บท 23: Chapter 23 - Casca
(3rd POV)
"Irrrrrr!" Scarlet neighed, posing next to her owner, suspending everyone.
Casca looked at the beautiful flaming equine in surprise.
{A horse?} She mentally exclaimed, as the horse rubbed its head against Apollo.
"Calm down, Scarlet; it's only been a short time since we last saw each other." Apollo said, petting his girl.
Strangely, Casca felt jealous of the affection Scarlet was receiving, but the concept of jealousy was something new to Casca, so she simply ignored this feeling.
Meanwhile, Chiron frowned slightly in recognition of this carriage.
Chiron may have been imprisoned most of his life, but he still recognized this chariot.
"Lord Helios's carriage!?" Even Chiron, who spent all his years in this village until today, knew that this carriage belonged to another being.
"Yes and no." Gently, Apollo pushed Scarlet away. "That chariot belonged to Helios, but it was passed on to me along with the title of the only Greek sun god."
Surprise washes over Chiron's face.
"So, Lord Helios has withdrawn from Olympus?"
"Yes, let's say he retired due to contribution time."
Chiron didn't quite understand, but at least he understood that Helios was no longer the Greek god of the sun.
Seeing the wisest centaur showing a face of understanding, Apollo turned to the group of four naked women.
"To be honest, there's not much I can do to help them." Apollo said it sincerely, but there wasn't much reaction from them; only Fighter and Wizard made a strange expression.
Casca just moved her hand, grabbing Apollo's clothes.
"But that doesn't mean there isn't a better person than me for this; my sister, Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt fits this role better, being the only option I can think of." Apollo said, swinging his hand, manipulating the sunlight and creating golden clothes on the bodies of these naked women.
A small reaction was shown from these four women; even though she was physically and mentally broken, they knew that the best option was the moon goddess.
Deep in their hearts, they were grateful to the sun god, but her fear of the opposite sex was rooted in her soul, as they had survived hell, and months of abuse didn't help much in that regard.
"Do you four want this?" Apollo's tone was as gentle as possible.
One of the four girls, the one with blonde hair, slowly turned her head, not looking into Apollo's eyes, and slowly shook her head in affirmation.
All the other women just stayed silent but seemed to agree with the blonde-haired girl's answer.
"Good." Apollo exclaimed with a smile and looked at the Wizard and Fighter.
"The same goes for you two; I'm sure my sister would love having strong girls in her squad."
Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, so it was only fair to have a strong band of hunters.
"Serving a God, let alone Artemis, that seems like a good deal." Fighter gave a smile, agreeing to the proposal.
Fighter did not have a place to return since her father, the man she admired and who had taught her martial arts long ago, had died.
And directly serving God was the fulfillment of many people in Greece.
"Great, is that your Wizard?"
"I appreciate it, but I'll have to deny it. I need to get back to my little brother." She said it with a slight smile.
Apollo avoids asking her brother's name at all costs, for his own sanity.
"I see. When you find your brother, you will be welcomed to Delphi, which is a place I command."
Wizard had a talent for magic, so she would be a good addition to Delphi.
"I will keep that in mind, Lord Apollo." A slight smile formed on Wizard's lips.
Having a home to go to after finding her brother was really good.
Her brother was moody and irreverent, but he was still her little brother.
{I hope Wizard Boy is okay.} Wizard prayed for her brother's well-being.
As Wizard thought about this, Apollo turned to Casca.
"Casca, what do you want to do?"
Unlike Wizard and Fighter and even the four girls, Apollo was even kinder and softer, especially considering that this girl seemed quite attached to him.
"Hmmm… I…"
Casca looked embarrassed, but gathering all her courage, she opened her lips.
"I wish to follow and serve you, Lord Apollo... if possible?" Her voice weakened on the last part of her sentence.
Casca lowered her head, thinking her request was too much.
After all, she is a woman who came from a remote village in the mountains, while her father was a humble hunter who needed to feed six children, and her mother was a simple woman without any notable qualities.
Casca couldn't see why such a stunning and powerful God would accept a 14-year-old brat beside her.
Apollo was the God of the sun, light, music, art, and a bunch of other divinities, while she is a woman of no quality who would certainly at some point be sent to serve some nobleman.
