied in unison. Their eyes locked on each other, almost sparking a fierce clash in the air, oblivious to a certain driver who harbored a mischievous glint in his eyes.

To set a predator on another predator; that was the strategy Luo En adopted for self-preservation.

Specifically, he curried favor with "Astraea" by proposing to compile legal statutes and dissect case studies under the guise of nightly academic discussions, keeping steadfastly distant from Hecate.

Though Astraea too had her ambiguities, she was at least safer than Hecate.

And after the recent night attack, plus the value Luo En had demonstrated, "Astraea" increasingly guarded against Hecate, taking under her wing the rare legal talent representing the gods.

But the burgeoning relationship between the two inevitably irked Hecate.