The Greece Antagonist

Themis turned and looked at Athena, who approached from the depths of the starry sky, gently shaking her head.

"Jurors should not enter the fray."

"Since you approve of my presence, it proves that I, a juror, also have the authority to interpret the law, ascertain facts, and adjudicate cases. In the face of injustice and potential wrongful judgments, I most certainly must speak out," Athena replied with a smile, her tone neither humble nor haughty.

Themis fell silent for a moment, twirling her sword handle. The rift in the starry sky healed, and she released her hold on the prisoner, returning to her seat on the bench, her eyes veiled in light gauze, in solemn contemplation.

"All right, you may begin your questioning."

Athena nodded and began to ask her questions.

"Let's ask if the party has strived to perfect justice, build order, and practice righteousness?"

"Yes!"

Themis nodded slightly, providing an affirmative answer.

Without doubt, the plaintiff before her was the undisputed founder of Athenian law and indeed, as he said, had established a brighter order for Athens.

"Has his personal interests ever impeded the perfection of justice and the execution of righteousness?"

"No..."

After a moment of serious contemplation, Themis shook her head.

Indeed, he had his own interests, but he held clearer boundaries than most deities and rarely blatantly broke the rules. As a result, he'd left behind almost nothing that could be called a handle.

"Has his presumptuousness yet to become reality?"

"Yes..."

Themis nodded again, giving a candid response.

Athena's face broke into a mischievous smile resembling someone's, as the truth emerged.

"Then, can one be convicted for an event that has not yet occurred, for a person who is, for the moment, innocent?"

"..."

Themis was silent, and after a long while, she let out a deep sigh.

"Is this the reason you defend him?"

"Not entirely; compared to the righteousness that has such a hard pass in this world, I care more about outcomes."

Athena shook her head, smiling, then turned and cast a displeased glance at the plaintiff behind her, snorting lightly.

"Someone said he could make this world a little better, and I believed it."

"Once, I believed that too…"

Themis murmured with feeling, her veiled eyes intently watching Athena in the arena.

"No regrets?"

"No regrets!"

Athena nodded firmly, without a trace of hesitation.

"Just as stubborn as your mother…"

Themis gave a bitter smile with a sigh, waving her hand in dispirited dismissal.

"Enough, I am being overly officious."

Suddenly, the brilliance of the stars retracted, the oppressive atmosphere surrounding them vanished, and Luo En, the plaintiff, broke free from the invisible constraints.

Sister Ya, don't say anything more! You really do care about me!

As soon as he was released, Luo En looked excitedly at Athena, almost wanting to throw himself at his savior, affectionately hugging her tight.

"Pfft!"

But before he could act, the Goddess of Justice on the bench spat out a mouthful of golden blood and collapsed forward.

"Auntie!"

Seeing this, Athena's face changed, and she hurriedly rushed forward to support Themis.

Luo En looked at the Justice Goddess, suddenly struck by lightning, her complexion pale, his emotions complex.

Honestly, he had some objections to Themis's recent actions.

Although he indeed used some tricks to drag this Goddess of Justice into the mix and had motives that were not entirely pure with many things, a gentleman should judge by deeds, not thoughts, for in thoughts there are no mere men.

At least on many matters concerning people and things, Luo En reckoned he was far stronger than His Majesty the King of Gods and most of the Olympian deities.

But obviously, having inadvertently triggered PTSD left by his own father Zeus, Themis, who had been duped, seemed to have lost trust in him.

Next, he didn't know how he should get along with this Goddess of Justice.

In the end, Luo En sighed and approached cautiously to inquire.

"How is she?"

"She's not dead, just severely injured and unconscious."

"That serious?"

The unexpected answer left Luo En somewhat astonished.

Athena turned back and glared at the plaintiff, snorting coldly.

"Do you think it's such a simple matter to unilaterally cut off the continuation of the Marriage Laws, dividing the Divine Authority of the King of Gods?"

"...!"

Luo En was startled, a foreboding feeling stirring in him. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

Athena's gaze swept over the dim flickering starlight, turning her attention somberly to the plaintiff in the arena.

"...Fighting for justice for the weak, drawing the sword against the mighty, comes with a cost. If that cost isn't borne by you or by Hera, on whom do you think it will fall?"

Luo En realized the gravity of the situation and looked in astonishment at the pale Themis in Athena's arms. He hesitated for a moment before speaking dryly.

"What will happen to her?"

"She won't die for the time being."

Athena answered with a snort, then murmured softly, her lips barely moving.

"But to oppose the oath made to the River Styx, to interfere in the Divine Authority of Olympus; to betray my father, shaking the most powerful divine right in the world, such troubles piling up and exploding, the situation might turn out to be hardly better than death."

"What exactly is her condition?"

"Her divinity is shattered; she can no longer be the Goddess of Justice, her consciousness has been severely damaged, and she likely won't be able to wake up anytime soon. If this persists, she might fall into Eternal Sleep."

Upon hearing Athena's answer, Luo En was taken aback.

He had only intended to use Themis to get involved, leveraging the Marriage Laws to weaken Zeus's authority.

He didn't anticipate that the Goddess of Justice would take his coercion seriously, even to the extent that she brandished her sword in accordance with her promise, risking herself in the process.

This time, he had truly caused great harm to Themis.