The Goddess of the Moon, Artemis (2)
The goddess Artemis of Greek mythology is revered as one of the three virgin goddesses alongside Athena and Hestia, symbolizing purity and chastity. As such, every one of her attendants had sworn an oath of absolute virginity. Even the gods themselves could not approach those under her protection.
There was, however, one exception: the king of the gods, Zeus. No matter how powerful a goddess Artemis might be, she could not shield her own people from the king of Olympus. Zeus had already claimed one of her nymphs, Callisto, and now he had his sights set on Taigete.
All Artemis could do for Taigete was hide her from Zeus. Defying him outright was impossible, even for her. That was why she had disguised the nymph as a deer, complete with antlers to make her appear male. Yet…
“Zeus already knows that the golden-horned deer is Taigete.”
“……”
Artemis fell silent at my words. It was a matter that would weigh heavily on her mind. At the same time, it was a crack in her defenses that I could exploit.
“But he isn’t certain yet. He’s still only at the stage of suspicion.”
Zeus claiming Taigete was something that happened long after the completion of the Twelve Labors. Right now, he was either still doubting whether the golden-horned deer was truly her, or he had no idea at all. If he truly knew, there would be no reason for him to leave her alone.
Yet I deliberately spoke as if Zeus had already figured it out. Only then would the anxious goddess be more likely to turn to me for help.
And just as I expected—
“The fact that you’re telling me this must mean you also know a way to circumvent it.”
“That is correct.”
Her eyes, the color of the open sky, fixed on me.
“Then tell me. What is it?”
“Before that, there is something I wish to ask of you, Lady Artemis.”
“Making demands of a god first… how bold.”
The corner of Artemis’s mouth curved into a small, intrigued arc.
“I heard you deceived the Moirai to get what you wanted. It seems the rumors were true.”
“Ah… you already knew?”
“How could I not? A mortal appeared who overturned even Zeus’s will. Among the gods these days, you are quite the celebrity.”
When I stayed silent, Artemis let out a soft, amused laugh.
“Even Priapus, who lives in the most remote corner of the countryside, must know of your existence by now.”
“……”
Had I really become that famous? I had tricked the Fates so that Jeanne and Vanessa could join the labors, but I never imagined the ripple effect would spread this far. According to Artemis, there wasn’t a single being in the Greek world who didn’t know my name.
If even the rural god Priapus knows about me, then yeah… everyone does.
He was the god who lived in the farthest, most isolated backwater of them all. When I showed visible surprise at this unexpected development, Artemis smiled with clear interest.
“You really didn’t know. The grapevine among gods travels fast, child.”
“I guess they have messengers or something.”
“Messengers? If you mean heralds, then yes, that’s close enough. There are many gods who specialize in carrying information. You’ve already met one, haven’t you?”
“You’re talking about Lord Hermes.”
“Indeed. Hermes. That boy came to me after seeing you and told me everything.”
No wonder Hermes had looked so cheerful when he left. He must have been thrilled at the prospect of spreading the story of meeting me everywhere he went.
Chirp—
A lark that had flown in from somewhere landed gently on the back of Artemis’s hand. As she stroked its head with a benevolent smile, the goddess asked,
“If you have a request, speak it. As long as it is within reason, I shall grant it.”
“It is not an excessive request.”
What I wanted from Artemis wasn’t anything too grand.
“Please tell me how to capture Taigete alive.”
“You want me to teach you how to capture my own child?”
In an instant, the gentle expression on Artemis’s face turned icy cold. Night fell across the bright world, and moonlight poured down over the fields. The lark fled with a startled cry, and the deer vanished into the forest. A chilling silence swallowed everything.
Beneath the pouring moonlight, those freezing blue eyes stared straight at me. She hated more than anyone when someone touched what was hers. She was a goddess who would protect anyone inside the fence she had drawn around herself, no matter what. Even if the offender was the king of the gods, Zeus, she would never simply stand by and watch.
Because of this fiercely independent nature, Artemis was often depicted as cold and aloof in the myths. Violating her boundaries was considered an unforgivable taboo.
But…
“Yes, that is correct.”
I had no choice but to step across that very fence.
“Why?”
“Only then can we hide Taigete from Zeus.”
“……”
The frost in Artemis’s eyes slowly melted, returning to the color of the clear sky.
“I wish to hear the details.”
With her full attention on me, I explained my plan. I would help Heracles capture Taigete alive, and in the process, we would swap the golden-horned deer with a fake. If we created a new golden-horned stag to deceive Zeus, we could keep Taigete hidden. Even the king of the gods was not omnipotent, after all. After all, even the god of trickery, Hermes, could deceive Zeus.
If we performed the switch while Heracles was busy capturing her, we could evade Zeus’s gaze for at least a while.
Though it won’t last forever.
Zeus was nothing if not persistent. He would eventually track Taigete down and claim her. All I could do was buy a little time using Heracles. What happened after that was Artemis’s problem, not mine.
“To do that, we must first capture Taigete.”
“Hmm. Not a bad idea.”
On the rock bathed in soft moonlight, the goddess of the moon nodded.
“Very well. I shall help you capture Taigete alive. But that child will never allow herself to be caught willingly…”
Her blue eyes gazed at me with clear interest.
“Therefore, I shall grant you the ability to capture her.”
Artemis rose from her seat and reached out with her graceful hand, gently touching my forehead. Before I could even flinch, the soft sensation of her fingertips pressed against my skin.
────.
A bluish energy flowed from the tips of her fingers and seeped into my body.
“Do not resist. Accept it.”
I obeyed her words and opened myself to the power. Then—
Holy Hunt
[Awakening ability added.]
[You have received the blessing of the Moon Goddess Artemis.]
A new awakening ability had been added.
Holy Hunt (Holy Hunt)
The Goddess of the Moon, Artemis, is also the goddess of the hunt. Her blessing, Holy Hunt, allows the user to detect, track, and ‘hunt’ sacred or divine beings. When Holy Hunt is activated, the user gains additional stats exclusively against holy entities.
—Moonlight never disappears, even in darkness.
“……”
I stared at the status window in shock. I had never expected to receive an awakening ability.
Holy Hunt…
This was literally a buff against ‘holy’ attributes. It let me track sacred beings and gain extra stats against whatever I hunted. This was an incredible stroke of luck. Among all the strange and monstrous attributes, ‘holy’ was by far the most troublesome. Even the Church struggled to deal with holy-type monsters.
Artemis had just granted me the divine authority to hunt such beings.
All so I could track down Taigete.
It didn’t seem like that was her only purpose, though.
[Catalog updated.]
Constellation: Moon Goddess Artemis
Artemis has become my Constellation. It was as if she had already marked her territory in advance.
[Moon Goddess Artemis]
In the future, you will be able to receive additional powers from the Moon Goddess Artemis.
“With that ability, you should be able to track down that child Taigete.”
Warm midday sunlight broke through the once-dark field. The birds and deer that had fled returned, frolicking across the meadow once more.
“Was it helpful?”
“More than enough.”
“I’m glad.”
The archaic, formal tone Artemis had used gradually softened into something gentler and more relaxed. It felt like this was her true, natural self. After all, Artemis was a goddess who showed boundless affection toward anyone who stayed safely within her fence.
“Then I shall see you ‘next time.’”
Promising a future meeting, Artemis vanished. When I came to my senses, I was back at the altar inside the temple.
And the next day—
“Let’s go find that deer.”
Heracles’s third labor—the live capture of the golden-horned deer—had begun.