Chapter 57 Night Talk

"What a beautiful and wonderful duet!"

Hermes and Apollo found nothing at Mount Parnassus. She had assumed there must be some clues hidden there, since she had already sensed something was amiss at Delphi, and the clone she had left there had also disappeared without her knowledge.

However, under the moonlight, the woods and lakes were incredibly tranquil, and everything looked so peaceful.

"What should I do? I can't sense any trace of that monster! I clearly saw it before..."

Hermes sat cross-legged by the lake, staring sullenly at her reflection in the water, her sighing and groaning startling the nymphs who lived there.

The nymphs, worried about the goddess, wanted to approach her to comfort her, but were deterred by the cold gaze of the tall male god standing behind her. Recalling the ambiguous rumors between the two gods, they all withdrew their restless heads and hands, not daring to make any rash moves.

As Hermes sighed for the ninety-ninth time, Apollo rubbed his temples and finally stepped forward to stand beside her.

He looked down at his reflection in the lake, his image of himself and Hermes together, and slowly said, "What do you see?"

Upon hearing this, Hermes raised her head and glared resentfully at the God of Light, who seemed completely unmoved.

“I saw it flee towards your Delphi. I also heard it mention Piton when I went to Cilicia that day. Otherwise, why would I have thought of coming here to investigate?”

Apollo remained silent for a moment, then sat down as well, but did not reply to Hermes.

He conjured a seven-stringed lyre and gently plucked its strings in the evening breeze.

As the melodious music began, ripples spread across the surface of the lake, attracting the attention of the nymphs who were secretly observing from afar. They couldn't help but hum along to the beautiful music.

Although Hermes disliked Apollo, she had to admit that as the master of music, he was unparalleled in this regard.

As she listened, Hermes couldn't help but transform her scepter into a flute and begin to play, performing this beautiful melody with Apollo.

When Artemis and her maids arrived, they were greeted by this delightful scene.

As the music faded, Hermes's gloom vanished. She put down her flute and then heard crisp applause behind her.

"What a beautiful and wonderful duet!"

Hermes turned her head and saw the goddess of the hunt, wearing a moon veil and a faint smile, walking gracefully towards her. The maidens who followed her had different faces, and among them were some she recognized.

"Good night, Sister Al!" Hermes smiled and waved to her.

Apollo nodded and called out his sister's name.

He put away his lyre and casually asked, "Would you like to come and rest at my place tonight?"

Artemis approached the two who were clearly already in a committed relationship and stopped.

“I originally just wanted to come here to dance and hunt, but I didn’t expect to see such a good show.” Artemis took the bow and arrow from the maid behind her and, as if joking, pointed the arrow at the girl who had her younger brother infatuated. “If I possessed the power of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, this arrow would surely carry unparalleled divine power.”

The arrow of the Goddess of the Hunt was released from the bowstring, its ferocity tinged with a touch of capriciousness, and its target was very clear.

Among the nymphs hiding everywhere, the more timid ones gasped in shock.

Apollo had instinctively raised his hand to protect Hermes from danger, but the silver arrow stopped moving just a spot on her forehead.

He watched with slight surprise as she reached out and grasped the silver arrow, slowly lowering her hand that had been raised.

He could have shielded her from all threats, but she unusually shed her cunning and calmly used her powerful strength to resolve the crisis.

“Artemis,” Apollo rarely addressed his sister by her name, but his gaze was fixed intently on Hermes, “your trial has been far too long.”

Hermes listened, then brought her lips close to the arrow in her hand and gently blew it back into the hand of the goddess of the hunt, who still wore a faint smile.

"Is this also the education you gave me, Sister Artemis?" Hermes chuckled softly, recalling her first encounter with Artemis. "Please forgive my rudeness, but I have indeed grown up quite a bit, dear sister!"

Hahahaha~

Artemis was amused. She didn't mean to punish the cute little brat; she just wanted to test how deep the bond was between him and her brother.

“Tonight’s hunt was very successful, I have had a great haul, Apollo, Hermes,” Artemis said with delight, retracting the silver arrow from her finger. “Perhaps before I receive your wedding invitations, you should answer one question for me.”

Apollo did not speak.

Hermes stood up with great interest: "It's an honor, Sister Al."

“Recently, the power of thunder has ceased to accompany Father God. He has always been fond of that world-destroying treasure. I’ve been thinking about it, could it be that it has been lost by accident?” Artemis said, her eyes fixed on Hermes. “What do you think, my dear sister?”

This is not a normal request for opinions.

The observant goddess of the hunt had long since noticed something amiss.

“Oh, this.” Hermes tilted her head, responding directly and frankly to Artemis’s doubts: “But the Thunder Scepter I possess is fake, and besides, I didn’t steal it; I found it in Cilicia.”

The information was a bit confusing, and Artemis didn't immediately grasp it: "Could it be fake? Cilicia?"

Apollo coughed twice, and although he didn't know what Hermes was up to this time, he decided to cover for her.

"Hermes is right."

Moreover, it was he who told her that the scepter she swallowed was not real.

Seeing Apollo's confident cooperation with Hermes, Artemis twitched her lips: "You two aren't glued together all the time, are you?"

Apollo replied with certainty, "Yes."

Hermes understood immediately and said, "That's right! My brother Apollo and I are perfectly in sync, and we can't do without each other!"

"Would you like to join our organization, Sister Al?" To show her sincerity, Hermes spat out the Thunder Scepter hidden in her belly—since no one could tell if it was real or fake—"Chiricia is also your territory, a place full of mysteries, and we need your help!"

"Look at this thing! Father God is the omnipotent king of heaven and earth. How could his scepter be controlled by a mere junior like me? Legend has it that only our great Father God can wield it at will, otherwise I would have been shattered by that extremely powerful thunder and lightning long ago!"

This child... still loves to flatter.

Artemis shook her head helplessly, accepting Hermes's explanation. After all, even though Hermes's power was not to be underestimated, she did not believe that she could really defy His Majesty the King of Gods.

“I will go to Cilicia after dawn, for the monsters that dwell in my domain have been troubling me for a long time,” Artemis said. “However, you probably don’t know that Athena and Prometheus were summoned to Crete this morning.”

This time, Apollo stood up calmly and faced his sister, who seemed to be hiding some secret.

"I think you should catch up with those two."

Hermes was astonished: "So, you're going to Cilicia alone? Sister Al, it's a very dangerous place! Really!"

Artemis found it somewhat amusing: "I understand your concerns, but if you dare to underestimate me again, then..."

She turned her gaze and found her younger brother looking at her with disapproval in his eyes.

"...Gazing at me won't do any good, Apollo. Who told you to let Hermes ride on your head?"

Apollo: "Ahem..."

Hermes: "What? He's useless because he's not as good as me!"

Her response was the hammer of love from the God of Light.

"—!!!"

“I’m trying to regain the initiative.” Apollo slowly withdrew his smoking left hand. “Don’t worry about me, Artemis.”

Artemis said with a half-smile, "Just say you're sick. Did you catch it from Hermes?"

Hermes covered the large bump on her head with both hands, glaring resentfully at the inexplicable siblings.

"What does this have to do with me? How annoying," she muttered under her breath.

Send her to Crete? She'd rather not; who knows, Gaia's maids might just kick her out again!

She's going to Mount Olympus after dawn, and nobody can order her around!