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Farewell Olympus The 100th Temple New
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00:00In five years of our divine union, every time my husband left Olympus to be with his mortal first love,
00:07he would dedicate a marble temple in my name.
00:10This time, he smiled as he signed the deed for the 100th sanctuary, promising to take me to see a
00:18meteor shower upon his return, but I didn't tell him.
00:22The parchment he just signed wasn't a temple deed. It was the decree of severance woven by the fates, our
00:29divine divorce decree.
00:31In the Grand Hall, my husband Ariston's golden eyes remained fixed on the magical waters.
00:38The scrying pool was broadcasting visions of his mortal first love, Calliope, returning from across the Aegean Sea.
00:46He didn't look away, even as he took the temple deed I handed him and casually signed it with his
00:52divine essence.
00:53The sanctuary by the Aegean Sea was a domain that no amount of mortal gold or divine favors could buy.
01:00Yet, it held no importance in Ariston's heart.
01:05Just like me equally worthless to this high god.
01:08The vision in the pool faded, and Ariston, now in high spirits, twirled the golden quill in his hand.
01:16He handed the parchment back to me and teased.
01:21I've transferred 100 sanctuaries to you by now, haven't I?
01:24You're quite the wealthy little goddess.
01:26I stood before him, offering a simple nod.
01:31The sanctuary by the Aegeanian has a beautiful sea view.
01:35I like it very much.
01:36In our five years of marriage, he abandoned me countless times to keep his mortal love company.
01:43Eventually, it became a routine.
01:46He would actively hand me a temple rite before leaving to find Calliope.
01:51From the first one, all the way to the 99th.
01:55Back then, Ariston had pursued me across the realms, and I rejected him 99 times.
02:01For the sake of fairness, I made a silent vow.
02:05Since I rejected him 99 times before marriage, I would forgive him exactly 99 times after.
02:13But now, the count is exactly 100.
02:16Ariston, after today, I will never have to forgive you again.
02:23Thinking of this, a peaceful smile touched my lips.
02:27Caught off guard by my reaction, Ariston froze, then guiltily averted his gaze.
02:32He offered,
02:34Wait for my return.
02:37I'll take you to see the meteor shower.
02:39In the past, even a shred of such softness would have fueled my delusional hope of winning him back.
02:46I would have wept, begged at his feet, and ultimately drowned in despair.
02:51Because Ariston would always pry my clinging fingers open one by one, dropping a single, icy word as he walked
02:57away.
02:58Madwoman.
02:59Fortunately, I had already played the Madwoman 99 times, and my quota of 100 was finally full.
03:06There was no longer any need to sustain this pathetic self-deception.
03:10Because, slipped between the stacks of property scrolls I had just handed him, I had secretly tucked the decree of
03:16severance.
03:17In 30 days, we would become absolute strangers.
03:21For the past five days, the whispering winds of Zephyrus had been carrying endless tailies of my husband's romantic escapades.
03:28By day, he and Calliope fed the sacred doves in the squares of Athens.
03:32By night, they watched the celestial barges from the apex of the Sun Temple.
03:37As for the promise he made to me, it had likely vanished from his mind the moment he stepped out
03:42of my sanctuary.
03:45Suddenly, a stray gust of wind swept into the silent hall, carrying a desperate whisper from Ariston's attendant.
03:52My lady, please don't forget the meteor shower at the promontile of Eros at the eighth hour.
03:57If I fail to ensure your arrival, Lord Ariston will cast me into the abyss of Tartarus.
04:05In the five years I'd been married to Ariston, this attendant was the only soul who ever called me my
04:11lady.
04:12Aside from Queen Hera, he was the soul-keeper of our secret union.
04:16Not wanting to condemn the loyal servant, I agreed.
04:19But as I summoned my Pegasus-drawn chariot and set off for the promontory,
04:24a wave of bitter nostalgia washed over me.
04:26Five years ago, right after we were first bound, Ariston had prepared a secret meteor shower for me and back
04:33then.
04:33It was this exact attendant who had quietly tipped me off.
04:37Now, five years later, retracing the exact same path to the same sacred cliff.
04:42My heart, however, was a barren wasteland.
04:46By the time I reached the promontory, the cliffs were swarming.
04:50Nymphs, satyrs, and mortals jostled for space.
04:53Even the divine scribes of Mount Helicon hovered in the air, golden scrolls at the ready.
05:01Glancing at the constellations, I saw it was nearly the eighth hour.
05:05A voice cut through the crowd.
05:07The celestial shower is about to begin!
05:11Lord Aras summoned this spectacle for his lady.
05:14We're just lucky enough to witness it.
05:18In Olympus, Ariston had always maintained the facade of an unbound god.
05:22The lady they were praising certainly wasn't me.
05:25It could only be her.
05:27I knew the best vantage point for the falling stars was the northernmost peak of the promontory.
05:32Since the fates had brought me this far, I would witness this farce to the end.
05:36But the throng was overwhelmingly dense.
05:39Swept up in a sea of nymphs and mortals, I was shoved relentlessly toward the very front of the sacred
05:45steps.
05:45And there, I finally saw Ariston.
05:48He stood at the altar's edge, holding Calliope tightly against his chest.
05:53Above them, meteors began to ignite one after another, tearing across the night sky in a blinding display of divine
05:59fire.
06:00I listened to the deafening roar of shattering stars ringing in my ears.
06:04Yet, piercing through the clamor of the boiling crowd in the burning heavens, I heard Ariston's heartfelt confession to Calliope.
