At this moment, after a round of pleasantries, Nereus finally found an opportunity and cautiously spoke up.
"How has your hunting been going? When are you planning to return?"
"Well… no rush. It's rare for us to come all this way…"
Athena gently patted the back of Nereus's hand, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Seeing that this junior still refused to loosen her stance, Nereus could not help but begin to complain.
"Athena, it's already been so many days. You've had your fun, but those sea beasts scared out of their wits are blocking my doorstep every single day.
They absolutely refuse to swim back, shouting day and night, it's left this old man unable to sleep night after night…"
Then, the old man decisively made his offer, his eyes filled with entreaty.
"How about this, whatever prey or seafood you want, I'll deliver it to you personally!"
"Some things are only fun when you obtain them yourself."
Athena smiled and shook her head, politely declining his goodwill.
"I know, you also want to open up safe sea routes for your city-states, right?
I can guarantee that those creatures will no longer harass ships along the routes, and from now on they will remain obediently in the inner seas and never set foot on land again.
Surely that's acceptable?"
"We—"
"Just take pity on this old man and let me go back and get a proper night's sleep."
Before Athena could finish, Nereus grasped her hand with a sorrowful expression, lamenting as he earnestly tried to persuade her.
"Besides, there are so many gods in the Oceanus Sea who also need to eat and rest. While I can still hold those fellows back, you've had your fun, so it's time to rein yourselves in…"
The meaning was simple.
During this period, the Olympian trio had tormented the Oceanus Sea factions more than enough, venting whatever anger they had.
Previously, out of respect for the god-king's lineage, everyone had endured it.
But as time went on, this pent-up dissatisfaction was approaching a breaking point.
Everything needed an endpoint.
Each side taking a step back would be the sensible choice.
Otherwise, not only would the problem remain unresolved, but the other sea-dwelling gods might unite in shared resentment and apply collective pressure.
At that point, the losses would outweigh the gains.
Hearing this heartfelt persuasion, Apollo and Artemis fell into thought.
The oceanic divine system was vast—it was not just Poseidon alone.
Although they had clashed somewhat with the sea god Poseidon, without concrete evidence, overturning the Oceanus Sea at the risk of offending the entire oceanic pantheon was indeed making a mountain out of a molehill.
If the matter escalated to their father Zeus, they would inevitably be reprimanded.
Moreover, Artemis, who was already harboring guilt, had even less desire to let matters spiral out of control.
Thus, the siblings exchanged a look of tentative agreement and turned their gazes toward Athena.
The perceptive goddess of wisdom smoothly seized the moment, taking advantage of the situation to step down gracefully.
She warmly clasped Nereus's hand, her gentle smile as soothing as a spring breeze.
"Listen to yourself, you make it sound so serious. I'm also of Oceanus lineage, after all. How could I possibly put an elder like you in a difficult position?"
Seeing Athena finally relent, Nereus let out a long sigh of relief.
He promptly produced a sea chart and, right there on the spot, designated safe maritime routes for Delphi and Arcadia according to Apollo's and Artemis's wishes.
He even swore upon the River Styx to restrain those rampaging sea beasts.
Combined with the promised rare seafood, both Apollo and Artemis were quite satisfied with the outcome.
From his conduct alone, this old man was clearly an upright and honest individual....no wonder he had been elected as a representative of the old sea gods and often served as a mediator in maritime disputes.
Finally, when it came time for him to fulfill his promise to Athena, the goddess of wisdom first requested a safe sea route for Crete, then abruptly changed the subject and pointed behind her.
"As for the rest, I don't need it. Give it to him instead."
At this moment, Lorne, who had been quietly watching the drama unfold, was slightly taken aback as the conversation turned to him.
"This is the clerk of Crete. He nearly died twice due to beast tides at sea. He deserves some compensation."
Athena introduced him with a smile, her gaze toward Lorne filled with warmth and encouragement.
Sister Athena…
Looking at the goddess of wisdom, who was so quick to honor her word, Lorne felt a surge of emotion well up in his chest.
"That's right! I can testify to that!"
At this moment, Hestia clenched her fist and chimed in, eager to help her subordinate secure this compensation.
Artemis was even more straightforward, she waved her hand and declared loudly,
"That's right, he helped me too! My share goes to him as well!"
Noticing that the look Athena cast his way had suddenly grown colder,
Lorne hurriedly waved his hands, immediately declining Artemis's generosity.
"No, no—one share is enough!"
This huntress goddess was wonderful in many ways, but she seemed to carry some indescribable madness that had a habit of pushing situations off the rails.
To ensure his butt would not be beaten raw by Athena afterward, Lorne swiftly stood up and ended this dangerous topic, stepping forward to claim his compensation from Nereus.
Athena smiled and stepped back, leaving the opportunity to him.
However, at the moment their figures crossed, the enchanting silhouette briefly obscured behind him silently moved her lips.
Lorne's steps paused for a fraction of a second.
Then, pretending to greet Hestia, he calmly continued forward without leaving a trace.
"What kind of compensation would you like?" Nereus asked kindly, taking the initiative.
Lorne smiled shyly yet politely and said, "It's all part of my duty, there's no need to talk about compensation. I just want one thing from you."
Seeing how reasonable he was, and with the matter seemingly about to conclude perfectly, Nereus's face softened into a benevolent smile as he nodded.
"Of course. Say it, child."
Having received permission,
Lorne let out a quiet breath and casually pointed toward Nereus's shoulder.
"That one there. The little fellow looks rather cute."
In an instant, the previously easygoing Nereus stiffened.
Upon seeing the chosen target, his expression changed dramatically.
"No!"
