The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon - Chapter 76

Chapter 76 – Three Shall Come

On a day when bright sunlight poured into the deep sea palace.
Oceanus, the great god known by many names—the King of the Ocean, the Guardian of the Deep Sea, the Elder of the Sea, the fool for his youngest daughter, and so on—had invited the gods of Olympus to his palace to commemorate the Titanomachy.
For some reason that she couldn’t remember, Nesneria had returned home fuming after an argument with Dianes, only to find the usual sounds of the waves and her sisters’ laughter conspicuously absent.
In the silence, a beautiful melody, unlike any she had ever heard before, drew her steps.
The music was coming from the grand banquet hall, where her father, Oceanus, had spared no effort in decorating for the Titanomachy celebration.
In the middle of the enormous hall, spacious enough to accommodate a thousand legions.
The young Nereid nymph was instantly captivated by the golden-haired god shining like sunlight and the lyre in his hand.
However, as soon as the music ended, the flirtatious looks and gestures he exchanged with her sisters immediately shattered the spell for her.
Nesneria had never heard a more beautiful performance since then.

“Wow…!”

But today.
The beautiful and exotic music overlaid her memories and captured her heart.

The silver moonlight shattered like jewels above his head, and the constellations behind him listened quietly.
The foreign instrument he played produced a melody that seemed rough and heavy at first, a stark contrast to the lyre of the Sun God.

When they had roamed the woods of Passos Island together, Dianes had told her that a performance was like a vessel that carried the emotions of the composer and a mirror that reflected the feelings of the performer.
If so, what could this black-haired lover be playing now?
What feelings were carried in that melody, weaving white currents together with the waves?

‘What’s the point of saying it?’

Not for the renowned gods of Olympus, nor to seduce other beautiful nymphs.
Not even for that detestable red wild beast.

It was beautiful because it was played solely for her.

‘And because he is handsome.’

Apollo, the Sun God, widely praised as the most handsome man of Olympus, was indeed dazzlingly handsome like sunlight.
But in Nesneria’s eyes, the deep-set black eyes, like the calm darkness of the deep sea, and the shadowy face of Dianes that naturally evoked the word “corruption” (corrúptĭo, decadence) were more to her liking.
The bright sunlight could not reach the deep sea where she resided, but the endless darkness was always an inseparable companion to the ocean.

To be honest, the reason Nesneria could forgive and calm down so easily was partly due to that playboy’s endless charm and beauty.
What about his strength and wisdom?
The strength and wisdom that made Hercules kneel, and the rhetoric that made the Olympus raconteurs kneel—no one could doubt that.

And for such a man to lay down everything and play music solely to win back her heart…
It was surely an offering that no goddess could ever refuse.

How long had he been playing?
Surely, the other nymphs, including the gatekeepers, were guarding the forest so tightly that no male, especially the aroused little heroes of the forest, could enter.
How long had he waited for that melody to reach her?
Just thinking about it warmed her heart.

“Hehe…”

Maybe it was time to forgive him?
Her father had many consorts—nymphs and goddesses alike—besides her mother, and though it caused arguments between them, whenever the great god of the ocean sang and asked for forgiveness with all his sincerity, the goddess of the first dewdrop would always forgive him.
It was time for her to act according to how this beautiful musician treated her.

-?~

Finally, the melody that echoed along the beach subsided, and the half-closed black eyes met hers.

The lovers who came to me unexpectedly.

Nesneria, who surged toward me like white waves, and Atalanta, who pushed her way in unwittingly with her nature, made me feel that I was acknowledged as a part of this world.

Every time we got entangled, it never ended well, but it reminded me even more of the rough ties of my past life.
Atalanta, who felt more audacious and cute rather than hateful.
Nesneria, on the contrary, was the first woman to make me feel fear, yet also made me obsess over her, unable to let go.

In my past life, I would have eventually let go of these ties, no matter how much effort or obsession I put in.
Each act of welcoming and awkwardly courting was an extremely unfamiliar and strange experience for me.
It wasn’t a tactical judgment of “I should do this,” but rather a selfish desire of “I want to do this,” which was useless in martial arts or war.

Something new. Something unfamiliar. Yet something delightful.
Perhaps that was why I felt drawn to them.
Perhaps that was what was moving me.

As I finished playing, just as I half-expected, I found myself smiling at the girl of the waves standing before me.

“How have you been?”

“…Tsk.”

Neri still puffed her white cheeks as if sulking.
There was no anger or hatred on her face, only a playful pout and a hint of disappointment.

“Sorry. You must have felt neglected all this time.”

“You know that, huh? Tsk!”