06:12A divine scribe thrust a glowing scroll before Calliope, asking,
06:16My lady, what is your answer?
06:19Ariston gently grasped her shoulders, his golden eyes brimming with breathless anticipation.
06:25Calliope shyly rested her fingers on the scroll.
06:27She had just parted her lips to speak when Ariston's gaze shifted, and his eyes slammed violently into mine.
06:36Ariston froze.
06:38The name slipped from his lips like a breathless gasp.
06:42Allura.
06:43In that instant, the promontory of Eros fell deathly silent.
06:47Even the deafening roar of the burning stars seemed to muffle into nothingness.
06:52All eyes shifted from the celestial spectacle to meet the solitary goddess he was staring at.
06:57Calliope's smile faltered.
06:59She looked at me, her brow furrowing slightly, and asked him,
07:03Who is this?
07:05Ariston's golden eyes darted in panic, scrambling for a lie that would appease his mortal lover without incurring Hera's wrath.
07:12I offered a flawless, hollow smile, meeting the gaze of the crowd.
07:16My name is Allura.
07:19And I am Lord Ariston's...
07:21Ariston took a panicked step forward to silence me, but the word that dropped from my lips was...
07:51Cousin.
07:52Averted, the celestial shower resumed its glory, and the crowd turned their backs on me.
07:59A sudden, torrential deluge crashed down upon the promontory.
08:04Ariston panicked.
08:05He ruthlessly shoved his way through the crowd of immortals.
08:08Make way!
08:10Calliope is a fragile moral!
08:12She cannot endure the celestial storm!
08:15He hastily stripped off his divine cloak, wrapping it tightly around her as he desperately hurried her into his golden
08:20chariot.
08:21He didn't look back once, leaving me entirely abandoned on the sacrificial steps.
08:26The rain of the gods was biting, piercing my skin like icy needles, yet I felt no chill.
08:32Returning to our grand sanctuary, I stepped into the thermal springs of Hephaestus to wash away the lingering dampness.
08:39When I emerged, Ariston was waiting in the main hall.
08:42He hesitated, a flicker of guilt in his eyes, before offering an absurd word of gratitude.
08:48Thank you... for saving me from that scandal tonight.
08:52Our union is bounded, after all.
08:55If you had exposed the truth there, the shock would have completely broken Calliope.
09:00He then tossed me another empty vow.
09:04Soon, I will find the right time to announce our marriage to the Pantheon.
09:09I looked at him, feeling absolutely nothing.
09:12I didn't bother reminding him that soon, there would be nothing left to announce.
09:16Our marriage was drawing its final breath.
09:19It was far better to let it rot in the dark, as if it had never existed at all.
09:23That would be the truest mercy for us both.
09:27Almost as an afterthought, he put on a mask of husbandly concern.
09:32By the way...
09:35What brought you to the Promeththill tonight?
09:38I let a faint smile touch my lips, staring at him in a prolonged, deafening silence.
09:43Only when his golden eyes began to shift guiltily did I finally answer.
09:47Your attendant, Sprite, delivered your invitation.
09:51The realization struck him like a physical blow.
09:55The meteor shower was the very spectacle he had promised to me.
09:58Yet, utterly blinded by his infatuation with Calliope, he had wiped the vow entirely from his mind.
10:05I'm sorry, Alara.
10:07Next week...
10:08No, next week won't work.
10:09I have divine duties in Therga.
10:11Next moon...
10:13I promise...
10:14I will make it up to you.
10:16I offered a non-committal shake of my head.
10:18We'll see.
10:21Mistaking my apathy for obedience, Ariston breathed a sigh of relief and drew me into his arms.
10:27Never before had the embrace of a sun god felt so suffocatingly cold.
10:31He departed for Thrace the following dawn, just as he claimed.
10:35Except, he didn't go alone.
10:38Calliope rode beside him in his golden chariot.
10:40Between his so-called divine duties, they wandered through the forgotten vaults of ancient titans.
10:46They even dined in the glimey, smoke-filled mortal taverns along the fishing port's places he had vehemently refused to
10:52step foot in with me.
10:54For a high god to consume the meagle scripts of mortals is an insult to my divinity.
11:00He had once sneered at me.
11:01Yet, before Calliope, Ariston possessed no divinity, no pride.
11:06He willingly stripped himself of his godhood, reducing himself to a mortal fool desperately in love with his muse.
11:14Three days left on the countdown.
11:17Ariston finally returned to Olympus.
11:19During the two weeks he was away in Thrace, I hadn't summoned him through the ethereal winds even once.
11:25Standing in the center of our spotless marble sanctuary, he seemed to suddenly realize the silent labor I had poured
11:31into our five-year union.
11:33He sighed softly.
11:35My sweet Alara.
11:36You've worked so hard.
11:38It had been countless cycles of the moon.
11:40I couldn't even remember the last time he had uttered those affectionate words.
11:44I was planning to conjure the celestial fire for you the day after tomorrow, but Zeus has commanded silence in
11:51the heavens recently.
11:52It was a flimsy lie I could see right through him.
11:55He simply didn't want to grant me the meteor shower anymore.
11:58Calliope must have wept, or demanded that the spectacle remain uniquely hers.
12:03Forget it then, I replied, my voice perfectly flat.
12:07Ariston froze.
12:08He steadied my face, searching for a trace of the storm he expected.
12:13You...
12:15You truly don't mind?
