"You've all had a long journey. Come with me for now. Get settled, rest for a while, and recover your strength."
The god of healing, Asclepius, exchanged a glance with the prodigy musician Orpheus before stepping forward, breaking the slightly delicate atmosphere. Together, they guided the heroes toward a side hall prepared to house the guests.
Atalanta remained where she was, unable to hide her concern as she looked toward Samael, who had been gently retained by the three goddesses with nods and smiles.
"Haha, you must be the remarkable archer from Arcadia, right?" Athena stepped forward with a smile, lightly taking Atalanta's pale arm, her gaze full of appreciation. "Theseus has been in your care all this time. But now that you've made it home, leave the rest to us."
Being treated with such warmth and favor by a chief goddess left even the normally cool-headed Atalanta feeling flustered, her expression turning a little stiff with surprise.
"Oh, right. I heard you like children?" Athena continued with an easy smile. "The first two groups of abandoned infants from the Amazon tribe, along with some orphans who couldn't adapt to the intensity of their training, have all been settled in the rear hall of Areopagus. Would you like to go see them?"
The goddess of wisdom's words landed squarely on Atalanta's soft spot. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded without thinking.
Athena promptly summoned their old acquaintance Caenis to lead the way, and the ever-chattering little mermaid Rhode naturally followed along to join the fun.
Samael gave a restrained smile and a small nod in reassurance. Only then did Atalanta finally relax and leave with Caenis and the others.
Yet in the instant she turned away, the huntress cast a glance at that radiant figure behind her, a faint dimness flickering in her eyes.
The distance between them seemed to be growing ever wider.
"Back already?"
"Yeah. It's been a long time…"
On the now-spacious platform, Themis, Medusa, Athena, and Samael exchanged a few simple words and shared a quiet smile.
Without any unnecessary ceremony, the four embraced briefly, then separated naturally and walked side by side toward the temple at the summit.
Along the way, Samael gave a concise account of everything he had seen and experienced in the interstellar city-mountains and the Pure Land of Bliss.
After hearing the hidden truths of the Argo expedition, the three goddesses could not help but click their tongues in amazement, their expressions shifting repeatedly. They were wary of Poseidon's depth and restraint, astonished by the bizarre divine-machinery of the interstellar city-mountains, and equally shaken by Zeus's far-reaching schemes and the terror of the [Gods' Taboo] buried beneath the Pure Land of Bliss.
More unbelievable still was how this man had seized Poseidon's weakness, forced Hades to swear neutrality, and brought the entire exploration to an almost flawless conclusion.
The three goddesses' eyes shone brightly. Alongside their amazement, traces of concern and quiet sympathy surfaced on their faces.
Before the temple doors, Themis gently tilted her scales. With a clear chime, the doors opened, scattering starlight to veil the surroundings.
Athena summoned a marble table, snapping her fingers to guide the placement of tables and chairs, while Medusa, ever skilled in the kitchen, brought out prepared pastries, dried fruits, and wine to entertain everyone.
Once seated, the group spoke of treason and regime change in an atmosphere oddly reminiscent of a relaxed tea gathering.
"There are two days left until the date agreed upon with Poseidon," Samael said casually as he cracked sunflower seeds. "How are the preparations coming along?"
"There are still a few vacancies among the candidates for the eighty-eight constellations," Themis replied, lightly turning the hilt of her sword as she gestured toward the constellations glowing on the temple's radiant dome, as well as those stars that remained dim. "But the Argonauts who are arriving one after another, along with the people you brought back from the Pure Land of Bliss, will be more than enough to fill the gaps."
"Have all my companions from the Argo arrived in Athens?"
Samael couldn't help feeling a little surprised by the movements of the Argonauts.
"Mhm, that's right. About eighty percent of them made it here," Athena replied casually, popping a honeyed olive into her mouth and chewing as she propped her chin on her hand. "Some were worried about you, some wanted to thank you, and others came looking for a way to make a living. Their motives weren't exactly pure. I found a few excuses and kept them all here. They're being treated well in the side hall for now."
Samael nodded slightly. Athena was known as Greece's "Mother of Heroes," and with her skill and political sense, winning over that group and putting them to use would be effortless.
Judging by her relaxed demeanor, the matter was probably already settled.
"Oh, right…"
Athena suddenly seemed to remember something. She dragged her chair closer to her foster father, casually hooking a pale arm around Samael's neck, her smile full of teasing.
"There's also someone named Helen who came along with Sparta's twin stars. Want to go take a look? She's quite a promising beauty."
