As night fell, a rich aroma of roasted meat drifted into the cabin, stirring the slumbering Artemis awake.
"Feeling hungry? Come eat something."
On the deck, Lorne turned around with a smile when he heard movement behind him and then, held out two skewers of grilled fish, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, toward the goddess of the hunt as she stepped out.
Artemis took the skewer, tore off a piece of fish with her teeth, and slowly savored it as a sense of comfort and satisfaction soon spread across her face.
But upon noticing Lorne's empty hands, she instinctively broke off one of her fish skewers.
"You want some?"
"No, no!" Lorne's expression changed instantly and he waved his hands frantically, rejecting the offer with firm conviction.
His last experience drifting at sea had left him with serious trauma after all, he'd eaten so much fish it gave him psychological scars.
Now just seeing fish made him nauseous.
Artemis said nothing. She simply gave Lorne a deep look before bowing her head to quietly enjoy both skewers of grilled fish.
Yet in the dim starlight, a flicker of something more complex shimmered in her eyes.
While the goddess ate in silence, Lorne didn't idle either. First, he casually took out a few Dragonfangs and used them to summon skeletal Dragon Tooth Warriors to row the boat for him.
Then, he removed the Warfare Belt at his waist and began attuning himself to the divine essence of war sealed within it—searching for a new breakthrough.
Truth be told, Lorne wasn't completely confident about this journey. If he could gain even a bit more self-defense before reaching Cyprus, it would make all the difference.
However, even though the idea was sound, but unfortunately, drawing out the deeper war essence from the belt wasn't that simple.
He could feel that wild and violent power resisting him deep within, like it was testing or even rejecting him.
"Stop overthinking. Feel the surge of blood. Let your body follow instinct as much as possible…"
Just as he was at a loss, a calm voice came from the side of the boat.
Lorne followed the advice—and sure enough, he was able to pull forth more of the war god's essence from the belt.
Having finished one of her skewers, Artemis tossed the stick aside and turned back to explain leisurely.
"Ares's divine authority over war originates from primal instinct—animalistic aggression and the will to destroy. You and Athena both… overthink everything."
So that's it!
Lorne's eyes lit up in sudden realization.
But then, he came to his senses and his expression shifted subtly.
Wait a minute…
Why does that sound suspiciously like an insult?
Ares is just brainless, while Athena and I are just schemers?
Well… Lorne had to admit—it wasn't exactly wrong.
Ares's divine authority over war did seem more primitive, the type that relied on fists more than brains.
The more you overthought, the less pure your desire for battle and slaughter became, which in turn made it harder to resonate with the war god's essence.
But this raised another question: How did Artemis know something so deep, something tied to the core secrets of divine authority itself?
After all, she and Apollo weren't exactly on friendly terms with Hera's group, were they?
As if sensing Lorne's doubts, Artemis casually tossed aside her second skewer and said nonchalantly:
"Because I'm a god of war too."
…Huh?
A massive question mark popped up over Lorne's head.
But as the goddess of the hunt slowly explained, he came to realize that aside from being the goddess of archery and the hunt, Artemis was also revered as a war goddess—particularly in Byzantine city-states and certain primitive Greek regions, where her martial prowess earned her offerings as a battle deity.
What's more, during the Titanomachy, Zeus, who drove light as a chariot and hurled thunder as a spear—also held part of the authority of war.
Even Aphrodite, the love goddess they were currently en route to visit, was once worshipped as a goddess of war.
In Cyprus, Kythera, and Sparta, she was venerated as an armored warrior.
Maybe that stemmed from her eastern roots or perhaps due to her illicit affair with Ares.
After Artemis's mini-lecture, Lorne stared down at the Warfare Belt in his hand with a constipated expression.
So basically… every god and their cousin has taken a bite out of War God Authority.
Everyone's out here freelancing as war gods.
Meanwhile, the actual war god Ares can only be stepped on by anyone who comes.
That's just… sad.
Noticing Lorne's obvious dismay, Artemis glanced at him and added meaningfully:
"So many gods have already carved up war authority, and Ares still managed to remain among the Twelve Olympians… maybe you should consider how terrifying his complete form must be."
Lorne heard this and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, and immediately put away his contempt for the power of war.
She was right.
Even when war authority had been chopped up and diluted into various pieces, Ares still had the divine status of a chief god.
No wonder Zeus remained wary, constantly setting traps for his own son.
That being said… the more fragmented the war god's power was, the more beneficial it became for an outsider like Lorne.
Why?
Because it made it easier to steal a piece.
Yep—grampa Zeus's authority still had some wool left to shear.
Chuckling to himself, Lorne clipped the Warfare Belt back onto his waist, and nodded secretly with evil intentions.
At that moment, Artemis, who was now well-fed, pointed toward the cabin and offered:
"It's a long trip. You should rest too."
Faced with the good intentions of the Huntress, Lorne didn't refuse.
He stood up and headed toward the cabin.
But just as he was about to step inside, he paused, turned back, and looked at her.
"Wanna come in and sleep too? There's plenty of space."
"Someone needs to stand watch—"
"They can handle that."
He nodded toward the Dragon Tooth Warriors.
"...Alright."
Artemis cast a glance at the Dragon Tooth Warriors on the deck.
Then, as if under some mysterious compulsion, she nodded and rose to follow Lorne into the cabin.
However, as soon as they stepped inside, their tall frames, each over 1.8 meters, now standing side by side, made the already narrow space feel even more cramped. Physical contact became inevitable.
"It's just one night. We'll manage with a little squeeze."
As Lorne spoke, he pulled out two spare blankets from his magic circle. Without hesitation, he lay down on one side, making room for her.
Artemis hesitated briefly, but ultimately didn't reject the gesture and lay down on the opposite side, back turned.
Feeling the warmth radiating from the delicate body just inches behind him, Lorne stared wide-eyed at the wooden grain of the cabin wall, his mind drifting back to the golden divine decree he saw earlier at the altar.
"'Corruption'—corruption my ass!"
If I dare make a move now, that lunatic will turn me into a pincushion the moment she recovers!
Annoyed at the whole situation, Lorne lifted his hand behind him mid-grumble, itching to smack that damn dice-rolling goddess across the face from afar.
"Pa!"
But due to the limited space and a bit too much swing, the back of his hand smacked squarely into something soft, plump, and springy, the impact producing a crisp, bouncing sound in the enclosed cabin.
.
.
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