Atalante's Grumbles and the Queen's Surrender
Atalante grumbled with a face full of dissatisfaction.
"Must be nice, Peleus."
"Why?"
"The Amazon queen Penthesilea is a renowned beauty. You can tell just by looking at her sister Hippolyte, whom we captured. If Artemis hadn't protected her, plenty of gods would have come courting."
Is that so? But I wasn't interested in the slightest. A marriage alliance with a beautiful queen might sound sweet at first glance, but it was never that simple in reality. Political unions always came with a tangle of complications and risks. Besides, I wasn't some lecher who would leap at the chance without knowing the woman well.
Sure, a man craving beauties might fall for the queen's fame.
"Hmm..."
I gazed steadily at the beauty before me. Her long silver hair fell neatly, framing large eyes like amethysts and a body brimming with vitality and allure. There was no need to seek a goddess afar—right here was a girl who embodied the moon's beauty far more than Artemis herself. Yet for some reason, she looked unusually downcast today, unlike her usual self.
"No matter how famed the queen, she can't compare to you."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
My true feelings had slipped out unbidden, so I brushed it off.
"Nothing. Anyway, no need to take the marriage alliance seriously. I'm not interested at all."
The queen didn't seem like that big a deal anyway.
"Is that true?"
Atalante's face bloomed into a radiant smile. Like a flower suddenly unfurling right before my eyes. The gloom vanished as if it had been a lie, replaced by vibrant life.
What's gotten into her?
"Of course."
"I knew you'd say that, Peleus."
Atalante nodded to herself, looking immensely proud. I had no idea what she was so smug about, but if she had a tail, it would probably be wagging furiously right now.
"They seem like they're testing the waters over there, not entirely serious. Guess I should meet the queen first."
The queen and her royal guard had already arrived at the village gates of Naxos Village, apparently. Much faster than expected. If a battle had broken out, we might have been caught off guard.
Before opening the gate, I took a look at the queen.
"Hmmm..."
A groan escaped my lips unbidden. Her presence was that overwhelming.
Noticing my darkening expression, Atalante asked, "What do you think?"
"Can't gauge her power precisely, but... she's stronger than the cannibal giant Thematos. Impressive. Her bloodline's diluted, but she's still a Titan descendant."
"That much?"
"Yeah. Stronger even than Angulifer, who was Ares's warrior."
Penthesilea >>> Angulifer >>> Thematos. That was the hierarchy, it seemed.
The problem wasn't just the queen—the royal guard looked formidable too.
"They've all received Artemis's blessing. If it comes to a fight, it'll be chaos..."
The villagers would be slaughtered. Defending them against that kind of force was impossible. With enemies this strong, blood would flow like rivers until Su-sin's sea army arrived.
But unexpectedly, the queen proposed talks first. No reason for me to refuse.
"Open the gate."
At my command, the palisade gate swung open. From the other side, Amazon queen Penthesilea strode forward. We met at the midpoint.
"Impressive indeed."
Her regal dignity as a ruler and her famed beauty both lived up to the hype. No exaggeration in the rumors. Unlike the fresh-faced Atalante, she exuded a mature allure, her abundant black hair especially striking.
"Your Majesty."
"Basileus."
We stood staring each other down. A low rumble echoed within—grrrrrr.
The divinity inside me stirred on its own. The queen wasn't radiating hostility; unlike the rude Ganeia, she seemed composed and courteous. But my divinity reacted instinctively, rebelling against the power of Artemis she harbored.
Then the queen bit her lip slightly.
"Hmmm..."
She must be experiencing something similar. From her reaction, I could guess: she too bore divinity within her. Not just Artemis's blessing like Atalante, but a direct infusion of divine essence. That explained her immense presence.
"Peleus, you are more than I heard."
"Your Majesty. Your majesty is truly astonishing."
We had met as enemies, yet we found ourselves oddly admiring each other's power.
"Had Your Majesty taken decisive action, defending Naxos would have been far harder for me."
I might have even been forced to reveal my hidden trump card, the Divine Manifestation stage. That was something I couldn't afford to expose yet.
But the queen shook her head.
"I know the sea army is coming. It would have ended in my defeat anyway."
Huh... how does she know? Did Artemis warn her?
"Hmmm..."
"Surprised I know about the sea army?"
"I won't deny it."
"That's not the point right now. The problem is the general leading the sea army."
The queen explained that the violent Oites commanded the sea forces and aimed to slaughter them all for glory. Artemis wouldn't help this time, she added.
"Thus, Peleus, I wish to surrender to you. Call off the sea army."
Her proposal was odd.
"The Amazons are my enemies, Your Majesty. No reason to grant your wish."
"I'm not begging for mercy. This is a deal. Beyond sating your compassion, there will be tangible gains."
"Then I'm listening."
