"Aha, so I've been discovered."
A playful laugh drifted out of the woods. A silver-haired goddess stepped forward through the moonlight and fallen leaves, smiling as she approached. Her deep blue eyes swept teasingly over Samael and Atalanta.
The huntress rose without a sound and calmly placed a hand over her chest in a formal salute.
"Lady Artemis, you've come…"
"Tsk. Back when we slept together, you used to call me 'Sister Diana' every time. It's only been a few days apart and you're already this distant. Have you forgotten your promise to guard my chastity?"
Artemis stopped, pressing a hand to her chest, then covered her eyes with a dramatic gesture, putting on the very picture of a sorrowful woman on the verge of tears.
"Before you say that, maybe put away the piece of evidence on your chest first. It'll sound more convincing that way."
Leaning against a tree, Samael pointed irritably at something swaying inside Artemis's neckline, a brown bear plush that bobbed with every movement.
"Oh. Right…"
The Moon Goddess lowered her hand, revealing eyes that had not shed a single tear. She blinked, thought for a moment, nodded seriously, and stuffed that precious token of affection into her cleavage. Then she resumed her lament like an abandoned wife.
"Little Atalanta, my devout hunter, my beloved little lion. Can you really betray your faith for this man?"
Samael leaned back against the tree, arms folded, and exposed his old friend with a cold laugh.
"Hey, Artemis, doesn't your conscience hurt saying that? If I remember right, you were the one who sold Big Sister to Areopagus just to save your old lover, Orion."
"Don't pretend you're innocent. You're the mastermind behind Areopagus. You stole my Ata, and you even stole my beloved Orion!"
"Orion? I'm not interested in men. When did I ever touch your lustful bear?"
"It's because you dumped a pile of missions on him. You dragged my dear away from me so he didn't even have time to keep me company!"
"Bullshit. He asked for it himself. I thought he'd finally grown up. Turns out he was just trying to avoid trouble. Wait a second. So you came here to spy and cause trouble on purpose, just to get revenge?"
"Of course not. That's slander. Can't a goddess care about her own followers?"
"Ha. Like I'd believe that. Selling your followers for an old lover. A goddess like you is a disaster for faith."
"Tch. You're no better. Weren't you the one who bought her? Theseus, Prince of Athens? You played the role well. Hiding your identity, closing the distance, plotting against my Ata. Seven days and seven nights. And you even did it right next to this goddess. Honestly…"
Thud. Thud.
Before the two gods could continue tearing into each other, a pair of bulging-veined fists finally came down on their heads.
"You two had better know when to stop!"
Atalanta ground her teeth together. The last shred of reverence she had for gods had been completely worn away by these two clowns. Veins writhed across her forehead like earthworms, and her downward glare was like a predator pinning its prey.
"Tsk. I even held you when you were little. So heartless."
"Ahem. I was only defending myself. I'm innocent."
One complained, the other defended himself.
Crack.
Atalanta unconsciously tightened her grip, snapping the branch in her hand. Her frost-covered face was cold and terrifying, emerald eyes looking down at the two crouching figures with chilling pressure.
"Keep talking, and I might not be able to hold back… and slay a god!"
At once, beneath that predator's glare, a wave of cold swept in. Both Artemis and Samael felt their necks go icy, and they obediently shut up.
"Lady Goddess, please spare a thought for how hard your followers pray every day. Keep up your image in public!"
"And you. As the commander of the allied forces, you should be even more careful with what you say and do, if you want your subordinates to truly follow you!"
Under the moonlight, the feline predator moved like a lioness strolling through the forest, every motion carrying unmistakable authority.
The two deities, caught red-handed, shrank their necks and listened. Guilty and embarrassed, they didn't dare argue.
"I'm going to keep patrolling! If you two have time to spare, then reflect properly!"
Grinding her teeth, Atalanta tossed out a cold snort. Like she'd just claimed her prey, she brazenly yanked the quiver from the Moon Goddess's waist. Then she called over the sacred brown bear and sprang toward the front line.
When the huntress's figure vanished into the forest for good, the two deities finally relaxed, patting their chests in perfect sync as they let out the same relieved breath. They looked at each other—and couldn't help laughing.
"We really should tease her less. When a feline gets that angry, even I can't take it."
