She was an elegant noblewoman, her features carrying an air of intellect and harmony.
Ash-blonde hair fell loosely over her shoulders. A white robe draped loosely on her body, never deliberately accentuating her feminine softness or curves.
From afar, the woman who never let go of her books looked more like a scholar than a goddess.
"You were supposed to be on Olympus. Why have you come to my temple?"
Her calm voice echoed through the hall, and her deep, azure eyes swept over her daughters, brows furrowing slightly.
"And why has even your aura changed?"
Hearing those words, the Muses let out a collective sigh of relief.
Clearly, their mother had not intentionally shut them out.
With that confirmation, the Muses steadied themselves and bravely recounted everything that had happened on their journey to their mother, the goddess of memory, Mnemosyne.
After listening to her daughters' chattering account, even the usually tranquil Mnemosyne could not help but change expression.
"You have severed ties with Apollo?"
"It's because he went too far!"
Erato waved her fists, complaining indignantly.
The other Muses nodded vigorously in agreement.
Looking at her hot-blooded daughters, Mnemosyne closed her book and asked expressionlessly.
"It seems you are not afraid of Apollo's retaliation?"
"No… we're not afraid…"
The Muses braced themselves and answered under their mother's displeased tone.
"Then why come to me? By the oath of the Styx, we Titans cannot easily interfere in Olympus's affairs."
Mnemosyne's voice remained calm as she gazed deeply at her daughters and continued.
"So, shall I find you a satisfactory new master god to serve? The jealous Hera? The slippery Hermes? The hot-tempered Ares? Hephaestus, who only knows how to forge? Or Athena, who can barely protect herself these days?"
Clearly, Mnemosyne was not ignorant of what was happening on Olympus; she had simply never spoken of it.
Under their mother's blank-faced questioning, the Muses fell completely silent.
They knew better than anyone that, among the twelve Olympian gods, Apollo had actually been the best choice at the time.
To make sure that the God of Light would treat them well and not force them into things they did not want, their mother Mnemosyne had even divided part of the Oracle authority from her own domains of memory and language and given it to Apollo.
Yet after so many peaceful years, a single impulse had ruined everything.
If only they had known…
"This is not their fault!"
Just as regret and confusion began to drown the Muses' hearts, a firm voice rang out as Lorne stepped forward and spoke righteously.
"The whole matter started because of me, so I am willing to bear full responsibility!"
Seeing the tall figure shielding them, hearing that solemn promise, the Muses' hearts melted with warmth.
Lord Dionysus… he really…
But unlike her entranced daughters, Mnemosyne looked at the arrogant young god and gave a scornful laugh.
"You? What can you possibly do?"
"I can persuade Apollo to keep the secret…"
That meaningful remark instantly piqued Mnemosyne's interest, and she raised an eyebrow.
Seeing the opening, Lorne pressed his advantage and laid out his plan.
"Being abandoned by one's own subordinate gods is hardly an honorable thing.
Fortunately, the only witnesses were myself, the nine Muses, and Apollo. Given the God of Light's personality, he will definitely not want to publicize his own disgrace, especially since he was in the wrong first…"
The Muses nodded in agreement.
Lorne continued smoothly.
"In theory, as long as the Muses and I never speak of it, no one will easily find out. On the surface, the Muses will still be Apollo's subordinate goddesses. The other gods on Olympus, knowing nothing, will not rashly disrupt the balance."
After hearing the plan, the Muses felt enlightened, and the problem suddenly seemed far less severe than they had imagined.
But the goddess of memory behind the desk saw the flaw at once.
"Will Apollo agree?"
"I am the one least affected by this incident. The one who needs the secret kept is him, and keeping a secret always comes at a price. If he does not want the whole of Olympus to know that he, a chief god, was abandoned by his own subordinate goddesses, he will know what to do."
Lorne met Mnemosyne's gaze and smiled, then added,
"Besides, I have always had a good relationship with Lady Artemis. I will ask the Huntress to speak to her brother. After all, the competition among the gods is fierce, and he has already offended many. He probably does not want his recent loss of power to make things even harder for the siblings on Olympus, does he?"
Mnemosyne listened carefully, then gave a small nod.
What he said was true.
Under the coercion of a villain, agreeing to keep a mutual secret and pretend nothing happened was beneficial to everyone.
But the problem was—
"Aren't you afraid he will hate you to the bone?"
Mnemosyne looked at the newly ascended god and asked softly.
She knew the temperament of Greek deities far too well.
Even if they swallowed their anger for now, they would never truly let it go.
By forcing Apollo to swallow his teeth and blood, her daughters might escape blame, but this young man would become the target of the God of Light's undying hatred.
As if he didn't hate me before.
Whether it was because of his ego, because of Hestia, or even his lover Artemis… there was probably no one in the world Apollo wanted to kill more than him.
But hate is all you can do, Lord Apollo. This impotent hatred.
Lorne straightened his chest, expression calm.
"If Apollo wants to pursue the matter, let him come to me."
