Thump, thump, thump.
Ares, holding a simple and durable bronze wine vessel in one hand, poured the pre-mixed wine into a cup, then handed the cup to the arrival, asking with a smile:
"How does it feel to be the eldest son of the Sea God?"
"Not so good."
Orion frowned, adjusted the crooked golden crown on his head, and then sighed as he looked at the trident in his hand:
"I still think a staff and a bow and arrow are more effective."
"You should have perfectly inherited the divine authority and divinity that Triton once possessed, right? Where is Triton? Was he killed by Poseidon?"
After handing Orion a cup of wine, Ares refilled his own cup and asked at the same time.
"Not yet. After all, he is the first son born to him by his most beloved woman. Father still couldn't bear to kill Triton. Triton is now imprisoned in the Golden Palace at the bottom of the sea, accompanied by his mother, Amphitrite."
Orion and Ares gently clinked their cups, then continued:
"Father said that he would only formally judge Triton's crimes after his waves had submerged Athens, but..."
"But he found that he couldn't beat the defenders in Athens at all, right?"
Ares took a sip of wine and then chuckled:
"Was your father beaten by a bald Spartan?"
"Yes."
Orion nodded:
"It was fine at first. The Athenians' combat ability wasn't strong, not comparable to his sea creatures. Athena hadn't appeared, and only a group of lesser gods were holding the fort in Athens. The Athenians lost every small-scale battle. Then that bald man came, and not only did he kill several of our lesser gods, but my father, overconfident for a moment, ran ashore to duel him. As a result, he was tricked by that bald man, restrained by several artifacts imbued with the power of Athena and Zeus, and almost beaten to death directly on the ground."
"As expected of my second uncle, he was beaten by Heracles once, and his thought process is still so peculiar, excellent."
Ares nodded and asked:
"Were you not sent by Poseidon to fight him?"
"I was!" Orion chuckled mischievously, "But I could tell at a glance that bald man wasn't human; he was incredibly fierce, so after casually exchanging two blows, I pretended I couldn't beat him and fled back into the sea."
"Hmm, so you've come to ask for my help this time, right?"
Ares also showed a subtle smile and whispered.
"Of course, for my father's pitiful self-esteem, I won't mention the specific conditions, you understand everything." Orion also lowered his voice and said.
The two scoundrels exchanged a knowing glance, then began to chuckle.
After laughing, Ares instantly changed his expression and asked seriously:
"When is Poseidon planning to attack Athens again?"
"The dawn of the day after tomorrow."
Orion replied:
"By that time, the wounds on my father's body will most likely have healed. He plans to attack Athens again at that time to wipe away his previous shame."
"Alright then."
Ares briefly simulated on his sand table, then said:
"The dawn of the day after tomorrow, you and I will march out from here, bypass Athens from the north through the passage, and attack Athens from behind."
After Orion nodded in understanding, Ares pulled a stone tablet from his person, slipped it into Orion's hand, and instructed:
"If, by then, something unexpected happens to us on the battlefield, point this stone tablet towards the nearest deity to you."
Orion took the stone tablet with both hands and looked down at it thoughtfully, but with his wisdom, it was truly difficult to understand the meaning of the obscure symbols recorded on the tablet. So, he could only nod in agreement and then solemnly put the stone tablet away.
...
While Ares and Orion were discussing the alliance between the God of War and the Sea God, Ares's other important avatar, Perseus of Andromeda, now Athena's most trusted right-hand man, was also in the Goddess of Wisdom's divine palace, receiving a secret mission from Athena.
"Take this, Perseus."
A shimmering orb of light was gently placed by Athena into the hands of Perseus, who was kneeling on one knee.
Perseus looked up slightly, then discovered the essence of this shining orb of light; it seemed to be a divinity related to "power." He feigned a slight emotional stir and quietly asked:
"Goddess?"
"The day after tomorrow, Poseidon will most likely ally with Ares to attack Athens. When they make their move, you will infiltrate Oceanus, go to the prison in the Golden Palace at the bottom of the sea, rescue Triton, and give him this divinity."
Athena smiled and instructed Perseus:
"Tell him that Goddess Athena will never forget any of her allies, and the time for patricide and ascension has come."
"Understood, my lady."
Perseus pondered for a moment, then understood Athena's calculations. He solemnly put away the divinity and then bowed to Athena to take his leave.
Watching his departing back, Athena nodded with satisfaction. On Olympus, there were not many people she could trust, but this long-tested loyal warrior was definitely worthy of her trust.
After all, he and his wife, Princess Andromeda of Andromeda, even had children. He shouldn't be an avatar of Ares... right?
Recalling the various schemes Ares had been employing recently, Athena felt as if Olympus had become the legendary "wine factory," with Ares's spies everywhere. Her suspicious nature began to rise again, and she felt a hint of unease about Perseus.
To be safe, I should still go ask Aphrodite whether Perseus and Andromeda truly consummated their marriage or if it was a fake one...
Thinking this, Athena slowly rose and went to the Palace of Beauty, not far from the Goddess of Wisdom's divine palace.
Now that Zeus had completely relinquished power, she held immense authority, and the gods on Olympus knew who was in charge. Therefore, the lesser gods and guards outside the Palace of Beauty dared not obstruct her, allowing her to enter.
"Aphrodite, are you there?"
Considering that Aphrodite had just had her son killed by herself, and she still had a use for her, Athena did not directly use her regent's power to force Aphrodite to immediately reveal information about Perseus.
If she forced her, Aphrodite would definitely be unwilling and might even deliberately lie, so asking indirectly through conversation was the most suitable approach.
Thus, upon seeing Aphrodite sitting on her divine throne, melancholic and missing her son, Athena naturally extended an invitation to stroll in the garden.
Aphrodite only thought she was there to do some ideological work, to prevent pre-war slackness, so she did not refuse. Instead, with an attitude of casual perfunctoriness, she followed Athena out.
The two arrived at a garden near the mountainside. It featured natural fountains formed by mountain springs and covered a vast area, home to many small Nymphs. It was also a favorite garden of the Olympus Gods, and more importantly, it was the most frequent strolling spot for Perseus's wife, Princess Andromeda of Andromeda.
As the two goddesses arrived, Athena deliberately activated a divine power barrier that enveloped her and Aphrodite, concealing their auras and figures to avoid being discovered by other lesser deities in the garden. Then, the two goddesses strolled through the garden, and under Athena's subtle guidance, they conveniently appeared near Perseus and Andromeda.
Looking from afar at the scene of Perseus and Andromeda cuddling on the grass, Athena smiled and then casually asked Aphrodite:
"Speaking of which, Aphrodite, although I am a virgin goddess, I'm actually very curious about how men and women conceive children. For example, Perseus and Andromeda over there, how did they have a child?"
"What other way could there be? Isn't it just the act between a man and a woman? You haven't not seen Zeus's performances either." Aphrodite answered distractedly.
"Really?" Athena pressed, "To be honest, I find it hard to imagine my loyal guard acting like Zeus... Can you tell me if Perseus and Andromeda truly consummated their marriage?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Athena's question, Aphrodite's attention was finally drawn.
She gazed deeply at Athena beside her, recalling the War God's instructions to her when she emerged from the Hell Gate.
"If Athena asks whether Perseus and Andromeda have consummated their marriage in the future, you should..."
After carefully recalling Ares's words in her mind, Aphrodite subtly released some of her divine power, which had the effect of stimulating love, and then teased Athena:
"Why ask so much about Perseus? Could it be that you like him?"