The dense night shrouded the entire War God Mountain, bringing an aura of tranquility and peace.
After Lorne erged from the Great Temple at the summit, he walked down the deserted bluestone path, his eyes occasionally scanning his surroundings.
It wasn't until he successfully reached the foot of the mountain that he finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking towards the dense forest on one side.
"Alright, co out."
A sudden flutter of wings sounded, and a lark with brownish-white wing tips flew out of the shadows from a treetop, landing in front of Lorne.
As a blue light shimred, it transford into a golden-haired, blue-eyed Ocean Goddess with an elegant deanor.
—This was none other than Thetis, who was skilled in transformation, and she was the one who had been waiting outside the Great Temple.
Recalling the interesting scene she had just witnessed, this Ocean Nymph couldn't help but raise her delicate hand to lightly cover her cherry lips, a hint of deep-seated cunning appearing on her serene face.
"Not bad, you even managed to deceive Athena, who is known as the Goddess of Wisdom."
"Deceive what?"
Lorne rolled his eyes at Thetis, refuting her righteously. "What I said was all true, every word from my heart!"
"Half-truths?"
Thetis smiled, her gaze teasing, clearly having seen through the essence of a certain fellow.
Clever liars almost never lie; every word they say might be a fact, unafraid of external verification.
Their special skill lies in how they edit, organize, and stack these "facts," combining them to create entirely different anings.
Therefore, in the hands of a master of lies, truth is like dough in a pastry chef's hands—it can be kneaded into any shape.
This art is called misdirection, a powerful tool for manipulating minds.
And a certain soone had just used this trick to successfully get the Goddess of Wisdom to 'pluck her feathers' for him.
—It was true that Sisyphus was captured, true that he was marked by Hecate, true that he needed to enter the Underworld, and true that he needed a token to gain King Minos's trust.
However, he never said that this token could only be used to mobilize the forces of Crete in the Underworld.
Seeing that the creditor had arrived, Lorne stopped hiding.
He flicked his finger and took out the newly acquired owl feather from the magic array, humming softly as he dangled it in front of Thetis.
"Here, look closely. I've done what I promised you."
"Hmm." Thetis nodded and subconsciously reached out to take it, but her hand grasped empty air.
At this mont, Lorne, retracting his hand, spoke with a smile.
"I let you look, but I didn't say I'd give it to you."
"?"
"The condition only required to redo 'that thing,' it didn't say I had to give you what I obtained."
"..."
Hearing the slow reply from the other side, Thetis's breath hitched, and a wave of annoyance welled up in her heart.
Watching the Ocean Goddess's frustrated expression, Lorne felt a secret delight in his heart.
Using the past favor to ask him to pluck Athena's feather, besides having the intention to trick the close friend and vent so anger, it probably also contained the desire to make things difficult for him.
Considering that Thetis had accompanied him through life and death several tis and had been tricked by him repeatedly, this small prank was harmless, so Lorne didn't mind trying it.
Anyway, after being secretly and openly dealt with by Athena so many tis, he himself wasn't entirely without resentnt.
He might as well cooperate with Thetis and get a small revenge on the Goddess of Wisdom.
But while he would do it, handing over the leverage to Thetis himself was impossible.
They were both ancient foxes; familiarity aside, a certain amount of caution was necessary.
Who knew if this woman would flaunt this feather in front of Athena?
If she did, he would be the one in trouble.
As long as this item remained in his hands, the title of This [Token] could be solidified.
Once he went to the Underworld and used it, the matter of him plucking Athena's feather would be set in stone.
Even if Thetis wanted to drag him down later, Lorne could still evade her.
Again, as long as he wasn't caught with the evidence, he didn't do it!
"You only have one favor left, so I suggest you use it sparingly."
Lorne slowly put the owl feather back into the magic array, smiling as he reminded the creditor.
Having worked in vain and used up her accumulated favor, gaining nothing but a spectator seat, Thetis, realizing the unfavorable exchange, felt her teeth itch as she frowned and snorted at the cunning debtor. "Don't worry, next ti I won't let you off so easily."
Lorne seed not to hear the strong resentnt in her words, smiling as he changed the subject.
"What's next? Any plans? Will you continue to stay on War God Mountain for a short while?"
"No need. The cost of living in Athens is too high. Just a few days' stay and watching one performance almost emptied my pockets. If I stay any longer, I might have to sell myself and owe you a favor.
While I can still leave, I'd better return to Oceanus and continue enjoying my scenery."
Thetis thought of the complex situation in Athens and the endless troubles, choosing to retreat wisely.
She didn't forget to subtly mock a certain person's rotten heart and lungs.
Lorne, feeling sowhat guilty, gave a dry laugh and chose not to try and make her stay.
