After Aphrodite vanished, I stood there dazed for a moment before coming to my senses.
“Regret... If she’s planning to lay some kind of curse on me, Hecate can handle that...”
Recalling Aphrodite's parting words, I began to formulate a plan for what to do next.
“I only came up here to clear my head, but now I feel even more dizzy...”
Once I reached the summit, I leaned back against a nearby rock to rest.
Whoosh—
A sudden night breeze swept past, scattering my hair.
“...It’s so quiet.”
***
Meanwhile, on Olympus—
“...How dare he refuse me?”
The smile had vanished completely from Aphrodite’s face. She had just returned from the surface, still reeling from Astellon's rejection.
“How dare he...”
She quietly raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
Flash—
Instantly, a small figure appeared before her.
It was Eros, the winged boy and her son.
“Did you call for me, Mother?”
Eros tilted his head curiously as he answered her summons.
Slowly, Aphrodite's smile returned.
However, this smile was entirely different from the one she had worn before.
“...I’m going back down to the mortal world.”
“Again?”
“Yes. And... I intend to give a certain human a little ‘gift.’”
At those words, Eros’s eyes gleamed.
“...You don't mean—”
“Exactly. When I descend, shoot your golden arrow at Astellon.”
“Understood.”
Eros nodded, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
“Yes. It would have been so much simpler if he had just accepted from the start...”
Satisfied with Eros's response, Aphrodite laughed softly and descended once more to the surface.
***
Meanwhile, I remained perched on the rock, gazing up at the star-studded sky.
“...The stars are exceptionally clear tonight.”
While Astellon was lost in thought, Eros hovered in the skies above, bow in hand, peering down at the world below.
“...There he is.”
With a single golden arrow nocked, Eros locked his sights on Astellon.
“With looks like that, I can see why Mother is so interested.”
Eros giggled, feeling a thrill of excitement. It had been a long time since he had fired a golden arrow, and he couldn't wait to see the fallout.
What happens when a married man falls head-over-heels for another woman?
“Hm? Who else is that?”
As Eros waited for the perfect moment, another figure entered his field of vision.
He couldn't make out the face, but a glimpse of shimmering silver hair caught his eye.
“Well... I suppose it doesn't matter.”
He watched the stranger for a moment before raising his bow back toward his primary target, Astellon.
“Actually, it might be more fun if they both got hit.”
Just as he was about to release the string—
“Achoo!!”
A sudden, violent sneeze racked Eros's body.
Ting—
The arrow flew from the bow much sooner than intended.
“...Huh?”
Eros's eyes widened in shock.
The trajectory had shifted.
The arrow sailed past Astellon and struck the mysterious woman with unerring precision.
“Ah. This is... quite problematic.”
Watching the arrow hit its mark, Eros instinctively knew that the situation had just become catastrophically complicated.
Meanwhile, Artemis, who had ventured out for a solitary hunt for the first time in a while, felt a sudden impact.
Thwip—
“...!”
Her body froze instantly as the arrow struck her.
“Th... this is...”
As she regained her composure, she looked down at the projectile embedded in her. With her own eyes, she confirmed the impossible: she had been hit by a golden arrow.
“W-why... how could this happen?!”
In her state of panic, Artemis's gaze drifted toward a man sitting on a nearby rock.
Whether it was the magic of the golden arrow, the way he seemed to glow beneath the radiance of the full moon, or perhaps a combination of both, the look in Artemis's eyes began to shift, little by little.
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