"Ever since I revealed my identity, she's been avoiding me. Am I really that scary?"
"I don't think she's avoiding you out of fear. I think her faith in you collapsed, and she can't bear to look."
Samael's merciless jab made the Moon Goddess's face go dark, her breath catching.
After soaking in the Oceanus Sea for ages, how was this serpent's mouth still so poisonous?
Artemis knew she couldn't win, so she simply swung a fist behind Samael's back in a vicious little motion, using it to vent.
"Alright, enough. Seriously. I'll help you remove the divine seal right now, so you can shake off Zeus's control."
Samael glanced at the faint, silver-white lightning-shaped mark on Artemis's forehead. With a weary sigh, he lifted his hand. Cuneiform symbols carrying the Authority of Fate surfaced between his fingers, and he couldn't resist grumbling.
"By the way—ever since Athena left, why did Zeus force all of you to take divine seals? Even if you couldn't resist together, there's no way you should've fallen this fast one by one. I was hoping Olympus would erupt into a civil conflict so we could split you up again. Instead, in just three hours, you all walked right into it."
Smack.
Before the gathered Authority of Fate could resonate, Artemis slapped his hand away.
Under Samael's startled gaze, the Moon Goddess grew solemn, lifting her chin as she spoke after a brief pause.
"That's because we accepted the divine seal willingly."
"Huh? You volunteered? Did I hear that right? That thing on your forehead erodes your Authority, turns you into puppets, and lets Zeus pull your strings!"
Samael rubbed his forehead, genuinely incredulous.
Artemis had personally taken part in the Orion rescue plan. There was no way she didn't understand the existence of the [Taboo of the Gods], or what the divine seal actually did.
And breaking free of Zeus—the autocratic father of Olympus—had always been the goal of those "dutiful children" and "loving siblings."
Yet in the short span from Athena's withdrawal from Olympus to Zeus unifying the gods and descending again, barely three hours had passed, and these Main Gods had done a full one-eighty and willingly let Zeus brand them?
Was this that famous "voluntary" kind of voluntary?
"In truth, the divine seal doesn't only command the soul," Artemis said quietly. "When we take catastrophic damage, it can preserve that last, undying spark, and guide it back into the patterns the Spindle of Fate weaves for this world.
"As long as Greece remains, as long as the inheritance of the gods doesn't break, we have a chance to awaken again.
"The Heroic Spirits residing in the Pure Land of Bliss can revive using the power of the leylines for the same reason.
"What Father has done gives us an extra layer of security in the Titan War."
It clicked for Samael—like Mesopotamia's Fate tablets that recorded divine lineages and Spirit Origins.
Even so, he still didn't like placing his life in Zeus's hands.
Right now it was forced by circumstance and maybe even well-intentioned. Later on, who knew.
"Also," Artemis added as she stood, brushing a few dead leaves off her body, her voice turning grave, "I came to tell you this: while you were fighting the giants for three hours, Olympus was lighting the Sacred Flame, calling every Divine Spirit back, and engraving divine seals into the Spindle of Fate. We haven't stopped preparing for even a moment."
An order from Zeus?
Samael narrowed his eyes. Something strange flickered deep in his gaze as he spoke softly.
"You trust Zeus that much?"
"Father led us to victory in the Titanomachia. He led us to victory in the Typhon War. He'll lead us to victory in this final Gigantomachy as well," Artemis said, tapping her bowstring with quiet pride. "We'll restore Olympus's glory. After that, we can argue about right and wrong. Not before.
"Before humans even existed, how did Greece endure? Don't think we're just hiding behind mortals and reaping the rewards. You're underestimating the gods."
Samael was still thinking when the Storm Sea—silent for half a day—suddenly erupted in blooming, brilliant colors.
Vast constellations drew in countless rays of starlight, funneled through a silver, tear-shaped celestial body, and cast them onto the shimmering cocoon.
Hummm.
In an instant, heaven and earth rang together. The three Alien vanguards, still in the process of breaking free, surged in presence. The stellar patterns on their bodies became denser, brighter, and more intricate, stirring a violent Ether tide as if they were forcing their way past a threshold.
No… Phase Four!
Samael and Artemis stared at the sea as it heaved into a raging reverse current. Their pupils contracted sharply. In the next heartbeat, they turned into streaks of light and shot back toward the camp.