—The God of Light and Prophecy, Apollo!
Almost the instant he saw the radiant, handsome young man standing at the door, Lorne confirmed the other party's identity.
It couldn't be helped. There were only a handful of major male gods on all of Olympus, you could count them on one hand.
With such a close relationship to Artemis, plus the standard silver bow and arrows, and on top of that, this peacock-like demeanor… he was most likely that legendary brother-in-law.
At this moment, Apollo outside the door and Athena inside it both had expressions so dark they looked like ink could be squeezed out of them.
Seeing the situation was bad, Lorne quickly supported the enthusiastic Huntress Goddess beside him, discreetly but frantically signaling her with his eyes to pay attention to the occasion.
At the same time, he did his best to maintain a smile and made a polite inquiry to change the subject.
"Lady Artemis, Lord Apollo, what brings your esteemed selves to the city of Knossos?"
Finally, Artemis noticed the subtle atmosphere around them and snapped out of it as if waking from a dream.
She quickly put some distance between herself and Lorne, regained an elegant standing posture, and smiled as she explained.
"It was Athena who invited us.
She heard that Crete Island is hosting a grand festival, with a lively scene, and that there would be some nice after-entertainment once it ends.
We happened to have nothing to do recently, so we came to take a look."
As the huntress goddess patiently answered the question, her eyes never once turned toward her accompanying younger brother, nor toward Athena, who had extended the invitation and was the host.
From beginning to end, her gaze was fixed on someone, openly sizing him up.
Gradually, a hint of irritation appeared on Apollo's handsome face.
He stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Artemis, and asked coldly,
"Where is Aunt Hestia? Isn't this her residence? Who are you? Why are you here?"
A scrutinizing gaze shot over, stern and laced with an unmistakable hostile displeasure.
"He is Aunt's newly recruited subordinate god. Just like you, he is also a distinguished guest of Crete Island."
Athena stepped forward, smiling faintly as she responded.
Though the wisdom goddess's voice was gentle and calm, her words carried firmness beneath the softness, an imposing authority that brooked no doubt.
Apollo, having been shut down by that response, paused slightly and subconsciously reined in some of the arrogance in his bones.
He reexamined Lorne before him, though there was still a trace of suspicion in his eyes.
"A newly recruited subordinate god by Aunt? How come I've never heard of this?"
At that moment, the goddess of the hearth, awakened by the noise outside, rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked downstairs, letting out an unceremonious cold snort toward the door.
"Hey, Apollo, what does it have to do with you whether I recruit someone or not? Do I have to report it to you first?"
"Aunt Hestia, how could that be? I was just concerned about you."
Seeing who it was, Apollo immediately put on a smiling face and hastily explained in a soft, gentle tone.
His every gesture appeared refined and courteous, each word and action like a spring breeze.
"Save it! I'm doing just fine!"
Hestia unceremoniously shot a glance at her nephew outside the door, then reached out and yanked Lorne, who was currently the center of attention, over to her side.
After that, she shrank behind Athena and muttered in a low voice.
"Hey, did that guy bully you?"
Lorne mechanically shook his head, the polite smile on his face barely holding together.
"No? That's good! If he dares mess around, just watch how I beat him up!"
The goddess of the hearth beside him rolled up her sleeves, showing off a slender, fair arm, and waved it through the air, looking very much like someone who was saying, "You can count on me," as she firmly backed her newly appointed subordinate god.
Boss, I'm begging you—if you don't want me dead, please stop talking already!
While enjoying the goddess's protection, Lorne clearly felt the murderous intent around them growing thicker and the expression on his face gradually began to crumble.
At the same time, Apollo outside the door, who was being completely ignored, Athena inside the room, who was being used as a human shield, and Artemis, who was left hanging off to the side, all clenched their teeth tightly, their gazes dark and chilling.
"Isn't it a bit rude to leave guests standing outside?"
Finally, at Lorne's "kind" reminder, Hestia seemed as if a switch had been flipped. She skillfully slapped her forehead and put on a formulaic, enthusiastic smile.
"Right, right, right! Come in first, let's eat!"
