On Olympus, a streak of golden light crashed to the ground, followed by furious shouts echoing across the plaza.
"..Ares, get out here!"
Several main gods deliberating in the great temple couldn't help but look outside, only to see the enraged goddess of love, Aphrodite, storming into the war god's temple.
She dragged out her former lover, Ares, clawing and scratching at his still-handsome face while crying and cursing.
"..You dared to harm my beloved Adonis! You bloodthirsty brute!"
"..What are you talking about? It wasn't me, I didn't do anything!"
Seeing his lover's tear-streaked face, a bewildered Ares instinctively tried to defend himself, eager to distance himself from whatever had enraged Aphrodite.
"..Wait, Adonis? Your beloved?"
But then, his slow-reacting nerves finally caught up. His eyes widened like a bull's as he glared at the sobbing Aphrodite, his anger erupting.
"..You've been keeping a new pretty boy behind my back!"
"..So what? He and I are truly in love!"
Aphrodite stood tall, chest out, fearlessly meeting the furious war god's gaze with disdain.
"..You, a silver-tongued weakling who can't satisfy me, am I not allowed to seek true love elsewhere?"
"..!"
In an instant, the intermittently impotent war god was struck at his sore spot. His face flushed red, and in his rage, he raised his right hand high.
"..What, you want to hit me? Go ahead, try it! Do you dare?"
Aphrodite shot Ares a sidelong glance, sneering coldly.
"..Lay a finger on me, and you'll never touch my bed again!"
".."
Mocked and threatened, Ares trembled with fury, but his raised hand couldn't bring itself to strike that alluring face.
He couldn't bear to lose this tender refuge.
Finally, Ares flung his arm down, his stormy face etched with deep resentment as he roared with impotent rage.
"..Adonis, huh? I'll chop that bastard to pieces sooner or later!"
"..Stop pretending! Isn't that exactly what you just did? If I hadn't arrived in time, my beloved Adonis would've fallen to your schemes!"
As Aphrodite angrily accused him, recalling the perilous moment, she clutched her heaving chest in lingering fear, her eyes filled with worry for her lover.
Witnessing this, jealousy consumed Ares. His blood surged to his head, his body igniting with scarlet flames as he drew his war god's sword, shouting furiously.
"..Fine, it was me! So what? That bastard's still alive? Perfect! Where's he hiding? I'll go down and slaughter him right now!"
Hearing the suspect's confession and his brazen intent to commit further violence, Aphrodite's anger flared and she fearlessly charged forward, grappling with Ares.
"..I knew it was you, you bastard! I'll fight you to the death!"
"..Argh! You… I'm definitely going to butcher that pretty boy!"
The war god, his face quickly marked with fresh scratches, dodged his lover's claws while furiously ranting about how he'd deal with his pretty-boy rival.
Like castrating him, chopping him into mincemeat, or having warhorses trample him into mush…
And letting him be gored to death by a wild boar…
Hearing this, Aphrodite became utterly convinced of his guilt and clawed at her former lover with even greater fury.
As the two main gods' struggle showed no signs of resolving, a thunderous boom erupted from the temple of fire and forging, with thick smoke billowing upward.
At the same time, Hephaestus, eyes bloodshot, limped out, wielding a massive forging hammer and charging toward the couple in the plaza.
"..You harlot! I don't even know how many lovers you have at home, and you dare keep another man outside!"
Seeing the true victim appear, Ares and Aphrodite's faces paled.
No longer concerned with the previous assault case, they scrambled to flee.
Hampered by his impaired mobility, Hephaestus trailed behind but pursued relentlessly, his bloodshot eyes blazing as he cursed.
"..You two, stop right there! I'm not done with you!"
However, knowing they were in the wrong, Ares and Aphrodite only ran faster at his words, darting one after the other toward the great temple to hide.
Immediately, Hermes, Poseidon, and several other gods and demigods, equally guilty, shuffled behind pillars, trying to avoid Aphrodite's searching gaze for cover.
Athena, observing from the sidelines, did a rough count, there were at least half a dozen.
Among them were not only humans but also half-humans and non-humans…
In short, it was clear that the goddess of love's friendships and tastes were quite diverse.
