Chapter 137
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Gods and Heroes
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Eternal gods, eternal banquets, eternal festivals.
Do you know what these three have in common?
They're boring as hell.
No matter how dazzling the dances of spring, summer, autumn, and winter might be, after five hundred years, they grow tiresome. Even Apollo's beautiful lyre performances had everyone developing calluses on their ears after seven hundred years.
Beautiful, sure, and somewhat enjoyable—but everything was starting to feel dull.
And what about the food they enjoyed?
Ganymede and Hebe, who oversaw the gods' banquets, had devised thousands of recipes over millennia to keep the gods from growing bored.
But in the end, ambrosia was ambrosia, and nectar was nectar.
Ever since Dionysus, the god of wine and son of Semele, brought wine to Olympus, the divine feasts had lost any room for innovation, reducing the sacred gatherings to nothing more than tedious regular meetings.
And so, the immortal gods trembled at the approach of yet another boring ritual—until a bombshell piece of news spread from Hermes' messenger temple to every god on Olympus.
Atalanta, who had earned Artemis's favor with her stunning beauty and innate talent.
The two most outstanding heroes of the Golden Generation were going to war over her.
Theseus, Zeus's blood kin who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Heracles through his shining wisdom.
And Dianes, who had captured the attention of countless gods in a short time.
With Atalanta herself joining the fray to make it a three-way battle, Olympus buzzed like a kicked beehive at the long-awaited spectacle.
The news that Dianes among the three was facing two entire legions single-handedly poured fuel on the gods' boredom-starved interest.
It got so bad that the supreme god Zeus threatened to personally strike down any god who approached the sanctuary before the day of the war— the deities were in a frenzy.
And so, the day of the war arrived.
The renowned gods and goddesses of Olympus gathered in the heavens overlooking the vast plain at the foot of Mount Taygetus.
"Hey~ Uncle, I heard you've been having some fun with that son-in-law of yours lately?"
"Niece, I heard you've been enjoying yourself too. What's there to be jealous about?"
"You were throwing such a fit about not being able to go to the sanctuary lately... Please understand, Poseidon."
"Hahaha! I heard there've been earthquakes and storms raging in the Messenian waters lately. Poseidon himself must've swung his trident, eh?"
Gods who were already acquainted with certain heroes shared drinks and chatted over appetizers on the common topic.
"Whew, a war. At least it's not some barbaric slaughter of fragile mortals, so that's a relief."
"Indeed... A war without widows' cries or children's wails. If only all wars were like this."
The gentler goddesses sighed at the event of war itself, gazing worriedly down at the earth.
"Hmm~ I hope plenty of beautiful ones show up and spill some blood."
"The aesthetics of the battlefield aren't just about raw power. I hope the heroes who will shoulder Greece understand that."
"Hahaha! As expected of the goddesses—you see through the warriors' beauty too. I hope this war sparks some new inspiration for me as well."
The beautiful gods and goddesses clinked glasses while discussing the aesthetics and artistry of the battlefield.
The volcanic smith who cared little for worldly affairs and the lord of the underworld who never ventured to the mortal realm were absent, as usual.
As the twelve Olympians gathered in splendor, other gods crowded around, receiving nectar and ambrosia from Hebe.
"Zephyrus, what do you think?"
"No matter how you slice it, unless it's Heracles himself, no one can take on two armies alone. That Dianes fellow will pay for his arrogance. What about you, Iris?"
"Personally, I'm betting on Atalanta's forces. Theseus's army follows standard legion formations, but Atalanta's is packed with all sorts of unique heroes who can create countless variables."
"Nah~ It's Theseus we're talking about. Theseus! Zeus's blood kin who wields both strength and wisdom! And his second-in-command is none other than Jason, the master strategist. My wife Flora says their army rivals the might of Athens's grand legions."
As countless gods engaged in heated debates about the heroes' war, one goddess lay apart on the clouds, quietly keeping her distance.
"Oh.... Could that be...?"
"It's the Moon Goddess, Artemis."
"Whoa... She's breathtakingly beautiful."
"Shh, quiet! She might smite you!!"
A beautiful goddess with a shimmering silver bow and arrows, her deep black hair tinged with moonlight.
The goddess of the new moon and guardian of chastity, Artemis.
The gods were thrilled to see her, who rarely attended feasts without her father Zeus's strict orders, but none dared approach her due to the faint anger in her beauty.
How many had been smitten by her wrath?
Yet the very Artemis in question paid no mind to the stares around her.
"Ngh... Haah..."
For the past month, a lingering heat of dreadful pleasure had tormented her relentlessly.
The sensation, like feathers teasing her womb and groin, was slowly gnawing away at her sanity.
