The Nameless One's Shard
Atalante's hair stood on end as she sensed the danger. She was trying her best to act calm, but she desperately wanted to gnaw on her fingernails. The others hadn't noticed a thing yet, but Atalante was different.
No way... Lady Artemis. Are you planning to dispose of us all?
It was because her encounter with that man from a foreign land had changed her from the ground up. Once her view of the gods shifted, she began to see things she'd never noticed before. She'd always known that the goddess she served was proud and sometimes shockingly ruthless. Her fervent faith had simply brushed those traits off as minor flaws.
After the Calydonian boar incident, Atalante's passion for the goddess had cooled a bit, allowing her to view things more coldly.
Yeah. Lady Artemis won't tolerate being humiliated twice.
There were no witnesses in the forest. The tree nymphs had fled far away in fear of the capricious goddess. Artemis could easily concoct an excuse for the disappearance of a group of female warriors.
A chill ran down Atalante's spine. She suddenly realized just how precarious her situation was.
"Everyone, come here."
Artemis called to the scattered warriors around her. Atalante felt her heart sink.
She's definitely up to something.
Her instincts screamed a dire warning. But against a god, a human was utterly powerless. What could she possibly do?
"You don't look well, Atalante."
"Pardon?"
Artemis's sudden address startled her. Realizing her rudeness, Atalante hastily apologized.
"N-no, Lady Artemis. I was just wondering who might have done such a thing..."
"No need to worry. I've found a way to resolve this."
Admiring murmurs erupted around them at Artemis's words—as expected of Lady Artemis—but Atalante's face stiffened.
She, who had followed Artemis more fervently than anyone, knew the goddess's telltale sign when she lied.
Her left lip corner twitched up.
It was a fleeting expression, one only Atalante, who knew the habit well, could catch.
In the end, Atalante made up her mind. She wouldn't go down without a fight, no matter how slim the odds. She gripped the dagger hidden at her waist.
But deep down, she was convinced this place was her grave today. There was no hope against a goddess. Somehow, the goddess's eyes felt like a spider's—inescapable, trapping her in a web.
"All of you, until now..."
Artemis opened her mouth. Atalante barely stifled a scream of terror.
It's over!
Despair wrapped around her heart like sticky spider silk.
But the world still held a miracle for her.
"Iiii-yoooooot!"
Suddenly, a high-pitched shout echoed from the sky. It was a young man's voice—frivolous yet clear and pleasant.
A golden beam streaked across the night sky. Atalante realized who it was and didn't miss Artemis's face crumpling in that instant.
"What a splendid night! Ladies!"
The newcomer was Hermes, the messenger god, greeting them cheerily with winged sandals and a radiant golden glow. No one on Olympus didn't know this handsome boy-god.
"Hermes... What brings you here?"
Artemis asked the uninvited guest in a cold voice, clearly displeased.
The warriors, who had been startled and awed by Hermes's arrival, quickly fell silent, reading their mistress's mood.
"Lady Artemis, I always come for the same reason, don't I? I bring a message from Lord Zeus."
Artemis, about to unleash her temper, clamped her mouth shut at the mention of Zeus's name. Even this wild goddess couldn't defy her supreme father.
Hermes continued with a smug, knowing look that was somehow infuriating.
"The Twelve Olympians will gather at dawn. See that you're not late, Lady Artemis."
"What's it about? No, never mind. If Father calls, I must go..."
Artemis chewed her lip, clearly unhappy. It seemed the overbearing king of gods had summoned the Twelve just to lecture them. Her ears already ached at the thought of his long-winded speech.
Maybe I should quit the Twelve.
Grumbling inwardly, Artemis realized her plan had gone awry. She'd intended to kill all the warriors tonight and silence them. Pity about the useful subordinates, but they were expendable. There were plenty more women who idolized her; she'd just recruit and empower them.
But Hermes's arrival blocked her violent, convenient solution. Now there was a witness.
If the warriors vanished after being seen with her tonight, who knew what gossip this chatty messenger would spread?
No, his timing is suspicious too.
Artemis knew Hermes didn't like her much. His sudden appearance felt too coincidental. But it was just a hunch.
"Well, message delivered! I'm off then! Haha!"
Hermes vanished like the wind, just as he'd arrived. Watching the golden trail fade into the night sky, Artemis swallowed a groan.
"Nngh..."
She realized she could no longer prevent rumors. Silencing mouths was now just a matter of time.
Her failure to hunt Python would leak eventually. So there was only one way.
Offset it with achievements...
If she accomplished something big before the rumors reached Zeus's ears, it would blow over. Fortunately, the king of gods was lazy and womanizing; stories faded fast with him.
But timing was the issue. With the Titans gone, great deeds were scarce. The world was at peace, Olympus secure. Monsters appeared occasionally, but those were hero work. For a goddess like her to intervene would be undignified.
Capturing Python would have been perfect...
The mountain guardian Python was a rare remnant of the ancient great war—worthy of a god's direct involvement. But by now, she'd slithered back to her cave, impossible to pursue.
If I can't make achievements, what then?
Pondering, Artemis found a solution. Have someone else commit an even bigger blunder. If a massive scandal broke, tonight's mess would fade into obscurity.
