Greece brings evildoers

After the Sicily incident, all clues point to a certain target.

In view of the small-minded tradition of Greek gods who have always wanted revenge, the group of people who were completely angered were not used to it.

Therefore, Apollo, the god of light, Artemis, the goddess of hunting, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, the three most powerful gods of Olympus, brought with them a large number of subordinate gods to clean up the chaos and restore order to their respective city-states. On the pretext of opening a navigation channel, he drove his chariot on a safari throughout the outer sea.

With such a luxurious lineup and an expanded attack surface, the entire Oceanus Sea was suddenly in a state of panic.

The sea beasts and marine god-blood dependents who live on the ocean islands and various sea areas are extremely unlucky.

——Either their heads were shot and disemboweled, and they died miserably on the spot; or they were cramped and skinned, and turned into trophies; or their homes were demolished, and the whole family was relocated...

After all, with this kind of deliberate trouble-seeking behavior, even a docile seal passing by can get slapped twice, not to mention most sea monsters and monsters that are violent and murderous in nature.

After seven consecutive days of hard work, not only the number of beasts in the outer sea dropped sharply, but almost all the ferocious gods and monsters with surnames were slaughtered.

In fact, it seemed that because of the excessive killing, even the tide pushing towards the shore turned slightly red.

The group of sea monsters and monsters that had been domineering at sea for many years felt frightened for the first time when faced with the dimension-reducing attack of this Olympus evil group. They fled in groups to the inland sea, trying to seek revenge on the overlord who protected them. Ask for help.

However, hundreds of miles deep into the inland sea, not only the Atlantean patrols that usually patrolled in groups disappeared, but there were not even a few native divine blood family members left.

In desperation, the sea beasts continue to swim back to the inland sea, or simply head towards the deeper primitive ocean areas.

The three main gods pursued them all the way and struggled for several days, but they could only stare at a group of uncivilized sea beasts. They didn't even see the shadow of an Atlantean, let alone the Neptune in charge. .

——Legend has it that the continent of Atlantis and its affiliated islands are hidden in the deep sea and among the stars. It is a holy land in the ocean that even God King Zeus may not be able to easily discover.

——As long as you are willing to hide yourself, almost no outsider can find the door to enter.

The main god was still on the road. Seeing that he was about to be killed through the Sea of ​​Oceanus, the three main gods couldn't help but darken their faces.

Finally, on the ninth day and night.

A visitor from the sea was welcomed on the island of Sicily, but it was not Poseidon, the god of the sea, but an old man wearing a linen robe and looking kind-hearted.

As if attracted by his honest and gentle temperament, a white seabird was landing on his shoulder, gently combing its tail feathers.

The Old Man of the Sea - Nereus.

He is the product of the divine fusion of the old sea god Pontos (ocean) and the earth goddess Gaia (earth). Hesiod's "Theogony" states that "because he was trustworthy, amiable, righteous, fair and kind, people called him 'The Elder'."

Therefore, he got the honorific title of "Old Man of the Sea".

However, honorific titles are only related to status and character, and do not represent strength.

Even the old Poseidon Pontos, who is my father, was showered with gold coins, not to mention Nereus, his cheap son.

When Mount Othrys came to power, he was suppressed by the couple Oceanus, the river god, and Thesis, the sea goddess, among the Twelve Titans;

When Olympus came to power, he was driven by the new sea god Poseidon, and he lived in the shadow of that ocean overlord;

Even in the Age of Heroes, Heracles was able to capture him with brute force and force him to use his prophecy to help him find the Golden Apple Orchard and complete one of his trials.

Therefore, this is a good old man who almost never conflicts with others easily and is kind-hearted to everyone.

It is probably because of this harmless and docile attribute that he has survived until now in the cruel theocratic struggle, and is doing well in the gradually stable Ocean of Oceanus.

Of course, it may also be because he is now the father-in-law of Poseidon, the god of the sea.

——On the deep sea floor stands the gorgeous palace of Poseidon, the great brother of Zeus and the shaker of the earth. Poseidon rules the sea. He holds a trident, and as long as his hand moves slightly, the waves must obey. Living with Poseidon in the depths of the sea was his wife Amphitrite. She was the daughter of Nereus, the old sea god who could foretell bad luck. She was snatched away from her father by Poseidon, the great master of the sea. of……

Yes, according to mythological records, Queen Amphitrite is the daughter of Nereus, the old man of the sea.

In the flickering firelight, Lorne looked at the kind-faced old man from the sea, dressed in coarse linen clothes and holding a cane, standing solemnly in front of the three Olympian gods, with his eyelids slightly lowered and his eyes twinkling. Thoughts.

