As the trial against Poseidon was about to commence, the busy Olympian gods, preoccupied with their own affairs, filed into the great hall and took their seats.
However, seeing the unfamiliar face beside Athena in the hall, several chief gods couldn't help but frown.
"This is Goddess Hestia's attendant deity, here to represent her at the divine council. Aunt Hestia recently moved to a new home and is busy researching recipes, so she couldn't spare the time," Athena explained with a light smile.
Hearing this, the gods exchanged understanding glances, their slightly tense expressions relaxing.
Passing duties to a subordinate and seeking peace and quiet for oneself—that indeed sounded like something the Hearth Goddess would do.
Recognizing the weight this attendant deity must hold in Hestia's regard, the seated gods nodded and smiled one after another, offering Lorne faint but clear goodwill.
Lorne returned the smiles, properly assuming the position of an attendant deity and responding with appropriate humility.
His understanding and tact pleased the chief gods sharing the dais, making this newly appointed junior seem more agreeable in their eyes.
After all, their goodwill was directed at the Hearth Goddess, not truly meant to befriend this attendant deity.
But Artemis was overjoyed by this news.
If Lorne could attend meetings on Hestia's behalf, it meant more frequent contact with her beloved and more legitimate ways for them to spend time together openly.
However, where some rejoiced, others fretted.
One god in particular was clearly displeased with Lorne's inclusion: the God of Light and Prophecy.
Though his handsome face still wore an elegant smile, intense distaste filled the depths of his eyes.
She entrusted her authority to him?
A mere attendant deity who just ascended!
The thought that the object of his ardent pursuit held this individual in such high regard made Apollo's mood even more irritable.
Fortunately, the gods' murmuring discussions were soon cut short by a solemn peal of thunder within the great hall.
Immediately, the gods fell silent, returning to their positions.
The hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Yet, after waiting a moment, the Olympian King who was to preside and declare the trial's start still did not appear.
Looking around, even Queen Hera was absent.
Instantly, a sense of foreboding arose among the deities.
And sure enough, with a light cough from a corner, Hermes, sporting a pair of dark circles under his eyes, rose from his seat and approached the center of the hall, announcing with a dry laugh:
"Father is currently... occupied with trivial matters. The trial is postponed for now. You may all return."
Upon hearing this, the gods immediately understood the subtext. Assuming expressions of having seen it all before, they began rising and leaving one after another.
No need to ask; His Majesty the God-King had undoubtedly gone philandering again.
And Queen Hera, having caught wind of it, was most likely on her way to catch him in the act.
Witnessing the long-anticipated grand trial end in such an anticlimactic manner, Lorne found himself both amused and exasperated.
As the great hall gradually emptied, he learned from the chief gods' pressing questions to Hermes the identity of Zeus's latest dalliance: Antiope, Princess of Thebes.
By nightfall, the chief gods had also departed the great hall, returning to their respective sanctuaries.
As Hestia's representative, Lorne naturally took up residence in the Hearth Goddess's temple.
Since Athena, who was overseeing it, often sent people to maintain it, the furnishings inside were clean and tidy, saving Lorne considerable trouble.
Once settled and behind closed doors, Lorne retrieved paper and pen from his magical array and began summarizing and categorizing everything he had seen and heard during the day.
This was a good habit he had cultivated since his student days.
Antiope, Princess of Thebes... the seventh one?
Writing this name on paper, Lorne's eyes held thoughtful contemplation.
According to the prophecy of fate, (well...it's not factually correct, but, for the convenience of the plot, just take it as it is...) Zeus would successively unite with twelve mortal lovers, birthing divine sons to have his bloodline rule the nations of the earth and consolidate his kingship.
In order, they were:
First, he seduced Io, a mortal priestess of Hera, who later gave birth to Epaphus, who became king of Egypt.
Second, transforming into a bull, he abducted Europa and carried her to Crete, where she gave birth to Minos and Rhadamanthys, rulers of Crete.
Third, he raped Danaë by entering her sealed chamber as golden rain.
She gave birth to Perseus, the slayer of Medusa.
Fourth, he took Lamia as his lover, a mortal queen. Their children were later destroyed by Hera.
Fifth, he seduced Semele, a mortal princess of Thebes, who gave birth to Dionysus, after perishing upon seeing Zeus's true form.
