Mountain of the Immortals

A woman approached, still veiled in darkness, with a dozen wolves circling around her. The massive black bodies of the beasts were in stark contrast to their bared bright white teeth as they growled at us.

* * *

Name: Black Wolf of the Goddess of the Hunt

Type: Beast

Level: 31

Disposition: Aggressive

HP: 636/636

Physical Attack: 118

Magic Attack: 83

Speed: 120

Attack Range: Melee

XP: 1501

Description: This species of the common gray wolf has evolved as an apex nocturnal predator on the mountain that is now known as Olympus. The influence of the goddess of the hunt has gifted the black wolf with enhanced intelligence that has led to superb pack hunting tactics and a strict societal structure.

* * *

Despite the obvious danger in front of us, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction that the Dark Energy had already acknowledged the name I had given to the mountain. Of course, nobody—not even gods—knew how the mysterious force that governed everything in the multiverse worked or where it came from, but seeing this small change the information it provided helped me understand it a tiny bit more.

I pulled myself back to the more pressing issue of the woman who was now becoming more visible and was apparently in command of the large wolf pack. She wore tight leather armor, which covered just enough of her body to protect her from getting scratched and nicked in the thick of the woods but still allowed for enough mobility to make the armor easy to run and fight in. Her long auburn hair was caught up in a high ponytail, while the toned muscles of her arms shined under the soft glow of the enchanted longbow she was holding.

Despite all of that, I just couldn’t stop looking at her expression. Her green eyes were looking through us, almost as if she was already expecting our next move. She was a beautiful woman, perhaps not in the same sense as Aphrodite, but equally stunning in her own way. Hers was a wild beauty.

* * *

Name: Artemis

Race: ??

Class: Hunt Dominion

Level: 56

* * *

The woman before us certainly looked like a goddess, and she had the levels to back it up, but one could never be sure about these things. And if she was a particularly ambitious mortal, killing a god might be just what she needed in order to ascend. Which meant we’d need to be careful with this one.

“Why are you here?” the woman asked, her voice soft but still somehow threatening.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble,” I said, putting my weapon back in my inventory as a gesture of goodwill. In reality, it wasn’t like I would need a lot of time to take it out again in case things went to shit. Of course, an even better gesture would have been if I let it drop to the ground but I wasn’t going to do that. Not until I knew what we were dealing with.

“You’d better not be looking for trouble,” the warrior said, yet did not drop her own bow. “After all, you’re surrounded by wolves. And you still haven’t answered my question.”

“We want to reach the top of the Mount Olympus,” Aphrodite said, and quickly grimaced at the realization she’d used the mountain’s brand-new name.

“Are you the ones who gave this mountain its name?” Artemis asked. “I just found out a few hours ago, thanks to the description of my wolves. Just how did you manage to get the Dark Energy to do your bidding?”

We hadn’t actually mentioned that we were responsible for the name. Not only was she an amazing shot with a bow, but she was clever too.

“Can we have a conversation without the weapons?” I asked, nodding at the bow in her hand.

“You have no place here,” the woman said, but finally took the arrows off her bowstring. “Tell me why you want to reach the top of the mountain.”

“There’s something up there that we need—” I started.

“And tell me the truth,” she interrupted, “for the wolves can smell lies.”

“The wolves are also still circling us. I’ve been patient so far,” I said, and my eyes flashed momentarily with the spark of electricity.

Artemis definitely noticed this but did not falter for a single moment. Her savage side was not just in her beauty. She knew that looking away or seeming worried would put her at a disadvantage, so she kept staring at me for a few moments longer before she let out a high-pitched whistle and all the wolves fell onto their bellies and lay down, heads between their paws.

“The wolves are listening,” the woman said, her own eyes momentarily flashing like a cat’s under moonlight, “and so am I.”

“I am Zeus, god of thunder,” I said and turned to prompt Aphrodite.

“And I am Aphrodite,” she said in turn, “goddess of beauty, love, and sex.”

“My name is Artemis,” the woman said, and bowed her head slightly. “I am the protector of this forest and all forests on the sides of this mountain. I am the huntress and goddess of beasts.”

“It is a great honor to be here…” I started saying, but the huntress raised her hand to save me from wasting my breath.

“This is no hall and I am no nobility,” she said dryly, “so save your niceties for someone who might appreciate or even demand them. What I want to know is what you’re doing in my forests. And most importantly, what do you know about the corruption?”

“Okay, first off, we know nothing of this corruption,” I said, trying my best to sound as honest as possible. “I was just trying to examine the bear—since it was the first time I’ve ever seen a beast with HP that much above its maximum level—when you took it down with your bow. Now, as to why we’re in your forests and trying to reach the top, it’s quite a long story.”

“Lucky for you, the night is still young,” she said. Her wolves seemed to breathe a collective sigh of impatience. “I will need to hear your story before I believe you know nothing of this plague.”

I spent the next ten minutes explaining how I’d been chased away from home by my titan father, saved by my titan mother, joined forces with Aphrodite, and eventually ending up in Dion. She didn’t seem to appreciate my good deeds for the people of the village as much as I had hoped for, but—as far as I could tell—she didn’t think we were there to mess with her domain.

“So you’re here to hide from your father, who is the type of deity that can become a gigantic monster and devour you?” she asked.

“As crazy as this sounds, that is exactly the truth,” I admitted. “And also to take control of the place of power on top of Mount Olympus.”

“Which begs the question, my most fierce huntress,” Aphrodite said, putting every bit of charm she possibly could into her words, “why has nobody claimed the place of power yet? Indeed, why haven’t you claimed it for yourself?”

“I am not interested in it,” Artemis said. “Why should I trouble myself with building a large base, getting more followers, and guild politics when I can just hunt and enjoy my eternal life? As to why nobody else has claimed it, all I know is that many have tried.”

“And you defeated them?” I asked, intrigued.

Artemis shook her head in frustration. “My presence here has made it some sort of challenge for ambitious people. And only ambitious people ever want to climb to the top.”

“So you did defeat them, my beautiful huntress?” Aphrodite asked. This time a smile escaped her.

“They challenged me or they hunted in my grounds,” she replied. “Of course I defeated them and fed them to the wild.”

“You must be very powerful,” I said.

“You can save your flattery, Zeus,” she said, slightly surprising me since she had let Aphrodite do the exact same thing without rebuke. “The two of you must be a powerful couple too if you’re planning on claiming the place of power yourselves.”

“We are not a couple,” Aphrodite purred. Only then did I realize what was happening.

The two of them were flirting.

I hadn’t considered that Aphrodite might have an interest in other women but I guessed everything was possible with the goddess of love. And I should expect that she would use her charm to get whatever she wants.

“I believe you that you are not blame for what is happening to the forest,” Artemis continued, “but that doesn’t change the fact that your quest is in vain.”