Who, then?
Apollo came to mind first, but he was too perfect, too flawless. So she thought of her other brother—fervent and hot-blooded, but reckless: Ares, the war god. Pure and powerful, yet socially inept and disliked by their father.
Perfect. I'll make Ares screw up big time.
Decision made, Artemis felt relieved. Compared to Apollo, Ares was easy prey. Just a brute with stupid strength.
And that human who pulled out my arrow. I'll find him, no matter what. How dare he humiliate me.
Artemis barely suppressed her rage. It was hard to stomach being bested by a mere human. So she completely missed one of her followers secretly sighing in relief.
The cracks were forming, unbeknownst even to the goddess.
-Ugh, heavier than I thought!
Climbing the mountain with Python on my back, I was utterly exhausted. I'd been a fool to think carrying a kid would be easy.
-Put some muscle into it. Can't have a man this pathetic. Tsk tsk.
Even more annoying was the Secret Book yapping smugly beside me.
-With Heracles's Jewel, I can't afford this!
-Can't afford what? Forgot the jewel's power is nearly drained? Your thick skull's less useful than a chicken's. At least chickens make soup stock.
It was only the lingering power from the drained jewel that let me carry the kid up this treacherous slope.
"Huuuh... Uuugh."
Then Python groaned faintly from my back. The watchful Secret Book urged me on.
-Hurry. The kid's condition is worsening. She overexerted herself helping you.
I knew. That's why I was practically sprinting up the mountain. Sweat poured down my face like rain, but there was no time to rest.
"Python! Wake up! Which way!"
She'd wake sporadically to guide me—revealing her cave's secret location and how to avoid its dangers—then pass out again.
Following her directions, I found the cave and entered. It was mystical and perilous, but as she said, nothing happened as we passed.
-The kid gave good intel, Peleus.
-Really?
-This cave is infamous for horrifying magic traps, curses, and monsters. Even gods lose their way under its ancient curses. Artemis couldn't follow, could she?
-That bad?
I'd wondered how strong Python was, but apparently, the cave was crafted by Titan artisans and sorcerers pooling their power.
-Made to hide treasures from the Olympians. But the Burning Nameless One appeared and took them, they say.
I clicked my tongue at the Secret Book's explanation.
-Wilder than I thought. Just remembering that massive serpent from the end times sends shivers down my spine. The whole range being its dormant body is even crazier.
"Hah! Haah! Almost there."
Even after entering the cave, we ran for ages before reaching our goal. A vast underground cavern opened up, revealing tall stone stairs.
"We're here! Python! Wake up!"
I called to her on my back as I bounded up the stairs. At the top loomed an altar, soaring like an Aztec pyramid.
Incredible to find such a vast space inside a mountain.
-Just place her on that altar and...
As I mentally replied to the Secret Book, I froze mid-leap up the stairs.
"Gasp!"
-What's wrong?
I couldn't answer the Secret Book right away. Behind the altar stood something immensely majestic.
But soon I realized it wasn't alive—just an impossibly huge statue.
"The Burning Nameless One..."
Yes, the giant serpent from the apocalypse loomed grandly behind the altar. It was so massive I'd overlooked it at first glance. Crafted with such precision, it felt like the transcendent being had returned. Surely the work of a divine entity, not human hands.
-Indeed, Peleus. You've seen it yourself, so you know. Hm? That's!
The Secret Book, responding, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
-What?
-Look there. Right there.
The Secret Book extended a tentacle, pointing to one side of the massive statue. Racing up the stairs, I'd noticed something odd too. The statue's stone scales were individually sculpted and fitted, but one scale gleamed as a red gem—like a ruby.
-What's that?
-What do you think? Idiot! Figure it out already!
-What the hell are you talking about!
Irritated, I snapped back as I reached the altar and laid Python down. An unknown power enveloped her, and her face relaxed.
"Hmmm..."
She let out a soft sigh. Only then did I wipe the sweat streaming down my forehead in relief.
But the Secret Book ignored Python entirely now.
-Forget that serpent brat! She'll recover on her own!
-What's with you?
-You still don't get it, blockhead? That's a shard of divinity! Left by the Burning Nameless One!
-What? A shard of divinity?
-Like Heracles's Jewel?
-Exactly. No idea why it remains, but it must have a purpose.
-Then we shouldn't touch it, right?
The Secret Book immediately scolded me.
-Have you ever seen such a naive fool? Perfect timing! The kid's out cold—no one's to stop us. Heaven-sent opportunity. Don't worry about consequences. Grab that divine shard!
It fervently persuaded me. It really was an incredible chance. Heracles's Jewel alone was game-changing; another like it would unlock unimaginable power.
But this was something Python guarded dearly. I couldn't just take it. Plus...
-You seem awfully eager. 'Figure it out'? You're obviously tempting me.
The Secret Book flinched noticeably.
-W-what? It's all for your benefit! Listen to me, and you'll gain even in your sleep—extra bread at least. Conscience is trash. A little cowardice makes life easy!
My expression soured at the Secret Book's words. The more I knew it, the clearer one conclusion became.
"You're really trash-bin level..."