Eutostea journeyed to Boeotia on Eonia the leopard. The rising sun was hot and she was in a state of haziness. She and her companions had been on the move without rest. Eutostea decided to take a break and lay under the shade of a bodhi tree, sleeping. Dionysus and Apollo drank their wine from a distance; the two leopards would protect her. The hilly area known for its harvest was dark and gloomy—probably because it had just borne witness to a battle.
“I can smell the rotting blood seeping into the soil,” Dionysus said grimly. “Even though this is all Ares’ doing, no one is able to stop him, not even our father.”
“Yeah, Eutostea will have to walk through this putrid mess on her own feet,” Ares replied.
“You should have told her what horrors she’ll see when she goes to Thebes.”
“Isn’t Eutostea going to Thebes to protect the things she treasures?”
Dionysus stared at him with sunken eyes. “You shouldn’t be so calm. I can’t be sure of her safety when she’s not within my realm. She’s completely exposed to Artemis.”
“You have to protect her.”
“Even in battle? I’m the god of wine!”
Apollo snorted. “Are your leopards for decoration only? They could tear the flesh of two or three fairies. And what’s more, they’re wild beasts.”
Dionysus took a sip. “It seems that they’re more loyal to Eutostea than the owner who raised them. If there’s a soldier who threatens her, they’ll bite them without sparing a glance.”
“You mustn’t interfere in the war. You have to keep that rule in mind, Dionysus.” Apollo tipped his drink and looked down at Eutostea’s sleeping face.
“Are you afraid of Tartarus?” Dionysus asked.
“Why? Because of those Titans stuck in the abyss?” Apollo laughed arrogantly. “It’s not that. If you and I disobey Zeus’ orders, we’ll end up exiled to Tartarus. We won’t be able to protect Eutostea from Artemis. Do you think she’ll be able to survive from the goddess who had vowed to kill her?”
“By the way, how are you going to deal with your little sister, Apollo?” Dionysus scratched his head. “Don’t just play around with her fairies. You’ve to approach her head on.”
“You’ll probably have to be away with Eutostea for me to do that.”
“Are you going to turn the world upside down in a fight between siblings?”
“It will depend on the judgment of Zeus and whether fate allows it.”
Dionysus frowned and looked over the horizon, spitting out a low pitched curse. No matter how much he thought about it, he wasn’t fit for war. Apollo’s made for battle. Hephaestus had crafted Athena, Apollo, and Ares with fine-grade weapons that could defeat enemies on sight. There was a reason why Apollo was proud of his killing of the giant Python. He had proved that he was a god worthy of ascending to Olympus by cutting off the goddess’ pet snake, which had tormented his mother terribly.
The gods revered battle prowess.
Dionysus was not, and now he had desperately wished he was one.
Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, was fiddling with the bow with bored eyes. He quickly made an obscure arrow, hung it on the string, and released it. The spider-shaped fairy who tried to approach the bodhi tree was struck in the heart and died.
“Let’s move. They’re becoming annoying.”
Dionysus saw him collect the arrows before walking towards the leopards that rested next Eutostea. He had then stepped on mucus. It belonged to the fairies Apollo killed. Dionysus ruffled his hair. “Ah, this is annoying.”
He rubbed the soles of his sandals while a bitter sense of inferiority in his chest slowly rose.
***
The sun was setting. Eutostea and the two gods arrived in Thebes. Apollo’s crows indicated the location of the fortress, Thebes’ last stronghold. When Eutostea heard the name, her expression became complicated. The fortress was built like barracks at the edge of an insignificant border.
“The army that had been treated with sovereignty in the Boeotia Alliance… how did it become like this…”
Eutostea got off the leopard as she walked toward the fortress. One step, anger… two steps, sadness… three steps, silence. The burial site where the dead were buried was first to be seen. She did not stop until she passed an area where the soldiers rested, groaning from their wounds. They didn’t care much for their manners.
The Princes of Thebes saw that there was no one guarding the fortress. Everyone had gone to the battlefield. After looking around the empty stable, Eutostea fixed her gaze over the low fortress wall.
Apollo and Dionysus were invisible to the human eye, the leopards too. The soldiers glanced at the short-haired woman who stood undisturbed in her uniform.
“…Who are you?” the wounded soldier who had lost one eye crawled in front of her and asked. “This is a military camp. Right in front of you is the battlefield. I don’t know how you got here, but it’s dangerous, so please go. I’m afraid that something bad will happen to you.”
“Are you a soldier of Thebes?” Eutostea asked.
The soldier looked up at her feet. Her face looked as if an unknown majesty flowed from within. “Yes. All of these people are members of the holy army fighting for their lives to retake the capital.”
“A new unit less than three years old has become this country’s last hope?”
“Only a few people know of this secret. How do you know it?”
The few wounded soldiers immediately flocked around Eutostea.
“Who are you? Identify yourself.”
