People's grief and joy are not always the same.
From the moment Artemis appeared, Apollo felt something was off.
And when Artemis clearly spoke Griffith Lista's full name aloud,
Apollo knew in an instant without any doubt whatsoever.
Artemis came specifically for Night.
And she had probably been watching him just as long as Apollo had.
After all, you don't move this decisively without having been paying attention for at least four or five days.
Apollo: No!!
You can't do this to me, Artemis!
Even with that burning urgency inside him, Apollo was not about to go out and undermine Artemis in front of everyone.
After all, the relationship between them had always been close.
Whether the mythological tradition cast them as younger sister and older brother or twin siblings, these two had always supported each other growing up, far more closely bonded than any of Zeus's other children.
So even with his most promising hero about to be snatched away,
Apollo had no intention of storming out to interfere.
On the other side, Artemis announced before the assembled group that among everyone present, Griffith Lista had performed the best and earned the greatest favor from her.
And now, in the name of the moon goddess, she looked at the young man and spoke. "Griffith Lista,
Are you willing to follow me and serve under me from this point forward"
An invitation from a goddess.
And not just any goddess, but essentially the only goddess in all of Greece who almost never allowed men anywhere near her.
And she was personally showing him this kind of closeness.
What... what kind of extraordinary honor was this?!
The sailors sucked in a breath, wide-eyed and shaking, faces cycling through disbelief and pure envy.
Passing the goddess's trial came with a benefit like this too?
The goddess of chastity actually recruited male followers?
When every gaze turned toward Night, the latter took a slow, deep breath.
He never actually expected the moon goddess to have come specifically for him.
Even though part of him...a large part very much wanted to refuse outright and have nothing more to do with divine beings of any kind,
After all, he had just left Troy telling himself to keep his distance from the gods.
And now the gods had come straight to his door.
At this moment, the only sensible answer was, of course,
"I praise you, my goddess.
Griffith Lista offers you his loyalty for this life. " He extended his left arm, gave a slight bow in the form of a sword salute, and then gracefully went down on one knee.
Night knew when to play it smart.
Or rather, those who didn't know when to play it smart had long since been destroyed by the gods.
Besides, he played a small word game with the goddess, offering loyalty for this life, which in practice meant this simulated world.
And he swore it in the name of Griffith.
Of course, as long as Artemis did not force him to do things he was unwilling to do, becoming her follower or devotee was not something he truly minded.
He had once imagined a future scenario where a god might corner him and he would have no choice but to bend temporarily and pledge faith to some principal deity.
He had no real objection to that.
Since there was no avoiding it, having a principal god's protection backing him up would make moving through Greece considerably easier going forward.
It's just that he always thought that the most likely candidate to swear loyalty to was Apollo.
He never imagined he would end up pledging to the moon goddess in such a roundabout way.
.
.
.
On the other side at that same moment,
Apollo pressed one hand over his forehead in dismay.
He knew this was how it would end.
And when Night agreed to become one of the moon goddess's own, Artemis up in the sky broke into a radiant smile.
She guided her beloved divine deer slowly down from the air, the deer stepping across empty space as though descending a staircase until it came to the ground and stopped before Night.
From atop her mount,
Artemis reached out one jade hand toward him.
"As your goddess, in the name of the moon goddess Artemis, I bestow my blessing upon you.
I grant you the protection of the moon."
Then a soft moonlight radiance flew from Artemis's palm toward him.
Good grief.
First Apollo's blessing, and now Artemis's blessing.
Sun and moon together, the set were now complete.
When that thread of moonlight entered him, Night closed his eyes slightly and let himself feel it.
A few seconds later he understood what this blessing did.
'Holy shit. I just unlocked another ability.'
That was what went through his mind, and it shook him.
If Apollo's radiance was the light that brought hope and miracles,
The radiance Apollo granted after seeing his predicament was the most fitting gift to turn the tide in that moment, and then Artemis's light was the light that brought life itself.
The goddess of the hunt was also the goddess closest to nature, cycling with love and purpose through all prey without distinction.
She was like nature itself, sometimes brutal and harsh, sometimes gentle and glowing with a mother's warmth.
The moonlight brought Night new life.
From this point on, in any place at night where moonlight shone, he would possess an undying body.
Even if killed in battle, as long as no more than a day had passed and his soul had not yet departed for the underworld, if his body lay bathed in moonlight, he would be able to rise again.
Revival!!
The gift carried by this lunar authority was absolutely terrifying.
The enormity of it hit him all at once like a stone to the head.
Revival? Actually revival?
Fuck.
Artemis was this generous?!
You two are siblings, one more lavish than the other. Neither of you has any sense of restraint when it comes to handing things out.'
These two gods really deliver when it comes to benefits.
Could he now do what certain Kamen Riders did in another world, playing on the idea of being the son of the sun, and shout, "As long as moonlight bathes me, I am the undying warrior, son of the moon?!"
To be honest, a few moments ago, Night felt a little awkward; after all, he had just accepted so many of Apollo's gifts, only to turn around to pledge himself to Artemis.
That awkwardness evaporated completely as his resolve to enjoy everything Artemis had to offer solidified without hesitation.
'Lord Apollo? I'm sorry, please stop reaching out to me. I'm afraid Lady Artemis will misunderstand.
You and I were never that close.'
Just kidding, of course.
Given the relationship between Apollo and Artemis, becoming Artemis's follower and becoming Apollo's follower amounted to more or less the same thing.
And if Artemis asked,
Well...knowing that man's personality, he would probably hand Night over himself without being asked.
Precisely because he understood that, Night pledged his loyalty without the slightest hesitation or ambiguity.
Beyond the powerful revival ability from the moonlight, he could faintly sense there was a second hidden force within this blessing, something filled with destructive potential, waiting for him to uncover it himself.
If the revival ability represented Artemis's gentle and merciful side as a goddess of nature,
Then the other face of the moonlight was obviously the opposite, its destructive side.
A hunt like a natural disaster unleashed.
....
After bestowing the blessing, Artemis spoke again. "This is the reward you earned by passing my trial.
I know you still have an unfinished great task ahead of you.
I won't take you back with me.
Come visit my temple when you have time.
I'll introduce you to my other followers.
However,
These people did not pass the trial, so only you may proceed to Troy."
....
Artemis made no attempt to conceal anything.
She had clearly known Night's destination all along, which in turn confirmed that she had been watching him for these past several days.
And the young man had no objection to any of it.
To be honest, he didn't want to keep traveling with others to begin with.
The death of Kleis especially had weighed on him.
He felt the fragility of life and some guilt over it.
When it came down to it, it was because of him that Kleis had been pulled into all of this.
If these men had not been accompanying him toward Troy, they would never have run into a storm and never have been ambushed by sirens.
.
.
.
(End of the chapter)