Sixth, transforming into a swan, he raped Leda, the queen of Sparta, who bore Pollux and the famous beauty Helen.
Seventh, disguising himself as a satyr, he raped Antiope, who gave birth to the twins Amphion and Zethus, rulers of Thebes.
Eighth, he abducted Aegina and hid her on an island, where she gave birth to Aeacus, later a judge of the Underworld.
Ninth, transforming into a stallion, he raped Dia.
Tenth, deceiving Alcmene by taking the form of her husband, he slept with her for three nights, giving birth to Heracles, the greatest of Greek heroes.
Eleventh, he seduced Laodamia, a mortal princess of Lycia, who gave birth to Sarpedon, king of Lycia and a staunch ally of Troy in the Trojan War.
Twelfth, appearing as a serpent, he slept with Olympias, according to later tradition, giving birth to Alexander, who claimed divine descent.
The reason Lorne paid attention to this was that, based on these clues, he could roughly deduce the sequence of certain events.
Currently, the entire Age of Gods world was still in its early stage of coexistence between gods and men.
There was still a long time before the occurrences of events he was familiar with, such as the Argonautica, the Twelve Labours, the Calydonian Boar Hunt, and the Trojan War.
In other words, he could take advantage of these gaps when Zeus was out philandering to prepare gradually, steering the course of events onto a trajectory beneficial to himself.
The two battles for the defense of Crete had already contributed two Divine Personas to him.
Now, living in close quarters with these relatives, he estimated that by stirring up trouble a few more times, he could quickly fill the remaining ten vacant slots.
Speaking of which, with Zeus conveniently absent, who should be the first target?
Just as Lorne was pondering this, a soft knocking sounded at the door.
Instantly alert, he stuffed the paper and pen into his magical array, cleared the scene, and only then opened the door, only to see the goddess of wisdom, Athena, clad in a simple white chiton, standing quietly outside.
"Come with me."
Without waiting for a response, she took his hand and led him out.
After several turns, they entered a fire-red temple.
The moment they stepped inside, a wave of scorching heat assaulted them.
The crisp, rhythmic sound of hammering came from ahead, where a forging table covered in secret runes stood.
Hephaestus, the God of Fire, wearing only a leather apron and bare-chested, was wielding a forging hammer, repeatedly striking a roughly shaped metal ingot, while commanding several metal men to operate bellows, intensifying the flames.
These metal men were human-sized, their movements steady yet nimble, and their obedience very high.
If not for knowing he was in the Age of Gods, Lorne might have thought he'd stepped into a sci-fi world.
Sensing the familiar presence, Hephaestus immediately stopped his work and hastily wiped his hands on his apron and turned, his rugged face breaking into a broad smile.
"Athena? What brings you here?
Is it about those 88 divine artifacts meant for mortal use?"
Then, Hephaestus glanced at the nascent metal ingot on the forging table and the few lumps of orichalcum scrap in the corner, scratching his head, a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness on his face.
"Sorry, the order quantity is a bit large, and many of the designs are too idealistic. I've only completed three sets so far. The rest... I still need to figure them out."
As he spoke, the God of Forging commanded the metal man beside him to open the vault, and immediately, three half-man-high golden metal chests were carried out.
The star charts painted on the exteriors of the chests corresponded precisely with the constellations of Olympus.
Auras—some vast and powerful, some sharp and fierce, some obscure and abstruse- emanated from within.
As one of the metal pressed the mechanism at the center of a chest, the sound of metal grating filled the air.
The entire chest automatically disassembled, splitting into components: a breastplate, arm guards, faulds, a crown, and more, flowing onto its body, fusing with it to form a complete suit of armor.
Observing the scene before him and the magnificent armor that matched his memory perfectly, Lorne's gaze drifted past a familiar stack of draft papers on the table.
Looking at the scene, he found himself filled with profound admiration for this rather plain, even ugly, God of Forging.
The Sacred Cloth had actually been created by this old fellow!
Incredible!
Indeed, the design drafts for these items were from Lorne's own hand.
Back when Athena had secured a large batch of materials from the Sea God's temple, her intention was to forge divine artifacts to strengthen her warriors and avoid a repeat of the Crete disaster.