Eutostea journeyed to Boeotia on Eonia the leopard. The rising sun was hot and she was in a state of haziness. She and her companions had been on the move without rest. Eutostea decided to take a break and lay under the shade of a bodhi tree, sleeping. Dionysus and Apollo drank their wine from a distance; the two leopards would protect her. The hilly area known for its harvest was dark and gloomy—probably because it had just borne witness to a battle.
“I can smell the rotting blood seeping into the soil,” Dionysus said grimly. “Even though this is all Ares’ doing, no one is able to stop him, not even our father.”
“Yeah, Eutostea will have to walk through this putrid mess on her own feet,” Ares replied.
“You should have told her what horrors she’ll see when she goes to Thebes.”
“Isn’t Eutostea going to Thebes to protect the things she treasures?”
Dionysus stared at him with sunken eyes. “You shouldn’t be so calm. I can’t be sure of her safety when she’s not within my realm. She’s completely exposed to Artemis.”
“You have to protect her.”
“Even in battle? I’m the god of wine!”
Apollo snorted. “Are your leopards for decoration only? They could tear the flesh of two or three fairies. And what’s more, they’re wild beasts.”
Dionysus took a sip. “It seems that they’re more loyal to Eutostea than the owner who raised them. If there’s a soldier who threatens her, they’ll bite them without sparing a glance.”
“You mustn’t interfere in the war. You have to keep that rule in mind, Dionysus.” Apollo tipped his drink and looked down at Eutostea’s sleeping face.
“Are you afraid of Tartarus?” Dionysus asked.
“Why? Because of those Titans stuck in the abyss?” Apollo laughed arrogantly. “It’s not that. If you and I disobey Zeus’ orders, we’ll end up exiled to Tartarus. We won’t be able to protect Eutostea from Artemis. Do you think she’ll be able to survive from the goddess who had vowed to kill her?”
“By the way, how are you going to deal with your little sister, Apollo?” Dionysus scratched his head. “Don’t just play around with her fairies. You’ve to approach her head on.”
“You’ll probably have to be away with Eutostea for me to do that.”
“Are you going to turn the world upside down in a fight between siblings?”
“It will depend on the judgment of Zeus and whether fate allows it.”
Dionysus frowned and looked over the horizon, spitting out a low pitched curse. No matter how much he thought about it, he wasn’t fit for war. Apollo’s made for battle. Hephaestus had crafted Athena, Apollo, and Ares with fine-grade weapons that could defeat enemies on sight. There was a reason why Apollo was proud of his killing of the giant Python. He had proved that he was a god worthy of ascending to Olympus by cutting off the goddess’ pet snake, which had tormented his mother terribly.
The gods revered battle prowess.
Dionysus was not, and now he had desperately wished he was one.
Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, was fiddling with the bow with bored eyes. He quickly made an obscure arrow, hung it on the string, and released it. The spider-shaped fairy who tried to approach the bodhi tree was struck in the heart and died.
“Let’s move. They’re becoming annoying.”
Dionysus saw him collect the arrows before walking towards the leopards that rested next Eutostea. He had then stepped on mucus. It belonged to the fairies Apollo killed. Dionysus ruffled his hair. “Ah, this is annoying.”
He rubbed the soles of his sandals while a bitter sense of inferiority in his chest slowly rose.
***
The sun was setting. Eutostea and the two gods arrived in Thebes. Apollo’s crows indicated the location of the fortress, Thebes’ last stronghold. When Eutostea heard the name, her expression became complicated. The fortress was built like barracks at the edge of an insignificant border.
“The army that had been treated with sovereignty in the Boeotia Alliance… how did it become like this…”
Eutostea got off the leopard as she walked toward the fortress. One step, anger… two steps, sadness… three steps, silence. The burial site where the dead were buried was first to be seen. She did not stop until she passed an area where the soldiers rested, groaning from their wounds. They didn’t care much for their manners.
The Princes of Thebes saw that there was no one guarding the fortress. Everyone had gone to the battlefield. After looking around the empty stable, Eutostea fixed her gaze over the low fortress wall.
Apollo and Dionysus were invisible to the human eye, the leopards too. The soldiers glanced at the short-haired woman who stood undisturbed in her uniform.
“…Who are you?” the wounded soldier who had lost one eye crawled in front of her and asked. “This is a military camp. Right in front of you is the battlefield. I don’t know how you got here, but it’s dangerous, so please go. I’m afraid that something bad will happen to you.”
“Are you a soldier of Thebes?” Eutostea asked.
The soldier looked up at her feet. Her face looked as if an unknown majesty flowed from within. “Yes. All of these people are members of the holy army fighting for their lives to retake the capital.”
“A new unit less than three years old has become this country’s last hope?”
“Only a few people know of this secret. How do you know it?”
The few wounded soldiers immediately flocked around Eutostea.
“Who are you? Identify yourself.”
