The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon - Chapter 59

Chapter 59 – Apollo And Artemis

The great Mount Olympus, revered by all born in Greece who honor the gods.
On its summit, which rises beyond the sky, lies the city of the great gods.
Starting with the grand Temples of Zeus and Hera on the highest peak, the messenger Temple of Hermes, bustling with messenger birds, papyrus, messengers, and the wind gods.
The Grand Library of Athena, overseeing the clothing, tactics, knowledge, and arts of Olympus.
The Barley Temple of Demeter, always filled with the fragrant smell of bread and the rich aroma of barley.
The Rose Temple of Aphrodite, ever adorned with swans and roses, beautiful beyond compare.

The splendid and beautiful temples, embodying the divine works of each god, always looked down upon the residents of Olympus and the believers of Greece.

And if one were to choose the most dazzling temple among them, it would undoubtedly be the Sun Temple, located to the east of Olympus, always shining brightly.
As you ascend the white marble steps, the first thing that greets you is a green laurel tree, planted to commemorate the sorrowful love of the temple’s owner.
When a devotee passes by the laurel tree, recalling the heart-wrenching love between the god and the nymph, they are welcomed by the temple adorned with columns and roofs of gold and silver, and decorated with olivine and diamonds.
The carvings on those columns meticulously depict the hardships endured by the great temple’s owner at birth, the triumph over the mighty serpent Python, and the divine task of leading the eternal chariot of the sun.
After passing through, the visiting pilgrims scatter to make their individual wishes.
If a pilgrim seeking the God of Healing to cure their illness came, they would offer a white raven in front of the desperate laurel tree and pray.
If a poet came to pray for inspiration from the God of Music, they would play their own instruments under the warm sunlight.
If a devotee came to offer admiration and praise to the God of the Sun, they would pass by the relief depicting Python’s death, kneel under the meticulously carved statue of the temple owner, and offer their praise.

And when the sun-worshipping devotee gazed up at the statue in reverence.
Beyond the statue, the god’s residence, always filled with bright sunlight, could be seen.

However, recently, the god’s residence beyond the statue had long disappeared behind the door.
The door, which was always open, welcoming patients and poets who visited, was firmly closed, rejecting visitors, and the nymphs and goddesses who used to frequent the temple to catch a glimpse of the Sun God, the most handsome man in the world, could only sigh wistfully at their hidden idol.

In such warm sunlight, a gloomy atmosphere lingered in the Sun God’s temple when a violent guest, who didn’t belong to any of the above categories, visited.

-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The golden door, sculpted with the image of the beautiful god who drives the sun’s golden chariot.
No one in this temple dared touch the door, feeling guilty even thinking about it, but the visitor banged on it violently and shouted loudly.

“Brother! Brother!!”

Normally, the enraged devotees and nymphs would have united to drive out the violent ruffian, but at this moment, no one guarding the temple dared to think of stopping her.

“Open! The! Door! Now!!”

-Bang!

Fiercely flashing beautiful eyes, silk-like black hair tied up to not get in the way.
The beautiful hunting attire woven from moonlight by her mother, Leto, the goddess of motherhood, and the masterpiece silver bow of Hephaestus clearly indicated who she was.

“Oh, Artemis is here…!”

“Nymphs! Quickly, evacuate!”

“Oh dear~ What a commotion!”

The devotees, who had been quietly restraining themselves in accordance with the grace of their goddess, fled in panic at the sudden visit of the Goddess of the Moon.
Though she came to visit her brother confined in the temple almost every day, today she seemed particularly displeased.

Even in Olympus, the moon’s huntress, known for her unpredictability, was infamous for being harsh to those who were not her followers, especially men and married women.
Her cruelty was evident when she mercilessly banished poor Callisto, who was forcibly deprived of her chastity by Zeus, and even passively watched as Queen Hera cursed her to transform into a bear, making the residents of Olympus fear her.
Especially when Artemis, furious to the point of madness, was rampaging, it was better to die than to catch her attention in the slightest.
The followers of the sun who quietly guarded the door had no choice but to flee hastily, praying for the god’s safety as they locked the door.

“You’re not opening the door?!”

The worshippers scattered in all directions, leaving Artemis alone in front of the large door, gritting her teeth in anger.
But there was something the hurried worshippers failed to notice.

A bright red handprint imprinted on her face, resembling the moon in the sky, delicate and beautiful.
Her pure white hunting outfit in disarray, as if she had rolled on the ground.
The silver bow and arrows dangling from her quiver, either broken or split in two.

If her huntresses or other residents had seen her, they would have been utterly shocked by her dishevelled appearance.
Her eyes, filled with tears of anger and humiliation, would have broken the hearts of those who saw them.
But the proud huntress would surely not forgive anyone who dared to witness her disgrace.
The quick response and escape of the Olympians were indeed wise.

“Uuuuh… Brother…! Doooor..!!”

Artemis, who had been desperately searching for her brother, was on the verge of tears, about to burst into crying.
At that moment, as if he had heard her cry, the gigantic golden door opened silently, and with the warm sunlight, her desperately sought brother hurriedly ran out to greet her.

“Artemis! My sister!”

“Uuu…! Brother!!”

Whatever had pained her so much, Artemis burst into tears in her brother’s arms.

“Sister, what on earth happened? Why is your face like that?!”

“Huaaa! Brother!!”