12:17Had this been the past, I would have unleashed the wrath of a mad fury.
12:21I would have screamed, cursing him for shattering the sacred vows he swore upon the river Styx.
12:26But now, his empty promises held no weight in my heart.
12:30They are just falling rocks of light.
12:34It matters little if I see them or not.
12:37The silence between us stretched out, heavy and uncomfortable.
12:40Finally, Ariston spoke again, eager to placate me.
12:44Then, the day after tomorrow, I shall accompany you to the Aegean Sanctuary.
12:51I've heard the mortals will set luminous lotus adrift on the waters that night.
13:03I glanced at the celestial calendar etched in the stars.
13:07It showed that the day after tomorrow was the festival of Hera, the sacred day of eternal devotion.
13:12On such a sacred night, would he truly come to see me?
13:16He was merely placating me.
13:18Are you certain?
13:20I asked smoothly.
13:22Won't Calliapa need your company on that day?
13:25Ariston's expression stiffened for a second.
13:27Then, he offered...
13:29I've devoted enough time to her lately.
13:31It is only right that I spend the festival with my immortal wife.
13:35He couldn't meet my eyes.
13:37His golden gaze shifted away, unable to bear the weight of his own lie.
13:40I didn't pierce his fragile illusion.
13:43I simply nodded, playing my part in this final act of our tragedy.
13:47Fitting, really.
13:48The day celebrating eternal love would be the exact day our soul bond shattered into dust.
13:53Quite a memorable anniversary.
13:55The countdown dropped to one single day.
13:58For the past two sons, Ariston hadn't shown his face in my sanctuary at all.
14:03He remained glued to Calliope's side, likely soothing the endless insecurities of her mortal heart.
14:09Yet, strangely, every night he would send his voice riding on the evening zephyrs.
14:14Sharing mundane fragments of his day with me.
14:17Idle gossip from the Olympian courts, a stray Pegasus foal he spotted in the clouds.
14:22Or a foolish riddle posed by the Sphinx.
14:24For a fleeting moment, we sounded like a normal couple living apart.
14:28Exchanging the boring, intimate trifles of daily life.
14:32Yet, in five years of our divine marriage, Ariston had never once shared his life with me like this.
14:37I didn't understand why he was suddenly trying to play the devoted husband now.
14:42And frankly, I no longer cared to find out.
14:47For the past three days, I carefully packed away my few personal relics.
14:52Sending them secretly to the eternal winters of Hypergorea.
14:55At the same time, I commanded the high priests to unlock the heavy doors of all 100 temples bearing my
15:01name.
15:02Offering them freely as sanctuaries for mortal wanderers.
15:05Such a massive shift in my divine properties eventually caught his attention.
15:09That evening, his voice resonated through the temple pillars, laced with confusion.
15:15My wind sprites report that you are moving your artifacts?
15:19I answered with effortless nonchalance.
15:22Yes.
15:24Didn't you promise to take me to the Aegean sanctuary?
15:28I planned to stay there.
15:31Ariston hesitated, then offered a conspiratorial whisper.
15:34If we retreat to the Aegean coast to summon the celestial fire, it shouldn't draw the wrath of Zeus.
15:41I shook my head, a dark, mocking amusement in my voice.
15:46Don't bother.
15:47You wouldn't want to risk a thunderbolt on my account.
15:51Believing my lie, the god visibly relaxed.
15:53Then tomorrow night, wait for me at the Aegean sanctuary.
16:00I murmured a soft sound of agreement, just as a glowing rune flared to life upon my wrist.
16:06Passage aboard the north wind secured.
16:08Ariston, as if pricked by a sudden, inexplicable dread, repeated sharply.
16:13You must wait for me, Alara.
16:15I gave him exactly what he wanted to hear.
16:18I will.
16:19But when the next night fell, he did not appear.
16:22His messenger Sprite bowed apologetically, claiming Lord Ariston had been summoned by the Divine Council and would be delayed.
16:29Yet, the scrying pool in my hall revealed a far different truth.
16:33Calliope was standing on a sacred ferry, setting glowing lotuses adrift upon the water.
16:38With Ariston's arms wrapped protectively around her.
16:41I turned my back on the pool and checked the stars.
16:44For hours remained until my skyship set sail.
16:47And the decree of severance would bind the fates in exactly two hours.
16:52It seemed I wouldn't have the chance to deliver the final verdict to him in person.
16:58Three hours remained.
17:00I stood upon the balcony of the grand sanctuary Ariston had given me.
17:04Gazing at the mortal river winding beyond the marble columns.
17:07Luminous lotuses drifted down the current toward the sea.
17:10I wondered idly which one he had said adrift with Calliope.
17:14Thinking of the desperate, heavy promise he had made to me yesterday.
17:18A cynical laugh escaped my lips.
17:20If he knew this was the absolute last time I would ever wait for him.
17:24Would he shatter the heavens to reach me in time?
17:26I turned back to the inner chamber.
17:28My eyes falling on the solitary enchanted chest resting on the floor.
17:32I was taking so little with me.
17:34In a sanctuary built entirely out of hollow apologies.
17:38Nothing truly belonged to me.
17:39This sprawling estate was merely the price he paid for breaking my heart for the hundredth time.
17:45It felt deeply poetic to begin my exodus from here.
17:48Two hours remained.
17:50The high priestess of Themis transmitted a thought through the divine ether.
17:55Congratulations goddess Ellara.
17:58The severance is absolute.
