anwhile, on War God Mountain.
A shadowy figure appeared stealthily in front of the Great Temple, occasionally poking its head out to peer inside.
Athena, who was reading a scroll under the fluorite lamp, looked up and glanced at the familiar figure in the darkness, sighing helplessly.
"Auntie, if you have sothing to say, just co in. Nobody is stopping you."
Upon hearing this, Hestia outside chuckled awkwardly and slipped into the empty Great Temple. After hesitating for a mont, she began to speak in a stumbling manner.
"Athena, may I make a small suggestion?"
"What is it?"
"Can't you be gentler with him instead of being so harsh every ti?"
Athena closed the scroll in her hand, looking at the Goddess of the Hearth before her with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"What, are you feeling pity for him?"
"After all, he is my Lesser Deity, and he hasn't committed any unforgivable sins. A small reprimand would be enough, but every ti you find an opportunity, you beat him so badly that he can't get out of bed. I'm beginning to suspect that you're intentionally targeting him."
"That's right, I am intentionally targeting him."
Athena pushed the scroll to one side, surprisingly not hiding her agreent.
At these words, Hestia's face showed utter astonishnt.
"Why?"
"If he were just an ordinary Demigod, then beca a common Lesser Deity, content to live calmly under your protection and mine, of course, I would not deliberately do these things."
Athena spoke lightly, her profound purple eyes shimring in the lamp's glow.
"Unfortunately, he is not..."
"I don't quite understand what you an."
Hestia, as if in a fog, scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.
Athena rolled her eyes at her aunt, huffing in annoyance.
"You don't really believe that he's just so distant relative of Ares's bloodline, do you?"
"Isn't he?"
"Could a common relative effortlessly contain the Divine Incarnation of Crete Island? Could a common relative single-handedly defeat two Gorgon Demons who have absorbed the Divinity of the old God of the Sea, Pontos? Could a common relative match my strength as a deity for a hundred moves without defeat? Even Ares himself couldn't achieve this level; how could it be re talent possessed by an ordinary Demigod."
Upon hearing those aningful reminders, Hestia suddenly realized a possibility, murmuring dryly.
"You an... the bloodline of the Divine King!"
"What else?"
Athena looked at her slow-witted aunt, scoffing and shaking her head.
"His little tricks can probably only deceive you completely,"
Feeling teased by her niece, Hestia beca annoyed, "Why have you never ntioned this before?"
"It's because he didn't want to."
Athena spread her hands innocently, her face calm.
"Since he has concerns about his identity, why should I needlessly complicate things? There are so things that are better left unsaid, even when they are well understood."
Then, a cunning and mischievous smile flashed in the eyes of the Goddess of Wisdom.
"Besides, isn't it quite amusing to watch him wrack his brains daily, coming up with all sorts of reasons to evade ?"
"..."
Seeing her niece's sly and malicious smile under the fluorite lamp, Hestia felt a chill wash over her and cautiously inquired.
"So, when did you find out about this?"
"Probably after the battle for Crete Island."
Athena yawned, speaking casually.
"His performance and talents were too outstanding, far beyond that of an ordinary Demigod. He was too conspicuous, not knowing at all how to hide his incompetence, and he also gave a sense of déjà vu..."
Hestia was slightly startled upon hearing this.
"A sense of déjà vu?"
"Ahem, sothing like that - perhaps a resonance between the bloodlines of the Divine King."
Athena vaguely agreed with a glint in her purple eyes.
If before the battle of Crete Island she only had suspicions and feelings, then after the battle, the Great Sacrifice of the "Bull," the visit of the Great Enchantress Circe from Aiaia, and the ambiguous relationship between the Goddess Hecate and that young man, had virtually confird the real identity of a certain scoundrel.
However, these matters involved more complexities than Athena deed wise to explain to her aunt Hestia.
After hearing Athena's evasive answer, Hestia was not satisfied.
"Even if he has the blood of the Divine King, Zeus has left behind many children; there's no need for you to single him out, is there?"
"I do have quite a few siblings, but not many of them would sche against the King of Gods and the deities of Olympus as he has!"
"?"
Hestia was puzzled upon hearing this.
Athena gave her still confused aunt a aningful look, huffing coldly.
"Just because I haven't said anything doesn't an he hasn't done anything behind our backs, and it also doesn't an I'm not aware of his little maneuverings:
In the last battle, I lost Crete Island, Poseidon lost Atlantis, and not only did he establish his own sect on my territory and ascend to godhood, but he also accumulated two incarnations containing the divinity of both the sea and the earth;
A single hunting trip in Arcadia resulted in Hers losing his son;
Looking after Apollo's nine Muses ended up with them in the beds of War God Mountain;
A visit on behalf of Asclepius saw the Graces under the command of Aphrodite changing hands;
Even the reclusive Goddess of mory and the Goddess of Justice ca to Athens on his behalf to support him;
…
"In every single instance involving him, others suffer heavy losses, while he ends up profiting handsoly. Once might be a coincidence, but every ti?"
