The Greece Antagonist

Three days later, a pair of silver-haired beauties crossed the surging waves and landed on the Attica Peninsula, their faces alight with the joy of a fruitful return.

They were none other than Athena and Luo En, who had disappeared after the battle on Crete Island.

Of course, they hadn't been idle but had gone to do something significant.

That is, they went to collect a debt from the temple of the Sea God.

In the last trial concerning the beast tide disaster, Poseidon as the party at fault had agreed to compensate the Minosians, but he had yet to settle his dues.

In the past, with the Sea God's Temple being influential and powerful, Athena, even if dissatisfied, could only suppress her anger and say nothing.

But now, that Sea King His Majesty had been taken back to Olympus by Zeus for temporary custody, the Atlantis Continent had been sunk, and the entire sea deity lineage had been so frightened by the sudden arrival of three Giants with a hundred hands that they all shut themselves in, fearing they'd become collateral damage.

If they didn't take this opportunity to clear the old debts, it would simply be unfair to King Minos who went to his death resignedly and those souls who sacrificed themselves generously. Stay tuned to empire

Thus, Athena decisively took Luo En, the nominal "sole survivor" of Crete Island, to trouble Poseidon's family.

Due to the fall of Atlantis, Poseidon's painstakingly managed lair naturally ceased to exist.

Amphitrite, having no place to go, ultimately took Prince Triton and the remnants of the Atlantian soldiers to seek refuge with her father—Old Sea God Nereus.

After receiving this news, Athena and Luo En rushed to Naxos Island and, quite rightly, circled around it a few times.

The Old Sea God opened his barrier with a troubled face and invited them into his home.

Ultimately, under Nereus' mediation, Amphitrite and Prince Triton, fearing retaliation, could only bow their heads and pay an exorbitant price to settle the overdue debt.

This included three kinds of exceedingly rare mining resources: Orichalcum, Silver Star Sand, and Gammanium.

Orichalcum, which Luo En had already encountered, ranked top-level in terms of hardness, sharpness, and magic power conductivity, and was a precious forging material and strategic resource for Atlantis.

Silver Star Sand is said to be formed at the junction of land and sea, a near-perfect vessel for divinity that could self-repair, and offer the user simple healing abilities.

While Luo En had some knowledge about the first two, which fell within the scope of the seen, he had never heard of this third one.

The so-called Gammanium was a special magical substance formed from the eruption in the abyss beneath the seabed, thus containing primal divine power, capable of perfectly blending different forging materials together and maximizing their effects.

And when demanding compensation, Athena skillfully listed these three items by name and quantity, clearly well-prepared.

Luo En didn't know what Athena's asking price was, but judging from Amphitrite's and Prince Triton's uniformly green faces in the end, the protection fee was certainly far from cheap.

After all, she demanded ten tons of bronze alone...

Of course, Luo En had a share in it too.

The share Athena gave was quite generous, a full ton of it.

These resources were sufficient for crafting main weapons, armor, or consumables and would be enough for him to use on his own for decades.

Besides, Luo En, under the effect of the "victim's aura," also received two other compensations.

One was a chariot called "Meteor Chariot," drawn by two divine horses, "Xanthus" and "Balius," which could whisk him across the sea and sky at meteoric speeds.

Besides being the God of the Sea, the god of earthquakes, and the god of storms, Poseidon was also the god of horses; hence these two divine horses not only were intelligent, fast, but also possessed the immortality unique to deities, making them most suitable to lead the charge (or take the hits).

Given Sea King His Majesty's promiscuous nature, Luo En figured that these two creatures were probably the result of another one of his amorous one-night encounters with a four-legged being.

The other compensation corresponded to the reward of the golden oracle and was related to Poseidon's divine rights.

—A fragment from the shattered Trident of the Titanomachy.

It was said that the three prongs of Poseidon's Trident each represented one of Poseidon's divine powers.

The first prong, known as "Neptune's Point," was the primary offensive part of the Trident. "Neptune's Point" was incredibly sharp, and when Poseidon thrust with force at the target, it could easily penetrate the enemy's armor and defenses, causing tremendous damage. The sharpness and material of "Neptune's Point" made it incomparably powerful, giving Poseidon an advantage in battle.

