Aphrodite's Gold Arrow

I slowly opened my eyes. Morning light was breaking over the world.

When I pushed myself up, I found Aphrodite's alluring figure from behind — gathering her clothes and slipping them on with unhurried grace.

"Leaving already?"

I asked. Aphrodite glanced back at me with a sly little smile.

Her hair, cascading like silk, half-veiled one eye. She was genuinely captivating.

"I have to go now. It was fun while it lasted~."

"Haa…"

I got up as well — and only then noticed the thin mantle spread across the ground.

We'd been lying on it all night, laid out over the grass while we slept. No wonder it had felt a little soft.

"Homeron~."

"What is it?"

"What a shame~."

Aphrodite drawled the words languidly, licking her lips. Lewd desire flickered in both eyes.

"I never did find out who your goddess is."

Tsk. So that had been her plan from the start.

She'd come under the pretext of taking the bell from me — and what she'd actually done was have sex.

Looking back, she would have come for me even without the silk bell. To claim me somehow, no matter what it took.

"But don't think you can hide it forever~. Everyone is watching you."

I nodded. Whatever else was true, the fact that she was giving me advice right now was real enough.

Aphrodite stepped closer. Then she bent down toward me where I sat on the ground.

Her full, heavy breasts swayed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and shimmered right before my eyes. My gaze went there of its own accord.

Yesterday's review and the words I'd left were still written across them.

The sheer transgression of it — that a mere human like me had defiled this goddess of beauty — made my cock throb hard.

"You're so healthy~."

Aphrodite looked down at my cock with a sweet smile, then kissed my cheek. A red lip print remained.

"Let's meet again~."

"This mantle…"

"That's a gift~♥"

With a laugh ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like jade beads rolling together, Aphrodite gradually faded up into the sky.

I stared up after her with a somewhat dazed expression. Her bare back fully exposed, hips swaying — she was trying to seduce me right to the end.

"Haa…"

She was a truly insane woman.

I slowly stood and lifted the mantle spread across the ground.

Thud.

"Huh?"

Something paper-like was tucked between the folds. I picked it up and checked.

…What?

"This crazy pervert!"

I clutched my spinning head. A nympho — no, more like a full-blown sex maniac? My mind was truly reeling.

So…

The goddess who took my virginity — she was curious who that was… so she'd give me opportunities to meet other goddesses, and confirm it by watching me have sex with them?

What kind of insane idea was that?

Well, good for me, but…

This was basically matchmaking, wasn't it? What kind of nonsense was this?

"Hold on. Let me organize this."

The information Aphrodite had casually dropped while we were fucking yesterday came back in fragments. I pieced them together in my head.

When I'd been taking her from behind, Aphrodite had said that the gods of Olympus found it extremely difficult to invade each other's domains.

In other words, when Aphrodite had been riding me cowgirl-style yesterday and declared that Zeus couldn't casually look in — that was why.

The gods of Olympus can raise barriers. So they can't casually peer into each other's barriers. That would be invading each other's jurisdiction, authority, and domain.

If I just go to a hearth temple, no one will know.

That I'm fucking Hestia, that is.

Right. This is important. If it comes out going forward that I'm having sex with Hestia…

Goosebumps prickled over my skin. If a mere human like me had insulted a god — and a virgin goddess at that — there wouldn't be just one or two gods ready to rain down divine punishment.

The first ones that came to mind were Athena and Artemis. Both held tremendous weight and prestige in ancient Greece, and were correspondingly powerful gods.

Second.

When we'd been in missionary, Aphrodite had said that even Zeus himself couldn't freely lay hands on the mortal world. Because countless gods' interests were entangled on the ground. He could only descend when acting within his personal jurisdiction.

Meaning he'd only come down to earth to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have sex, I suppose.

I checked the Status Window.

It had dropped steadily since Aphrodite disappeared.

Unlike women, men can't directly assault me?

Thinking about it, he'd sent Iris, the rainbow goddess. In other words, unless it was a woman, he couldn't move personally. There was that much risk involved — which is how he could avoid Hera's interference.