18:01May you revel in your new found freedom.
18:08A sacred dove is in route with the sealed decree.
18:15One hour remained.
18:16The white dove arrived, dropping the parchment into my hands.
18:20With that, my five-year divine union was irrevocably, entirely dead.
18:25I picked up my solitary chest and walked out of the sanctuary.
18:31The ethereal pathways leading to the skyport were choked with a tangle of divine beasts and pegasus carriages.
18:39Slowing our pace to a crawl.
18:41Sitting quietly in my carriage, as if guided by some cruel joke of the fates, I turned my head just
18:48in time to see him.
18:49Ariston, he was steering his golden chariot furiously in the opposite direction, racing toward the Aegean coast.
18:56I lowered my eyes, letting the cold truth settle in my chest.
19:00This fleeting brush of our paths was our final goodbye.
19:04But then, inexplicably, Ariston violently reigned in his divine steeds.
19:09He brought his chariot to a jarring halt right in the middle of the celestial stream, and his eyes snapped
19:15toward my carriage.
19:17At first, I thought my tired mind was playing tricks on me.
19:21But I steadied my breath, staring back through the magical barrier, and confirmed the impossible.
19:27He had truly stopped his chariot, right in the middle of the crowded ethereal pathway.
19:33Without a moment's hesitation, he abandoned the golden reins, stepped out into the chaotic divine traffic, and strode directly toward
19:42me.
19:45He slammed his palms against the magical barrier of my sky carriage, his mouth moving frantically as he shouted something.
19:52But the warding spells were absolute.
19:55I couldn't hear a single syllable.
19:57The centaur driver looked bewildered.
20:00My lady, should I lower the wards?
20:03It's exceedingly dangerous for him to stand on the sky paths like this.
20:07I shook my head, my face entirely expressionless.
20:10No need.
20:11Drive on and ignore him.
20:14Ariston pounded relentlessly on the barrier.
20:17Divine sparks flying with every violent strike.
20:20But I never once spared him a glance.
20:22This pathetic farce continued until he was forcibly dragged away by the harpy wardens regulating the celestial flow.
20:29Only then did the chaos subside.
20:32Only when he was obscured by the tangle of divine beasts and chariots did I finally allow my gaze to
20:38fall upon his retreating figure.
20:40Through the curtain of the divine rain, the sheer panic on his face was unmistakably vivid.
20:45So, he was capable of being that desperate for me after all.
20:50But I already gave you your chances, Ariston.
20:53You were the one who squandered them.
20:57The celestial congestion soon cleared, and we resumed our journey.
21:02I arrived at the skyport of Boreas with time to spare.
21:06But to my surprise, I was intercepted by the Wend sprites at the boarding gates.
21:12I apologize, goddess.
21:14Your skyship has been grounded due to anomalous ethereal storms.
21:19Please select another vessel, or reclaim your tribute.
21:22I glanced up.
21:24The silver moon of Artemis hung pristine in the night sky, without a single cloud to mar its brilliance.
21:31Must a skyship wait for the literal Radweth of Zeus to set sail now?
21:36I asked.
21:37The sprite offered a stiff, rehearsed bow, replying with practiced attachment.
21:42Forgive me, goddess.
21:44We merely follow the absolute decree handed down to us.
21:48We are powerless to defy it.
21:51I had no desire to punish a lowly sprite for orders beyond its control.
21:55So I nodded.
21:56Very well.
21:58Then reschedule my passage.
22:02I checked the celestial manifest.
22:05All passages to Hyperborea had been sealed.
22:07The only remaining vessel was the Chariot of Dawn, departing at the seventh hour of the morrow.
22:13The night was deep, and retreating to the mortal realm would be tedious.
22:16I requested a quiet alcove within the port to rest until sunrise.
22:21The arrangements were unervingly smooth.
22:23The port spirits escorted me to an opulent lotus pavilion, bowing with a reverence that bordered on suspicion.
22:29A cold unease crept into my heart.
22:32Yet, when questioned, they merely repeated.
22:35A humble offering, goddess.
22:38To atone for the disruption of your ethereal journey.
22:42I had no choice but to feign acceptance.
22:45But the moment Ariston materialized at the pavilion's archway panting as if he had sprinted.
22:50Across the realms on Hermes' winged sandals.
22:53Everything clicked.
22:54The grounded ships.
22:56The sealed passages.
22:57The opulent pavilion.
22:59It was all his orchestration.
23:01He stood before me, struggling to force the corners of his mouth upward.
23:06Terrified that a sudden movement might shatter the fragile air between us, he managed only a cautious, trembling curve.
23:13Alara.
23:15His voice broke slightly.
23:17Didn't we agree to meet at the Agenian tonight?
23:20Why are you leaving Olympus?
23:22I hadn't seen him tread this lightly around me in an eternity.
23:25If I dug deep into the ashes of my memory, perhaps there was a time, but it required rewinding through
23:32centuries of neglect.
23:33Back to the very first of his 100 vows.
23:36The first time he confessed his devotion, he was just this tentative.
23:40Every fleeting glance, every careful gesture was designed to gauge my reaction.
23:45As if my feelings truly mattered to him.
23:51I let the facade drop, meeting Ariston's growing panic with eyes like dead water.
23:57Our soul bond is severed.
24:01Why wouldn't I leave Olympus?
24:04You should go to Calliope.
24:07She has waited for you for so many fleeting munal years.
24:12And now you belong to her completely.