Lobbyist, here we go...

Meanwhile, in front of the fire.

"Grandpa Nereus, why are you here?" Athena was the first to show a bright smile and took the initiative to hold Nereus's hand, appearing cordial and familiar. "I was preparing to visit you recently, and I wanted to see Theti by the way. Aunt Si, how is she doing?"

With a suitable topic to talk about, the kind-faced elder could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He sat down in front of the fire with Athena, smiled and nodded in response.

"She is very good, and she still misses you."

The name Thetis occupies a large space in Greek mythology. She is one of the 50 daughters of Nereus, the old man of the sea. She is a sister to Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon, the sea god, and a future Greek hero. The second wife of Peleus.

——That is, the mother of Achilles, the great hero in the Trojan War.

At the same time, it was Thetis who raised the newborn Hephaestus when he was thrown off Mount Olympus, so she was also the most respected adoptive mother of the fire god Hephaestus.

With such two good sons, it would be difficult for her not to become famous.

Of course, she herself was also known for her wisdom and beauty, and was the wisest among the 50 daughters of Nereus.

Because of her stunning beauty and wisdom, she had many topics in common with Metis, another ocean goddess, the goddess of primitive wisdom, and they became friends.

Legend has it that the god-king on Mount Olympus also pursued her passionately.

But in the end, Zeus, who had reaped the benefits, chose to give up.

Because, His Majesty the God King heard an oracle from somewhere.

——Thetis is destined to give birth to a son who surpasses his father, no matter how great that father is.

As a creature of pure power, Zeus was most afraid of his son overthrowing his throne, so he naturally kept a distance from Thetis.

Therefore, Thetis did not end up with the same fate as her close friend Metis and her sea queen sister.

Later, the divine power changed, and Metis was swallowed by Zeus.

There are two more people on her friend list.

——Hera, the queen of heaven, and Athena, the new goddess of wisdom.

Coupled with her sister Amphitrite, who is the queen of the sea, this sea fairy has a wide range of connections and is well versed in the wisdom of protecting herself.

Lorne looked at Athena chatting with Nereus under the firelight, and his thoughts surged when he heard the name repeatedly mentioned by the goddess of wisdom.

——Even though this ocean fairy, who is also known for her wisdom, endured hardships and successfully avoided the old path of her sister and close friend.

But after all her efforts, she still couldn't escape the fate of being teased.

——Not only was she forced to marry the demigod hero Peleus under the auspices of Zeus, but even her son, who was destined to surpass his father, could not escape the fate of death.

In the "Iliad" record, Thetis once hugged Zeus's knees with her left hand and stroked his chin with her right hand, praying to the god king to let her son Achilles regain his glory.

But the result is self-evident...

Therefore, if you want to live well these days, you have to be tough on yourself.

If you compromise, you can only settle for a while, and you may not have a good ending in the end.

Lorne looked at the old man from the sea who was submissive to a group of juniors under the firelight, and secretly shook his head, strengthening his determination to seize power.

At this moment, after chatting for a while, Nereus finally found an opportunity and cautiously opened his mouth to ask.

"How was your hunting? When are you planning to go back?"

"Well, don't be in a hurry, it's a rare occasion..."

Athena patted the back of Nereus' hand with a faint smile on her face.

Hearing that this junior still refused to let go, Nereus couldn't help complaining.

"Athena, you have had enough fun after so many days. Those frightened sea beasts are blocking the door of my house every day, refusing to swim back, and they are shouting all day long. What a shame for me. I couldn’t sleep all night long…”

Immediately, the old man spoke decisively, his eyes pleading.

"Let's do this, whatever prey and seafood you want, I will give it to you directly!"

“Some things are just fun when you get your hands on them.”

Athena smiled and shook her head, declining Nereus's kindness.

"I know, you still want to open up a navigation channel for your city-state, right? I can guarantee that these guys will not disturb the ships on the route, and they will stay in the inland sea from now on and never land ashore again. That's okay. Bar?"

"us……"

"Just take pity on my old man and let me go back and have a good sleep."

Before Athena could finish speaking, Nereus held Athena's hand with a sad look on his face, while complaining and giving earnest advice.

"Besides, so many gods in the Oceanus Sea also need to eat and rest. While I can still persuade those guys, you have had enough fun and it's time to calm down..."

The meaning is very simple. The evil people of Olympus have caused a lot of trouble to the people of the Sea of ​​Oceanus during this period, and they have also vented their anger.

In the past, for the sake of the God-King family, everyone could tolerate it.

