Episode 136

Eternal gods, eternal feasts, eternal festivals.
Do you know what these three had in common?
That they were dreadfully boring.
No matter how dazzling the dances of spring, summer, fall, and winter may be, after five hundred years, they became tiresome, and even Apollo’s beautiful lyre performances, after seven hundred years, had everyone fed up.
Everything beautiful and somewhat enjoyable began to bore the immortals.
And what about the food they enjoyed?
Ganymede and Hebe, who presided over the feasts of the gods, devised recipes for thousands of years so that the gods would not tire of the feasts.
Yet, in the end, ambrosia was ambrosia, and nectar was nectar.
Since Dionysus, the god of wine and son of Semele, brought wine to Olympus, the banquets of the gods left no room for change-ups, and the holy assemblies were now treated as tedious regular meetings.
As the eternal and immortal gods were shuddering at the soon-to-come tedious regular rituals, truly sensational news spread to all gods from the temple of Hermes, the messenger.

Atalanta, favored by Artemis for her beauty and innate talent, was at the center of a war between the two most outstanding heroes of the current Golden Generation.

Theseus, the descendant of Zeus, whose brilliant wisdom rivaled that of Hercules.
And Dianes, who was garnering the interest of numerous gods in a short time.
The protagonist of this thrilling hero war, Atalanta, also joined the fray, forming a three-way battle, causing Olympus to buzz like a beehive after a long time without entertainment.

The news that Dianes, among these three, was participating single-handedly against two armies spread.
It was like pouring oil on the interest of the gods, who were steeped in boredom.
To the point where the supreme god Zeus had to threaten that any god approaching the sanctuary until the day of the war would personally taste his thunderbolt, the gods were truly in a state of great excitement.

And on the day of the war.
In the sky, overlooking the vast plains below Taygete’s Mountain, the renowned gods and goddesses of Olympus gathered.

“Hey~ Uncle. I heard you’ve been having fun with your son-in-law lately?”

“Nephew, I also heard you’ve been having a blast. What’s there to be upset about?”

“Lately, you’ve been sulking because you couldn’t visit the sanctuary… Please understand, Poseidon.”

“Hahaha! I heard there’s been a ruckus of earthquakes and storms in the Messenia waters. Was it Poseidon himself wielding his spear?”

The gods who were already acquainted with certain heroes shared light conversations over aperitifs.

“Phew, a war. At least it’s not a barbaric war where fragile lives are lost, thankfully.”

“Indeed… A war without the cries of widows or the tears of children. If only all wars could be like this.”

The gentle goddesses sighed at the very notion of war and looked down at the world with concern.

“Hmm~ I hope many beautiful ones appear and shed blood.”

“The aesthetics of the battlefield do not lie solely in strength. I wish the heroes responsible for Greece would understand this.”

“Hahaha! As expected, the goddesses see through the beauty of warriors as well. I also hope this war becomes an opportunity to spark new inspiration.”

The beautiful gods and goddesses clinked glasses, discussing the aesthetics and art of battle.

The smith of the volcano, who had no interest in worldly affairs, and the ruler of the underworld, who never ventured to the earthly realm, were absent.
As the most radiant of the twelve divine seats gathered, other gods joined them, receiving nectar and ambrosia from Hebe.

“Zephyros, what do you think?”

“No matter what, unless he’s Hercules, he can’t possibly take on two armies alone. This guy Dianes will pay the price for his arrogance. Iris, what do you think?”

“Personally, I would bet on Atalanta’s army for victory. Theseus’s army follows a typical army format. But Atalanta’s army has a multitude of diverse heroes who can create numerous variables.”

“Oh~ But it’s Theseus. Theseus! The bloodline of Zeus, who holds both strength and wisdom! And isn’t his vice commander the master strategist Jason? My wife Flora tells me that their army shows strength comparable to the great army of Athens.”

While many gods were passionately debating the war among the heroes, there was a goddess who quietly distanced herself, lying on a cloud.

“Oh… could it possibly be her?”

“It is the Moon Goddess Artemis.”

“Oh… how indescribably beautiful.”

“Shh, be quiet! She might punish us!!”

Artemis, adorned with silver-glowing bow and arrows and her deep black hair tinged with moonlight, was the goddess of the crescent moon and the guardian of purity.

The fact that she attended the divine assembly, a rare occurrence without the strict order of her father Zeus, was awe-inspiring. Yet, her subtle anger wrapped in beauty kept anyone from daring to approach.
How many had been punished by her wrath.

But Artemis herself was too preoccupied to care about others’ attention.

“Ugh… haaa…”

The dull afterglow of pleasure that had tormented her terribly for the past month.
It felt as if feathers were gently tickling her womb and groin, gradually gnawing away at her reason.

