Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"The people from Olympus are coming, what are you waiting for?"

Just as Athena felt a chill run down her spine, she received a heavy pat on the shoulder.

Samael pointed impatiently to the Typhon offspring lying scattered on the ground behind him, offering a curt reminder.

"Come quickly and help transport your team members back to the Alima Cave."

Athena was taken aback, her expression turning strange.

"Didn't you say Olympus was coming?"

Samael dragged Hydra onto Teacher Ma's back, while the nine heads were used as knots, each tied to a monster, and answered casually.

"Yeah, but what's it to you?"

Noticing the bewildered look in the eyes of the adopted daughter behind him, the ancient snake gave her an annoyed glance.

"Your Aunt Themis and the Queen of the Gods are very good friends. Is there any problem with inviting Zeus and Hera as guests in the name of the Old Gods?"

"Huh? That works too! I thought..."

Athena stared in disbelief, muttering to herself.

"Why?"

"No, it's nothing..."

"If there's nothing wrong, then hurry up and get to work! Let me tell you, Zeus is a big philanderer. If you wander around in front of him and get his eye on, you might not make it back."

Samael glared at Athena, whose eyes were darting around, then tapped his adopted daughter on the head with a snort and added a vicious threat.

"Get to work, why are you being so mean!"

Athena rolled her eyes at Samael, then ran to the side of the heavily injured Typhon offspring. Following someone's method, she grabbed the chimera's serpent tail, the dragon's head of Ladon, and the dog's head of Cerberus, and tied them all to her teacher Chiron in a chaotic manner.

Unconsciously, the corners of the goddess of wisdom's lips curled up slightly, as if she were immersed in some kind of pleasure.

"drive!"

After entrusting the Typhon children to Chiron in a string, Athena, feeling playful, patted Teacher Ma on the back and shooed him away.

I am a centaur, not a horse specifically for hauling goods! If you need to transport goods, can't you hire a horse specifically for that purpose?

The centaur sage's lips twitched, he moved his mouth, but in the end he was too lazy to argue, sighed helplessly, and buried his head and started running on all fours. In a series of collisions, he transported the Typhon offspring behind him to the Arimar Cave.

Anyway, these students are tough and thick-skinned. Taking them for a walk won't necessarily result in any scrapes or bruises. The intensity of their fights is even less than their daily squabbles among themselves.

Neither Chiron nor Medusa and Athena, who followed closely behind on either side, felt much psychological burden about this.

As the delivery convoy drove further and further away, Samael, who was lagging behind, suppressed his smile and looked back at Themis with concern.

"I'm a little worried, I think I'll stay."

The goddess of justice raised her hand and gently stroked Samael's cheek, then lowered her head and lightly kissed the ancient serpent's forehead, her tone firm and gentle.

"Trust me, there won't be any problem. Whether it's because of Metis or because Hera is there, Zeus won't do anything to me."

"Besides, in my hands, besides the scales for weighing right and wrong, I also have the sword to uphold justice!"

Samael looked deeply at Themis through the solemn black veil, nodded seriously after a moment, and released the goddess of justice's shoulders.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you."

"If anything unexpected happens, be sure to send a signal immediately. I'll be waiting for you to come back in the cave tonight."

"Don't forget, tonight is a special night."

Finally, the ancient serpent cupped Themis's face and gently kissed her forehead. Then, driven by the divinity of fate and the power of time and space, its body transformed into a stream of light and vanished.

"I promise!"

Themis smiled and nodded, watching the eerie light fade away. She turned to look at the nearby battlefield in ruins, flicked the golden scales with her fingers, cupped one hand to her chest, and solemnly began to chant.

"The calamity has subsided, and the harm has returned to its original source!"

As the golden aura rippled out from beneath the goddess's feet, the regular divine power caused the surrounding environment to seem to be reversed, undergoing a process of filling in pits, dispelling toxins, and reviving vegetation.

Once the mess before her eyes was wiped away, the goddess of justice relaxed her brow and rose to walk toward the waterside treehouse.

However, the moment Themis turned her back to the sun, her shadow became somewhat heavy.