But as time goes by, this backlog of dissatisfaction has reached a critical point.

Things always have to have an end.

Everyone takes a step back, that's about it.

Otherwise, instead of not solving the problem, let the other gods who live in the sea share the same hatred and jointly exert pressure.

At that point, the gains will outweigh the losses.

Hearing this earnest advice, Apollo and Artemis were thoughtful.

The Ocean God System is a huge group, not just Poseidon's family.

Although he had some troubles with the sea god Poseidon, it would be a bit of a fuss to risk offending the entire ocean god system and destroying the Sea of ​​Oceanus without having any handle.

Once they get into trouble with Father God Zeus, I'm afraid they will inevitably be punished and scolded.

What's more, Artemis, who was already harboring ulterior motives, didn't want to make the matter a big deal.

As a result, the two siblings showed signs of excitement and looked up at Athena.

And the goddess of wisdom, who was good at observing words and emotions, borrowed the donkey from the slope and sincerely held the hand of Nereus, the old man in the sea. The faint smile on her face made people feel like spring breeze.

"Look what you said, I am also a member of the Oceanus race. How can I put myself in trouble as an elder?"

Seeing that Athena finally relented, Nereus breathed a sigh of relief, and then he took out a chart and immediately followed the instructions of Apollo and Artemis to create a map for Delphi and Arcadia. The two regions each decided on a safe sea route, and then swore directly to the River Styx, promising that they would restrain those scurrying sea beasts.

Coupled with the promised rare seafood, both Apollo and Artemis were quite satisfied with the result.

Judging from the above performance, this old man can be regarded as a completely kind person. It is no wonder that he was elected as the representative of the Old God of the Ocean, and was often responsible for mediating some disputes at sea.

Finally, when it was his turn to fulfill his promise to Athena, the goddess of wisdom in front of the fire first asked for a safe route for Crete, then changed the subject and pointed behind her.

"I won't use the rest, just give it to him."

At this moment, Lorne, who was eating melon in secret, was slightly startled when he heard that the topic was brought to him.

"This is the secretary of Crete. He almost died twice because of the tide of beasts at sea. He should be compensated."

Athena introduced with a smile, and looked at Lorne with soft and encouraging eyes.

Sister Ya...

Looking at the goddess of wisdom who was about to fulfill her promise so soon, Lorne's heart couldn't help but be filled with emotion.

"That's true, I can prove it!"

At this time, Hestia also waved her fist, wanting to earn compensation for her slave god.

And Artemis was even more straightforward, waving her hand and announcing loudly.

"That's right, he helped me, and I'll give him my share!"

Sensing Athena's gaze on him, which was a little colder for a moment, Lorne hurriedly waved his hand and immediately declined Artemis's kindness.

"No, no, one portion is enough!"

This hunting goddess is good at everything, but she seems to be infected with some kind of indescribable madness, and she always has the ability to make the development of events deviate from the planned trajectory.

In order to protect his butt from being whipped to pieces by Athena afterwards, Lorne quickly stood up and ended this dangerous topic, and approached Nereus to cash in his share of compensation.

Athena smiled and stepped back, leaving the opportunity to Lorne.

However, at the moment when the two people's bodies met, the graceful figure that was blocked silently moved her lower lips and teeth.

Lorne's feet paused slightly, then pretended to greet Hestia, and stepped forward again without leaving any trace.

"What kind of compensation do you want?" As a generous elder, Nereus took the initiative to ask.

Lorne smiled shyly but politely, and said: "It's all within my scope. There's nothing to make up for. I only need one thing from you."

Seeing that the other party was so reasonable and that the matter was about to be solved perfectly, Nereus couldn't help but have a kind smile on his face and nodded happily.

"Of course, no problem! Say it, kid."

After receiving the promise, Lorne breathed a sigh of relief and pointed at Nereus's shoulder casually.

"Then let it be, this little guy looks very cute."

In an instant, Nereus, who was originally careless, saw the target chosen on the opposite side, and his expression suddenly changed.

"no!"

At the same time, the old man took the white seabird on his shoulder into his arms, as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

Seeing this situation, Athena, who had a friendly face at first, couldn't help but become furious.

"Nereus, what do you mean?!"

At this moment, realizing that his reaction was a bit excessive, the old man in the sea hurriedly explained.

"This, this is the only one that doesn't work...can you change it to another one?"

"You want to break the contract?!"

Athena's face became even more angry when she heard this.

"Why can they do it but not me? That's too much! Nereus, my spear is not bad! Do you really think there is no one in Crete?!"

Hearing this angry curse, Apollo and Artemis, who were being treated favorably on the side, couldn't help but feel on pins and needles, and their eyes towards Nereus also changed slightly.