24:14The high god and his mortal muse.
24:18You are finally free to be happy.
24:20But Ariston froze, completely deaf to the mention of Calliope's name.
24:25He looked at me in pure, raw confusion.
24:28What's severance?
24:30When did our union end?
24:32I tossed my copy of the decree of severance onto the table between us.
24:36I left your parchment at the Agenian sanctuary.
24:43He stared at the document, his hands trembling as he shook his head frantically.
24:48His face was contorted with disbelief.
24:57How can we be severed?
25:00I never said I wanted to break our vows!
25:03A dry, hollow laugh escaped my lips.
25:07The sheer, absurd irony of it all was suffocating.
25:12You didn't need to say it at Ariston.
25:17Your actions carved it into stone.
25:24A union like, like ours.
25:27If we don't end it, what's the point of letting it rot?
25:31But Ariston just kept shaking his head, rejecting reality.
25:35He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my shoulders.
25:38No, I never agreed to this.
25:41This is a trick!
25:43Some dark illusion of circus you bought to punish me, isn't it?
25:46It doesn't count!
25:47It can't count!
25:49We are not severed!
25:50Listening to his voice crack and spiral into hysteria,
25:54I realized the almighty god of wealth had been reduced to a raving lunatic.
25:59Ariston, I called out his name softly.
26:02A desperate flicker of hope ignited in his golden eyes,
26:05as if he expected me to take it all back.
26:08But I merely looked at him with a faint, mocking smile.
26:12Look at yourself, Ariston.
26:14Who is the mad one now?
26:17The desperate hope froze and shattered on Ariston's face.
26:21Stripped of my devotion, he had lost his armor.
26:24With every cold word I spoke, I drove a cursed spear directly into his heart.
26:31I asked softly,
26:32Tell me, Ariston.
26:34Between the gods standing here now,
26:37and the goddess who once begged at your feet.
26:42Who truly looks like the madman?
26:44Ariston opened his mouth,
26:46the golden light in his eyes flickering and dying.
26:49He had no answer for me.
26:51Forgive me.
26:54I was blind, Alara.
26:58The fault is entirely mine.
27:01I just...
27:03I just...
27:04I just...
27:05He stammered the phrase three times,
27:07desperately searching for a divine excuse for his endless betrayals.
27:11But the words died in his throat.
27:13Defeated,
27:14he simply lowered his head in suffocating silence.
27:17He knew any excuse would be utterly futile.
27:19His neglect,
27:21his chilling apathy,
27:22his reckless arrogance,
27:23they were the poisonous roots of where we stood today.
27:26Forget it, Ariston.
27:28Looking at his broken figure,
27:30I realized he seemed utterly exhausted too.
27:33We are on unbound now.
27:38Let us just release each other.
27:43Isn't that the truest mercy?
27:45No divine law states,
27:47Ode,
27:47a god can only love one person.
27:50I simply refused to endure a tainted union.
27:54I looked into Ariston's eyes and saw the mist gathering.
27:57A thousand desperate pleas hovering on his lips.
28:00Trapped by his own guilt.
28:02I had always thought his golden eyes were beautiful.
28:04They were so expressive.
28:06A single,
28:07soulful look could lay his heart bare.
28:09I was once utterly captivated by those eyes.
28:12Yet,
28:13it was those exact same eyes that had calmly watched me break.
28:16Telling me time and time again that I meant nothing to him.
28:20Let us end it here.
28:22May we both find peace.
28:26An hour later,
28:27I was back aboard the skyship destined for Hyperborea.
28:32Ariston didn't obstruct me this time.
28:34Instead,
28:35he personally commanded the sky currents to ensure my safe voyage.
28:39I knew he was the unseen hand behind it all.
28:42Once he finally gave the command to let me go,
28:45the heavens parted for me without resistance.
28:47He walked me to the precipice of the port.
28:51Standing before the gateway of the wines,
28:53Ariston hesitated,
28:55his immortal frame trembling slightly.
28:58Finally,
28:58the moment I surrendered my glowing rune to the wind pilot and stepped through the threshold,
29:03his voice cracked through the gale.
29:05Ilarra,
29:10is there truly no chance left for us?
29:13I didn't break my stride.
29:15That silence was the clearest,
29:17most merciless answer I could give him.
29:21The passage from Olympus to Hyperborea was swift,
29:25carried across the sky by the biting northern gales.
29:28I had never set foot in the northern lands before.
29:31The air held a sharper chill than I had imagined.
29:34I sought out the humble mortal in I had arranged.
29:36I desired no grand luxury sanctuaries.
29:39I yearned only for the messy, vibrant warmth of mortal life.
29:43Hyperborea did not disappoint.
29:45The mortal landlady greeted me with genuine warmth.
29:48You arrive long after the sun has set.
29:52Did the journey trouble you?
29:54I shook my head,
29:55a true smile forming.
29:57The storms have passed.
29:59It's all sorted out now.
30:02Praise the gods.
30:04A young nymph like you out on her own.
30:07My hearth is yours if you need anything.
30:10I nodded,
30:11deeply moved by this simple mortal kindness.
30:14She asked if I had eaten
30:15and directed me to a few nearby taverns
30:17that she swore were excellent.
30:19I had originally planned to start mapping out
30:21my new life in Hyperborea immediately.
30:24But stepping into the cool night,
30:26I decided to simply let myself breathe.
