When Ares, in the guise of Halirrhothius, met Sea King Poseidon, the god who controlled the four seas was lazily reclining in the arms of his queen, his head resting on her soft bosom.
Beside him, several beautiful nymphs gently massaged his body, or fed him delicacies from the sea, bringing them to his lips. The Sea King's state at this moment seemed to be the epitome of luxurious enjoyment.
Upon seeing his most playful son, Halirrhothius, enter, Poseidon couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile. He slowly spoke, asking:
"Halirrhothius, have you brought your father any more amusing entertainment?"
What this "entertainment" referred to was clear to those who understood, yet Poseidon's queen, Amphitrite, merely showed a helpless expression on her face upon hearing his words.
Unlike Hera, who as Queen of Heaven was not only Zeus's wife but also his partner in sharing the authority over heaven and earth, Zeus's betrayal of Hera, while Hera could not directly confront her husband, she still had ways to persecute his mistresses.
But Amphitrite was directly snatched by her husband Poseidon after he took a liking to her and made her his wife. Nominally, she was Poseidon's legitimate wife, but she did not possess the power of a queen. Poseidon went wherever he wished and did whatever he pleased, entirely according to his own will. Amphitrite was completely unable to interfere with her husband's decisions.
However, to Poseidon's surprise, his son, who usually couldn't go three sentences without a lewd joke or mentioning women, now displayed an indignant expression before him. He shook his head and said:
"No, Father, I have something to tell you!"
"What is it?" Seeing Halirrhothius's unusual behavior, Poseidon sat up from Amphitrite. He waved his hand, signaling the surrounding nymphs attending him to stop, and then asked:
"Halirrhothius, did some short-sighted being provoke you?"
"No, it's you who's been provoked, Father."
Ares, controlling Halirrhothius's body, shook his head:
"When I returned, I saw Athena had found people to start building a city on the Aegean Sea coast."
"Athena? Building a city?"
Poseidon sat up straight upon hearing this.
"Tell me the details."
Ares then utilized his specialty, embellishing and exaggerating the story of Athens to Poseidon, adding many malicious conjectures and slanders about Athena's ambition. Sea King Poseidon's brows furrowed repeatedly as he listened, and he soon became enraged.
However, Ares estimated that even if he hadn't exaggerated, the Sea King would still seek trouble with Athena. After all, for a city built by the sea, it would be unbelievable if its future inhabitants did not use sea routes. Athena's posture clearly indicated she intended Athens as her exclusive domain, not to be touched by Poseidon.
"This Athena!"
After hearing everything, Poseidon immediately slammed the table in anger and snorted:
"Was taking my divine office not enough? This woman, truly relying on Zeus's favor, is she preparing to act lawlessly?!"
"Father, we must find a way to stop this woman."
Ares appropriately controlled Halirrhothius, offering malicious advice and fanning the flames:
"The face of the Ocean Pantheon cannot be lost. At least we cannot let a daughter of the sky also win against the ocean!"
"You have a point."
Poseidon frowned, then stood up:
"You wait here, I'm going to Olympus!"
...
Upon hearing the news of Athena building a city, Poseidon immediately rushed to Olympus, dragging Athena out and gathering the twelve Olympian Gods to arbitrate the matter.
Inside the God King's Hall, Poseidon continuously cursed and raged, attempting to make Athena submit to his authority, but Athena was not afraid of him at all. She merely responded calmly and composedly, arguing logically with the Sea King. After a fierce debate, God King Zeus finally decided that each of them would bestow a gift upon the Athenians, and then the Athenians would vote. The god with more votes would gain Athens.
Since Zeus had made his decision, Poseidon and Athena agreed. The two gods descended in their true forms to the unfinished temple in Athens, where Athena explained the gods' wager to the Heroes of Athens.
Meanwhile, in the heavens, the other main gods of Olympus also gathered, watching Athena and Poseidon's wager. Such an event was a rare and great amusement for the long-lived main gods, and they certainly couldn't miss it.
So, just like when Ares and Athena raced, the main gods, under Zeus's usurpation, opened a betting pool, with Zeus as the dealer, betting on who would win between Athena and Poseidon.
"Ares, who do you think will win?"
The main gods quickly placed their bets, and aside from the absent Hephaestus, Artemis, and Hestia, only Ares, the seemingly distracted God of War, remained. Hearing Zeus's question, Ares showed a somewhat displeased expression. He pouted and replied:
"Huh? I'm not betting. Whoever wins, good for them."
Seeing his demeanor, the main gods all looked somewhat disappointed. Zeus also frowned at his foolish son and asked:
"Ares, why aren't you joining in? Everyone's having fun together, and you come in with this, how disappointing."
"What's the point? Athena and Poseidon down there won't fight."
Ares sighed, sitting down on a cloud:
"If those two started fighting on the spot, then I'd definitely bet."
So that's it, you're not happy unless there's blood, are you?
Upon hearing Ares's words, the main gods realized. Then Apollo advised:
"Ares, since you're already here, at least make a gesture."
"Alright then." Ares seemed to have listened to Apollo's advice. He thought for a moment, then threw out a longbow he had recently made:
"Then I'll bet on Poseidon winning. Even if that woman Athena can win, I won't side with her."
Hearing his words, the gods revealed an "as expected" expression. Then Zeus collected the Noble Phantasm-grade bow and placed it on the cloud alongside the other main gods' wagers.
While the gods were opening their bets, Athena and Poseidon below quickly began their contest. Both gods displayed their divine powers, directly creating things on the earth and bestowing their creations upon the people of Athens as gifts.
Seeing the competition begin, all the gods were on the clouds, eagerly watching, but Ares paid no attention to the contest. To him, the outcome of this competition was already decided. A shrewd woman like Athena could not have failed to consider the Sea King's influence.
If she dared to build a city here, she must have a way to deal with the Sea King. Poseidon, rushing in recklessly without any consideration, was bound to lose.
Ares, however, was calculating what would happen next. He wanted to make the Sea King, after his defeat, be in an awkward position where he had no choice but to declare war on Athena in front of all the gods.