She wasn’t someone who could be persuaded by clever words, and I had already resolved to treat her sincerely.
Instead of spouting unnecessary embellishments, I decided to explain everything frankly.
The tangled fate with Apollo and Artemis, the advice from Hermes and Hera, and how I had been busy working with Hestosias that kept me from visiting her in the forest of nymphs.

“Ah… So that’s why you were so busy?”

“Yeah, I never knew when an arrow might come flying from the sky. I didn’t have a moment to breathe.”

In fact, most of Hestosias’s requests came day and night, and they were so packed that even a week felt tight, so I couldn’t sleep properly.
Fortunately, thanks to the qi cultivation and the recovery magic I learned from the Goddess Hera recently, I was able to stay in good shape.
Even for me, it wouldn’t have been possible to stay up for a week straight without any consequences.

“So, Princess, what is the verdict for this guilty sinner?”

“Sigh.”

Neri, who was anxiously looking up at the crescent moon during my story, let out a deep sigh at my lighthearted question.

“Is the crescent moon okay now?”

“For now, it seems the Great Goddess has thoroughly scolded the Moon Goddess, so I heard another goddess is currently handling the crescent moon chariot.”

Even if it was that ill-tempered Artemis, she wouldn’t have come out unscathed after facing the divine power of the Great Goddess, especially in a state of anger.
Hera had casually mentioned during our conversation that Artemis was currently recuperating at her brother Apollo’s temple, while another moon goddess was handling the moon’s movements.

“So, there’s nothing to worry about for now.”

“Hehe, that’s a relief.”

Neri, looking relieved, smiled and took a seat next to me.
And then she leaned her white head on my shoulder and pouted her lovely lips.

“Anyway, if you had just stayed with me on Passos Island, none of that dangerous stuff would have happened. It’s a relief that sister Hera is helping.”

“…Sister?”

It was quite surprising that Hera called Neri her little sister so affectionately, but it was even more shocking that Neri called the goddess ‘sister’ so casually.
It felt like a cute little sparrow perched on my shoulder, chirping at a flying dragon and calling it ‘sister.’

“Ahem. From the sea to the sky, there’s no one who doesn’t know this princess~”

“Oh dear. I didn’t recognize you. Your Highness.”

“If you know, then serve me well~”

Time with Neri was always like this.
Moving between mythology and everyday life, between a child and an old person.
We spent our time together in small, simple moments, and those moments had built the relationship we had now.
I stroked Neri’s snowy white hair that tickled my face, and Neri burrowed into my arms like a cat, as if enjoying my touch.

“Well, time is on our side…”

Neri smiled meaningfully, as if to say she was letting me off for now.

While the young lovers were spending a harmonious time on the beach.
Chiron, the mentor of heroes, was welcoming some truly strange guests.

“It’s been a while, Chiron!”

“Hahaha… Oh, it’s been a while.”

A handsome man with blazing crimson eyes confidently extended his hand for a handshake.
With hair color that perfectly mixed his mother’s and father’s, tied wildly in a dark chestnut blonde, Chiron couldn’t decide how he should feel upon greeting him.

“It’s fortunate that you look healthy. Lord Ares.”

“It’s always busy for me with divine duties never-ending. But I’m just glad to meet such a great warrior after a long time!”

The God of War. The King of Warriors. The Eternal Fighter.
The War God Ares.
The fact that he visited the land of small heroes was deeply unsettling as a mentor.
What troubled him even more was the presence of the goddess laughing and embracing him warmly.

“Kehihihi~ How have you been, Chiron? Glad to see you’re healthy. How’s it going with Chariclo?”

“Hahaha… Thanks to you, we’re doing well. Lady Eris.”

Whether the question about his well-being was genuine or a warning that he wouldn’t be well soon was uncertain.
The pink-haired goddess who conveyed such an ambiguous greeting.
The Goddess of Discord and Strife, Eris.
With the God of War and the Goddess of Discord appearing together, it was as if they were almost inseparable.
Chiron was even worried that a great war might break out in his sanctuary.

“Both of you, please be quiet. It’s noisy.”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

Fortunately, a goddess capable of easily controlling the two gods, who were notorious for causing incidents in Greece, was present.

“Ahem, Nemesis. Is this… really true?”

“Yes, Chiron. This has already been permitted by the Queen Hera and the King Zeus.”

Now hiding her black wings and the scale sword.
Nemesis of Judgment handed him a permit.

A permit allowing the three gods facing Chiron now to perform divine tasks in the Forest of Heroes.

“In the end… does Zeus desire war?”

-Crackle…!

Chiron fully understood the implications of these three gods performing divine acts in his forest. And his eyes flashed as he glared at Nemesis.