Ever-Calm Atalante's Unexpected Fury
It was quite unexpected for the ever-calm Atalante. She looked ready to loose an arrow at any moment.
Her sudden appearance had clearly startled Hippolyte as well. The Amazon princess, who had been so full of herself until now, had her eyes wide open. But it didn't seem to be because of the arrow aimed at her—it was because she recognized Atalante.
"Atalante?"
Atalante didn't answer Hippolyte's question, merely biting her lip. Instead, she glared at her with the sharpness of the arrow she had nocked.
"It really is Atalante! Haha!"
Hippolyte's initial shock faded as she burst into amused laughter. After laughing for a good while, she smirked, one corner of her mouth curling up in clear mockery.
"Yeah, that's the Atalante, alright."
"Shut your mouth!"
"What's wrong? I only said your name. Though I suppose that makes sense. I heard you failed at playing thief like some lowly rat."
Atalante's face crumpled horribly at Hippolyte's jab. Come to think of it, she'd been keeping quiet about that incident, so how had the secret leaked? It seemed Artemis had blabbed.
"No, it's not just theft. I heard you smuggled out a prince guilty of high treason from Mycenae and fled? Kahahaha! What a spectacle!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Atalante let fly her arrow.
Shwing!
Her shot flew with superb skill, but it was merely drawn by her own strength.
Clang!
Hippolyte casually deflected it with the back of her hand, protected by her armor.
"You've truly lost Lady Artemis's favor! Rumors said your arrows could pierce three boars at once back then. But now? Just a well-aimed shot from an ordinary human."
"I merely follow the goddess's will."
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know your devotion to Artemis has cooled. You still plan to pretend to be her faithful servant? Even she knows your faith isn't devout—that's why she withdrew her favor."
Hippolyte glanced around, as if asking for agreement, and the Amazons erupted in raucous laughter. Oh dear. It seemed Atalante and Hippolyte had quite the bad blood between them.
"I never liked how you strutted around boasting about being Artemis's favored warrior. Among those who serve her, we Amazons are clearly superior. Show-offs like you always get weeded out in the end."
Atalante's face paled at the barrage of insults. Listening, Peleus could guess the situation. In short, they'd been fiercely jealous of the once-rising star. Atalante had drawn Artemis's attention at a young age and shone brightly, which must have grated on them. But now that she'd lost her favor and become an ordinary human, it was sweet revenge.
"I have no excuses for my past mistakes. If the goddess took back her power, it's her will, and I accept it."
"Oh ho? Our Lady Atalante has become quite humble. Have you given up entirely?"
"Think what you like. I've never cared about the likes of you anyway."
"Kuh, what?"
Hippolyte's face twisted in an instant. Beauties looked good no matter what, but not right now. Sneering down at others was one thing, but now her furrowed brow made her ugly. Even if she was goddess-pretty, a rotten heart mattered more.
"Didn't you hear? I said I never cared."
Hippolyte's face crumpled further at Atalante's bold voice.
"You wouldn't dare say you don't even know my name."
"I don't. You were never on my radar."
Oh, things were getting interesting. Hippolyte had clearly obsessed over Atalante, but the feeling wasn't mutual.
Pfft.
Peleus couldn't help but chuckle. Everyone on deck turned to stare. Some looked exasperated, others reproachful. But the best was Hippolyte. The haughty princess flushed red with humiliation.
"Ah, sorry. It was just too funny."
Hippolyte's face finally contorted fully. She drew her sword and bellowed.
"You want to die?! A mere man daring to—!"
The Amazons apparently saw men as roadside dog shit, which only fueled her rage. She swung wildly at him.
But Atalante intervened.
Clang!
The clash of metal sent Hippolyte's sword reeling. Atalante had timed a shot perfectly, striking the descending blade. Ghostly skill, yet she said calmly,
"Even an ordinary human can block your sword."
Cool as hell, Atalante. Repaying the insults with pure skill. If she kept being this awesome, he might just fall for her a bit. Especially compared to Hippolyte, beautiful yet acting ugly.
"How dare you! Insolent worms!"
Unable to contain her fury, Hippolyte screamed. Atalante fired again, but it was futile this time. A whirlwind erupted around Hippolyte, batting the arrow away. The gale was so fierce it knocked everyone on deck sprawling.
"Uwaaa!"
"Kyaa!"
Not just the pirates, but even the one-against-many Amazons tumbled in chaos. Peleus could withstand it but pretended to flail and flop to the deck.
—A real man stands tall, what's with the pathetic flailing?
He didn't regret his Oscar-worthy acting, even at the Secret Book's jab.
—Shut it. It's better if she thinks I'm nothing special.
—Planning to backstab her, eh?
—Ambush is the pinnacle of combat art.
—More like the pinnacle of scumbag art. Tsk tsk.
Truly noisy. Backstabbing beat fair fights—easier wins. Why argue?
"Atalante!"
