Damn it...
The little bunny squatting on the snow-white ground, or rather, the beastified Lorne, was filled with deep regret as he felt the immense divine power surging from the body beneath his feet.
Had he known there was a goddess bathing beneath the lake, he would never have jumped in.
Even though he was now an innocent and harmless little bunny, once he finished digesting the divine power of the harvest god contained in that can of Kykeon porridge and returned to his human form, things would get real interesting.
After all, the Greek goddesses, barring a few exceptions, were pretty much synonymous with trouble and danger.
Once exposed, dishes like "Spicy Rabbit Cubes," "Hand-Shredded Rabbit," "Spicy Rabbit Head," and "Dry Pot Rabbit" could very well be his final fate.
"Why do you seem a bit dumb..."
As the curious murmurs of the goddess reached his ears, Lorne, who had been lost in tragic fantasies about his impending doom, shivered and hastily lifted his bunny head, blinking his large red eyes and gazing up innocently and blankly at the blonde, silver-eyed goddess.
Seeing the little creature's adorable look, the goddess immediately let out a delighted giggle and happily hugged the bunny to her chest.
"Then again, if you weren't dumb, why would you jump right into the water?
Lucky you ran into me."
At that moment, as her body shifted, two towering peaks kept squeezing inward.
Wedged in the middle, Lorne didn't experience any so-called ultimate pleasure.
Instead, he was tormented, with alarm bells blaring in his head like a siren.
The twelve-sided die on the altar also trembled joyfully.
It was obvious, this goddess was a highly dangerous character.
Whether it was his physical instincts or the dice's reaction, everything was loudly telling him that he was dancing madly on the edge of danger.
Thankfully, his beastification had been triggered by the original Demeter-made porridge. If it had been the watered-down version by that silly bird teacher Circe, he might've died on the spot.
At this moment, stuck between the deep crevice with no escape, Lorne could only hope that the divine essence of the harvest god remaining inside him was strong enough.
And in order to stall for time and find an opening to escape her clutches, he did his best to remain silent and tried to slow down the digestion and absorption of the divine essence.
Finally, after a grueling hour, the goddess in the lake was at last satisfied with her bath and walked naked toward the shore.
Transformed into a bunny, Lorne was cradled horizontally against the goddess's chest, becoming a natural modesty cloth.
'Big sis, I seriously can't take this anymore...'
At this point, as the harvest god's divine power in his body became increasingly thin, and with that tormenting sensation of being rolled and squeezed all over, Lorne couldn't help but wail in his heart.
Fortunately, the spot where the clothes were stored wasn't far from the lake.
After just a few steps, the goddess reached her destination, and the little bunny acting as the modesty cloth was finally released from his sentence.
As his four feet touched solid ground again, Lorne almost cried out in excitement.
'I'm free!'
Seizing the chance while the goddess was dressing, Lorne didn't hesitate to stretch his four stubby legs and dash headfirst into a nearby bush, trying to escape the scene as quickly as possible.
But with a rustling sound, two golden-antlered deer pulled a magnificent chariot wrapped in gold, speeding up the slope.
Luckily, Lorne reacted quickly and narrowly avoided a second crash.
However, before he could feel relieved for more than a few seconds, multiple gazes converged on him, filled with greed and danger.
Lorne stiffly raised his bunny head and saw, to his horror, a pack of hunting dogs that had followed the chariot up the mountain, their eyes gleaming as they stared at him, panting with their bright red tongues lolling out.
"Woof woof woof woof!"
The next moment, three droopy-eared dogs, two mixed-colored dogs, one spotted dog, and seven lightning-fast Spartan hounds burst from the bushes, charging straight at the snow-white bunny on the fallen leaves.
Run!
It was a split-second instinct.
Lorne cursed inwardly as he frantically paddled his four little legs, dodging the lunges of thirteen hunting dogs, trying to break through their encirclement.
Because of the unnamed goddess behind him, Lorne, who had turned into a beast, didn't dare reveal any outstanding skill, he could only rely on the escape abilities of a normal bunny.
But the thirteen hunting dogs ahead were clearly well-trained.
Not only were they faster than average domestic animals, but they also knew how to cooperate, coordinating to surround and cut off the little bunny darting around.