Listening to Athena's quiet rhetorical question, Hestia pondered on it and a fine sweat beaded on her forehead.
But the long-standing trust made her unable to refrain from offering a hesitant defense.
"Isn't he doing this for your sake, for the sake of Athens?"
"Did you ask the Three Graces to be your Lesser Deities? Did I ask him to kidnap a bunch of Lesser Deities, including the two Titan Goddesses, and bring them up the mountain?"
Athena glanced at her aunt who kept defending her own Lesser Deity and scoffed.
"Don't treat him like so harmless little bunny; his actions are not solely for my sake."
"Where's your evidence?"
"None."
Upon hearing this, Hestia perked up imdiately.
"All this fuss, and it turns out they're just your suspicions and guesses."
"That's enough!"
Athena's cold snort cut off Hestia's attempt to plead further, her deep, abyssal purple eyes flickering with a hidden glow.
"He may have concealed his tracks well, not giving any solid evidence to catch him. But in the world of the gods, his little cleverness can't protect him forever!
Many things don't need evidence; it doesn't matter whether he did or didn't leave traces, but what the more powerful party thinks!
This was the very lesson he had taught King Minos, but he forgot it himself!
Just a bit of wariness caused King Minos to go to his death and the Minosians almost got exterminated.
If His Majesty the King of Gods starts to suspect him and pays attention to such an unruly son, do you think he would still be alive up until now?
Do you know how much trouble his little antics and all the Deities gathering on War God Mountain have caused ?
If it weren't for the fact that he's still under your banner and that I draw most of the attention in Olympus, his end might not be much better than Asclepius'!"
Listening to Athena's relentless enuration of faults, Hestia initially felt a bit scared, but as she heard the last part, the Goddess of the Hearth relaxed, hugging her niece's arm and swaying cheerfully.
"So, after all this, you do care about him!"
The serious Goddess of Wisdom paused slightly, suddenly realizing that she had inadvertently revealed her true thoughts.
But being as proud as she was, she refused to admit it and just held her head high with a humph.
"I simply don't want his self-righteous cleverness to catch my Father God's attention and consequently ruin my big plans!"
"And yet, didn't you just say he has ulterior motives?" Hestia retorted with a grin.
"It doesn't matter. Since I choose to trust him, I'm not afraid of his hidden scheming," Athena said confidently. "Let him try whatever he wants, even if he dares to vie for the throne of Olympus. As his sister, I will give him that chance."
But abruptly, the Goddess of Wisdom's tone changed, cracking her knuckles and smirking coldly.
"If he can't even fool my eyes with his usual antics, and his power isn't enough to defeat , what right does he have to fool the gods and challenge the Almighty Father of Olympus?
Without strength, no amount of scheming is presentable. If he relies solely on his cleverness, when a real crisis cos, he'll just be at on the chopping board."
Hestia nodded thoughtfully after listening.
"So, you beat him up for his own good?"
"It's better to suffer a bit under my hand and restrain that self-righteous cleverness than to be caught red-handed and die without a grave!" Athena declared righteously, inadvertently touching her protruding knuckles.
Of course, part of it was also because she felt itchy for a fight...
At that mont, Hestia too got spirited, flailing her small fists, ready to share Athena's enemy.
"That's right! Beat him up! He deserves it! Next ti, rember to call to join you!"
However, Athena looked aningfully at her aunt upon hearing this.
"Is that all? He has kept quite a bit from you."
"If you're not bothered, why should I be? He'll tell what he wants to when he's ready."
Hestia giggled bashfully, then looked up at the starry skies between which lay the sacred Olympus, her eyes brimming with clarity and resolve.
"Moreover, no matter what he's thinking or what he's doing, I believe that he will make this world a better place!"
Athena looked solemnly at the Hestia beside her. After a long ti, she let out a weary sigh, her lips moving soundlessly.
So, I had lost here before...
Hestia, who was gazing at the stars, felt a voice and turned back in surprise to look at her grandniece.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Athena straightened her face and waved off.
"Aunt, we've talked enough for today. If you have no other matters, go rest. I have to get busy tonight working on implenting those ideas he ntioned. Really, he only gave a rough outline, and left all the rest to . Who's working for whom here?"
As her niece's complaints faded inside the sealed temple door, Hestia, shoved out onto the plaza, furrowed her brows.
Always being bullied isn't the way; perhaps...
The Goddess of the Hearth pondered for a long ti, then gazed into the moonlight at the brilliant glow in her palm marked with fla patterns.
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