At this moment, watching the harmonious interaction between Goddess Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Medusa, the Gorgon, Luo En felt an intense sense of absurdity churning inside him, as if there was a dislocated split in time and space.
However, he soon understood the reason for everything.
Athena was the female ruler worshipped by humanity, and, naturally, her perspective had to take human considerations into account.
In the original history, the adult Medusa, after countless persecutions and killings, had her heart frozen and descended into madness, devoid of any warmth or kindness.
Even in some versions, the two sisters who sheltered her met a dismal fate and were devoured by Medusa.
Therefore, at that time, the Gorgon had completely lost control and became a major calamity at sea.
And from the perspective of humans, she naturally became a target that needed to be eradicated.
But the current Little Medusa still retained a glimmer of light in her heart. After escaping the persecution and manhunt, she came to Knossos City, experienced precious warmth, and responded in kind to the humans around her who treated her with goodwill.
All of this was likely observed in secret by Athena.
And, given the temperament of this Goddess of Wisdom, she certainly would not brutally classify Little Medusa as a "disaster." Instead, because of her friendly attitude towards humans, Athena grew fond of this adorable child.
So, it turns out that I was the one harboring preconceived notions, worrying over nothing.
Realizing it was all a false alarm, Luo En, who had been on tenterhooks, couldn't help but feel a mix of laughter and tears after sorting out his thoughts.
At this moment, as the misunderstanding was cleared up, Athena clapped her hands and turned to look behind her, bringing the conversation back on track.
"Well, we've said enough; it's time we left," she said.
"Wait a minute!"
However, her plan was halted once again.
This time, it was still that male voice.
Athena seemed to understand something, her eyes narrowing slightly, her expression cooling.
"You're not willing?" she asked.
In an instant, an invisible pressure descended, making one feel as if submerged deep in the ocean. Luo En, bearing the brunt of it, stiffened and hurriedly shook his head to deny it.
"No! Definitely not!"
"Then why won't you come with me?"
Athena persisted, her face cold as she approached Luo En step by step.
Seeing no way to escape, Luo En steeled his heart, decisively pulled a certain figure next to him into the middle, and firmly protected it in front of him.
"Because of Goddess Hestia!"
"Ah?"
Suddenly becoming the third party caught in the middle, Hestia looked up with a confused expression.
Luo En took a deep breath and looked seriously at the Goddess of the Hearth in front of him, speaking earnestly.
As for the other one...
Sensing something, the Goddess of the Hearth turned her head, the guilt in her eyes nearly impossible to hide, with a look of pure simplicity.
Luo En flashed a reassuring smile, conveying warmth, support, and encouragement to the hand in his palm, silently screaming.
Yes, that's exactly what he needed!
No amount of cunning from Athena could beat the ease of fooling Hestia.
This Goddess of the Hearth, heartless and easy to deceive, almost never meddled in worldly affairs, instead immersing herself in her hut cooking up dishes, made for an excellent shield.
He didn't know why she had suddenly switched sides and spoken up for him, but choosing her was definitely the right move!
And moreover...
The memory of the God of Wine, who seemingly snatched Hestia's divine position to squeeze into the circle of the Twelve Olympians, undoubtedly told him that this path had high potential.
After all, he had already blown up a chunk of his mentor Circe's gold coins when leaving the island, and since the Goddess of the Hearth stuck to her own patch of land experimenting with recipes, she seemed to have little need for her divine position.
Why not...
Luo En mulled over this to himself, his gaze drifting toward Hestia shimmering with an unscrupulous light,
For some reason, Hestia felt a chill down her spine and couldn't help shivering.
At that moment, seeing her auntie's timid reaction, Athena misattributed it, relaxed her scrutinizing gaze, and sighed helplessly.
"Since Auntie has spoken thus, I won't press the matter."
Hearing that her grand-niece didn't seem intent on pursuing her betrayal, Hestia breathed a sigh of relief; a smile spread across her face as she affectionately took Athena's hand.
"Let's not talk about that. You've come from Olympus and must be hungry by now, right?"
Without waiting for her grand-niece to decline, Hestia reached back and pulled Luo En, who was attempting to sneak away, over to her side, lavishing him with praise.
"I'm not even exaggerating, Luo En's understanding of cooking and seasoning is incredible. We've come up with many delicious recipes together. Let him cook later, prepare a bowl of noodles for you, and drizzle our newly concocted sauce on top. It's absolutely delicious!"
Athena knew her aunt wanted to make amends, and she nodded with a smile in agreement.
"Okay, but no green onions."
In an instant, Luo En's face twitched, as he involuntarily swallowed his saliva and carefully asked,
"Then, do you eat beef?"
"Of course, I eat it. Isn't it a common offering humans make to the gods?"
Athena gave a blank stare at the chef in front of her who seemed somewhat jittery, confused.
Luo En breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had received a pardon, and nodded repeatedly.
That's good, that's good.
He really feared triggering some sort of instant death flag, worrying that after he brought the bowl of noodles out from the kitchen, Athena would come up with a smile and say, "I don't eat beef," then pull out the Spear of Victory and skewer him into a sieve.