The Villain of Ancient Greece

On the island of Crete, in the city of Knossos.

With the arrival of the Harvest Festival, the entire street was filled with festive cheer.

After months of hard work, the residents finally had a chance to take a break, tidy up their homes, and enjoy the freshly harvested wheat and rice.

As evening fell, the smoke from cooking fires rose in gentle wisps.

Warm fires were lit, and sumptuous meals were served on dining tables, the tempting aroma drifting from every household.

At the same time, in the square of the city, where the sacrificial rites took place, white-robed priestesses held torches and ignited incense wood and herbs, offering sacrifices to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.

These offerings included bulls, cows, pigs, fruits, beehives, fruit trees, ears of grain, and chestnuts—symbols of the harvest season.

The priestesses fervently prayed, hoping for the continued protection of the gods and good weather for the next year.

As a sister deity, Demeter’s appearance was similar to Hera’s, though her countenance was more gentle, lacking the queenly majesty of the latter.

In the flickering firelight, the statue of Demeter, receiving the sacrifices, depicted a kindly and gentle woman.

She wore a crown woven from golden wheat stalks, holding a basket filled with symbols such as ears of grain, daffodils, torches, fruit baskets, the horn of plenty, and a sickle.

From afar, it seemed like a faint, warm glow in the darkness.

As the ceremony began to wind down, the residents who had finished their meals stepped out of their homes in small groups, sharing homemade snacks and bread shaped like the horn of plenty with their neighbors.

The sounds of the festival and the aroma of food drifted into Hestia’s courtyard, though this year, the Hearth Goddess was not enjoying the festive atmosphere as usual.

Instead, she was kneeling in the backyard garden, her hands covered in mud as she planted seedlings, her white, silver teeth grinding as she silently grumbled.

”Damn Athena! She comes in and ruins everything! I won’t let her in next time!”

While busy with her work, Hestia muttered angrily to herself about her unruly niece.

The time around the Harvest Festival was the best period for planting crops.

She had to hurry and plant the new seedlings to restore the garden that had been ruined.

Fortunately, although she needed to spend some time cultivating in solitude, the Harvest Festival lasted seven days, so once she was done, she would still have a chance to enjoy the holiday.

Comforting herself, Hestia finished planting the last bundle of seedlings, then stood up and turned to look at the center of the courtyard.

On the ground, which was covered with fallen leaves and broken branches, a guest from afar was lying motionless.

Although his nearly hundred gruesome wounds had begun to heal and scab over, he still hadn’t woken up.

His fists were tightly clenched, his muscles taut, and a deep furrow was etched in his brow.

It seemed that even in his dreams, he was still fighting and struggling as if unaware of everything around him.

Nearby, a little purple-haired girl was squatting beside the man, waiting motionless by his side.

It had already been two days...

Did Athena really need to go this hard on him?

Hestia shook her head, and once again criticized the eldest niece who had caused her trouble.

Then she walked forward, patted the little girl on the shoulder, and pointed to the door with a smile.

”Anna, the Harvest Festival is here, and it’s a rare opportunity. Why don’t you go out and have some fun?”

The laughter and the sweet smells drifting from the street made the childlike little Medusa long for the festivities.

But she quickly shook her head, her gaze falling back on the motionless form of Lorne.

Hestia immediately understood, and immediately patted her chest, generously taking on the responsibility.

”Don’t worry, I’ll watch over him. He’ll be fine.”

However, little Medusa still shook her head, steadfastly gazing at Lorne.

”I’m waiting for him to wake up…”

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade this stubborn little girl, Hestia could only give up reluctantly, cursing her troublesome niece who had left her with a mess to clean up.

Days passed by, the sun rose and set, and day turned into night.

Since Lorne, who was still laying motionless, hadn’t shown any signs of waking up for several days, little Medusa ended up staying at Hestia’s house.

However, it didn’t feel right to stay for free.

To repay the kindness, with her simple values and sense of morality, little Medusa started helping with the household chores during her free time.

She also followed Hestia around, helping water and tend to the garden.

For this little girl, who was cold on the outside but warm-hearted and exceptionally sensible, although Hestia didn’t say anything, she undoubtedly grew more and more fond of her.

Not only did she often pull Medusa into long conversations to relieve her boredom, she even made her her personal food critic.

In fact, Hestia invited her to stay several times, almost wanting to pull the cute little Anna into her bed for a good cuddle.

Unfortunately, no matter how enthusiastic the Hearth Goddess was, the first thing that little Anna thought of was always that guy lying motionless in the yard.

Whenever she finished with the chores, little Anna would dutifully stay inside the house, but she would still show up at the appointed time to sit by Lorne’s side, eagerly waiting for him to wake up.

Not only that, but when the sun was blazing, she would set up a partition for him.

When rainstorms were approaching, she would hold up an umbrella for him.

When the night grew colder, she would move the indoor brazier over, quietly crouching beside him, guarding him until dawn.

Even though Hestia had tried to reassure her several times, confidently promising that the tough guy wouldn’t get hurt, the stubborn little girl still insisted on doing things her own way.

Tsk, when is this guy going to wake up…

Inside the house, as Hestia finished up tidying the living room and sat by the hearth, gazing toward the backyard while mumbling to herself, there came a crisp knock on the door.

Bored, the Hearth Goddess instinctively got up to open it.

As the half-open door revealed the familiar smiling face, Hestia immediately felt a dark vein appear on her forehead and then, without saying a word, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang and huffed angrily.

”I’m not here! No one’s home!”

”Are you sure?”

A teasing voice came from the other side, and the visitor, Athena, smirked as she toyed with a small crystal vial in her fingers, speaking with a teasing voice..

”This time, I brought the Essence of Life that I barely managed to get from Aunt Demeter. If you’re not here…”

Bang!

Before Athena could finish speaking, Hestia couldn’t hold herself back any longer.

She quickly yanked open the door, her eyes shining as she snatched the crystal vial containing the transparent liquid from Athena’s hands, holding it lovingly against her cheek and rubbing it like a treasured object.

This was the Essence of Life that held the divine power of the Goddess of Agriculture, capable of rejuvenating all things!

Now, she no longer needed to worry about the seedlings in the yard surviving the winter!

”So, can I come in now, Auntie?”

Outside the door, Athena looked at the satisfied expression on Hestia’s face and asked with a smile.

The Hearth Goddess’s expression shifted from gloomy to sunny as she shot a look at her troublesome niece, who had left her with a mountain of mess to clean up.

In the end, she just snorted and stepped aside to let Athena in.

”At least you have a conscience!”

Who’s the real queen? No need to say more, right?

(End of this chapter)