Artemis—one of the Twelve Olympians.
She was the elder sister of Apollo, the god of light, and the daughter of Zeus and the Titaness Leto. Among all the gods, Artemis was the one Zeus doted on the most, granting her nearly anything she desired.
When Artemis requested her divine domains and asked to remain a virgin goddess, Zeus agreed without hesitation. As a result, her divine authority was vast—goddess of the moon, the hunt, nature, and even war. She held influence over them all.
At this moment, she stood before Jason and Atalanta, the latter of whom worshipped her above all others.
Gently, she placed a hand on Jason's head.
Since he was a child of Hecate, and Artemis herself had once been saved by Hecate, she naturally felt an affinity for him.
"Me?" Artemis blinked her striking blue eyes and smiled at Atalanta. "I've been here the whole time. You two just seemed to be having so much fun that I didn't want to interrupt."
"...Huh?"
Both Jason and Atalanta froze. Jason instinctively turned his head to look at Artemis.
Under the moonlight, Artemis stood in a resplendent gown. Though there was still a trace of youthful innocence about her, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
The moment their gazes met, Artemis gave Jason a dazzling smile, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"L-Lady Artemis, you—you've been watching us this whole time?!" Atalanta's voice rose as she widened her eyes in shock.
"Mhm." Artemis nodded lightly.
"Ah—this… this isn't what it looks like, Lady Artemis!" Atalanta panicked. "I wasn't—I wasn't losing to this guy! He's not better than me at all! There's no way he could outrun me—I wasn't even using my full strength!"
The moment she realized that her revered Artemis had been watching the entire time—and had seen all the embarrassing situations she'd been in because of Jason—Atalanta was so mortified she nearly wanted to die. Her gaze toward Jason sharpened dangerously.
Jason couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.
"Yes, I know," Artemis said as she reached out and patted Atalanta's head. "I know you're an exceptional child, Atalanta."
Atalanta's eyes widened in shock.
Just now... Lady Artemis patted my head?!
Just now, Lady Artemis praised me?!
Realizing this, Atalanta's face lit up with bliss.
Jason, watching from the side, was speechless as he witnessed Atalanta transform from a wildcat into a contented housecat in an instant. After a brief pause, he spoke up. "Uh, Lady Artemis, may I ask if you already—"
"Jason, right?" Artemis smiled at him before he could finish. "Don't worry, I already heard everything from Apollo. That's why, from the moment you entered the forest, I've been watching over you."
"I had originally planned to appear right away, but…"
As she spoke, Artemis' gaze flitted between Jason and Atalanta before her smile grew even brighter.
It was the kind of smile one had when they found a new favorite toy.
"You two, come with me."
With that, Artemis gracefully mounted her golden-horned stag. Jason and Atalanta followed her as she led them deeper into the forest. After some time, they arrived at a small cabin.
"It's already late. Rest here for the night. We'll talk in the morning."
Neither of them dared to argue with Artemis' instructions. Besides, after all that had happened, they were both feeling a bit exhausted.
Artemis brought them to a room—inside, there was only one bed.
Smiling, she looked at them and said, "Go to sleep, children."
Atalanta glanced at Jason, her mouth opening slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing and climbed onto the bed.
Jason's mouth twitched slightly before he turned to Artemis and said, "Uh, Lady Artemis, I think I'll just stay up and keep watch—"
"No need. You must be tired too. Get some rest," Artemis replied with a gentle smile.
"Tonight, the moonlight will keep watch for you."
Hearing this, Jason had no choice but to relent.
Fortunately, the bed was large enough, and they were just kids—barely in their early teens!
After Artemis left, an awkward silence filled the room.
"If you dare move closer, I'll kill you."
Atalanta's voice, low and threatening, reached Jason's ears.
"Don't worry, I absolutely won't!" Jason whispered back, just as firm.
"...Hmph."
And so, nothing happened that night.
The next morning, Jason stirred, drowsily blinking at the sunlight streaming through the window.
Huh? I actually fell asleep… I must have been more exhausted than I thought.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt something ticklish near his ear. He turned his head and found—
Atalanta, curled up, had somehow moved closer to him in her sleep, completely at peace.
Jason stiffened slightly, then, without a word, carefully edged away. Successfully slipping out of bed without waking her, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Time to find Lady Artemis.
With that, Jason stepped outside.
Almost as soon as he did, Atalanta's eyes snapped open.
As a skilled huntress, even the slightest disturbance wouldn't escape her senses!
"Awake?" Artemis was outside, stroking her golden-horned stag. When she saw Jason, she handed him some freshly picked fruit.
Just as Jason was about to thank her, Atalanta emerged from the cabin.
Jason glanced at her a few times, relieved to see that she looked completely normal—no signs of anger. Only then did he relax a little.
"So, Jason, you'll be continuing your journey soon, won't you?" Artemis asked as they ate.
Jason nodded.
"In that case, allow me to escort you out of the mountains," Artemis offered.
"Oh, there's no need to trouble you, Lady Artemis. I actually already hired some hunters to guide me—"
"Hunters?"
Artemis tilted her head at him. "But didn't you leave all your money in the tent and leave a message telling them to go back?"
…Wow. No loose ends, huh?
Atalanta shot Jason a sidelong glance.
If not for Artemis' presence, she would have interrogated him properly about what exactly possessed him to try and run away in the middle of the night.
And what was with his attitude toward her?!
Besides, those hunters were still out scouring the mountains looking for them! Losing Jason was one thing—after all, they'd already gotten paid—but Atalanta disappearing was a whole different story!
Especially her uncle—he was practically losing his mind with worry!
Since Artemis knew everything, Jason could only lower his head and continue munching on his fruit in silence.
Artemis then turned to Atalanta, smiling. "Atalanta, would you like to come along?"
"Yes!" The moment the question left Artemis' lips, Atalanta answered without a moment's hesitation.