Because of her kind and amiable nature, she held a prominent position among the old gods and gained the friendship of Rhea and Hera, the two queens of the new and old gods.

Her advocacy of equal marriage principles and the concept of using the obligations and responsibilities between men and women to bind husbands and wives to each other within the family was especially admired by Hera, who was always on guard against her husband's infidelity and protected her marriage.

Therefore, this goddess of justice did indeed have a good relationship with Hera, but this superficial relationship had very limited substantive effect.

Trying to use this to restrain that king of gods and monsters will probably not be so easy.

Hopefully, the Olympian king will be very interested in Samael's bargaining chip.

Chapter Seventy: Shall we sleep together tonight? (4/4)

As evening falls, deep in the marshland, the afterglow of the setting sun spills into the forest, casting a blushing hue in the misty air, like the shy blush on a lover's face.

Samael breathed a long sigh of relief only when the rustling sounds came from behind the bushes and Themis, unharmed, appeared at the fork in the road, along with dozens of nymphs circling around her.

"I told you I was fine..."

As the goddess of justice murmured, though there was a hint of reproach in her voice, a blush crept onto her pretty face.

"I just came over to take a look."

Samael smiled knowingly and nodded slightly.

The fact that Themis was here at this moment meant that the negotiations had gone smoothly and there had been no major surprises, so he could finally relax.

"Is everything ready?"

Their eyes met, their fingertips lightly clasped, and the goddess of justice who stepped forward looked up at the setting sun sinking below the horizon and asked softly.

"Of course, I've been waiting for you."

Samael smiled and led Themis toward the cave in his home.

Meanwhile, the chattering nymphs, each carrying a gift, had their little faces filled with inexplicable excitement and flush.

"I'll let you in on a secret: the food at Samael's house is absolutely delicious!"

"I haven't eaten for two days just to get this meal!"

Daphne, an old acquaintance, was flapping her wings and leaping about in mid-air, wiping away glistening drool as she enthusiastically promoted her wares to her companions.

The atmosphere grew increasingly lively and festive amidst the children's discussion.

As night falls, the cave is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and plates of delicious fruits, dishes, syrups, mushroom soups and other delicacies are served on the table.

Besides Themis and her familiar nymphs, Echidna, the serpent mother from the Arimar dungeon, also led the awakened Typhon children to the scene. Chiron, the children's teacher, also came to help.

With so many people joining, the originally spacious cavern became somewhat crowded.

But the lively atmosphere grew even stronger.

The nymphs, carrying fruit baskets, frolicked and chased each other in mid-air, or passed the fruit to one another in a relay.

The monsters, still somewhat bruised and battered, were not much more agitated and naturally took on the responsibility of assisting the nymphs and teachers.

Of course, Euryale and Stheno, those two troublemakers, put on airs, only showed up but didn't do anything, and continued to wander around the dining table, tasting all sorts of delicacies.

Harpy, who was suspected to be a reincarnation of a demon in her past life, would always dawdle and sneak a few bites whenever food was served. The sauce left on her lips was never wiped off, which had long exposed her bad behavior.

The Serpent Mother and Themis sat together, their demeanor calm, occasionally whispering to each other. Erkedna's gaze swept around the field, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slowly.

When Samael brought out the final, grand dish, "Roasted Poison Dragon," the Ancient Serpent clapped his hands, a subtle smile on his face.

At this moment, everyone held their breath. Whether it was the lively nymphs, the troublemaking Gorgon sisters, or the impulsive harpy Harpy, they all fell silent in unison.

A series of converging gazes were cast toward a cave entrance sealed by magic, its light patterns and marks inducing drowsiness.

Samael took the opportunity to snap his fingers, and a crisp sound filled the air as Tina pushed the stone door open from the inside.

Immediately afterwards, Tina mysteriously pulled out a sleepy-eyed figure.

"Strange, how did I fall asleep? What time is it now?"

"Hey? What are you all doing here? And Harpy, your wing is broken, shouldn't you be taking care of your injury?"

Athena, who had just woken up, came to the hall with Tina's help. Coming to her senses, she looked at the group of people gathered together in surprise, scratched her messy silver hair, and muttered to herself.

