The Greece Antagonist

"What are you planning to do? Why not tell me first?"

Just as Luo En and King Minos were secretly reaching some sort of consensus, a snow-white owl dived from the sky, nimbly flying into the great hall, and transformed into the figure of the Goddess of Wisdom.

From the somewhat gloomy expression in her eyes, it was clear that her recent plea for help in Olympus had probably been in vain.

Otherwise, the proud goddess who boasted unrivaled strategic wisdom would not have taken the initiative to ask Luo En for advice after hearing only fragments of conversation.

Instead of responding directly, Luo En turned to Athena with a meaningful look and inquired.

"Let me ask a question first: Why must we stay on Crete Island?"

Athena frowned slightly and after some contemplation, she answered earnestly.

"Because this is the foundation of the Minosians; it is my most important territory."

"Can you defend it?"

Luo En looked intently into Athena's bright eyes and in front of King Minos, asked a rather heart-probing question.

The Goddess of Wisdom was silent for a long while before the light in her eyes dimmed, and she shook her head, emitting a long sigh.

"I cannot..."

The situation on Crete Island had already deteriorated to an irreversible extent. The Minosians faced not just the overlord of the Sea of Okeanos and his army, but also the biased Father God of Mount Olympus.

Even though Athena prided herself on possessing infinite wisdom, without any pieces to play, she could hardly reverse the overall situation.

As prideful as she was, she did not want to admit this outcome, but facts were facts, indisputable. Moreover, she could not hide them from the man before her, who was almost as smart as she was.

Now that he had a definitive answer, Luo En spoke calmly.

"If it can't be defended, then why not step back?"

"You're telling me to flee?"

The suggestion infuriated Athena in an instant, a fierce aura bursting forth from her eyes.

She was the deity in charge of victory, never having shown fear or retreated in the face of any formidable enemy.

"No, no, I said 'retreat,' not 'flee.' There's a difference," Luo En said, waving his hand and seriously reiterating.

Athena, however, snorted in disdain, her bright eyes glinting.

"Stop playing word games with me. If we withdraw from the coastal defense today, we could leave Knossos City tomorrow, and then abandon Crete Island. Once we collapse, the sea deities will immediately bear down upon us, and under the oppressive power of the Atlanteans, the Minosians will have no way to recapture lost territory. If this isn't fleeing, then what is it? A tactical withdrawal?"

There are two kinds of retreats; an orderly retreat is about preserving the fighting force for strategic relocation. A disorderly retreat is known as defeat or rout.

Being the deity in charge of warfare, Athena was naturally very familiar with these concepts.

Seeing Athena, who was fiercely proud, taking such strong issue with the topic, Luo En reluctantly raised both hands in surrender and then switched to a different approach.

"Alright, alright, let's change the subject. If Poseidon captures Crete Island, what would be his next step?"

"He would use Crete Island as a stepping stone to conquer the cities of Greece and erode terrestrial divinity."

"And then?"

"Amass power, preparing to seize the supreme throne of Olympus."
Continue reading stories on empire

Athena answered without hesitation, having gone through countless iterations of these possibilities in her mind.

Luo En nodded and continued to inquire.

"Then do you think, will His Majesty the King of Gods give him that opportunity?"

"No!"

Athena shook her head without delay and based on her understanding of the Father God, gave the most likely analysis.

"He would nip the danger in the bud!"

Hearing this answer, a smile crept onto Luo En's face.

"Then it's quite evident. Poseidon's ultimate goal is to reach for the divine throne of Olympus, while the goal of that King of Gods is to eliminate all unstable factors threatening his rule. This seems to have nothing to do with us, right? So, why can't we take a step back?"

At that moment, Athena's bright eyes lit up, and a contemplative look crossed her face.

"Are you saying..."

"Leave the position vacant, let them play their counter-tales!"

There and then, Luo En laid his cards on the table, a mischievous darkness glinting in his eyes.

"You want to drag the Father God into the fray, to confront my uncle?"

Athena seemed tempted, but after reflecting seriously, she shook her head again.

"You're oversimplifying things. The Father God won't enter the fray so easily."

"Not necessarily!"

Luo En smiled nonchalantly, his lips curling with pleasure.

"If Crete Island loses badly enough and Atlantis is powerful enough, do you think His Majesty the King of Gods can stay out of it?"

"..."

Athena's brow furrowed tightly, and her mind whirled with complex thoughts, as she remained silent for a long while.

Unconcerned, Luo En continued to ask.

"As long as effortlessly wiping out Crete Island and removing this thorn in his side, opening up the gateway from the Sea of Okeanos to the continent, the dominion of the sea deities will grow unprecedentedly strong. Even losing half his paternal authority, Poseidon might possess the capacity to aspire to that throne. So, do you think the King of Gods will wait for that moment?"

"No!"

This time, Athena's response was firm and clear, and her mind echoed with thoughts of her devoured mother goddess. A deep chill flashed in her bright eyes, providing the same answer as before.

"He would strangle all dangers in their cradle!"

"And moreover, better to kill wrongly than to let one go…"

Luo En sneered in addition, likewise recalling the thunderbolts filling the night sky and another "himself" who died shortly after coming to the world.