A month ago, the contract she had made with that demon in her sanctuary under the new moon.
The shameful curse etched into her lower abdomen as its mark had vanished without a trace on the surface.
But whenever she began to forget, it crept back, rekindling the pleasures and torments of that day in her body.
"Di... Dianes...! Upper...!?"
The residual heat warming her entire body denied her even sleep, forcing her to writhe in anguish.
Every time that humiliating face came to mind, her body shuddered as if yearning for the hands that had toyed with her.
Recalling that cursed name made her lips unconsciously salivate, reliving the moment she had been ravished so desperately that day.
-...Gulp.
"Ugh...!"
Artemis ground her teeth as she swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth, but far more serious was what was happening in her lower abdomen.
Her sacred place, drooling uncontrollably and slick with arousal at random moments, had long escaped her will.
Twitching as if begging to be torn open and ravaged wildly like that day, it plunged Artemis deeper into despair and torment.
"No. No. I am Artemis, goddess of chastity. This is nothing..."
She closed her eyes, trying to push away the heated anguish tormenting her body...
But inevitably, those pitch-black eyes shining like the dead of night rose in her mind, along with the sight of her own face lost in ecstasy reflected in them.
At the same time, the curse spreading through her lower abdomen revived that day's heat, and her body instinctively writhed in search of that pleasure.
Her pristine white thighs brushed against each other, creating friction, and the spark of pleasure like static made the goddess of chastity tremble faintly.
"Haah...♡ Ngh!?"
A sweet moan utterly unbecoming of the chaste goddess.
Startled by the sound she never imagined coming from her own lips, Artemis frantically scanned her surroundings.
Fortunately, the gods, aware of her fearsome reputation, kept their distance, and her family was too busy chattering among themselves to notice her.
"...Whew, calm down. Calm..."
Normally, she would've holed up in her temple or hunting grounds, feast or no feast.
Then she wouldn't have to nervously glance around like this.
As Artemis inwardly gnashed her teeth and looked down at the earth, the black-haired culprit behind all this appeared on the battlefield.
"That bastard, th-that jerk...!"
Black hair, black clothes, black banner.
The cursed hero wrapped entirely in darkness, the man who had toyed with and defiled her in bizarre ways.
Dianes.
Until she changed her mind to ignore his war or not, the curse engraved in her womb had tormented her mercilessly.
She wanted to descend right then and demand he remove this damned curse.
But merely taking in his form made the curse dominating her body writhe on its own.
"#@&^%...!!"
A dizzying sensation like missing a step on stairs raised goosebumps on her flawless skin, and every nerve in her body throbbed violently, craving pleasure.
At the same time, the accidental friction of her thighs passing by was nearly too much—even divine patience barely kept her from a public disgrace. Her mind cursed and resented him, but her body longed to rush down and beg to be ravished like that day.
If she went down now and faced that black crow, she feared what might become of her.
And then the war unfolded.
The gods marveled at the avalanche Dianes triggered by boldly entering the field alone.
(The goddess of the earth flew into a rage, demanding what that was, and tried to charge out, only stopped by Athena.)
They admired Atalanta's valor and beauty as she broke through it.
(Apollo went wild, claiming he'd found his muse in Atalanta's beauty, but shrank under the queen's fierce glare.)
Everyone couldn't hold back their praise for the midday meteor shower from the clash of the two heroes, and Ares and Athena blessed the new hero chosen by Aura.
And at the passionate kiss between Atalanta and Dianes that followed, everyone in attendance whistled.
(The goddess of beauty and queen of the gods clinked glasses proudly as they watched.)
In the second round, the gods applauded the 600 soldiers led by Theseus and Jason, moving as one body.
(Athena marveled that though still inexperienced, their proficiency outshone even the legions stationed in her guardian city.)
Surrounded on all sides, Dianes wielded his spear like a fierce gale to repel them, leaving everyone speechless in awe.
(The war god and sea god, arms around each other, silently cheered before insisting they had taught him that spearwork.)
And finally, at the pitch-black spear soaring to the heavens and the ferocious tidal surge gathering behind it, no one could close their mouths.
(At the hero's tribute to the blue rider, Nike raised Poseidon's hand while Ares collapsed in despair.)
When the fierce intangible tsunami swept everything away at last.
Only Dianes stood on the plain.
The new great hero casually picked up Theseus's banner as if it were expected and swept back his hair.
Under the sunlight, his fully revealed beauty drew aching sighs from goddesses and nymphs, while the male gods grimaced at the females' reactions but still praised his feats and hurled their goblets to the earth.
Artemis, who had watched it all, bowed her head in exhaustion, quietly observed by a few goddesses, while the top seat at the banquet hall remained empty.