I Became Artemis’ Boyfriend

Bang!

“That was a good one!”

The door that allowed the uninvited guest to enter the Temple of Aphrodite opened with a loud sound, leaving a large footprint behind.

The wooden door, swinging in a fan shape, eventually lost its momentum as it collided with the opposite wall and came to a halt.

However, the figure of the uninvited guest lurking in the darkness outside the door was still invisible.

Stepping forward with a huff, Aphrodite didn’t even need to look to furrow her brow and wave an accusing finger toward the darkness.

“Athena!”

“Hehehehaha! It wasn’t exactly a guessing game, but still…”

Frowning sheepishly and scratching the back of her head, Artemis entered the room.

Her outfit, complete with a white turtle neck, cropped top, and blue hot pants tied with a bow on her back, was just as casual as always.

Unlike the other goddesses who preferred to dress in long gowns, Artemis stood out with her unique style.

Whereas Aphrodite in her red chiffon dress represented classical elegance,

Artemis’ more open and modern attire depicted a sleek and contemporary beauty.

Yet here they stood,

at the peak of their respective kinds of beauty, colliding like a red flame and a blue wave.

Aphrodite was the first to launch her attack.

“Surprising, Artemis. What brings you here? I thought you’d be running berserk around the hillside behind the temple, hunting as usual.”

Swiftly suppressing her rage and irritation, Aphrodite quickly returned to her usual composure and taunted Artemis.

“Uh, yeah. I’m hunting.”

“…?”

Confused by her indifferent reply, Aphrodite clicked her tongue in annoyance and crossed her arms.

To simply agree with her provoking words was an act of clear disrespect.

Just as I was standing there with my mouth gaping open, dumbfounded by her response, our eyes met.

“I am hunting. One of my priests abandoned his temple and ran away, so I need to catch him and lock him up again, don’t you think?”

“Oho ho ho! Oh, you foolish girl. Don’t you know the difference between running away and releasing? You’ve condemned Arck with hatred to undergo a second Labor, and I had released all to my charge.”

“I did abandon, but I never released him.”

What exactly is she talking about?

It seems to be a serious accusation wrapped in something more, yet it’s utterly perplexing to me who’s unaware of the context.

Nonetheless, I did realize one thing.

Having completed my task, I was about to go to her and explain all the misunderstandings.

But from the expression of Artemis now, such an explanation seemed redundant and meaningless.

It’s pretty clear she’s come here to rescue me, finally realizing Aphrodite’s schemes.

“Artemissuuu!”

I ran into her arms with my arms wide open, hugging her tightly.

The emptiness that had been haunting my heart quickly warmed.

All resentment towards her for refusing to listen and only harboring misunderstandings dissipated into the air, turning to steam.

Pfft!

“Kyaah!”

In the midst of this touching moment, her signature knee kick came like a splash of cold water.

I clutched my aching shin as I looked up at her, only to see her revealing sharp canine teeth like a ferocious beast and her eyes glinting menacingly.

“Why…?”

“Arck. I heard you’ve been spewing irreligious words about me, calling me trash?”

“Huh?!!?”

How did she know?

I did refer to her as ‘ass’… but only once, inside the carriage.

So, the suspects narrow down to two people.

Who exactly told her?

Jake? Iris?

“Anyway, that’s something we’ll deal with later when we get home.”

Artemis smirked, seemingly satisfied with my disoriented appearance.

At the same time, she stepped forward as if to shield me, re-engaging with Aphrodite.

“Aphrodite. Thanks to you, I had quite an interesting experience. Truly befitting the goddess of love.”

“What do you mean by that? I can’t comprehend it at all.”

“Are you senile? Have you already forgotten plotting to sow discord around me and stealing my priest?”

“O-ho-ho ho ho! As I told that insolent Arck too, I merely explained to you what worms look like. But you foolishly imagined it as a nine-headed hydra in your mind!”

As Artemis bluntly revealed her treacherous deeds,

Aphrodite lost her usual poise and slightly raised her voice.

On the contrary, Artemis, astonished by her audacity, was getting visibly upset, her neck turning red.

“Why don’t you focus more on your husband instead of seducing young men? Or have you ever been faithful to your home?”

“Tsk! You trembling coward in front of Hera, how dare you talk about family?!”

“Shut up! Lady Hera has nothing to do with this!”

So, is this what they truly call a catfight?

If it’s not impolite, I’d like to quietly excuse myself and leave the room.

Anyway, it seems the rumors about Artemis fearing Hera are not unfounded.

“Hmm…”

Artemis inhale deeply to steady herself, avoiding getting caught up in her rival’s game.

