The people here are not as happy as Rhodes.
Athens had not been conquered yet. Although Hera had left and the shield protecting the city had disappeared, Hercules was still there. With Hilde still in a coma, no one dared to order an attack. It was almost night, and Hilde didn't seem to be waking up, which made everyone very worried. Especially Xerxes, she paced back and forth beside the bed anxiously, but she couldn't help Hilde even though she was so anxious.
Seeing this, Dione couldn't help but say:
"Sister Xerxes, don't be so anxious."
"Anxious? How can I not be anxious!"
Xerxes said unhappily.
"Sissi doesn't know about Sophia yet, and I'm worried about how to tell her. What if Sissi finds out and insists on going to Mount Olympus to find Sophia? Isn't that courting death? How should I stop her? Or should I go to Mount Olympus with her and save Sophia?"
Xerxes scratched his head irritably.
"What a headache."
"Don't be so anxious..."
Dione said nervously:
"I think Sister Sophia will be fine."
"What should I do if something happens!?"
Xerxes sat aside in frustration.
"You and I know better than anyone what Sophia means to Hilde. She was the one who accompanied Sissi from childhood to adulthood. No one can replace her, no one! Including you, including me...no one can replace her."
Chapter 6 of the seventh chapter: The Untrusted God
When he said this, Xerxes was obviously a little helpless and frustrated. However, there was nothing he could do. Xerxes knew this. She knew very well that her importance in Hilde's heart was definitely not as high as Sofia's. Xerxes was still self-aware of this. Now that Sofia had been kidnapped, no one could say for sure whether Hilde would go after her and make an unrealistic decision.
And Xerxes felt.
Hilde will definitely not give up on Sofia.
Of this, she was sure.
If Hilde gave up, she would no longer be the Hilde that everyone loved.
Dione was also very anxious, but she was no longer the little girl she used to be. Seeing Sister Sophia being taken away, Dione felt guilty. She knew that if she had stopped them at that time, she might have been able to save Sister Sophia. However, she tried hard at that time, but she didn't succeed. After all, the battle at that time had almost consumed Dione's strength.
And, the most despairing thing is.
This final battle proved one thing.
There is still a gap between us and the gods, and it is very large.
"Dione..."
Xerxes turned around and looked at Dione who was standing aside with a melancholy look on her face.
"Are you regretting it?"
"Um……"
"no need."
Xerxes sighed.
"You tried your best in that situation. You've made great progress compared to before. So don't blame yourself. It's not that you didn't try your best, but that your opponent was too strong." Xerxes gently held Hilde's hand and said helplessly, "Sissi is the same. She fought with Ares and forced herself into this state. We thought we had become very powerful, but facing the existence of gods, we found that we are still weak."
“No…”
Dione choked up a little.
But she still resisted the urge to cry.
"Sister Xerxes is already very strong."
"thank you……"
Strong?
If he was strong, Hercules wouldn't have found the opportunity and almost killed him.
Thinking so helplessly, Xerxes shook his head.
"I'm going out to get some fresh air."
"Well, okay, I'll take care of Sister Sissi."
Xerxes walked to the door of the big tent. At this time, Artemis, who was standing at the door, asked worriedly: "Hilde, are you still not awake?"
"No."
Xerxes didn't like the rather stiff name of Artemis.
However, she didn't know what to say.
Seeing the disappointment and helplessness in Xerxes' eyes, Artemis could only say: "Don't worry, she's fine."
"In fact, I feel a little relieved that I haven't woken up yet. This is what makes me feel most uncomfortable." Xerxes leaned on the wooden stake next to him and looked at Artemis with a wry smile. "Because if Sissi doesn't wake up, I don't need to tell her about Sophia, and I don't need to worry. If Sissi decides to go to Mount Olympus to settle accounts with Hera, how should I stop her? In fact, I don't even want to stop her. If Sissi decides to do so, I will just go with her."
"You are looking for death."
"Is it?"
Xerxes sneered.
"I'm already dying, I don't care about this."
"what are you saying……"
"Sissi is very important to me, and Sophia, who is the most important to Sissi, is also very important to me. If I must lose both of them, then I can accompany them to destruction. Moreover, maybe if I die in the divine realm, some interesting things may happen. For example, what about the adult who is living in my body?" Xerxes snapped her fingers, and a ball of red flame appeared on her fingertips, illuminating the surroundings. "But I still have to thank you for saving Sissi."
"..."
Artemis shook her head.
"You shouldn't thank me."
"why?"
"Because, Sissi should have been able to kill Ares, and I saved Ares."
When Artemis said this, Xerxes, who was playing with the flames, suddenly froze. Her brows slightly frowned, as if she didn't hear clearly what Artemis was saying. After a moment, Xerxes finally reacted.