Are you trying to sow discord with such low-level differential treatment? It's a bit too straightforward.

"not me……"

Under the glare of the three Olympian gods, Nereus was speechless, unable to speak, with an old red face, embarrassed and helpless.

Just when the old man in the sea felt a little embarrassed, a voice that sounded like the sounds of nature broke the tense atmosphere.

"Old man, since you don't want to part with this little guy, then forget it."

With some regret on his face, Lorne pointed to the white seabird in Nereus's arms and took the initiative to lower his demands.

"Just give me a feather as a souvenir..."

After all, this is a gift from the goddess, and it is unlikely that it would be a total violation or a disguised offense.

The current compromise choice is the limit of concessions.

All the main gods and subordinate gods nodded secretly, looking at Luo En with approval in their eyes, and sighed secretly in their hearts.

——This is a kind person.

But even so, Nereus still refused to let go.

"No... still not possible..."

Now, the old man in the sea, who had repeatedly refused, could not help but arouse public anger.

The steps have been reserved for you, but you are still clinging to them, refusing to come down. Do you really think we can't notice such a low-level act of sowing discord?

Just as the gods, who were gradually becoming dissatisfied, wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to attack, the white seabird took the initiative to peck open Nereus's arm, flapped its wings, and landed on Lorne's shoulder, then turned its head and used its slender The bird's beak plucked out a white tail feather and held it in Lorne's right palm.

An invisible crisis was resolved.

"So good!"

Seeing the seabird's humanistic display of intelligence, Lorne couldn't help but sigh in admiration. He raised his left hand and stroked the little guy's head all the way to its tail with his fingertips.

"Chirp!"

However, the little guy who was caressed suddenly became furious, screamed in surprise, and pecked Lorne's fingertips.

Immediately, the white seabird flapped its wings and hurriedly flew back to Nereus's shoulder.

Hiss, this bird is not only shy, but also quite ferocious...

Looking at the enlarged blood spots on his fingertips, Lorne couldn't help but bared his teeth and cursed secretly.

"Guys, you've got everything you should get. If nothing happens, you'd better go back early."

At the same time, Nereus hurriedly hid the frightened white seabird in his sleeve, then glared at someone with a sullen face, then dropped a firm warning, turned around and walked towards the deep sea, his figure quickly Disappear.

This old man has a really weird temper...

Lorne shook his head, then took a few steps back and quietly handed the white tail feather in his hand to Athena who was standing aside.

In fact, this thing is not the compensation that Lorne wants, but the instruction of Athena.

——Pluck that bird for me!

Just when the two bodies met, Athena made such a request with a sullen face.

Lorne, who went to do it for him, naturally agreed to this compensation that was not his own in the first place.

And under his micro-control, the bird feathers were easily obtained.

But as he handed over the mission items to Athena and prepared to exchange for his own reward, the goddess of wisdom under the shade of the tree waved her hand.

"Keep it for yourself."

"Huh?" A big question mark popped up in Lorne's mind.

Isn't it what you want?

Seemingly noticing the confusion on Lorne's face, Athena glanced sideways at the white tail feather and spoke with a smile.

"Don't you lack a useful artifact? Give this thing to Hephaestus, and he will build it for you personally."

Can I replace it with this?

When did Hephaestus's artifact become so cheap...

Suddenly, the murmurings in Lorne's mind stopped. Looking at the white tail feather in his palm, he turned his neck stiffly and looked at Athena under the shade of the tree with horror. His throat squirmed and he swallowed hard. .

"You mean, too..."

Athena immediately yawned, cut off Lorne's inquiry, and then walked to her chariot.

"What are you talking about? I don't know anything."

Hearing the words that it had nothing to do with him, and the goddess of wisdom's lips curling up as she ran away. Lorne's heart dropped completely.

Then, it fell to the ground and broke into eight pieces...

——According to the records of theogony, the family of the old sea god Nereus was proficient in the art of change, and among his fifty daughters, one was the most proficient in this art.

——The answer is already ready to come out.

And Lorne looked at the deep red blood spots that were pecked out on his fingertips, recalling the silk-like touch on the white seabird, squirming his throat again, swallowing a deep sip of saliva, and then in his mind Two huge characters appeared.

——It’s finished!

~~

At the same time, white foam surged on the sea.

A nymph standing in the waves, with both the temperament of a girl and the demeanor of a lady, looked at the skirt of her skirt that had been torn open behind her, and then turned to look at the white Sicily shrouded in sea fog. The shell's teeth couldn't help but crunch.