“What I want to say is! Stop flirtations with this man or that man like you’re testing out fruits you can’t eat. You should be good to your husband. Haven’t you married out of love for him?”

“Such an inexperienced young girl would never understand the true meaning of love. It’s about continuously seeking a deeper love.”

“Wow, you sure know how to prettify your infidelity.”

“An inexperienced girl like you wouldn’t understand the passion for sensuality.”

Aphrodite, flicking her nose, shook her head.

It was as if she couldn’t bear to discuss love with someone who understands so little.

That brought their verbal conflict to a pause.

Artemis seemed to have more to say, opening and closing her mouth several times, but eventually fell silent.

Then, as if she wanted nothing more to do with this place, she pulled me up and turned her back on Aphrodite.

“Where are you going?”

“Can’t I go home if I feel like it?”

At this, Aphrodite smirked, pointing at me with her finger.

“You can leave. But Arck cannot.”

“Who says so?”

“Obviously, me. That insolent man has trampled on my love.”

“From what I heard outside the door, you deserved it. He’s my priest. As a priest of Artemis, it was an appropriate action.”

“…”

“See you. Let’s never meet again.”

With those words, Artemis grabbed my hand and headed for the door.

Despite following her lead, I couldn’t shake the growing unease that it might not be alright to leave like this.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I turned back to look at Aphrodite.

The eerie smile directed at us, Aphrodite casually adjusted her earrings.

The ruby embedded in the earring popped out like a pea in its shell, only to begin orbiting around her like a satellite.

“To you, Arck, who does not appreciate the abundance of my love, I shall make you my footwear. And you will spend your whole life serving me in joy.”

“…”

At the flick of her finger, the ruby changed course, targeting our backs.

The trembling ruby seemed ready to fire at any moment.

“I’ll heat you up like asphalt melted into sticky taffy each day! Ho ho ho hohohoh!”

“Pay it no heed, Arck. Let’s go.”

Artemis’s words acted as the trigger.

The thumbnail-sized ruby instantly launched towards my back.

“Where are you going?”

She swiftly shoved me aside and, in a blink, retrieved her bow and arrow to retaliate.

Her movements were so fast they seemed to last only the time it took me to blink.

Thinking about it, hadn’t Artemis once effortlessly countered even Zeus’s unexpected lightning strike?

It was no wonder I couldn’t follow her with my eyes.

Pang!

The ruby shattered like glass against the arrowhead.

The shards sparkled and dispersed beautifully in the air.

“Miserable wench! I knew you’d try to block it! Die!”

Aphrodite, smirking slyly, snapped her finger.

Thousands of sparkling ruby shards began radiating ominous red energy.

Like the blinking red lights of timers on time bombs.

Could they… explode?!

It’s a trap!

It’s too late to escape!

“Artemis!!”

“Arck!!”

She reached the same conclusion.

Without hesitation, we both rushed to shield the other.

No matter what happened to us, we vowed to protect the other at all costs.

The intention behind our actions mirrored each other perfectly.

The force of our protective embraces grew stronger.

We vowed never to let each other go, even if our arms were blown off in the explosion.

The red light from the shards intensified.

We closed our eyes slowly as the light reached its climax.

At the moment we felt it was the end…

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion occurred.

However, it wasn’t the burning heat of the ruby explosion.

Instead, a refreshing breeze swept through this cramped space, cooling my cold sweat.

How could the wind reach in here?

As I opened my eyes slowly, I saw large holes on both walls.

Then,

“Athena-sama!”

“Too late! Big sister!”

It was Athena making her entrance, her long blue hair billowing in the wind.

It was she who had hurled her spear to pierce through every wall of the temple, blasting all the ruby fragments outside!

Indeed, Athena’s spear can reduce even walls to dust!

“Aphrodite-sama.”

Having replanted her spear, Athena fixed a serious gaze on Aphrodite.

Aphrodite, however, lost her composure at the unexpected visitor, struggling to articulate her words.

“Ath…ena.”

“Your antics went too far this time.”

“Antics… I only wanted to give Arck love…”

“That’s irrelevant.”

“Wha…t irrelevant? My love… is… that irrelevant?!!”

Aphrodite glared at Athena with eyes wide like a ghost’s, furious that her love was disrespected.

Indeed, it’s understandable she’d be livid to see her love insulted.

But Athena accepted this ferocious glare calmly, without the slightest hesitation.

“You should not have sown discord between Artemis and me.”

“I only wanted Arck, I had no intention to plot against you…”

“Your intentions are irrelevant. The essential matter is… what and how this Athena chooses to accept.”

Lifting a hand to cut off Aphrodite’s words, Athena planted her spear into the ground and unilaterally declared her decision.