That thought surrounded her mind like a raging storm, and then, with her head down, the only thing she could see was Apollo raising his hand.
Even though she didn't want to, the thought that crossed her mind was that she would be slapped.
But the only thing she received was Apollo's warm, comfortable hand on her hair.
It was the second time he did this, and it was even better than the first. Casca felt that if this continued, she would end up becoming addicted to Apollo's touch.
"Of course, it will be my honor to train a person as talented as you, Casca." Apollo's voice was humble and gentle.
Even though Apollo was the god of numerous divinities, he did not show arrogance towards people who, in theory, would be of low status.
"Thank you, Lord Apollo." Casca gave a big smile full of happiness.
Casca's smile was so beautiful that it infected Apollo, who couldn't help but smile too.
And seeing that there was only one matter left to resolve, Apollo turned towards the matter, while Casca stood closer to her God.
"I'm sorry, Chiron, but unfortunately I can't send you to my sister. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Sending Chiron to his sister didn't even cross Apollo's mind. Especially because he knew his sister well.
Artemis didn't hate the opposite gender, but she also wouldn't put a man in her band of hunters.
"Actually, I already had something in mind from the beginning."
Saying this, Chiron bows to Apollo.
"Lord Apollo, could you train me?" Chiron's request came from the depths of his soul.
Chiron's sudden request left Apollo surprised.
Chiron's talent was far above that of the girls present.
After all, Chiron was a god, a descendant of Kronos, and a half-brother of Zeus.
Polishing this dormant talent of Chiron was to Apollo's liking.
{This could end up becoming a hobby.} Apollo thought, imagining how many dormant talents there were in Greece.
Even though Apollo did not have desires like the other gods, it can be said that a small desire for talented beings began to grow in him.
"If you don't mind being trained by your nephew, that's fine with me."
"Thank you, teacher." Chiron exclaimed respectfully, without minding calling his nephew a teacher.
The situation was resolved, and all that was left was to send the girls to where Artemis was.
"Fighter and Wizard, can you two put the girls in the carriage?"
"Okay~." Fighter agreed immediately, and Wizard nodded in confirmation.
The two girls began to help the four women into the carriage, which was large enough to fit all of them easily.
The moment they were placed in Apollo's chariot, a gentle warmth from the sun washed over these women. It was the same heat that Apollo emanated, but it was a little warmer.
Naturally, they felt better, and a little life came into their eyes.
Wizard got out while Fighter remained in the carriage.
"Girl, you just need to follow the sun, and it will lead you towards Delos." Apollo ran his hand through the horse's mane, and with his other hand, he pointed to the sun that was shining brightly.
"Irrrrrrrrrr." Scarlet neighed nobly and began to trot, directly following the sun.
"Thank you, Lord Apollo. And see you later, Wizard." Fighter said goodbye to her rescuer and her friend with a confident smile.
Wizard restrainedly waved at her as well. Even though they were friends, it was time for them to separate from each other for a while.
"That's settled." As he said this, Apollo's eyes went slightly to the left, where he saw the centaur leader with several blades on his body.
"Hmm." Apollo muttered.
"What's wrong, teacher?" Chiron questioned.
"Nothing." Apollo waved his hand like it was no big deal.
"By the way, where are we?"
"In Aeolia, teacher."
(A/N Aeolia is the ancient name of Thessaly in Greece.}
"Interesting." Apollo said, placing his hand on his chin.
Aeolia was a place that could be considered sacred, as it was the site of the battle between the Titans and the Olympians, known as the famous Titanomachy.
Since the Plain of Aeolia is between Mount Oeta and Mount Olympus, at least in this historical time.
{Truly an interesting place, but I don't know where to go.} Apollo thought, as a 'corpse' began to move.
The centaur leader flexed his paws and raised his hands in silence, as his hand slowly reached for the rudimentary sword at his side.
He grabbed the handle tightly and, discreetly and without making noise, began to go towards the nearest Wizard.
Chiron and the two girls didn't notice, as their backs were to the centaur leader, while Apollo was supposedly in the depths of his thoughts with his head down.
The centaur leader raised his sword, and with veins bulging from his hand, he swung the sword down towards Casca.
The sound of the blade cutting against the wind caught everyone's attention.
Casca turned around but the only thing she saw was the blade heading towards her.
