The Sun God Apollo (1)
Iolaus slammed his poker cards down the instant Artemis appeared and dropped to his knees with a thunderous BOOM!
The entire general store shook as if struck by an earthquake. His massive frame hitting the floor was no joke.
“Seojun, who is this person?”
“She is the Moon Goddess, Lady Artemis.”
“A… a goddess? For real?”
“That’s right.”
“So gods actually exist.”
Vanessa and Jeanne stared at Artemis with wide, astonished eyes. Since Hermes had only shown himself to me and Heracles, this was their first time seeing a real deity. Meanwhile, I was secretly surprised by Artemis’s sudden entrance.
How did she get in here?
My general store wasn’t an ordinary place. It was a space that strictly followed different rules from the world of Greek mythology—an alien territory where only those I permitted could cross the “door.” Yet Artemis had appeared without any warning whatsoever.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked her directly.
“How did you appear here?”
“As long as moonlight exists, I am present everywhere.”
Artemis pointed at the back of my hand. There, the crescent moon emblem that served as her seal was glowing softly. It seemed she had manifested through me, her contracted apostle. I hadn’t expected that to work even inside the general store.
Just to be sure, I asked another question.
“Even if the world changes, can you still appear, Lady Artemis?”
“You speak of interesting things.”
Artemis’s lips curved into a faint smile. After a brief moment of thought, she answered.
“Crossing worlds requires great sacrifice, even for me.”
“So it is possible.”
“It is possible. If my children desire it, a brief manifestation is not beyond me.”
Artemis gave a small nod.
“It would be far easier if I had an avatar vessel, of course.”
An avatar vessel referred to a physical body capable of containing the goddess Artemis. Even without one, she could manifest in another world if she paid a heavy price. But according to her, that too was limited to a short period of time. After all, a god was one of the fundamental gears that made up a world—one of its axes. They could not completely abandon their own realm.
As expected of a god, the conditions were incredibly strict. It was a heavy burden that Artemis herself would have to bear. Still, she clearly loved her children enough to make any sacrifice necessary.
Perhaps she read my thoughts, because Artemis gave a mischievous little laugh.
“Are you worried you might not be able to meet me?”
“Well… that is part of it.”
The Holy Hunt was an awakening ability granted by Artemis. There was also the possibility she might bestow other powers on me later. If we were separated, all those opportunities would vanish.
But then…
“Then worry no more. We will be able to meet often in my flower garden.”
“Even across different worlds?”
“Do you not carry my moonlight with you?”
Artemis pointed once more at the glow on the back of my hand.
“As long as that moonlight exists, no matter where you are, you will be able to meet me.”
Moonlight’s Mark
Moonlight does not disappear even in darkness.
The moonlight on the back of my hand was both proof that I was Artemis’s contractor and a ticket granting me entry to her flower garden.
“I am curious what kind of scenery this other world holds.”
“You can even look into it?”
“Sometimes. If you permit it, of course.”
So that’s why.
Artemis had granted her power to me even though she knew I was an outsider. As long as moonlight existed wherever her contractor went, she could share the view beyond my hand. One of Artemis’s goals was to experience other worlds through me. For a god who lived through eternal time, there could be no more entertaining pastime than sightseeing in another world.
Of course, it wasn’t a losing trade for me either.
It’s actually a gain.
In exchange for letting Artemis enjoy the sights of other worlds, I was allowed to use her divine powers.
While we were chatting about this and that, Heracles suddenly cut in.
“Artemis, what brings you here?”
Just like when he had spoken to Hermes, Heracles showed no particular courtesy toward the gods. He was Zeus’s son and a demigod himself. Technically, he and Artemis were half-siblings. Perhaps that was why Artemis also dropped all formality when dealing with him.
“There is no need to be on guard, Heracles. I only came to see my deer.”
When Artemis looked at Taygete, Heracles stopped pressing the issue. After all, the Moon Goddess was also the protector of the forest.
Artemis had not come alone. Beside her stood another deer—a perfectly ordinary one. She approached Taygete, leading the creature that followed her.
“You have suffered greatly.”
Artemis gently stroked Taygete. The deer responded by rubbing her head against the goddess, as if receiving compensation for all her hardships.
Then a green light flowed from Artemis, enveloping both Taygete and the ordinary deer. What happened next was astonishing.
─────.
Golden horns slowly sprouted from the forehead of the plain deer. Before long, it had transformed into an exact replica of Taygete. Visually, it was now impossible to tell them apart.
“Oh my god, Seojun. The deer transformed!”
“This is different from an awakening ability. This is a true miracle.”
Jeanne and Vanessa looked stunned by the divine miracle unfolding before their eyes. To me, the two of them were irregular existences just as extraordinary as any god. Still, watching an ordinary deer turn into a golden-horned divine beast would shock anyone.
“See you later.”
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Artemis vanished, taking the newly transformed golden-horned deer with her. She left behind the promise of a later meeting.
That “later” probably referred to when she would come to retrieve Taygete. Once we showed the golden-horned deer to the King of Mycenae and received confirmation that the labor was complete, Artemis would return for her.
“Let’s head to Mycenae.”
The moment Artemis disappeared, Heracles began preparing to leave.
“I shall escort you.”
Iolaus, who had been kneeling, rose to his feet. The chariot pulled by those monstrous horses was already waiting outside the general store.
“We will see you in Mycenae.”
“Please be careful, Seojun.”
“Silver Merit, call us if anything happens.”