At that moment, Athena had already understood the true intent behind Luo En's words.

"So, you want me to give up Crete Island and choose to back down?"

"Not just back down, but retreat in the most miserable and desolate way!"

While speaking, a deep mockery appeared on Luo En's face.

"Since His Majesty the King of Gods wants to weaken your power through Poseidon's hand, then let his wish be fulfilled. We will suffer a thorough defeat, and leave the stage of confrontation to those two brothers."

"But the Father God is not that easily fooled…" Athena still had doubts about the feasibility of the plan.

Luo En sighed, his voice growing lower: "Therefore, we need a truly genuine defeat, and a sufficiently weighty sacrifice is required."

Athena pursed her lips, her expression equally somber.

"Heavy enough… that no one will doubt the authenticity of this crushing defeat…"

Meanwhile, four gazes simultaneously fell upon the old man, betraying complex emotions.

"So it was for this that you need my half-spent life?" Upon nearly explicit clarification, King Minos immediately understood his true role, and burst into hearty laughter, "To topple two Chief Gods at once, this deal is worthwhile!"

"Not just that!"

Seeing the old man's resolute attitude, Luo En couldn't help but exclaim, revealing secrets he knew.

"In recent years, I've heard that His Majesty the King of Gods has been trying to locate the whereabouts of Atlantis, after all, those are the old humans who survived the Great Flood. With them around, how could His Majesty the King of Gods sleep soundly? Therefore, I suspect that this game is not only about weakening Crete but also about providing His Majesty the King of Gods with a legitimate reason to strike at Atlantis!"

Immediately thereafter, Luo En paused, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.

"Which means, the more outstanding and powerful Poseidon and his Atlantean army appear, the closer they are to their doom!"

If I remember correctly from the myths, the demise of Atlantis was because the Divine King Zeus considered the Atlanteans too arrogant, failing to revere the deities and even aspiring to rule the world. So, he triggered an earthquake and sank the entire Atlantis Continent.

What's most ironic is that the sinking of Atlantis and the decline of the Minos civilization happened very closely in time.

Who doesn't know how to bait and enforce the law?

By now, having heard Luo En's assurance, King Minos, who had suffered a lifetime of humiliation and had yearned to see Poseidon stumble under his hand, could not help but smile broadly, feeling extremely elated.

"Excellent! To trade one of me for all three of them is even more profitable!"

But hearing that breaking free from the current deadlock required such a dire cost, Athena felt reluctant.

"But this is the root of the Minosians…"

King Minos waved his hand, appearing more carefree after having resolved his own mortality.

"Your Highness, we come from the dust and to dust we shall return. As long as there is a place to stand, anywhere can become our root. Humans are not as fragile as you think; provided with water, food, and a piece of land, we can live.

Cities destroyed can be rebuilt, extinguished sacred flames can be reignited, and as long as the people survive, with generations of development, we can reflect the glory of Crete once more.

And on that new land, we will still cast your statues and kindle the flames of faith!"

Looking at the bowed and devout figure, offering such sincere and earnest promises, Athena, revered as the Great Mother Goddess by the Minosians, was deeply moved.

King Minos then turned to the successor he had personally chosen, his gaze turning serious.

"I will cooperate with you unconditionally, but I have two conditions."

"Speak," Luo En perked up his ears, listening respectfully.

"First, my people are innocent; they should not rot at the bottom of the sea because of my vengeful heart. And the new seeds of hope need them for dispersal…"

"Don't worry, I have it all planned out. Before this happens, I will evacuate the vital forces of Crete Island in several batches."

Hearing Luo En's pledge, King Minos's expression became even more gratified.

"Second, the glory of Crete was built by my own hands, and if it must be destroyed, it will be by my hands only! Poseidon wants to conquer Crete Island, to conquer the Minosians, it is impossible! I want him to step onto this land and obtain nothing, except... my corpse!"

"Of course! No one can take the glory of Crete Island out of your hands, not even the gods!"

Luo En agreed once more without hesitation, having premeditated these matters.

Unfortunately for him, he detested the Sea King as much as King Minos did.

Since they were both driven to a point where they had to amputate to survive, how could he possibly let Poseidon, the instigator, gain any advantage?

Athena, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn't help but speak up at this moment.

"Aren't you two a bit too confident? Do you really think your underhand tactics can escape the perception of the gods? If it's just you destroying yourselves, they'll surely detect the setup…"

"True, there are different levels of Divinity, and if not personally done by the ocean deities, suspicions would easily be raised," Luo En agreed with a nod but then spread his palm open, his face lighting up with a pleased smile.

"But what if, you add this to the equation?"

In an instant, a blue radiance appeared in his hand, illuminating the entirety of the palace hall, gentle as water, as profound as the sea.

Sea Divinity!

Not only was it remarkably pure but also very similar to Poseidon's Sea Divinity!

In a moment, both Athena and King Minos exchanged glances, unable to hide the shock in their eyes, and the look they directed at Luo En was somewhat peculiar.

Could it be that we have a traitor among us?