Chapter 63 - Advice for a Goddess (I)

The natural light of early evening covered a small forest. Inside it, there was a valley with a lake and a waterfall.

Some large tents were scattered around the area, all made of silver silk, arranged in a crescent curve on one side of a campfire. Several girls of different ages were sitting around the fire, talking and laughing, while others were feeding white wolves and some were sharpening their knives.

They all wore silver hunting clothes.

At certain points of the camp, girls with their arms crossed were setting up a sort of watch net, holding bows with many arrows stuck into the ground beside them. This watch net was designed to protect the largest tent from all directions unconsciously.

The tent in question was half-open, showing its interior, which looked very comfortable!

In fact, if anyone entered, they would notice it was warm as well.

Silk rugs and cushions covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Sitting behind a small table was a girl.

The girl seemed to be no older than fifteen years. She wore a silver nightgown very similar to an ancient Greek dress, with small golden details.

She was unrealistically beautiful, so much so that it would take someone's breath away. Her beauty could shame the moon and the flowers, making birds fall and fish dive, thinking themselves unworthy.

Every feature of her face was stunningly beautiful, and all of them combined to make her incredibly perfect.

Her skin was as white as winter snow, and a pinkish glow emanated from it. With a single glance, one could tell her skin was soft and truly made people want to touch it. On her beautiful face, incredible features were perfectly drawn—her eyebrows were like emerald leaves, her small nose was sculpted without flaws, while her cherry-like lips were as red as fire.

But what most attracted someone to her face were her metallic, bright silver eyes, which made the heart tremble just by looking at them. Especially with the yellowish glow visible in her pupils, anyone would feel like prey being watched by a predator.

Her black hair spread over her snow-white shoulders, and it was quite seductive. Despite her small and delicate body, her figure could not be described with pen and ink. Large and soft breasts, but proudly arched without sagging. The way she sat with her legs crossed, one could see perfect thighs accentuating her small, slender figure, along with her perfectly round and curved buttocks.

The outfit she wore had a ribbon tied at the waist, clearly meant to enhance and highlight her commendable backside, which rested on a cushion behind the table.

With that, it could be said she was quite developed compared to her peers. If it weren't for her immature face, someone would think she was an adult.

This girl was the Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Artemis. She had assumed the form she most liked to use...

Her sacred animal, a deer with shiny fur and silver antlers, was beside her, its head contentedly resting on her lap. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak stand, was her great silver bow, sculpted to resemble the antlers of a gazelle.

Hanging on the walls were animal skins: black bear, tiger, and many others that hardly anyone could recognize.

Artemis let out a soft sigh as she stroked her sacred animal. A complicated look was on her face.

The image of a young hero was in her mind. His beautiful eyes, which seemed like two flawless and dreamy sapphire agates, and his black hair that fell to the end of his back like a waterfall, his tall and slender figure, but with muscles somewhat visible under the clothes he wore.

He gazed deeply into her eyes as he asked a question.

"Arty, although it's a stupid question considering the legends, have you never felt romantic interest in anyone?"

Yes, it was a stupid question to begin with. But since she parted ways with him, this question had been coming up frequently in her mind.

As a virgin goddess who swore never to be with any man, she could, in no way, feel anything for one.

And she didn't until she met Orion in ancient times.

A man among men who loved to hunt and was a true gentleman, someone she came to like and even love over time as she allowed him to join her hunts—but all that he was turned out to be a mask created to get close to her. She bitterly regretted ever trusting him.

To begin with, she shouldn't have known something like that would happen when she learned about his past. She should have suspected and distanced herself from him, but she did none of those things due to her passion for him.

Truly, love was a disgusting drug.

Even today, she thought how ironic it was that mortals created stupid stories about that vile man.

The only true part of his story was that Orion was a giant who received from his father, Poseidon, the power to walk through the depths of the sea or even across its surface. The rest was different from what others imagined.

During his journey on the surface, Orion met and fell in love with Merope, the daughter of Eunapius, king of Chios. He proposed to her, but the father imposed a condition for the marriage to be accepted: the giant had to rid the island of beasts. He was an excellent hunter and managed to fulfill the request, delivering his kills to Merope every day.

However, Eunapius did not keep his promise and refused to give his daughter to Orion. Enraged, Orion got drunk, entered Merope's room, and raped her. Eunapius, furious, sought the help of Dionysus, who got Orion drunk again, and Eunapius took this good opportunity to gouge out his eyes.

Yes, that was the true story behind the giant son of Poseidon. Blind, he was guided by the sounds of Hephaestus's forge, eventually finding the god, who advised him to go to the dwelling of the Sun. Upon arriving at the dwelling, he regained his sight by making contact with the sun's rays.

