The moment Circe saw the Goddess of the Underworld Moon, she immediately shrank her neck and moved sideways in a flash, hiding behind Lorne, tightly grabbing one of his arms and pushing him forward as a human shield before daring to reply loudly.
"Aeaea Island is boring to death. I refuse to go back!"
As the direct disciple of Hecate, the great witch of the Moon and Love, Circe was not only the ruler of Aeaea Island, but also had the duty of guarding the boundary between life and death there and guiding the souls of the dead who died at sea.
However, after doing that for hundreds of years, Circe had grown tired of it.
Especially after a certain senior disciple ran away, the days on the island became more boring and unbearable day by day.
So not long ago, she used the excuse of traveling and simply quit her duties, then brought her new disciple, this little niece with her and slipped away to human city-states to enjoy herself.
As a result, the souls of the dead at sea were left without guidance, throwing the balance of life and death into disorder.
So Hecate had traveled all the way to Athens specifically to arrest this foolish bird and bring her back?
Lorne glanced at the Underworld Moon Goddess whose expression was clearly displeased and suddenly understood.
He immediately pulled his arm forcefully out of a certain flat "steel plate," pushed the real culprit Circe to the front without hesitation, and stepped aside with the confused little Medea.
The smoothness of that operation perfectly demonstrated the fine tradition of mutual affection between master and disciple on Aeaea Island.
Seeing the rebellious disciple pushed right in front of her, Hecate acted decisively and grabbed one of Circe's eagle wings from behind, dragging her over, coldly extinguishing the small spark of rebellion in her heart.
"You think you can just stop working? That is not up to you!"
"Guiding the souls of the dead at sea is just my part-time job, part-time! If something is wrong, go find the God of Death Thanatos first. Why are you arresting me?"
The helpless Circe waved her fists in protest while cursing her unreliable disciples in her heart.
"He has been captured too. He cannot come..."
"Ha?"
Hearing this, not only Circe, but even Lorne and Astraea looked at each other in confusion.
Seeing the expressions of disbelief on everyone's faces, Hecate sighed helplessly and explained the reason why she had left the Underworld and come to the surface.
"It is true. I am not lying to you. Thanatos has been missing for quite a long time. If the number of deaths and the number of souls arriving in the Underworld had not been seriously mismatched, we would not have discovered the problem.
According to the last piece of information we received, he seems to have been placed under some form of house arrest in a place from which he cannot escape.
So Hades entrusted me to come up here, investigate the situation, and restore the order between life and death."
After hearing Hecate's explanation, Lorne and Astraea, who had come with her, suddenly understood.
Only now did they realize why Hecate had been so secretive about the purpose of her trip.
After all, the chaos in the Underworld was not only strange but also somewhat embarrassing to talk about.
Because the God of Death being kidnapped was honestly rather humiliating.
After figuring out the whole story, Circe became even more depressed.
"Then go find Thanatos. Why are you arresting me?"
"I do not have any clues for the moment, so I thought I would first find someone to temporarily fill the position and deal with the emergency."
"..."
Looking at her teacher, who spoke as if this were the most natural thing in the world, Circe suddenly found herself speechless.
However, her eyes quickly rolled, and she suddenly came up with a brilliant idea as she raised her hand and pointed behind her.
"Then how about him? This is my most outstanding disciple! He can definitely shoulder the responsibility!"
"..."
Lorne looked at his good teacher, who had just casually sold him out, with the same speechless expression and secretly complained in his heart.
Look at this.
This is the harmonious teacher and student relationship on Aeaea Island.
When nothing happens, everything is fine, but the moment a problem appears, everyone is faster than the other when it comes to selling out their disciples.
However, regarding Circe's proposal, Hecate merely glanced meaningfully at a certain grand disciple before calmly shaking her head in refusal.
"Death is not a simple, single concept. It is a part of Fate. Not only must it be governed by the Three Fates and interpret the prophecies of the Loom of Fate, but it must also make use of divine authority related to death to guide souls and maintain the balance between life and death. Not just anyone has the qualifications for this..."
Death is governed by Fate?
Hearing Hecate's meaningful explanation, Lorne immediately understood that this was secret knowledge meant specifically for him, and his heart tightened.
Sure enough, Hecate, who represents Chance, and the Three Fates, who represent Necessity, had always been engaged in open and secret struggles.
And from the current situation, the Three Fates had completely gained the upper hand.
Their authority had already extended into the Underworld, and even Thanatos, the God of Death who originally belonged under Hecate's command, was about to be taken away.
It was precisely because the Three Fates were paying attention to Death that Lorne, as a variable, naturally could not take over Thanatos' divine authority.
Instead, he should keep a certain distance from this matter.
"He cannot do it? Then we will change to another one!"
At this moment, the still unwilling Circe saw that she could not sell one disciple, so she immediately turned her gaze to another and enthusiastically promoted her to Hecate.
"This one is Medea, my brother's daughter. She has the same blood flowing through her veins as I do.
Her talent is extraordinary, and she will definitely become a rare witch in the future. Why not choose her?
There will definitely be no problem!"
Hecate looked at the second young grand disciple in front of her.
Her gaze passed over the small hand tightly gripping the corner of Lorne's clothes, and a trace of special interest appeared in her purple eyes.
"That could work, but she is still too young. Let us wait until later."
Feeling the four gazes falling upon her, little Medea instinctively shrank behind Lorne.
Although she was still young and had not fully understood what Hecate and Circe were saying, her instincts told her that the two people in front of her seemed to be plotting something not very good for her.
In comparison, this senior brother she had just met made her feel much safer.
Lorne rubbed little Medea's head, glared at the two dirty adults opposite him with a dark expression, and secretly complained in his heart.
'I was wondering how Medea, a witch who was betrayed by others, could later become the Queen who ruled the Underworld and controlled the Elysian Fields, the Greek paradise.
So it turns out that the two of you heartless elders dragged her over to work!'
Maybe it was precisely because of this future appointment that Medea was targeted by the Three Fates and arranged to have such a tragic ending!
Sure enough, the teacher and student relationship on Aeaea Island could be summarized in one word: a trap!
Lorne once again sighed with complicated emotions before speaking to interrupt the pushing and shirking between Hecate and Circe about who should take the position.
"Forget it. Stop tossing this around. Even if you drag Circe back, it will only solve the problem temporarily. Besides, she is not someone without legs. If she runs away, it will be a complete waste of effort."
As he spoke, Lorne's gaze flickered.
His eyes passed over the thoughtful Hecate and looked toward the east of the Peloponnese Peninsula as he spoke quietly.
"Why not go to Corinth and take a look? You might discover something unexpected."
Hearing that meaningful whisper, Hecate immediately associated it with certain matters.
It seemed that not long ago, Thanatos had received a private assignment from Zeus through the Three Fates.
Because of some reason, that petty King of the Gods wanted to use cruel death to punish a whistleblower who had displeased him.
Could it be in Corinth?
Hecate glanced at Lorne, who looked certain, and a thoughtful expression appeared in her eyes before she nodded with a smile.
"Very well. I will first go to Corinth and have a look. I will leave her with you for now."
With that, the Goddess of the Underworld Moon released her struggling disciple and threw her toward the grand disciple in front of her, reminding him faintly.
"Someone always has to clean up the mess. If she runs away..."
Hecate's subtle gaze swept across Lorne and little Medea, the implication obvious.
"Do not worry. This trip will definitely produce results!"
Lorne promised confidently as he watched Hecate's figure fade and disappear, silently making the sign of the cross in his heart.
Sisyphus, founder of Corinth, right?
Brother, take care.
(End of the Chapter)