Artemis frowned, not grasping the meaning behind the words.
“What do you mean by ‘make me a god’? What are you talking about?”
She glanced toward the secret room, seemingly implying that whoever was speaking about the nectar was saying something ridiculous.
Assuming one were to drink the nectar and extend their lifespan by a thousand years, as mentioned earlier:
Wouldn’t the youthful goddess Hebe, who manages the nectar, question this first?
And the absurdity of an extended lifespan would surely prompt Hades, god of the Underworld, to raise an issue with Olympus.
“Two hundred years ago, remember what happened to the female priest who secretly took a sip of nectar… Artemis, do you recall?”
“Of course, she was made to vomit and expel the nectar.”
“Exactly. You might deceive other gods, but Hebe and Hades can’t be tricked. They will surely reclaim the stolen nectar and the soul whose lifespan has ended.”
“But… you’re my priest. Can’t I just protect you?”
The problem was that this naive goddess believed anything she thought of was possible.
If a human were to drink nectar and become a god without the gods’ consent,
would they really accept it?
It was as clear as day that the gods of Olympus would unite in opposition.
It seemed this troublesome goddess had forgotten the intense conflict I had already provoked with Zeus.
“Artemis, listen carefully. If you want to do whatever you please, you need to possess the corresponding power. For both of us.”
“So you’re saying that to make me a god, I need a power that no one can question?”
“Exactly.”
I resolved to myself to enhance Artemis’s dignity, which seemed to be diminished because of how she underestimated herself.
Once she attained a higher divine rank, she could directly elevate me to godhood.
And ultimately…
“To surpass your father.”
“You’re right.”
“How can this even be possible?”
As she nodded reluctantly, Artemis’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit, and she shook her head vigorously.
She was clearly trembling, rejecting the idea outright.
It made sense; having grown up with a father holding a godhood as immense as Mount Tai,
the thought of surpassing him must have been unimaginable to her.
Perhaps she had even dismissed such audacious thoughts out of respect.
“But if your dignity and divine rank were higher, even if you forced me to drink nectar, the gods wouldn’t dare to object.”
“Even so, how can I drive my father off his throne?! It’s impossible, I can’t!”
Did this young woman think my words suggested chasing Zeus out of Olympus?
Her imagination raced faster than the internet.
“Being ‘better’ doesn’t necessarily mean removing your father from the throne.”
“Why not? Dad is the strongest, after all.”
“Hmm… Let’s set ourselves a more realistic goal. How about Athena?”
“Big sister…?”
Her eyes, which had been full of confusion and anxiety, started regaining hope at the mention of Athena’s name.
Instead of an insurmountable wall, giving her a smaller hurdle to leap over had reduced her burden.
“Right. Do you ever see Zeus interfering with anything Athena does?”
“…No?”
“When she makes big mistakes, all Zeus ever does is coddle her, saying ‘Dear, dear, our daughter.'”
“Come to think of it, that’s true.”
Of course.
Athena was Zeus’s eldest daughter.
Even if I manipulated Athena’s emotions about Metis,
Zeus wouldn’t reprimand or punish his own daughter.
Instead, he’d only plot my demise.
“But what about your brother Apollo? When he acted foolishly, Zeus sent him down to the human world where he became a mere shepherd.”
“That’s Apollo’s dark history. Mentioning it might land you a front-row seat on the Underworld Express?”
Artemis, adding a commentary about a story even she hesitated to bring up, placed one finger to her lips.
Oh my, what a silly mouth I have.
Fortunately, there were no eavesdroppers inside Artemis’s chamber.
Still, why did I feel so curious about the look Apollo would wear if confronted with that dark past?
If one day he refused to acknowledge our relationship and turned foe,
I might use this dark history to expose him to the world.
In any case, Artemis seemed to grasp what was required of her to spend more time with me.
Now, all that was needed was to steadily move forward in the right direction.
“So~”
“What, what is it?”
Startled as I approached her abruptly, Artemis stumbled backward in retreat.
I continued toward her,
and she kept retreating.
Thud.
Her back hit the wall, and just as she tried to escape sideways,
I slammed my hands against the wall, trapping her within my arms.
“What are you doing?! Can’t you move?”
“…”
“Get out of the way already!”
As another strange atmosphere began to rise, she struggled but couldn’t adapt.
Trying to escape the situation, she kicked my shin.
But unfortunately for her, my shins were already swollen and I couldn’t feel the pain.
