"..."
Hypnos and Thanatos remained silent for a moment. The two gods of the underworld exchanged glances. Then, Hypnos calmly said, "The visit of the Earth Goddess is naturally welcome. His Majesty will see you."
With that, Hypnos opened the gates to the Underworld. The meaning was clear: since Athena had come to visit, would she dare to step into the Underworld? Or perhaps... was it even possible for the Lord of the Underworld to leave his domain to meet her? Absolutely not. How much influence did Athena think she had to make Hades come out to see her? Did she have that kind of standing?
Clearly not.
This was the core issue. If she wanted to meet the Lord of the Underworld, she would have to enter the Underworld herself. The question was, did she have the courage to step into this realm of death? Any god who wasn't a fool knew that the Underworld was extremely dangerous. If she entered, what price would she have to pay? Would she even survive? There was no doubt that neither Poseidon nor Boros had the courage to step into the Underworld. But did Athena?
The decision was laid out plainly: would she dare to enter the Underworld, betting her life in the process? This was a true gamble with her existence at stake.
"…"
At that moment, Athena fell into silence. Even though she had been prepared from the start, when the gates of the Underworld opened, she hesitated for a brief moment. But it was only for a moment. Athena quickly composed herself, nodded slightly, and, alongside Hypnos and Thanatos, stepped inside.
To put it bluntly, Athena was already in a situation where there was no turning back. She had to enter the Underworld. If she didn't, after arriving here in Sparta at the far north under the eyes of all the gods, only to leave in disgrace, her reputation would be utterly ruined. From then on, Athena would be thoroughly humiliated.
Now, she had no choice but to enter and take her chances. If she succeeded, it would be great. If she failed? She'd die.
The reasoning was simple. Athena knew that, according to her own plans, there was almost no chance of success unless she secured Hades' help. Otherwise, everything would be pointless. There was only one chance, and she had to take it. Since she had come this far, if she didn't dare to fight for it...
She might as well give up, return to the Sanctuary, and wait for death in silence.
Her arrival here proved that Athena would never give up. She would not hesitate and had made her decision.
Of course, Athena's internal turmoil lasted only for an instant. Soon, her emotions settled back into calm.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"She really dares to do it?"
The gods watching this scene were filled with disbelief. Even Poseidon and Boros found it rather interesting.
Undeniably, both could somewhat guess Athena's reasons for her choice. But neither had expected she would actually go through with it. This made things even more intriguing.
"Athena..."
Poseidon murmured her name, then fell back into silence.
"My daughter."
"My sister."
"Hehehe~~~"
Boros smiled gently and said, "Athena, you are indeed courageous. I hope your bravery brings you good fortune, because otherwise... who knows what the outcome will be?"
Boros closed his eyes peacefully. For him, time was abundant. He only needed to wait. The future would unfold as it should. Right now, he was waiting for the Olympian gods to make their decisions. Without that, everything would be meaningless.
Moreover, Boros was also waiting for something else. He still needed time, time to slowly execute his plans. If his plans succeeded...
At that moment, Boros would no longer lag behind Hades and Poseidon. He knew well the hidden cards and schemes of the two god-kings, and he had to prepare accordingly.
Of course, Hades had never really kept his cards hidden. His actions were always out in the open. Back when he faced the Titan King, if there had been any restraint, it was now all out in the open, and no one could stop it.
As for what Poseidon was hiding, that was more uncertain. Who could truly know what Poseidon had in mind?
Hades and Boros both had their guesses, but whether these guesses were correct was hard to say.
The Underworld.
At this moment, led by Hypnos and Thanatos, Athena stepped into the Underworld. In an instant, the vast realm of the dead unfolded before her eyes.
Athena's expression revealed a flash of astonishment. Clearly, she hadn't expected the Underworld to be so immense, so magnificent, or so resplendent. Rather than a desolate wasteland like in human myths, the Underworld was a masterpiece of intricate design. Its grand, vast beauty was undeniable.
To ordinary mortals, the Underworld might look like a barren wasteland, like something out of a myth. It would strike them as eerie and unpleasant. But to Athena, it was the opposite. The Underworld was perfect. With just a glance, she could see the eight great prisons, the four circles, the Yellow Springs, and the four great rivers of the dead forming the structure of the entire realm.
The Underworld was complete, whole.
Moreover, the hellish realms attached to it, connected to the starry skies, only added to its astonishing grandeur. Athena's eyes flickered with endless shock at the sight.
At that moment, the saying became true: only when you see it with your own eyes do you truly understand the terror.
This phrase perfectly encapsulated Athena's inner thoughts at that moment!!!
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