"Athena..."

Samael stepped forward solemnly, took his adopted daughter's soft hands in his own, and slowly raised them, his tone serious.

As the goddess of wisdom recalled the battle that had taken place during the day, her heart skipped a beat, and her body tensed involuntarily.

"Happy birthday!"

Just then, cheers erupted from all directions, and familiar faces beamed with genuine smiles.

"you…"

"How could I forget my daughter's birthday? I think I spent a good time with her tonight, didn't I?"

Samael winked at Athena with a teasing smile.

The goddess of wisdom immediately recalled her childish act of using a rear naked chokehold to pin down the person in front of her and venting her petty emotions in his ear. She gritted her teeth and felt utterly ashamed.

What's going on? You all remember, but you're keeping it from me!

Happy birthday, Athena…

Then, Medusa, holding a sweet butter cake and surrounded by Typhon's children, walked gracefully towards them.

Gazing at the cake with the name "Athena" written on its surface in jam, the goddess of wisdom glanced at it and slightly raised her chin.

"It's nothing special, but I saved a life."

Medusa's pretty face turned cold, and she made a move to withdraw.

"This is my favorite food since I was a child. If you don't want it, that's fine. Besides, I saved your life on the battlefield, so we're even."

"Hey! Once something's been given away, there's no reason to take it back!"

With a soft hum, Athena snatched the cake from Medusa's unpreparedness.

"give me back!"

"No way! Let me try it. Hmm, the outer layer is crispy, the inside is soft, and there's even fruit filling inside. Are you still a child? You like sweet and sour things so much?"

Medusa, feeling insulted, watched Athena happily eating large chunks of butter cake mixed with fruit while criticizing her. Her face darkened, and she felt an urge to grab the plate and smear it on Athena's face.

Sure enough, she's as annoying as ever! I still love to go against her as always!

"Snapped!"

But soon, the goddess of wisdom, who had almost never lost an argument, was punished with a sharp rap on the head.

"Even food can't shut you up, huh?"

With a sinister expression, Samael grabbed Athena by the scruff of her neck and tossed the proud, cunning, and sharp-tongued goddess of wisdom aside, separating the two who were prone to bickering.

Thus, the birthday banquet officially began. The nymphs, carrying fruit baskets, garlands they had woven themselves, and crystal dew they had brewed themselves, presented Athena with birthday gifts in turn with smiles.

When it came to the remaining Typhon offspring, some of them presented Athena with hardcore gifts such as the heads of her prey, like the Chimera and the Colchis dragon.

Some, unprepared and fearing the attention of some malevolent spirit, simply promised to let her choose any material from their own possessions as a keepsake. Examples included the poison of a Hydra, the shed teeth of a hellhound, or the feathers a hobbit uses to manipulate wind elements.

Some simply offered fruits or wreaths as a perfunctory gesture; Euryale and Stheno, who were at odds with Athena, were examples of this.

Of course, the most ingenious one is the Sphinx's riddle with the answer "Happy Birthday Athena".

In addition, there are those who are simply stingy and lazy, and simply give away a glowing ore to settle the matter.

Ladon, I'll remember you...

With a sinister glint in his eye, he glanced at the dragon that was heartbroken over the "sparkling" piece and secretly made a blacklist.

Finally, the five elders, who served as the grand finale, proved to be quite rewarding for Athena.

The Serpent Mother delivered a pale golden fruit nourished by the power of the earth, containing some self-healing ability. To Samael, it felt somewhat like a golden apple, but its purity was not as good as the legendary one that directly granted immortality.

Chiron then handed over a bow he had made himself from ash wood and a bag of bronze arrows, his smile gentle.

Themis handed over a bronze suit of armor made in the shape of Athena, and gently stroked the girl's long, silvery hair, as if she were seeing Metis again, who had been nestled in her arms and acting coquettishly back then.

Tina's gift was equally unexpected: a beautiful ballad arranged by Samael, sung by the bewildered Origin Goddess in different tones. The scattered emerald light calmed everyone's minds and filled their bodies with vitality.