Chapter 58 Adultery
No, who asked you that?
As the sun rose, Artemis indeed boarded the golden-horned chariot and set off into the distance with her maids.
Hermes picked up her scepter and stood up, glancing at Apollo, who was gazing down at the lake. His face was expressionless, much like a statue carved from marble in a temple.
"Are you daydreaming?" Hermes couldn't help but tease. "Or perhaps you'd like to go to Crete to pay homage to the great goddess Gaia?"
Apollo raised his eyes and turned to look at the stunning young goddess.
She knew perfectly well that his relationship with Gaia wasn't harmonious.
Moreover, she is now valued by Gaia.
“I know your next target is Olympus,” Apollo said abruptly.
"ah?"
Hermes frowned deeply.
What nonsense is this guy spouting now?
Although she was indeed going to Mount Olympus soon...
"Let's go together, little genius."
Apollo reached out to Hermes and gently patted her head, as if with boundless patience and affection.
Because the god of prophecy has foreseen the future.
Hermes, looking utterly bewildered, let Apollo do whatever he wanted with her hair.
"..."
"...Take some time to heal your own illness, God of Healing."
As soon as they arrived at the holy mountain, they found it in complete chaos.
A group of male and female deities were hurrying in a certain direction, and the sounds of excited discussion could be faintly heard from them.
"So it's true? Those two big shots are really getting together?"
"Seriously? The wedding banquet was just over a short time ago! How shameless!"
"Stop talking, let's hurry up and go see what's going on!"
A few slower-moving deities saw the God of Deception and the God of Light coming up the mountain, quickly offered a greeting and praise, and then joined the large group of people who were just there for the fun.
Hermes and Apollo looked toward the direction the gods were heading—to Aphrodite's palace—and exchanged a knowing glance.
"Did Sister Afu cause a major disaster before me?" Hermes asked.
“Yes.” Apollo nodded calmly. “And the son of the goddess.”
"Ares? He's with Sister Afu???"
Hermes frowned again. Combining the words of the gods she had just heard, she understood what had happened.
I never expected to witness such a big event so soon after arriving!
Hermes smiled and grabbed Apollo's hand, rushing towards Aphrodite's palace.
"Plans have changed, we have to hurry and see the show! My dear Apollo!" She hurried away with him, turning back to flash him a big smile, her passionate expression both innocent and wicked. "How could we miss out on this scene of catching someone in the act and publicly executing them!"
Forced to transform into a whirlwind alongside the God of Speed and sweep across the gods, the God of Light said, "...Very well, very well."
He couldn't even catch a glimpse of Aphrodite's garden, which was filled with all sorts of beautiful flowers, for a single second.
In the blink of an eye, he was brought to Aphrodite's palace by Hermes, much earlier than the gods who had rushed over to join the commotion.
The scene before my eyes was incredibly exciting.
The voluptuous and beautiful goddess of love and beauty and the robust and handsome god of war were bound together on a bed by a huge golden net. The two gods were tightly entwined, both naked and looking terrified.
Ares's enraged roar rang out: "Let us go! You despicable coward!"
In contrast, Aphrodite appeared much calmer. She simply tried to turn her face and eyes away, unwilling to meet the gazes of the gods summoned by her new husband.
Meanwhile, Hephaestus, the instigator, stood by the bed, looking down at the two adulterers with disgust.
Although I was mentally prepared to see this scene, the sheer impact of actually witnessing it almost broke my heart.
"My God, this is too..." Hermes covered her mouth with one hand, but still managed to let out a word of astonishment.
Apollo's gaze lingered for a second on the two gods' naked bodies on the bed, then he turned his face away, also raising his hand to cover Hermes' eyes.
"It is indeed an eyesore."
Compared to Hermes's utter astonishment, Apollo's tone sounded completely devoid of emotion.
This is not surprising, since he already knew this.
Apollo met the gaze of the seemingly not-so-angry Vulcan and glimpsed a deeper meaning in his eyes.
Meanwhile, the gods had also arrived at the scene, amidst a cacophony of discussion.
"What's going on?" Poseidon's voice came first.
“Ares, Hephaestus?” followed by Hera’s question, “...Aphrodite?”
"Mother Goddess! Father Goddess! Please rescue me and Afu! This despicable cripple dared to plot against us!"
Hephaestus: "Good day, you noble and glorious ones."
Hermes quickly slapped down Apollo's large hand that was covering her eyes and saw that the other gods were still walking forward.
As Zeus, the king of the gods, passed by with his thunder scepter, Hermes stared intently at the symbol of power and status in his hand, and couldn't help but smirk.
That thing... does that old geezer even know if it's real or fake?
