The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

But no matter how much I was like that.
If my heart hadn’t been swayed by the allure of this enchanting goddess, Nemesis would have chased me with a sword, accusing me of telling a huge lie.

“What’s the matter? Your face seems a bit flushed.”

“Haha… With such a beautiful goddess before me, even a statue would be shy.”

“You must have honey on your lips. Every word you speak is incredibly sweet.”

As Hera lay comfortably on the clouds, provocatively smiling at me, it felt like a dizzying dream of falling.
There’s a reason why a married woman is married; they possess a profound allure that immature, green youngsters lack.
I now somewhat understand the Crazy Wind Spear master’s preference for married women, which he used to preach incessantly during training.

“You know, as expected, a masterpiece of the Night Mother. You are indeed incredibly beautiful. If dressed properly, you could even be brought in as my servant.”

Are you interested?
It was a question that could be either serious or a joke.
It reminded me of an old man’s story about a scandalous romance between a noblewoman and a young squire, so I decided to change the atmosphere slightly.

“Would you provide a house for commuting?”

“Hohoho! This is why both Ares and Hermes cherish you. There is no one in this era who can converse so comfortably without being intimidated by gods or provoking them excessively.”

Fortunately, my joke seemed to be well received. Hera, whose eyes had widened at my response, laughed amusingly and patted my head.

Then, the dense scent of pomegranates and poppies, elegant yet cozy, tickled my nose.
The lady who approached suddenly had a languid face, filled with mature charm and a swamp-like allure that enveloped my eyes.
Whether intentional or not, as she leaned forward, the valley of her ample figure and the twilight-colored hair cascading down made me break out in a cold sweat, trying to restrain my hand from reaching out to explore.
And above all, the gentle touch stroking my head.

I wondered if this was what a mother’s touch would feel like—a touch so soft and affectionate that it wrapped my body in an unfamiliar, strange emotion.

“Oh my… Your hair is so nice. I was surprised at how rough Atalanta’s hair was, but if she could emulate your hair, even Aphrodite would gladly give up her girdle.”

“Th-thank you.”

They said that even though the supreme god Zeus fooled around with countless women, nymphs, and goddesses, none could capture his soul as Hera did during their honeymoon.
I found myself agreeing with that sentiment.

“Then, your answer? Of course, the reward will be satisfactory.”

“It is not just anyone, but the Queen of the Gods has permitted it. I have no reason to humbly accept the enemy’s blade.”

“Oh my? Did you really understand what I meant?”

With eyes sparkling as if surprised once again, she looked at me intently. I responded with a light smile and a slight bow.

“Unfortunately, I wish it were a command from another god. But that would be too greedy, wouldn’t it?”

To anyone observing the scene, it would appear as if a mature, elegant lady and a handsome young man were seducing each other in a playful, flirtatious manner.

The opponent was the Goddess of Marriage and Family.
Would such a goddess abandon her divine duties?
This Greece would become a hellscape of endless love and war in full throttle.
Moreover, seeing the playful glint in her eyes and the flow of our conversation…
I said it was ‘fun’ to face Hercules and the young heroes, and Hera asked if facing a goddess would end as mere ‘fun’.
Interpreting this Greek-style wordplay, if Zeus praised the young hero, and facing him ended as fun.
Then she asked how I would feel about facing a goddess who would target and attack me.

“When did you realize?”

“Right away when I heard. But you made it a bit confusing. Do you usually enjoy mischievous jokes?”

-Ding!

My sweat-soaked hand dried as it generated heat, and when I turned back to tune the strings, the Queen’s playful, sweet voice tickled my ears.

“You could have just said it straight away.”

Even a worm would squirm when stepped on, and a man’s heart, heated up and then suddenly cooled, was bound to be passionate.
I decided to squirm a little too.

“If it had been another man.”

“If it had been?”

In the playful and expectant voice of the goddess, I, too, spoke openly.

“Of course, he would have lost his mind and been disrespectful to you, Goddess.”

“What did you say?”

Before her bewildered voice, questioning if she had heard correctly, could turn angry.
I cut her off at the precise moment and continued my turn.

“Even if I fall into Tartarus later. If I can hold the most beautiful goddess in the world, if I can recall that ecstatic memory, I would gladly accept eternal downfall.”

