After a moment of consideration, Lorne cautiously brought up his previous excuse.
"Taking you home is just a detour; there's no need for a reward, is there? After all, I didn't help much before, and I caused you a lot of trouble..."
"If I tell you to take it, then take it. Are you afraid I can't afford it?"
Hera frowned and snorted coldly, a look of displeasure on her face.
Lorne thought for a moment, then spoke with sincerity. "Then grant me a smile. In the time I spent with you, that was the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen!"
...
The unexpected answer made Hera pause.
Seeing this, Lorne looked embarrassed.
"What, is it not allowed?"
"Boring..."
Hera, having come back to her senses, glared at Lorne, snorted coldly, and turned her head away, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upwards slightly, forming a faint smile.
Lorne caught that subtle change in expression, and a sense of accomplishment welled up within him.
Sure enough, no matter how cold a person appears on the surface, her heart still yearns for warmth.
It seemed the ice in this patient's heart was already beginning to melt under his 'talk therapy.'
"Buzz!"
Just as the atmosphere in front of the Sacred Spring was undergoing a subtle change, a light pattern lit up on the stone wall.
Seeing this, Hera's face instantly turned sinister and resentful. "That bastard child is born!"
"Bastard child?"
"It's the bane left by my husband when he had an illicit affair with his great-granddaughter Alcmene last time!"
Hearing Hera's gritted-teeth reply, Lorne's eyelids twitched.
His father is Zeus, and his mother is the granddaughter of the great hero Perseus, which is to say,
His Majesty the God-King's great-granddaughter—Alcmene. So
Isn't this child the future mighty Heracles?
Legend has it that Olympus needed to experience three divine wars for the divine authority to be completely stable.
They were the Titan War, the Typhon War, and the Giant Spirit War...
The first two had already been settled; only the Giant Spirit War with the Giants of Gaea had not yet occurred.
And according to the Three Fates's [Revelation], the mighty Heracles was the decisive key to this war.
No wonder Zeus fought Hera fiercely over this affair, even going so far as to severely injure his former wife, because it concerned his divine position and the prosperity of Olympus.
Realizing that he seemed to have gotten involved in a huge mess, Lorne's throat felt dry.
At this moment, Hera closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them, her gaze sinister.
"Found it, it seems to be in Thebes?"
As the protector of women and children, and a professional mistress killer and illegitimate child terminator, she naturally had a way to sense the birth of certain special individuals.
Feeling the murderous atmosphere, Lorne, also an illegitimate child of the God-King, was considering whether to flee when Hera walked forward.
"You're also from Thebes? Perfect, take me there!"
...
Being temporarily conscripted again,
Lorne was depressed and speechless.
Why did he have to put on a disguise for no reason? And to make it more convincing, he even revealed his ancestral home.
According to blood relations, he was indeed a Theban, but Crete and Athens were his true homes.
Moreover, Alcmene, whom Hera wanted to hunt down, was not a true Theban either; she was a Mycenae princess who had committed a crime and was exiled to Thebes.
What kind of situation is this...
Lorne was on the verge of tears, vaguely feeling his hometown's full malice towards him.
The first time he spawned at the birthplace, he was struck dead by Zeus;
The second time he spread the Dionysus cult, he was persecuted by King Pentheus.
The third time, he was actually going to team up with Hera to clear a dungeon in his hometown...
It seemed that nothing good ever came from being associated with Thebes.
"What are you standing around for? Get in the chariot!"
Hera's cold snort came, and seeing the queen's gloomy face, Lorne dared not say more and obediently boarded his bronze chariot, steering the two divine horses towards Thebes.
They traveled swiftly, day and night.
It only took about a day and a half for the two of them to arrive in the territory of Thebes.
It was harvest season, and the reaped fields were covered in golden straw, with the sounds of festive celebration wafting from the city in the distance.
"Faster!"
Hera urged with a gloomy face, seemingly eager to put her rival and the illegitimate child to death.
"Wah~~!"
Just then, a loud infant's cry came from a field nearby.
Lorne's heart stirred; he slammed on the brakes, then jumped off the driver's seat, followed the sound, searched through the nearby straw, and picked up a small basket.
"What's going on?" Hera asked, frowning.
"It's a child..." Lorne reached out and cradled a pink, tender infant from it, his voice full of pity. "Abandoned by his mother right after birth, how pitiful."
Hera was silent for a moment, then slightly raised her hand: "Let me see..."
