Ancient Greece—a land dense with jungles, riddled with swamps, and teeming with ferocious beasts, from savage lions to wild boars and other deadly creatures.
So, encountering a lion hunting for prey in this primeval forest wasn't exactly surprising. But this wasn't that lion—not the invulnerable beast born of the giant Typhon and the half-woman, half-serpent monster Echidna, the one Heracles had famously slain.
No, this was just a relatively ordinary magical beast.
Even so, it was far beyond what the young Atalanta could handle with ease—especially when, as far as she was concerned, she had an extra burden dragging her down!
Damn it, I chased this thing too deep into the forest. Now I'm in big trouble!
Atalanta bit her lip as she watched the beast sniffing the air, drawing closer. It was only a matter of time before it found them.
Just as her mind raced to devise a solution, the boy she had been holding onto—Jason—finally managed to break free from her grasp.
But Jason didn't make a sound. Instead, he followed Atalanta's gaze and looked out toward the approaching predator.
Seeing that he hadn't done anything stupid like screaming his head off, Atalanta let out a small breath of relief. Lowering her voice, she leaned close to Jason's ear and whispered, "I'll run out and distract it. The moment I do, you run in the opposite direction and don't look back. Got it?"
The warmth of her breath tickled Jason's ear, making him twitch slightly. He gave her a strange look before nodding after a brief pause.
Atalanta felt another wave of relief.
At least he wasn't being difficult.
Without Jason weighing her down, she was confident she could outrun the beast—even if she had to take a few hits in the process!
"One... two... run!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Atalanta burst from their hiding spot, sprinting at full speed. The lion immediately let out a deafening roar and gave chase.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Jason turned and ran the other way.
...For about ten seconds.
Then, with an exasperated expression, he skidded to a halt, sighed, and turned back around.
"Ugh... On second thought, forget it. I'll save her first, then knock her out later."
Muttering to himself, Jason sighed again and took off after Atalanta.
It didn't take long for Atalanta—who was busy dodging the lion's attacks—to notice Jason running back toward her.
After all, his bright white clothing made him incredibly conspicuous.
Atalanta's expression twisted into sheer fury. She was already strategizing her escape, and then this idiot just had to come running back!
He really was a moron, wasn't he?!
For a split second, she was seriously tempted to nock an arrow and put one right between his eyes!
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jason gripping the hilt of his sword, his lips moving slightly as if murmuring something.
"O great and radiant Lord Apollo, hear my prayer. Grant me the power to cut down the foe before me!"
As Jason's words fell, his golden sword flashed from its sheath, streaking through the darkness like a brilliant ray of sunlight. It moved with such speed that neither he nor Atalanta could even follow it.
A split second later, the blade pierced straight through the lion's skull.
With a heavy thud, the beast collapsed, lifeless.
Atalanta instinctively skidded to a halt.
For a few moments, she didn't react at all. It wasn't until Jason had walked up to her that she finally snapped back to reality, her wide eyes staring at him in disbelief.
She looked down at the slain lion, blood pooling beneath it, then back up at the golden-haired, blue-eyed boy in pristine white robes standing before her.
Finally, she found her voice. "You... Who the hell are you?"
Jason didn't answer. Instead, his brows furrowed slightly as he glanced at her arm. "You're hurt."
"...It didn't catch me," Atalanta muttered. "I just got scratched by a branch while running."
Then, unable to help herself, she added, "Not that it matters. I would have lost it eventually, even if you hadn't come back!"
"Yes, yes, I know, I know," Jason replied absentmindedly, already reaching into a pouch Athena had given him. He pulled out some herbs, chewed them up, and started applying them to her wound.
This was a skill Chiron had taught him—mostly so he could win favor with his teacher's other students, his so-called "senior brothers."
Atalanta instinctively tried to pull away, but Jason held her still, ignoring her struggling as he pressed the medicine onto her arm.
As he worked, Jason hesitated.
Should he wait until she was healed before knocking her out? Or just do it now and get it over with?
Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly sensed something—someone—watching him.
He glanced sideways and, in that brief moment, caught sight of a silver-haired woman sitting elegantly atop a golden-horned deer. Her piercing blue eyes gleamed with curiosity as she observed him and Atalanta.
Wait a minute... Did I just see something incredibly problematic?
Jason's brain stalled. His thoughts, which had been preoccupied with whether to knock Atalanta out now or later, came to a screeching halt.
His body went rigid.
He didn't dare look again.
"Hey! Hey! I'm talking to you!" Atalanta's voice snapped him back to reality. "Why did you run away earlier?! Are you even listening to me?!"
When Jason still didn't respond, Atalanta grew annoyed. Scowling, she reached out and pinched his face.
Right at that moment—
"Now, now, Atalanta. You shouldn't bully the boy."
Under the moonlight, the silver-haired woman on the golden-horned deer finally approached, her gentle smile soft yet commanding.
Atalanta froze, her eyes widening in shock.
Then, with effortless grace, the woman leaped off her mount, landing lightly before them. She reached out, pried Atalanta's fingers off Jason's face, and then—much to Jason's horror—gently patted his head.
Her voice was kind yet undeniable as she spoke.
"After all, this child... is under Hecate's protection."
Atalanta's breath hitched. Her lips trembled as she stared at the silver-haired goddess in front of her.
"A-A-A-Artemis-sama?!" [T/N: I don't why add "Sama"? The author did it.]
Her voice cracked with disbelief. "W-why are you here?!"
Then, realizing how disheveled she must look, she immediately scrambled back a few steps, frantically straightening her clothes as panic filled her expression.
Artemis—the very goddess who had once saved Atalanta. The deity she admired more than anyone else!
Jason, on the other hand, was silently crying on the inside.
I knew it. I just knew it!
This woman is nothing but trouble. Nothing but absolute, goddamn trouble!