The Greece Antagonist

"Ahh~!"

The next day, within the residence of the Goddess of the Hearth, a suppressed scream tore through the mist of dawn.

The human-shaped figure lying on the bed jolted as if electrified, letting out a cry of sorrow.

"... Be gentle... be gentle, that's flesh, not dough..."

"Alright, just bear with it a little longer, it will soon be over."

Sitting beside the bed, Hestia quickly withdrew some strength from her hand and applied the medicine even more cautiously, while she couldn't help but complain as she looked at her own lesser deity, who was covered in bruises.

"Athena was really too much, bullying the lesser with her might, and striking so fiercely at that!"

"Exactly!"

Luo En, the victim, also complained indignantly.

However, due to his excessively vigorous reaction, he carelessly pulled at his wound again, and the piercing pain that followed caused his facial muscles to twitch involuntarily, revealing a grimacing expression of agony.

It was obvious what had happened in last night's fight; he had risen to the challenge, only to be instantly overpowered, with little more to be said.

After all, had he encountered Hermes, who was at the bottom of the ranking, or the brainless brute Ares, perhaps he could have managed a maneuver or two.

But Athena's strength was well recognized; she was ranked at the forefront even among the chief gods, and she was also the Goddess of Wisdom who specifically presided over combat and victory.

Even with Luo En's remarkable progress, when facing the battle prowess of Athena, he had no choice but to be pummeled into the ground.

Moreover, that woman had switched to full firepower mode, clearly intending to give him a good thrashing, something she had planned for a long time.

Recalling last night's miserable experience of being relentlessly beaten upon finding an opening, Luo En, lying prostrate on the bed, couldn't help but feel dejected and turned his head to complain to Hestia, who was beside him.

"And you, why did you give the sacred fire to her?" Continue reading on empire

"No, wasn't it with you?"

Hestia blinked innocently and patiently explained.

"Previously, she said she wanted to use the Celestial Realm's sacred fire to forge a sacred robe for your self-defense, so I infused a part of the sacred fire I was guarding into it."

"What about you? Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"

"It's alright, this is the same flame that Prometheus stole from the Celestial Realm. As it has been tainted with too much power of human faith over time, forming an independent branch that can no longer be re-absorbed by the Fire of Light, Zeus agreed to let me descend to the Mortal World to manage this spark of fire for the veneration of the gods."

"I see, I thought you had directly toppled the celestial altar in the realm of gods."

After hearing the cause and effect narrated by Hestia, Luo En felt a great relief.

Now was not the time to fall out with Zeus. If they had really smashed the set-up of Olympus, it would have been too conspicuous and likely attracted unnecessary trouble.

Thankfully, this was Prometheus's problem from before.

Even if the sacred fire underwent some subtle changes during its inheritance, with old Prometheus there to face the wind on the Caucasus Mountains, Zeus would not suspect them for quite some time, let alone imagine that his darling daughter Athena had already rebelled to such an extent.

But to be fair, the increasingly rebellious nature of the Goddess of Wisdom could not entirely be separated from Luo En, the main culprit who incited her.

"Speaking of which, how is the sacred fire? Did it integrate successfully?"

At this moment, Hestia, who was sitting by the bed, couldn't help but interrupt Luo En's train of thought, curiously asking.

Luo En nodded, then slightly raised his hand and silently recited the divine words in his heart.

——The strong and mighty Fire of Light, the most powerful among all origins, I offer you poetry and wine!

In an instant, a cluster of golden flames, burning and dancing, emerged in his palm, like a bright lamp that dispelled the cold and illuminated the darkness; it brought warmth to the heart, swept away all negative emotions, and unleashed endless courage from within.

Looking at the dancing flame in Luo En's hand, Hestia couldn't help but exhale in relief, showing a radiant smile.

"Mhm, it appears to be a success. Now that you have it by your side, I am much reassured."

Feeling Hestia's heartfelt concern, Luo En's heart warmed.

The Sixth Incarnation——[Fire], this was the physical manifestation of Hestia's divinity.