At the same time, the old man pulled the white seabird that had been perched on his shoulder into his arms, looking as though he were facing a great enemy.
Seeing this, Athena, who had worn a gentle expression just moments ago, could not help but fly into a rage.
"What do you mean by this, Nereus?!"
Realizing that his reaction had been somewhat excessive, the old man of the sea hurriedly explained.
"That… this one won't do. Could we change it to something else?"
"You want to break the agreement?!"
Hearing this, the anger on Athena's face only deepened.
"Why is it fine for them, but not for me? Isn't this outrageous!
Nereus, my spear is not dull either! Do you really think Crete has no one left?!"
Hearing this furious rebuke, Apollo and Artemis, who had been treated preferentially, immediately felt as though they were sitting on needles and the way they looked at Nereus also gained a subtle change.
Such blatant and low-level differential treatment, was he trying to sow discord? It was far too obvious.
"No, I…"
Under the furious gazes of the three Olympian main gods, Nereus was left speechless, completely unable to argue his case.
His old face flushed red, looking both embarrassed and helpless.
But he absolutely couldn't agree with the demand...
Just as the old man of the sea was feeling utterly humiliated, a voice as melodious as heavenly music broke the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere.
"Sir, since you're unwilling to part with this little one, then let's forget it."
There was a trace of apologetic guilt on Lorne's face as he pointed at the white seabird in Nereus's arms, taking the initiative to lower his demand.
"Just give me a feather as a keepsake…"
After all, this was a gift from a goddess.
To completely refuse it would be equivalent to a disguised insult, which was not very feasible.
This kind of compromise was already the limit of concession.
The gods and subordinate deities all nodded secretly.
At the same time. the way they looked at Lorne was filled with approval, sighing inwardly.
—This is a truly decent man.
Yet even so, Nereus still refused to loosen his grip.
"No… still not acceptable…"
This repeated refusal immediately aroused public anger.
'We've already laid out a step for you to come down, yet you're still clinging to it and refusing to move.
With such crude attempts at sowing discord, do you really think we can't see through it?
Just as the increasingly displeased gods were about to take advantage of the moment to erupt, the white seabird suddenly pecked open Nereus's arm on its own, flapped its wings, and landed on Lorne's shoulder.
Then it turned its head, used its slender beak to pluck out a pure white tail feather, and placed it into the boy's right palm.
An invisible crisis was thus resolved.
"So well-behaved!"
Seeing the seabird's almost human-like intelligence, Lorne couldn't help but praise it, as he raised his left hand and gently stroked from the little one's head all the way to its tail.
"Chirp!"
However, the little creature being petted instantly bristled, crying out sharply as it opened its beak and pecked Lorne's fingertip.
Immediately afterward, the white seabird flapped its wings in panic and hurried back to Nereus's shoulder.
Tch—this bird isn't just shy, it's pretty fierce too…
Looking at the spreading blood dot on his fingertip, Lorne bared his teeth slightly and muttered inwardly.
"You all have already obtained what you came for. If there's nothing else, you'd better head back early."
At the same time, Nereus hurriedly hid the frightened white seabird into his sleeve.
Then, with a gloomy face, he shot a fierce glare at someone, threw out a stiff, hard-toned reminder, and turned toward the deep sea, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.
This old man really has a strange temper…
Lorne shook his head, then took a few steps back and quietly handed the white tail feather in his hand to Athena beside him.
In fact, this wasn't compensation he himself wanted, but something Athena had instructed him to obtain.
—Pluck a feather off that bird for me!
That had been her demand, delivered with a darkened face when their figures briefly crossed.
Since this compensation wasn't meant for him in the first place, Lorne naturally complied without hesitation.
And under his subtle manipulation, the feather was easily secured.
But just as he handed over the task item to Athena and prepared to exchange it for his own reward, the goddess of wisdom under the shade of the tree waved her hand.
"Keep it yourself."
"Huh?"
Hearing her words, a huge question mark popped up in Lorne's mind.
Wasn't this what you wanted?
Noticing the confusion on the young man's face, Athena glanced sideways at the white tail feather and spoke with a smiling squint.
"Aren't you lacking a handy divine artifact? Take this to Hephaestus.
He'll personally forge one for you."
No..you can actually trade this for that?
Since when had Hephaestus's divine artifacts become this cheap…that even a feather could make up for it.
However, as his thoughts went deeper and deeper, the muttering in Lorne's mind came to a sudden halt.
Staring at the white tail feather in his palm, he stiffly turned his neck, his gaze filled with horror as he looked toward Athena beneath the tree shade.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
"You mean, The—"
Athena immediately yawned, cutting off Lorne's question, then casually walked toward her chariot.
"What are you talking about? I don't know anything."
Hearing that utterly detached remark, and seeing the slight upward curve at the corner of the wisdom goddess's lips as she fled the scene, the weight hanging in Lorne's heart finally dropped.
Then it hit the ground—
And shattered into eight pieces…
According to genealogical records of the gods, the old sea god Nereus and his family were proficient in the art of transformation, and among his fifty daughters, there was one who was especially skilled in this ability.
—The answer was already obvious.
Lorne looked at the dark red blood spot left by the peck on his fingertip, recalled the silk-like texture of the white seabird's feathers, swallowed deeply once more, and two enormous words surfaced in his mind.
—Finished!
~~ At the same time, white sea foam churned upon the waves.
A nymph who stood amid the surging waters, possessing both a maiden's grace and a noblewoman's poise, glanced at the torn corner of her skirt behind her, then turned her gaze toward Sicily Island, shrouded in sea mist, and her white teeth ground together with a faint crunch.
(End of chapter)