Upon hearing this, Lorne volunteered to participate in designing each suit of armor.
He proposed integrating the armor's internal magical formations with star charts to draw upon stellar power and enhance the wearer.
As a wise goddess adept at embracing new ideas, Athena naturally agreed without hesitation and even collaborated with Lorne to refine the initial designs.
After several revisions by Athena and practical implementation by Hephaestus, the Sacred Cloth, once merely a figment of Lorne's imagination, gradually became reality.
When the metal man clad in the Sacred Cloth exhibited combat power several times greater than before, Athena nodded in satisfaction.
She first praised her friend's forging skill, then waved her hand, storing the three metal chests within a glowing magical array and spoke with a smile.
"The matter of the Sacred Cloth can wait. First, I wish for you to take some time to forge a divine artifact for him."
As she spoke, Athena pointed to Lorne behind her, stating the purpose of tonight's visit.
Hephaestus, hearing this, showed a troubled expression.
"Forging artifacts for mortals is one thing, but crafting weapons for the gods… Father Zeus would…"
Lorne caught the meaningful look Athena gave him and understood immediately, as he retrieved the feather from Thetis from the magical array and offered it to Hephaestus.
Upon seeing the feather and sensing its familiar aura, Hephaestus's expression turned solemn, and he no longer refused, instead scrutinizing Lorne seriously.
The Smith-God's gaze lingered on Lorne's handsome face for a few seconds, as if realizing something.
Then, his rugged face strained to form a somewhat amiable smile, his attitude becoming inexplicably friendly.
"Young man, speak. What kind of divine artifact do you wish me to forge for you? I will dedicate my full effort to help you!"
Hearing Hephaestus's enthusiastic promise, Lorne unceremoniously produced his prepared design blueprint and handed it to the master craftsman.
"This? Are you certain?"
Hephaestus, who had been all seriousness, took the draft and examined it briefly, his face shifting to one of astonishment.
It depicted a large, wide-mouthed cup, gleaming gold, its rim adorned with peculiar runes.
The pure gold base of the cup was inlaid with 28 pearls, 2 rubies, and 2 emeralds.
By the Smith-God's estimation, its body was 5.5 cm tall, 9.5 cm in diameter, with a wall thickness of 3 mm. Including the base, the cup stood 17 cm tall and 14.5 cm wide…
So, it was a wine cup?
To be honest, he had thought Athena bringing this youngster to see him so late at night, even presenting a token from his foster mother Thetis, meant forging something dangerous.
He had even prepared excuses for later.
And this was it?
For a moment, Hephaestus was utterly perplexed, and the look he gave Lorne became somewhat peculiar.
Lorne smiled somewhat sheepishly in the firelight and explained.
"My divine domain is that of the God of Wine…"
"Ah, I see."
Hephaestus suddenly understood, the last trace of wariness in his heart dissolving.
So, it was just about forging a vessel for pouring wine.
The God of Wine?
Hephaestus gave the young, tender-faced new god before him a brief glance, a flicker of contempt appearing in his eyes.
Olympus had a few servile minor gods popping up every year.
This one was probably another useless individual.
Well, best to just repay this favor.
The rest is none of my concern.
Dismissing further thought, Hephaestus inquired in detail about the forging requirements for this wine vessel.
Upholding his attitude of meticulous perfection, he saw his guests out, shut the great door, and devoted himself entirely to forging the new divine artifact.
Looking at the fire-red temple with its doors tightly locked, Lorne couldn't help but shake his head.
According to Athena, once Hephaestus entered seclusion like this, it would take at least ten days to half a month before he emerged.
It's no wonder that the "bus" at his home was perpetually full of passengers, and he remained blissfully unaware.
Lorne quipped inwardly, then followed Athena, detouring around the Temple of Aphrodite from which faint sounds of passion could be heard.
They parted ways at the entrance to Hestia's temple.
Watching the Wise Goddess disappear into the distance, Lorne yawned and pushed open his own door, entered the bedroom, preparing to experience his first night on Olympus.
However, the moment he pulled back the covers, a vast expanse of alluring, snow-white skin filled his vision, making him swallow hard instinctively as he gazed upon the tender offering in his bed.
"Artemis?"
(End of Chapter)