Several times, Lorne tried to maneuver and circle back, but the pack forced him back each time, gradually driving him into an open space with no cover.
"Woof woof!"
Eventually, the two mixed-colored dogs that seized the initiative let out cheerful low growls and lunged forward from the left and right, eager to claim first prize.
At that moment, a crisp whistle rang out.
The thirteen hunting dogs, hearing the command, immediately retreated like a receding tide, gathering in front of the valiant huntress, softly whining and wagging their tails in excitement.
"Thinking prey can escape from me? Not that easy."
With a soft and melodious tease, a fair hand reached down and grabbed the bunny by its long ears, recapturing it and cradling it in one arm.
She then leapt onto the chariot drawn by the two golden-antlered does from earlier.
With her other hand, she lifted the golden reins and gently flicked them.
Instantly, the golden-antlered does, receiving her command, snorted, stretched their long legs, gathered the wind beneath their hooves, and pulled the magnificent chariot like a gust toward the distant city of Knossos.
All the way, the cold wind howled.
Lorne, nestled in the huntress's single-arm embrace, curled up and dared not move a muscle, fearing that the last of the three great virgin goddesses would notice something suspicious.
That's right…
Through repeated hints both overt and subtle, the identity of this huntress goddess had already become unmistakably clear.
— One of the Twelve Olympians, Artemis.
That is, in Greek mythology, the goddess of the moon and the hunt, known as the "Mistress of Beasts and Ruler of the Wilderness," daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and the nurturing goddess Leto, and twin sister of Apollo, god of light and prophecy.
So, Lorne's blood-boiling transformation had quite literally run headfirst into the muzzle of a loaded gun.
And after realizing the true identity of this huntress goddess, Lorne, squished between the two mighty mountains of pressure, dared not move even more.
Because if this chaste virgin goddess discovered his human identity and confirmed the charges of peeping and desecration, whether it was intentional or not, he'd be absolutely doomed.
If he remembered correctly, a certain younger cousin of his in the future had already taken this fall for him.
Legend tells that the princess of Thebes, Otonoe, daughter of Cadmus, and the demigod hero Aristaeus, had a son named Actaeon.
Because his father loved hunting, Actaeon naturally developed a strong interest in it.
In his youth, he even studied hunting skills under the centaur sage Chiron and became obsessed with it upon returning home.
One day, while he was hunting in the forests of Mount Cithaeron, due to the heat, he accidentally stumbled into Artemis's sacred sanctuary in the valley of Gargaphia. He happened upon the huntress goddess while she was bathing in the pool.
Perhaps overcome by youthful impulses, Actaeon didn't immediately turn and flee. Instead, he was mesmerized by Artemis's beauty and figure, staring blankly at the exposed goddess.
Enraged, Artemis cast a spell using a handful of lake water and transformed Actaeon into a deer.
Realizing the gravity of his mistake, the panicked young hunter tried to flee, but was ultimately torn to shreds by the very hunting dogs he had brought into the mountains, thus ending his life.
With such a classic example as precedent, unless he was brain-dead, Lorne wouldn't dare revert to human form in front of this huntress goddess.
But right now, even if he didn't want to, the divine power of the harvest god left in his body could only sustain him for another quarter of an hour.
Hurry, hurry!
Perhaps Lorne's prayer was heard, because the speeding golden chariot soon pulled up outside the city of Knossos.
Artemis released the reins, leapt down from the chariot, and casually waved her hand behind her.
Immediately, the two golden-antlered does and thirteen hunting dogs of various colors obediently turned back under her command, disappearing into the dense forest, awaiting their next call.
Then, the goddess, appearing as a simple hunter, stroked the soft, smooth fur of the little bunny in her arms and walked into the city of Knossos under the cover of night, heading purposefully toward a certain residence.
And the closer they got to the destination, the more violently Lorne's little heart thumped.
Because he couldn't be more familiar with this place, it was Hestia's house.
The moment he imagined himself running out of divine power, reverting to human form right there in Artemis's arms, and being surrounded by gawking onlookers, Lorne couldn't help but shiver.
What a scene that would be.
A short knock echoed on the door, and Lorne's ability to stay beastified was nearly depleted.
As the door opened, Artemis caught sight of the silver-haired, violet-eyed goddess standing there, and clearly froze for a second, looking a bit surprised.
