Olympus's Vampires

Crete Island.

Humans who set out in the early morning only return in small groups of three or five, exhausted, by evening.

Most of them looked exhausted, their muscles ached, and every step was extremely difficult. They also had to carry their injured companions, making their progress very slow.

As the sun was about to set, the handsome young man, who carried a spear in one hand and Bronze Shield in the other, changed his expression slightly. He immediately called to his compatriots who were lagging behind and urged them to quicken their pace.

"Hurry! We must reach the altar before sunset to offer sacrifices to the gods!"

Otherwise, Olympus's wrath will descend, and we will be punished again.

Humans gritted their teeth and supported each other as they moved forward.

But as the speed increased, those humans who were slightly injured and had to walk alone so as not to slow down the group began to pant and turn pale.

One of the men, whose left arm had been torn off at the root, slipped and stumbled, causing his simply bandaged wound to burst open, the bright red blood spreading rapidly and staining the gauze wrapped around the wound.

The man struggled several times, but to no avail; waves of dizziness washed over him.

He knew this was a sign of impending fainting due to excessive blood loss, and in a fit of rage, he swung his right fist and slammed it against a nearby tree, his expression filled with despair and resentment.

"Gods! Gods! The mortals are nothing but a swarm of blood-sucking mosquitoes. We serve them devoutly, yet they are insatiable and relentlessly demand sacrifices, caring nothing for our lives!"

"Bang!"

A fierce wind swept by, and a spear grazed the complainer's ear before striking the tree trunk, blasting off a layer of bark and revealing the wood core inside, splintered with wood chips.

"Do you want to die, you idiot? Shut up!"

The flaxen-haired youth holding a shield glared fiercely at the amputee and gritted his teeth as he berated him.

"Deucalion, did I say something wrong?"

The wounded man, his vision blurred, leaned against a tree trunk, arguing indignantly.

"Olympus us like livestock! They demand sacrifices from us day and night!"

To gather enough offerings, we hunted yesterday and lost 5 and injured 12. Today we hunted and lost 7. There are still 15 brothers left, and they may not be able to get out of bed for several days!

Besides, if all the food is given to the gods, what will we eat?

Even if we can hold on, what about the women?

They are not nutritious enough and have no breast milk, so who will feed the babies?

Do you know that some children are already dying?

In the ancient Greece, a land abundant with resources, grains and fruits were plentiful, and wild animals and birds roamed freely.

Even without food or water, most of them can still survive for many years as long as they ingest ether from the air.

But even under such favorable survival conditions, after several years, the size of the human population has not only failed to expand, but has instead shown a tendency to shrink, and some are even on the verge of exhaustion and starvation.

This sounds ridiculous and laughable.

Deucalion, son of the prophet Prometheus and leader of the humans on the Crete Island, saw the doubt and resentment in the eyes of the tribesmen and remained silent, his lips tightly pressed together.

"Stop talking, let's go back to the camp, there'll be a way..."

"Hot water, food, and comfortable beds—the women have prepared all of these and are waiting for us!"

Immediately, the hybrid Titan dropped his shield and spear, bent down to lift the wounded man, and without a word led the human toward the camp.

With leaders setting an example and providing encouragement, the tribespeople suppressed their complaints and supported each other as they made their way to the camp.

Finally, after half an hour, we barely made it to the campsite before sunset.

Before they could even catch their breath, the group, exhausted, gathered at the altar.

Following the oracle's instructions, the offerings were placed on the altar in turn. Deucalion was shocked to discover that the prey that the men had risked their lives to obtain was barely enough for the sacrifice.

Similarly, the women didn't have much of the fruit, fungi, and edible plants left.

Once the elaborate rituals are over, the ether attached to these offerings will be absorbed by the gods along with the faith they offered.

I'm afraid I'll be hungry again tonight.

The young leader looked at his pale-faced tribesmen in the camp, his brow furrowed. He found it hard to speak of the guilt he felt for not being able to keep his promise on the road.

"Look! The divine oracle of the Owl has arrived!"

At this moment, the people who had sat down on the spot because of their exhaustion and hunger, waiting for food to be distributed, saw the golden Titan characters floating in the brazier of burning spices, and couldn't help but stretch their necks and crowd closer to watch.

"First, capture that ferocious, fire-breathing bull on the Crete Island and offer it as a sacrifice to King of Gods Zeus?"

"Secondly, should temples be built for each of the gods as a sign of respect?"

Deucalion first looked at the oracle appearing in the flames, his face turned ashen, and he almost couldn't help but give the middle finger to Mount Olympus in the distance, blurting out a word he had learned from a teacher.

"Dry!"

At this moment, the humans sitting around the altar learned the contents of the divine oracle one after another, and they began to discuss it noisily, their resentment gradually ignited.

After several years of alternating hunger and lack of food, even with the blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess, they were on the verge of collapse.

Even so, those damned gods still bleed them dry, forcing them to build temples and capture even more powerful monsters.

They want to capture them alive? How many lives will have to be lost before there's any result?

If this continues, humanity will perish before the Age of Gods even declines!

"Contact my father and teacher!"

Deucalion a deep breath in resignation and turned to his wife Pyrrha to give her instructions.

Meanwhile, on the Peloponnese Peninsula, in a nascent city, wide roads and rows of houses lined the streets.

A group of humans, both men and women, surrounded the smiling, silver-haired, bright-eyed girl, some listening attentively to her teachings, others raising their hands to ask questions, their eyes filled with awe and worship.

She hailed from the Crete Island, the birthplace of humankind; her thoughts were as deep as the ocean, and her vision as vast as the sky.

Whether it's traditional skills like textiles, gardening, pottery, and animal husbandry, or traditional arts like painting, sculpture, and music, she can provide exquisite guidance.

She was almost omniscient, even in areas such as small-scale hunting formations, large-scale navigation, agriculture, medicine, and order.

Not far away, in a building whose exterior was unremarkable but whose interior was expanded by spatial magic, Medusa served chilled grape wine and invited Samael, Tina, and Prometheus to taste it together.

The ancient snake couldn't wait to take a small sip; the refreshing and invigorating taste made him drink it all in one go.

"I never imagined you were such a skilled brewer."

Prometheus and Tina, who were also enjoying the fine wine, were full of praise.

Medusa nodded subtly, without much to boast about.

After all, the only things he can really excel at are cooking and brewing.

The "Kryptonian girl" outside, however, is a learned and versatile genius. Her terrifying talent even makes Medusa, who is competing with her, feel frustrated.

Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, a purple-yellow Sorcery Array lit up the table, Deucalion's figure appeared before the Prophet and the Creator.

After listening to the account of the human leader of Crete Island, the atmosphere in the room became unusually oppressive.

"How about I go take a look and capture that bull on Crete Island while I'm at it?"

Athena, having finished her lesson, walked in from outside the door, smiling as she offered her advice.