Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

Love is not something complicated that requires countless descriptions. Love is a feeling, an impulse, an excitement; everything can constitute the cause of love. It is inherently irrational.

This is especially true for the gods of Greek mythology, since the world itself originated from it.

Tsurugi had heard the legends of this world's creation, everything that began with Chaos.

Chaos, in its initial state of chaos and meaninglessness, was given the concept of sensibility by the First Cause, Eros, which then gave birth to the world.

Eros perished, but he was not forever silenced. The Greek gods are immortal, and Eros later returned as the god of love, as the child of Aphrodite.

The world was born of love, and multiplied because of love. The gods fought for power because of love, and in the end, everything in the world came into being.

Therefore, the Greek gods never shied away from expressing love—which was their very birthplace! And that's why those gods who symbolized upholding order and morality in society often suffered setbacks.

Tsurugi didn't find it hard to understand—after all, in the real world, there are hundreds of people who have never even met their idols and are so excited that they wear wedding dresses to attend their concerts. Compared to that, Aphrodite's love makes a lot of sense.

Feeling the woman's hands becoming increasingly restless, Tsurugi frowned slightly, raised his hands, placed them on her shoulders, and then—pushed her away forcefully.

The force wasn't strong, but it was exceptionally firm. Tsurugi pulled away from her embrace, retreated to the other end of the bed, sat down against the golden pillar, and turned his head slightly away, as if to avoid the overwhelming fragrance.

His face remained composed, and his breathing returned to normal, but a hint of helplessness and irony appeared in his half-open eyes.

"I cannot accept this kind offer."

A hint of melancholy immediately appeared on the stunningly beautiful woman's face. Her violet eyes shimmered with tears, and her lips were slightly pursed, like a girl whose beloved doll had been taken away. She slowly withdrew her empty hands, clasping her fingers together in front of her chest, her posture pitiful and charming. Anyone who saw her would feel pity and wish they could rush over and embrace her again to comfort her.

"Why did you push me away?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a hint of grievance.

"I love you so much, I cherish you so much, and I'm willing to give you everything the most beautiful thing in the world—why do you keep running away from me?"

After hearing her words, Dongjiang slowly raised his hand and held up one finger.

“First,” he said expressionlessly, his tone completely flat.

"You just smashed a demonic boar over my head, and then used your divine power to resurrect it to attack me again. I'll remember this grudge, and I'll get my revenge one day!"

He then raised his second finger.

"Secondly, you drugged me, brought me to this place, stripped me of my clothes, and had a group of people watching. I'll remember that grudge too."

Then he lowered his hand, finally opening his eyelids slightly to reveal a sliver of dazzling golden light, which he cast towards the woman opposite him. There was no anger, no fear, and not a trace of being swayed by her charm in his gaze.

"As for the third—" Tsugumi's voice was particularly annoyed.

"I do not accept extramarital affairs, either party, Your Majesty Aphrodite. I have no interest in joining your family."

The golden platters and silver pots in the hands of the Graces made a very soft clinking sound at the same time. Their faces turned pale in an instant, and they hurriedly knelt down, their foreheads touching the cold stone slabs. They dared not raise their heads, for fear that Aphrodite would blame them for revealing their mistress's identity.

At this moment, the birdsong and the sound of the spring outside the window seemed to freeze, leaving only the clear, cool water flowing along the Jade Canal, but it seemed to have become more cautious.

The stunningly beautiful woman sat on the edge of the couch, her melancholy expression like a reflection on water shattered by a stone, transforming into a meaningful smile tinged with amusement and appreciation.

She slowly turned her head, her violet eyes fixed on Tsurugi. The infatuation in her gaze had not diminished; instead, it had grown even more intense.

"Oh dear," she chuckled, her voice even more alluring than before, "you've been discovered."

She rested her elbows on her knees, propped her chin on her hand, and tilted her head to examine Tsurugi. Her long red hair slid down her shoulders, revealing a section of her slender, snow-white neck. A smile played on her lips, a smile as ripe as a ripe fruit.

