The Moon Goddess's Secrets
One thing I'd realized over the course of my life was this: when people's self-esteem hits rock bottom, their behavior turns servile without fail. They willingly accept humiliating situations because deep down, they believe that's what suits their pathetic selves.
Funny enough, gods were no different.
[If I've been rude... I apologize.]
The five-meter-tall Selene was crouched low, matching my eye level. The Secret Book critiqued her attitude harshly.
-She seems like a being that only has the potential for revival, not a full god anymore.
I hadn't expected her to crumble so easily from just a little intimidation. She was fidgeting anxiously, terrified that I—her last hope—might vanish.
[You are the great son of Zeus... I shall observe proper etiquette from now on. Please calm your heart.]
What nonsense. Sons of Zeus weren't exactly rare. If Selene were in her prime, she'd fart in the face of a truckload of them.
But that didn't mean I couldn't exploit her current position to the hilt. Hell, I welcomed it.
"I'm not about to explain in detail how I got here. But I'll tell you one thing."
No way was I spilling about the First Scribe or the Akashic Records to Selene. She looked eager to hear it, but with the power dynamic so clear, what could she do?
"I'm Artemis's sworn enemy. I hope freeing you will aid that cause."
I shared a few tales of how I'd screwed Artemis over. Selene, who had been swallowing hard, lit up with joy.
[As expected of Zeus's son. To achieve such feats—you'll earn the blessings of the ancient gods.]
"Now, explain yourself. Convince me you're worth saving. If you're just a soul with no real chance of revival, there's nothing more to discuss."
I had plans to revive her, but I needed to confirm if it was feasible.
[Revival is entirely possible. If I reclaim the power of the moon, Artemis will suffer a massive blow.]
"I figured as much. But I want specifics—your plan, laid bare."
[Hmm...]
Selene must have an ace up her sleeve. Leaving such a contingency proved she was scheming for the long game.
[That is...]
She hesitated, unwilling to reveal her full hand. So I applied some pressure.
"If you've got nothing to say, I'll be off. Wait here for an ally who might never come in a thousand years. But..."
[But?]
"You haven't forgotten who's got Endymion, have you?"
[Ah...]
With that, Selene's remaining resolve shattered. She realized not just her fate, but Endymion's too, hung on me. No point resisting anymore.
Having swung the whip enough, I offered her a carrot.
"I know how deeply you love him. Cooperate with me, and I'll swear his safety on the waters of the Styx itself."
It was a decent incentive, but her reaction surprised me.
[Lover? What are you talking about?]
"Huh?"
Her attitude—like I'd said something absurd—threw me off. The tale of Endymion as Selene's sleeping lover was legendary; I'd assumed it was fact. Was it not?
"I thought you and Endymion were lovers."
[You're mistaken. The moon goddess has always symbolized chastity. I was called the chaste goddess of the full moon. How could I have a male lover?]
What the hell? Reading my confusion, Selene explained.
[To hold the position of moon goddess, purity is essential. That filthy Artemis declared herself a virgin out of lust for power. She's a beast at heart—a lascivious animal. After gaining personhood and shedding her beastly form, she began playacting as a virgin goddess.]
"What? Artemis was a beast?"
I'd never seen that in the forbidden texts.
[You've risen high among mortals, but you haven't pierced the gods' secrets yet.]
"Tell me about Artemis. That alone makes you invaluable, Selene."
I promised to free her on the spot, no further questions, if she spilled. But oddly, she shook her head.
[I'm sorry, I can't. I want to tell you, but it's impossible.]
Not reluctance after weighing costs—she meant literally impossible. I got it quick enough.
"Leaking secrets demands a price, right?"
[Exactly. Even gods can't blab the world's deep truths freely. We're bound by oaths, promises, contracts, surveillance. We can't expose each other's filthy secrets. If I reveal Artemis's true nature, an ancient pact would erase me instantly.]
"...Damn."
[Provide the counterprice to block that, and I'll tell all. Honestly, my mouth waters to badmouth that filthy beast.]
Artemis's secret... I needed that to take her down. But if I could cover the cost, I didn't have to hear it from Selene. The Akashic Records offered a path—and probably cheaper.
"Understood. So, what's Endymion to you?"
[My nephew. He's the son of my brother, the sun god Helios. Born from his affair with a mortal woman.]
"Nephew? Never crossed my mind."
[Gods are mostly irresponsible like that. My brother was no exception. He abandoned the child, so I took him in and raised him. Adorable as a kid, but he grew arrogant like his father. Yet in the end... he sacrificed himself, falling into eternal sleep for my sake...]
Her tone brimmed with deep affection for Endymion—more like a son than a nephew.
I didn't know the details, but it seemed Endymion's slumber was for her.
"Endymion will be safe. I stake my name on it."
[That's grateful. Very well. I'll share something to tempt you. No point hiding now.]
Having steeled herself, Selene briefly regained a divine air. For a moment, I glimpsed the once-beautiful, noble moon goddess.
[Do you know I had a younger sister besides my brother?]
"The dawn goddess Eos, you mean."
[Correct. She's said to be dead too.]