The second prong was called "Poseidon's Fork." This prong was used to control and master the ocean. Poseidon could easily insert it into the sea and then manipulate the ocean's power at will. With Poseidon's will and the help of the Trident, he could stir up huge waves, tsunamis, and storms, destroying the enemy's ships and cities. Moreover, Sea King His Majesty could also use "Poseidon's Fork" to create currents, control tides, and command marine life. This prong allowed Poseidon to move effortlessly in the ocean and control the power of entire maritime domains.

The third prong, formally named "Oceanus Spear," was the rarest in the Trident but possessed unique abilities. "Oceanus Spear" endowed Poseidon with the power to control, manipulate, and cause earthquakes and the water systems of the earth's veins. Poseidon could insert this prong into the ground and then incite strong earthquakes by exerting his power. This made Poseidon one of the most formidable gods in nature, as his force could easily destroy foes and alter the geographical landscape.

And what Luo En received was a fragment from the second spike.

Originally, this object was a gift from Poseidon to Prince Triton, signifying his right to inherit the sea and his control over Atlantis.

However, now that the sea deities had declined and the Atlantis Continent had already sunk.

Facing two fearsome debt collectors, Triton, though reluctant, could only weep as he shattered his own Trident, handing over the embedded shard to Athena and Luo En as a ransom for his life.

Of course, adhering to the principle of equal distribution, the conspiring Nereus was not spared by Athena either.

All sorts of rare materials, gems, and minerals were plundered in abundance from Naxos Island.

Had it not been for Luo En's intervention, Athena might have even wished to transport the entire Naxos Island to rebuild her Great Temple.

In the end, the father-daughter pair shed tears as they bid farewell to Luo En and Athena, who had been frantically scraping the island bare for three days.

Of course, having paid such a high price, the other side was not without demands.

—The dignified lady was primarily compliant for the sake of her husband.

Currently, Sea King Poseidon was being temporarily detained by Zeus.

In the public trial seven days later, Zeus did not seem inclined to be lenient.

Given the reputation of His Majesty the King of Gods, Queen of the Sea Amphitrite also did not dare to ascend Olympus alone to plead with Zeus.

Who knew, on a whim, he might just spin a tale of "Madam, you wouldn't want to...".

Therefore, Queen Amphitrite deliberately stayed on Naxos Island.

She was presumably waiting for the aggrieved to come knocking, to communicate and negotiate with Athena through her father Nereus's mediation.

Reading between the lines, the Queen hoped that Athena would speak out for her husband Poseidon at the divine council, considering the generous compensation and not to kick a man when he's down, which would only result in mutual destruction.

After all, the Sea King's life still served to counterbalance the pressure from Olympus; a pyrrhic battle benefited no one.

Clearly, the Queen most likely did not come up with this reasoning by herself; behind the scenes, it was probably none other than the wise Ocean Nymph Thetis guiding her.

As for Athena, once she had taken her fill of the benefits, she ambiguously nodded in apparent agreement to the Queen's peace offering.

After all, she still needed that uncle in the future to continue defying and triggering lightning.

Without this wind-breaking wall, her own little maneuvers would become more at risk of exposure.

So, even if the Queen had not mentioned it, Athena would have rationally supported that uncle at crucial moments.

Using one enemy to suppress another, playing them off against each other—the machinations and power plays behind the scenes were not exclusive to His Majesty the King of Gods alone.

After reaching an unspoken agreement, the tense atmosphere between both parties became increasingly harmonious.

Luo En and Athena were treated with the utmost hospitality; whatever they showed interest in, the warm and hospitable sea people would surreptitiously hand over with just a glance.

Were it not for the approaching divine council and other affairs to attend to before ascending Olympus, both of them would have wished to stay longer to continue enjoying the enthusiasm and hospitality of the sea people.

"It's a pity, Thetis actually wasn't here; originally, I had meant to try having her serve as my maid for a few days as a way of repaying her father's debt," Athena said, looking back regretfully at the boundless Sea of Okeanos.

While Luo En appeared calm on the surface, he was inwardly scoffing.

If his memory served right, weren't you two best friends?

So she offended you once by taking sides; is it necessary to bear a grudge all the time?

But speaking of which, he was indeed curious to meet the legendary Ocean Nymph renowned for both her beauty and wisdom.

Although he had not formally met her yet, at least one thing was certain.

—Hmm, very "moisturizing"!