Wait a second, sister, I haven't even decided on my entrance lines yet!
Eros froze for a moment, and then saw the goddess, her upper body human, lower body a fish tail like a mermaid, rush toward him.
Instinctively, he opened his arms, ready to offer his broad chest to soothe this frightened beauty.
But the goddess slipped past like a fish, diving right beneath his arms and hiding behind him.
"Hero, please help me. Drive away these terrifying monsters."
Her long, sea-blue hair flowed behind her, and like a true mermaid, the only thing covering her body were strategically placed seashells.
Eros wanted to say, "Isn't this request a bit sudden?" but... he just couldn't.
Damn, so white... so soft... no wonder the sea's daughters are always described as enchanting.
The goddesses of the underworld were far too conservative, always cloaked in black dresses and veils. Interesting, yes, but it did get repetitive.
Now that he'd returned to the open sea, his eyes were once again captivated by these juicy oceanic goddesses.
No wonder they say water-born women carry a special charm, it was clearly true.
So the snarky comment at the tip of his tongue, when faced with the goddess's large, pearlescent shells pressing against him, transformed into something completely different.
"Don't worry. I won't stand idly by."
Sigh. What could he do? She understood men far too well. With just that soft pressure behind him, Eros couldn't say no.
He stepped protectively in front of her and looked up at the Sirens surrounding them.
As usual, he preferred diplomacy first.
"Ladies, could you give me some face and stop here?"
But he had forgotten, he was still wearing his mask.
These Sirens couldn't see his face and therefore had no reason to give him any face at all.
As if they hadn't heard, the leader of the Sirens lunged forward with her spear.
"So that's how it's gonna be?" Eros muttered, casually lifting his staff and batting the weapon aside.
With a flick, the crescent-shaped end of his staff hooked around the Siren's neck and flung her to the side.
Magic? Too much effort. Just use it like a club.
He spun the hefty staff in his hands, twirling it like a master performer. The Sirens, who only knew how to swing spears wildly, were soon seeing stars.
Of course, he was just playing.
After all, every flower needs green leaves to look even more vibrant. What was the point of being so good with a staff if there weren't some clueless Sirens to show off against?
Sure, he could have just used a move like Whale-Breaking Tyrant Fist to reduce them to bloody chunks, but that was too gory. Not good for image.
Most of the time, most of the time, Eros did care about his image.
When things happen, he likes to talk first. If that fails, then he throws hands.
What do you take him for? He's the ancestor of humankind, a friend of goddesses, and a lover of peace and gentleness.
As if he'd ever refine something like a Human King Banner.
So in front of this unknown sea goddess, Eros simply treated it like child's play, knocking each Siren on the head like whack-a-mole.
Eventually, the leader couldn't take it anymore and let out a shrill screech.
It was a soul-piercing howl, the Siren's signature ability to confuse the mind.
"Careful, that sound can be mentally disturbing!" the goddess behind him warned.
But this did nothing to Eros's cosmos. It was just loud, and it annoyed him.
So he shoved his thick, hard staff directly into the Siren's mouth.
"So noisy. Don't you know how to sing?"
Aren't Sirens supposed to be siren-like? This sounded like a dying seagull with a hangover.
The Siren's eyes widened, and before she could react, Eros gave the staff a light tap.
With a snap, it pried open her jaw and shattered her razor-sharp teeth, blood dripping freely.
"I don't remember Sirens being bold enough to chase after goddesses. Who ordered you?"
He pulled his staff from her mouth, dipped it in the water, and cleaned off the blood.
"Who are you? Are you saying you intend to oppose the great Sea King Poseidon?!"
The remaining Sirens huddled up, their eyes filled with hostility and fear.
Wearing a mask really was inconvenient. In the past, if they'd seen his face, they might've babbled a bit more.
"Sea King Poseidon, huh? So you're her people."
Eros grinned.
"And what about you, my lady?" He turned and studied the delicate, noble face of the goddess behind him.
"Why is Poseidon chasing after you?"
