“Ares? A son of Zeus. He has Hera’s appearance, but he doesn’t seem to be accepted by his mother. He always wears battle armor made by Hephaestus, including a shield, breastplate, and helmet. He rides a bronze chariot that makes thunderous sounds as the wheels roll, and the four warhorses that pull the chariot emit a fog of terror from their breath, plunging enemy armies into panic. He’s not a sociable god. He doesn’t fit in and is superficial. Not many people agree with the wars he starts. Even this war. There’s a lot of opposition from numerous minor gods, but no one can object because it’s a decision made by Olympus.”
Dionysus explained in detail, thinking that it would be harmless for Eutostea to know this much and that they had nothing to do until Apollo returned from hunting.
“Eutostea, the victories that the Theban forces are celebrating right now mean nothing.” He warned her in advance, fearing she might harbor false hope. “It’s just a game for the god of war. He finds it amusing that they bravely confront him, like a puppy that doesn’t know the danger of a tiger. Even if the sacred forces resist fiercely, he will eventually crush Thebes. The blue flag of Thebes will fall.”
“……”
“Don’t look at it that way. I’m a powerless god, unable to defeat that bloodthirsty lunatic.”
“I didn’t expect anything from Lord Dionysus.”
Eutostea looked down with a blank expression on her face.
“Well, why don’t you try asking Ares to stop?”
She slowly raised her head. “Would he listen?”
“No.”
“You’re being sarcastic.”
“I can be. Does it make you feel uncomfortable?”
“No. You told me the truth.”
“Right.”
Dionysus glanced at her calm face. Deep within her eyes that lay beneath her thick eyebrows, there was a hidden depth. He didn’t like her attitude, which seemed to ask him to stop the war without even the slightest possibility. It was not because he felt powerless, but because her demeanor seemed to draw a line, as if she had no expectations from him.
In his temple, she had only the leopards, the Mousai, and the two male gods as her entire world. Since arriving in Thebes, she had been busy interacting with humans. Since they had decided to be mere observers of the war, he could not put a brake on Eutostea’s actions. However, he felt a bit sad, as if he was pushed aside. Yes, wasn’t he always craving for her affection?
Ah, there was one more person. Dionysus grinned, gesturing with his chin at Apollo, who appeared carrying two deer as big as bears on his shoulders.
“Maybe Apollo could stand against Ares. Ask him to stop the war. Pray to him to bring victory to Thebes. The god of prophecy, who undoubtedly loves you, would probably gladly lay Ares’ neck at your feet.”
It was a statement that sounded like a prophecy.
Dionysus’s cool green eyes fixated on Apollo. Having returned from the hunt, Apollo tactfully understood that the two were talking about him. He looked at them, raising his beautiful eyebrows. He dropped the hunted game next to the campfire, revealing his broad, blood-stained shoulders and a pair of arms, as if they were weapons themselves, under the moonlight.
“I thought you would bring a wolf or something, but it’s deer again?”
Considering his recent actions, he wouldn’t be wrong to call him a deer slayer. Apollo gave a nonchalant look in response to Dionysus’s teasing.
“I’ve heard that there’s a shortage of food these days. During this time of the year, wolves are busy finding food and don’t have much fat. A plump deer will feed more mouths than a wolf with just a few bites after dissecting bones and entrails.”
Just as Macaedes hunted to feed his soldiers, Apollo had personally hunted deer to feed the humans. Of course, he hurriedly did so out of concern that Eutostea, who only took a few bites, would starve. Dionysus was astonished that Apollo could be such a benevolent god.
Of course, there must be more to it. Dionysus noticed Apollo’s hidden intentions in his suspicious behavior.
“The god of prophecy feeds the soldiers of Thebes? Is that the desperate measure you’ve come up with? Are you trying to support this ragtag army without being noticed by Zeus, somehow buying time?”
