The Villain of Ancient Greece

”Dinner’s ready!”

Finally, the heavenly call from the kitchen came like a lifeline to a drowning man, and Lorne bolted downstairs as if his life depended on it.

”I’ll help!”

Seeing the man flee in panic, Athena could only shake her head in resignation for now and follow him downstairs to assist in the kitchen.

Don’t be fooled by her aunt’s gentle and serene demeanor, but the moment she steps into her domain, wielding a spatula and ladle, her combat power and aura of intimidation would skyrocket exponentially.

Under the command of the Hearth Goddess, the two adults quickly set the table and brought out the lavish dinner.

As the aroma of the food wafted through the half-open window, the two little girls wandering outside were instinctively summoned back home.

They obediently sat down next to their respective guardians, their eyes fixed eagerly on the feast laid out before them.

By this era, the Minoans had already mastered the domestication of livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats, as well as the cultivation of wheat, barley, wild peas, and chickpeas.

They also grew grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and a variety of other crops.

Combined with the abundant seafood from the nearby waters, their diet was remarkably diverse.

In fact, Lorne even spotted some artificially produced honey among the dishes, which meant that the Minoans of Crete had already figured out some tricks to beekeeping.

”Come on, don’t be shy! Try my cooking!”

With that said, Hestia stood up, ladle and fork in hand, and began scooping generous portions of her most prized dishes onto Lorne and little Medusa’s plates.

Being personally served by the Hearth Goddess herself, Lorne couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.

”Don’t worry, Auntie loves having new faces taste her experimental recipes. I’ve never seen her so enthusiastic when I visited her before.”, Athena remarked dryly from the side, clearly feeling neglected.

Then, with a teasing glance at Lorne and Medusa, she added, ”But after dinner, she’ll probably pester you for feedback—maybe even keep you up all night. So my advice? Eat fast and run faster.”

”You little brat, always badmouthing me behind my back! Next time you visit, I’ll serve you nothing but a bowl of plain porridge!”

Hestia picked up her ladle and shot a glare at her niece. The rest of the table chuckled knowingly.

With the tension easing around the table, the goddess of wisdom decisively speared a golden-roasted lamb chop, elegantly and efficiently eating it, firing the opening shot of dinner.

No one held back after that.

Everyone immediately stopped being reserved and followed suit to choose their own dishes according to their preferences and began to feast.

The two little girls gravitated toward sweets and fruit.

Lorne, still in the midst of a growth spurt, naturally leaned toward meat.

Although, previously, he had harbored some doubts about the culinary standards of this divine era, but the moment a lamb chop entered his mouth, with its tender texture melting instantly and juices exploding across his tongue, accented by just the right hint of salt and a dash of spice, all skepticism vanished.

The meat’s natural flavor stood out in rich, delicate layers, completely free of any gamey aftertaste.

High-quality ingredients often require only the simplest preparation.

Likewise, good lamb doesn’t need heavy seasoning.

Lorne couldn’t stop himself.

He devoured seven or eight pieces in quick succession.

The pleasure and satisfaction brought by the rich meat finally allowed him to ease the tension that always hung over him.

Well… almost perfect, if only there’d been a bit of black pepper to cut the grease.

With his guard lowered and stomach full, after a while, the few people who are full of food and food sit lazily on the chairs, with a satisfied look on their faces.

To a chef, the highest respect is an empty plate.

Looking at the cleaned dishes, Hestia nodded with satisfaction.

She stood up and began clearing the messy table with practiced ease, radiating the kind of homely warmth one might expect from an ideal wife.

That is, if you could ignore her petite frame and youthful appearance.

Due to her youthful mindset and maiden goddess essence, Zeus’s eldest sister still looked like a young girl.

Still, the nutrients she’d absorbed over the years had clearly not gone to waste, after all, certain areas had developed quite generously, even borderline supermodel proportions.

Looking at the two full, round, bouncing ”fruits” while Hestia was walking, Lorne couldn’t help but feel a surge of blood and dry mouth.

Alright, maybe it was the lingering benefits from his war-related divine power that he hadn’t fully digested yet.

Combined with the hormonal rush of adolescence, he found it hard not to react to mature women who practically oozed temptation.

And Hestia, by all accounts, was the textbook ideal wife candidate in Greek mythology, both in personality and figure.

As for Athena...

Lorne briefly recalled their first meeting, and the, shall we say, noticeable discrepancy between her actual figure and that of her statue.

All he could think was:

Definitely some padding involved…

Ahem…

A soft, familiar cough snapped him out of his daze as Lorne jolted upright, with his eyes fixed firmly on the wooden texture of the dining table and cold sweat beading on the back of his neck.

Damn it...

He almost forgot he was sitting in front of two Olympian goddesses.

It seems like, he had eaten a bit too much.

Thankfully, Athena didn’t seem to notice his wandering gaze or the impure thoughts running through his head.

She simply brought up a new topic.

”We’ve just eaten. Why don’t we do something to pass the time?”

Her eyes drifted meaningfully toward the differently sized and weighted fruits on the table, making her intentions clear without speaking a word.

”Strenuous activity isn’t good right after a meal. How about a little mental game instead?”

Seeing this, Lorne quickly cut off the topic.

There was no way he wanted to end up slaving away day after day under the watchful eyes of this cunning goddess of wisdom, crunching data and doing research.

He knew his limits, he could bluff his way through most things, but if someone started digging deep into a specialized field, he’d be exposed sooner or later.

Best to kill that idea in its cradle.

”Give me a sec,” he said, getting up and heading upstairs.

From his luggage, he retrieved a Greek-version chess set, the same one he’d once used to trick Hecate, and placed it in front of Athena.

A puzzle game, was it?

Athena studied the interwoven grid, toying with the uniquely shaped pieces.

She listened attentively as Lorne explained the rules, and her interest quickly sharpened.

Perfect. Hook, line, and sinker.

Lorne nodded in satisfaction and began laying out the board, using gameplay to teach her the basics and strategies.

Of course, he used openings and patterns borrowed from an old acquaintance—Hecate.

Wasn’t he finding it increasingly difficult to match her in chess lately?

It just happened that the dignified goddess of wisdom came to compete with her in the air, and he acted as a middleman to give advice and review the game.

Having dealt with two big troubles at once, a sinister smile appeared on Lorne’s face.

Fight! Fight! I want to see a river of blood!

Time slipped by like sand through fingers.

The sharp click of chess pieces soon overtook the crackling of the fireplace, and Athena gradually lost herself in this intense mental duel.

Meanwhile, Lorne, by recreating his past matches, gained valuable insights into countering Hecate’s strategies. It was a win-win situation, with plenty of rewards.

That said…

He glanced out the window and saw a pale silver crescent moon already hanging high in the sky, letting out a long yawn.

”It’s getting late. How about we pick this up another time?”

”Agreed…”

Athena nodded, still immersed in thought, but didn’t insist on continuing.

After all, she had just gotten her first taste of this intriguing game and needed some time to organize her thoughts and devise counterstrategies.

Watching Lorne as he led the younger girls upstairs, she picked up the queen piece and idly twirled it between her fingers as a faint glimmer flickered in her starlit violet eyes.

What an interesting little fellow… perhaps, I could…

(End of Chapter)