Lifting her chin gently with my right hand, I forced her to look me in the eyes.
“As I strive to be officially recognized by all the gods as your boyfriend…”
“…?”
“Artemis, you should also struggle within the rules to get what you want, without resorting to shortcuts like nectar…”
When I released my hand from her chin,
Artemis collapsed to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.
Could she sense that she had been bested?
She blushed, huffing and puffing, so I gave her a stylish wink and left her chamber.
A thousand years of life?
Nectar?
Absolutely not worth it.
What good would they serve?
Right now, confirming her desire to stay with me long term fills me with a joy far greater than becoming a god.
Artemis.
Even though I couldn’t say it directly, let me share a thought with you.
Even without the emotions of love,
not a single day in the year I’ve spent with you has been dull.
Before turning the corner down the corridor, I glanced back through the slightly opened door of her chamber, smiling faintly, then returned to my quarters.
The next morning.
A priest’s day begins and ends with public grievances.
It had been days since I’d entrusted the customer service counter to a few priestesses due to my frequent trips.
“Today I’ll clear out all the accumulated complaints.”
– I intended to travel to Ditesia but was caught riding the carriage without a ticket because I lacked the fare. The driver now demands five silver coins. Please help resolve this with Priest Ark.
“Seriously? What an absurd complaint.”
Such shameless grievances seem to be on the rise, thanks to rumors that I resolve issues well.
This only drowns out the voices of truly struggling citizens.
Since the grievance was a crime, I promptly sent a fifty-bronze administrative notice of fine. Originally, it would have cost one silver coin but, as it was a confession, I halved the penalty.
Pay five silver coins to the driver as well.
Tap
I finally managed to process all the complaints by five o’clock in the afternoon.
With an hour left before quitting time, I tried to relax in my personal office when,
“Knock knock.”
Someone knocked cautiously on the door.
“Come in.”
A mailman entered the office, holding a letter of premium paper.
It looked like a reply to the invitation I sent two days ago to Hestia.
If she consented, Hestia would visit our temple this evening.
“Master Ark, Hestia’s reply has arrived.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The mailman respectfully handed me the letter then left.
With Artemis’s prior permission to read replies, I immediately opened the wax seal with the hearth insignia and read the response.
—
Dear, sweet,
Artemis,
Our Artemis who always surveys the world from the peaks of the mountains, enjoying the freedom of solitude.
How surprised I was to receive such a polite and formal evening invitation from you.
However, Artemis?
The human world may be calm, but Olympus is anything but. It’s on the brink of a major storm.
Zeus tosses and turns sleeplessly over the Metis matter, while
Hera weeps in rage, day after day, celebrating the promotion of someone else.
Though Demeter and I try to console Hera, she only awaits the upcoming emergency conference with trepidation.
In such precarious times, if I were to visit Artemis’s temple,
the situation might escalate uncontrollably.
Thus, your first-ever evening invitation brings me joy and yet, fills me with awkwardness.
If you don’t mind, would you kindly reissue your invitation after the conference is over?
P.S.
The agenda of the conference includes the Metis matter and the dismissal of Priest Ark.
May both of you remain cautious so as not to incur unnecessary harm.
—
“Rejected, I see…”
The letter was infused with Hestia’s peaceful nature.
Her deep awareness of her own position and the inability to act rashly tinged her words with regret.
As Athena had predicted, Hestia truly seemed to favor neutrality.
My aim of forging a personal connection with her was dashed.
On second thought, this was rather normal.
Just as working in a temple didn’t guarantee meeting other gods,
living in Seoul didn’t mean you’d meet celebrities on your daily commute.
Indeed, meeting several gods recently had been quite the stroke of luck.
“Still, it’s a shame. I prepared tteokbokki and fried snacks thinking Hestia might come tonight… sigh.”
Tteokbokki has long been a favorite homemade dish of mine.
Dipping fried foods into the tteokbokki broth is a heavenly taste known only to those who understand.
Though I’d intended to make blood sausage too, I simply lacked the ingredients and the recipe.
The third labor’s reward would now be a private dinner for Artemis and myself.
Still, with the confirmation of how we truly feel,
I couldn’t contain my elevated spirits.
I was looking forward to tonight’s dinner.
“Perhaps I should show off my culinary skills this rare occasion?”
Having neatly folded the reply letter and placed it in my pocket, I headed straight to the kitchen.