"Smack!"
With a darkened expression, Samael slapped Athena on the forehead and snorted irritably.
"Look at what? Get serious. When are you planning to contact Poseidon and Hera?"
Rubbing her slightly reddened forehead, Athena muttered something under her breath, then leaned over the table and idly nudged a chess piece as she answered.
"What's the hurry? We still have two days. Leak a bit of information, let them stew for a day, and have them come to me on their own. Wouldn't that be better?"
Samael neither agreed nor objected. Since Athena already had a plan, he didn't bother pressing the issue.
In any case, once things kicked off, it would naturally be Poseidon, Hera, and Athena—the three perfectly justified family-abuse specialists—who would make the first move.
Areopagus just needed to wait for the right moment to step in and take control of the overall situation.
Ideally, they could force Poseidon to reveal his trump cards early and burn through a large portion of his strength. Otherwise, the twelve true-form Machine Gods of the interstellar city-mountains, along with their unknown capabilities and vast stockpile of black-tech creations, would be a real headache.
"Are we really about to move?" Medusa asked softly, unease written across her face. She gently bit her rosy lips and offered a cautious reminder. "I can't shake this bad feeling. Wouldn't it be safer to recall everyone from Arima Cavern?"
Samael smiled gently. Beneath the marble table, his warm, slender fingers quietly reached over and took the avenging goddess's hand, lightly patting her palm as he explained.
"Calling back the scattered offspring of Typhon too early could tip off Zeus. It's better to stay put for now."
Tch. Incorrigible. What's there to touch anyway? Her scales even feel prickly!
Athena shot a glance at her damned foster father's little movements under the table, clenching her fists and grinding her teeth inwardly.
Blindfolded Themis wore a faintly nostalgic smile on her beautiful face. She lifted her floral cup and took slow, measured sips, her presence calm and refined.
With the tacit approval of his former lover, Samael grew even bolder, discreetly holding one hand in each while continuing to lay out his thoughts on the coup.
"Against a God King who's become this unfathomable, brute force isn't the answer. We should outmaneuver him. Once everything settles, the reinforcements sent to suppress unrest will actually be more useful for keeping Poseidon and his side in check."
"All right, say it," Athena said, feeling conspicuously left out. She sprawled across the table, her tone listless as she cut straight to the point. "What kind of rotten idea have you come up with this time?"
Seriously, the moment he comes back, he starts showing off affection and tormenting his daughter. How is anyone supposed to live like this?
Samael blinked, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"I recall that the smith god Hephaestus once gifted Queen Hera a golden throne. The chains released from its inner mechanism are said to be difficult to break, even for Zeus himself…"
As Athena and the other two goddesses pondered this, the ancient serpent smoothly shifted topics, his voice lowering.
"I also heard that Zeus has been busy with his affairs lately and hasn't been close with Hera for quite some time."
Athena was the first to react. The corner of her mouth twitched.
"You want Hera to seduce Zeus, lower his guard, trigger the restraints of the golden throne, and then have Poseidon and me, waiting in the shadows, move in to restrain him?"
She raised two fingers as she rolled her eyes.
"There are two problems. First, our God King is notorious for getting bored easily. His interest in Hera might not be enough to make him lose his head."
"For that, I suggest Hera use Aphrodite's sachet," Samael replied calmly, clearly prepared. "Let Poseidon handle the request. Last time Hera was caught having an affair with Ares by Hephaestus, it was the Sea King who stepped in to smooth things over and vouch for her. She owes him a favor."
Zeus's rampant infidelity was already heavily influenced by Aphrodite's authority. With that ancient goddess indirectly involved, all Hera would need to do was play her part. As long as the mood was set, that old lecher was bound to slip up.
And while he was at it, Samael could drag Aphrodite into the mess as well, keeping that troublesome woman from stirring up more chaos elsewhere.
"Figures. Men really do understand men best," Athena muttered.
She then curled another finger, looking at Samael with clear interest.
"That leaves the second problem. Even if we hide in Hera's chambers, we might not be able to avoid Zeus's perception right away. So, Father, what's your solution?"
Samael withdrew his hand from beneath the table and cracked his knuckles. With a casual motion, he traced a sigil array across the stone surface, projecting the ranks of Heroic Spirits from the Pure Land of Bliss.
His gaze swept over them before his knuckles tapped meaningfully on one particular figure—a youth with purple-black butterfly wings mixed in among the rest.
"That's why," he said softly, "I borrowed him from Hecate."