In the end, rather than Zeus himself, I need to worry about the proxies he'll send down.

Those could be gods like Iris, or they could be humans. Probably more likely to be humans.

And finally, third.

With that thought, I examined Aphrodite's blessing obtained through the Review.

As the Status Window had said at first, this would refer to blacksmiths, weapon shops, and general stores.

As for Hermes's temple… nothing more than calling Aphrodite for another round, I suppose.

"Huh?"

Then it hit me. I sensed there was one more thing. I hurriedly checked.

Ah — so that's what it meant? That I'd run into other goddesses?

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

That kiss on my cheek earlier — that was this blessing.

There was no other way for her to grant me a blessing.

Still, I've crossed one major mountain.

Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty. Lewd, but powerful. As long as she exists, she'll clearly keep intervening in my sex life forever.

More than anything, making an enemy of her would be extremely dangerous. For someone like me who grows through sex, if she interfered to stop me from having sex, there'd be nothing I could do.

Eros's gold arrows and lead arrows. Those work even on gods. If she used that to shoot lead arrows at every woman who approached me…

Holy shit. Just imagining it gives me chills.

"For now."

I put on my clothes and draped the mantle over myself. Quite some time had passed. The others would be waiting for me.

"Let's go."

To the carriage bound for Athens.

"Something good must have happened?"

"Huh?"

"You're wearing a pretty high-quality mantle."

This Sophia woman. Why was she being so snide?

I looked at her with a baffled expression. But Sophia still glared at me fiercely.

"Democrates. Living the good life, aren't you. Having sex with some woman from who-knows-where out in the middle of nowhere."

Ah — no way. Did she find out?

"What? You had sex with a woman?"

Alkyones wore an intrigued expression. So did the merchant driving the carriage. I could feel with all five senses that every one of them was listening intently.

"Hmph."

Sophia turned her head away. What's with this woman? I thought she was a lesbian.

"Well, it just kind of happened."

"Ohh…"

The men let out sounds of admiration. Alkyones looked interested.

"A virgin from the village below? How'd you seduce her?"

Village below? Was there a village around here? But I didn't let it show and just smiled awkwardly.

"It just sort of happened."

"Tell me the secret, Democrates! Was it the face after all? Is a face all it takes?"

Sophia, who'd been listening quietly, twisted her face into a scowl.

"You think women are creatures who just fall for a pretty face?"

Alkyones looked uncomprehending.

"They're not?"

"No!"

"But you also…"

Alkyones pointed at Sophia, then looked back and forth between her and me. Sophia's face flushed bright red.

"Shut up!!"

What's with this atmosphere. Is this woman not actually a lesbian? Is she bisexual like Themira?

This, this…

I licked my lips inwardly. If I played this right, I might be able to get her.

Ah — no.

I corrected the dirty thoughts in my head. Instead I grinned broadly and shrugged.

"Of course not. Alkyones, your fantasies are way too over the top."

When I sided with Sophia too, Alkyones finally tilted his head.

"I-is that so?"

"Yeah."

I drove the nail in there. Then I glanced at Sophia. She seemed to let out a quiet sigh of relief.

I smirked inwardly.

She said she wants to become a warrior of Artemis, right?

From what I'd seen of her in combat, she had more than enough skill for that. But to become a warrior of Artemis, you must enter while maintaining your virginity. That much even I, somewhat ignorant of this world, knew through mythology.

If I get close to Sophia, I'll have a way to approach Artemis.

So I deliberately didn't touch her and maintained our friendship.

Over days of conversation in the carriage, we gradually grew closer. We spent several days together like that — sometimes fighting off monsters that blocked the carriage, chatting about this and that. Occasionally when they asked about my "hometown girl" I'd dodge the question and take their teasing scolding. We grew close that way.

And before long —

"We've arrived."

At the merchant's words, we stuck our heads out.

A vast metropolis of tremendous grandeur. Perhaps the greatest city in this ancient Greek otherworld.

Athens, capital of the world.

At last, we had reached it.