"You're here too?"
Opportunity!
Sensing that the arms holding him had slightly loosened, the little bunny, who was now on the brink of losing his beastified form, decisively darted out of Artemis's embrace, nimbly slipping through the crack in the door.
Then, he pushed his four short legs with all his might and dashed straight into the backyard, vanishing into the shade of the lush nursery.
The sudden turn of events left a stunned expression on Artemis's face.
This was the first time… that prey had escaped from the palm of her hand.
Especially, and worse yet — right in front of this woman…
"Looks like even the goddess of the hunt has her off days…"
Athena, standing by the door with her arms crossed, leaned to the side, lips curved in a mocking smile.
Artemis shot a glance at the goddess of wisdom blocking the doorway and let out a faint, cold snort.
"I think something filthy in this place must've startled the little guy in my arms. That's why he reacted so strongly…"
The eyes of the two goddesses met, their gazes intertwining in midair, faintly colliding with sparks.
After this brief clash, neither side gaining the upper hand, both of them, almost in unison, expressed a trace of disdain toward the other.
"Tsk!"
"Hmph!"
And this almost synchronized reaction from the two virgin goddesses, despite their underlying tension, carried a strange sense of harmony.
In fact, while they were both virgin goddesses, they were quite different from the peaceful and conflict-averse Hestia.
These two remaining goddesses, being of the same generation, close in strength, and both favored by the ki g of gods, Zeus, were inevitably compared to each other.
Over time, the two competitive and prideful goddesses, though maintaining a seemingly close and familiar relationship in public, had naturally developed a private desire to outshine one another.
At the door, Athena sized up Artemis in her hunter's garb, her gaze skimming past the large swathes of snow-white skin exposed to the air, and finally landing on the conspicuously prominent curves on Artemis's chest, which could only be described as shamelessly mountainous, and involuntarily furrowed her brows.
As if sensing the other's gaze, the goddess of the hunt stepped forward of her own accord, nearly standing face to face with Athena, further emphasizing the difference in nourishment, and reminded her with a smile:
"I'm here to see Aunt Hestia. Where is she?"
"No idea. I just got here too."
Athena glanced behind herself and replied flatly.
She had just returned from Mount Olympus and had originally planned to enjoy a hot meal to reward herself. But the moment she entered the house, she found it completely empty, not a soul in sight. She had no idea where everyone had gone.
And before she had time to take a proper look, an uninvited guest had already arrived.
Not home?
Both goddesses couldn't help but frown. Almost instinctively, they prepared to close their eyes and send out their divine senses.
"Got visitors?"
Just then, a surprised voice came from the front hall as a handsome young man, with face full of smiles, briskly walked in from the backyard.
He seemed to have just finished bathing, his damp silver hair tied at the back of his head.
Hearing that familiar voice, Athena turned her head first and frowned slightly.
"Where did you go?"
"Ah, the cellar in the backyard had a little accident. I went to tidy it up."
Lorne quickly explained with a face full of forced smiles, then promptly changed the subject and turned toward the guest at the door with surprise in his voice.
"And you are…?"
"Don't move!"
However, before he could even ask who the visitor was, the huntress goddess at the door narrowed her sharp eyes like arrows, sternly barked a command, and lunged into the house with a swift stride, heading straight for Lorne.
In an instant, the friendly smile on Lorne's face froze, and his heart pounded violently.
I'm doomed!
With danger screaming at full volume in his mind, he instinctively twisted his waist and hips.
"Ahaha, what a cute doggie! Come here, let me hug you~"
At the critical moment, the huntress goddess walked right past Lorne and stopped at the foot of the stairs, catching the golden hound that had been dashing toward its original master and happily petted its soft head.
"Whiiine…"
Falling into the clutches of the goddess, the golden hound could sense the overwhelming divine will from the other party.
It crouched on the ground, not daring to resist, only letting out pitiful whimpers as it looked pleadingly at its master on the side.
Scared the hell out of me!!
At that moment, Lorne's blood pressure spiked as he realized it had been a false alarm.
Looking at the goddess gleefully petting the dog and ignoring the hound's cries for help, he discreetly pulled back the step he had just taken toward Athena's back.
No choice, if he really got exposed, he could only drag his dear big sister down as a human shield.
