With Poseidon's trial drawing near, the Chief Gods, busy courting and cavorting, made their way into the Great Temple one after another and took their seats in succession.
However, upon seeing the unfamiliar face beside Athena in the Great Hall, several of the gods couldn't help but frown.
"He is Hestia's Lesser Deity, in charge of attending the divine council etings on her behalf. Aunt Hestia has just moved house recently and is busy researching recipes, so she really couldn't spare the ti."
Athena explained with a light smile. Upon hearing this, the gods chuckled knowingly, their previously tense expressions lting away.
Leaving matters to a subordinate while she took it easy—indeed, this seed like sothing the Goddess of the Hearth would do.
Realizing the importance of the present Lesser Deity in Hestia's heart, the assembled gods smiled and nodded subtly at Luo En, showing him faint goodwill.
Luo En reciprocated with a smile, straightened his position as a Lesser Deity, and humbly responded.
Such an understanding and considerate behavior greatly improved the mood of the Chief Gods sitting with him, making the newcor seem more agreeable in their eyes.
After all, their kindness was intended for the Goddess of the Hearth, not for bonding with the Lesser Deity himself.
But Artemis, upon hearing the news, was quite thrilled.
If Luo En could attend the etings on behalf of Aunt Hestia, it ant that her link with this lover would beco more frequent, and they would have more ways to overtly dote on each other.
However, not everyone was pleased.
For a certain god of light and prophecy, Luo En's inclusion was far from welco; although his handso face still held an elegant smile, his eyes brimd with intense distaste.
Aunt has actually delegated her authority to him? To a re Lesser Deity who had just been promoted!
The thought that his highly coveted object of affection valued this fellow before him so highly only aggravated Apollo's irritation.
Fortunately, the babble and chatter among the gods were soon interrupted by the solemn thunderous sound in the Great Temple.
Instantly, the gods quieted down and returned to their places; the hall was silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
However, after waiting for a while, there was still no sign of the King of Olympus presiding over the assembly and announcing the start of the trial.
Even Queen Hera was absent.
Imdiately, a bad premonition arose in the hearts of the gods.
And sure enough, accompanied by a light cough from a corner, Hers, with a pair of dark circles under his eyes, arose from his seat, stepped to the center of the temple, and awkwardly announced.
"The Father God has been preoccupied with so minor matters, hence the trial will be postponed; you may all return for now."
Once these words were spoken, the gods understood the implication, each of them wearing an unsurprised expression as they began to leave the temple in succession.
It did not need asking; His Majesty the King of Gods was undoubtedly out philandering again.
And hearing the rumors, Queen Hera was most likely on her way to catch him in the act.
The much-anticipated grand trial, having turned into such an anticlimactic conclusion, left Luo En feeling rather bemused.
With the figures in the Great Temple gradually thinning out, he also learned of Zeus's affair from the relentless questioning of Hers by a few Chief Gods—Princess Antiope of Thebes.
As night fell, the Chief Gods also left the Great Temple one by one, returning to their respective sanctuaries.
As Hestia's spokesperson, Luo En naturally moved into the temple of the Goddess of the Hearth.
Thanks to Athena, who was in charge and often sent people to look after it, the furnishings inside were clean and tidy, saving Luo En quite a bit of effort.
As soon as he sat down and shut the door, Luo En took out the paper and pen he carried with him from the Magic Circle Diagram and began summarizing and categorizing what he had seen and heard during the day.
This was a good habit he had ford since his school days.
Princess Antiope of Thebes, that makes the seventh, doesn't it?
He wrote down the na on the paper, his eyes thoughtful.
According to the prophecies of fate, Zeus would consecutively unite with twelve mortal lovers, siring demigod children, letting his bloodline rule the nations of the earth and secure his kingship.
In order, they are:
First, infatuated with the heifer Io, fathering Epaphus, who ruled over Egypt;
Second, transford into a bull to abduct Europa, fathering Radamanthys and Minos, who presided over the islands of Crete;
Third, Pluto, the supre bride of the ruler of Olympus;
Fourth, beca a shower of gold to beco Danae's consort, fathering the demigod hero Perseus;
Fifth, entered into a fiery marriage with Sele, begetting the God of Wine, Dionysus;
Sixth, taking the form of a Divine Eagle to seduce Aegina, fathering Aeacus, judge of the Netherworld and the original grandfather of the great hero Achilles;
Seventh, disguised as the woodland satyr to possess Antiope, fathering two sons, Amphion and Zethus;
Eighth, transford into a swan to possess Leda, fathering the famously beautiful Helen;
Ninth, changed into a noble stallion to pursue Dia;
Tenth, blessed Alcne with three days and nights, fathering the great hero Hercules;
Eleventh, took Laodamia as his bride, fathering Sarpedon, who beca the king of Lycia and a staunch ally of the Trojans in the Trojan War;
Twelfth, beguiled Olympias, siring Alexander the Great...
The reason he was concerned about these was that, based on the clues above, Luo En could roughly estimate the sequence of developnts.
As it stood, the world of the gods was still in the early days of humans and gods coexisting, and a long ti remained before the events he was familiar with like "The Quest of the Argonauts," "The Twelve Labours," "The Calydonian Boar Hunt," "The Trojan War," and so on would take place.
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