30:29For five centuries,
30:30I had walked on eggshells for Ariston,
30:32suffocating my own spirit in terror
30:34of bringing him any negative prayers or rumors.
30:37Tonight,
30:38I was merely myself.
30:40Finally,
30:41absolutely free.
30:42Following the landlady's path,
30:44I found a dimly lit tavern,
30:46quiet and fragrant with wood smoke.
30:48It was peaceful here in the evening,
30:50offering simple,
30:51hearty mortal fare.
30:53I ordered a plate of crisp-fried river catch
30:55and a cup of heavily watered mead.
30:57Taking a seat at the worn wooden counter,
30:59I lost myself in the house bard's
31:01melancholic lament of Echo's unrequited love.
31:04Behind the counter,
31:05the bartender was polishing a rustic wooden goblet.
31:08Just as he slid my nearly alcohol-free drink toward me,
31:12his hand paused,
31:13pulling the cup back slightly.
31:17A lone goddess drinking in the shadows
31:21is an invitation for trouble,
31:23he murmured.
31:24I smiled,
31:25eyeing the pale liquid that looked weaker than morning dew.
31:28There isn't half a drop of true wine in this.
31:31Spare me the concern and hand it over.
31:33The demigod raised an eyebrow,
31:35but eventually surrendered the wooden goblet.
31:37I took a sip.
31:39It bloomed with a rich, deceptive sweetness,
31:41masking any trace of spirits.
31:43But as the sweetness faded,
31:45a sharp, biting sourness clawed up my throat
31:48so sour it tasted of regret.
31:50I grimaced.
31:51By the gods,
31:53what on earth did you serve me?
31:54He unrolled a worn parchment menu to its very bottom,
31:58tapping a single line.
31:59You asked for the mildest brew.
32:01It's called Tears of Letter.
32:03I pushed the cup away in disdain.
32:06With theatrical schwos-like like this,
32:09no wonder your tavern lacks worshippers.
32:12For a demigod descended from Dionysus
32:14and the owner of this very tavern,
32:16his brewing skills were tragically ironic.
32:18He offered a charmingly crooked smile.
32:21A cruel strike to my divine pride, goddess?
32:24With the tavern nearly empty,
32:26I struck up a conversation with him,
32:28asking if there were any sacred groves
32:30or frozen falls worth visiting.
32:32He noted that while Hyperborea's sights were breathtaking,
32:35traversing them required a private chariot.
32:38The wild pegasus herds here were notoriously hard to catch.
32:42A sigh of mild frustration escaped me.
32:45Securing a centaur guide at this hour was nearly impossible.
32:48Thus, with the harvest festival drawing
32:50every available beast of burden to the temples,
32:53renting a mount would be a Herculean task.
32:55Seeing my dilemma,
32:57he leaned against the counter and sighed softly.
33:00Very well.
33:01I will guide you tomorrow.
33:03I looked up, surprised.
33:05What about your tavern?
33:09Didn't you just decree that I have no worshippers?
33:12I might as well earn a few golden drabies
33:15serving as your charioton.
33:16He shrugged,
33:17pulling the cup of Lethe away
33:19and replacing it with a glass of iced berry nectar.
33:23The following morning,
33:25the demigod arrived precisely at dawn,
33:28waiting beneath the balcony of my inn with his chariot.
33:31When asked how he located my humble lodging,
33:34he replied mildly,
33:35Beings carrying a divine aroma,
33:37who wander this far north only ever choose this heath.
33:41The gleaming chariot clearly hadn't been procured from the local centaur herds.
33:46It was distinctly his own.
33:48I tossed him a heavy pouch of golden drachmas as an offering for his services,
33:53commanding him to show me the wonders of the north.
33:55He caught the pouch,
33:57feigning a wounded look.
33:59Must you keep calling me bartender?
34:01My name is Ayasin.
34:04Sounds like a fragile nymph's name.
34:06I blurted out,
34:08instantly regretting the slight.
34:10Yet,
34:10taking a closer look,
34:12he did possess the striking,
34:14almost delicate beauty typical of youthful deities.
34:17I Asian laughed,
34:19entirely unfazed.
34:22You caught me.
34:24To hide my existence from Hera's wrath,
34:26I was raised among the mountain nymphs.
34:28I wore woven silken chitons until I was a young boy.
34:32That piqued my interest.
34:34I waved a hand grandly.
34:36If I offer extra dractos,
34:38might I view the scooning crystal of such a sight?
34:42Ayasin raised an eyebrow,
34:44his eyes glinting.
34:46Absolutely.
34:47You are my wealthy patroness,
34:49and I am but your humble chariotler.
34:52I laughed aloud at his teasing,
34:55a genuine,
34:56ringing sound I hadn't made in years.
35:00The chariot ride across the frost-kissed plains was exhilarating,
35:04and I Asian knew Hyperborea like the back of his hand.
35:08He guided me to hidden feasts,
35:10sacred frozen groves,
35:12and the wild,
35:13boisterous festival of Pan.
35:15Whenever we dined,
35:16he specifically instructed the servers,
35:19absolutely no pomegranate seeds.
35:21It was an unspoken vow to never let anything trap me in the dark again.
35:26At the festival's games,
35:27we won the grand offering a relic that was exactly what I had desired.
35:32Amidst the revelry,
35:33I offered a silent prayer to the fates for a life of untroubled winds.
35:37By the time night fell,
35:39I realized I had experienced true,
35:42unburdened joy for the first time in centuries.
35:45The following day,
35:46we journeyed to the grand forge of Hephaestus.
