The Greece Antagonist

"His own flesh and blood?"

Luo En sneered and shook his head, his eyes brimming with mockery.

"Hah, if anyone stands in his way, he wouldn't even spare his own father, let alone a son."

"...We... Zeus, it was a last resort!"

Hestia, who had almost misspoken, quickly corrected herself, defending her brother who once had saved their siblings and together overthrown the cruel reign of their father, Kronos.

"Moreover, he shows feeling for the lovers he's bonded with and for the children who share his bloodline, having rescued those persecuted mothers and children from Hera's grasp time and time again."

"Oh? Really?"

Luo En raised an eyebrow at Hestia, who was eager to clarify, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"If he's so responsible, then where was he when the goddess of childbirth, Leto, was struggling in labor?

Where was he when his daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades and forcefully kept in the Netherworld?

Where was he when the Agriculture God, Demeter, searched in vain for Persephone and was defiled by Poseidon?

Who turned Io into a little cow and gave her to Hera for punishment?

Who caused the children of Europa to become bitter enemies?

And who is responsible for the humiliation suffered by King Minos?"

With each successive question, Hestia pursed her lips, a struggle evident in her eyes.

"Is it..."

"Is it because of Hera's jealousy? Hades's schemes? Poseidon's shamelessness? Or the unpredictability of human nature?"

Before Hestia could argue, Luo En spoke first, his smile growing even wider.

"Enough, stop pushing all the blame onto others. The Divine King holds the supreme authority; if he wished, who in all of Olympus could defy his will?"

"..."

Hestia fell silent, yet after a moment, she still seemed unable to let go, murmuring quietly.

"Perhaps, maybe he was just deceived, he just didn't want to see Olympus fall into conflict..."

It was probably because Zeus had rescued the five of them from the belly of their father, Kronos, and was willing to share his power after the war that this Goddess of the Hearth had such a beautifying filter for her brother, always reluctant to think ill of him.

"Even now, even after King Minos told you everything himself, can't you see it—the king of Olympus sees things clearer than anyone else."

Luo En looked at this gullible sister of the Divine King's family, sneered and shook his head, then his thin lips curved upward in a cold arc as he spoke eerily.

"Moreover, he's greatly responsible for the strife of Olympus, just as he is for the calamity facing the Minosians!"

What?!

Caught off guard by this revelation, Hestia was struck as if by thunder, causing the Goddess of the Hearth to look up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"This is impossible!"

Seeing that Hestia was still unconvinced, Luo En's smile faded slightly.

"Alright then, I ask you, why does Ares, as the War God, only have authority over war, while the crucial power of victory was instead given to Athena?"

"Because, because Ares is reckless, and uncontrolled military power only brings disaster and conflict, therefore victory requires wisdom to handle, which is why only Athena is suited!"

Hestia reflexively responded, her logic self-consistent, bolstering her confidence as her eyes grew brighter.

"And, to ensure Athena kept this power of victory, he split the Aegis Shield in two, bestowing it upon that child, which sufficiently proves his favoritism towards Athena!"

"Ares brings disaster and conflict? Ha, since when did the gods, who reigned with violence and once unleashed a devastating flood, become so loving? As for favoritism towards Athena?"

Luo En couldn't help but laugh coldly at this naïve thought.

"So, what do you think Ares would feel about having the power of victory taken from him? What about Hera, the Queen of Heaven?"

"...!"

Hestia started, her voice a bit hoarse.

"So, that's why Ares has always been at odds with Athena?"

"It's not just Ares..."

Luo En scoffed, his purple eyes dark and inscrutable, as if seeing through the seemingly splendid exterior of the Divine King to his most fundamental wicked desires and filth.

"Poseidon also wanted that power, which is why he caused all sorts of troubles for Crete Island, all to pressure Athena, as the great mother of the Minosians, into submission!"

"Won't Zeus intervene at all?"

Hestia instinctively blurted out, bristling with indignation.

"You see, you're being foolish again, right?"

Luo En rolled his eyes at this forgetful Goddess of the Hearth, directly piercing through her naïveté.

"Isn't this precisely what Zeus wants to see? He'd rather have Olympus in complete disarray, with no one able to restrain or threaten his sovereignty!"

Hestia's mouth opened, but no words came out to defend her divine brother.

Seeing the gullible sister of the Divine King's family still lost in her illusions, Luo En decided to speak plainly, to prevent her from being swayed by Zeus's few words later on.

"Not just the besieged situation Athena finds herself in now, Ares being stripped of the power of victory and reduced to a god of defeat, is likely also part of his plan."