"Ding-dong~!"
Accompanied by the quivering sound of metal hitting the ground, the taut body opposite him collapsed in defeat.
"Forget it, she won't be fooled so easily..."
"Even if Athena is smart, she'll just think there's something fishy about my death. But without any evidence, she shouldn't link it to this. Besides, Crete is currently at odds with Atlantis, she's too busy dealing with Poseidon. Even if she suspects something, she might not dare to do anything to you."
Luo En slowly opened his eyes, picked up the bronze arrow that had fallen by his side, and sincerely handed it over.
"So, do you want to give it a try?"
However, his hand was violently knocked aside by an irritated Artemis before it even reached halfway.
"Hmph, am I the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity?!"
The Goddess of the Hunt glared at Luo En across from her with wide, angry eyes.
Are you not?
The way you were acting just now, you clearly wanted to stab me to death!
Luo En internally rolled his eyes at the thought, but kept a calm expression as he tossed the bronze arrow over his shoulder, forcing a contrite smile.
"Sorry, I only wanted to help, but I ended up dragging you into this mess..."
"What are you apologizing for? It was that bastard demigod of Poseidon who caused all this trouble, not you."
Artemis retorted coldly, her gaze turning sour as she looked at the other victim involved in the incident.
"I know who's at fault here, and I'm not so petty as to take it out on you."
Yes, yes, yes, you're clear about who you resent, you're morally superior! It's my fault for assuming the worst of you, noble as you are!
While secretly rolling his eyes again, Luo En's glancing gaze shifted to the arrow lying behind him.
And when he saw that bronze arrow, the one that nearly pierced his throat several feet away, his heart finally settled back into place, and a wave of relief washed over him, grateful he had survived the ordeal.
That was close, nearly got seduced and then slaughtered by this crazy woman.
Lucky I bet right!
This really is the kind of mule that you need to stroke the right way, clearly responds better to soft tactics than hard ones.
Luo En quietly observed Artemis's gradually softening expression and secretly heaved a sigh of relief. His racing mind began to recall what he knew about the Goddess of the Hunt.
She was a goddess of contradictory character, capable of both tender kindness and brutal vengeance.
It was said that the queen of Thebes, Niobe, because she had given birth to seven sons and seven daughters, arrogantly mocked Leto for having only two children, Apollo and Artemis, even boasting her own father could dine with the gods and prevented the Thebans from worshiping Leto.
Humiliated, Leto demanded that her son Apollo and daughter Artemis punish Niobe.
In anger, Apollo and Artemis descended to the mortal world and killed Niobe's seven sons and six daughters that she took so much pride in.
When it came to Niobe's youngest daughter, Artemis, feeling a twinge of mercy, stopped her hand and allowed Apollo to grant the child a long life.
"Is it Zeus?"
Upon hearing this name, Artemis's body visibly trembled, and the conclusion was self-evident.
Looking at the overreaction of the Goddess of the Hunt, Luo En suddenly recalled a legend.
Among the nymph attendants of Artemis, there was a demigod named Callisto, daughter of King Lycaon, who had sworn to remain chaste since childhood.
This mortal girl was unlike other nymphs, who loitered by streams all day, wandered through gardens, composing poetry, and dancing gracefully. She was always dressed for hunting, with a divine bow on her shoulder and a golden spear in her hand, following closely behind Artemis, chasing after wild beasts through the mountains and dense forests.
Due to their common interests and passions, Callisto had won the favor of the Goddess of the Hunt, and the two were inseparable, like a pair of close twin sisters.
However, one day, as Callisto was resting in the forest, she encountered the Divine King Zeus on a tour of the Mortal World. Upon seeing the beautiful Callisto, Zeus was stricken with desire, wanting to seduce the maiden and share her company.
To achieve his goal, Zeus transformed into the likeness of Artemis to approach Callisto. Unaware of this deception, the delighted Callisto, seeing the goddess approaching, warmly welcomed her.
It wasn't until "Artemis" (Zeus) kissed her that she realized the person before her was not the goddess she had vowed to follow.
But it was too late; her oath of chastity was defiled, and the divine authority of Artemis could no longer protect her safety.
Thus, Callisto was forced into union with Zeus against her will and subsequently conceived a child.
Not long after, Artemis discovered the secret and in a fit of rage, cast out the innocent Callisto...
Let's not discuss the rest of the story for now.
But, "dressed for hunting, with a divine bow on the shoulder, and a golden spear in hand, ardently pursuing wild beasts in the mountains and dense forests..." These descriptions of Callisto's attire and behavioral habits brought a strong sense of déjà vu to Luo En.
Luo En looked towards the present, his gaze landing softly on the Goddess of the Hunt who sat with hands clasping her knees.
Indeed, she was the very image of Artemis!
And the reason Zeus targeted Callisto was probably more than just what it seemed.
Perhaps, a substitute?
Taking into account Artemis's outraged response to expel Callisto, combined with his own understanding of the King of Olympus, the answers were self-evident.
—Zeus's affection for his daughter Artemis wasn't pure; it likely also contained an element of possession.
And indeed, such incestuous behavior wasn't unprecedented for the King of Olympus.
The Queen of the Underworld Persephone, who subsequently gave birth to the God of Wine Dionysus in his previous life and the Goddess of Conspiracy Melinoe in two separate ordeals, serves as a living testament.
Perhaps it was also for this reason that Artemis, having sensed this advance, swore an oath to Zeus, requesting that she become a virgin goddess, a guardian of chastity.
Considering the attitudes of the mother Goddess Leto and the God of Light Apollo, along with the negative repercussions from sleeping with the Queen of the Underworld Persephone, Zeus agreed to his daughter Artemis's plea to avoid having all three oppose him by siding with another faction.
But all along, he never extinguished that covetous desire.
The fate of the nymph Callisto serves as the best proof.
And now, Artemis's oath of chastity has also been broken...
In that moment, contemplating all of this, Luo En couldn't help but realize the gravity of the situation.