Its function was to purge all negative states and to strengthen one's own divinity.

At the same time, it was also the fire of faith linking human civilization, which allowed the user to resonate intensely with the beliefs and thoughts of followers and the public, and thereby gather the spiritual and life forces of the people to transform into immense magic power.

The purer and more intense the beliefs and emotions of those around, the more powerful the magic they could provide.

In theory, this was the incarnation with both the highest upper and lower limits, possessing many possibilities.

Even, with complete development and utilization, it might surpass Athena.

Feeling as if his bones and muscles were aching again, Luo En gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"If I get the chance, I'm definitely making her taste what it's like to be thrashed!"

"No problem, I'll help you pin her arms and legs down when the time comes!"

Hestia by his side agreed eagerly, clearly ready to support her subordinate and vent her anger.

"Is anyone there? I'm coming in..."

A quiet, contemplative murmur came from outside the door, the familiar tone causing the master and servant inside the bedroom to shiver and hurriedly offer resplendent smiles to the approaching figure.

Athena looked at the two with their somewhat distorted expressions and asked casually,

"What are you two talking about that's so delightful?"

"Today's weather is so nice!"

"Great for sunbathing!"

Hestia and Luo En instantly responded without thinking.

They glanced up at the window and the sun that had not yet risen, then quickly looked away, feeling utterly guilty.

To avoid further embarrassment, Luo En laughed awkwardly and diverted the conversation.

"By the way, why have you come?"

"I came to check on you and also to bring you a few letters..."

Athena smiled faintly and gestured outside.

Suddenly, several snow-white owls flew into the room, perching on Athena's shoulders and leisurely preening their feathers.

Seeing the docile and gentle nature of the little creatures, Luo En felt a twinge of unease, sensing trouble brewing.

"Hoo-hoo~~"

As expected, accompanied by cheerful hooting, a few white owls untied the letter tubes from their claws with their beaks and handed them to Athena.

Their practiced movements made it clear that this wasn't their first time doing this.

Traitors!

Seeing this, Luo En cursed inwardly with grief and resentment before turning despairingly towards the Goddess of Wisdom before him.

By now, he realized that these owls loitering in the yard were all Athena's spies keeping watch over him.

Meanwhile, the Goddess of Wisdom turned the letter tubes in her hand, glancing over the familiar markings with a smile on her face.

"The Nine Muses, the Goddess of the Hunt Artemis, the Goddess of Memory Mnemosyne, the Ocean Goddess Thetis... You have quite the social circle, don't you? So many people concerned about you?"

"Well, that's all because of Lady Hestia's influence..."

Luo En explained with a forced laugh, cold sweat dotting his nape.

"That's not true! I'm not really close with most of them!"

Hestia shook her head and snorted in refute, then looked sorrowfully at the invalid on the bed, grinding her teeth in frustration.

"So, aren't you going to explain what's going on with them?"

"Come on, spill it. It's just normal interactions, nothing serious... Aunt won't blame you, there's nothing to worry about..."

Athena too advised in a soft and understanding tone.

Looking at the Goddesses in front and behind him, Luo En swallowed hard and then stood his ground, voicing his grievance with indignation.

"Isn't all this for you?"

"Me?"

Hearing the counter-question, Athena momentarily paused, startled.

Taking advantage of Athena's moment of distraction, Luo En counted off on his fingers with mournful eyes,

"The Nine Muses and Goddess Mnemosyne are essential for writing books and codices, absolutely vital to win over for the future development of Athens; Artemis was introduced by you guys, it's not like I'm the only one close to her, and initially, we got together over the matter of Crete Island; as for Thetis, you insisted I went to pluck her feathers, with no prior grudges or grievances, so naturally, I had to mend relations and make reparations, right?"

As Luo En explained, Hestia nodded repeatedly.

It did seem to be the case.

Unconsciously, she noted, this guy had been working so stealthily for Athena's interest.

When, in reality, I am his Chief Goddess...

Goddess of the Hearth felt a surge of acidity in her heart and cast a slightly wary glance at her grandniece.