Late at night, in Knossos City, the royal palace.
An elderly man, holding a golden scepter and dressed in a white robe, sat on the cold throne.
His eyes slightly lowered, resembling a lion pretending to be asleep, however, an aura of quiet power emanated from him, even without anger.
He was nother other than King Minos, the religious and political leader of all the cities on Crete Island, the supreme ruler of the Minos people, and the son of the God King Zeus and the Goddess Europa.
Legend has it that Zeus, in the form of a white bull, brought the Phoenician princess Europa to Crete Island, where he courted her and fathered three sons: Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpedon.
He promised them rule over the land.
In order to inherit the throne, the three brothers turned against each other and fought.
Ultimately, Minos drove out Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon, emerging as the victor.
However, despite his usurpation of the throne, Minos used his exceptional talents to lead the civilization of Crete to its peak.
During King Minos' reign, he was renowned for his strict legal system, making Crete the wealthiest and most developed human settlement of its time.
At this moment, as the giant waves from the sea subsided, several priests and generals gathered in the main hall, reporting the damages and casualties in the various cities of Crete to King Minos, who sat on the throne.
"All twenty-seven ships that set sail from Crete today have been confirmed destroyed. Currently, there are 98 confirmed dead, 32 wounded, and 64 missing at sea..."
"The two harbors outside Knossos have sustained minor damage and are currently under repair. Three merchant ships and four fishing boats collided, but the rescue and blockade efforts were timely, and there are no casualties..."
"Two villages in Nocia City have been destroyed, with 37 dead and 21 missing..."
"120 acres of farmland in Gidos City were flooded by seawater, with 29 dead and 15 missing..."
"Kidonia City..."
As one bad news after another reached his ears, the elderly man on the throne furrowed his brow, the deep crease forming like an imprint of sorrow and frustration, as if etched into his face.
"Enough!"
Finally, the voice that could no longer be suppressed echoed through the vast palace.
The old man opened his half-closed eyes, and his disheveled white beard and hair flew in all directions, stirred by the surge of divine power.
"Didn't the warning message get sent out through the temple immediately? Why are there still so many casualties in the cities?!"
His dark, angry shout swept through the hall like a cold wind, and the priests and generals who were reporting felt the weight of his divine authority, lowering their heads even further.
"Father, it may have been a sudden incident, and my brothers didn't prepare in time..."
With a soft and pleasant voice, a young girl with flaxen hair, wearing a white priestess robe and holding a golden scepter shaped like a bird in flight, stepped out from behind the curtains.
She approached the throne, knelt down, and gently placed her hand on King Minos' chest, which was rising and falling with anger.
Seeing the beautiful young girl with a delicate oval face and an elegant, serene demeanor appear beside the throne, the priests and generals below let out a collective sigh of relief.
Ariadne, the second daughter of King Minos, was known for her gentleness and kindness.
At the same time, she was the High Priestess who served the goddess Athena, overseeing the temple affairs in Knossos City and the related rituals.
In a certain sense, this princess held a higher position in terms of divine authority than even King Minos, who was the male High Priest.
After all, the Minos people worshipped the goddesses, and King Minos symbolized royal power, while the female priests represented the divine power of the mundane world.
However, Ariadne was not the eldest daughter.
She held such a high position partly because of her own excellence, which earned her the trust and affection of her father, King Minos.
On the other hand, the eldest princess, Akakalis (Acalle), who was most qualified to inherit the position of High Priestess, had defied her father's orders by secretly meeting with Apollo, an Olympian god, and bearing his child.
In a fit of rage, King Minos exiled her from Crete, and the father and daughter became estranged.
As a result, the position of High Priestess was handed to the second daughter, Ariadne.
Fortunately, Princess Ariadne had not disappointed King Minos' favor.
Not only did she often patiently soothe her increasingly irritable father, but since taking office, she had managed the rituals to the gods and the temple affairs with great efficiency.
According to past experience, as long as Princess Ariadne stepped forward to calm things down, King Minos would generally temper his anger.
"Enough! Don't make excuses for them!"
However, this time, King Minos' anger did not subside.
Instead, his fury intensified, and his face became even more stormy.
"These ungrateful children think I'm getting old and no longer take my orders seriously!"
Hearing the gritted teeth in his voice, the priests and generals in the hall lowered their heads, not daring to speak, each of them sitting on pins and needles.
In addition to the one who could not be mentioned in the underground chambers, King Minos had ten children, half sons and half daughters.
In order to expand the influence of the royal power and consolidate his rule, King Minos naturally sent his sons to several important cities on Crete after they came of age, so they could protect the royal capital, Knossos.
However, the relationships between fathers and sons, as well as between brothers, in Greece were not always friendly.
Once these princes were free from their father's control, they gradually began to show their unruly sides.
Especially as King Minos aged, these tendencies became more apparent.
Usually, for the sake of peace and prosperity across Crete's cities, King Minos could turn a blind eye.
But now, with a crisis looming, these princes' dereliction of duty had obviously crossed a line with him.
"I am old..."
The aging lion on the throne pushed away his daughter Ariadne's comforting hand and suddenly stood up.
His nearly two-meter-tall body loomed over the steps, radiating an imposing presence that made everyone in the room almost struggle to breathe.
"But I am not dead!"
The old lion's voice, firm and deliberate, came from his mouth, and his light golden eyes looked down on the gathered generals and priests in the hall as he growled coldly.
"Make them all return and report to me in person!"
"Yes! Yes!"
The priests and generals who were responsible for delivering orders nodded quickly like chicks pecking at rice.
After receiving King Minos' impatient wave, they hurriedly exited the palace, wiping sweat from their brows as if pardoned.
No matter how old a lion is, as long as its teeth are intact and its claws sharp, it is not something that young cubs living in a greenhouse can defy or oppose.
It seemed that those brothers who had been idle for so long would be in for a tough time when they returned this time.
Looking at her enraged father, Ariadne couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
However, at this critical moment for the survival of Crete, there was no room for leniency.
Her brothers still hadn't seen the true crisis facing the Minos people, and they had no one to blame but themselves for the punishment.
After all, compared to these relatively minor reprimands, the disaster brewing at sea was the real, huge problem.
In the vast hall, the father and daughter both gazed at the heavy night sky and sighed in unison.
Suddenly, the clear sound of a bronze bird-patterned wind chime from the eaves rang out, instantly lightening the oppressive atmosphere in the hall.
Both father and daughter were startled and, without saying a word, turned to look at the figure that appeared at the door.