The air in the room lingered with an atmosphere that allowed no room for objections.

Even while maintaining respect towards her opponent, Athena firmly silenced her.

Athena possesses more than enough power to do so.

Even if Aphrodite is a high-ranking goddess, she cannot afford to engage in outright conflict with Athena.

Aphrodite, uneasy and hesitating, shifted a step backward.

It was no less than an admission of defeat.

“Are you alright, Arck?”

Athena approached with concern.

“Ah…”

Too choked up to respond properly, it felt as if I had just passed a critical moment of death.

Before I realized it, my legs went limp.

“Arck!”

“Arck!”

Artemis and Athena quickly came to catch me from both sides as I was about to collapse.

“Haha. Sorry. My legs just went limp…”

“You’re fine.”

“Yeah. Let’s go outside.”

As we turned to leave the door,

“Whores! Do you think you’ll get away with humiliating me like this? You’ll see. My curses will rain down on you, dissolving you cruelly!!”

Aphrodite, her pride deeply hurt and her eyes bloodshot, poured curses of fury upon us.

Her once alluring and charming voice now cracked and strained like a dry riverbed.

The three of us paused briefly, merely turning our heads to look at her.

“That’s something we can overcome.”

“Use an umbrella.”

“I’ll acknowledge it if my helmet melts.”

Arck, Artemis, and Athena each gave curt responses and bade their farewell to Aphrodite.

Thus, supported by these two virgin goddesses, I was able to leave the Temple of Aphrodite, brimming with allure.

The golden stairs of Aphrodite’s temple.

Ascending alone had made me feel overawed, but descending it with the three of us made me feel oddly light-hearted.

As all three of us stepped on the ground simultaneously, Athena glanced at Artemis.

“Artemis? Is there anything you’d like to say to Arck?”

“Unnn…”

Artemis blushed to her ears, her eyes darting around.

She repeatedly opened and closed her mouth before closing her eyes tightly.

It seemed like she had something to say regarding her misunderstanding.

“Sorry… Sorry…”

“Sorry?”

“I don’t need to apologize! Not at all! As a priest, you should watch your mannerisms to avoid any misunderstandings from a goddess! Hmph!”

Crossing her arms, Artemis turned her head sharply away.

A faint smile crept onto my face at the sight.

Is this apology from a shy Artemis considered quite bold?

Athena must feel the same, as she covered her mouth with her fist and chuckled.

“Arck, pluck an Iris petal and place it on Artemis’s shoulder. Iris petals are very effective for cuts and bruises.”

Listening discreetly to our conversation while readily offering her shoulder, Artemis didn’t complain.

A large petal effortlessly covered the nail marks.

“Tenderly! That hurts!”

Artemis, whose cheeks flushed slightly, needlessly got irritated.

She then plucked an iris petal and threw it roughly at Athena’s lap and strode off into the town center alone.

Now Athena and I were left behind to exchange glances as we looked at Artemis’s back.

“I didn’t know Iris petals had such healing effects. Did Artemis ask me to perform this task as a way to acquire her own medicine?”

“Ho ho ho. No one would turn Iris flowers, spread all over the celestial fields, into a task.”

“You’re right. Then why?”

“Actually, Artemis and I fought a lot when we were young. Of course, I was the one who beat her up.”

“Aha ha ha. Can you call that fighting?”

“Ha ha ha, is it? Every time, feeling sorry, I would pick Iris petals and place them on Artemis who was crying. These flowers might not have any special meaning per se, but they hold special significance between the two of us.”

Athena gazed at the Iris petal Artemis had roughly handed over.

Lost in memories, she smiled faintly and gently touched the petal while continuing softly.

“…Make-up. Therefore, under the moonlight, even when she scolds you harshly, she might be regretting it inside, like me.”

“Make-up and regret…”

“Exactly. Because she couldn’t express those feelings honestly, she must have asked for Iris petals as a gesture for reconciliation.”

Fool.

Artemis is totally a fool.

How could I possibly understand the meaning behind a flower full of memories with Athena?

I didn’t know till Athena explained just now.

I had even harbored a slight resentment for her misunderstanding.

What kind of personality twists a simple apology into such an overly complicated task?

Isn’t this full-on Tsundere?

No, it’s more like…

99% Tsun, 1% Dere!

Could there be a more thorough Tsundere in the world?

Both of us burst into laughter at the thought of Artemis’ adorable behavior.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted towards Artemis, who was walking far ahead.

“Hey! Ar! Te! Mi! S! Let’s go together!”

“Noisy! Don’t follow me!”

I plucked one more Iris petal, put it in my pocket, and with Athena, followed her in light steps.

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