A few months had passed since the mission with Aphrodite, and during that time I devoted myself to training with my new sword. At first it was a disaster: clumsiness, poor reflexes, and more than a few cuts where I shouldn't have gotten them. But with some practice and several useful tips from the Hesperides—who, although they didn't use swords, knew quite a bit about the general use of weapons—I managed to get the hang of it. I wouldn't say I'm a master, but at least I'm not embarrassing anymore.
I also spent quite a bit of time with Aegle. As soon as I got back, she threw herself at me with hugs, kisses, and cuddles as if I had returned from war. According to her, she "needed it" after such a difficult mission. I explained that it hadn't been that bad, that I'd even learned a couple of interesting things about blacksmithing, but she wouldn't hear of it. She ignored me completely and continued to spoil me in her own way... and well, what kind of self-respecting guy would say no to that?
That afternoon, I was lying under the shade of a tree in the garden, doing nothing in particular. I was just enjoying the moment, the gentle breeze, and the silence, when something fell on my head. I opened my eyes, expecting to see some mischief from the nymphs or, with any luck, a ripe fruit. But it was just a leaf. I picked it up, a little confused... and then I saw that it wasn't the only one. The entire tree was losing its leaves, all at once, as if it were autumn, but in fast forward.
I sat up, surprised. This wasn't normal. In the garden, trees didn't wither, let alone like this. I strained my ears and then I heard it: voices coming from the center of the garden, right where the majestic Tree of Hera stood. I didn't think twice. I grabbed my sword from where I had leaned it against the trunk and rushed out at full speed, leaving a trail of dust behind me.
When I arrived, I was met with a peculiar scene. Aegle, Erytheia, and Hesperia were gathered in front of a woman I didn't recognize. She was tall, with long, golden hair and a green dress that looked like it was made of leaves and wind: it fit her body, but moved with a strange fluidity, as if it didn't need to touch the ground. Her eyes shone like the midday sun, and her presence felt... ancient, powerful, as if nature itself breathed with her.
Aegle stood in front, talking to the woman, while Erytheia and Hesperia surrounded her, unsure whether to intervene or remain still. All three had furrowed brows and pressed lips. The tension was palpable, as if the air itself refused to move.
The woman, for her part, seemed completely out of place and, at the same time, deeply rooted in everything around her. Not because of her appearance—although that also attracted attention—but because of the way the environment reacted to her. The leaves of the sacred tree continued to fall, as if her mere presence had thrown the entire garden off balance. Her face showed pain, an ancient, deep pain, the kind that cannot be healed by time or words. It seemed as if something inside her had broken.
That was when she saw me.
I was already halfway there, trying to understand what was going on, when her golden eyes locked onto me. Her expression changed in a second: from sadness to pure fury. A scream split the air like lightning on a clear sky.
"YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER? GIVE HER BACK TO ME RIGHT NOW OR I'LL MAKE YOU DRY UP UNTIL YOUR BONES ARE DUST, ALONG WITH THIS ENTIRE GARDEN!"
Her voice had an unnatural weight, as if she carried centuries of life in every word. I felt the pressure before I could react. I instinctively backed away, raising my hands without thinking.
"Your daughter?" I murmured, more to myself than to her.
The goddess began to walk toward me. Each step she took left a trail of barren earth in her wake. The grass turned brown, cracked, and died. The flowers wilted just by touching them. It was like seeing winter personified. At that moment, I knew without anyone telling me: this woman was Demeter, goddess of nature, fertility, and harvest. And she was furious, especially with me for some reason.
"Goddess Demeter, please," I said, raising my voice slightly without sounding defiant. 'I don't know who your daughter is, I swear. I don't have her, I haven't seen her. I wouldn't hurt anyone."
"LIAR! MEN ALWAYS LIE!' she roared with contempt.
Without giving me time to reply, she raised her hand and the vegetation that was still standing came to life as if responding to her pain. A thick vine formed from the roots and lunged at me with the speed of a whip.