There had been fifteen meetings at Olympus. Zeus seemed irritated at himself, sitting idly while Ares caused chaos in the war. As a result, he took it out on the twelve gods and the lesser gods. The conclusion of those inconclusive meetings was always the same warning. Those who interfere in human wars shall be punished.
“You talk a lot for just bringing two deer. Have you become a nag because you have nothing better to do?”
Apollo scoffed and created a fireball in his hand, throwing it into the remaining charcoal near the campfire. The surface of the charcoal, looking like it was covered in white snow, turned red from the heat. He twisted the deer’s head in the opposite direction, and the sound of skin tearing could be heard.
“People would be surprised if I suddenly carried whole chunks of deer meat.”
The people there shared even small pieces of meat, making soup to feed each other.
“Why not say that an anonymous hunter donated it? Eutostea.”
His expression, which had been sharp in opposition to Dionysus, softened in an instant.
“Then I should secretly place it behind the barracks of the fortress, so that animals can’t get to it. I’ve seen village women storing food there. It’s so cold that we don’t have to worry about it spoiling.”
After deciding what to do with the meat, Eutostea fell silent.
Apollo turned around to wash his hands. As he moved, the snow crunched beneath his sandals. Although he was barefoot, he didn’t seem cold at all. His large, ivory-skinned feet with prominent joints were as beautiful as a sculpture.
“I’d like to know what you two were talking about while I was away. My ears are itching with curiosity.”
Apollo washed his blood-stained hands in the stream and then turned to Dionysus.
“……”
“Well, do you have anything to say to me?”
Dionysus laughed with a ridiculous expression.
“Me? No. Eutostea has something to say.”
“……?”
Apollo fixed his gaze on Eutostea, shifting it from Dionysus. In his trembling red eyes were expectations and excitement. Those emotions, imprinted vividly on his expressionless face, were too easy to read, too poorly hidden.
Eutostea bit her lip as she looked at him. The god before her, who generously poured out his affection for her like a stream of water, was, in fact, a great and powerful deity who could stand alongside Zeus himself on Olympus.
“Ares? A son of Zeus. He has Hera’s appearance, but he doesn’t seem to be accepted by his mother. He always wears battle armor made by Hephaestus, including a shield, breastplate, and helmet. He rides a bronze chariot that makes thunderous sounds as the wheels roll, and the four warhorses that pull the chariot emit a fog of terror from their breath, plunging enemy armies into panic. He’s not a sociable god. He doesn’t fit in and is superficial. Not many people agree with the wars he starts. Even this war. There’s a lot of opposition from numerous minor gods, but no one can object because it’s a decision made by Olympus.”
Dionysus explained in detail, thinking that it would be harmless for Eutostea to know this much and that they had nothing to do until Apollo returned from hunting.
“Eutostea, the victories that the Theban forces are celebrating right now mean nothing.” He warned her in advance, fearing she might harbor false hope. “It’s just a game for the god of war. He finds it amusing that they bravely confront him, like a puppy that doesn’t know the danger of a tiger. Even if the sacred forces resist fiercely, he will eventually crush Thebes. The blue flag of Thebes will fall.”
“……”
“Don’t look at it that way. I’m a powerless god, unable to defeat that bloodthirsty lunatic.”
“I didn’t expect anything from Lord Dionysus.”
Eutostea looked down with a blank expression on her face.
“Well, why don’t you try asking Ares to stop?”
She slowly raised her head. “Would he listen?”
“No.”
“You’re being sarcastic.”
“I can be. Does it make you feel uncomfortable?”
“No. You told me the truth.”
“Right.”
Dionysus glanced at her calm face. Deep within her eyes that lay beneath her thick eyebrows, there was a hidden depth. He didn’t like her attitude, which seemed to ask him to stop the war without even the slightest possibility. It was not because he felt powerless, but because her demeanor seemed to draw a line, as if she had no expectations from him.
