The next day, Heracles, Morpheus, and Medea prepared to leave, while nearby, Apollo asked Artemis, "Sister, are you still going with them?"
"Yes, it's been fun so far. At least I won't be bored," Artemis nodded.
Apollo believed her words were true, but he also knew she wasn't sharing all her reasons.
He didn't press further, instead smiling. "Then have fun! If anything comes up, you know where to find me!"
"Don't worry. I'm the Moon Goddess, after all. I won't run into trouble," Artemis replied, then joined Morpheus and the others without lingering.
After bidding farewell to the Greek gods, Morpheus and his group, with Artemis' aid, swiftly departed Mount Olympus, heading toward Thebes.
Heracles glanced at Medea, who was nestled close to Morpheus. As someone with plenty of experience with women, he immediately noticed the shift in their relationship, a slight smile forming on his lips.
But then he looked at Artemis, frowned, and sighed.
"Being fancied by a goddess… that's tricky," Heracles thought silently, choosing not to comment.
One was his friend, the other his sister. Taking sides felt problematic either way. Besides, if those two got together, it might actually work out well for him.
So, in the end, he decided to stay out of it and let things unfold naturally.
Upon returning to Thebes, Morpheus didn't rush to leave. For one, he needed to stay a few days to confirm Heracles' madness was truly cured. For another, he had matters to attend to.
To that end, he built a small house near Heracles' home. With magic's aid, constructing it was effortless, and since Morpheus designed it based on his own memories, it was exquisitely detailed.
The first floor had a living room, the second floor held three small bedrooms, a balcony, and a study connected to the balcony.
Though the books in the study were conjured by illusion, they created an impressive display of shelves upon entering.
Morpheus always found reading in a study comforting, especially the atmosphere of being surrounded by books.
Now, he sat comfortably in the second-floor study, humming a tune while writing in Latin on the open book before him.
Artemis quietly slipped in, cautiously approaching behind him. She peered at what he was writing, blinking in confusion.
She couldn't understand the text... it wasn't a language she knew.
But that didn't stop her. By interacting with the Root, she quickly grasped basic concepts like the script.
Soon, the beautiful goddess could read what Morpheus had written.
This only deepened her confusion.
"It's about the Greek gods?"
Indeed, it was about the Greek gods, but that very fact made it incomprehensible to her.
For instance, Morpheus was writing about the Gigantomachy, but in his depiction, the Gigantes weren't born from Sefar's remains. Instead, they belonged to the same divine lineage as the Olympians, sharing their bloodline.
Moreover, unlike the humanoid giants she knew, these giants had human upper bodies but serpentine lower halves... most bizarrely, with two snake tails!
These beings were born clad in armor, wielding weapons, clearly created solely for battle!
Reading further, the text claimed these giants possessed immortal bodies, impervious to blades and spears, overwhelming even the gods!
When Artemis questioned him, Morpheus merely nodded. He was deeply focused, humming but fully concentrated, unwilling to be distracted.
The grimoire already contained much of Morpheus' magical knowledge, imbued with magical energy. But as a divine construct forged by Hephaestus and transformed into a mystic code by Morpheus, it was extraordinary.
For example, its pages never ran out, yet its thickness remained constant, providing an excellent foundation for endless expansion.
Now, Morpheus was doing something else. Since the book was born from the Greek fire god, he was using it to record Greek mythology.
Though this Hephaestus wasn't the one from Morpheus' original knowledge, he still held the title of "Fire God" in this "Greek" region, allowing the book to align more closely with Greek myth.
This was an experiment, and Morpheus wasn't sure it would work. But with time to spare before the Argo's story unfolded, he decided to try.
After all, it cost nothing to experiment.
He chose the Greek mythology he knew because he was more familiar with it and had studied it extensively. Most importantly, if successful, it would yield more magical effects.
"He's so focused he's barely paying attention to me…" Artemis muttered, then smiled and left. "I'm off to find Medea. Tell me tonight about this 'Greece' you're writing about!"
