Chapter 210: Eating Soft Rice with a Hard Mouth (Part 2)

Athena threw out one sentence, and the room fell silent.

All eyes were on Atreus.

The three gods didn’t speak out immediately, which meant they tacitly agreed with Athena’s actions. This was essentially the approval of four of the twelve Olympian gods, making it likely that the proposal would pass even if presented to Zeus.

Even Diana and Penthesilea, standing by Atreus’s side, subconsciously thought that Atreus’s chances of agreeing weren’t low. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand him, but being born as part of the first generation of demigods from the union of gods and humans, they saw Atreus joining their ranks as more like family.

What no one, including the two women, expected was that the first image to pop into Atreus’s mind after Athena’s formal invitation was a gif—of a red-haired orangutan standing up and holding out its palm, begging for food.

Sigh!  

Atreus struggled to hold back his laughter.

He realized that the Olympian gods of this world were nothing more than fallen landlords. He hadn’t noticed this during the recent battle, but later, while reviewing the combat logs, he saw an entry that read, "Supreme Sorcerer Ancient One has followed you." This confirmed that in this mixed universe, where timelines weren’t in sync, the Ancient One was still alive and still the most powerful figure on Earth.

Since Earth no longer had anything to do with the Olympians or the Asgardians, why were they still acting so high and mighty?

Weren’t they just a group of old gods pushed to the margins of the world’s main stage? The Olympian gods weren’t earning their keep anymore; they were standing around begging for it.

A bunch of weaklings who couldn’t even beat Ares dared to take Atreus in as their lackey?

Atreus suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu: *“I’ve fallen on hard times. I’m drowning in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. My fists aren’t even that strong, but I make the rules, so you damn well have to be my dog and follow them!”*

Does this all sound familiar?

Is this the *godly version of “invite, execute, and enslave?”*

The whole point is that they’re trying to force-feed me soft rice.

Heh, I think it’d make more sense if Athena were wearing dog ears and a little dog ear accessory to match.

Atreus glanced at Diana, whose gaze was a mix of heat and hope, and suddenly smiled.

“Athena, it seems that the Olympian gods no longer have the final say on Earth. Are you really trying to fool me with a godly title that means nothing in front of the Supreme Sorcerer, just so I can stand guard at the Pantheon’s gates every day, watching Zeus party and indulge, while constantly on edge that the godly boss might decide to sleep with my girl on a whim? Spare me. I’m afraid if I lose my temper, I’ll wipe out every last Olympian god in the Pantheon.”

The first part of his speech merely exposed some raw wounds, but the latter half was an open threat.

The four Olympian gods' eyes all froze simultaneously.

No one knew better than they did what Zeus was like.

In comparison, the infamous Cao Cao from some other traveler’s homeworld history was nothing. Zeus, who had a universally acknowledged negative moral value, would screw anything that moved when he got excited.

Otherwise, where do you think all the powerful monsters in Greek mythology came from?

Athena, standing right there, had the most authority to speak on this matter. Though she was Zeus’s own daughter, he’d tried to take advantage of her more than once or twice. It’s just that he’d never succeeded.

Poseidon, initially still defiant, suddenly sensed that a shadow of Atreus had appeared outside the Pantheon.

The four gods’ gazes toward Atreus immediately shifted to something new—fear!

This mortal, who only recently had been human, actually possessed such powerful spatial magic that he could track the trajectory of their divine power and locate the Pantheon’s spatial coordinates from it? Ares had spent over two thousand years trying and had still failed!

At this moment, Atreus’s threat level to them skyrocketed.

The superiority complex, the “I’m doing you a favor by letting you in” attitude, disappeared without a trace, replaced by extreme caution.

In Athena’s projection, her usual noble, calm demeanor was gone. She pressed her lips together and said gravely, “Are you threatening the Pantheon!?”

This question was yet another trap, trying to probe just how much Atreus knew.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t realize she was dealing with a traveler from a multiverse!

“Give it up, Athena. The Olympian gods don’t represent the entire Pantheon. Don’t try to use that title to pressure me. Earth’s got enough of its own problems; I’ve got no interest in getting involved in yours.”

With Atreus’s words, they all felt a strAtreus sense of relief, as if they had narrowly escaped death.

He knew everything. He just preferred to stay on that messed-up planet.

Both sides now knew each other’s limits, and the previously tense atmosphere eased.

Athena lightly parted her lips and said, “I think no sane god would want to turn the enemy of their enemy into another enemy.”

She wasn’t speaking to Atreus but to the other three gods.

Ares alone had nearly wiped out the Olympian gods. They had no need to push someone possibly even stronger, like Atreus, into outright opposition. Especially since Atreus held the god-killing weapon *Lance of Longinus*.

The power of that weapon was terrifying, making the four gods’ hearts race.

Seeing Athena’s softened attitude, Atreus decided not to make things too difficult for Diana and the others. He laid out his terms:

“I’ll allow you to announce publicly that I’m the new god of war for the Olympian pantheon. However, I’ll take orders but won’t follow commands. I won’t get involved in your mess, and you stay out of what I do on Earth. In exchange, the four of you must sign a divine contract with me: You’ll loan me 10% of your power whenever I ask, as long as it’s not used against the Olympian gods.”

Poseidon gritted his teeth. “That’s not enough!”

Admittedly, using Atreus as a front would definitely scare off many other gods in the Pantheon. After all, everyone knew that Zeus’s family had a prodigal son who nearly wiped out his own clan. Pushing Atreus forward was a way to regain some face.

But the idea of Atreus borrowing their power just for a title? Poseidon felt like they were getting the short end of the deal.

Since it’s business, it can be negotiated.

Getting free access to a god’s power was appealing, but Atreus was willing to give a little in return.

“All right then, I’ll make a promise. If in the future a god-slayer appears targeting the Olympian gods, I’ll step in and take them out for you. But remember, only one!”

His words caused a stir among the four gods.

That was another possible solution.

Diana had already proven that the power of a god-slayer could be shared. If there were a war between pantheons, there would be no argument. Atreus’s promise essentially meant that he was getting on board and welding the doors shut behind him, preventing mortals from becoming gods by slaying Olympians.

Even if it was just one, their security would improve greatly.

(End of Chapter)

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