A sudden worry crossed my mind that perhaps this was a bit too bold of a statement, but just now, anyone could see that this beautiful lady was seducing me.
For a moment, I too wondered… and my heart tilted toward interpreting it as temptation rather than a warning, filled with anticipation.
My heart urged me to go straight ahead, saying that if I couldn’t recognize the meal set by a man, I might as well remove my lower parts.
But my cold reason, honed over a hundred years, shook its head, telling me to just enjoy the current situation, as it was a game that wouldn’t work out anyway.

Damn it.
And the world always drags reality along, betraying expectations.
When a child learns to live with the pain of broken expectations, that’s when they become an adult.
And I am still a baby.
Goo, goo, I am Baby Heavenly Demon.

“The nectar was strong.”

-Ding!

This stream of consciousness, where does it flow when it’s let loose?
Feeling a sudden sense of self-loathing from my absurd thoughts, I plucked the well-tuned strings of my gayageum irritably.

But, while I was talking nonsense to myself, wallowing in self-loathing, and tormenting the gayageum…
The goddess who heard my retort remained silent without saying anything.

‘Did I screw up?’

It wasn’t exactly a joke to make to the Goddess of Marriage and Family, but still, isn’t Greece the place where such a goddess resides?
So, I thought I could get away with a little mischievous joke.
However, the goddess’s silent, piercing glare from behind started to make me uneasy.

“Excuse me, Goddess?”

Even though I was the number one martial artist in the Central Plains, where the Hundred Schools of Thought and Confucius-Mencius were still alive, no matter how young I looked, I couldn’t believe I just made a dirty joke to an elder.
In this brief moment of wisdom, I couldn’t lift my head and wanted to wash my face dry.

Worried that the Queen of the Gods might impart Confucian principles and turn me into heavenly grilled meat today, I carefully turned my head and met the Queen’s eyes.

“…”

“…”

Fortunately, the goddess didn’t seem intent on turning me into heavenly grilled meat or a frog.
She just lay on a fluffy-looking cloud, resting her chin on her hand, staring at me with an inscrutable gaze.

….To be honest, this was even scarier.

She wasn’t laughing cheerfully like before, nor was she flying into a rage.
The beautiful eyes that seemed to draw you in, staring at me without a flicker, were quite eerie.

“…You’re quite good at joking.”

Fortunately, Hera, who had been staring at me expressionlessly, soon gave a slight smile and laughed it off, and I, too, swallowed dryly and smiled back.

“Ha, hahaha… So the goddess who is supposedly after me must be the one currently hospitalized, having even put down the moon chariot?”

“That’s right, the one who doesn’t know her place, despite my stern warning. She gritted her teeth, swearing to throw you into hell.”

As expected. If there were a goddess targeting me, it would be none other than that damned twin goddess.
I offered a small prayer of thanks to the madwoman who helped me easily navigate this potentially tricky situation.

I’ll spare your life if we meet later.

“After leaving the temple of Apollo, she ran to her father and begged him.”

Hermes reported to Hera.
Artemis, beaten by Hera, went to Zeus with her torn hunting clothes and broken arrows,
and shed tears at his feet.

“Wow, showmanship… She could have been a great actress too.”

Given her personality, she could have easily replaced the torn clothes and healed the wounds from Hera anytime.
But she fully armed herself and went to her father to whine.

“Do you think that’s all? Hermes also reported…”

She dared to ask her father to punish the man who violated her vow of purity and make him bleed.
However, considering her father’s intentions, she wouldn’t kill him but asked for permission to make him pay for offending a god.

“Damn, who does she think she’s talking about paying the price?”

“With parents who spoil her and a sibling who cleans up her messes, it’s no wonder she can’t tell right from wrong. She even dares to challenge me with veins popping in her neck—how laughable.”

But seeing his cherished daughter return in such a pitiful state, crying, stirred Zeus’s unnecessary paternal love.
In the end, Artemis managed to secure permission after Zeus’s lengthy interpretation of the law and divine duties.

“Permission, you say?”

“Yes, like Nemesis, Eris, and Ares, she was granted permission to perform her divine duties for young heroes in the sanctuary, just once.”

…In the end.
Just like the countless myths and tragic beginnings in this Greek land, this matter could be summarized similarly.

In the end, Zeus is a bastard.