Chapter 3541: Medusa (7)
Chapter 3541: Medusa (7)
What concerned Athena more was the perceived betrayal. “When did the two of you first meet? Have you been holding trysts within my temple?”
Poseidon immediately burst into a roar of laughter. With a look of smug satisfaction, he said, “This priestess of yours is infatuated with me. Her only hardship was your strictness, which prevented her from leaving the temple. Since you are a frigid old maid yourself, you strictly forbid your servants from having any romantic entanglements with men. She had no way to leave this place, so she asked me to speak with you and request that you bestow her upon me.”
Ning Shu: …
Damn it, this bastard!
Athena’s expression instantly soured. Her eyes grew sharp as she stared at Ning Shu and demanded, “Is this true? Is this what happened? Have the two of you committed acts of fornication within my temple?”
Crackling bolts of lightning began to spark across Athena’s form. The electricity hissed and popped against her golden armor, creating a terrifying display.
Athena was truly enraged!
Regarding Poseidon’s nonsensical lies, Ning Shu wanted nothing more than to deliver a resounding slap to his face.
It seemed she had no room to defend herself. Athena would certainly believe Poseidon over a lowly priestess.
Ning Shu looked at that sleazy, low-life salted fish Poseidon and wanted to chop him into pieces before snapping his trident in half.
“Goddess, please believe me. I have no private affair with Poseidon, nor have I done anything out of line within the temple,” Ning Shu said, trying to defend herself even though she knew Athena wouldn’t believe her.
Poseidon sat in his golden chariot, propping his chin up as he said triumphantly, “Athena, your little priestess and I have indeed done those things. The union of man and woman is only natural.”
“Shut your mouth, you bastard!” Ning Shu released a dragon of spiritual energy to strike at him.
The dragon roared as it lunged toward Poseidon, engaging him in a fierce struggle.
Athena watched the dragon howling through the sky, then squinted her eyes at Ning Shu.
“You seem to be hiding things from me. Do you know the consequences of deceiving a god?” Athena held her scepter in her left hand and her shield in her right, her gaze cold as she watched Ning Shu.
Ning Shu was currently like an ant that had offended the majesty of a god. There was no right or wrong here, because in a world of gods, whatever a god said was the truth.
If a god said you were wrong, then you were wrong, and you had to accept the punishment.
“I possess a bit of ability, but I have never done anything to betray the goddess,” Ning Shu said. She had offended two people today: Poseidon and Athena.
Both were principal gods who held seats on Mount Olympus.
That cursed Poseidon actually claimed they had a private affair and were even trysting in Athena’s temple.
Ning Shu thought, What can I say? I’m in despair.
The words of a god were divine oracles.
There was a price to pay for offending a god, and the price Ning Shu now faced was likely the combined assault of two principal deities.
“Then tell me, how did a lowly human like you obtain such power? Where does this strength come from? Even a sliver of deception is considered sacrilege.” Athena would never allow any problems within her city, yet she didn’t even know the true nature of her own priestess.
What was a person with such power doing lurking by her side?
The goddess was not happy. She was furious.
Ning Shu: …
How was she supposed to explain this?
“Who bestowed this power upon you?” Athena asked once more. Generally, only gods possessed the ability to wield power. Ordinary humans were incapable of it.
“I was the one who bestowed her power,” Poseidon said, easily dispelling the spiritual dragon with an air of righteous generosity.
The dissipated dragon reformed immediately. No matter how many times Poseidon struck it down, the dragon would pull itself back together.
Since it wasn’t a physical object, the reformed dragon simply lunged at Poseidon again, tireless and inexhaustible.
Hearing Poseidon shamelessly claim he had given her this power, Ning Shu’s face darkened.
She had never known the sea god could be so brazen.
Poseidon was doing this on purpose to incite conflict between Ning Shu and Athena. Given Athena’s proud and haughty nature, how could she ever tolerate being deceived?
Ning Shu understood this perfectly. It looked like escaping today would take quite a bit of effort.
Regardless of what she did, she was bound to offend Athena.
Ning Shu glanced at the gloating Poseidon.
Fine then. You better hope you never fall into my hands.
She resolved to find a way to take him down, even if he was the brother of Zeus and Hades.
Truth required power. No matter what one wanted to do, they needed power to protect it.
“You son of a turtle, you stinking salted fish Poseidon has designs on my beauty! He covets me, but there is no secret affair between us! I can swear it before Heaven!” Ning Shu sank her breath into her internal core and projected her voice far and wide.
Her voice echoed throughout the entire city of Athens. Then, she continued her shrill cry, “Goddess, that Poseidon took advantage of your absence! He barged into the temple and tried to have his way with me! He defiled your temple! I beg the goddess to seek justice for me! From this day forth, I will dedicate my life to the goddess without regret!”
If you can lie, so can I!
Ning Shu shrieked again, “I beg the goddess to believe me! I am willing to undergo a physical examination! I have no relationship with the sea god Poseidon, nor have I committed any illicit acts!”
If news got out that Poseidon tried to rape a priestess and failed, the other gods would laugh themselves to death.
A romantic scandal was one thing, but a failure like that was a serious blow to his masculine pride.
The citizens of Athens all turned toward the temple. They didn’t understand what was happening, but since there was a spectacle to see, they began to swarm around the building.
Hearing Ning Shu’s words, Poseidon’s expression soured. However, when he saw Athena’s face turning black with rage, he suddenly laughed. “Athena, this priestess of yours is quite interesting. She dares to slander two principal gods and commit sacrilege with every word.”
Athena said indifferently, “Her cleverness has backfired. Athens is my city, yet she dares to incite my believers to question my divine majesty. It is unforgivable.”
Poseidon chuckled. “It’s only right that you punish her, but after the punishment, you must give her to me.”
Then, Poseidon shouted in a thunderous voice, “The human priestess Medusa has offended my divine majesty! If she is not punished today, I shall flood the entire city of Athens!”
The confused onlookers were stunned. They had only come to watch a spectacle, yet now the entire city was at risk of being submerged.
If the priestess wasn’t punished, Athens would meet its doom.
Humans were skilled at the strategy of sacrificing the few to save the many. If punishing one woman was the price for the safety of all Athens, it was a bargain they were willing to make.
Ning Shu: …
She watched as the humans swarmed toward the temple like ants from all directions. Their faces were filled with terror and anxiety. The gods were omnipotent. If a god chose to punish them, they would have no way to resist.
Right now, the only thought in everyone’s mind was to punish Ning Shu as quickly as possible to appease the gods’ wrath.