Then he turned to the Muses behind him and gave them a warm smile.
"Besides, I promised I would take good care of them. This is my responsibility…"
Lord Dionysus!
Hearing that solemn vow and seeing such unquestionable responsibility, the emotional Muses' eyes turned red.
At this moment, they wanted nothing more than to throw themselves into his arms.
Even the usually aloof Mnemosyne looked at the young god with a touch more softness.
Still, having survived the Titanomachy, she retained her reason.
"Very well. You may proceed. The girls will stay in my temple for now. Once everything is settled, I will send them back to Olympus."
Then, with the gaze of a mother-in-law evaluating her son-in-law, she carefully studied Lorne and smiled.
"At that time, they will probably still need your care."
Clearly, from everyone's reactions, she had already guessed a few things.
"I will do everything in my power!"
Lorne gave his usual solemn promise, face unchanged, while secretly complaining in his heart.
Such pretty words, yet she's still the type who won't release the hawk until she sees the rabbit?
In short, she was only agreeing to let him test the waters, resolve the trouble for her daughters, and conveniently draw Apollo's hatred.
As for what came after… they could talk about it later.
Understanding Mnemosyne's intention, Lorne was not flustered.
Instead, he smiled, took two books from his magic array, and placed them on the table with an embarrassed laugh.
"Your Highness, the journey was rushed, so I did not prepare any proper gifts…"
As the goddess of memory, she was naturally drawn to books.
Before he could finish, Mnemosyne had already opened the ancient covers and begun reading.
The elegant, magnificent sentences and sweeping descriptions made her eyes sparkle as she flipped the pages rapidly, completely immersed in the joy of reading.
But the pleasure did not last long.
Both books ended far too soon.
"What happens next?" Mnemosyne stared at the large blank spaces, feeling as if something was stuck in her throat and asked urgently. "What next?"
"It's… finished…" Lorne spread his hands innocently.
"Finished?" The goddess of memory nearly went mad.
She wanted to grab the irresponsible author and beat him senseless. "Who wrote this? Why didn't they finish it?!"
Lorne coughed lightly and pointed at himself and the Muses beside him with a helpless smile.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. If you want to wait for us to complete the manuscripts… it may still take some time."
"You?"
Hearing the unexpected answer, Mnemosyne looked in astonishment at the half-finished Theogony and Holy Words in her hands.
Lorne nodded slightly, playing the helpless role to perfection, quietly waiting for her to make an offer.
You want me to draw Apollo's hatred and solve your daughters' problem?
Then you should at least give me something real in return, madam.
Those sly purple eyes flashed.
His invisible gaze lingered on Mnemosyne for a moment, carrying deep meaning.
In the Orphic tradition that would later become the Dionysian cult, Mnemosyne was one of the most important deities.
Because memory held special and fundamental significance for Orphic initiates, not ordinary memory, but the memory of humanity's true origin and existential conditions.
The memory that humans carry a part of the Titan within them, concealing their divine origin and cosmic birth, as the Petelia tablet says:
"Tell them: 'I am the child of Earth and starry Heaven, I am of divine lineage. You yourselves know this.'"
That memory was the true, necessary one that could save the soul.
In the Dionysian faith, humans were born from the ashes of the Titans and thus possessed divinity from birth.
They did not need to toil for the gods.
If he wanted to implant such blasphemous ideas deep into human souls and make them a reality, he would need the authority of the goddess of memory.
Legend said Mnemosyne guarded two sacred springs.
One of them could allow the soul to retain eternal knowledge and memory, so that all the dead would be born unyielding and die undying.
Therefore, whether it was the nine Muses who rewrote history, or the goddess of memory who controlled the sacred spring—
He wanted all of them!
After a long internal struggle, Mnemosyne finally looked at the two manuscripts clutched tightly in her hands and made her decision.
"Very well. Stay here for a few days. I will forge the Crown of Inspiration for you right here!"
Although she could not let her daughters go out and take risks for safety's sake, granting this outstanding author a portion of each Muse's divinity so he could continue these monumental works was perfectly acceptable.
Hearing Mnemosyne's promise, the wolf in sheep's clothing continued to play the harmless little rabbit and gave a bright, sincere smile.
"Yes, I will follow your wishes!"
The Muses beside him were overjoyed.
Their eyes sparkled with excitement.
Forging the Crown of Inspiration required using their divinity, which meant their mother had already tacitly approved their bond with Lord Dionysus and allowed them to grow closer.
Having figured this out, the Muses cheered and swarmed forward.
They grabbed his arms, tugged his sleeves, and eagerly dragged the "upright" and "noble" God of Wine off to tour the entire Temple of Memory, chattering nonstop about every treasured volume along the way.
These little brats…
Watching the once-crowded hall empty out and fall silent again, Mnemosyne shook her head.
She reached out and reopened the two books on the desk, reading them once more with lingering enjoyment.
A gentle breeze passed through the hall, lifting one loose shoulder strap from her flawless skin and revealing delicate collarbones and a flawless white arm.