That's when they met. Due to her naivety, she ended up falling for his archery skills and his polite manner as a true gentleman. She invited him to join her hunt, and the two fell in love—or so she thought. She had done everything to please him.

And one night, she had even decided to give him her virginity and stop being one of the Three Virgin Goddesses. But it was that same night she saw him raping one of her hunters. This shattered any love she had for him, and she even felt stupid for trusting a man who was a monster pretending to be a gentleman.

In her rage, she sent the giant scorpion that caused his death. After that, she turned both of them into constellations so the hunter would spend eternity fleeing from the scorpion that killed him.

Of course, she didn't tell this whole story to the boy who asked her that question.

She simply said that she couldn't have feelings for men, as her vow made it impossible for that to happen. Hiding this story that was a stain on her life.

That was also the reason she hated and distrusted men so much. Although this didn't seem to apply to Ikki Phoenix, the same boy who had been on her mind for the past few weeks and who had asked her that question.

Ikki Phoenix...

It didn't take long for her to understand why this question repeated so much in her mind. That boy had somehow entered her heart just like Orion did in the past, and this discovery deeply unsettled her.

Her mind constantly kept reminding her of the two days she had spent with him. She felt happy remembering the memories she had with him, his playful demeanor, his calm and mature way, his ability to captivate people through stories or conversations, his smiles and laughs that made his appearance reach another level.

All of this filled her mind most of the day.

And she felt sad and nostalgic for not having him around.

When she thought of this, Artemis bit her lower lip in frustration.

This was maddening.

Seriously! She knew it would end the same way as last time.

That boy would turn out like Orion, revealing himself as a man who pretended to be a gentleman to win her heart! It had to be that way, right? She couldn't trust a boy! Even when this said boy saved her life and didn't force himself on her in her moment of weakness.

If she trusted him again, she would just hurt herself...

It wouldn't change, even if he had been sincere and treated her as a friend, even when she thought he was her only male friend.

Well, that was until she found out what he was doing to her heart.

She no longer saw him as a friend but as her most detestable enemy now. As someone who had sworn never to be with any man, she couldn't fall in love with one again. She should kill him! Before anyone finds out and to bury these emotions and feelings she shouldn't have...

At least, that was her thought until she met him again at the meeting of the Gods. When he released his power and pressured the Gods, that thought ended... She hated to admit it, but even if she wanted to kill him to put an end to those ordinary feelings, she wouldn't be able to because she was too weak for that.

And she didn't think she would be able to do it, even if she had the power.

Just imagining him dead made her heart feel as though it was being torn from her chest; it hurt so much, so much.

Her desire for a life with him was as great as her fear that her relationship would end the way her relationship with Orion had. One side of her wanted to stay by his side, have him for herself, while the other was scared and repulsed by the idea.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that her tent was opened, and a girl entered.

The girl in question didn't seem to be older than fifteen or sixteen. She was incredibly beautiful.

Her black hair fell to her waist, and a silver tiara was locked at the top of her head. Her skin was a bronzed color that appeared to be even softer and smoother than silk. She had a pair of indescribably magnificent eyes, as if the essence of the world was deep within them. Her black eyes were similar to the most beautiful mortal gemstone made of volcanic rock, and her two black, thin, curved eyebrows resembled a pair of crescent moons. Her facial features were so beautiful that even the pen and ink couldn't describe her properly.

She had a fine, upturned nose, a pointed chin, and a slender neck like jade. Her soft lips, which were a beautiful rosy rouge, seemed like the best artist in the world had drawn them with the utmost care, and they were incredibly beautiful. There were simply no flaws to be seen; she looked like a Persian princess stepping out of a magnificent painting.

Her figure was flawless, very well-developed, though somewhat concealed by the tight silver hunter's clothes she wore. Still, her perfect curves were visible. Specifically, her imposing breasts that could attract the attention of all the men.

However, her perfect demeanor also exuded coldness and sanctity, deflecting all glances. She gave the impression of being a pure and immaculate fairy, making it difficult for anyone to approach.

The moment Artemis laid eyes on the girl, she recognized her immediately. She was her lieutenant and oldest huntress; Zöe Nightshade.

As soon as she entered, she looked at the Moon Goddess strangely before saying.

"Sorry to interrupt, Milady. But Goddess Aphrodite is outside and wishes to have an audience with you."

"Aphrodite?" Artemis was surprised by the sudden visit from the Olympian slut. For a moment, she remembered what happened at the meeting where that damned boy had been, and she frowned. She looked at her faithful lieutenant and said, "Alright, Zöe. You can let her in."

After much consideration, she wanted to know what Aphrodite wanted and also ask her for a favor. If it worked, she could resolve the problem that had been bothering her.

"Yes, Milady." Zöe nodded and left the tent.