At this moment, Zeus, seated on his divine throne, watched this family drama unfold, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
~~
At the same time, on the sea of Oceanus.
With a pained groan, Lorne slowly stirred awake on the deck, struggling to open his heavy eyelids.
When he saw the sky half-obscured above him and the two "peaks" swaying up and down with the rolling waves, he let out a relieved sigh.
Well, he was safe…
But as his taut nerves relaxed, a tidal wave of pain surged through him.
Lorne looked at his reddened body, as if a layer of skin had been peeled off, and touched the large swelling on the back of his head, asking in a hoarse voice.
"..What… happened to me?"
"..Aftereffects of beast transformation."
Artemis replied casually, her eyes briefly flicking to the side.
"..Is that so? It's pretty bad, then…"
Lorne mumbled groggily, tilting his wrinkled head to find a more comfortable position on Artemis's outstretched legs.
His gaze passed through the gap between the two peaks, landing on the hunting goddess's face, which radiated youthful purity.
"..Did we succeed?"
"..Mm…"
Artemis nodded gently, her exquisite face blooming with a radiant smile.
Her tender gaze fell on the man resting on her lap, as if admiring a priceless treasure.
Good.
Hearing this conclusive answer, Lorne let out another relieved sigh, closing his eyes to rest for a moment.
He lay there for some time, until the pain in his body and the dizziness in his head subsided, and only then, did he reluctantly rose from the moon goddess's lap.
Night fell, and a radiant full moon leapt from the sea, slowly rising.
"..The moon tonight is so round."
"..Yes…"
The two murmured, their eyes meeting, a trace of regret passing through their gazes in unison.
Even so, an undeniable spark of ambiguity began to grow between them.
As they leaned closer, Lorne, who was clearly the more rational and clear-headed of the two, quickly stepped back, putting on the brakes.
"..No fooling around! Your safety comes first. Besides, I don't want to be a wild boar again…"
Artemis bit her red lips, hesitating before speaking.
"..Actually, I got something else from Aphrodite's sacred pool.."
"..Hm?"
"..I secretly absorbed and solidified the love goddess's divine power into my body.."
"..What does that mean?"
Under Lorne's bewildered gaze, the hunting goddess finally stopped hiding. Her eyes shimmered as she lowered her voice to explain.
"..It means I can use that love goddess's divine power to refresh my body's state and regain my purity."
In an instant, Lorne's eyes lit up, a surge of eagerness flashing through them.
"..But it can only be used once a month, during the full moon.."
At those words, Lorne's mood swung from elation to disappointment, the excitement on his face collapsing.
Well, that made sense...use it the same day it's refreshed, with one dose only good for a single day's reset.
That's the way it should be ..
Otherwise, wouldn't the love goddess's power be too overpowered?
Lorne consoled himself while earnestly asking.
"..You didn't leave any traces, right?"
"..Mm, as you taught me, I left some doe hoofprints nearby."
Artemis looked up, answering honestly.
Good.
Lorne nodded, the last bit of worry in his heart dissipating.
Then, stretching his aching limbs, he weakly pointed toward the ship's cabin.
"..Tonight, you sleep inside. I'll keep watch outside.."
Artemis nodded instinctively but, after taking a few steps forward, turned back to look at Lorne, hesitating as she spoke.
"..If you want to.."
"..No way, it's too risky."
The latter shot a glance at this "virgin goddess" who, in certain respects, was even more forward than he was, reminding her with a hint of exasperation.
"..If we mess around now, what about the next thirty days?"
".."
"..For your safety, we at least need to wait until the next full moon.."
"..But.."
Artemis was torn. She didn't want to drag them into danger, but she also didn't want to disappoint the man who had just risked his life for her.
The more he showed concern, the harder it was for her to bear.
Seeming to sense the hunting goddess's inner conflict, Lorne spoke casually.
"..Actually, if you really want to do this, it's not impossible. We still have other options.."
Hm?
Artemis looked up, puzzled, as she gazed at him.
Lorne's eyes lingered on the radiant face under the moonlight, those rosy lips, and that pert curve of her ass, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.
(Chapter End)