Her eyes naturally closed, but nothing happened, the only thing she heard was.
"You don't know when I gave up, do you?" Apollo's beautiful voice echoed throughout that dying place. Obviously, Apollo already knew that this centaur was alive, and that was great; after all, this centaur still had a purpose to fulfill before he died.
Casca opened her black eyes and saw her attacker tied up by something that looked like rope, but the rope was so incandescent that it looked like he was tied up by flames.
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL."
The leader exclaimed as they tried to free themselves from the ropes, but his muscles didn't move a single centimeter. In addition to the countless blades on its body.
{I… nearly… died.} Casca thought.
Again, her weakness was glaring; if it weren't for her god, she would be on the floor in a pool of blood beneath her.
"Well, I have to admit that his vitality is on another level." Apollo moved towards Casca, who seemed to be shaking.
"YOU DAMN GOD..."
Before he could finish, Apollo swung his hand, creating a rope of Incandescent, which tied his mouth while burning it.
Moving his other hand, he places it on Casca's shoulder, which awakens her from her fear and her highly derogatory thoughts.
Her black eyes turned to Apollo, who was looking at her warmly.
"Lord Apollo."
"You feel weak, don't you?"
"Yes." Casca bit her lip in frustration.
She considered herself a weak woman, whose only quality was being a woman.
From her point of view, the only thing that could be taken advantage of was her gender.
Apollo couldn't know about this complex in her, but he could understand the feeling of helplessness, even more so considering his other life in question.
Apollo moved his hand from her shoulder, gently sliding it down Casca's arm, making her blush like crazy.
Apollo's arm passed through Casca's hand, opening it, her fingers intertwined with hers, and then he moved his hand to the side, grabbing a blade of light embedded in the ground.
Pulling the luminous blade out, Apollo slowly brought it closer to Casca.
And he gently placed the sword in her hand and ran his palm over the back of Casca's hand, putting light pressure on her hand.
Casca, pressed by Apollo's body, felt the gentle warmth and the smell reminiscent of spring, and naturally, her hand held the blade of light.
"Weakness is something natural in human beings." Apollo said as he gently lifted Casca's arm upwards.
"The human being, unlike the gods, is born weak and extremely defenseless, but this same weakness over time fades away and is replaced by strength, just not any type of strength." Apollo lets go of Casca's hand, but I remain behind her.
"The primordial strength of human beings is willpower; any being without willpower can never become strong, but your human beings are the ones who have this type of strength the most." His voice entered Casca's ear like the most sacred gospel in the world.
"Casca, show me your beautiful willpower." Apollo's tone seemed like the most beautiful musical note.
And this musical note, which was just the voice of her God, entered deep into Casca's mind.
Then, with her arms raised, she held the blade of light with all her weak strength.
"Ahhhhh!" A scream came from Casca's lungs, and she brought the blade down on the centaur's neck to decapitate him.
However, her arms were thin and weak, making her unable to decapitate him.
The blade went deep into his neck, making blood spray but not killing him.
But like an animal, Casca screamed, pulling the blade back, placing the hilt over her chest, and with both hands holding the hilt, she thrust the blade towards the middle of his forehead.
The blade went through his forehead, spilling a waterfall of blood, as Casca continued to force her body forward, always pushing the blade deeper and deeper.
The blade went completely through the centaur leader's brain and came out the other side of his head.
But Casca refused to let go of the blade her God gave her, trapped in a body as disgusting as a centaur's.
Using her little strength she pulls the blade back, making the blade come out of the Centaur's head, but thanks to inertia, Casca falls back, however, instead of feeling the ground she just felt Apollo picking her up in his arms.
"Hehehe!" She lets out a beautiful laugh and closes her eyes tiredly as she rests in the arms of the Sun God.
Apollo, listening to her light breathing, made Casca as comfortable as possible in his arms.
"Well, we better get out of here. There's a village across this path."
"Yes, teacher." Chiron shook his head.
"I will follow Lord Apollo out of the forest." Even if Wizard didn't want to, she had to split up to go find her brother.
"Good." Saying just that, he leaves this village with the beautiful black-skinned girl, who is sleeping peacefully in his arms.
{Your willpower is beautifully magnificent.} Apollo thought with a smile as the desire to explore the Greek world burned within him.
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