While Poseidon, his suspicions unresolved, was drinking and conversing with his son-in-law Briareus on Thetis Island, Samael regrouped with the companions of the Argo inside the hall.
After a few brief exchanges, the Ancient Serpent moved to a corner and informed the Moon Goddess and Orion of the bad news regarding Paradise Island.
Although his maneuver of diverting trouble elsewhere had temporarily shifted the Sea King's attention and bought them some time, the crisis itself was far from resolved.
In the ideal scenario, even if they could not pinpoint Paradise Island's exact location within three days, they would at least uncover enough decisive information to persuade Poseidon to delay the rebellion.
But now, it seemed that even Poseidon, ruler of the seas, knew nothing about it. The odds looked grim.
Leaning against one of the courtyard pillars, the Moon Goddess's smile vanished completely. She pressed her lips together, gently stroking Orion's head as she murmured with weary frustration.
"Darling, what do you think we should do?"
"Darling… who's that?"
The toy brown bear lifted his head, his eyes dull and confused. His reactions were sluggish, like a rusted machine, with none of his former cheer or liveliness left.
A sharp pain pierced Artemis's heart. She pulled her lover into her arms and held him tightly.
That intoxicating softness jolted the toy bear awake. He perked up at once, visibly delighted. The lifeless look in his eyes flickered as if something stirred in his memory. A frivolous smile crept onto his face, and his little paws began to wander out of habit.
"So this is the illusion of love? This is amazing!"
But before long, Orion lost interest again. He pulled his paws back, scratched his head, and muttered in confusion.
"Uh… these boobs don't seem that exciting after all. Feels like touching my left hand with my right. Tch…
Oh! That mermaid lady over there looks great! Come on, open your arms and welcome this fluffy cutie. Let me see how well you've developed!"
His eyes darted around before locking straight onto the mermaid attendants in the hall. With a wolfish howl, Orion sprang out of the Moon Goddess's embrace and lunged toward his new target.
Seeing her old lover relapse into familiar habits, Artemis's eyes flared with fury. Her face went pale as she nearly summoned her bow, ready to turn this hopelessly lecherous bear into a pincushion.
But the lingering echo of his earlier confused words stabbed straight into her heart. In the end, she only reached out, dragged Orion back, and held him tightly in her arms. Her lowered gaze was filled with sorrow.
"Let me take a look."
At that moment, the Ancient Serpent reached out and took Orion. Threads of fate, like fine strands of golden silk, spread invisibly through the hall. Specks of starlike dust were quietly drawn from the Argonauts and converged into the plush toy.
The Argo expedition… the stormy seas… the Kingdom of Colchis… Atalanta… and… Paradise Island?
Through the links of fate, fragmented and hazy memories reconnected within the damaged soul housed inside the teddy bear.
At last, clarity broke through Orion's eyes. Remembering his earlier teasing of his old lover, he immediately began darting his gaze around guiltily, trembling all over.
Unfortunately, this method treated only the symptoms, not the root. Some emotions and memories remained blurred all the same.
"I'm sorry, Artemis. I think I can see Perseus and the others waving at me again. My time… feels like it's running out…"
After a brief silence, Orion opened his eyes and saw the glimmer of tears welling in the Moon Goddess's pupils. With an uncharacteristically serious expression, he sighed and raised his fluffy paw, gently wiping away the tear at the corner of his lover's eye.
Tch. He had never been able to handle women crying. A goddess's tears were even worse.
Samael slowly withdrew his hand, sensing how much weaker the soul flame inside the vessel had become. His brow furrowed tightly.
Forcing a remnant soul to resist the call of Paradise Island was clearly no easy task for Orion.
None of them noticed that, at some point, this lecherous little bear had begun speaking less and reacting more slowly, completely lacking the vitality he'd had before the Argo expedition.
"Paradise Island! Paradise Island! If this damned place isn't in the sea, then where is it? Don't tell me it's in the sky?!"
Seeing her old lover suffering so miserably, Artemis, usually all smiles, finally snapped. She slammed her fist into a pillar and cursed, completely losing her composure.
The Argonauts in the hall turned to her in stunned silence.
"Damn Paradise Island! Once I find it, I'll smash that cursed place to pieces!"
Artemis's almond-shaped eyes blazed as she ground her teeth in rage, utterly devoid of her usual light and elegant divine bearing.
The heroes' gazes, each filled with different emotions, converged on her. Atalanta and the other female heroes looked on with particular concern.
Seeing this, Samael chose to reveal part of the curse of Paradise Island and Orion's condition.
That island could absorb and enslave the souls of heroes. Even Perseus, a great hero of the Golden Age, had not escaped its grasp.
The revelation sent shockwaves through the Argonauts. Fear surged in their hearts as they grew deeply wary of this mysterious and ominous place, terrified that they too might one day become its prisoners. Their eyes turned toward Diana and her tragic lover with sympathy and pity.
Just as Samael finished calming everyone and was about to call Atalanta over to escort the distraught Artemis into a side hall to rest, a pale little hand wobbled uncertainly and rose from within the crowd.
"If… if the Paradise Island Lord Theseus mentioned is that place… I think I know where it is…"
A timid, delicate voice emerged from the crowd. The hunting goddess's sharp gaze, like that of a beast locking onto prey, pierced straight through the onlookers and fixed on the small figure in the gap.
Under that gaze, sharp enough to pierce flesh and soul alike, the Argonauts instinctively stepped aside, revealing Little Medea clutching the Staff of the Dark Moon, looking hesitant yet determined.
"I know you want to help, but this is an adult matter. Children shouldn't interfere."
Noticing that Artemis was emotionally unstable, Samael worried she might lash out at Little Medea in her distress. He pretended to scold her, shielding the girl indirectly.
"I really do know!"
Unable to bear the doubt coming from Lord Theseus, Little Medea mustered her courage and chanted a hymn in a songlike divine voice.
"It is a world reached after crossing hundreds of billions of rays of light, passing through trillions of darkness, until one finally arrives. After death, only those chosen by the gods are permitted to enter this paradise…
There is no hunger, no conflict, no pain, no sorrow. It is an eternal land of purity, freed from all suffering and anguish…"
Samael, who had been indifferent moments earlier, felt his pupils shrink sharply.
At the same time, the Moon Goddess, who had already been guided to the doorway by Atalanta, broke free like a mother panther. She rushed back to Little Medea, gripping the child's shoulders and demanding urgently,
"Where is this place?"
"Uh… it's in the deepest layer of the Underworld. Far upstream of the River Acheron, on the boundless plains beyond the River Lethe. When I dreamed of the goddess Hecate, she took me there."
Startled by the sudden shaking, Little Medea stammered under the Moon Goddess's intense gaze, then nervously added,
"But… it's not called Paradise Island…"
At that moment, Samael stepped forward and drew Little Medea into his arms, gently resting a hand on her trembling shoulder.
"Don't rush. Take your time. What is it called?"
Encouraged by the Ancient Serpent, Little Medea steadied herself and solemnly spoke the place's true name.
"Ēlysion. Its name is… [Elysium]."
...
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