A year ago, that thing could have caught me, hurt me, or even killed me. But not anymore.
"[Activate Skill: Divine Eye]" I thought, and everything changed.
Time slowed down in my perception. The vine was approaching, but to me it was as if it were floating in the air, slow, heavy, predictable. I grabbed my sword without hesitation, my muscles moving before I could even think. The blade flashed into action, and in a matter of milliseconds, the attack was reduced to nothing more than green fragments flying around me like confetti.
Silence fell over the place. The Hesperides stared at me open-mouthed, frozen in their places. Even Demeter seemed surprised. But her astonishment was short-lived. She gritted her teeth and raised her arms again, ready to throw herself at me with everything she had. It seemed more like desperation than rage now. It wasn't just divine anger, it was pure anguish, unprocessed pain.
But before she could do anything else, Aegle stepped in. She stood in front of me with her arms outstretched and her body firm as a shield.
"That's enough, Lady Demeter!" she said in a clear, firm voice. "The Hesperides have no objection to helping you find your daughter, but attacking the Garden of Hera and launching unprovoked attacks against another god is a serious offense. Not only against us, but against the rules of Olympus, established by Zeus himself."
There was a heavy silence. Demeter looked at her with fiery eyes. She didn't speak, but you could tell that her mind was fighting a battle between rage and reason. Finally, after a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, she lowered her hands. The vines that had begun to form around her dissolved, falling to the ground like dry branches.
"I'm sorry," she said simply, her voice sounding much more tired than before.
But I wasn't going to let this go without an explanation.
"Aegle..." I murmured, and she turned to me. "What's going on here? Who is she exactly? What does she want? And, above all... why the hell did she attack me?"
Aegle let out a deep sigh, one of those that come with both exhaustion and resignation.
"Come. I'll explain," she said calmly.
She led me to a quieter part of the garden, where the flowers were still standing. The other two Hesperides stayed with Demeter, who now looked more like a heartbroken mother than an imposing goddess.
"Her daughter... Persephone," Aegle began. "She disappeared from the world of the living weeks ago. She was supposed to be picking flowers, something completely routine for her, but she never returned. Demeter has searched every corner of Greece and beyond, asking gods, nymphs, and creatures. No one has been able to give her any answers. She came here today because... well, she thought you might be here. Her daughter loves flowers, after all, and she thought we might know where to find her."
"And why did she think I...?"
"I don't know. Maybe she mistook your presence for some strange energy. Perhaps she thought you had been in contact with her daughter. She is desperate. She is losing control of her powers, and that is what is affecting the garden. Everything in her path withers."
"And that's not all, is it?" I asked, seeing the expression on Aegle's face.
"No. If we don't find Persephone soon, the balance of the climate and the natural world will begin to break down. Crops would fail and humans would suffer greatly, not to mention that this could lead to famine if we don't do something. And the worst part is... we don't think she's just lost."
I looked at her, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Do you think someone took her?"
"We think so. And if we're right, we're going to need your help."
I looked back at Demeter, who was now sitting against the Tree of Hera, staring off into the distance. She looked nothing like the fury that had attacked me minutes earlier. She was a broken mother, and somehow, I understood her reaction.
I sighed.
"Then let's find her."
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📩 NEW QUEST AVAILABLE
🔴 [Epic Quest: Echoes of the Underworld]
"Demeter cries out for her lost daughter. The world begins to wither and Olympus trembles in silence. If Persephone does not return, not even the gods will be safe."
Objective:
🔍 Track down Persephone's whereabouts and restore the natural balance.
🎁 Rewards:
+100 🧱 Authority
+65 🧠 Will
+ 50 💨 Speed
Unlock Domain Access: [🕳️ Underworld – Outer Frontier]
Unlock Divine Trait: [🌘 Life and Death]
+10000 ✨ Divine EXP
Secret Reward [???]
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🟢 [ACCEPT] 🔴 [DECLINE]
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