"What do you plan to do? Why not tell me first?"
Just as Lorne and King Minos secretly reached a certain agreement, a snow-white owl dove from the horizon, nimbly flying into the great hall and transforming into the figure of the goddess of wisdom.
From the somewhat gloomy expression in her eyes, this trip to Olympus seeking aid had most likely been fruitless again.
Otherwise, this proud goddess who prided herself on unmatched wisdom wouldn't proactively ask Lorne for his plan, after hearing only fragments,
To this, Lorne did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at Athena and asked meaningfully.
"First, a question: Why must we hold Crete?"
Athena frowned, thought for a moment, then answered seriously.
"Because this is the foundation of the Minoans, my most important territory."
"Then can you hold it?"
Lorne stared straight into Athena's bright eyes, asking a rather heart-piercing question in front of King Minos.
The goddess of wisdom fell silent for a long time.
Finally, the light in her eyes dimmed as she shook her head and let out a long sigh.
"No..."
The current situation on Crete had already deteriorated beyond salvage.
The Minoans faced not only the overlord of the Oceanus sea and his armies, but also the biased father god atop Mount Olympus.
Even though Athena prided herself on infinite wisdom, without pieces to play, reversing the board was difficult.
Proud as she was, she didn't want to admit this outcome...but facts were facts, undeniable.
Especially not hidden from this little guy before her who was nearly as clever as she.
Now, having received the definite answer, Lorne spoke leisurely.
"Since we can't hold it, why not take a step back?"
"You want me to flee?"
In an instant, Athena was provoked, sharp momentum exploding from her bright eyes.
She was the war goddess who wielded victory; no matter the enemy, she had never timidly fled before.
"No, no, I said 'retreat,' not 'flee.' That's different."
Lorne waved his hand, earnestly emphasizing his words..however, the Goddess of wisdom scoffed at this, her bright eyes flashing.
"Don't play word games with me. Today retreat from the coastal defenses, tomorrow from Knossos city, then from Crete entirely.
Once we collapse, the ocean gods can immediately press in.
Under Atlantis's pressure, the Minoans have no way to retake lost ground.
If that's not fleeing, what is? Strategic transfer?"
Retreats came in two kinds: orderly withdrawal preserved vital forces—strategic shift.
Disorderly retreat was rout, or flight.
As a war goddess, Athena was naturally intimately familiar with these.
Really Proud...oh well.
Seeing the competitive Athena so averse to the topic, Lorne helplessly raised his hands in surrender, switching to another approach.
"Fine, fine, let's start with a new topic. If Poseidon conquers Crete, what's his next step?"
"Use Crete as a springboard to conquer Greek city-states, erode earth's divine authority."
"Then?"
"Accumulate power, prepare to seize Olympus's supreme throne."
Athena answered without hesitation; she had already simulated these possibilities countless times in her mind.
Lorne nodded, continuing.
"Then do you think His Majesty the God-King will give him that chance?"
"No!"
Athena shook her head firmly, and based on her understanding of that father god, gave the most likely analysis.
"He'll strangle the danger in the cradle first!"
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lorne's face.
"Then it's obvious. Poseidon's ultimate goal is to covet Olympus's supreme throne; the God-King's goal is to eliminate all unstable factors threatening his rule.
This seems to have nothing to do with us? Since that's the case, why not take a step back?"
In a flash, Athena's bright eyes lit up, and a thoughtful expression emerged on her face.
"You mean..."
"Clear the stage—let them put on their own show!"
At this moment, Lorne revealed his dagger, eyes filled with malicious gloom.
"You want to drag Father into the field, make him deal with my uncle?"
Athena was immediately tempted, but after serious thought, shook her head again.
"You're thinking too simply.
Father won't enter the field so easily."
"Not necessarily!"
Lorne smiled indifferently, lips hooking in pleasure.
"As long as Crete loses miserably enough, Atlantis grows strong enough, do you think His Majesty the God-King can sit still?"
"..."
Athena's brows furrowed tightly, complex thoughts swirling in her mind; she didn't speak for a long time.
Lorne remained unconcerned, and continued.
"As long as he effortlessly sweeps Crete, pulls out this thorn in his side, opens the Oceanus gate to the mainland, the ocean's divine authority will unprecedentedly swell.
Even losing half his paternal authority, Poseidon might still have the ability to covet that throne. So, do you think His Majesty will wait until that moment?"
"No!"
This time, Athena's answer was firm and clear.
Recalling her devoured mother goddess, a deep chill flickered in her bright eyes as she gave the same answer as before.
"He'll strangle all dangers in the cradle!"
"And... better kill wrong than let go..."
Lorne added with a sneer, similarly recalling that night's sky-filling thunder and the other "self" who died at birth.
At this moment, Athena fully understood his true intent.
"So you want me to abandon Crete, choose to yield?"
