The Greece Antagonist

Seeing her best friend making a move on Luo En, Thetis's face changed, and she immediately stepped between them as if facing a great enemy, "I don't agree!"

Persephone smiled indifferently and spread her hands lazily, "Then I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Your Highness Queen of the Underworld, what if we change the terms of our deal and escape the Netherworld together?" Luo En placed his hand on Thetis's shoulder and smiled as he stepped forward. "This dead and stifling place can't compare to the beautiful and colorful Mortal World. Once we reach the surface, we can stroll by streams, feast in secluded valleys, or enter human cities to enjoy the air of mundane life. Then, you can have me accompany you for as long as you want, without any disruptions."

Persephone, upon hearing this audacious invitation, was at first stunned, then she raised her hand to cover her lips and giggled.

"You're quite bold. Aren't you afraid Hades will kill you?"

"You'll protect me, won't you?"

Luo En blinked, revealing a sincere and obedient smile on his face.

Like a child who has caused trouble, seeking protection from his mother.

In fact, Luo En did not believe that the Queen of the Underworld before him had unsavory thoughts or intentions towards him.

On the contrary, Persephone seemed more like she was yearning for something desirable yet unattainable.

More precisely, the affection between a mother and son.

If he remembers correctly, the previous incarnation of the God of Wine—Zagreus—was the child of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, and Divine King Zeus.

Even after the circle of life and the replacement of souls, some indelible traces still remain.

Perhaps Persephone sensed some distinctive traits in him that made her want to keep him in the Netherworld to accompany her.

However, in response to Luo En's suggestion, Persephone just chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.

"Forget it. This body has already merged with the laws of the Netherworld. If I go out with you, they'll find me sooner or later, and I have no interest in undergoing that trouble with you."

Then, the Queen of the Underworld pointed to the persistent aura of death beyond the garden and smiled playfully, looking at her former intimate friend, Thetis...

"A friendly reminder, you'd better make a choice quickly. If you delay further and 'he' arrives, none of you will be able to leave, and you'll likely have to stay here with me."

"Can't you make an exception? For old times' sake..."
Experience tales at empire

Thetis sighed and stepped forward to ask again, her voice gentle.

"Or, shall I stay here with you?"

Persephone raised her pale finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, laughing softly as she shook her head.

"That won't do. Right now, I'm only interested in him..."

"Alright, I understand."

Thetis nodded, but as soon as her words fell, she suddenly lunged forward, reaching for the snow-white neck of her close friend.

Luo En moved in sync with her, rushing forward like an arrow off its string, aiming to surround Persephone in a pincer maneuver.

This undercover mission was always meant to be clandestine; both hoped to leave the Netherworld unscathed.

Since persuasion had failed, they resorted to force, intending to control the Queen of the Underworld before Hades, the God of the Underworld, arrived, to prevent the worst possible outcome.

The ambush went smoothly, as one hand clasped Persephone's throat and the other her shoulder.

Yet, when faced with restraint, Persephone did not get angry but instead chuckled amusedly, eyeing the two before her with interest.

"What? You think I'm just a trophy in the Netherworld?"

Seeing Persephone's confident demeanor, Luo En's heart chilled as he recalled certain rumors about the Queen of the Underworld.

To the Ancient Greeks, once Persephone became the wife of Hades, the God of the Underworld, she went from being innocent and cheerful to cold and merciless, frighteningly so.

Persephone wielded tremendous power in the Netherworld, commanding demons and ghosts, severing the final ties between those near death and the living; furthermore, as an incarnation of a dark magic power, she could ruthlessly pull living things into the embrace of the dark abyss below. Thus, people referred to graves as "Persephone's chamber."

Gradually, the Greeks dared not speak her name, preferring only to refer to the other ruler of the Netherworld as "Kore" (κόρη, the maiden).

The other ruler of the Netherworld? Could it be...

Under Persephone's half-mocking gaze, a chill rose in Luo En's heart, and he instinctively tightened his grip, attempting to lock down her shoulders.

However, the "Queen of the Underworld" before him dissolved into a flurry of pink petals, swirling in the air.

An illusion? No good!

Seeing the pink before him, Luo En's mind screamed a warning, and he immediately pulled Thetis back as they both staggered away.

But it was too late.

Hundreds of lush green vines burst from the ground, entwining around their bodies and limbs like serpents, binding them tightly.

"It's not so easy to abduct me."

Persephone toyed with a curved goat horn in her hand, golden and densely inscribed with runes, walking from underneath the dense shade in the distance.

"The Horn of Plenty?"

Thetis's gaze fell on the golden horn in Persephone's hand, her face showing a flicker of change.

"That thing is actually in your possession!"

Thousands of years ago, Zeus's mother—the second-generation Mother Earth Goddess Rhea—in order to protect her sixth child Zeus from being devoured by her husband Cronos, hid the infant Zeus in a cave, where Amalthea, the goat, looked after Zeus as a baby.

Amalthea, both the nursing goat that provided Zeus with sustenance and an ancient deity representing the bountiful Earth, possessed powerful Earth Divinity.