The Moon Goddess Artemis
The golden-horned stag of Ceryneia was a symbol of fortune.
Legends claimed that capturing the stag would grant one's wishes or bring great luck, so many sought to claim it. It was a mythical divine beast so elusive that merely laying eyes upon it was considered a blessing.
Yet all of this was nothing more than a deception.
The golden-horned stag of Ceryneia was not a beast at all, but one of Artemis's handmaidens. She was Taigete, one of the seven Pleiades, a beautiful nymph whom the goddess cherished and protected.
It was Artemis herself, the Moon Goddess, who had disguised Taigete as a stag and spread the rumor of its fortune-bringing powers.
According to myth, Artemis had transformed Taigete to hide her from Zeus. The king of the gods had caught sight of the nymph and become enamored with her beauty. Artemis had already lost one of her attendants to Zeus's lust, and she was desperate to prevent it from happening again. Her handmaidens had all sworn vows of chastity, after all—they were virgin goddesses in service to the goddess of chastity herself.
Even after disguising Taigete as a stag, Artemis remained uneasy. She went so far as to give her a pair of antlers, making her appear male. That was why the hind bore horns despite being female.
Even like this, Zeus still found her.
Despite Artemis's efforts, Zeus eventually tracked Taigete down and took her. His persistence was almost admirable.
In any case, the stag's true identity was Taigete, Artemis's attendant. If Heracles wounded her while trying to capture her, he would have to face the goddess's wrath. The labor itself had been one of Hera's traps.
Of course, even if left alone, Heracles would eventually succeed in capturing Taigete without harming her. The problem is that it takes him a full year.
Taigete, originally a local mountain deity, could run across lakes and rivers, moved with incredible speed, and even wielded fire. Only someone like Heracles could complete such a task in a single year.
But I didn't have the luxury of waiting that long. If I wasn't planning to live out my days in Greek mythology, I needed to finish Heracles's twelve labors as quickly as possible.
To do that, I'll have to meet Artemis.
If I wanted to capture Taigete, I had no choice but to speak with her mistress, the Moon Goddess. She alone would know how to shorten that year-long hunt.
*
Heracles dipped his arrows in the venom from the severed heads of the Hydra, creating poisoned shafts. The Hydra's venom was so potent that even the slightest touch was incurable. Thanks to Jeanne, we could neutralize it, but according to myth, only the nymph Oenone possessed the ability to counteract it. The poison was said to be so deadly that even the gods themselves could not recover from it.
Heracles would later use these very arrows to threaten Poseidon, the god of the sea. In the end, it was one of these poisoned arrows that brought about his death.
No need to warn him.
Heracles's death by the Hydra's venom was a fate decreed by the Moirai. It wasn't my place to interfere.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Heracles, who had been carefully storing the poisoned arrows, looked up.
"Do you not need any?"
"I'll store mine separately."
I opened the glass vial that had once held the essence and carefully brought it to the Hydra's fangs. Drop by drop, the venom fell into the container. Watching the clear liquid pool inside, I felt my eyes gleam.
This is an opportunity.
The chance to obtain the pure essence of the Hydra's venom—not just its breath—was something no one else could claim. Only Heracles had ever obtained the Hydra's poison, and now I had it too. I wasn't sure what I'd use it for, but it would surely prove useful someday. If a disaster-class gate ever appeared in Korea that no one could handle, this venom would become a devastating weapon. If it could kill even Heracles, whatever horrors lurked beyond a gate wouldn't stand a chance.
Of course, the amount was small—enough for only one or two uses at most. Even that much is more than enough. Those one or two shots would bring near-certain death. I had gained a powerful trump card.
After collecting the venom, I sealed the vial and stored it in my regular inventory slot, hoping I would never have to use it.
That aside—
"Are you leaving already?"
"I've received my labor. I must move."
Heracles began preparing to depart for Mount Ceryneia, where the golden-horned stag dwelled. The problem was that the mountain was quite far from Mycenae—a three-day journey on foot. Yet Heracles's preparations were remarkably minimal, as if he were merely stepping out for a stroll.
"The distance is considerable. Are you sure you don't need more supplies?"
"No need to worry about that. We'll arrive before the day is done."