Currently, a large number of goddesses were gathered on War God Mountain.
Simply diating among them and balancing their various demands and relationships was a headache-inducing task.
Thetis, who lived alone, wisely chose not to get involved and voluntarily withdrew, returning to Oceanus to rest.
This indirectly lightened Lorne's burden, so he naturally had no reason to stop her.
As their parting approached, he stepped forward, his eyes flickering with a deep gaze, and he lowered his voice to warn her.
"The seven-year sentence in Thessaly is almost over. I feel there might be major changes in Oceanus.
During this ti, you'd best be careful. If you need anything, you can co to for help..."
"Hmm."
Thetis nodded calmly, a serious look appearing in her eyes.
She also thought of this, which was why she was returning to her ho in Oceanus in advance to prepare.
The lessons from Atlantis were still vivid in her mind.
If her brother-in-law, that Sea King stirred up more trouble, the next ones to shield him might very well be her family.
Since the road ahead was uncertain, it was better to be carefree about so things and leave no regrets.
Thinking of this, Thetis opened her arms, a bright smile on her face.
"You're leaving, shouldn't you give a hug?"
"Of course!"
Lorne smiled faintly at her words and stepped forward to gently embrace the Ocean Goddess.
Under the beautiful moonlight, the two who had walked a long path together quietly embraced, their heartbeats resonating with each other, their figures rging.
After a full fifteen minutes of feeling each other's heat, Thetis reluctantly released her arms, gazing deeply at the bad guy who had beco so entangled with her that she couldn't run away even if she wanted to, then stood on her tiptoes.
A moist kiss landed on Lorne's forehead, bringing a soft sensation.
"I really liked your 'gift' just now.
This is your reward."
Accompanying the soft whisper, Thetis looked up at the dark forest behind Lorne, and then her lips curved into a joyful arc.
Then, the Ocean Goddess stepped back, her body transforming into a lark, and she swiftly flapped her wings, flying into the dense night, disappearing in an instant, leaving only a clear, aningful chirp echoing around her.
"However, be careful of owls whose feathers have been plucked; when they get angry, their bites hurt..."
Lorne was slightly stunned, just about to speak, when he felt a sudden chill down his spine.
His body stiffened involuntarily, and his neck rotated chanically, like rusty gears grinding and creaking.
The corner of his eye caught a glimpse of the back: the moonlight in the forest was cold, and a snow-white owl stood among the lush branches, gazing down at the ground.
"So this is how you use your token?"
A low murmur, like the cold wind of winter, whistled through the woods.
Then, the white owl flapped its wings and flew out of the forest, surrounded by shimring light patterns.
It landed in front of Lorne, transforming into a silver-haired, purple-eyed goddess.
"Gulp~"
Lorne struggled to swallow a mouthful of saliva, wetting his dry throat, and squeezing out a difficult smile.
"Actually, this is a misunderstanding."
"Finished your last words?"
Athena asked indifferently, casually pulling out the Spear of Victory.
Lorne's heart lurched, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"I can explain..."
"Hmm, go on, I'm listening."
A plucked silver hair floated down onto the spearhead, instantly splitting into two as Athena nodded in satisfaction.
Lorne's cold sweat grew denser, and he quickly swore solemnly.
"I truly used your token to go to the Underworld! I can swear on the Styx River!"
"Hmm, anything else?"
Athena nodded nonchalantly while summoning her Aegis.
Seeing the calm reaction from the other side, Lorne coughed dryly and involuntarily shifted his body backward.
"Tomorrow I still need to take Atalanta to school. This child is likely the princess of Arcadia, directly related to Athens' grand plan of spreading cultural influence among the Greek city-states. It's getting late, so perhaps we can chat so other day?"
"What's the rush? It's still early until dawn."
Athena smiled slightly, then tapped the Spear of Victory, and a [Fortress] of light patterns rose from the ground.
Lorne, who had been retreating, stopped, looking at the surrounding mobile labyrinth that seed to seal him in.
He forced a smile uglier than a cry, attempting a desperate struggle.
"Little dusa and I agreed to go together. You wouldn't want to disappoint the child, would you?"
"Speaking of which, my attendant has always been looked after by you, and quite well too..."
Athena murmured aningfully, light patterns surging on her body, and a bronze-gold armor covered every inch of her skin.
Watching the golden, shimring War Goddess walk towards him with a smile, Lorne, in the corner of the [Labyrinth], took a deep breath, his face full of tragic resolve.
"Can I have one last request?"
"Speak."
"Don't hit my face..."
"Buzz!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Spear of Victory whistled as it was flung out, its thick, large, black, and hard shaft heading straight for Lorne's face.
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