After all, in this scene, only the goddess of wisdom had a chance at stopping a furious Artemis.
But before Lorne could even catch his breath, Artemis reluctantly released the golden hound on the ground, letting it run back to its master.
Then she turned to Lorne with an apologetic smile and softly said,
"Sorry, this little guy was just too cute. I couldn't help myself."
"No worries. As long as you liked it."
At this moment, Lorne forced a strained smile, only hoping to put some distance between himself and the huntress goddess as soon as possible.
"Cynthia. Just call me Cynthia…"
And yet, perhaps to express her apology for the loss of composure, the huntress goddess actually introduced her alias and even extended her hand on her own.
"Nice to meet you."
Lorne maintained his calmness on the surface and answered simply.
He carefully touched the goddess's fingertips in a brief handshake, accepting the offered goodwill.
Then he took another step forward, aiming to get closer to Athena, his only source of safety.
But just as one crisis faded, another began.
"Wait a second… what's that smell on you?"
Before Lorne could step away, Artemis sniffed the air and curiously leaned in.
"So fragrant…"
"It's wine! I accidentally spilled some while cleaning the cellar earlier. Didn't expect the smell to linger even after a bath."
With a guilty conscience already gnawing at him, Lorne hurriedly threw out his pre-prepared excuse.
Wine?
The two goddesses paused at the unfamiliar word.
"Ahhh… my butt… my butt hurts a bit…"
Just then, a muffled mumble came from the backyard as a certain stove goddess just crawled out of the cellar, groping her way into the front hall.
Seeing Hestia appear before them, Artemis and Athena both showed hints of surprise in their eyes.
"Aunt? So you were home?"
"Huh? Artemis? And Athena? What brings you two here?"
Raising her head and seeing the two big nieces gathered there, Hestia, true to her reputation as a walking self-destruct truck, blurted out Artemis's true name on the spot.
In that instant, with her cover blown in front of everyone, the huntress goddess couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and quickly tried to change the subject.
"Aunt, what happened to you?"
"Ugh, don't even mention it. I accidentally drank a bit too much, and ended up sleeping in the cellar most of the day. When I woke up, my whole body hurt, especially my butt."
While muttering, Hestia rubbed her now seemingly plumper behind, waving weakly like a seriously ill patient.
"I can't do this anymore… my throat's dry. Let me drink some water and sit down for a bit."
"I told you to drink less, but you never listen…"
Seeing that the thickest wall against trouble had finally arrived on the battlefield, Lorne seized the moment to interject and promptly stepped forward to support Hestia, helping her over to a chair at the side and thoughtfully pouring her a cup of warm tea to sober her up.
"Wine? That new drink? The one that's become popular recently in Knossos? Interesting…"
"To think it's something even a god can get drunk from, looks like I absolutely have to try it today."
As the new term kept being mentioned, Athena and Artemis couldn't help but grow curious as well.
"It wasn't me, it was Lorne who made it. If you want to try it, ask him."
Hestia didn't take the credit and directly pointed out the original creator to her two nieces.
She then smacked her lips, briefly savoring the memory, and gave an aftertaste-filled comment:
"Although drinking too much comes with some side effects… the taste really is excellent, and the experience of being drunk is quite interesting too."
Hearing this glowing review straight from the goddess of hearth herself, both Athena and Artemis became even more eager to try it.
Their eyes, in perfect sync, turned and locked onto a certain someone.
"Perfect. There are still a few jars left in the cellar. Please wait a moment, I'll go fetch them, and prepare some dishes to go with the drinks, give you all a proper welcome."
Lorne immediately nodded with understanding, playing along smoothly.
He turned and exited, heading off to prepare wine and snacks for his divine guests.
As he stepped out of the front hall and reentered the cellar, the smiling mask that had been fixed on his face finally cracked and twisted, releasing the relief of a man who had narrowly survived a disaster.
Phew, that was close!
He had finally made it through this deadly crisis.
After taking a moment to calm his nerves, Lorne looked at the seven jars of fruit brew remaining in the cellar.
Thinking of the three virgin goddesses waiting in the front hall, his gaze darkened with a flicker of mischief.
Come to think of it, this is a rare opportunity…
Should I try getting all of them drunk?
(End of Chapter)