35:49My luck faltered slightly.
35:51We couldn't secure the sigils for the inner sanctum.
35:54But I Asian led me up to a hidden catwalk on the second tier
35:58to watch the molten gold flow he claimed.
36:01It was his favorite secret vantage point.
36:05By the fourth night,
36:07we stood by the frozen sea,
36:08listening to the haunting melody of the sirens
36:11beneath a breathtaking display of celestial fire.
36:14Suddenly,
36:15a figure concealed within the clumsy,
36:17oversized guise of a giant hare,
36:19the sacred beast of Aphrodite,
36:21lumbered toward us and pressed a luminous lotus into my palm.
36:24My absolute favorite flower.
36:26I turned to I Asian,
36:28genuinely touched.
36:30Did you arrange this too?
36:32His smile vanished.
36:34He shook his head.
36:40No.
36:41I froze.
36:42The pieces violently fell into place.
36:44The lingering gaze I had felt from the shadows,
36:47the unseen deity tracking my every step.
36:50It was him.
36:51I Asian lowered his gaze,
36:53his voice thick with guilt.
36:54In truth,
36:55Atalora,
36:56none of the miracles on our first day were my doing.
36:59He offered a bitter,
37:01self-deprecating smile.
37:02That is why I tried,
37:04tried so desperately to intervene afterward.
37:07You truly did win those forged sigils,
37:09but I cast them into the flames
37:11because they came from his hand.
37:13I only knew the measure of your step
37:15because I intercepted his gift,
37:17choosing to forge a new pair for you myself.
37:20I didn't even want to bring you here tonight.
37:24I knew a high god had orchestrated this celestial fire for you.
37:28He swallowed hard,
37:30his voice trembling.
37:43The words poured out of him in a desperate, breathless rush.
37:47Seeing this proud demigod trembling,
37:49too terrified to even meet my eyes,
37:52I couldn't muster a single ounce of anger.
37:54He hadn't done anything malicious.
37:56He was simply,
37:57profoundly jealous.
37:59When I Asian finally dared to look up,
38:01his striking eyes were swimming with tears.
38:04True to his divine beauty,
38:06even his weeping was a breathtaking display of raw,
38:09unfiltered devotion.
38:13That hair was Ibhim.
38:16I Asian choked out.
38:19If you go after him now,
38:21it is not too late.
38:22I stared at him in silence
38:23until his broad shoulders began to tremble.
38:26He played the martyr,
38:28practically pushing me away,
38:30yet his very soul screamed in terror
38:32at the thought of me leaving.
38:33He knew my past.
38:35He knew I was a goddess
38:37who had just bled herself dry to cut her ties.
38:40And he was terrified that deep down,
38:42some pathetic remnant of affection
38:44still chained me to Ariston.
38:46I took a slow step backward.
38:49I Asian looked like a winged pegasus
38:51stripped of the sky,
38:52desperately fighting the urge
38:53to fall at my feet and beg.
38:55Then, I closed the distance
38:57and threw myself firmly into his arms.
39:00I am not going to look for him.
39:05For the first time in his immortal existence,
39:08Ariston learned that a god could burn
39:10and freeze in the exact same heartbeat.
39:12It was the sweltering end of summer,
39:15and the heavy, suffocating hair disguise
39:17had drenched his divine flesh in a sticky sweat.
39:20Yet, the second he watched me run into I Asian's arms,
39:24an absolute, paralyzing winter struck his core.
39:28He knew our bond was dead.
39:30He knew the fates had sealed the severance.
39:33He knew I would eventually forge a new life
39:35with someone else.
39:36But some foolish, arrogant part of him
39:39had clung to the delusion
39:40that he could just rewrite the cosmic scrolls
39:43and claim me back.
39:44When I Asian and I departed the frozen coast,
39:47we found him lingering at the edge of the frosted path.
39:50In the empty expanse,
39:52draped in that absurd, oversized animal suit,
39:55the almighty god of wealth looked impossibly pathetic.
39:59Like an abandoned, overgrown stray.
40:02But when I remembered how coldly
40:03he had discarded me for five years,
40:06the miserable sight before me
40:07inspired nothing but bitter amusement.
40:10As I walked past him without breaking stride,
40:13those oversized, plush paws reached out
40:16in a desperate, trembling motion,
40:18trying to bar my way.
40:21I instructed I Asian to step back.
40:24I will handle him.
40:26I Asian hesitated,
40:27his eyes dark with worry,
40:29but I shook my head to reassure him.
40:31Wait for me in the chariot.
40:34If he so much as raises a hand,
40:38drive the thieves forward
40:39and tramp him beneath the wheels.
40:41A dark, protective smirk touched I Asian's lips.
40:44With pleasure, goddess.
40:46Once I Asian was out of earshot,
40:48Ariston finally tore off the grotesque,
40:51enchanted hare's head.
40:53His divine brow was slick with grime,
40:55and his perfect golden hair hung in matted tangles.
40:58I had never seen the almighty god of wealth
41:00reduced to such a pathetic state
41:02least of all for my sake.
41:04A cold smile graced my lips.
41:06You have squandered entirely
41:08too many days in the frozen north.
41:11Is your mortal muse not weeping for your return?
41:15Calliope was the sort who demanded
41:17his absolute devotion day and night
41:19whenever she graced his domain.
41:21She would not tolerate a single breath of neglect.
41:24That was how she kept a high god tethered
41:26like a common hound for five centuries.
