Artemis Seeks Him

Sophia.

She was the woman who had once declared right in front of me that she would become one of Artemis's huntresses.

I never imagined I'd run into her here in Odysseia.

"Democres."

"Hmm?"

I answered casually. Looking past Sophia, I saw she had brought huntresses with her.

Every one of them wore silver gear — light, practical armor built for the hunt. Each carried a bow across her back, though that was little more than a badge of office as Artemis's warriors. Most of them had other weapons as well.

"Why come looking for me?"

I asked first. Sophia's brow furrowed as she studied my face.

"Your name's been spreading all over the place. I figured you'd be here."

"Spreading? And you figured I'd be here?"

What was that supposed to mean?

"Care to elaborate?"

"What, you don't know?"

Sophia let out a sigh. My frown only deepened. I had no idea why she was reacting like that.

"The whole of Odysseia is buzzing with the rumor. A hero blessed by three temples — Poseidon, Hestia, and Hephaestus — has been born."

Huh?

Why would that—

No. Wait.

Was this because of the chaos that went down at Poseidon's temple last time?

"And as if that weren't enough, a hero who cut down a Cyclops and a Minotaur on top of it."

I shut my mouth. With that single line from Sophia, I was starting to feel just how far the ripples of everything I'd done had already spread.

"So."

I asked carefully.

"The rumors have reached Athens too?"

Sophia didn't answer. But the huntresses standing behind her nodded.

"They have."

"The birth of a great hero is something everyone welcomes."

"Lady Artemis wishes to see you."

Sophia pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"Will you come?"

There was a temple of Artemis right here in Odysseia. Did I really need to go all the way to Athens?

I thought it over in silence.

"Couldn't we just meet here?"

At my suggestion, Sophia glanced back at the huntresses. They nodded.

"We've hunted enough in Athens."

"I'd like to check out the hunting grounds around here too."

"I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of monsters we get to hunt."

That settled it.

These women were hunting-mad. No wonder Artemis was the goddess of the hunt — the way they giggled and talked, you'd think nothing else existed.

"Stay away from the Minotaur."

I offered the warning politely. The huntresses burst into peals of laughter.

"Oh my, we know our place."

"It's not like we're strong enough to hunt something like that anyway."

"We're not great heroes like you, you know?"

Sophia pressed her forehead again and sighed.

"Then take care."

I was about to shut the temple door when—

Thud.

Sophia suddenly blocked the frame with her arm and looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at me.

"Can we talk alone for a moment?"

What now?

"Homeron. I wish you wouldn't meet Lady Artemis."

The moment we were alone, Sophia dropped that on me out of nowhere.

"Why the hell not?"

"Is it that surprising?"

Of course it was surprising. One of Artemis's own huntresses saying something like that — how was I supposed to take it calmly?

"What is going on?"

Back when she'd been heading for Athens, there had been something almost fanatical about her. For her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to come at me like this now, something must have happened.

I narrowed my eyes and fixed my gaze on her. Sophia looked away.

As if that would keep me from figuring it out.

"Haa…"

I rubbed my forehead, then glared at her.

"What, did Artemis order you to kill me?"

She flinched hard.

I'd thrown it out on a hunch because something felt off — and apparently I'd hit the mark dead-on.

"You think I'd walk into a trap that stupid?"

"It's the goddess's will."

Sophia's head drooped.

"Originally, one of my seniors was supposed to come here in person. But I insisted I was close to you and came in her place."

I kept my eyes on her and listened. Sophia went on.

"Homeron. Lady Artemis hates men. And she is even more wary of a male hero achieving feats that no one has managed in thousands of years."

A man-hating goddess.

Why did a hybrid like that even exist? I truly could not understand it.

"She believes that if a human hero goes too far, he will threaten the gods of Olympus and drag them down from their thrones."

Her insight was damn sharp.

Yeah. That was what humans did.

In the end, no matter how strong a human became, they could never stand against the gods — that was the theme of Greek mythology. But other mythologies weren't like that. Humans always resisted the gods, rebelled, and somehow scraped out a victory.

That hymn to humanity was clearest in Norse myth. Even after the end of the world, even after most of the gods had died, a handful of gods and humans ushered in a new age of prosperity. That was how Ragnarok ended.