Unable to speak properly and sobbing heavily in his embrace, Apollo felt his heart shatter at the sight of his sister’s face.
Who dared to leave such a gruesome scar on Zeus’s daughter, his sister, and one of the Twelve Olympian Gods?

“First, come in quickly. Let’s tend to your wounds right away.”

“Huuu…”

“Here, blow your nose!”

“Blow!”

Apollo personally wiped his sister’s nose with his own garment and took her to the healing chamber prepared in his abode to examine her wounds.

“It must have hurt a lot. You should have come straight to me. Why did you scare the believers at the entrance?”

“B-but…”

He wiped Artemis’s swollen face with a golden ointment made from ambrosia and herbs.
Apollo’s special elixir that instantly heals any scar with just a swipe.
However, even after cleaning it meticulously three times and even using healing powers…
The bright red scar on his sister’s beautiful face showed no sign of fading.
Seeing this, Apollo’s face stiffened.

“Could it be, Sister… Did you fight with Hera?”

How many beings would dare to slap the Goddess of the Moon, Artemis, and even break her divine artifact?

“Hiccup!”

As if his guess was correct, the sniffling Artemis stiffened in surprise.

“Oh dear… why did you do that…?”

The Queen, the Protector of Home and Marriage, and the most powerful goddess.
Even though she had handed over all her divine duties to Demeter and Hecate, she was still a great witch, commanding ancient, powerful monsters. She was a goddess of tremendous divine power, befitting the name of the Queen of the Gods.
When Zeus’s infidelity reached its peak, the fierce cold winds that covered Greece during her furious winter were so harsh that even Apollo, who drove the sun chariot, had to wear thick fur clothing.
Considering their birth, they should have been grateful that Her Majesty allowed them a seat in Olympus.
It was true that the twins, along with their mother, Leto, had suffered from Hera’s persecution since birth.
However, the twins were illegitimate children born as a result of the Chief God Zeus not respecting the Queen’s sacred duties, and it was known that Zeus’s decision to recognize their achievements and establish them as chief gods was passed thanks to the Queen’s mercy.

“What on earth happened?”

“Well… Waaah!!”

Apollo and Artemis were always uneasy about facing the Queen who persecuted them, so they had been careful to avoid any conflicts with her.
Apollo could not understand why Artemis had suffered such humiliation from the Queen.
Seeing Artemis burst into tears again, Apollo sighed deeply, went somewhere in a hurry, and came back with various items to personally take care of his sister.

“First, calm down and drink this, Sister. It will warm you up.”

He personally brewed warm nectar with herbs that were good for calming, and draped a warm blanket infused with warmth over her shoulders.
Sipping the steaming warm nectar, Artemis, with her swollen eyes, just stared at the ground for a long time.
But seeing her patient brother waiting, she eventually opened her mouth.

“Well…”

A few hours ago.
Her huntresses brought shocking news.
The huntress Atalanta, who resided in the Forest of Heroes she adored, had fallen in love.
A devotee who dared to pledge to live in chastity for her after being saved by her had betrayed her and found a lover.
The nymphs of the forest say that on a sunny morning, when her brother Apollo began to drive his chariot, they passionately kissed for all to see.
Whether Hera blessed the two or personally adorned Atalanta was of no interest to her.
The punishment for the huntress who betrayed her had to be so cruel that death would seem like a comfort. She was so consumed by the information that the hateful Dianes of Passos had left a scar on her shoulder that she forgot they were in the sanctuary of Chiron.

“Artemis.”

Just as her carriage was entering Messenia, near the Forest of Heroes.
A dignified voice called to her from the peak of the high Taygetos Mountains, which guarded the border of Messenia.

“Y-Your Highness?”

Hera, with a cool smile like the north wind in midwinter, sat on the mountain peak, beckoning her to come.
Of all the goddesses, the one she feared the most had suddenly blocked her path.

“It’s still a long way until evening, so what’s this about? And why bring the moonlight with you?”

“….”

“My neck hurts. Are you planning to have a conversation on the carriage?”

Are you really going to make me look up at you while we talk?
Hera, who was quietly threatening, seemed unlikely to let her go easily.
But she had no time for this now.
She had to punish the black-haired one who betrayed her, insulted her, and even took her hunter away as soon as possible.

“I-I’m busy now! I need to go quickly!”

As she tried to whip the reins of the carriage to escape again.

“…Since when has the hierarchy of Olympus become such a mess?”

At the Queen’s voice, tinged with subtle anger, Artemis was about to leave the place as quickly as possible.
A mighty power gathered above her head, and soon, a tremendous shock struck her and her carriage.

-Boom!

“Kyah?!”

In an instant, Artemis, along with the carriage, plummeted, and she couldn’t gather her wits due to the shock hitting her entire body.
Pinned under the overturned carriage, Artemis screamed, but before she could question what was happening, a pale hand suddenly pulled her out of the wreckage.

“Ugh… Aaagh?!”

When she came to her senses and opened her eyes.
The Queen of the Gods was holding her by the collar with one hand, leaving her dangling in midair.

“You must truly be insane. How dare you look down from the carriage?”

With the beautiful eyes burning with divine power glaring at her and the immense divine strength tightly binding her, Artemis seemed to snap back to reality.
As someone who roamed the forests of Greece rather than Olympus, Artemis had momentarily forgotten.

Why the Queen was called the Queen.
Why Hera was called the Goddess of Goddesses.