The next morning, white-capped waves splashed high.
Having been soaked overnight, Luo En emerged from the depths of the sea, crossed the overlapping waves, and walked towards the campsite on the shore.
In front of the extinguished, ash-covered fire, the early-rising Thetis and Hecate sat beside the dry branches chatting and laughing, their cheerful and relaxed mood spreading all around,
It must be said that this Ocean Goddess, known for her wisdom, had quite the knack for social charm. Even when faced with the sudden appearance of Hecate, she could interact as if nothing were out of the ordinary, not mentioning the incident when Hecate was left alone on the sea surface at all.
And upon seeing Luo En's arrival, Thetis subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"What shall we make for breakfast? I'll help you."
With that, she took the initiative to throw some branches into the fire, reigniting the embers, ready to help out.
Seeing the flames rise, Hecate also smiled gracefully, giving up the positions of head chef and assistant to the two, and leisurely strolled by the seaside, waiting for mealtime.
Glancing over at the distant Goddess of the Underworld Moon, Thetis turned back to Luo En and whispered,
"Was she in your tent last night?"
"Yeah, if it weren't for Astraea accidentally stumbling in, I almost couldn't have gotten out."
Luo En stirred the pot of porridge, glancing irritably at Thetis by his side.
After a brief moment, Thetis seemed to realize something, her face showing a hint of embarrassed apology.
"I'm sorry, it seems my magic skills still need some refinement; I actually let her sneak in without a sound."
Last night's Defensive Charm had mostly been drawn by this Ocean Goddess herself.
That Hecate managed to breach it so subtly and even reach the very doorstep had left her feeling somewhat guilty towards a certain unfortunate individual.
Luo En's eyes twinkled as he teasingly asked,
"So does this count as you owing me a favor?"
Thetis grabbed the Bronze Eleph in her chest, clenching it tightly in her palm, while warily looking at the would-be debtee, countering earnestly, word by word,
"You were the one who threw her in; it's only natural she'd come after you. It would have been the same with or without my Defensive Magic. And if we're counting, I'm the one who got dragged into this, you owe me!"
Beneath Thetis' logical analysis, Luo En covered his chest and murmured resentfully, wearing a deeply wounded expression on his face.
The Ocean Goddess gave the man making a show a sideways glance, adding wood to the fire expressionlessly, and spoke in a cool detached tone,
"Are we that familiar?"
Oh, isn't that my line from last night?
Seeing the corners of the Ocean Goddess' mouth that were nearly twitching with suppressed amusement, Luo En's eyes gleamed with a mischievous smile.
"Not familiar? Then why did you come into my tent so early in the morning?"
Thetis pointed indignantly to the bubbling pot, huffing softly.
"Yeah, I'm hungry too! What's the delicious breakfast today? It smells so good, let me see!"
As the two deities by the fire began to squabble, an unsightly head squeezed in, intoxicatedly inhaling the aroma of food in the air and eagerly eyeing the churning seafood porridge in the pot, urging impatiently,
"Quick, quick, quick, serve me a bowl first! All the back and forth last night practically killed me."
Hearing Astraea's careless mutter, Hecate shot a deep and ambiguous glance towards a certain granddisciple by the fire.
If she remembered correctly, the two had spent a night together.
And to think, first thing in the morning, straight into the sea for a bath?
Who would have guessed?
Some people put up a mask of stoic righteousness, but behind closed doors they act so swiftly.
As Hecate silently sneered, she regarded Astraea—who was devouring her meal by the fire—with disdain.
So much for a heart turned to ash; touch it with a spark and it ignites all the same, doesn't it?
But this time, the "Seed" I have personally sown will not be easily touched by you!
However, when Hecate's eyes landed on the Golden scales swinging back and forth at the hilt of the sword, she suddenly lost interest.
"I'll have one, too."
Accompanied by a languid murmur, Hecate squeezed forward, wedging herself between Luo En and Astraea, giving her granddisciple a radiant smile.
However, Luo En, already on edge, almost stabbed the soup ladle in his hand towards the face of this imposing ancestress as if it were a weapon.
Seeing the increasingly darkening expression on Hecate's face, Luo En hurriedly calmed himself, forced a smile, and carefully served food to this formidable Boss in hiding.
Meanwhile, under the pretense of serving food, he edged closer to Astraea.
Even though he didn't know the specific reason, Luo En sensed that Hecate seemed to have a subtle apprehension towards the Goddess of Justice.
Even a false sense of safety felt better than staying near that woman.
At that moment, as she watched the frequently extended ladle and her nearly bottomless bowl, Astraea's eyes brightened with emotion.
Luo En was such a good person!
After a breakfast fraught with tension, everyone extinguished the fire, packed up the tents, and prepared to set off.
However, just as the group was about to depart, a different voice emerged.
"Now that the matter at sea has been resolved, it's time for me to go home and have a look."
Thetis said, expressing a hint of apology and nodding goodbye to everyone,
"So, as for the journey to Athens, please forgive me for not being able to accompany you."