As Hippolyte charged with wind, Atalante jammed her dagger into the deck to brace. Her clothes tore, her silver hair unbound and whipping spectacularly. Screeech. The dagger scraped along. She looked about to fall into the sea, then shockingly released it.
"Ah."
Flying into the air, she sailed over the rail. No splash followed. Instead...
Thud. Thud. Thud.
—Ah. She's bounding along the oars sticking out from the hull.
Just as he thought it, Atalante reappeared at the prow, grabbing two nearby Amazons' hair to climb aboard.
"Kyaa!"
Short screams, and the two toppled backward into the sea.
Splash!
They couldn't match her oar-walking prowess.
"You bitch!"
Enraged, Hippolyte unleashed more wind bullets—slender vortexes shooting forward. But Atalante dodged like a squirrel, weaving through the Amazons.
"Kyaaa!"
"Aaaack!"
Her own subordinates took the hits meant for Atalante, flying into the air and splashing into the sea.
"Eek!"
Hippolyte fumed, missing her target and wasting her troops. Finally, she made a dangerous choice, her face venomous. She drew a gleaming something from the air—an arrow. Silver and shining, he'd seen it before.
—Artemis's arrow!
The watching Secret Book gasped. Big trouble. Who knew Hippolyte had one? Infused with divine power, it had nearly killed mountain guardian Python. Hippolyte had more of Artemis's favor than expected.
This was too dangerous to watch. He'd held back for Atalante's pride, but no more. Hippolyte already had it nocked. Even Atalante couldn't dodge if fired.
He scanned and spotted a javelin on the deck—likely an Amazon's, dropped in the chaos. He hurled it at Hippolyte with his monstrous strength.
Whoooosh!
It struck as she released the string. Some protective force deflected it from her armor, but it ruined her aim.
Twang!
The arrow shot like a tracer, blazing.
"Kyaa!"
Atalante screamed briefly, her body launching skyward. Her bow shattered into splinters. She rolled across the deck, slamming into the rail.
"Atalante!"
He rushed forward, startled. She staggered up, nodding faintly that she was okay. Her bow was gone, and her sword broken too. She'd overlapped them at the last second to block the wayward shot. What a day for surprises. Favor lost or not, her combat skill was unbelievable for a 16-year-old girl.
"Huh?!"
But it wasn't over. The arrow, which had flown far, curved back toward them. What, homing arrows now? It had more tricks than he thought.
Fortunately, he'd pulled her behind him before it returned. No time for full-body divine reinforcement, so he poured divinity into his arms. He'd endured one before. This should work too.
Crossing his arms, he blocked the plunging arrow.
Kaaaang!
A deafening ring, white divine flames erupting. His arms stung, but the arrow ricocheted away.
"You... blocked it?"
He heard Hippolyte mutter dumbly. Turning, her eyes were saucers.
"A human blocked Lady Artemis's arrow?!"
She gaped, incredulous.
"Why so shocked?"
"...You're no ordinary man. So cunning. Hiding that power while playing weak."
"Protagonists always hide their strength."
"What? Absurd. Well, now I get why Atalante protected you."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"A decent-looking guy with freakish power? Right up her alley. She growled like a lioness over her man!"
Hippolyte said it dead seriously, the embarrassing line. Glancing aside, Atalante flushed apple-red despite everything, eyes shaking wildly.
"Pe-Peleus. N-No, that's not..."
She stammered excuses, tripping over words. It only enraged Hippolyte more.
"Hmph! Now I see why you're so cocky, Atalante. Snagged a good man and think the world is yours!"
Atalante's face looked ready to explode at the blatant accusation.
"N-No! Peleus is awesome, but... Ahh! What am I saying?! Peleus, forget that!"
The more innocently embarrassed Atalante got, the angrier Hippolyte grew.
"What a spectacle! Parading your crush like some lovesick fool! Relying on your pretty face, acting all coy in battle! Daring to flirt with a man against me? You've gone too far. Unforgivable!"
Hippolyte gnashed her teeth. Misunderstanding, but explanations wouldn't help. She manipulated the hovering arrow toward him, shielding Atalante. Brighter than before—much stronger.
Kaaaang!
A screeching impact, the arrow embedding in his chest plate. The massive shock tore it like a shell hit, punching a huge hole.
But it stopped at the armor. The thick Spartan gift shredded, yet his divinity-shielded body was unscathed.
"What in the..."
Hippolyte was dumbfounded, speechless. An Artemis arrow failing to pierce human flesh? Unthinkable.
Grab.
He snatched the floating arrow. Fierce divine power raged through him, but he endured. His own divinity dwarfed it.
Gripping it with both hands, he asked,
"Hey, Hippolyte. If I squeeze, will this break? Or not?"
"What? Don't joke. As if—"
Crack! Snap!
With monstrous strength, he began snapping Artemis's arrow. Time to teach this smug Amazon what frustration felt like.