Strait of Messina.
The once disastrous sea monster Scylla floated miserably in the water, each of its six heads pierced through by an arrow, leaving a thumb-sized bloody hole. The grayish white brain substance and golden-red blood diffused around with the tidal surge, creating a strong stench of blood that attracted numerous fish, shrimp, and sea beasts to feast on her.
Clearly, this demigod with divine blood had met an inescapable death.
Similarly, under the crushing strength, all other areas of the battlefield showed a one-sided trend without even needing the chief gods to take action personally.
Above the sky, the Nine Muses spread out in a ring formation, in groups of three, with arms crossed over their chests, raising their voices in song.
The Siren women, who were accustomed to noisy and foul-mouthed chatter, each fell silent with fear, attempting to flee. However, amidst the Muses' high-pitched singing, they uttered painful wails, their black feathers flying all about, and their bodies exploded into clouds of blood mist, eventually plunging one after another into the sea.
Similarly, the Three Siren sisters, who were the origin of the bloodline, weren't spared from difficulty under the bombardment of the Muse Goddesses' divine words, and kept floundering in the sea, with their vibrant scales shedding profusely.
Since the Nine Muses and the Siren women had a longstanding grudge, these typically petty Greek goddesses showed no mercy and dealt a deathblow without hesitation.
Amidst the sea, the Three Gorgons drove their chariots through the waves, and under their petrifying gaze, Lamias, cursed never to close their eyes, turned to stone, were granted eternal rest, and sank into the deep sea.
Compared to the Muses who openly sought vengeance, the younger Gorgon Sisters were much gentler, presenting death in a merciful way.
On the shoreline, Artemis, who finished the battle first, gestured slightly and twenty hunting nymphs quickly formed two groups.
One group dragged away the remains of the giant monster Scylla, beginning to clean up the battlefield; the other spread out in a crescent formation, guarding nearby to prevent any unseeing sea beasts from ramming into their chief god.
As for the Goddess of the Hunt, using the reason of continuing the hunt and looking for a campsite, she promptly left behind the defeated lesser deities and took Luo En to the nearby Sicily, where they strolled comfortably through the woods with her long-lost beloved.
Under Artemis's eager and tender gaze, Luo En could only muster a smile and loyally followed behind the Goddess of the Hunt.
There was no choice; a county official was no match for the present regulator. With enemies on all sides, he had to try to appease one first.
Fortunately, a woman in love is a very emotional creature. Luo En merely indicated that he became a lesser deity of Hestia mainly because he had been favored by the Goddess of the Hearth and due to compatibility with the divine office. This tactfully brushed past his ambiguous relationship with the Goddess of the Hearth.
Artemis, who initially wore a gloomy expression, suddenly brightened up and became somewhat jubilant.
"Auntie? Well, that's no problem then, she's really nice!"
So, as long as it's not the old rival Athena, all is well, right?
But before she could speak up, the Goddess of the Hearth beside her seemed to remember something and muttered to herself.
"How can we have meat without soup?"
Immediately after, Hestia swiftly turned her head and gave her oblivious Lesser Deity a stern glare, scolding with righteous indignation.
"What are you standing there for? Go and gather some mushrooms and wild vegetables!"
"I'll also..."
Artemis subconsciously stood up, wanting to follow and continue the private world for two.
But Hestia put on a strict teacher's demeanor, pressing her down with one hand, her charming face full of smiles.
"Come on, let me teach you how to grill deliciously."
Almost immediately afterward, as if to prevent her niece from being distracted and worried, she quickly turned her head to the side.
"Athena, go help over there!"
"Sure, Auntie."
The aunt and niece exchanged a subtle look, Athena nodded cheerfully, waved her hand with a smile, and under the bewildered gaze of Artemis, she grabbed Luo En's collar and dragged him toward the mushroom-filled woods.
Meanwhile, the Gorgon Sisters intentionally or unintentionally kept the hunting Nymphs who wanted to come to the rescue and break the tension at bay, ensuring that the miscellaneous crowd could not disturb the Goddess of the Hearth's family lesson.
No...!
Seeing her beloved cabbage being poached right in front of her by her greatest rival, Artemis couldn't help but roar with grief and fury in her heart.
Well done!
As Hestia saw Athena catching her "long pass" and understanding the plan, she couldn't help but clench her fist, excitedly waving it in secret, praising the wisdom of her great-niece.
Following the advice of the Goddess of Wisdom, she not only caught someone on this island with malicious designs on her family's vegetable plot but also managed to send her cabbage away safely while having the chance to properly educate the thief.
Everything was perfect; Athena was as reliable as ever!