Celtic myth was the same.

The gods weren't absolute — just humans who happened to be a little stronger. Even transcendent beings eventually faded. They weren't symbols of immortality.

In the end, myths were things humans created.

I kept that particular secret to myself. Spouting it in this other world would only get me branded a blasphemer.

But immortality and terror — Olympian gods who bordered on cosmic horror — running free and trying to fuck me into submission? I wasn't about to sit still for that.

"Enough."

At that single word, Sophia lifted her head. I waved her off.

"That's something for me and Lady Artemis to settle between ourselves."

"Ha — but Homeron!"

"Thanks for coming all this way to tell me."

I turned, intending to head back into Hestia's temple.

Grab!

Sophia seized my wrist hard. When I looked back, her face was twisted with the threat of tears.

"Don't go. Please."

"Aren't you one of Artemis's huntresses?"

I had to ask.

"Shouldn't you be following her will?"

"I know! I know that!"

Sophia shouted.

"But for some reason… you — you… just thinking about you dying at her hands makes my chest feel like it's being torn apart…"

I looked at her quietly.

Ah. I'm a real bastard.

The moment I watched her, a plan formed in my head all on its own — a nasty little scheme to use Sophia to bring Artemis to her knees. In practice, it meant making her corrupt the goddess she had blindly followed her whole life with her own hands.

But was there any other way right now?

"Ask her to give me a little time."

Sophia's head came up at that.

"I've gotten tangled up with a lot of other gods and goddesses. If I'm going to go see Lady Artemis, I need some time to prepare."

Only then did the color return to Sophia's face. The grip on my wrist loosened.

"So don't worry."

I stroked her hair.

The Status Window confirmed it.

She liked me.

And I was planning to use that affection to turn Artemis into my sex slave.

Honestly, I no longer had any right to criticize Zeus.

No — there was still one difference. That bastard was a god, and I was human. If I conquered Olympus, became a god myself, and ruled even a little better than he had… well. As a human being, though, I didn't seem all that different from him.

It's all because of this goddamn Greek world!

Blaming the world for no good reason, I stepped back into the temple.

"Hey, Irene."

Athena jumped and spun toward me the moment I called.

"Tell me everything you know about Artemis's weaknesses, traits, and characteristics."

"…Out of nowhere?"

"Yeah. Out of nowhere."

I roughly explained why Artemis's huntresses had come looking for me. Athena listened to the whole thing, then frowned.

"You reaped what you sowed."

"Don't you—"

Squeeze!

"Hhk—!"

"Is that any way to talk to your Master?"

I seized Athena's ass hard, then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let go. Her breathing roughened.

"Wh-what? Is that all you're going to do?"

Athena smirked and glared at me.

"You've gotten soft. You think something that weak is going to make me submit?"

She said it, but her eyes had already gone unfocused — completely unbalanced. I didn't bother adding anything.

"Explain."

I ordered her again. Athena shook her head.

"My jurisdiction was always humans and monsters. Not the gods."

"What, so you don't know?"

Athena nodded.

"Information is knowledge, but knowledge is a different domain from wisdom. Only someone who runs around on two legs collecting it can master that."

Her gaze locked straight onto mine.

"Only the one who has the most contact with the gods, who carries their news and their secrets, can tell you."

I realized who she meant. I clicked my tongue.

"Hermes, the messenger god."

"There's no other way."

I closed my eyes, then opened them again.

Going to find that bastard was a pain.

The numbers had been flickering at the edge of my vision ever since I entered Odysseia, but they still weren't swinging hard. Adding another variable would only push them higher.

Especially if it was Hermes — not quite on Zeus or Aphrodite's level, but still a god with a thoroughly promiscuous sex life…

"No choice, then."

Was there any other option?

Athena ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could ambush. Artemis was a man-hater. She would be thoroughly prepared for an attack from me — and she had subordinates under her command. To do this properly, I needed information about this world that went beyond the myths and legends I already knew.

"Prepare to go to Hermes's temple."

Athena looked reluctant, but she nodded soon enough.

"I need to get in touch with Aphrodite for the first time in a while."

Having her around should help a little.

Unreliable as she was.