Ares continued to follow the Argo Heroes for a while, and found that the hunters who came to participate in the hunt had gradually focused their target on a valley in this ancient forest.
The terrain in this valley was low, with a small river flowing out of it, and because of the abundant water and humid climate, it was also full of tall reeds, making it particularly suitable for wild animals to hide.
Although the wild boar released by Artemis possessed divinity to some extent and was considered a divine beast, it still had the habits of a wild animal, so it was reasonable for it to hide in this valley.
The Heroes gathered and began to set traps at the entrances and exits of the valley, while hunters with hounds led their loyal companions and began to search deeper into the valley.
The Argo Heroes, led by the bold Atalanta, also gradually ventured deeper into the valley, but Ares did not follow them there, because he saw a familiar figure on the high slope beside the valley.
A beautiful face, a serious expression, and an owl, her sacred beast, circling continuously high above her head—it was clearly Ares's good opponent, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.
So Ares decisively gave up following the Argo Heroes' team and instead walked up the slope, coming to stand behind Athena.
He walked over quietly, and when he was within five meters of Athena's side, he suddenly let out a loud roar and then jumped out.
However, Athena seemed to have been on guard early; when Ares acted in such a manner, Athena merely cast a disdainful glance, as if looking at an idiot, at her half-brother.
Ares felt no shame at all; after realizing Athena had no reaction, he laughed heartily, walked forward, and patted Athena's back hard twice, asking:
"My sister, what new scheme are you concocting by standing here today?"
"I am merely here to convey Zeus's command to you."
Athena gently raised her hand, pushed away Ares's arm, and then continued to watch the hunt below, saying:
"You can no longer stay on the Argo, Ares. With a chief god accompanying them, this journey cannot be called a trial at all."
"Oh, fine."
Ares agreed quite readily:
"Anyway, sitting on that ship, exposed to wind and sun every day, and your statue even made my butt hurt, I've long wanted to leave. Now that I'm here, Poseidon must have also given up on retaliating against them, so I'm too lazy to keep following."
Athena, seeing him agree so decisively, couldn't help but let out a slight laugh, saying:
"Indeed, you had a backup plan all along. Yesterday, I heard that Helios, God of the Sun, was threatened on his way back and lost a golden bowl. I guess the one who threatened him must have been Heracles, right?"
Ares remained noncommittal, and he wasn't afraid at all that Athena had guessed this. This matter couldn't be hidden anyway; in the entire Greek World, there was only one person capable of threatening a former chief god like the Sun God and getting away unscathed.
According to his estimation, Heracles might have already landed in the Calydon harbor and was rushing towards here at full speed. Even if he left, there would still be someone on the Argo capable of holding the fort.
However, Ares didn't believe for a moment that Athena had come here simply to convey Zeus's command to him.
Prince Meleager, who initiated the Calydonian Boar hunt below, had been cursed by The Fates from birth; his life was linked to a piece of firewood in the royal palace. When the firewood burned out, his life would automatically end, and this piece of firewood, linked to his life, was currently in the hands of Althaea, the Queen of Calydon and Meleager's birth mother.
During this Calydonian Boar hunt, Meleager, to show his affection, presented both the boar's head and hide to Atalanta, which displeased his two uncles. A quarrel ensued between the three, and Meleager, to win the beauty's favor, killed his two uncles. Because of this, his mother Althaea, to avenge her two brothers, threw the piece of firewood linked to Meleager's life back into the fire, which led to the Death of Meleager, one of the Argo Heroes.
Athena's visit this time was definitely to ensure the smooth progression of this event. As for Zeus's command, it was secondary to both her and Ares; they would just listen to it and be done with it.
Therefore, Ares also decided to stay here with Athena, watching her closely to see what she would do. If Athena didn't interfere and they mutually restrained each other, Meleager would most likely not die, because Heracles was rushing here at full speed; with him holding the fort, Meleager's two uncles probably wouldn't dare utter a peep.
And the truth was just as Ares had guessed: Athena had indeed been summoned by The Fates this time, but she had no intention of interfering with Meleager's destiny. Whether this Calydon Prince lived or died had no impact on her own plans.
For her own purposes, the more The Fates' plans failed, the better. It was best to make these Three Goddesses clearly realize the invincibility of Ares, the destiny-breaker. Only then would they obediently surrender their authority and place all their hopes on Athena's plan.
The two chief gods harbored their own intentions, neither wanting the other to make any unnecessary moves. Thus, Ares and Athena, these great rivals, stood harmoniously on the high ground of the valley, watching the Calydonian Boar hunt unfold, like two old friends watching an opera together in a theater.
Below them, the hunters had already delved deep into the valley. Finally, a hunter's hound startled the ferocious wild boar, and with a furious bark, the massive boar, as large as a small mountain, suddenly burst out from the depths of the reeds.
As soon as this wild boar appeared, it killed an unknown number of hunters through charging and trampling. Its size was comparable to an elephant, and its two huge tusks were like the most terrifying battering rams in the world. The boar's broad back was covered in stiff bristles, and its blood-red eyes could even emit flames through its gaze.
Clearly, this was also a demonic boar, and one possessing divinity. After seeing this wild boar, the hunters quickly threw their javelins and darts at it, but all of them were deflected by its hard bristles. Not only was the boar unharmed, but it also charged diagonally, ramming into and killing three more hunters.
"I'm coming!"
Just as the group of hunters was scattered and unable to resist the boar's charge, a nimble green figure suddenly burst out from the nearby reeds.
Atalanta charged over at an extreme speed, imperceptible to the human eye. She ran halfway around the Calydonian Boar's massive body, lowered herself, and used a diagonal slide to dodge the boar's sweeping tusks and spewing flames. Then, in that blink of an eye, before the boar could even turn its head, an arrow was already nocked on her Bow of the Sky. Infused with magic, the arrow transformed into a brilliant green light, piercing out fiercely and embedding itself in the boar's gaping maw.
"Aow!"
Struck by this blow, the Calydonian Boar's massive head was flung upward by the arrow's impact, and for the first time, its bristles were stained with blood. This terrifying divine beast was finally wounded.