Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 60: Artemis, goddess of the moon (2)
Artemis is revered as a ‘virgin goddess’ symbolizing ‘purity’ along with Athena and Hestia in Greek mythology.
Because of this, all of Artemis’ maidens had taken a ‘vow of chastity.’
Under Artemis’ protection, none of the gods were able to approach them.
However, there was one exception: the king of the gods, Zeus.
No matter how powerful Artemis was, she couldn’t protect her people from Zeus, the king of the gods.
Zeus had already taken one of Artemis’ maidens, Callisto, and now he was targeting Taygete.
The only thing Artemis could do for Taygete was to hide her from Zeus. Facing Zeus was impossible, even for Artemis.
So, she had disguised Taygete as a stag, with antlers to make her appear male...
"Zeus already knows that the golden-antlered stag is Taygete," I said.
"......"
Artemis fell silent at my words.
This was a matter that would undoubtedly cause her a lot of thought.
It was also a gap that allowed me to use Artemis for my own purposes.
"But he can’t be certain. He’s still in the 'suspicion' stage," I continued.
Zeus wouldn’t take Taygete until long after the Twelve Labors were over.
For now, he probably suspected that the golden-antlered stag was Taygete, or he might not even know.
If he knew, there would be no reason for him to leave her alone.
However, I made it sound like Zeus had already figured it out.
That way, Artemis would become anxious and lean on me for help.
As expected...
"By telling me this, you must also know a way to escape this situation," she said.
"Yes," I answered.
Artemis’ blue eyes, filled with the vast sky, stared at me.
"Tell me, what is it?" she asked.
"Before I tell you, there is something I would like to ask of you, Artemis," I said.
"To ask a god first...," Artemis raised an eyebrow, a faint smile forming as if intrigued.
"So you did deceive Moirai and got what you wanted, just as I heard," she said.
"Did you know about that?" I asked.
"How could I not? Someone ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) who turned Zeus’ will upside down has appeared. You’re quite famous among the gods these days," Artemis replied with a light chuckle as she observed me in silence.
"You must be known even by Priapos, the god living in the remote countryside," she added.
"..."
I didn’t realize I had become this famous.
Although I had deceived Moirai and had Jeanne and Vanessa join the labor, I didn’t expect it to have such a ripple effect.
According to Artemis, it seemed like everyone in the Greek world knew who I was.
‘If even Priapos knows, then it must be true that everyone knows.’
He was the god living in the farthest corner of the world, after all.
Seeing my flustered reaction, Artemis smiled in amusement.
"You didn’t know? Gossip spreads quickly among the gods."
"Perhaps there’s a messenger?" I asked.
"A messenger? If you mean a herald, it’s similar. There are many gods who deliver information. You must have seen one," she answered.
"You’re referring to Hermes," I said.
"Yes, Hermes. He saw you and came to tell us," Artemis said with a knowing look.
No wonder Hermes seemed so cheerful on his way back.
He must have been excited to gossip about me everywhere.
Chirp—
A lark flew in from somewhere and landed on Artemis’ hand.
While gently stroking the bird’s head, Artemis asked, "If you have something you wish for, speak up. I will grant it as long as it is within reason."
"It’s not an unreasonable request," I said.
What I wanted from Artemis was not much.
"Please tell me how to capture Taygete alive."
"Are you asking me to tell you how to capture my own child?" Artemis asked, her expression turning cold in an instant.
The once warm and loving goddess’ expression became as cold as ice.
The bright world was replaced by the night, and moonlight poured down over the fields.
The lark flew off, and the deer quickly retreated into the forest. A chilling silence overtook the surroundings.
Under the moonlight, Artemis’ cold blue eyes fixed on me.
She hated anyone who touched her people more than anything.
Once someone was within her self-imposed boundary, she would protect them no matter the cost.
Even if that person was Zeus, the king of the gods, she would not sit idly by and watch.
This independent nature is why Artemis is often depicted as cold in mythology.
Violating her boundaries was considered a sacred taboo.
However...
"Yes," I said.
I had no choice but to cross her boundaries.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because that’s the only way to hide Taygete from Zeus," I explained.
"......"
Artemis’ eyes, once frozen, regained their vast sky-like color.
"I want to hear more," she said.
I told Artemis my plan.
To help Hercules capture Taygete alive and then swap the golden-antlered stag in the process.
If we created a new golden-antlered stag and deceived Zeus, we could hide Taygete from him.
Even Zeus, the king of the gods, was not omnipotent, and this was possible.
After all, even the god of trickery, Hermes, had managed to deceive Zeus.
While Hercules captured Taygete, we could pull off the switch and avoid Zeus’ watch for a while.
‘Though it won’t last long,’ I thought.
Zeus, with his persistent nature, would surely find Taygete and claim her.
All I could do was buy a little time for Artemis by using Hercules.
After that, it would be Artemis’ problem, and I wouldn’t interfere.
"To do that, we first need to capture Taygete," I said.
"Hmm, not a bad idea," Artemis nodded as the moonlight poured down upon the stone.
"Fine. I’ll help you capture Taygete alive. But since that girl wouldn’t willingly let herself be captured..."
Her blue eyes turned toward me with a spark of interest.
"I’ll grant you the ‘ability’ to capture Taygete," she said.
Rising from her seat, Artemis reached out and gently touched my forehead.
Before I could even pull away in surprise, her soft touch landed on my skin.
── ƒrēenovelkiss.com
A faint blue energy spread from Artemis’ fingertips, flowing into my body.
"Do not resist. Accept it," she instructed.
I followed her words and allowed the energy to flow through me.
Then...
[Awakening ability added.]
[You have received the blessing of Artemis, the Moon Goddess.]
The system window message rang in my ears, and a new awakening ability was added.
[Divine Hunt (Holy Hunt)]
[Artemis, the Moon Goddess, is also the goddess of hunting.
Her blessing, Divine Hunt, allows the detection and tracking of divine beings, ‘hunting’ them.
When Divine Hunt is activated, additional stats are gained when hunting divine beings.]
──The moonlight does not vanish in the darkness.
"......"
I stared at the system window in astonishment, not expecting to receive such an awakening ability.
‘Divine Hunt,’ I thought.
It was a ‘holy’ attribute buff.
It allowed me to track divine beings, and the abilities I gained from tracking them were enhanced.
This was a rare chance.
The holy attribute was one of the most difficult to handle, especially when dealing with holy attribute monsters.
These were the kind of creatures even the church had trouble dealing with.
Artemis had granted me the power to deal with them.
And, it seemed, to track Taygete.
[Catalog added.]
◆ Constellation
Moon Goddess Artemis
Artemis had become my constellation, almost as if she had preemptively marked me.
[Moon Goddess Artemis]
──In the future, you will receive additional powers from Artemis, the Moon Goddess.
"With that ability, you should be able to track Taygete," Artemis said.
As the warm light of midday bathed the dark field, the birds and deer returned to the field, playing joyfully.
"Will this help?" she asked.
"It’s more than enough," I replied.
"Good to hear."
Artemis’ tone, which had been cold and formal, softened and became more relaxed as she spoke.
It felt as though this was Artemis’ true nature—the goddess who was infinitely kind to those within her boundary.
"Then I’ll see you ‘next time,’" she said.
With that promise, Artemis disappeared.
Before I knew it, I was back at the altar of the temple.
And the next day...
"I’ll go search for the stag."
Hercules’ third labor, the capture of the golden-antlered stag, had begun.