Helios the sun god, Selene the moon goddess, Eos the dawn goddess—siblings all. Supposedly slain by the Olympians. Or not?
"Is Eos alive?"
Selene hesitated at my question, worried for her sister. But resolved, she spoke truth.
[Yes. Alive. My brother and I sensed the tide turning. We knew the Olympians would doom us. We tried every means, including hiding Eos beforehand.]
"She escaped well, then?"
She nodded.
[Even the Olympians couldn't find her. Plus, she has her sturdy sons' support—they likely gave up.]
"Sons...?"
[The wind gods: Zephyrus, Boreas, Notus, Euros.]
Right. West, north, south, east winds—Eos's sons. Boreas the north wind had bad blood with me; he'd been tag-teamed by Iris the rainbow god, whom I'd run with, leaving him crippled for decades.
[Find Eos again, and I can revive. Not just me—my brother Helios too. She holds the precious treasure, key to our siblings' resurrection.]
"Even Helios?"
[Of course.]
This was tempting. Selene and Helios on my side? Perfect against Olympus. And those two burned eternal grudges against Artemis and Apollo.
"Good. You're worth saving."
[To oppose Artemis, we can aid each other fully.]
New goal: Find dawn goddess Eos, revive Selene and Helios both. A cornerstone for Olympus's downfall.
[But Peleus. How will you take this body out of the dream world? The gatekeepers won't let a massive soul like mine pass.]
"Even with a bypass?"
I'd skipped the orthodox dream stairs, taking the backroute marble path—and endured the gatekeepers' glares from afar. Just head back that way.
[They tolerated your bypass because you're merely human. They saw you as specially permitted. But with a god's soul? They'll block you. They didn't act only because powerless against you.]
Nor was that the only issue, she said.
[Even returning to the material world poses problems. A god's soul wandering the earth draws Olympus's eyes. Artemis especially won't sit idle. Before, I fled here soul-only as precaution—but now? They'll leave nothing behind.]
Her voice dripped worry and fear. Seemed a real pickle.
But for me, simple.
"Not hard."
[What? A problem even gods agonize over isn't hard?]
"Goddess, I'm human, sure—but doesn't my reaching here suggest I've got something up my sleeve?"
I revealed the Secret Book and explained—omitting it was the Secret God or First Scribe.
[This bizarre book can truly evade the gods' gaze?]
"Of course. Even leaving the dream world, gatekeepers won't spot you inside. You didn't sense it nearby, did you?"
[...True. Demonstrate.]
Selene tossed an item: an old statue of hers.
[This holds my divinity—I can sense it anywhere. Hide it.]
She looked smug, betting it'd be tough.
"Fine."
I nodded to the Secret Book; it swallowed the statue and vanished. Selene gasped in shock, then probed with power—stunned further.
[Impossible! I'd sense that idol even across dimensions!]
"Believe me now?"
She stared, attitude more deferential.
[Incredible... Peleus. Are you truly human?]
"Human, yeah. At least I have a conscience, unlike some gods."
The Secret Book muttered in my ear, 'That's a bit much...'—ignored.
Anyway, Selene accepted. Confident we'd slip the gatekeepers.
Then I forged a brutally one-sided contract with her. A desperate god was ripe for predatory terms. She swore on her name, but I shook my head.
Who sells medicine like that?
"Pledge all your remaining divinity. Oh, and that statue's too."
Strip her last scraps. A mere grain compared to her prime, but precious—lose it, and she's no longer a god's soul.
[How does a human know godly contracts?]
"One god marveled like that and croaked. Behave, or you'll haul dung on my farm."
Selene despaired, fully enslaved. No options left.
"Obey well, and I'll restore your glory as moon goddess one day."
[But this makes me your handmaid!]
"So? No one'll know. Hate it? Walk."
[...You want everything.]
She signed. Fully mine now. Succeed, she regains godhood—under my thumb.
"In you go."
I tucked her soul into the Secret Book, whistling back the way I'd come. Massive haul.
"You seem pleased."
I nodded at the Secret Book.
"Screwing Artemis advanced hugely, and I bagged Selene. How could I not? She's my obedient moon goddess now. Our chats don't reach her in your gut, right?"
"Nope. You lecher. But you wanna spill your mood."
Humming, I strolled the narrow marble path through the dream world. Soon, the dream stairs appeared—gatekeepers still posted.
I ignored them, eyes on the path. Then, unexpected.
"Peleus! The gatekeepers vanished."
"What?"
Sure enough, the midway dream-stairs guards were gone. Worse: two gatekeepers blocked the marble path dead center.
My eyes bulged.
"Gods?"
Up close, their power rivaled lesser gods—like Cycnus, Apollo's son. That thug god from before regression was half-trauma; chills ran down my spine.
"What's going on?"
Feigning calm despite shock, I pointed to the stairs.
"Abandon your post, and humans'll descend freely."
Indeed, some human was descending unchecked, dream-walking oblivious.
[Irrelevant. The stairs unguarded briefly? No issue.]
One black-robed gatekeeper spoke in a shrill voice. The other chimed in.
[You cannot leave this place.]