The structure of this "Eagle's Nest" is similar to the previous "Dragon's Nest", both expanded from a large network of natural caves, with complex internal passages like an ant nest.
At the beginning, for safety's sake, all natural passages connected to the outside world that Muggles might discover had been completely sealed off, relying entirely on magical means for daily entry and exit. This also meant that if Floo Powder and Apparition failed, those ancient transfer altars would be the only hope.
Unless, they cast Confringo at the wall eight hundred times, while also avoiding collapsing the entire cave.
Soon, the two arrived at the altar located at the end of a secluded side road. It was a vast stone chamber, with a circular platform built of reddish-brown stones in the center, which was supposed to be carved with intricate and ancient magic runes.
Yes, supposed to be—
When Hera approached, her heart instantly sank.
"How do we operate it?"
Athena looked around somewhat bewildered.
"How could this be?"
But Hera only reached out her hand in confusion, touching the cold stone platform, feeling only cold at her fingertips.
"What's wrong?"
Looking at the somewhat unusual Hera, Gordon suddenly "Athena-ed" in his heart.
At that moment, a group of Poacher guards walked past behind them.
So, Hera immediately stepped forward, intercepted the squad leader, suppressed her anxiety, and asked in a coarse, disguised voice, "What happened to the runes on the altar? Who did this?"
The squad leader obviously recognized this high-ranking person's appearance, saluted respectfully, and then showed a hint of confusion on his face, "Lord Ramsay, don't you know? It was the order of the 'Prophet' this morning—he said that to address the potential attack, magic power needed to be concentrated, so all unnecessary teleportation nodes were temporarily closed..."
"Alright, I understand..."
Hera squeezed out these words through her teeth and waved the patrol team away.
She turned to Athena, her face looking somewhat unpleasant, "That bastard planned it all, damn it, I wasn't informed at all..."
"..."
So, what do you know?
Athena fell silent for a moment, clearly, she ultimately did not voice the criticism that wouldn't aid in unity. The woman took a deep breath, "Is there no other way?"
"...No."...
Hera seemed somewhat lost, especially since the "Gods" here were merely ordinary Wizards pretending to be deities, and Hera, back thousands of years ago, was merely a chieftain's wife of a "Wildman" tribe. Despite being "revered" as the Celestial Empress, she lacked the demeanor of a mother to the world.
Not to mention, she was also a bit frightened by William whom Athena mentioned, knowing her "girlfriend's" psychological strength, able to make the latter evaluate like that...
Thus, Athena was silent for a moment, a spark of determination flashed in her molten golden pupils.
When all visible retreats disappeared, the woman utterly realized that retreating and panicking were completely useless at this moment—
"Go find him!"
Her voice regained part of its calmness, but the taut jawline revealed she was not truly calm, "Since the 'Prophet' in that groove is confident he can 'solve everything', since he trapped us here, let's go find him. If he truly has a way, we might seize the opportunity, and if he's looking to bury everyone together..."
She didn't continue, but the cold glint in her eyes said it all.
"Alright!"
Hera nodded, Athena had clearly become the mainstay now, they exchanged a glance before moving again, heading deeper into the cave—
...
Unlike the relatively narrow corridors before, the closer to the cave center, the more spacious the space became.
When the two passed through the last heavily guarded archway, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
This was a vast natural cavern beyond imagination, as if the belly of a mountain had been completely hollowed out.
A limestone dome hung high, at least a hundred feet from the ground, with countless giant stalactites like swords hanging down, some covered with moss emitting ghostly blue or ghastly green light, providing the only light source, shrouding the entire space in a strange and misty glow.
And in the center of this place was a larger, but seemingly much newer altar.
Rather, it looked just freshly built.
The altar covered a vast area, resembling more of a square, constructed of some unknown pale giant stones, forming a perfect circle with a diameter exceeding three hundred feet.
On the altar's surface were densely packed pale gold runes visible to the naked eye, flickering with weak light like breathing, while around the altar, there were sporadic figures draped in gray cloaks, members of the Ashwinder.
The person Hera and Athena sought stood right in the center of the altar.
The "Prophet", still draped in a robe that seemed to absorb all light, the overly large hood almost completely shrouded him in shadow.
He faced away from the entrance, staring at the flickering moss on the dome, or perhaps...waiting for something.
Hera strode onto the altar's cold stone steps, her suppressed anger almost breaking her rough disguised voice, she harshly questioned—
"Damn it, what on earth are you up to? Cutting off the Floo Network is one thing, but why destroy the teleportation altar? Such an important action, why not discuss it in advance?! Don't forget, it was I who took you in after you were chased out of the 'Dragon's Nest' like homeless dogs!"
The Prophet's back remained motionless, as if a cold stone statue.
Not until Hera approached him from behind did he slowly, at an extremely steady pace, turn around.
In the hood's shadow, Hera couldn't see his face, but she could feel a cold gaze sweep across her face.
"Discuss?"
The Prophet's voice was muffled, his tone carrying an indifference from on high, "You and this... distinguished lady beside you, aren't you also like homeless dogs chased from Mount Olympus's godly seat?"
"!"
Hera froze as if struck by lightning.
Behind her, Athena also tightened her grip on her Willow Wand hidden in her sleeve, her knuckles slightly pale from the excessive force.
"..."
Hera opened her mouth, seemingly attempting to forcibly defend or say something threatening. But the Prophet seemed to chuckle briefly, a laugh short and devoid of warmth.
"Am I wrong? Celestial Empress Hera, and Wisdom Goddess, Athena?"
Just as the tension reached its peak, Athena almost couldn't hold back and wanted to act first—
"Rip—"
A deafening sound, as if cloth were being torn apart with brute force, suddenly came from overhead—
Everyone on the altar square instinctively raised their heads towards the sound, to see a pitch-black dragon claw shimmering with purple light slowly tearing open a fractured space rift.
"Wow, quite lively, huh? Looks like I didn't miss the party—heard someone is teaming up here, don't mind me joining?"
Simultaneously, a casual, carefree voice echoed from the other side of the space rift.