Meanwhile, Orion, who had been settled by the king in a luxurious room in the palace, couldn't sit still for long.
Although there was fine wine and delicious food, and the king had even arranged for two beautiful maidservants to attend him, Orion was accustomed to life in the countryside, and the maidservants' act of personally feeding him made him very uncomfortable.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, Orion always felt a bit uneasy, as if someone had set him up.
This feeling… yes, he had felt the same way when Athena had invited him to hunt with Artemis, as if someone was silently orchestrating things behind the scenes.
Unable to calm his mind, Orion simply refused the service of the two maidservants, whom he would normally have eagerly embraced, and left the room alone, beginning to wander around the city-state.
He was, after all, the fiancé of the city-state's princess, so although the king had asked him to excuse himself from their father-daughter conversation, he had not restricted his freedom. As Orion wandered around the city-state, the soldiers and residents on the streets would greet him with smiles and nods, showing great familiarity.
This feeling made Orion feel good; at least it was better than any other Greek city-state he had visited. As he wandered, he somehow found himself at the back of the city-state, where there were almost no people to be seen, only a temple towering in the distance.
In the Greek World during the age of the Gods, a temple was almost a standard feature of every city-state. The people of these city-states had to revere the Olympus Gods to be worthy of living on this land. Those tribes and city-states unwilling to revere the Gods had long since been destroyed by the divine punishments sent down by the Olympus Gods. Orion even learned from his friends on Olympus that some time ago, even those tribes and city-states that revered local deities were being destroyed one by one by the subordinates of the Twelve Main Gods. Some of these local deities, whom they revered, were forced to join Olympus, submitting to the divine might of Zeus, while others refused to be disciplined. These local deities were quickly degraded by the Olympus Gods into monsters through curses and labeled as such, awaiting the Argo Heroes'Defeat.
Since this city-state still existed, the temple must surely house a God from Olympus. Orion casually walked into the seemingly empty temple, glanced inside, immediately turned green, and wanted to leave.
No other reason: enshrined in the center of this temple was Orion's destined nemesis, Artemis. Beside her stood her brother, Apollo. Orion knew that ever since he and Artemis became close, Apollo had been looking for an opportunity to kill him.
However, just as Orion was about to flee, an aged priest in a long robe suddenly emerged from within the temple. He called out to Orion's retreating back:
"Young man over there! Why do you want to flee at the sight of a God? Have you perhaps done something wrong?"
Orion immediately stopped. In this world, priests and elders held high status, and an old priest like the one before him, with both powers combined, probably held a status even higher than the king in this city-state. Orion did not want to cause trouble.
So, with a bitter expression, he turned around and humbly explained to the old man in a low voice, "Venerable Priest, you've misunderstood. I haven't done anything wrong… It's just that I feel somewhat conflicted about the God enshrined here."
"Oh? You feel conflicted about a God?" The old priest immediately took Orion's hand and said, "Then I cannot stand by idly. Come, come, young man, let's talk about who you feel conflicted about, right under the watchful eyes of the great Apollo and Artemis."
Orion was half-dragged, half-pulled by the old man to the foot of the statues of Artemis and Apollo, then he said with a wry smile, "Old Priest, I already said it's the God here. How can I possibly say it?"
"It's alright, the Gods won't mind such minor matters. Besides, the great Artemis and Apollo would never pay attention to such a small, remote temple; they only focus on important places like Delphi. Just speak your mind."
The old priest said with great nonchalance:
"Just consider me an elder offering you guidance."
At the old priest's strong insistence, coupled with Orion's particularly confused state at that moment, he slowly sat down, relaxed, and began to speak:
"Old Priest, don't disbelieve me when I say this, but I am actually with Artemis here… well, according to her, we should be dating, right?"
"Dating?" The old priest asked in surprise, "But I remember that the great Artemis is a virgin Goddess, isn't she?"
"Yes, I don't know what she's after either." Orion spread his hands and said, "Don't disbelieve me, it's all true."
"Oh, so that's how it is." The old priest nodded with a smile, "Then you are blessed, to be favored by a Goddess."
"What blessing?" Orion pouted and complained bitterly, "She never stays overnight at my house, nor does she show affection to me, and she doesn't allow me to do naughty things with other women."
"Heh heh, then you must be quite tired. However, being favored by a Goddess is always an honor." The old priest also sat down next to Orion. "So you are troubled by this matter?"
"Yes and no." Orion shook his head, "To be honest, being constantly pestered by her also makes me a bit scared. I should hate her, but when I came to this city-state and the king promised to marry his princess to me, asking me to break off my relationship with her, I felt a bit unwilling in my heart. Why is that…"
"Hmm, young man, what is your name?" The old priest suddenly asked.
"Orion, the strongest hunter in Greece. What's wrong?" Orion asked, somewhat confused.
"Would you like to hear a prophecy about yourself?"
The old priest asked with a smile:
"Don't look at me like that, young man. I at least serve Apollo, the God of prophecy, so I can still make some prophecies."
"Then I'll listen," Orion replied.
So the old priest asked Orion to wait for a moment, then walked to the statue of Apollo and muttered something mystical to it. Of course, all of this was a performance for Orion, because Ares, who was controlling the old priest, had known his fate for a long time.
After deceiving Orion into a bewildered expression, the old priest stopped his "ritual" and came before Orion with a serious face, telling him:
"Young man, I have some bad news for you."
Orion swallowed hard: "What bad news?"
"If you continue to associate with the Goddess, you will die," the old priest warned.
"What?" Orion exclaimed in alarm, "You're not trying to trick me into marrying your princess, are you?"
"I'm not tricking you. What does the princess's marriage have to do with me, a priest?" The old priest sighed, "Actually, I'd rather you continue to stay with Artemis."
"Why?" Orion cried out with a mournful face, "Old man, do you think I deserve to die?"
"Not at all." The old priest shook his head and said, "Do you remember who introduced you to Artemis back then?"
"Uh… was it Athena?" Orion asked, scratching his head, "What about Athena?"
"I cannot say too much about this, but her introducing you to Artemis certainly had a purpose." The old priest looked at Orion, and Orion felt a flash of wisdom in the old man's eyes: "In this world, besides the Olympus Gods, there is a power called 'Fate' that subtly drives the world's operation. Your acquaintance with Artemis, and your death, are all things decided by 'Fate.' Therefore, if you do not yield to 'Fate,' I do not know what 'Fate' might do to rectify the situation."
Orion was silent for a moment, then he asked with difficulty, "You mean, this 'Fate' might be unfavorable to Artemis?"
"I didn't say that." The old priest chuckled. "I also have no right to decide which path you choose, young man. This is your life. Whether you marry the princess and reach the pinnacle of life, or go back and share joys and sorrows with the Goddess, it all depends on your will."