Just as the Man-eating monsters broke through Athens's defenses and rampaged through Athens, Orion also took advantage of the chaos to sneak in.
He carried the horn in his arms, and the magic on it protected him, preventing him from being attacked by these frenzied Man-eating monsters. Orion also looked human, and though he was tall, it wasn't hard for him to blend in with the chaotic Athenians.
He feigned panic and ran with the Man-eating monsters for a while, quickly finding a group of Athenians and successfully joining them.
This group of Athenians, carrying fleeing citizens, soon escaped into the most heavily guarded area of Athens, Athena's Temple. Here, countless Athenian warriors had gathered, and under the leadership of their generals and priests, they desperately defended the place, clashing with the Man-eating monsters outside. Perhaps out of fear of Athena's lingering aura, the Man-eating monsters did not gather to assault the temple but dispersed into the night, seeking out isolated individuals.
The priests in Athena's Temple lit torches and incense, and the calming scent spread, but tonight, this aroma still couldn't dispel the terror on the faces of the survivors in the temple.
Tonight, Athens seemed to have transformed into Yharnam from Bloodborne; the streets were filled with roaring and running monsters, rampaging unchecked through Athens, occupying the streets and alleys outside the temple, attacking any living person they saw. Blood flowed like rivers in the streets, and every now and then, one could hear one or two screams of terror and despair from the darkness.
Occasionally, people inside the temple could even see frenzied, bizarre monsters rushing out of the darkness, attempting to assault Athena's Temple. Although they were quickly impaled by the Athenian soldiers' spears, their corpses remained in place, their grotesque, gaping mouths seemingly mocking the deity who protected this city-state.
Orion sat inside the temple, looking back at the statue of the Goddess in the center of the temple. She was dressed in the classic Greek female chiton, leaning on a spear in one hand and holding the divine shield aegis in the other, with a crown woven from olive leaves on her head, appearing sacred and benevolent.
But as her victim, Orion knew in his heart that this Goddess was not as sacred as she appeared. Those Man-eating monsters outside were, fundamentally, creations of this Goddess during her experiments. She had released these monsters, let them come to the ground, and devoured humans and livestock in the wilderness in Ares's name. Now, Ares gathered them and incited them to attack Athens, which was merely a tit-for-tat.
Moreover, the greatest losses in Athens now were among Athena's fanatical believers. They were the pillars of Athena's faith and also Athena's future source of soldiers. Under the Goddess of Wisdom's incitement, these Athenians, if they drank that potion, would immediately transform into raging monsters no weaker than the Man-eating species outside. The more of these people died, in various senses, the better it was for the other city-states in the Greek World.
Orion sat on the central steps of the temple, feigning unease as he touched the horn in his arms, but in his heart, he was silently counting the time. According to Ares's prediction, Athena would not ignore her stronghold; tonight's commotion would surely attract Athena's attention.
Sure enough, as the sounds of people outside grew fainter and eventually inaudible, the Goddess of Wisdom in the sky finally reacted. Accompanied by a golden light descending from the heavens, all of Athens was illuminated, and in the clouds, the Olympus God Army appeared, dressed in neat armor and with disciplined military bearing.
Judging by their armor and banners, it was clearly a legion exclusive to Athena.
Under the illumination of the God Army's light, more than half of the Man-eating species that had been rampaging unchecked in Athens covered their light-sensitive organs, emitting piteous howls. As hunters operating in the dark, most of them were somewhat photophobic and especially feared the light of the Goddess of Wisdom, their creator.
Under the illumination of this light, the combat power of these Man-eating species instantly weakened by more than half. Many desperate Athenians even seized this opportunity, drew their daggers, and counter-killed these terrifying Man-eating species.
"All forces, eliminate these demons disturbing Athens."
Above the clouds, Athena's voice slowly came. Her voice at this moment had lost its usual gentleness but carried an unyielding majesty that brooked no refusal.
"Also, all believers who have received refuge in My Temple, please seize the tallest person among you who is carrying a bow and arrows. He is the leader of the demons sent by Ares to disturb Athens. Do not let him escape."
As Athena's words fell, everyone in the temple immediately focused their gaze on Orion. There was nothing he could do; even though Orion had changed his attire by this point, his height was still too conspicuous among the generally weaker Athenians.
Being watched by the Heroes in the temple, Orion also felt a little flustered. His face was wrinkled with nervousness, making him look like a humanoid teddy bear.
"If I say this is all a misunderstanding, would you believe me?" he asked the Athenians around him.
The Athenians did not answer his question; only a general from behind drew his bronze sword, pointed at him, and shouted, "Soldiers, seize this demon!"
Following the Athenian general's shout, the surrounding Athenians immediately swarmed forward, pouncing towards Orion. However, Orion was a demigod, and one of the strongest among Greek demigods at that. When he saw the people around him pouncing, he immediately rolled on the ground, his massive body agilely rolling out of the crowd. Then he quickly got up and fled towards the outside of the temple without looking back.
From Athena's statue, the tip of the spear in the Goddess's hand suddenly shot out a ray of light, attempting to restrain Orion. However, this ray of light was also casually shattered by Orion with the wooden staff in his hand. The Son of the Sea God sprinted wildly through Athens, blowing the horn in his arms as he ran. Upon hearing his horn, the Man-eating species rampaging through Athens scattered, fleeing towards the nearest cracks in the rocks, wellheads, and similar places leading underground.
And because their attention was entirely drawn to Orion, the Athenians did not pursue the Man-eating monsters. They held their swords, shouting wildly, and soon gathered a human wave, directly chasing Orion to the beach outside Athens.
Upon arriving here, the cunning Orion, who had been as sly as a fox, was finally surrounded by the Athenians, blocking all his escape routes. He had nowhere to go except to jump into the sea behind him.
Orion pulled out his wooden staff and swung it twice, the resulting strong winds temporarily forcing back the surrounding Athenians. But at this moment, in the sky, the God Army belonging to Athena also leaped down from the clouds. Two lesser gods led them, further sealing off Orion's escape route.
"Surrender obediently, demon!"
The two lesser gods landed in front of Orion, their unique divine aura continuously pressing down on him. Facing two deities simultaneously, cold sweat visibly seeped from Orion's forehead.
"You'd best not push me."
He said in a booming voice.
"What if we do push you?"
The two lesser gods sneered:
"Dare to invade Athena's sacred domain, you must die here today!"
"Alright, you're forcing my hand."
Orion took a step back, his eyes obscured by the shadow of his bangs, and said in a low voice.
He suddenly turned and knelt towards the sea, kowtowing three times with loud thuds, then shouted loudly:
"Dad, save me!"