I dismissed Jeanne and Vanessa amid their farewells. There wasn’t enough room in the chariot for everyone, and I had no desire to subject them to that nightmare ride. Iolaus’s chariot had such terrible suspension that it felt like being on a disco pang-pang ride turned up to X2 intensity. Still, it was far better than clinging to Heracles’s back.
“Seojun, please board.”
“Thank you.”
I climbed into the chariot, gratefully accepting Iolaus’s courtesy as he politely held the door open for me.
*
The journey to the Mycenaean royal palace aboard Iolaus’s chariot was over in the blink of an eye. My poor backside, however, was still throbbing from the relentless shocks.
That same evening, Heracles entered the throne room to report the completion of his labor.
─P-pass! Once again, without even looking at the deer, Eurystheus shouted his approval from inside the bronze jar. Having stolen the throne that should have belonged to Heracles through Hera’s schemes, the king lived every day in terror that the hero might one day kill him.
“Didn’t you say you wanted the deer?”
─…It’s fine. Take it with you.
Eurystheus, who had previously demanded ownership of the golden-horned deer, had apparently folded after receiving Artemis’s threat.
“What is the fourth labor?”
─Bring back the boar of Mount Erymanthos.
“Erymanthos?”
Heracles repeated the name. It was incredibly famous, after all.
“Are you aware that place is Artemis’s hunting ground?”
It was the sacred hunting ground of the Moon Goddess Artemis herself. The boar had been released by her to protect the forest from being damaged. Naturally, it was no ordinary boar but a mythical divine beast.
That was why Heracles had asked for confirmation, yet…
─I am aware. That is the fourth labor.
“Hmm. Understood.”
Though it was an awkward task, Heracles left the throne room with Taygete in tow. The moment they entered the quarters assigned to them in the palace, Artemis appeared once more—this time through the moonlight streaming in from the window.
Turning to the goddess who had come to retrieve Taygete, Heracles spoke.
“Artemis, I must hunt your boar.”
“No.”
Artemis refused outright.
“I cannot allow it.”
The Erymanthian boar was one of the animals she protected. More than that—
“Heracles. Do you intend to invade my hunting ground?”
“If that is the labor I must complete.”
Artemis’s eyes froze with icy fury. Even in the face of a goddess’s cold wrath, Heracles stood silently as always. Yet faint flashes of crimson madness flickered in his gaze.
This confrontation was exactly what the goddess Hera desired. It was why she had included Artemis’s sacred animals in the twelve labors.
Artemis was a goddess who would never back down when it came to protecting her children, no matter who the opponent was. Heracles knew this well. Had he been in his right mind, he would have suggested a peaceful solution. But because he had not fully overcome Hera’s madness, he could not.
Otherwise, the situation would never have escalated to this standoff.
“How about capturing it alive?”
Both of them turned to look at me as I spoke.
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
I nodded at Artemis’s question.
“Just like with the deer, I will capture it without inflicting any wounds and bring it back.”
“Heracles, will you do as he says?”
“Fine. I shall do so. I will capture your boar without harming it.”
Though Heracles looked reluctant, he did not oppose my suggestion. It was better than clashing with Artemis.
“Very well. But this time, I will not help you.”
Her blue eyes were fixed on me, not Heracles. After all, capturing Taygete had been accomplished purely through the ability she had granted me.
“Understood.”
I nodded. Unlike the hidden Taygete, the boar that guarded the mountain would be easy to find.
Having obtained Artemis’s permission, we thought the matter settled. But the next day, an unexpected problem arose.
“You can’t remove Heracles’s madness?”
“I’m sorry. I thought I could treat it, but every time I purify it, it comes back.”
“It’s not your fault, Jeanne. This is Hera’s doing.”
Jeanne looked genuinely apologetic, but she had nothing to apologize for. This was entirely Hera’s crime. According to her, whenever she purified the madness, it felt as though someone immediately poured it back in. That someone was undoubtedly the goddess Hera.
For now, with Jeanne present, Heracles’s madness would not build up beyond a certain level. Still…
We’ll have to deal with it eventually.
According to the myths, Heracles would purify his madness at the Temple of Delphi through an oracle and receive the twelve labors from Zeus. But that part had gone awry in this world. The Pythia of Delphi had refused to give Heracles an oracle.
In the original myth, the Pythia also refused Heracles’s request—but only after his madness had reached its peak. Enraged by the refusal, Heracles tried to steal the Omphalos, the sacred relic of Apollo that symbolized the center of the world. Naturally, the god of Delphi, the Sun God Apollo, would not stand by idly.
The manifested Apollo would clash with Heracles, and…
Zeus would descend.
The king of the gods, the god of thunder, would descend to mediate the fight between god and mortal.
The current Heracles had not yet experienced any of that. But we couldn’t just leave him like this.
There’s no telling when the madness might explode.
Even now, faint glimmers of madness occasionally flashed in his eyes. Although Jeanne was suppressing it for the time being, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t burst forth. After all, Hera’s curse kept feeding it.
If the madness exploded, it would be over. There was no law saying the same rage that had once made Heracles slaughter his own family wouldn’t turn toward me.
And Heracles becoming my enemy was the absolute worst-case scenario I had imagined. He was a monster who would pick fights with gods themselves. A Berserker Heracles? Just imagining it was horrifying.
After thinking for a moment, I spoke to Heracles.
“Let’s go to the Temple of Delphi.”
Purifying the madness came first. Even if it meant witnessing Zeus’s descent.