บท 49: Artemis's 'Hunt'
Saying this, Althaea came to Meleager, put down the lamp, and carefully checked him over.
After confirming that he was unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Of course I'm fine, but..." The latter began recounting the main events of the hunting festival to her.
"And just now, I already saw my father and told him everything... My friend, Promise, not only won the hunting festival but also requested a gift from Artemis to hunt that monstrous boar!"
Meleager spoke with a hint of pride.
On the night after the hunting festival, he had encountered Actaeon, who had turned into a giant stag monster, and naturally learned from him, who claimed to be Tony Chopper, about Promise's request to Artemis.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Althaea responded with delight after hearing Meleager's story.
"Of course, I think so too, but... my uncle doesn't think so."
Meleager helplessly told his mother, "He believes my friend could not possibly have won the hunting festival and is unworthy of such an honor. So he publicly declared that the honor should belong to us!"
As he spoke, Meleager's expression clearly showed his anger.
Toxeus was the hunter who had been questioning Promise's victory the day after the hunting festival.
He was also one of the relatives who, unable to tolerate Atalanta receiving the boar's hide, tried to seize it and was ultimately killed by Meleager in a fit of rage.
Althaea, seeing Meleager's angry expression, opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words, her face showing some helplessness.
She knew this was something Toxeus would say.
Being prouder and more self-righteous than anyone else, Althaea knew her brother's character all too well.
"Son, do you think that honor should belong to you?" After thinking for a moment, Althaea asked.
"Mother, what are you saying? How could I think that!" Meleager looked at his mother with disbelief and said, "I know the courage of my friend better than anyone ...know his heroic spirit!
You should know that his dream is to become a hero, and he wouldn't mind losing his life in the pursuit of that dream!"
"I seem to recall you mentioning someone like that," Althaea said, tilting her head slightly. "Wasn't it your classmate from when you were studying, named... Promise?"
She remembered clearly.
Wanting to become a hero wasn't unusual, but being so determined to die on the path to heroism, to the point where everyone had to stop him from going down the mountain, was unheard of!
"That's right, it's him," Meleager nodded and replied, "Mother, you should know that he is my best friend.
And it was a gift from Artemis herself. He could have asked the great goddess for anything else—wealth, power, or strength.
But even so, he requested to hunt the Calydonian Boar from the goddess... So, Mother, tell me, how can I tolerate my uncle slandering him like this!"
---
Under the night sky,
In a forest in ancient Greece.
Promise lit a campfire, which illuminated the darkness of the forest.
The pegasus that had flown all day folded its silver-white wings and grazed on the tender grass nearby.
Though it had flown all day, the pegasus didn't feel tired, primarily because it flew slowly to accommodate Promise and Atalanta... mostly Promise.
Despite this, by tomorrow, it would have carried Promise to Calydon.
Atalanta wasn't there at the moment; she had gone hunting for tonight's dinner.
Just as Promise finished setting up a simple tent and was about to rest, the Pegasus suddenly lifted its head and looked into the distance.
It then turned its head to look at Promise, sniffing his scent.
"What's wrong, Pegasus?"
The pegasus didn't respond to his confusion; after confirming the scent was the same and there was no danger, it softly neighed and spread its wings.
It then ran back into the night sky.
As Promise raised his head, puzzled by the scene...
"Promise, have you noticed your hair has grown much longer?"
A familiar silver-bell voice softly sounded in his ear.
Before he could turn around, he felt someone behind him, gently stroking his hair.
Because she was so close, Promise could even smell her unique fragrance.
Now he knew why Pegasus had suddenly left and who was behind him.
He didn't panic, as he had anticipated her arrival... In fact, the delay of her appearance was the surprising part.
"Really... It does seem a bit longer," Promise replied after coming to his senses.
It had been three or four months since he parted ways with Jason.
Due to his busy schedule, he hadn't noticed, but now, reminded by the goddess behind him, he realized his hair had almost reached his shoulders.
He continued, "After this Calydonian Boar hunt, I'll cut it... Or maybe, kind Goddess Athena, would you cut it for me?"
Saying this, Promise finally turned to look behind him.
He saw the smiling, silver-haired, golden-eyed goddess.
Under the light of the campfire, she appeared as elegant and beautiful as ever.
Athena's beauty was undeniable.
In the Golden Apple incident in Greek mythology, she was one of the three goddesses eligible to compete for the apple inscribed "For the most beautiful."
The other two were Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, and Hera, the queen of the gods.
"Cut it? Why?" Athena blinked gently and said, "It would be such a pity to cut it; your hair is so beautiful...
And don't you think that since your hair grew longer, you look more elegant and charming when you paint or play music?"
"Really?" Promise asked, puzzled since he couldn't see himself.
"Of course," Athena nodded, her golden eyes reflecting the boy who looked nothing like a hero, with a natural aura of an artist or poet. "So don't cut it, just leave it as it is."
"But if I don't cut it, it will be too long and uncomfortable, and it feels cumbersome to manage."
Athena laughed, then reached into her beautiful long hair, pulled out a few silver strands, and used them as a simple hair tie.
She then moved behind Promise and tied his hair into a ponytail.
After stepping back and examining the boy with her golden eyes, she nodded appreciatively.
