Meanwhile, on Olympus.
In the Great Temple bathed in sacred fire, the God of the Sea, Poseidon, who was having a fierce confrontation with Goddess Athena, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. A sense of ominous foreboding flooded his mind instantly.
Something had happened...
Poseidon's expression changed dramatically at the council, and he subconsciously stood up from his seat, ready to leave.
However, as soon as Poseidon made a move, Athena across from him stood up abruptly with a cold snort.
"You think you can just leave before our business is settled?"
As she spoke, the eyes of the Goddess of Wisdom sparkled with a hint of sharp brilliance.
Something had happened! Most likely a contingency from Atlantis!
Although he did not know the specifics, judging by his uncle's reaction, it definitely wasn't any good news.
Given the circumstances, it was all the more reason not to let him slip away and save the situation!
Seeing Athena entangle him in conversation, Poseidon felt a surge of irritation.
"We can discuss these matters later! I'm tired!"
"You come when you wish, leave when you wish, do you even have the Father God in your eyes? Do you really think Olympus, where the gods hold council, is your Atlantean Sea God's temple?"
Athena's mocking words were merciless and cutting to the heart.
Seeing his niece's unreasonable demeanor, Poseidon, anxious to leave, became fiercely angry.
But just as he was about to burst out in rage, two scrutinising gazes shot over from the golden thrones above, landing silently on him. Discover more stories at M V L
In an instant, a chill crept up his spine, silencing the infuriated Sea God, and his boiling Divine Blood cooled down.
Athena was right; this was Olympus.
Although he would sooner or later bring it under his control, now was not the time, and he had to endure.
Poseidon took a deep breath and steeled his heart.
"Compensation, compensation, compensation! Isn't it just 17 ports, 25 towns, and over 300 ships, large and small? Consider it my negligence. The losses of Crete Island, I'll compensate for them!"
Poseidon, pressing on his throbbing chest, tried to turn and leave his seat.
However, before he could take a step, Athena's figure blocked his path, correcting him softly.
"No, it's 170 ports, 250 towns, and over 3,000 ships, large and small, the casualties of tens of thousands of people, as well as an entire Minos Fleet..."
"Hiss!"
Poseidon gasped in shock, his complexion turning a ghastly shade of blue-black.
"Increased tenfold?"
"That's the price for the first Beast Tide outbreak. But since your Beast Tide occurred three times, I only learned of the specific losses on Crete Island when I returned."
Athena spread her hands, offering a definitive explanation, her expression innocent and serious.
As if the dense forest that had been ravaged by a giant beast, a figure lying on the dry leaves let out a pained groan, struggling to open heavy eyelids, trying to awaken the sunken mind.
However, as soon as the bodily sensations began to return, the barely awake figure almost passed out again.
Pain! It hurt all over!
Every bone felt as if it had been crushed, every inch of muscle as if it had been torn;
Organs spasmed like in conulsive throbs, sending unbearable cries of distress, and bite marks carved into the tough skin, leaving behind ghastly scars.
It seemed as if the victim had just been subjected to a brutally inhuman form of torture.
What happened to me...?
Luo En, lost in bewilderment, shook his dizzy head, attempting to piece together the truth through fragmented memories.
Soon, as images materialized in his mind and compiled a complete narrative, the half-dead victim suddenly jolted upright, and large drops of cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
It seemed he had slept with Artemis?
Ah no, rather, it seemed Artemis had slept with him!
And it was the brutally cruel kind!
The memory of that female leopard on top of him, relentlessly demanding, made Luo En on the ground shiver uncontrollably, feeling a chill down his spine.
Seven days and nights, she had defiled me for seven days and nights!
You owe me...
Just as the innocent victim was about to accuse the Hunting Goddess of brutality, the cold touch at his throat silenced him instantly. He stiffly raised his head, following the bronze arrow pointed at his neck, to see a face under the shade of the trees, cold as ice.
The Hunting Goddess, having awakened ahead with her strong physical condition, covered the turbulent waves in front of her chest with one hand, while the other took a bronze arrow inscribed with dense scripts from the quiver at her side, aiming its sharp tip at Luo En's throat.
The fierce heat and madness from the seven days and nights were gone from her silver eyes, leaving behind only an eerie coldness.
"Gulp..."
Luo En struggled to swallow, suppressing his racing heart, his brain desperately trying to figure out what to say in the deadly silence.
Whether he had slept with Artemis or Artemis had slept with him was not the point.
The key was, what serious consequences would befall for defiling a virgin Goddess?
And as a party involved, how to quell her rage.
As for who was first or last, who was dominant or submissive, who was right or wrong—none of that mattered.
If reasoning with these deities were effective, King Minos wouldn't have ended up in his current plight.
So, to save his life, what should he say now?
Finally, as the arrowhead broke his skin and a stream of golden-red blood emerged, Luo En steeled his heart and closed his eyes with righteous indignation,
"Kill me now, before anyone knows about this. If Athena asks, tell her it was Orion's doing and you couldn't stop him in time..."
As the words left his mouth, Luo En didn't look but clearly felt the bronze arrow at his throat, along with the hand holding it, tremble noticeably.