Lorne hesitated for a moment, then subtly handed the swaddled child to Hera in the chariot, his heart pounding.
At this time, at this place, an abandoned infant in a nearby field, if nothing unexpected happened, should be the future mighty Heracles, no doubt about it.
Due to fear of Queen Hera's retaliation, Alcmene, after giving birth, hid the child in a basket and abandoned him in the field.
According to the original historical trajectory, he should have been picked up by the passing Athena and Hera, and at Athena's persuasion, Hera would breastfeed him, thus allowing Heracles to save his life and gain astonishing divine power.
But Athena could deceive Hera, which didn't mean Lorne himself could.
Moreover, Hera had come specifically to hunt down this mother and son because she had sensed some information.
Fortunately, as if by the inevitable drive of fate, the Queen merely held the infant and soothed him for a moment, then returned the swaddle to Lorne's hands.
"We're going into the city anyway; let's find a family for him then."
Hera spoke indifferently and then no longer looked at the exquisitely carved child.
Although she was the protector of women and children, and this infant was also pink and tender and very cute, for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to like this child.
As the swaddle returned to his hands, Lorne's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down.
To avoid complications, he quickly drove the chariot to the outskirts of the royal city, and after stopping, he spoke proactively.
"You go attend to your business first; I'll handle finding an adoptive parent for him."
Hera heard this usual thoughtfulness, nodded slightly, and got up, walking alone into the royal city's gate.
And after confirming Hera had left his sensory range, Lorne touched his back, soaked in cold sweat, and let out a long sigh.
It was truly not easy to save Heracles, this famous illegitimate child, right under the Queen's nose.
So, when you grow up, kid, you must remember to repay your big brother well.
Lorne pinched the future mighty Heracles's chubby cheek, then followed the crowd into the city, heading towards a certain part of the royal palace.
Given that Hera was hunting Alcmene, he dared not follow the original historical trajectory and send the child back to his mother.
Otherwise, it might result in both mother and son dying and him getting caught up in it too.
So, the foster parent Lorne thought of was his blood aunt, Agave.
Back then, his cousin Pentheus was cruel and absurd for persecuting the Dionysus cult followers, so Lorne had him killed.
However, his aunt Agave had been melancholic ever since; after all, he was her only son.
Hm…since she lost a son, he might as well indirectly compensate her with a son.
Just as Lorne was secretly making up his mind, Heracles in his arms suddenly began to wail.
At the same time, a graceful figure rushed out barefoot from a side gate, looking around for the infant's cries, her gaze finally fixed on a certain spot.
Then, she stumbled over the threshold and steps, rushing straight to Lorne in the alley, desperately clutching the swaddle in her hand.
"Child? My child? Is that you?"
Looking at the beautiful and delicate face and the expression of anxiety mixed with surprise on that face, Lorne, as the person involved, was drenched in sweat.
A mother-and-child connection shouldn't happen at this moment; it could cost lives!
Lorne quickly reached out and covered Alcmene's lips, casting dozens of concealment and illusion spells in quick succession, then whispered with a dark face.
"Shut up; if you want to live, follow me!"
Alcmene was about to speak when a gloomy whisper once again reached her ears.
"Hera is here..."
Instantly, the Mycenae princess's body trembled, her pale face filled with terror.
Seeing that Alcmene had already realized the seriousness of the problem, Lorne, without a word, grabbed her arm and stealthily moved quickly and carefully towards outside the city.
Finally, after fifteen minutes of trepidation, the three of them managed to slip out of the royal city's gate.
Having escaped danger, Alcmene, holding her recovered son, couldn't help but want to express her gratitude to the kind stranger in front of her.
"I..."
"Don't say anything; hurry. The farther the better!"
Lorne immediately interrupted Alcmene's pleasantries, urging her urgently while looking around.
Things had developed to this point, and everything was completely messed up.
Now all he could do was point a way out for this mother and son and buy them some time to escape.
As for what happened after that, he was helpless.
Hearing the anxiety and uneasiness in the other party's tone, Alcmene immediately picked up her son and nodded repeatedly.
"Okay, you be careful; we're leaving now!"
However…
"Leaving, where are you going?"
A cold, low voice came from above their heads.
Lorne and Alcmene, at the foot of the city wall, looked up at the white-armed goddess who had appeared on the city wall at some unknown time, their bodies stiffening, their faces changing drastically.