"?"
A three-day journey in a single day? I was still puzzled when we stepped outside, and the reason became clear.
"Good morning, Warrior Seojun."
"Good morning, Lord Iolaus."
"Hmm."
Iolaus's chariot stood waiting outside the general store. The two horses pulling it were extraordinary.
"Krrk, krk."
They were massive enough to be called monsters rather than mere horses. Alcyon and Acrius, I believe. They were the divine steeds occasionally mentioned in old texts as the ones that drew Heracles's chariot.
"They are horses blessed by Lord Poseidon."
Poseidon was known as the god of the sea, but he was also the god of horses. He had created them and was responsible for taming them. The horses Iolaus drove were divine steeds blessed by Poseidon—that was why he was called Greece's greatest charioteer.
"Please, climb aboard."
"Ah, yes."
At Iolaus's invitation, I boarded the chariot, and he took the reins.
Neigh-neigh-neigh!
Rumble-rumble-rumble—
The two black horses reared up and charged down the road at terrifying speed. The scenery blurred past in an instant. True to his title as Greece's greatest charioteer, Iolaus's chariot moved with fearsome velocity—enough to justify Heracles's claim that we would arrive by day's end.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The ride, however, was absolutely miserable.
*
Thanks to Iolaus's chariot, we arrived in Ceryneia that very evening, shortening a three-day journey to half a day. There were, of course, side effects. My rear end screamed in protest after repeatedly slamming against the rock-hard seat. It was astonishing that Heracles and Iolaus remained completely unfazed.
Do these people have muscles even in their glutes?
"Ow, ow, ow… I'm dying here."
I couldn't even dismount for a while, forced to rub my aching backside.
That aside—
"Lord Heracles."
"What is it?"
"Do you have a way to find the golden-horned stag?"
Mount Ceryneia was vast. Finding a single stag in these endless mountains was no easy task. Without some kind of clue, we might as well be searching for a yeti in the Himalayas—we could wander forever and never find it.
"We'll just have to search the mountain thoroughly."
So he came without any plan at all.
Heracles seemed content to figure things out as he went. A bad feeling told me this search alone could take half a year. Naturally, I had no intention of waiting that long.
"I'll make a quick trip to Artemis's temple."
"Artemis's temple?"
"She's the goddess of the hunt as well, isn't she? I thought I'd pray for her blessing in capturing the stag."
"Let us hope the goddess answers."
"I'll do my best."
In this world, prayer was different from the modern concept. Sometimes, the gods themselves would respond and manifest. I was determined to make Artemis answer my call, and I already had a plan for how to do it.
Late in the evening, I arrived at Artemis's temple and offered my prayer at the altar before her statue. The stars and moon, scattered like jewels across the night sky, seemed to watch over me. Standing beneath their gaze, I looked up at the statue of the goddess with her quiver and spoke.
"I know that the golden-horned stag of Ceryneia is a divine beast you released. Despite its antlers, it is female, not male."
Whoosh—
Only the crackling of the torches answered me.
"I also know that it is Taigete, one of the seven Pleiades."
Silence reigned, but I continued without hesitation.
"Zeus knows that she is Taigete."
There was no reply. I was beginning to wonder if I should leave when, suddenly, the world rippled like a disturbed pond. The scenery changed. The Milky Way-filled night sky became a bright, clear expanse, and though it was daytime, the moon and stars were visible. The altar transformed into a vast meadow where deer frolicked.
Chirp— Chirp—
Birds sang as they flew overhead. One of the deer grazing nearby turned to look at me, as if beckoning me to follow, then began to walk away. I followed it to a small rock where a woman sat, gazing at a small bird perched on her hand.
Her hair was a deep green, like fresh foliage, and her eyes were as blue as the sky. A quiver rested on her back, a bow in her hand, and a braid adorned with the moon of the heavens. She was a beautiful woman who seemed to embody all of nature itself.
Chirp—
As the bird flew away, the woman turned her head and looked at me. Her cool blue eyes met mine.
"Is what you said true?"
"Yes, it is."
She was one of the Twelve Olympians—the goddess who symbolized the moon, the hunt, and chastity.
Artemis.