The sea goddess looked sorrowful and pitiful.
"Poseidon seeks to take me by force, to make me bear her children."
"I tried to flee, but her monstrous servants pursued me. Please, help me escape her clutches. I will repay you greatly."
Of course. Poseidon again, and still pulling the same stunt.
Either abducting women or chasing after women, clearly she'd recovered from her last beating.
Eros wasn't surprised at all.
"So it's just that. Don't worry, taking people back from Poseidon is my specialty."
He said this in a way that made no sense to the goddess.
Then he turned back to the Sirens.
"If you're her subordinates, then perfect. Go deliver a message to Poseidon for me."
"Tell her: 'That punch I gave you at Naxos Island still feels great in my fist. Hope we can do it again sometime.'"
Since he couldn't name himself outright, this was his subtle way of leaving a calling card.
As for whether the Sirens would listen...
"Go drown in your illusions."
Although he struck the pose of a hypnotic eye technique, what he actually used was his cosmos.
A Phantom Emperor's Illusion Fist, invisible but devastating.
Instantly, their minds were captured, and they accepted his order as their top priority.
With that settled, Eros turned back to the goddess.
"By the way, I never asked, what's your name?"
The petite sea goddess, soft and lovely, looked toward the fleeing Sirens, then quietly spoke.
"Thank you for helping me. I am Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus and a goddess of the ocean. And you?"
"Eurynome?" Eros began to respond reflexively... and froze mid-sentence.
Her name flashed through his mind, and that was when it hit him.
Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus, creator goddess of serpents and dragons, mother of the universe egg, one-time consort of Zeus...
All those titles rushed into his brain.
Hold on, this goddess was being chased by Sirens?
No way.
She was a creator goddess, even if she had fallen from grace. She birthed the world with Ophion and then kicked his teeth in for trying to rebel.
Sure, maybe now she had downgraded to being the goddess of water grass or something, but still, there was no way a bunch of Sirens could hunt her down.
Something's off...
Eros stepped back slightly, evading another "body slam" from Eurynome.
"So you're one of the wives of the King of the Gods, Lady Eurynome. I beg your pardon."
"Please don't call me that," she said softly. "The King has only one wife now. I'm just a weak little weed goddess."
She smiled with sadness in her eyes, exuding a delicate and pitiful grace.
Eros had to admit, Zeus's taste in women deserved praise.
Of the seven wives of Zeus, he had now met four. Each one was a beauty with distinct charm.
Hera, noble and proud, carried an innate sense of royalty that stirred a man's desire to conquer.
Demeter, in her gentle moments, overflowed with motherly radiance.
Mnemosyne, though he'd only seen her once, left a deep impression with her calm detachment and omniscience.
But Eurynome... this soft, helpless vibe? He hadn't seen that before.
Technically, she had the grandest background of them all.
A creator goddess, even if she lost to Gaia after defeating Ophion, she was still a primordial creator.
That made this whole situation even more laughable.
You're telling me a goddess like this got chased by Sirens? Yeah right. If that's true, I'll eat my own mask.
"Thank you once again," Eurynome said sweetly. "I didn't ask your name. Are you human?"
Eros glanced at her, still wondering if this was real or an elaborate scheme.
But he replied smoothly,
"Call me Endymion."
Offhand, he was still thinking through the logic.
Setting aside whether or not she's really this weak, the rest of it does make sense.
Poseidon going after another one of Zeus's women? Not surprising.
If not for Eros's interference, Demeter might've ended up the same way.
Now, without Demeter in reach, Poseidon setting her sights on Eurynome was only natural.
And maybe... maybe this was even because of him.
Either because Poseidon still bore a grudge... or because she had finally discovered the addictive fun of stealing what isn't hers.
The timing made sense. The target made sense.
Only thing that didn't was this goddess acting like a fragile fish out of water.
If she was hiding her identity, shouldn't she use an alias?
Using her real name, was she worried he wouldn't recognize her?
"I have another favor to ask..." Eurynome said softly, snapping him from his thoughts.