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—
"We're going to Olympia!"
/Gasp.../
'Shock and confusion froze their expressions as the Goddesses processed what they just heard.'
'After a few seconds in disbelief, and as memories of the past went by, they simultaneously exclaimed:'
""WHAT?!""
"Silver! Do you even know what you're saying? Scratch that. Do you even know where Olympia is?!"
"I have a rough estimation of its location…"
Most people don't know these things, but that's exactly why I spent some of my recent free time at the Gnome library to fill the gaps in my knowledge about this world and plan a little. However, it's costly... Gnomes don't share their things cheap.
The Gnomes made quite an impressive library, but it's remarkably lacking in many ways. To some degree, Zeus' book helped me pinpoint things.
"But say, why the sudden interest? I can tell your desire is more than just sightseeing."
'Artemis was quick to notice the underlying emotions within Silver's tone, and he knew that hiding his intentions wouldn't help much, so he said what he had on his mind:.'
"For once, it ties back to Olympus, something I wanted to learn more about. And second… I wanted to see the Sacred Fire."
I want to know more about it, which may relate to my skill... Although it's nothing but morbid curiosity.
I went to kill Antares because I knew of Artemis' possible fate... Although I overestimated myself severely.
But this time, I don't know much about the area. We're going in blind.
"I can understand those reasons; there's nothing wrong with that. But you do know Olympia is… Selective with who can enter its territory." Artemis said as she tied her hair behind her back
"Selective isn't even correct... I don't think they ever welcomed guests."
"I know. There are many legends about it… Olympia is technically the oldest living culture in the world, tracing back thousands of years ago. And they work hard to protect it."
The little known about Olympia comes from century-old information when their merchants went around the land to trade.
There hasn't been any in some time, but that hasn't changed my desire to go there.
"Albeit those times are long gone, Olympia is the original land of myths and legends, the ones who fought against the monsters and created fables to be passed down."
"They now stay at the edge of history, observing it from afar. That is their land of hope, Elpis. The land where the Flame of Heaven is worshiped. An ancient temple to house the divine fire."
"They rarely let anyone inside if ever, but if someone can come and go, it's a Goddess of the Olympian Pantheon, no?"
"Now you use my Title, huh?!" Hestia complained as she pouted on the side
"Have I ever not seen you as such?"
'Hestia looked at her hands, raising one finger at a time as she counted the times Silver disrespected her.'
"Let's count... During our time in the Church... One... Five... Seven..."
"That's a bit much..."
/Chuckle…/
"Hestia doesn't forget those who wrong her. I included..."
"You're one to talk. I heard some things about your past actions…"
"Oh? And where did you hear that from?" Artemis asked with a dangerous smile as she tapped his legs
"Hermes."
'Silver did not hesitate to throw the towel somewhere else...'
Sorry man, you'll be taking the bullet for this again.
…
"ATCHIUU!! Hm...? S-Someone's talking behind my back! Asfi! We must find out…"
'Hermes looked around in confusion as he scratched his nose, only to narrow his eyes as he pointed forward, saying with determination:'
"Hermes-Sama, if you try to leave your post for even a second with such a weak excuse… Again… I'll bolt your legs to the chair, and if you complain, I'll tape your mouth shut."
'Hermes immediately sat down without complaint, his expression becoming focused as he looked at Asfi, raising his left hand:'
"Asfi, pardon my actions, for I was just joking; now, would you be so inclined as to give me the next stack of papers?" He asked formally as his expression sharpened, a rare look in a God mostly known for his mischief
"..."
…
/Shaaa!!/
"... Hm? Is that…? S-Silver! I think we arrived!"
'After half a day in the sky, the trio witnessed a strange disturbance in the ocean.'
'Land had long since vanished in the waves, and water covered the horizon everywhere they looked.'
'The famed Sea of Medulla, a massive river as wide as multiple continents, carving a path through the mainland, one of the massive rivers of the continent, similar to the Great Forest's River in the land of the Elves.'
Silver had only heard of such a natural phenomenon, and for once wished to see where such a gargantuan river originated from. Alas, that was a journey better left for another time.'
"The air… Is shaking."
'Above the sea, the air shook as if under extreme heat, lifting a hazy mist that reached the skies as the very ocean boiled.'
'That was no natural occurrence. It was the barrier that protected Olympia. The reason why their secrecy was kept so well throughout the ages. Or at least, that was what was written in the documents.'
'When and how such a barrier had come to be... Wasn't explained in the Gnomes' thousand-year records.'
