The Cretan Mountains.
The reins pulled tight and the two sprinting long-antlered deer came to a halt.
Feathers fluttered to the ground and a group of soaring owls transformed into human form.
"Say it—"
"—How are we competing?"
One goddess held a spear, the other drew a bow.
From a distance, they exchanged alternating smiles, their gazes clashing midair like sparks and lightning, both locking onto the figure standing between them.
And at this moment, the newly-appointed referee in the middle couldn't help but break into a sweat, like a tiny boat swaying between two colossal waves.
With how practiced this whole setup felt, he finally understood that these two seemingly harmonious virgin goddesses were, behind the scenes, locked in constant competition, secretly unwilling to yield to one another.
As the tension between them grew thicker and they began walking step by step toward him, Lorne, afraid they'd start a fight and he'd be caught in the crossfire, had no choice but to brace himself as he raised his right hand, took on the role of referee and carefully suggested:
"Alright then, since it's a hunting contest, how about… we compare who brings back more prey?"
"Agreed," Athena replied calmly with a nod.
"No problem!" Artemis said, full of confidence.
Having received their approval, Lorne gained a bit of courage, so, he cleared his throat and added solemnly:
"However, since the types and quantity of prey during a hunt can vary, making it hard to compare precisely, the final result will be based on total weight of the prey each of you captures. Whoever brings back the heaviest total wins!"
The two goddesses, who had just been "gazing passionately" at each other in the clearing, were briefly stunned when they heard the additional rule. In unison, they turned their eyes to the referee who had just declared it.
Weight-based?
Interesting...
Artemis raised her eyebrows, a hint of unexpected amusement rising on her face.
Athena, standing to the side, seemed thoughtful as she glanced meaningfully at the Victory Spear in her hand.
Seeing that neither of the goddesses had objections to the newly added rule, Lorne couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.
From the moment they left Knossos and headed to the Cretan Mountains, he'd been racking his brain trying to figure out how to break free from this increasingly dangerous situation.
After countless rounds of contemplation, the newly minted goddess referee finally came to a conclusion.
— Fairness, fairness, and more goddamn fairness!
First of all, this wasn't like the fatal Golden Apple incident, asking "Which of the three goddesses is the most beautiful or something?" the kind of subjective question that could get a man killed.
This hunting contest leaned heavily toward the objective.
If you win, you win; if not, you don't. The outcome was nearly indisputable.
As long as he remained impartial and stuck to fairness, ensuring that neither side had any grounds to complain, and assuming both goddesses had at least a shred of integrity, he could more or less survive this intact.
Still, before any of that, he needed to lay out a relatively fair set of rules.
Double-checking his plan once more, Lorne took a deep breath and formally declared the details:
"During the hunt, the following rules must be observed:
First, geographically, the boundary will be the highest peak of the Cretan Mountains, one of you will hunt to the south, and the other to the north.
Any prey caught outside the designated zone will be invalid. The territories will be decided by drawing lots.
Second, in terms of time, the contest ends at sundown. At that point, all hunting must stop, and I will be responsible for weighing the prey and declaring the final winner.
Third, since this is a competition, the use of divine power is strictly prohibited. Any prey obtained through divine means will not be counted…"
As each rule was read out one by one, the two goddesses listened attentively, nodding slightly.
Though a bit detailed, there was no doubt that this would make the game fairer and more impartial, leaving almost no loopholes.
If the match were carried out according to these rules, whether Lorne judged it himself, a farmer was brought in, or even Zeus personally came to evaluate, the result would be the same.
And when everything was ready, Lorne, who was still feeling a bit uneasy, added one last precaution.
"Those are the general rules. Do either of you have any objections before the match begins?"
"None."
"Very fair."
Artemis and Athena both nodded in agreement, unanimously approving the competition format.
However, upon seeing the cold gleam flashing off the tasseled war spear and golden bow and arrows in the hands of the two goddesses, Lorne's eyelid twitched involuntarily and he cautiously made a suggestion:
"I think that for the sake of fairness, the person who sets the rules and the one who judges the outcome should be different. So, I propose King Minos, after all, he's always been known for impartial and strict law enforcement..."