Even with such a simple change, Promise looked much more refreshing and handsome, his artistic aura even more pronounced.
Athena remarked, "If you paired this with a fitting gift, even Apollo couldn't help but admire you."
...Wait, why Apollo, the god of light?
Recalling the 'glorious' exploits of Apollo in Greek mythology, for a moment, Promise suddenly wanted to cut his hair.
"No, you can't," Athena said with a bright smile, as if she had seen through Promise's thoughts. "It's so beautiful; if you cut it, I'll be angry!"
Hearing this, the latter was speechless for a moment.
Forget it, he thought.
'If I do encounter Apollo, I'll call on Asclepius and his kin. If that doesn't work, I can still seek out the handsome man from Sparta or even Paris!'
With that thought, Promise decided not to worry about his hair any longer.
Instead, he turned to Athena and said seriously, "Goddess Athena, I have fulfilled the oracle you gave me."
"Yes," Athena nodded, replying softly, "I know. I have been watching you all along."
"Thank you, Goddess Athena. But... I have a question about this matter," Promise said, glancing at the night sky in the direction Pegasus had flown. "Now that Pegasus is willing to follow me and can indeed help me hunt the Calydonian Boar, I don't think I can withstand its running and becoming a falling star again."
His body had not recovered and was even weaker than before.
When it came time to hunt, he suspected that he might collapse before the Calydonian Boar even understood what was happening.
Athena still had a smile on her face when she heard this because she had already guessed that Promise would bring up this issue.
This was also one of the reasons she came to find him tonight.
"It's okay because when you caught that silver star, the trial was already over."
She softly replied to Promise, "Whether it's the hunt for the Calydonian Boar or your bet with the Fate Goddess Clotho, the outcome has already been decided... You've won, Promise."
"...Eh?" Upon hearing this, Promise felt puzzled and somewhat surprised as he looked at Athena.
In his view, the matter was not yet finished and still lacked the final step. However, he understood that Athena would not deceive him.
"Your bet with the Fate Goddess Clotho was about not backing down in the face of the Moon Goddess Artemis's wrath, thus changing Actaeon's fate. And without a doubt, you achieved that during the hunting festival."
Recalling the bet with Clotho, Promise hesitated for a moment before saying, "But I did meet Meleager on the way, and his fate... Moreover, I heard from Clotho that Actaeon's matter isn't over. His fate is now intertwined with Meleager's."
"That's true, but that's just an excuse Clotho used because she did't want to admit the truth," Athena nodded and didn't deny it. She continued, "Promise, you've already won. Now, you only need to complete the hunt for the Calydonian Boar to make her see clearly."
"As for the hunt for the Calydonian Boar... When you completed my oracle and caught that silver star, you had already succeeded."
"Because what you're facing next is not a trial, but a reward."
"A reward?" Promise looked at Athena, puzzled.
How could hunting that monster be a reward?
"Yes." Athena nodded, and her gaze became even gentler as she looked at the bot. "Not only is it the gift Artemis promised you, but it is also the reward for completing my trial. Moreover... it's part of my vow to you."
A vow?
Wait, does this mean I can die now?
Just as Promise had this thought, Athena suddenly appeared in front of him and lightly knocked on his head.
"What are you thinking? My vow cannot be that cheap!" The goddess said with a bit of annoyance. "
Did you forget, I said I would witness and help you become the brightest star of this era, making your name resonate throughout the world!"
"Oh... So what should I do?" Promise asked instinctively, holding his head.
Athena only smiled mysteriously and said, "It's a secret... but you will find out tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Promise finally realized that the matter of the Calydonian Boar was no longer an issue and that everything had already been resolved.
However, just as he was about to relax,
"But Promise, actually, this isn't the main reason I came to see you tonight. There's something else I need to tell you..."
He saw Athena's lips curl into a smile... and at that moment, Promise shivered!
He was all too familiar with this smile.
It was the same smile she had when she sent him to the river goddess and when she asked him to catch a falling star.
In fact, when Hera mistook someone for him, Athena had the same smile!
"Can I choose not to listen?" Promise couldn't help but ask.
"Of course you can." To his surprise, Athena agreed very quickly, and her smile grew even wider.
"Then I guess I'll listen," Promise said dejectedly, looking resigned to his fate.
"... Why does it feel like it's my fault?"
Athena couldn't help but knock on hia head again. Seeing his confused look that seemed to say, "Isn't it?" she explained, "Let me make it clear, this time it really has nothing to do with me. It's your own fault, Promise."
"Me?" The latter was bewildered.
"Didn't you promise Artemis you would paint a picture for her?" Athena's smile grew even more pronounced as she revealed the reason.
Instantly, Promise's eyes widened in recollection.
"Little Promise, you don't think Artemis is as patient as I am, do you? She agreed to give you some time to prepare, but... how long do you think that time is?"
Looking at the smiling Athena in front of him, Promise couldn't help but swallow, his voice trembling as he asked, "H-how long?"
"Half a month... that should be the absolute limit."
Athena tilted her head thoughtfully and smiled. "At the very least, it could be just three or five days... anyway, if she doesn't receive that offering within a week, Promise, you'd better be mentally prepared to face her... hunt!"
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