"We have arrived… That's the barrier surrounding Olympia erected by the holy fire."
'Artemis brushed her eyes as she woke up from her nap, asking: "... How are we going to cross it?".'
"I was planning on just crossing it really…"
"Just like that?!"
"Well… You're the Goddess of Fire, so nothing will happen to you… I'm your child, so nothing should happen to me either. And Artemis is a Goddess of Olympus… So she should be okay?"
"T-That's not something I'd like to find out… Gods have burned for toying with the flame before; I'd like to remain off the list if possible."
"She's right, Silver, it's best we don't risk it. We can't know how the flame has changed since it fell into the mortal world..." Hestia replied as her expression changed slightly
"Shouldn't you know of that, though?"
"#!! E-Excuse me?! If it's a lesson you want, sit down, and I'll...!!"
"Alright, Hestia, he's just toying with you..."
"Humph! That's another to the list!"
'She grumpily crossed her arms, adding an extra number onto her imaginary list of grudges.'
"Haa... So it's plan B… Can you open the barrier?"
"What? Why would I be able to do that?"
"Because… You're the Goddess of the flame?"
"I… You have a point… I'll give it a try."
/Step…/
'Hestia walked to the front of the boat with Silver's help, balancing at its tip as she held onto her hand.'
/Flash!/
'Her eyes flashed with red-orange light like dusk, and the barrier before them wavered as the air returned to normal.'
"I did it!... I think..."
"Good work. I knew you could do it!"
"Fufufu! Praise me more!"
"You are the greatest Goddess of fire!"
'Hestia raised her nose high, smugly accepting the exaggerated praise.'
"So great she was that she let it be stolen right in front of her…" Artemis added with a smirk as she yawned on the side
"H-Hey!!"
'While Hestia jumped at Artemis, almost falling from the boat, Silver pushed them forward, moving past the barrier as it reformed behind them.'
"...!"
That must be it.
'In the distance, as the faint fog and haze cleared out, a massive island surrounded by a few smaller ones appeared before them.'
'As the sun dove into the horizon, crimson lights lit up in the darkness, illuminating the ancient city in its ephemeral splendor.'
"It's been a while since I last saw it…" Artemis said as she pushed Hestia away from her
"Have you ever been here?"
'Artemis shook her head "No… But it's hard to forget that day…".'
"Urg…"
'Hestia seemed to remember something as she touched the back of her head, a bead of sweat falling from her forehead as she sighed loudly.'
"That day?"
"When Prometheus stole the flame of Heaven, Zeus went into a rage so large the heavens were dyed red by its flames as his thunder echoed throughout the entire lower world…"
"Haa… Don't even say it, I thought the skies would break… I think they did for a while..." Hestia added as she remembered that scary day
"..."
Right, Gods can erase the lower world if they so desire. I often forget the fact amidst the goofy displays...
It's hard to think that even Hermes can destroy the world and that Apollo can collapse the sun or something like that...
'Artemis put her hands on her hips as she looked at the city in the distance, melancholy evident in her gaze as she continued with her story:'
"... Prometheus had overwhelming sympathy for them, how they fought against the monsters spawning from the dark hole… How only a few, known as Heroes, were responsible for their survival and prosperity."
"She couldn't accept that."
"Then why the outrage against her? Was what she did even wrong? It's not like Gods never interfered..."
"That wasn't the issue... She didn't take the right steps… She gave mortals the flame as a weapon and not as a tool of cultivation."
"The flame is simply too large an issue to be handled in the lower world; its power, albeit not comparable, is still equivalent to that of the Gods."
"You could say it's a form of 'Demi-Arcanum'."
"It's really dangerous… When they found out the flame was stolen, they all tried to lock her up at the speed of light, but by the time they reached her, the flame was already on its way down the lower world…"
"Huh… When you say 'they', do you mean you too?"
"O-Of course I do! Do you think I stayed in my room while the flame of Heaven was stolen from its altar?!"
"..."
"Say something!!"
"O-Ouch! Don't bite me!..."
"Wasn't that what you did, though?"
"A-Artemis! I was… I'm not made to pursue and fight…"
'Hestia looked at the distance while whistling...'
'Artemis shook her hand and then her hands, waving off into the distance.'
"... Sigh. It doesn't matter anymore; it happened way too long ago…"
"Couldn't you guys just pull the flame back? Why stay put and watch it fall?"
"Silver... That was during the time the Gods stood holed up in Heaven. Their ability to interfere with the lower world was limited at best. If we had forced things, untold disasters might've unfolded."
