The Greece Antagonist

"Hehe, it seems like an accident."

Seeing the brunt of the problem shifting toward her beloved, Artemis quickly interrupted, waving her hand to let the nymphs release the unfortunate fellow who had been caught in the blast.

As soon as he was free, Pan knew better than to linger on the previous topic and cheekily asked to join the feast instead.

Out of consideration for Hermes's feelings and the recent accident, everyone reluctantly nodded in agreement, accepting the goat-headed visitor.

However, since the nymphs and Muses present were all about appearances, they naturally felt some repulsion toward the oddly-faced Pan and kept their distance from him.

This left Pan, who had been hoping to get cozy with these beautiful goddesses, feeling rather dejected.

Fortunately, although he had no opportunity to approach the beauties, tasting the camp's delicious food and sweet wine helped to alleviate his sour mood somewhat.

After three rounds of wine and a variety of flavors from the dishes,

a light drunkenness rose within him. Pan looked around at the youthful and beautiful nymphs and Muses, unable to restrain himself from licking his lips, then with a shrewd glint in his eyes, he rose from his seat and walked over to Artemis by the fire with a big smile, eager to ingratiate himself with the Goddess of the Hunt.

"Lady Goddess, I have recently raised a new batch of hunting dogs, some of which are top-notch. Now that you are here, how about I offer some to you as a gift?"

"Really? Where are they? Let me see!"

As soon as she heard this, Artemis immediately perked up, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Scratching his head, Pan chuckled sheepishly.

"They're at my temple, quite a distance from here. It would be remiss of me to make you go all the way there."

Then, Pan quickly changed the subject, grinning innocently as he suggested.

"How about this? You send someone with me to bring the hounds here to the camp, so you can choose for yourself."

Meanwhile, as he spoke, his glowing goat's eyes in the darkness shifted toward the crowd of nymphs behind Artemis.

Feeling a vague discomfort as those goat's eyes scanned over them, the nymphs instinctively sought help with pleading eyes directed toward their Chief God.

However, Artemis, slightly tipsy, had her mind filled with the word "hounds" and carelessly muttered, "Well then..."

"I'll go." At the same time, Luo En, who was sitting nearby, stood up, blocking Pan's view, and volunteered.

He then gave a playful kick to the Golden Hound circling around him, teasingly saying, "Just in time, this feisty fellow here could use a companion."

Watching the innocently whining dog on the ground, the nymphs, who had been somewhat anxious, were relieved and covered their mouths, chuckling softly.

And as for the request from her lover, Artemis was naturally amenable. She smiled, nodded in agreement, and like a housewife awaiting her husband's return, she took Atalanta into her arms from Luo En and watched him leave.

However, compared to the other gods who were still immersed in merriment, Pan was not feeling too pleased.

He had offered up his hard-earned hunting dogs solely to have a chance to bring along a pretty nymph for company.

Instead of charming a beauty, he was accompanied by the very same jerk who'd almost blasted him to pieces.

What a mood killer!

The half-goat god internally grumbled, then glancing back at the smiling, handsome god behind him, he felt a surge of irritation and swiftly quickened his pace, moving with haste through the dense forest.

Hmph, if you want to take my hounds, you'd better have the skills!

As Pan sneered to himself, he tapped his shepherd's staff on the ground, sending out unseen rhythms.

The path in the darkness seemed to grow more treacherous, and the surrounding vegetation appeared ominous and contorted, like serpents writhing in the shadows. The entire woodland transformed into a living labyrinth.

After a few twists and turns, the footsteps of his follower began to fade, as if blocked by some unseen force, and Pan's face revealed a crafty smile.

In Arcadia, he was not only the Pan, but he also ruled over nature, forests, and the fields. He could use his will to turn the land into a labyrinth to confuse and trap enemies, making them lose their judgment and display their foolishness in fear.

Since you embarrassed me in front of those beautiful goddesses and spoiled my plans, it's only fair that you have a taste of hardship too.

When day breaks, if you end up losing even your own companions and fail to return with the hounds, you'll have no face to report back to Lady Artemis!

