章 145: That's the real her
"Honorable, ancient Goddess Nyx, is there something you need from me?"
In fact, the dawn should have broken more than ten minutes ago.
But just as the Sun God Helios was preparing to open the heavy doors of his divine palace, ready to drive his chariot, drawn by four fiery horses, and illuminate the world, the Goddess of Night, Nyx, appeared in front him, smiling as she held him back.
"It's nothing major," the goddess draped in the starry night sky responded with a soft smile. "It's just that there's a child who wishes for the night to last a little longer today."
Wearing her cloak of darkness and stars, she continued, "So, Sun God Helios, would you mind raising the sun a bit later today?"
"This..." Helios hesitated.
"Not too much longer," Seeing this, the Night Goddess continued with a chuckle,"Just half an hour later than usual will do."
Hearing this, Helios immediately breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "If it's just that, then of course, there's no problem.
By the way, may I ask who this child is, the one for whom you're willing to delay the sunrise?"
"His name is Promise," The goddess of night answered. "A very interesting child."
---
...
And now,
At that very moment,
In the natural paradise of Arcadia, on the plains outside the city.
The night still lingered, as did the final moments of this evening yet to end.
Promise had finally arrived before Atalanta.
Standing in front of her in his disheveled embarrassed state, with dirt and exhaustion clinging to him, Atalanta found herself recalling the strange words he had uttered earlier—about goddesses being jealous.
Curious, she opened her mouth to ask more.
"Forget it, that's just a minor issue," Promise interrupted, shaking his head lightly, brushing aside her confusion as his clear, emerald eyes gazed steadily at her, unwavering.
"The time hasn't passed yet. After all, the sun hasn't risen. Isn't that right, Atalanta?"
His hair was messy, his clothes a little tattered, and there were even a few cuts on his body.
But even so, in Atalanta's eyes, he was still so... very handsome.
"Then, my esteemed huntress," Promise said, his tone as warm as ever, "Would you be willing to grant this person standing before you—the one who nearly arrived late—an opportunity to make up for it?"
"Will you... accept my challenge?"
As Promise finished speaking, a silver meteor fell from the starry sky.
The crowd gasped in astonishment as the silver meteor revealed itself to be the winged Pegasus, who unfolded its majestic silver wings and landed beside Promise.
The beautiful and artistic creature looked at him with an innocent expression, as if to say, "Don't blame me for being late!"
After all, the Moon Goddess Artemis had aimed her arrows at Pegasus the entire time, leaving the poor creature too scared to descend earlier.
Atalanta didn't respond immediately.
She stood there silently for a moment, looking at the young man in front of her.
Then, without a word, she stepped forward, took out a small ribbon from her body, and gently began to tie Promise's messy hair back into place.
"You didn't need to come," Atalanta said calmly. "I've already taken care of everything."
Her father, Iasus, the king this kingdom had already conceded.
"No, I had to come," Promise replied, standing still as she tied his hair.
He looked into her eyes and said. "Because fate can't be avoided, and I'm here to help you rewrite it."
Just like during Goddess Artemis' hunting festival, when Promise had rewritten the fates of the giant stag Actaeon and Meleager, Atalanta had witnessed firsthand how he could alter destiny.
She knew that Promise was the only one in the entire world capable of shaking the future that Clotho, the Goddess of Fate, had foretold.
"How can you rewrite fate... by beating me in the race?" Atalanta asked, her deep green eyes glancing at him.
"Exactly," Promise answered confidently, with a smile.
"...I don't think I'll lose," The huntress remarked, casting a glance at Pegasus. "Don't forget that we have already competed once in Calydon, and the result was that you lost."
Hearing this, Pegasus immediately shouted in dissatisfaction.
That loss was totally his master's fault! If not for him being so weak, there's no way they would have lost to her back then!
"Indeed, Brother Pegasus here wasn't up to the task," Promise agreed, nodding with her.