41:28And Ariston, blind in his arrogance,
41:31knelt for the leash every single time.
41:33Yet now, Ariston stood stunned,
41:36slowly shaking his head.
41:37I will not seek her out again.
41:42I severed ties with her.
41:46I only remained by her side
41:48because I felt I owed her a debt
41:51for failing to protect her
41:53during her mortal trials.
41:54But in paying that debt,
41:56I destroyed the one who actually mattered.
41:59I refuse to be the architect
42:01of this endless torment anymore.
42:03She fled to the distant shores in a rage.
42:08She swore she would never return to Olympias.
42:11He spoke the words lightly,
42:13as though shedding a trivial burden.
42:15But I knew Calliope's tempestuous nature.
42:18She must have unleashed a catastrophic fury upon him
42:21before abandoning his realm.
42:22And only then did he come crawling
42:24through the snow to find me.
42:26A sharp laugh escaped my throat.
42:28Oh, at Ariston,
42:30you didn't cross the realms for love.
42:32You only came looking for me
42:35because she abandoned you, didn't you?
42:39Ariston shook his head frantically,
42:41his voice breaking.
42:43Of course not!
42:44It's because I love you!
42:47I severed those ties because of you.
42:50I refuse to hurt you anymore.
42:54Talara,
42:58I love you.
43:00I truly love you.
43:02Hollow vows always sound so desperately sweet.
43:05Had he spoken these words even a moon ago
43:08on his 99th betrayal,
43:10I might have relented.
43:11But the scales were tipped.
43:13A hundred acts of grace had been spent.
43:16There was nothing left to give.
43:17Even if his tears were genuine now,
43:20what did it matter?
43:21I no longer have any use for your love at Ariston,
43:25I said,
43:26my voice eerily calm.
43:28Do you think your sudden realization of love
43:32obliges me to return it?
43:34For the first time,
43:36golden tears spilled from Ariston's eyes.
43:38I had witnessed so many of the almighty god's firsts today.
43:42The first time he begged.
43:44The first time he wept.
43:45Yet,
43:46watching his spirit shatter left me feeling entirely numb.
43:50Allura.
43:51He gasped,
43:53grasping at straws.
43:55If you truly feel nothing for me,
43:57why did you keep the offerings?
43:59The temples?
44:02I paused for a moment,
44:04letting the sheer audacity of his words sink in.
44:07The hundred temples?
44:11You have the audacity to speak of the sanctuaries
44:14you used to purchase my forgiveness?
44:16A bitter, harsh laugh escaped my throat.
44:19It doesn't matter.
44:20Take them back.
44:22Every single column and altar.
44:26I don't want them.
44:28Did you honestly believe I cherished them?
44:32They were nothing but gilded monuments to your betrayal.
44:35I struck him with those final words and turned away in utter disgust.
44:39But Ariston wouldn't let go.
44:41He clawed at my arm.
44:42His voice contorted with venom and disbelief.
44:45You reject me.
44:47And you reject the golden temples.
44:49Are you truly going to throw away your eternity
44:52for some pathetic half-breed tavern keeper?
44:56What can he possibly offer you?
44:58I violently shook off Ariston's grip and delivered my absolute truth.
45:02I don't need him to offer me the world.
45:05I only need him to never betray me.
45:09I walked away without looking back.
45:11Desperate, Ariston lunged to chase after me.
45:14But the grotesque, oversized paws of the magical hair disguise tangled wildly around his ankles.
45:20Sending the almighty god crashing pathetically into the frozen dirt.
45:24He could only scream helplessly at my retreating back.
45:27Who can guarantee he won't betray you?
45:31He had completely lost his mind.
45:33A deity who had spent five centuries deceiving me now dared to question the loyalty of a man who hadn't.
45:41Returning to the chariot, I found Iasian waiting.
45:44He looked down, his eyes soft yet harboring a fragile anxiety.
45:48Do you truly trust me?
45:51I may only govern a humble tavern, he murmured earnestly,
45:56but my hands can forge a hearth warm enough to shelter you.
46:00I couldn't help but laugh.
46:02I grabbed the fabric of his chitin, pulling him close, and whispered a fierce promise.
46:07If you ever dare to betray me, Demidod, I have an eternity to find someone who won't.
46:13In the end, Ariston never reclaimed those hundred golden temples.
46:17I commanded the high priestesses to throw open the heavy doors.
46:21Transforming every single one into a free sanctuary for weary mortal travelers.
46:26I never touched a single coin of his tribute again.
46:29Iasian's tavern was, undeniably, a disaster.
46:33So we shuttered it and rebuilt it as a sanctuary to Hestia.
46:36A welcoming haven where the hearth fires never died.
46:40We offered only hearty mortal sustenance and pure, untainted nectars.
46:44I personally curated every offering we served.
46:47After all, the blood of Dionysus gave Iasian many talents.
46:51But brewing was tragically not one of them.
46:53Blessed by the fates and the ceaseless, enthusiastic praise of the local landlady.
46:58Our little sanctuary flourished within a few short moons.
47:01One evening, the landlady teased, asking when we would finally bind our souls in eternal union.
47:07Before I could answer, Iasian gently interjected.
47:11Not just yet.
47:12He looked at me, his eyes burning with quiet, unshakable resolve.
47:17First, I must forge enough golden drattans to raise a grand sanctuary of my own.
47:23My goddess is a realm of our own.
47:28Where she never has to lower her crown.
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