But just as the half-man, half-goat deity was looking up with a self-satisfied sneer, the expression on his face suddenly froze, and his body stiffened on the spot, looking utterly flabbergasted.

Under the bright moonlight, a figure leaning lazily against a boulder stretched and turned back to smile, asking.

"Had enough rest? Shall we go on?"

"Oh, right... good..."

Pan nodded blankly, hurriedly moving past the figure to lead the way again.

Damn it! What just happened? How did this guy get ahead of me?

Unexpected developments threw the satyr's mind into chaos, leaving him utterly baffled.

But soon after, more gloom and rage surged into his heart, fueled by the alcohol.

How could a mere lesser deity, who came out of nowhere, easily break through my labyrinth! It must be an accident! Definitely an accident!

With resentment and skepticism in his heart, Pan once again quickened his pace, running and leaping through the mountains like an agile goat.

Meanwhile, the shepherd's staff he continually struck against the ground silently awakened the will of the forest, causing plants and terrain to grow wildly and deform, forming layers of forest labyrinth that blocked the moonlight from above, in an attempt to trap the figure following behind in this dark prison.

Now, let's see you...

Pan, having pulled ahead by some distance, glanced back subconsciously, ready to admire his handiwork, but the excitement and smugness on his face once again froze.

That guy was still there!

And he had closed the distance to less than seven steps.

His pride, the forest labyrinth, hadn't hindered him at all. How could that be?

Seeing the bewildered lamb in front of him, Luo En couldn't help but smirk with mockery.

Of all things to choose, he decided to try and trap me with a labyrinth.

Back on Crete Island, Athena frequently locked me in the labyrinth and beat me up.

Compared to the Goddess of Wisdom who could easily slice through space and reshape the foundation, Pan's maze, which could only manipulate the landscape to create some obstacles and amplify fear, was child's play.

Moreover, the "Bull" power I had contained part of the labyrinth's authority from Crete Island.

As long as I ignored the changes in the environment, following the earth's energy and the unmistakable goat smell on Pan, I was unlikely to get lost.

"How much further? You aren't lost, are you?" Luo En joked.

Hearing the mockery from behind, the persistent Pan gritted his teeth and snorted coldly.

"Fear not, you won't be able to keep up!"

With that, Pan tore off his disguise and poured divine power into his legs, stepping out on his unique cloven hooves and transforming into a gust of wind, speeding through the forest.

Being the progeny of Hermes, the God of Speed, a talent for velocity was his birthright.

Especially in his home turf of Arcadia, Pan was confident not many could easily catch up with him.

However, after several glances back, his heart turned cold.

The unknown lesser deity behind him was exuding an overwhelming divine power that roared like a high-speed chariot, following closely at an uncompromised speed.

Accompanied by the dull roar of the earth, the distance between them closed relentlessly.

Finally, when his opponent caught up once more, Pan gave up entirely, slowed down voluntarily, and squeezed out a fawning smile as he went to eagerly greet him.

"There's no rush, we're almost there."

"Where?" Luo En didn't pay much attention to Pan's attempt at closeness, looking around with a faint smile.

Pan coughed awkwardly, and his shepherd's staff struck the ground, prompting the dense underbrush to move, creating a fissure in the mountain rock.

This moss-covered, luminescent plant-lined passageway led straight into the dark bowels of the mountain.

Seeing the tough lesser deity hesitate to enter, Pan hastily grinned ingratiatingly and bowed as he led the way.

"It's inside, I'll show you."

Luo En didn't rush to enter but instead looked at the caprid deity, with a smile that was not quite a smile.

This half-man, half-goat figure, with horns on his head and split hooves, had a particular name in medieval Europe and subsequent Christian cultures.

— that is, demon, or the embodiment of Satan.

— Lies and deception are often the standard for such creatures.

Luo En's eyes narrowed slightly, and he followed behind Pan, his lips curling up in the darkness into an amused arc.

Centaur...

Pan...

Things are getting more interesting.