1007>>>>>>

“Then, my dear little hero,” she said softly, “now that you know who I am and what I just did to you—tell me, what are you going to do now?”

She leaned forward slightly, extended a finger, and gently touched her full lower lip, speaking with a determined tone.

"You can't escape, my red rose. Even if you flee to the ends of Tartarus, you'll never get rid of me!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S. I've been really into Hades 2 lately, but it's hard to develop those two worlds in a proper story, so I'll write a Greek mythology story first, using the Steel Heroes pseudonym!

1008

727. Tsurugi: I love watching women fight!

At first, Aphrodite was only curious about Athena's whereabouts, but she didn't have any particular intentions at the beginning.

After all—poor Athena, what good food could that old woman possibly eat? Nothing more than muscular strongmen and demigod heroes.

With a playful and amused attitude, Aphrodite arrived here, and then... she fell in love at first sight.

This boy possessed a face that could eclipse all beauty in the world, and that alone was enough to make Aphrodite's heart flutter.

But what truly captivated the goddess of beauty was not merely her appearance, but rather—her soul.

Through those beautiful golden eyes, Aphrodite saw his soul.

He was a mortal, yet he possessed a soul that no mortal could match—a soul that seemed to understand everything and was as clear as crystal.

Within this crystal, however, lies a ray of sunlight that burns quietly with hope, a ray of light more brilliant and radiant than the sun of Helios.

Beneath this sunlight, there is a majestic, thundering heartbeat, carrying the patriarchal authority of masculinity.

All these conflicting elements were perfectly integrated in a mortal man, and nothing in the world could adequately describe the impact and love he brought to Aphrodite.

He belongs to me.

Aphrodite's love burned fiercely, steadfastly, and would never change!

But—Tsugumi didn't think this was anything to be happy about.

What should I do if I wake up one morning to find that I've actually received Adonis's script?

Waiting online, very anxious!

Seeing the goddess who wasn't even going to act anymore and was directly feeding him, Tsuruge broke out in a cold sweat.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, I'm only thirteen years old—"

“Oh, that’s even sweeter.” Aphrodite licked her full lips and uttered an even more excited sound.

Tsurugi's face paled slightly. What do you mean, underage? To the Greeks, especially the Olympian gods, this was just a risqué pamphlet.

After all, Stratton's poem describes it very well: a boy who is still a child brings joy, a thirteen-year-old boy can arouse desire, a fourteen-year-old boy is like a more beautiful flower of love, a fifteen-year-old is more charming than a fourteen-year-old, a sixteen-year-old boy is a flower pursued by the gods, and a seventeen-year-old beautiful boy is not for mortals, only Zeus can enjoy him.

Ha, there isn't a single Olympian myth that doesn't involve minors—even Hades, when he abducted Persephone, she was still a young girl!

After all, their main god is a master of electricity—go ahead and do whatever you want, go all out! What's there to be afraid of with electricity, right?

Unable to contain her love any longer, Aphrodite pounced on Tsurugi, stretching out her arms like lightning to embrace him, to engulf him, to drown him, and to utterly intoxicate him.

A flash of golden light disappeared in an instant; Tsugumi used her sixth sense to teleport and dodge Aphrodite's attack.

The goddess of love and beauty turned around with some confusion. What was that power just now? It wasn't divine power, nor magic or witchcraft. Was it the power of a mortal?

But Aphrodite soon realized that this was a power emanating from Tsugumi's soul that did not belong to this world!

This certainty only fueled Aphrodite's fascination with Tsurugi, and this love, both hidden and pursued, ignited an even greater desire within her.

—It's just a little bit of fun!

Why are you running away?!

She licked her full lips, and with a coquettish voice, grabbed at Tsurugi even faster, while Tsurugi kept teleporting, cold sweat pouring down his face.

