"Goddess, those Atlanteans came again this morning."
Inside the Parthenon, the leader of the Athenians reported to Athena, who was looking up at her statue, with a helpless expression.
"What's the damage?"
Athena asked without turning her head.
"There wasn't much damage. Two of our warriors were unlucky enough to be speared to death by the Atlanteans' javelins. Those Atlanteans even tried to use ladders to climb directly onto the city wall from the sea today, but then the Spartans showed up, and they sailed away."
The leader of the Athenians said with a hint of envy.
"Mm."
Athena said after listening:
"Indeed, it's not much of a loss."
"There's one more thing." The leader of the Athenians' tone became heavy as he spoke of this: "Those Spartans have started asking us for their commission. They said their employment period is almost up, and we either renew their contract or they'll leave with the slaves."
Athena thought for a moment and said:
"Yes, calculating the time, it should be about right. Go call the Spartans' commander over and tell him what I've instructed."
...
"King, Sage, our scouts report that the Spartans seem to have left."
Inside the Atlanteans' main camp, an Atlantean general reported to their commander and Sage.
"Is the news true?" the Atlantean commander asked.
"It should be true," the Atlantean general replied. "Because the Athenians have started building fortifications on the beach. They seem to be preparing to directly repel our ships from the beach."
The Atlantean commander immediately looked at their Sage: "Sage, what do you think..."
"Wait two more days."
The Atlantean Sage said without hesitation:
"The Athenians are followers of the Goddess of Wisdom. We cannot be certain whether the Spartans have truly left or if they are acting with the Athenians to deceive us."
"Alright then."
The Atlantean leader raised his hand and ordered:
"Then listen to the Sage and wait a few more days."
However, while the Atlanteans wanted to continue with guerrilla tactics and wait a few more days to observe the situation, some people couldn't sit still.
Ares' divine avatar, who had been squatting on the cliffs of Athens for several days, finally became enraged at the opportune moment when he saw the Atlantean fleet not daring to charge even when facing a group of Athenians who came to build fortifications.
"Damn it, you're all dogs!" The God of War stomped his feet on the cliff, pointing at the Atlanteans who were throwing javelins and shooting arrows, harassing the Athenians, and cursed:
"Two thousand five hundred men against a hundred craftsmen, and you don't even dare to charge? What kind of War are you fighting? Go back to Poseidon's embrace and nurse!"
"I think this Poseidon is a coward, damn it, he's a coward, and the followers he teaches are also cowards. Look at yourselves, every single one of you is so timid, you don't even have the guts to cut people down, and you claim to be followers of the Sea God? Huh? Do you want me to teach you how to cut people down?"
Ares cursed both Poseidon and the Atlanteans in one go. Poseidon clearly heard Ares' insolence. After he finished cursing, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a storm enveloped the beach. The low-hanging clouds showed the Sea King's rage.
"Damn you, you're getting angry at me now?"
However, the God of War did not back down. He pulled out his Flame Sword and directly unleashed a terrifying wave of fire. This wave of fire split the dark clouds in the sky in two, revealing the clear sky once more. The Sea God's power was completely gone at that moment.
Then the God of War continued to curse the Atlanteans on this cliff, using foul language like "bastards" and "born without a father's upbringing," growing more and more offensive with each curse.
But the Atlanteans dared not do anything to him. If someone had truly lost their temper and "accidentally" thrown a spear or shot an arrow at this God of War, it would have been over. Atlantis would have faced a main Olympus God-level boss intruding on the battlefield. Although Zeus explicitly stipulated that main Gods were not allowed to intervene in this War, it did not mean that if main Gods were accidentally injured by mortals while observing the War, they could not inflict divine punishment on the mortals.
Poseidon was clearly also mindful of this point and likewise dared not attack Ares. If Ares had been alone cursing here, his second uncle would probably have already wrestled him into the sea. But in the temple next to him, Athena, the strongest main God among the fourth generation Gods, was also present. Ares and Athena, these siblings who controlled War, were the two most formidable fighters among the fourth generation Gods.
If he could deal with one, it would be fine, but if he had to face both Ares and Athena simultaneously, and Poseidon could still defeat them, he would have rebelled long ago.
So, there was no choice. Faced with the God of War's insults, the Sea God also chose to swallow his anger, adopting the mindset of "not bothering with a fool for now." However, Poseidon secretly gave orders to the Atlantean army:
"Can you speed it up?!"
After receiving the divine oracle, the Atlantean commander looked at his Sage with a troubled expression:
"Sage, Father God has given a divine oracle; we can no longer delay."
"Alas, at this time... improper, very improper."
The Sage sighed, but ultimately could not change anything. For Poseidon, his face was far more important than the lives of the Atlanteans.
The Atlantean Sage was clearly aware of this, so he merely lamented but did not object, only saying:
"At least the attack must be tonight. We will directly launch a sneak attack on the Athenians' encampment. We don't need to capture Athens tonight; we will just seize the resources they have in the encampment, and they will naturally collapse."
"Good." The Ten Kings of Atlantis still held this much power, so the commander directly ordered:
"Pass on my command: dinner will be postponed tonight. At midnight, all warriors will mobilize to attack the Athenians' encampment!"
...
Time flew by in a flash. In the blink of an eye, Selene had already driven her chariot to the highest point of the night sky.
As the Moon God diligently performed her duties, she noticed a cloud on the ground obstructing her light, but Selene pretended not to see it. As an Olympus God, she naturally knew what was happening there.
And beneath the dark clouds, outside the Athenians' unfinished encampment, on the vast, dark sea, the Atlantean fleet silently moved into the nearshore of Athens.
Their warships anchored in the deep water, and then, apart from the necessary sailors remaining on board, all other Atlantean warriors, gripping their weapons, boarded the assault boats.
Propelled by the waves, these Atlanteans quietly rushed onto the beach. The two Athenian warriors patrolling the encampment entrance with torches were silently killed by two arrows before they could even react.
In the darkness, large numbers of Atlanteans surged into the unfinished encampment, continuously taking the lives of the Athenians within. However, their numbers were vast, and even with Poseidon's cover, they ultimately could not remain hidden.
...Actually, it was mainly a certain God of War squatting on the nearby cliff who, upon seeing the Atlanteans charging the beach, couldn't help but slap his thigh and shout with a joyful smile:
"Oh, you finally figured it out, not being cowards anymore?"
His voice was loud, like a crowing rooster to the Athenians. In an instant, all the Athenians resting in the encampment were startled awake by Ares' voice.
"Damn it!"
The Atlantean commander felt grief and indignation in his heart, but he could only suppress his anger. He raised his weapon and, with the aim of intimidating the enemy, shouted loudly:
"All troops, charge!"