In his temple, she had only the leopards, the Mousai, and the two male gods as her entire world. Since arriving in Thebes, she had been busy interacting with humans. Since they had decided to be mere observers of the war, he could not put a brake on Eutostea’s actions. However, he felt a bit sad, as if he was pushed aside. Yes, wasn’t he always craving for her affection?
Ah, there was one more person. Dionysus grinned, gesturing with his chin at Apollo, who appeared carrying two deer as big as bears on his shoulders.
“Maybe Apollo could stand against Ares. Ask him to stop the war. Pray to him to bring victory to Thebes. The god of prophecy, who undoubtedly loves you, would probably gladly lay Ares’ neck at your feet.”
It was a statement that sounded like a prophecy.
Dionysus’s cool green eyes fixated on Apollo. Having returned from the hunt, Apollo tactfully understood that the two were talking about him. He looked at them, raising his beautiful eyebrows. He dropped the hunted game next to the campfire, revealing his broad, blood-stained shoulders and a pair of arms, as if they were weapons themselves, under the moonlight.
“I thought you would bring a wolf or something, but it’s deer again?”
Considering his recent actions, he wouldn’t be wrong to call him a deer slayer. Apollo gave a nonchalant look in response to Dionysus’s teasing.
“I’ve heard that there’s a shortage of food these days. During this time of the year, wolves are busy finding food and don’t have much fat. A plump deer will feed more mouths than a wolf with just a few bites after dissecting bones and entrails.”
Just as Macaedes hunted to feed his soldiers, Apollo had personally hunted deer to feed the humans. Of course, he hurriedly did so out of concern that Eutostea, who only took a few bites, would starve. Dionysus was astonished that Apollo could be such a benevolent god.
Of course, there must be more to it. Dionysus noticed Apollo’s hidden intentions in his suspicious behavior.
“The god of prophecy feeds the soldiers of Thebes? Is that the desperate measure you’ve come up with? Are you trying to support this ragtag army without being noticed by Zeus, somehow buying time?”
There had been fifteen meetings at Olympus. Zeus seemed irritated at himself, sitting idly while Ares caused chaos in the war. As a result, he took it out on the twelve gods and the lesser gods. The conclusion of those inconclusive meetings was always the same warning. Those who interfere in human wars shall be punished.
“You talk a lot for just bringing two deer. Have you become a nag because you have nothing better to do?”
Apollo scoffed and created a fireball in his hand, throwing it into the remaining charcoal near the campfire. The surface of the charcoal, looking like it was covered in white snow, turned red from the heat. He twisted the deer’s head in the opposite direction, and the sound of skin tearing could be heard.
“People would be surprised if I suddenly carried whole chunks of deer meat.”
The people there shared even small pieces of meat, making soup to feed each other.
“Why not say that an anonymous hunter donated it? Eutostea.”
His expression, which had been sharp in opposition to Dionysus, softened in an instant.
“Then I should secretly place it behind the barracks of the fortress, so that animals can’t get to it. I’ve seen village women storing food there. It’s so cold that we don’t have to worry about it spoiling.”
After deciding what to do with the meat, Eutostea fell silent.
Apollo turned around to wash his hands. As he moved, the snow crunched beneath his sandals. Although he was barefoot, he didn’t seem cold at all. His large, ivory-skinned feet with prominent joints were as beautiful as a sculpture.
“I’d like to know what you two were talking about while I was away. My ears are itching with curiosity.”
Apollo washed his blood-stained hands in the stream and then turned to Dionysus.
“……”
“Well, do you have anything to say to me?”
Dionysus laughed with a ridiculous expression.
“Me? No. Eutostea has something to say.”
“……?”
Apollo fixed his gaze on Eutostea, shifting it from Dionysus. In his trembling red eyes were expectations and excitement. Those emotions, imprinted vividly on his expressionless face, were too easy to read, too poorly hidden.
Eutostea bit her lip as she looked at him. The god before her, who generously poured out his affection for her like a stream of water, was, in fact, a great and powerful deity who could stand alongside Zeus himself on Olympus.