"You mean, you helped Ares?"
"Sissi fell into a state of madness and forced Ares into a desperate situation. However, Ares's crime did not deserve death. He was different from Apollo. Apollo was a pure destroyer. He only wanted the most terrible power and played with human life wantonly. However, Ares was not so excessive. He did not kill humans indiscriminately. He just... had a strong resentment towards Athena and was also attracted by the power of the Original Library of Genesis. When he saw the terrible power behind the Original Library of Genesis, he realized how terrible what he did was, so..."
"So, you let him go?"
Xerxes stepped forward.
He grabbed Artemis by the collar.
"Tell me! You saved Ares and turned Sissi into this?"
"No, I simply saved Ares, and then... I didn't attack Sissi, but she sucked my blood." Artemis sighed helplessly, then gently dropped her clothes, revealing her shoulder, "Look, this is where Hilde bit me."
Xerxes took a closer look.
There was a hideous cut on Artemis' shoulder.
The wound did not heal well, but it was no longer bleeding, and from the shape, it was indeed a tear caused by sharp teeth. In addition, there was a strange black line that spread along the wound to the body, but it did not spread too much. Seeing this, Xerxes believed that Artemis was telling the truth. However, she still snorted:
"This is all your karma."
"Killing Ares will benefit no one."
"Just let Ares go!"
"I did let Ares go, so do you think Ares has come to trouble us now?"
Artemis looked towards the city of Athens ahead.
"We are at our most vulnerable now. If Ares came to kill us at this time, none of us would be able to deal with him. However, he did not do so because the doubts and fears in his heart have overcome his desire for the Original Book of Creation. I saved him only because Ares may become a god who helps us. If we want to resist Zeus, we need Ares' power."
"fart!"
Xerxes obviously disagreed with these words.
The seventh tune, the seventh section, a somewhat depressing environment
"We need Ares' power?"
"Correct."
Artemis did not give up.
"Ares has strong limbs and a simple mind, but he is also a god with a long lifespan. In terms of wisdom, he is indeed not as good as Athena, but he is more than enough compared to ordinary gods. Therefore, if he knew the purpose of Zeus's creation of the original library and what was hidden in the original library, I believe he would make the right judgment and choice."
"alright."
Xerxes sighed helplessly.
"Whatever you say."
"Xerxes."
"what happened?"
"I'm sorry about Hilde."
"...At this point, there's no point in saying this."
Xerxes pointed at Artemis' shoulder.
"It hurts a lot."
"It doesn't hurt."
"When you said Ares was attacking us, you used the word 'we' instead of 'you', so for this reason, I personally won't bother you for now."
I heard the other person say that.
Artemis was caught off guard.
But then, Artemis smiled and nodded.
"Okay, I see."
"Can't your wound heal?"
"I've tried, but I can only stop the bleeding. The healing seems to be a little troublesome, but it's not impossible. It's just that the healing speed is too slow." Artemis smiled bitterly and pulled up her clothes. "Also, please don't be too anxious about Sophia's matter. If Hercules said so, it means he will really help. But Sophia will have to be wronged. Judging from her condition, she probably won't have a good life in the God's Realm."
"Isn't that certain?"
Xerxes waved his hand and said:
"Even I, a Persian, know how petty and vicious Hera is."
"Indeed, I have to admit it."
"Anyway, this is the current situation. There's no point in dwelling on it." Xerxes scratched his head and walked towards the big tent. "Then I'll continue to accompany Sissi."
"Ok."
After watching Xerxes leave.
Artemis also breathed a sigh of relief.
At least the situation now seems to be fine.
Ares did not continue to pursue, it seems that his actions today have been effective. In addition, Hercules also said those words, based on Artemis' understanding of Hercules, as long as he said that, it means he will definitely do it. Moreover, this also surprised Artemis. Hercules usually speaks little and is not good at speaking, but he really pretends to be confused. He rarely speaks, but in fact, he knows some doubts and problems better than anyone else.
"Master Tomyris is back!"
At this time, some soldiers were shouting outside the barracks.
It seemed that Tomyris had returned with the Scythians.
"Stretcher! Quick! Prepare to treat the wounded!"
Tomyris also brought back the soldiers who were injured on the battlefield. The medical soldiers in the military camp also began to act. They immediately helped the Scythians transfer the injured soldiers to the camp for treatment. The dusty Tomyris did not stay for too long, but rushed directly to the central army tent. After seeing Artemis, Tomyris walked quickly, then knelt on one knee in front of Artemis and said respectfully:
"I'm back! Lady Artemis!"
"Well, hard work."
"Where are Sissi and the others?"