"Neigh?!" Pegasus turned to him in disbelief.
'What do you mean, 'I wasn't up to the task'? You're obviously the one who wasn't up to the task.
Hell, you couldn't even beat a little girl!'
"So this time," Promise didn't care about his blaming look and continued, "I'm racing you myself."
When he said this, Atalanta, who had just finished tying his hair, took two steps back, and looked at the boy in front of her in surprise.
"This race will be witnessed by the gods," Promise declared. "And I will not borrow any power from the gods.. I'll beat you fair and square, Atalanta... This time, I'll make sure you lose with no room for doubt!"
As Promise said this, even Pegasus stopped its protests and looked at him intently.
Even the gods, who were watching from above, blinked in surprise.
'Is he serious?:
Atalanta was fast.. incredibly fast. In fact, in this era, there was only one person who could really compete with her in speed, and that was Hercules.
Now hearing him say that he would run against her without any help...
And then.
'Slap!'
"Ouch! Why did you hit me?!" Promise yelped, clutching his head and staring at Atalanta in shock.
"Even though you're speaking seriously... sorry," Atalanta said, her eyes scanning him from head to toe, the person who was universally acknowledged by both gods and heroes as the weakest in all of ancient Greece.
"Do you know that when you say this, it really makes people feel that you are looking down on the other person, and therefore you really deserve a beating?"
Hearing her words, for a moment, Promise didn't understand, until he heard Pegasus laughing beside him.
Only then did he realize that Atalanta was trying to say that he was a weakling.
Now Promise was angry.
Sure, it was true... but that didn't mean she could just say it!
Just as he was about to protest angrily, Promise suddenly froze, his eyes locking onto Atalanta's face.
And at that moment, not only him, but all the onlookers present watching the scene—those who had come to witness the event, the challengers and the injured who had failed before, even Atalanta's father—all froze in disbelief.
Because, Atalanta was smiling.
In the soft glow of the lingering moonlight, her smile was radiant, as though she had transformed into a goddess herself.
"You're Surprised, right?" In the distance, Meleager, who was wrapped in bandages and staying with the giant deer Actaeon, looked at the smiling Atalanta and then at the dazed crowd.
With a resigned tone, he commented, "This is her true self. What we've seen until now was only the surface."
Atalanta then turned back to Promise, finally responded with determination in her voice, though, there was a smile still lingering on her beautiful face.
"Alright. I accept your challenge."
"Chase me then. I will give it my all... Even though I know you intend to change my fate, I will never deliberately lose to you."
"Ah!" Promise smiled in return, matching her seriousness. "I will catch you, Atalanta, because I promised you—I will change your fate!"
As the two spoke these words, and with the gods watching, the long-awaited race was set to begin.
At that moment, the delayed sunrise finally broke through the sky.
The night gave way to dawn as the first rays of light stretched across the horizon.
The crowd watched from a distance as Promise and Atalanta came to the three-foot wooden stake.
Pegasus, having folded its wings, stood quietly by Promise's side, its innocent expression masking any guilt.
"I think I know who he is now," someone in the crowd suddenly said.
"What a coincidence, I was thinking the same... And if it's really him, everything makes perfect sense.
It seems like the person she's been waiting for all along was him," Another person took over the conversation and sighed.
Some people gradually came back to their senses, while others were still confused, when suddenly, a bard with yellow-orange hair and matching eyes appeared among them, playing his lyre as he sang tales of the hero standing before them.
Atalanta's fame had grown immensely.
Because she had participated in the famous events such as hunting sacrifices of the moon goddess Artemis, the falling meteor, the wild boar of Calydon, and the subjugation of the monster Chimera.
These stories had spread far and wide, elevating her renown.
But who was the real protagonist of these tales?
"The devoted follower of Hera, the student of the centaur sage Chiron, the hero chosen by the Goddess of Wisdom, the one who seeks the Trial of the Golden Fleece—Promise!"
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