First, she said she needed to explain her tribe's history before the deal.
"Originally, we Amazons did not follow Artemis."
"Really? Unexpected."
"Nor were we the kind to kidnap and kill men. We were a tribe of women, but we had a separate male tribe that lived in harmony with us as mates."
News to me. The Secret Book didn't record everything.
"As there is sun with moon, day with night, so there are men with women. We had husbands too—just not in the usual way."
The Amazons met the male tribe once a year to pair up. Like a mass blind date, basically. The lovers spent a few nights together, then parted.
"Male children were sent to the male tribe, females raised as Amazons. The meetings were brief, but relations between tribes were warm. We weren't hostile to men from the start."
"Something happened, then?"
"Yes. Greedy gods interfered in that harmony. Amazon royals have always been goddess-like in beauty. That appealed to the gods."
Even gods couldn't easily claim a true goddess. Courting one risked losing their own divinity and getting fleeced. A goddess was a peer and rival in the pantheon. But a human as beautiful as a goddess? Far easier to exploit.
That's why gods hounded mortal beauties. Amazon royals must have been prime targets.
"Apollo incited the male tribe. Promised their king great power and divine immortality. The king fell for it and abandoned us to the gods' ravages."
"Selling out their women for power? Deserve to be beaten to death."
"Not all men think like you."
The queen gave a bitter smile. Afterward, Amazon royals became the gods' playthings. Beautiful like goddesses but without the power to defend themselves—their fate was easy to imagine.
"In the end, our ancestors sought protectors."
"Artemis?"
"Yes. It was a perfect match. Sick of divine greed, who better than the virgin goddess firm against men? With her aid, we rejected the gods and took revenge on the male tribe. Slaughtered them all. Harmony died that day."
And thus the Amazons as we knew them were born.
"Heh... when a woman's grudge festers, even frost falls in May."
But every coin has two sides. The refuge in Artemis's embrace was short-lived; the Amazons became her hunting dogs.
The queen sighed, gazing at the sky.
"You may not know, but Artemis is greedy beyond imagination. To fulfill her desires, our tribe paid dearly in sacrifices. The golden days ended long ago; now it's endless nightmare."
"Must weigh heavily on you."
I pitied her anew. Leading a tribe meant endless torment.
"Now Artemis treats us as expendables to use and discard. Basileus of Sparta, in this situation, do you think I, as queen, must fight to the end for tribe's honor and warrior pride?"
They weren't surrendering out of fear. Amazons would fight to annihilation against the sea army. Born warriors.
But the queen was a leader first, worrying for her people's future.
"A dog's death, Your Majesty. I salute your wisdom. In your shoes, I wouldn't fight the sea army either."
"Is that so? Thank you."
I bowed slightly and kissed the back of her hand.
"Your dignified resolve to bow to a foreign official for your tribe's future earns my respect. I apologize sincerely for underestimating you earlier."
"Will you accept our surrender?"
"But what of Artemis's wrath?"
Her face saddened at my question.
"I will pay first. But it won't end there. Many warriors will die cursed. Better than meaningless deaths here. Some may survive as Spartan citizens."
She had already braced for the worst. Long years of conflict with Artemis, clearly.
I said no.
"Your Majesty, hard decisions must lead to victory. Leaving Artemis means blood retribution. Satisfied with that? The Amazon name will vanish. A few survivors blend into Sparta. Is that the end you want?"
"Then what? We can't protect our dignity ourselves. Nor seek another male god's embrace—can't let our daughters become playthings."
No god worth trusting for Amazons, she said. Male gods unreliable, female ones cowed by Artemis.
"No. I have a solution."
"What? Truly?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. She rushed forward, clutching my chest with both hands.
"Peleus, share your wisdom."
Her sweet scent dizzied me up close, but I kept composed.
"There is one god worthy of the Amazons' embrace."
"Who?"
"Rainbow god Iris."
She frowned slightly.
"Iris is male, isn't he? They're all the same. No exceptions."
"No. Iris is the exception."
She didn't know Iris's true nature(?). Not widely known. I remembered my own shock at first.
"Your Majesty, I guarantee it. Iris will cherish the Amazons. Surrender to me? Simple condition: leave Artemis, entrust to Iris."
If this worked, Artemis would regret it bitterly. Losing a key limb to negligence. I'd gain hugely. Loyal, capable Amazon warriors aiding my cause? Smooth sailing ahead.
"Iris will grant you new powers. His cult is Sparta's state religion now, his divinity soared. With Amazons added, he'll grow stronger—enough to shield you from Artemis."
"Hmmm..."
She pondered deeply. Then sudden fierce winds howled.
Whooooosh!
Rain-mixed gusts from the sea, storm clouds gathering like a typhoon.
I knew instantly.
"The sea army has arrived."