"Not just retreat, but retreat miserably and tragically!"
As he spoke, deep mockery appeared on Lorne's face.
"Since His Majesty the God-King wants to use Poseidon's hand to weaken your power, let's grant his wish. We'll thoroughly lose once...and clear the confrontation stage for those two brothers."
"Father god isn't that easy to deceive..." Athena still harbored some doubts about the plan's feasibility.
Lorne sighed, and spoke in a low voice. "So, we need a truly devastating defeat, and a sacrifice weighty enough."
Athena pursed her lips, her expression equally gloomy.
"Weighty enough... that no one would doubt the authenticity of this tragic loss..."
At the same time, four gazes turned toward the elder in the hall, revealing complex emotions.
"So that's why you need my half-life—for this?" Under the near-explicit explanation, King Minos immediately understood his true role, then burst into hearty laughter. "To drag both main gods into the field at once, this deal is worth it!"
"More than that!"
Seeing the old man's resolute attitude, Lorne couldn't help adding, revealing the secret he knew.
"In recent years, I've heard His Majesty the God-King has been trying to locate Atlantis. After all, those are the old humans who survived the great flood. With them around, how could His Majesty sleep soundly?
So, I suspect this game isn't just to weaken Crete, it's to give His Majesty a legitimate reason to strike Atlantis!"
Then, Lorne paused for a while as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"In other words, the better Poseidon and his Atlantean forces perform, the more dominant they are, the closer they get to destruction!"
If he remembered correctly, in myth, Atlantis's destruction was because God-King Zeus deemed the Atlanteans too arrogant, irreverent to gods, even wanting to rule the world—thus triggering an earthquake that sank the entire continent.
Coincidentally, Atlantis's sinking and the Minoan civilization's decline were very close in time.
Fishing enforcement, who can't do that?
Now, hearing Lorne's assurance, King Minos, who had endured humiliation most of his life, and dreamt of making Poseidon stumble hard...beamed, and his mood incredibly elated.
"Good, good, good! Using one of me to trade for all three sides, even better deal!"
But hearing that breaking the deadlock required such a tragic price, Athena felt some reluctance.
"But this is the Minoans' root..."
King Minos waved his hand.
Having seen through life and death, he seemed more carefree.
"Lady Goddess, we come from dust and return to dust. As long as there's a place to stand, anywhere can become our root. People aren't as fragile as you think, with water, food, a patch of land, we can live.
Cities lost can be rebuilt; sacred fire extinguished can be relit. As long as people remain, after generations, we might recreate Crete's glory.
And then, on new lands, they will still cast statues for you, kindle flames of faith!"
Gazing at that stooped, twilight figure making this devout and sincere vow, Athena, as the great mother goddess of the Minoans, couldn't help being moved.
Then, King Minos turned to the successor he personally chose, and spoke with a serious expression.
"I'll cooperate unconditionally, but I have two requests."
"Speak." Lorne pricked his ears, listening respectfully.
"First, my people are innocent.
They shouldn't rot on the seabed because of my vengefulness.
The new seeds need them to sow..."
"Rest assured, I've planned it. Before then, I'll transfer Crete's vital forces out in batches as much as possible."
Hearing Lorne's firm promise, King Minos's expression grew more gratified.
"Second, Crete's glory was forged by my hands, if destroyed, it must be by mine! Poseidon wants to conquer Crete, conquer Minoans...impossible! Even if he sets foot here, he'll get nothing... except my corpse!"
"Naturally! No one can seize Crete's glory from you, not even gods!"
Lorne agreed without hesitation; these were issues he'd already considered.
Unfortunately, like King Minos, he deeply loathed that sea king.
Not only because this guy was arrogant and his army even wanted to kill him...but because this bastard coveted his Anna..
Just thinking about what he did to Medusa in the original myth made his blood boil.
Although his balls have been bitten and devoured, that was not enough.
The inherently petty-minded Lorne wanted him to suffer.
Since forced to the point of cutting off one's arm, how could he let the instigator Poseidon gain any advantage?
Athena, silent for long on the side, finally couldn't help reminding.
"Aren't you two a bit too confident? Think your private schemes can escape gods' perception?
If you just self-destruct, they'll definitely spot the setup..."
"Indeed, divinity differs from divinity.
If not the ocean system acting personally, it's easy to arouse suspicion."
Lorne nodded in agreement, but then spread his palm, a pleased smile emerging on his face.
"But what if... we add this?"
In an instant, a mass of azure light appeared in his hand, illuminating the entire palace hall, gentle as water, profound as sea.
Ocean divinity!
And incredibly pure, very close to Poseidon's own ocean divinity!
In a flash, Athena and King Minos stared at each other, unable to hide shock in their eyes.
Even their gazes toward Lorne carried traces of strangeness.
Could it be... there's a traitor among us?
(End of Chapter)