Chapter 66

Still in Olympus at the Training Grounds, Goddess Athena, Goddess Artemis, and Hippolyta watched the approaching figures with smiles. They observed Diana and Atalanta, who were clearly enjoying a good friendship, walking towards them.

Once Diana and Atalanta reached the group consisting of the two goddesses and Hippolyta, they placed their hands on their chests and bowed their heads. In respectful and serious tone, they greeted Athena, saying, "Greetings, Lady Athena."

Their display of respect brought a warm smile to Athena's face. She appreciated their courtesy and the discipline they exhibited. "Both of you, raise your heads" she instructed, her smile warm and encouraging. Diana and Atalanta complied immediately, lifting their heads as Athena had ordered.

Athena stared at Diana before speaking with a smile. "I only saw the tail end of the match, but from my observation, Diana, you already embody the essence of a huntress. If you join Artemis's Hunt, you are already qualified." She patted Diana's shoulder lightly, acknowledging her abilities. Hippolyta, seeing this, couldn't help but smile proudly as Athena praised her daughter. "Your father would be proud too, if he were here" she thought, sighing inwardly. 

"Thank you for your praise, Lady Athena" Diana said, bowing again in a respectful tone. "However, I still have a lot to learn from Lady Artemis and Sister Atalanta." She smiled at them, and they nodded in appreciation.

She then turned to look at her mother, Hippolyta. "I still have a lot to learn from my mother too" she said with the warmest smile she could muster. Hippolyta, on the other hand, almost wanted to hug her daughter tightly but held herself back to avoid interrupting Athena.

Athena then turned to look at Atalanta, who straightened her posture upon noticing Athena's gaze. Athena chuckled lightly at Atalanta's demeanor and patted her shoulder. "You made a great decision to give up the fight, as knowing you are weaker than your enemy is better than trying to prove you are stronger" she said with a gentle smile. Her smile then turned stern. "However, underestimating yourself can cause you to miss opportunities" she warned. 

"I will take to heart what you said, Lady Athena" Atalanta replied, bowing her head. Her tail started wagging left and right like a dog's, despite her being a cat girl, which would look incredibly cute to anyone watching.

Athena's stern expression softened into a smile. "Good. Remember, strength lies not just in power but also in knowing oneself." She patted Atalanta's shoulder once more before turning her attention back to the group,

Athena then looked at Artemis, signaling her to inquire about the findings of their investigation from the Far East so they could proceed promptly. Observing Athena's gesture, Artemis nodded in acknowledgment before addressing Atalanta. "Atalanta, what did you discover from your investigation about the power spike in Japan?" she asked, her curiosity mirroring that of the rest of their group.

"I'll be perfectly honest, Lady Artemis" Atalanta admitted, her tone tinged with embarrassment as she scratched her cheek. Despite her skills as a huntress, she confessed that she hadn't been able to gather much information during her travels to Japan. She couldn't determine the exact source of the power spike that had intrigued them all.

"It's okay, it's better than nothing at all" Artemis comforted Atalanta with a smile. Then, her expression shifted to a more serious tone as she continued, "Now, tell us what you did learn." She looked expectantly at Atalanta, ready to hear whatever information had been gathered from the investigation

"When I arrived in Japan, I started my investigation immediately by asking random yokai if they had seen anything unusual. I thought they would be tight-lipped, but they answered me" Atalanta paused to take a breath before continuing. "Well, the yokai didn't answer me directly, but they did tell me the location of the unusual power spike." She shrugged as she recounted her experience, trying to convey as much detail as she could.

"Where is it, then?" Diana asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She immediately shook her head, thinking, "Why did I interrupt? I should have just let Atalanta continue." As she looked at Atalanta, she wondered, "Wait a minute, why is she narrating in such detail? She should just give us bullet points." Diana dismissed the thought with a shake of her head and continued listening attentively.

"The yokai told me to go to Kuoh Town to find out what happened. So, like a good little detective, I investigated before heading there. From what I gathered" Atalanta said with a smile, clearly enjoying her own narration. The group just shook their heads and let her tell the story in her own way.

"After a bit of digging, I discovered that this particular town is being run by the Devils" Atalanta continued, looking at each member of the group before adding, "The Devils who run the town are the heiresses of the Gremory and Sitri families."

"Who?" Diana asked in a confused tone, earning a weird look from the group, especially Athena. "What? I'm just asking" she reasoned, but their stares made her uncomfortable. Her mother, Hippolyta, shook her head with a sigh. Artemis struggled to hold back her laughter, her eyes almost tearing up.

Athena narrowed her eyes at Diana before stating firmly, "You will read books about them after this." Despite Diana's protests, Athena ignored her and turned her attention back to Atalanta. "Please continue" she said with a warm smile, encouraging Atalanta to carry on with her narration,

"So after that, I went to Kuoh Town, but we were stopped before entering by Susanoo and his cronies" Atalanta said in an angry tone. "His reason? He just wanted to start a fight with us" she added, recalling the nonsensical reason the boisterous god had given for stopping them.

Artemis frowned upon hearing this and turned to Athena. "Does the wannabe lightning controller have a deeper reason for stopping us, Athena?" she asked, her curiosity piqued as she awaited the response from the Goddess of Wisdom.

Athena shook her head with a smile. "No, there's no deeper meaning. The reason, as Atalanta said, is that Susanoo just wanted to start a fight" she replied with a hint of mockery in her tone. "And would you want other gods snooping around your territory?" she posed the question to Artemis with a smile.

"Fair enough. I, too, would probably get ready to throw hands at anyone entering our territory without asking for permission" Artemis nodded in understanding, answering Athena in a casual tone. Then she frowned, realizing something in Atalanta's words. "What do you mean by 'we'?" she asked, curiosity evident on her face as she looked at Atalanta with confusion.

"I was not the only who got stopped by the wannabe at that time" Atalanta said to Artemis before continuing "I was with the Hound of Ulster and the Dog of Asgard" she said with a casual tone while shrugging her shoulder,

"Did you guys get into a battle then?" Artemis asked with a smile, certain that a clash must have occurred. She imagined the fight and wished she could have watched it live or even joined in.

Atalanta's answer, however, disappointed Artemis. "Luckily, it did not escalate into a brawl" she said with a sigh of relief, remembering the tension between the gods and the demigod at that time. She looked at Artemis with a frown. "Even if they had fought, I would not have joined in. I would have just focused on the mission you gave me" she added firmly.

"That's weird" Hippolyta said in a confused tone. "I understand the Hound not fighting if Lugh's order was just to investigate, but the Dog?" She wagged her finger, her tone incredulous. "I don't think he would pass up the opportunity to try and break his curse, if you can call it that."

Athena was the one who answered Hippolyta's question. "You know how much of a control freak Odin is. He probably calculated that Susanoo would be there and instructed the Dog not to engage, and to return to Asgard if Susanoo intervened in his snooping around." she said with knowing smile as if she seeing through what Odin is thinking but she probably got it al wrong. However Athena thought differently about the Hound being there "He probably wants to prevent the Asgard getting that power because it could potential make it worse for the tuatha de danann" She thought inwardly

"Should I continue now,?" asked by Atalanta while tilting her head to the right. She wants this to get over with as she want to play with orphans in the human world.

They all nodded in response.