— — — — — —
The instant that hand landed on his shoulder, Zethus went rigid.
He forced himself not to move, not to turn around, not to struggle or try to escape.
There was no point. Any of that would be meaningless.
The only thing he could do now was shoot desperate looks at his sister and brother, his eyes practically screaming, 'Save me!'
"Zethus!" Amphion clenched his fists, teeth gritted as he stared at his captured brother.
Meanwhile, Ryo completely ignored the chaos outside, the sounds of soldiers scrambling into position.
Instead, he casually looked around the fortress.
Soft carpets. Side tables covered in fruit and liquor. Decorative murals hanging across the walls.
He clicked his tongue in amusement, "Pretty comfortable in here, huh?"
"Ryo... Yagami..."
Eunomia called his name, her face grim.
Ryo tilted his head, studying the sharp-featured girl before narrowing his eyes.
"You are Eunomia, eldest daughter of Horae?" His gaze swept over her from head to toe, and then he burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Why are you so tiny? What, are you planning to kill me later by acting cute?"
'Oh no.'
Zethus's face changed instantly as he looked at Eunomia.
Sure enough, anger was already surfacing in her expression.
He knew exactly how sensitive his half-sister was about her height.
Horae was goddesses of the seasons and cosmic order. As the eldest daughter, Eunomia had once tried to seize the authority of Spring in her youth. The backlash halted her growth, freezing her body at what it deemed the "optimal" stage.
That happened when she was thirteen.
Among the second-generation Greek gods beneath the Twelve, it was an unspoken taboo. And now Ryo had just casually brought it up.
Zethus could only pray Eunomia wouldn't lose her temper and pull off what he privately called a "Russian rescue."
Meaning: save the hostage, casualties optional.
He didn't actually mind dying in battle. But getting accidentally killed by his own side while being rescued? That would be way too embarrassing.
Panicking, he blurted out, "What are you talking about? Big sis Eunomia isn't short at all! In my heart, she's always the tallest, most imposing woman alive!"
"Huh!" Amphion blinked, his face twisting in disbelief.
But Zethus ignored him and kept shouting nervously. "Big sis, trust me! Your height really isn't a problem! Even if you stay like this forever, it doesn't affect how great you are in my eyes! So let's all talk this out and not start fighting, okay?!"
"Z-Zethus!"
Amphion covered his face.
He knew his brother wasn't exactly bright. But this? This was beyond saving. Eunomia wasn't stupid enough to believe her brother's heartfelt words, so the only thing she caught was his sarcastic jab at her height.
"Hm... what a loving, harmonious sibling relationship." Ryo watched the whole thing, lips curling upward.
Eunomia's eyes had gone dead.
She shot Zethus one look, and whatever else he wanted to say died in his throat.
After silencing him, she turned back to Ryo, her eyes narrowing. "You forcibly broke through our barrier and took my brother hostage. Should I take that as you intending to violate the rules of the Divine War?"
Ryo simply smiled. "What do you think?"
That question made Eunomia fall silent.
She thought for several seconds before answering, "I can pretend none of this happened."
She fixed her gaze on him. "But in return, I'd like you to release Zethus."
Ryo blinked and glanced at the muscle-bound man under his grip.
"Oh? So he's Zethus? One of Zeus's sons?"
He genuinely hadn't known. He'd thought this was just some random Greek officer.
"..."
That surprised tone made Zethus look at Eunomia with deep resentment.
'Sis... is this how you save someone?'
A moment ago, Ryo hadn't known his worth. Now Eunomia had handed it over on a silver platter.
What was he supposed to say to that?
But unlike Zethus, whose face was full of grievance, Eunomia remained perfectly calm. "As you now know, yes, this useless fool is my half-brother. But if you think he's valuable enough to use against me, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
Ryo suddenly smiled, "So you do care about him."
His tone was curious. "That's stange. I figured Zeus's children would charge in screaming the moment one of their siblings got captured, without caring whether they lived or died afterward. Hell, maybe some of them would even see it as a chance to kill them and thin out the competition."
Eunomia frowned, "I don't know if Ares gave you an especially terrible impression, but despite appearances, the relationships between the Greeks aren't quite as hostile as you seem to think."
"Is that so?" Ryo chuckled.
Then his eyes narrowed, amusement flickering there, "To be honest, the fact that you care makes things easier for me."
Eunomia's brow furrowed deeply. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Nothing much." Ryo let go of Zethus.
The moment he was free, Zethus darted backward, retreating behind Eunomia and beside Amphion.
Ryo cast them a casual glance. "I've released him. So, in return..."
He raised a hand and pointed directly at Eunomia. "You're coming with me."
"What?" Eunomia was stunned.
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "I doubt a four-digit's hearing is that bad."
"Ryo-san..." Eunomia's expression darkened as she quickly assessed the implications. "The earlier attack could be dismissed with excuses. But kidnapping me, the acting wartime commander...?"
She stared at him. "You're really going through with this?"
Ryo laughed softly, his eyes curving with something dangerous. "Euno-chan, are you refusing?"
His smile sharpened.
"That wouldn't be very fair. I've already shown my sincerity." As he said that, he glanced at Zethus.
Zethus shivered and instinctively took another step back, his expression turning strange.
He couldn't figure out what Ryo was after.
They'd already offered to cover up his rule-breaking. And yet Ryo insisted on breaking the rules anyway.
Even someone as simple-minded as Zethus could tell there was something fishy here.
Amphion and Eunomia understood it even more clearly.
"Sister, don't agree to it!" Amphion said immediately. "At worst, we die once. We can afford that."
Ryo didn't get angry. He simply stood there smiling, as if saying the choice was theirs.
But that smile made Eunomia's heart sink.
She didn't believe for a second that Ryo had made this demand without preparation.
So no matter what they chose, the outcome probably wouldn't change. He was fully capable of forcing it.
After a long silence, Eunomia lowered her voice, "…Fine. I'll go with you."
"Smart."
Ryo clapped his hands lightly and turned around, "Follow me."
Eunomia walked over with a dark expression.
As she reached his side, Ryo turned back to Amphion and Zethus and said with a grin, "I'll be borrowing your sister for a few days."
That phrasing made both brothers' faces change instantly.
A gust of wind swept through the hall. And in the next second, Ryo and Eunomia vanished.
"Amphion..."
Zethus called out uneasily.
Amphion's face darkened.
"I know, brother." His voice was heavy. "There's definitely a trap in this. But we have no choice but to report it."
A commander disappearing wasn't something they could hide. What Ryo had done would come to light sooner or later.
And whatever scheme he had prepared, Greece had no option but to walk straight into it.
After a long pause, Amphion said grimly, "We can only leave this to Father."
Zethus sighed, "…Yeah. That's all we can do."
...
..
Lower Layers of Little Garden— Greece, Mount Olympus—
At the summit, the eternal lightning-flame burning atop the mountain suddenly went out.
At that same moment, a breathtakingly beautiful girl dressed in a white restraint uniform, straps wrapped tightly around her body, narrowed her eyes.
The mountain wind scattered her purple hair as she looked up toward the towering peak.
Her gaze locked onto the sacred temple at the summit.
Algol let out a cold laugh. And stepped onto the mountain path.
In that instant, a darkness black as night swallowed all of Olympus.
.
.
.