"One thing we learned as time passed is that by trying to help, we'd often make things worse... Bhera was like that too..."
"Its people must resolve the Lower world's problems. That's how things should be."
"For everyone's well-being."
'Artemis turned to Silver, finishing her story:'
"Olympia is the land right below where Zeus and Prometheus struggled after the fact. It eventually became a temple built by the mortals to house the flame."
"Originally, it was called Elpis instead, signifying hope in the ancient language."
"Yeah… I read about that..."
Another detail written in Zeus' storybook… Though I wonder how he must've felt writing that down after all the rage he felt… No wonder that part wasn't written down…
Zeus only wrote about Prometheus' helplessness and desire to help the mortals and the one she chose to be her Champion. However, in the end, he failed to bring closure to the lower world's problems.
In the end, sending the flame down did nothing but shatter the natural order of things.
At least Zeus seemed to understand her struggle, maybe because he, too, felt like her.
"You know quite a bit for someone who rarely looked down at the world, don't you?"
"Humph!... Look... You can see the temple on the highest mountain above the city."
'Silver followed her finger to a massive temple overlooking the city. It was strange to think that such a hazardous item, able to burn the whole world, was housed within, like a small sun.'
"At the time, I was busy with other things, so I'm uncertain about the events. Truth be told, no one knows what Zeus and Prometheus talked about, nor what happened."
"While I was curious... Like most Gods do, I pushed the matter so far down that I had already descended by the time I remembered it."
"And then... It stopped mattering to me."
"The way Gods see things always surprises me. Letting thousands of years roll by despite the severity of the issue… What about you?"
"Me? Erm… After that, I was busy… Work and that, you know?"
"... What she means by that is after Prometheus stole the flame, she became a neet."
"What?!"
"Hestia used to take her job rather seriously, but after a while, she grew a little… Complacent. So much so, Zeus grew tired of trying to get her to take it all seriously."
"I-It wasn't like that…"
"She even gave away her seat as one of the twelve Main Gods to Dionysus just because of her laziness."
"I did that because I didn't want to see him fight others for it!!"
'Artemis shrugged as Hestia's face grew red...'
"To end this, she completely let go of her responsibilities after the flame was sent to the mortal world. Why do you think she has no temples or followers?"
"That's too much even for you! You know what?! You're on the wall. No more talking with you until you take back what you said!"
"... Sigh…"
'Hestia attacked Artemis again as she grew ferocious, and amidst laughs and tossing, they landed near the giant city. Just outside its walls.'
'The ancient metropolis awaited!'
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Silence…/
'Within the massive temple above Olympia, numerous priestesses kneeled before a sword on a pedestal, listening to another as she looked at a gigantic central pillar behind the sword.'
'There, a black stone slab hangs in the white marble. Blue symbols shining on its surface...'
"-The Goddess of Fire, Hestia, has arrived. Let her witness the Flame of Heaven and lead us to salvation-"
/Chatter…/
'Words of confusion and excitement spread around as the priestesses sprang to their feet.'
"Silence!"
'The central priestess turned around, bringing order to the hall as her expression turned sharp.'
"Another Oracle has been given, spread out, and find the Goddess of fire!"
"Nightfall is about to happen. Secure her at all costs before they arrive!"
""Understood!""
/Scatter/
…
/Shaaa…/
"... Do you think they'll welcome us? It's quite late. They may take us as rude…"
"If they don't let us inside, we can camp outside and try again in the morning. And if they keep refusing our entry… We can just get inside regardless."
"... Why do you always do things outside the rules? Can't you be normal for once and accept a no?"
"What do you mean always? I only break out of the norm when things are ridiculous!"
""...""
"Heh..."
"Silver, if everyone thought like you, the world would be in chaos…" Hestia added as she laid on the boat's floor
"And who said others should follow my example? It's only true because I'm special."
"That's extremely narcissistic…" She added as she rolled her eyes
"Depends on the perspective."
'Artemis scoffed, resting her head on her hands as she placed her elbows on the boat's side.'
"I'll have to disagree with you on that one…"
/Tremble…/
""?!""
'As they reached the shores, the whole land began to quake.'
"What… What's going on?"
"!!! N-No!"
'Hestia screamed in fear as she looked at the island; it was the first time Silver had seen such fear in her expression.'
"W-What's going on?!"
'He turned to Artemis, but he saw an extremely pained look on her face as she crushed the sides of the boat with her bare hands.'
"Can someone tell me…"
/BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!/
'Midway through his sentence, the whole city…'
'Burst into flames.'
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Notes