A counterattack? Hopeless. Aphrodite's power as a chief god is actually among the upper echelons on Mount Olympus—to put it jokingly, even Ares might not be able to defeat her!

If I could cultivate my seventh sense myself, perhaps I could manage it...

Just as Tsugumi was about to tremble like a little rabbit and be captured by the goddess of love before her—

A clear, bell-like cry, carrying a majestic and magnificent roar, fell from the sky.

Along with it came a spear wrapped with an olive branch.

"Aphrodite, how dare you!!!"

The spear, entwined with an olive branch, fell like a silver lightning bolt from the heavens, embedding itself squarely in the ground between the Thrush River and Aphrodite. The spearhead sank into the stone slab, the olive branch at its end trembling and emitting a deep, resonant hum.

The moment the spear fell, a chilling and murderous aura, like a cold north wind, swept into the hall, completely erasing the fragrance of roses and myrrh, replacing it with the bitter scent of olive wood and the cold, metallic aura of bronze armor.

Immediately afterwards, a figure enveloped in golden light descended from the sky and landed beside the spear.

Dongjiang stopped in her tracks, finally letting out a long sigh of relief. Looking up, she saw the person she had been waiting for.

1008 >>

"Mom!!!" Tsugumi shouted shamelessly.

She was clad in a silver-white armor that covered her chest and shoulders, engraved with owl and olive branch patterns. She was tall and slender, with a gold belt around her waist and a pleated skirt that reached her knees, revealing her long and strong calves. She wore a pair of gold-trimmed war boots, the soles of which made a crisp, ringing sound as they stepped on the broken jade.

Her chestnut-brown hair was styled in a high bun at the back of her head, and her face possessed a beauty entirely different from Aphrodite's. Her features were sharply defined, as if sculpted by an axe, and her brows carried an innate air of authority and wisdom.

At this moment, those wise, silver-gray eyes were burning with a rare rage.

“Aphrodite,” her voice was clear and cold, carrying an undeniable authority, “how dare you—!”

She raised her right hand, and the spear stuck in the ground hummed as it rose and flew back into her palm. She pointed the spear at the goddess of love and desire on her couch, the cold light of the spear tip reflecting in Aphrodite's violet eyes like a silver mirror.

"This child is my adopted son, Athena's son, whom I entrusted to Chiron's care since childhood. And you, with a demonic boar and illusions, lured, trapped, and abducted him, imprisoning him in this 'gentle haven' of Cyprus—"

Her voice grew louder, and the anger in her silver-gray eyes almost solidified.

"—You're declaring war on me!"

"You've finally arrived!" Tsugumi quickly ran to Athena's side, a relieved smile on her face.

Athena rolled her eyes at her adopted son, but seeing that the anger he felt because of Aphrodite had subsided and was replaced by a gentle emotion, she noticed that his anger had subsided.

"You're quite composed," Athena said, her voice lower and gentler than before, yet still carrying an air of authority.

"From Arcadia to Cyprus, I searched all the way here, and you—you've been lying in this paradise for three days, indulging in heavenly delicacies and mead, and you haven't lost a single hair."

Their relationship was harmonious, a loving mother and filial son, but—Aphrodite was not happy.

"Declare war?" she repeated the word, a hint of mockery in her tone.

"Oh dear, Athena, you're really putting a huge accusation on me. How dare I, a frail goddess, declare war on you, the fully armed goddess of war?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, as if she were pleading. But in the same instant, her gaze sharpened, and a hidden, burning flame ignited deep within her violet eyes.

“However—” She slowly stood up, the hem of her robe slipping off the couch, her bare feet stepping on the cold stone slabs, her steps light as a dance, “—I have some different opinions about what you just said about ‘your adopted son’.”

She strolled around the bed, walking step by step toward Athena, her long red hair swaying gently at her side, like a walking flame.

Aphrodite stopped ten paces away from Athena, leaning slightly forward, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her posture both innocent and alluring.