"Why?"
Hestia hesitated for a moment at the door, but ultimately she stopped and turned to look back, frowning as she asked.
Although she could not be considered smart, she was someone who would listen to reason.
Luo En handed Hestia a cup of the filled fruit wine and, looking towards the half of the night sky outside Knossos City that was almost as bright as daylight, he spoke unhurriedly.
"If you show up on the battlefield, Poseidon will have a reason to intervene."
"What's there to be afraid of? With Nike and the Aegis Shield, he isn't necessarily a match for Athena!"
Upon hearing this, Hestia's brows relaxed, and she confidently spoke out.
Clearly, she had high expectations and confidence in her great-niece's combat abilities.
Luo En's eyebrows quirked up in an expression that was both smiling and not smiling.
"And then what?"
"What?"
Hestia blurted out reflexively, only to see Luo En's face had already turned cold, his voice taking on a more mocking tone.
"You don't really think Crete Island only has to face Poseidon, do you?"
"...?!"
The unexpected counter-query left Hestia somewhat dazed.
"Do you still remember why Athena descended from Olympus ahead of time?" With a meaningful reminder, Luo En looked towards the vast sea under the night sky and spoke somberly, "The favor from Poseidon is not so easily repaid."
In an instant, Hestia grasped the underlying meaning, her mind jolted, her complexion slightly shifted.
"You mean to say that Ares and Aphrodite might also be involved in this!"
"What else?"
Luo En glanced at the Goddess of the Hearth, who only now seemed to have an inkling of realization, and snorted coldly as he spoke.
"The messy affairs on Mount Olympus had barely ended, and the temple of the God of the Sea made a move against Crete. King Minos has been stirring trouble for many years, and Poseidon hasn't come knocking for justice; yet now, of all times, he acts. You don't think that's just a simple coincidence, do you?"
"..."
Hestia had no response, but vented the frustration in her heart towards those shameless relatives of hers.
"They actually conspired together! Shameless!"
"Ares, as the god of war, has always coveted the scepter of victory; when Aphrodite was caught in adultery, Athena once supported Hephaestus... With these old grudges and interests as a link, and Poseidon having just vouched for them, their collaboration is almost to be expected," Luo En paused and then added to Hestia softly.
"Besides, given Poseidon's nature, if he hadn't bided his time with some assurance of victory, how could he possibly have troubled himself to target Crete?"
"They are bullying us because we are fewer in number, right? Then we can also call Artemis and Hephaestus!"
Hestia clenched her fists, indignantly defending her great-niece.
Now, it seemed she found the answer to her confusion in those words.
The child will eventually grow up; the mother is not always a nanny.
"With such a major event unfolding, neither Athena, Poseidon, nor the Atlanteans have shown their faces on Crete Island, and on the sea, there are only these Sea Beasts which offer no handle to grasp..."
As he enlightened Hestia's granite-like mind bit by bit, Luo En murmured a few words before gazing toward the sacred mountain adorned with stars, and spoke faintly.
"If I'm not mistaken, our Goddess of Wisdom must already be on Mount Olympus, devising a way to prevent Poseidon and the Atlanteans from intervening."
"Yes, Athena mentioned it before she left."
Having some inside knowledge, Hestia nodded slightly, her gaze growing more peculiar as she looked at Luo En.
Guessed it again? How can he be so uncannily accurate, like he knows what's in people's bellies?
No wonder Athena is so eager to have him as her Lesser Deity; these two are cut from the same cloth!
Wait, cut from the same cloth...?
"So, are you listening?"
The prolonged cold voice in her ear interrupted Hestia's thoughts, bringing her back to reality, awkwardly looking at the face that had approached, nodding rapidly like a pecking chicken.
"Listening! Listening!"
Accustomed to this by now, Luo En maintained his composure and reminded her once again.
"I want to say, before the situation becomes clear, you'd better not engage in futile actions to avoid backfiring."
"Certainly! Certainly!"
Hestia nodded earnestly, appearing obedient like a well-behaved child.
After imparting his final piece of advice, Luo En yawned, stood up, and went upstairs.
Left behind, Hestia blinked in confusion.
"Where are you going?"
"To sleep, to fully recharge my energy..."
Luo En, on his way up, waved his hand nonchalantly, his voice filled with tiredness.
"Come morning, we'll probably have someone inviting us over for a meal. It looks like another day of hard work is in store for us."
Someone's treating us? How come I don't know about it?
Hestia scratched her head, clearly baffled.
As Luo En pushed open the bedroom door and stepped inside, realization suddenly dawned on her, and she hurriedly dashed up the stairs.
"Wait! Have you guessed something again?!"
"Bang!"
The door slammed shut and locked, signaling a refusal to answer.