Faced with the warm invitation of the goddess of the hearth, the three Olympian chief gods stepped into the house expressionlessly. Like puppets on strings, they sat down properly, waited for breakfast to be served, then picked up their portions, tearing and chewing with audible crunches and gnashes.
The feeling was as if three zombies were gathered around the dining table, enjoying a feast of human flesh.
As the faint glow of the dying hearth fire reflected on the faces of the three gods in the living room, a terrifying and gloomy atmosphere naturally spread.
Hiding in the kitchen and helping out, Lorne couldn't help swallowing, a faint chill creeping over his body.
At this moment, the goddess of the hearth, who had been going back and forth between the kitchen and the living room several times to add food and refill dishes for her nieces and nephews, scratched her head and muttered softly.
"What's wrong with them? Why are they eating so much first thing in the morning?"
"They're hungry…"
Lorne replied gloomily from the kitchen, shooting an annoyed eye roll as he snorted lightly.
Hearing the resentment in the words of her external brain, Hestia shrank her neck a little and laughed awkwardly.
Then she quietly poked her head out, glanced toward the living room, and couldn't help muttering in a low voice.
"Athena too, honestly. Why did she have to invite that annoying guy as well?"
"Apollo?" Lorne raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Back when we were on Olympus, he and Poseidon were always pestering me.
They kept insisting on reciting poetry to me, asking which note should go with which melody. How would I know? It was so annoying!" Hestia complained from the kitchen, her face filling with waves of frustration as she spoke about the past.
Listening to this, Lorne couldn't help feeling both amused and helpless.
Reciting poetry? Composing music?
So this god of light was actually an artsy youth?
Still, singing poems and playing music for the goddess of the hearth was really like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind person.
"To be honest with you, I moved out of Olympus on purpose and ran all the way to Crete to hide, precisely because I was so fed up with their antics."
As Hestia continued pouring out her past grievances in the kitchen, she started complaining about that same troublesome landlord of hers.
"Athena clearly knew about it, and she still dared to let that guy in. Just wait, when I get the chance, I'll deal with her properly!"
Realizing that letting things stay this stiff wasn't a solution, the hearth goddess, who had gradually picked up some bad habits from sticking around a certain someone, decisively added several extra spoonfuls of salt to the freshly cooked dishes.
A moment later, the new dishes were served.
After taking just a few bites, the facial muscles of the three chief gods in the living room twitched slightly.
They immediately put down their cutlery, ending the long and oppressive meal and finally getting down to business.
"The weather's pretty good today. How about going hunting together?" Athena proposed first.
"Sure!" Artemis and Apollo exchanged a glance and nodded happily.
Then Athena turned her head toward Hestia in the kitchen, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"It's rare for us to all get together. Aunt, why don't you come along too?"
Having been cooped up at home for a long time, Hestia, who was already feeling a bit bored, felt a bit tempted, so, she immediately grabbed Lorne beside her and nodded.
"Alright then. Lorne and I will go take a look too!"
Seeing Hestia holding the hand of that newly appointed subordinate god and walking out of the kitchen in such an intimate manner, the sunshine on Apollo's face immediately dimmed, and a gloomy look appeared as he cast an unfriendly gaze toward a certain someone.
Likewise, sensing that the little brother-in-law was repeatedly displaying undisguised hostility toward him, Lorne couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
Among the symbols of the Greek gods, Apollo represented absolute rationality and stood in opposition to the irrational frenzy represented by the god of wine, Dionysus.
The Greeks believed that following Apollo's rationality allowed people to live better lives, while occasionally falling into the wine god's frenzy was a marvelous way to break through restraints and shackles.
At the same time, the aristocratic politics advocated by the Apollonian cult of Delphi stood in sharp contrast to the populist path promoted by the cult of the wine god.
Clearly, he and this little brother-in-law were natural opposites.
Whether in ideology, or in interests…
Lorne's gaze swept over Artemis and Hestia, a faint glimmer flickering in his eyes.
What a coincidence. I don't like you much either, little brother-in-law…
(End of chapter)