Sure, throwing the old man under the bus to share the pressure was a little underhanded…
But, he had served Crete, he had shed blood for the Minoans!
Even just in return for past loyalty, the old guy ought to come support him a little.
However, just as Lorne was justifying his shameless idea of selling out his teammates in his heart, both goddesses shook their heads in perfect sync.
"No need—"
"—You'll do."
Seeing that he couldn't wriggle out of the job no matter what, Lorne could only accept his fate with a bitter sigh.
He took out two prepared wooden sticks and offered them to the goddesses for a random draw.
The result: Athena to the south, Artemis to the north.
One armed with a spear, one drawing her bow, the two goddesses stood at their respective starting points, poised to strike.
Sensing the tension rising between them, Lorne swallowed hard and quietly reminded:
"Uh… let's all remember, friendship first, competition second..."
This only earned him a long, wordless glance from both goddesses.
Realizing that the arrow was already nocked and the bow drawn, and that the rest was beyond his control, Lorne could only accept his role as the designated referee.
He tossed a gold coin marked with Zeus's insignia lightly into the air.
Clink~!
With the crisp sound of the coin hitting the ground, both goddesses' auras sharpened, like arrows loosed from a bowstring as they bolted toward their respective hunting grounds.
Looking at the two figures running away, galloping through the dense forests, streams and valleys, killing prey big and small one by one cleanly, Lorne shook his head, sat at the starting point of the Crete Mountains, patted the head of the golden hound beside him, and whispered with deep emotion.
"Sigh… women..."
While the judge waited quietly, time passed by, and the competition between the two goddesses became more and more intense.
One of them was a genius in fighting, and the other was the master of the mountains and forests.
Even without using divine power, with strong physical fitness, they could easily kill through the entire Crete Mountains.
And with the arrival of these two bringers of carnage, the beasts and monsters of Crete could only be described as unlucky, one by one, they were ruthlessly wiped out.
The bigger they were, the more attention they received.
After all, the winner wouldn't be determined by body count, but by weight.
'So, Sister Athena… I hope you understand my good intentions here...'
At that moment, far away atop a peak, Lorne watched Athena wreak havoc in the hunt, and silently murmured in his heart.
Even though he had to play the role of a fair and impartial judge, he knew clearly whose thigh he should cling to tighter between the two older sisters.
After all, Athena was probably the on of ..if not the most reliable goddess in the Ancient Greece...
Even though she was alone, but it was precisely because of this that she would try to protect every last ally.
Not to mention, her opponent was Artemis.
This moody goddess with unspeakable personality.
This type of goddess, who was prone to flashes of wrath that could send forests burning and beasts howling
Even though, she had her brother Apollo behind her, this was precisely why he didn't want to mess with her.
Although, that guy was probably the most stable among the Male Olympians, but let's not forget who we're talking about here.
These are gods who've fucked anything and everything, from gods, humans, nymphs to trees, animals, water, earth, air.
You name it, one of them had already drilled into it.
They are basically beasts, maniacs, and rapists in divine form.
While Zeus and Poseidon were undoubtedly the leaders among the bunch, the others were still in the race.
So, compared to these, Apollo, who has only murdered his sister's lovers out of jealousy, cursed innocents who bested him in music, flayed a satyr alive just for playing better, and sent plagues to entire cities just to prove a point,
And Hades, who has only kidnapped his own niece, dragged her to his realm, and forced her into a marriage that would bind her to death itself, might just qualify as "the stable ones."
Therefore, even if he could not openly take sides, he had to show his position a little in order to have an explanation in the future.
In fact, choosing weight over number as the competition metric had been a calculated favor to Athena.
If they had been comparing prey count, then Artemis, the goddess of archery, would have held the overwhelming advantage.
But if divine powers were off-limits, and the outcome was based on total weight, then a spear, which was deadlier to large beasts, would clearly shine brighter.
As the saying goes: three arrows don't beat one sword, three swords don't beat one spear , same principle.
These artificial advantages were already the most open help Lorne could provide Athena while keeping up a show of impartiality.
In order to keep enjoying temple offerings in the future, he had at least tried his best.
Now, he could only hope the wise goddess would understand his good intentions, and no matter whether she win or lose, would not blame him afterward.