Knowing Morpheus came from another world, she didn't press further. Perhaps, she thought, the Greek mythology in his world was like this.
"Sure, I can tell you some myths I know," Morpheus nodded, continuing his work. He had a feeling... a gut instinct... that completing this grimoire was crucial. In the future, it would surely aid him greatly!
…
"Medea!" Artemis cheerfully approached Medea, who was wielding her staff, constructing a magical territory around herself.
"Artemis," Medea greeted the lively Moon Goddess, pausing her practice. "What's up?"
"Let's play!" Artemis exclaimed.
"Play?" Medea blinked, puzzled. "How?"
Since Artemis' identity as the Moon Goddess was known, Medea addressed her by name. Their familiarity made their interactions more like friends than formal reverence.
"You're practicing magical territories, right? Here's the deal: I attack, you build a territory to defend. Keep strengthening it, and I'll keep trying to break through. Let's see your limit... sound fun?"
Medea stared at the smiling goddess. "That's playing? Isn't that just special training?"
"It's pretty much play for me," Artemis shrugged. "But to make it fun, let's add a twist. If I break through each time, you answer a question of mine. If I can't break through even once, I lose!"
Medea thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, deal!"
"Let's begin!"
Artemis drew her bow and arrows, while Medea started constructing her territory, transforming the area around her into a temple.
Soon, Medea completed her temple, only for Artemis to shatter it with a single arrow!
This was the power of a god. Even restraining herself, Artemis could instantly spot and exploit weaknesses.
She was doing it on purpose!
But this was exactly what Medea needed.
After the first failure, Medea quickly identified her territory's flaws and reinforced them, starting the second round.
It was broken again!
She built another.
Broken again!
The process was like Artemis finding flaws and Medea patching them. After about a dozen rounds, Medea reached her limit.
Her current territory was far stronger than her initial one, not only fixing numerous flaws but boosting its strength by over half!
To achieve such improvement without enhancing her magical energy was remarkable!
Yet, Artemis still broke through with one arrow.
"I win!" Artemis giggled, walking over.
Medea was panting, drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging to her skin in a strikingly alluring way. Artemis paused, taken aback.
"If Morpheus were here, he'd lose it," Artemis muttered, then smiled at Medea. "Go take a bath!"
"Alright!"
The two girls headed to the house... or rather, the courtyard Morpheus had set up, complete with a specially designed pool.
In this era, people often bathed in mountain springs, and both Medea and Artemis were bold enough for it. But Morpheus, always thinking ahead, preferred the comfort of a pool in their own courtyard.
So, the pool existed.
The girls washed off their sweat in the indoor washroom, then played in the pool. After splashing around, they rested by the poolside, sipping chilled fruit juice. Suddenly, Artemis asked, "So, when you and Morpheus… you know, did that, what was it like?"
Medea froze, her face turning beet red. She opened her mouth, only managing an "Ahh!"
She hadn't expected such a question, but having agreed to answer if she lost, she was caught in a bind.
Seeing Medea's embarrassment, Artemis grinned. "No rush. Think it over and tell me slowly."
Medea stammered for a while before finally saying, "It… it felt really good, really happy. Like my whole body and mind relaxed all at once, like I… ascended somewhere…"
Artemis blinked. Though Medea's voice was barely a whisper, she heard every word clearly.
Still, the description felt too vague, lacking detail.
Seeing Medea practically sinking into the water from embarrassment, Artemis knew pressing further wouldn't yield much. Her curiosity only grew.
"So, what's it really like? It's gotta be nice, or Zeus wouldn't be chasing it everywhere…"
Whether Zeus sneezed in the distant Olympus at Artemis' thought was unclear, but Morpheus, upstairs, heard everything.
"They're so close... total besties," Morpheus muttered, writing the final word in his book.
He had finished recording the hymns to Zeus. The book now contained all the Greek mythology he knew, stabilized and surging with magical energy.
Holding the grimoire, Morpheus felt its power and smiled.
"No issues... it works, and it's much more convenient than casting myself. divine constructs really can be used this way!"
***
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