Did the old man know that she was carrying one of his scepters?
Zeus glanced back at Hermes, whose expression was inscrutable, and smiled: "Good morning, my dear little messenger."
Hermes instantly put on a flawless, sunny smile and replied to the Father God, "Good morning, my dear Great Ruler!"
Zeus chuckled, his smile as gentle as a loving father's.
Seeing this, Hera finally couldn't take it anymore. How dare this old bastard ignore her and her sons!
"Therefore, Zeus."
Her Highness the Empress's beautiful face was as cold as frost. She stood beside the bed covered by a huge golden net, her clenched fist facing the damned goddess who was born for love and beauty.
"Is this what you call a good idea?"
Hearing this, Hermes was completely baffled.
What's the meaning?
But in an instant, she realized what was happening.
After all, Aphrodite's marriage to Hephaestus was bestowed upon her by the King and Queen of the Gods themselves.
Zeus shifted his attention from Hermes to his wife. He gazed at her, his heart full of love, as if it had never changed.
But he said, “But, Hera, it was clearly you who suggested this to me.”
"Because you agreed to your son's request."
When Hermes was imprisoned on Hephaestus's golden throne while trying to save Hera, Hera ordered Apollo to take her back to Hephaestus.
Ultimately, Hephaestus chose to return to Olympus, one of his demands being to marry the most beautiful goddess in the world.
Hera bent down and gripped the golden net made by her eldest son's own hands, recalling with sadness and anger the past when she herself had been harmed by a trap.
She looked coldly at the goddess of love and beauty, who was being held down by her own hands.
It's this damn thing... these damn things!
If Zeus hadn't harbored ill intentions towards Aphrodite, and if Aphrodite hadn't been a descendant of Uranus and Eros, would Hera, the queen of the gods, have chosen to take such a risky step?
Thinking of this, Hera glared fiercely at her good-for-nothing son on the bed.
After calming down, she looked at the truly damned Zeus again, a haughty smile curving her lips.
"It all started with your proud children."
The Queen of the Goddess's peripheral vision was clearly fixed on the two gods standing behind Zeus.
"Right? Hermes."
"Oh?" Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Hermes?"
In an instant, all the gods' attention was diverted.
Hermes, forced to accept the blame from Hera and Zeus and bear the immense pressure, was speechless.
No, she was just enjoying her gossip, how did it suddenly get dragged into this?
Hermes froze, her entire being stunned. Under the intense, burning gazes of the gods, she trembled as she began to concoct new ghostly tales, attempting to deceive them.
Leaving aside the old man's lazy and irresponsible ways, it's rare to see Hera in this situation. She must need Hera's help to awkwardly shift the blame, just look at that fierce look in her eyes...
Hmm~ Maybe I should just tell the truth? It'll be a good opportunity to show the gods her charm as a heroine who saves the damsel in distress!
Anyway, the golden throne that Hephaestus meticulously crafted for Hera—wait, most people probably don't know about this, right? She remembered that Hera had threatened her to keep it a secret, after all, being schemed against by one's own son was too upsetting.
Why is Hera trying to shift the blame onto her? It's not like she agreed to Hephaestus's request!
And she never imagined that Hera would bring Hephaestus back to Olympus!
Should I... or should I just go all out and pretend to be stupid?!
Hermes took a deep breath.
Perhaps unable to bear seeing Hermes continue to suffer, Apollo sighed and decided to step in and rescue her from her dire straits.
However, just as he was about to speak, he heard Hermes, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly speak.
"Well, I think..." Hermes scratched the back of his head and gave a classic silly grin, "Sister Afu is super charming. If it were me, I would also be captivated and willingly fall at Sister Afu's feet."
Gods: "..."
No, who asked you that?
In stark contrast to the varied expressions of the gods, Aphrodite, who had been bound on the bed, had a constantly shifting gaze, her beautiful face, like a peach blossom, gradually revealing a mixture of confusion and joy.
Aphrodite was born from the endless, romantic ocean. She inherited the remains of Uranus, the first god-king, and was personally nurtured by Eros, one of the creator gods.
She was born beautiful and lived for love.
Clearly, the seeds of her passionate nature have always taken root in her unrestrained behavior.
But strangely, at that moment, she smelled a new fragrance.
Aphrodite stared intently at Hermes, completely ignoring her lover Ares, who was right beside her.
Hermes was completely unaware of what Aphrodite was thinking at that moment.
She was still enthusiastically pretending to be stupid.
"Who wouldn't love love and beauty? Gods, wouldn't you agree?"
Gods: "..."
Goodness, something feels off, but it also seems to make perfect sense.
Apollo: "..."
This is really not right.
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