A month ago, the contract with the demon was made in her sanctuary under the crescent moon.
The humiliating curse engraved on her lower abdomen as a mark of that contract had seemingly vanished without a trace.
But just when she was about to forget, it would creep back, making her relive the pleasure and agony of that day.

“D-Dianes…! Ha…!”

The lingering warmth heating her whole body wouldn’t even allow her to sleep, leaving her writhing in torment.
Every time she recalled that humiliating face, her body shivered as if longing for the teasing touch.
Every time she repeated that cursed name, her lips would involuntarily salivate, engraving the moment she was brutally violated.

-…gulp.

“Ugh…!”

Swallowing the saliva pooled in her mouth, Artemis ground her teeth, but more severe was her lower abdomen.
Her drenched womanhood, drooling at the slightest provocation, had long since escaped her will.
It twitched and moistened, begging to be ravished as it had been that day, driving Artemis further into despair and turmoil.

“No, no. I am Artemis, the goddess of purity. This is…”

She closed her eyes, trying to push away the lingering heat of turmoil that heated her body…
But then, naturally, came the image of those black eyes that shone like a deep night, and her own face reflected in them, writhing in pleasure.
Simultaneously, the curse spreading in her lower abdomen resurrected the heat of that day, and instinctively, her body sought that pleasure again, writhing uncontrollably.
In the midst of it, her white thighs brushed against each other, causing friction and a small pleasure akin to static electricity, making the goddess of purity shiver slightly.

“Haaah…♡ Uh?!”

A sweet moan that could never come from a pure goddess.
At the sound of a moan she never thought would come from her own mouth, Artemis was startled and looked around.

Fortunately, the gods who had heard of her infamous reputation were nowhere near, and her family was too busy chattering among themselves to pay attention to her.

“…Phew, calm down. Calm down…”

Normally, she would just stay in her temple or hunting grounds, regardless of any divine meetings.
If so, there would be no need to look around in fear like this.
As Artemis gritted her teeth inwardly and looked down at the ground, the black man, the cause of all these events, appeared on the battlefield.

“That bastard, that, that bastard…!”

Black hair, black clothes, black flag.
A cursed hero wrapped entirely in black, a man who mocked and disgraced her with strange methods.
Dianes.

Thinking to ignore whether he waged war or not, the curse engraved on her womb tormented her terribly.
She wanted to rush down and demand the removal of this cursed curse on her body immediately.
Yet, even just seeing his appearance made the curse that gripped her body wriggle on its own.

“#@&^%…!!”

As if she missed a step on the stairs, a dizzying sensation caused goosebumps on her pale skin, and her entire nervous system craved pleasure, shaking violently.
The friction between her thighs that brushed past each other by chance was such that, if not for divine patience, it would have resulted in a spectacle in front of everyone. Her mind was full of resentment and curses, yet her body was ready to run and plead to be ravished like that day.
She was terrified of what might happen if she went down and faced that black crow.

And then came the ensuing war.
The landslide caused by Dianes, who arrogantly stood alone on the battlefield, astonished many gods.
(The goddess of the earth was furious, ready to rush out, but Athena stopped her.)
They were impressed by Atalanta’s valor and beauty, which broke through it.
(Apollo went wild, claiming he had found his muse in Atalanta’s beauty, but under the queen’s fierce glare, he quietly shrank back.)
Everyone was awestruck by the midday meteor shower caused by the clash of the two heroes, and watching this, Ares and Athena blessed the new hero chosen by Aura.
Then, immediately following, the passionate kiss between Atalanta and Dianes prompted whistles from everyone present.
(The goddess of beauty and the queen of the gods, watching this, clinked their glasses with satisfaction.)

In the subsequent second round, the gods applauded as Theseus and Jason led 600 soldiers moving as one.
(Athena remarked that, though still inexperienced, the army’s skill was remarkable, surpassing the armies stationed in her guardian city.)
Despite being surrounded, Dianes’s spear technique, wielding it like a fierce wind, left everyone speechless in awe.
(The god of war and the sea god, who had been silently cheering with their arms around each other’s shoulders, began to claim that they had taught that spear technique.)
And finally, when the pitch-black spear soared high into the sky, followed by the fierce gathering of tidal waves, everyone was left speechless.
(In response to the hero’s statement paying tribute to the Blue Rider, Nike sided with Poseidon, and Ares fell to the ground in despair.)

Eventually, when the fierce, formless tidal wave swept all around.
The only one standing on the plain was Dianes.

As if it were natural, the new great hero picked up the banner of Theseus’s army and brushed back his hair.
Under the sunlight, fully revealed, his stunning beauty made goddesses and nymphs sigh wistfully, while the male gods, despite their sour expressions at the females’ reactions, praised his martial prowess and tossed their goblets to the earth.
Artemis, who had been watching this all along, lowered her head in exhaustion, while a few goddesses quietly observed her.

The highest seat in the banquet hall remained vacant.