Where… is this place?
When the darkness gave way to light once again, the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, opened her eyes, only to find herself standing in a beautiful ancient forest, with a confused look on her face.
Instinctively, she tried to take a step, seeking answers, but quickly realized she couldn't move.
As she struggled, someone suddenly appeared before her, and the face of that someone caused Aphrodite's eyes to widen in disbelief.
Because, she was looking at herself.
Aphrodite saw a version of herself in front of her walking forward, her face showing clear impatience as she passed right through her own body.
Before the stunned goddess could make sense of the situation, a voice called out.
"Lady Goddess, wait! Wait for me!"
A joyful voice rang out.
Aphrodite instinctively turned her head, and there, running after her shadow, was a delicate little girl.
The girl had bright golden hair and a pair of green eyes—eyes that resembled Promise's.
In her small hands, she held a vibrant red apple.
"Adonis, stop following me," the goddess of beauty said with an impatient look on her face.
"Go back to your mother. I have no interest in babysitting!"
"But, Lady Goddess, look—this is an apple I just picked this morning. I wanted to offer it to you..."
"I don't need it!"
With a wave of her hand, the goddess of beauty, who was already a bit impatient, slapped the apple out of Adonis's hands.
It fell to the ground, shattering, leaving the little girl standing there, bewildered and motionless.
Aphrodite tilted her head, puzzled by the scene before her.
Just as she began to question what kind of scene she was witnessing, another image flashed on front of her eyes.
It was still early morning, not yet light.
The same girl, Adonis, was struggling to climb an ancient tree, risking her safety just to pick the brightest, ripest fruit from the highest branch for...her
"If I offer this to the goddess. She'll be so happy!" Adonis said this while holding the apple with a very sincere and happy smile.
"...Such a cheap offering. How could I possibly be happy with that?"
Seeing this, Aphrodite muttered quietly after a moment of silence, her tone indifferent.
But for some reason, as she looked at the little girl in front of her, she immediately recalled the image of the apple smashing to pieces on the ground when her impatience stirred within her.
She suddenly felt an odd sense of unease, though she wasn't sure why.
However, while she stood there, momentarily lost in thought, the scene before her changed once more.
It was as if she had traveled through the river of time or grasped one of the threads of fate, peering into the future.
What unfolded next were a series of scenes, flashing before her like slides, each one featuring herself and the girl named Adonis.
"Lady Goddess, look at this! I made a flower crown. Isn't it beautiful? Can I offer it to you?"
"Lady Goddess, are you thirsty? I'll fetch you some water right away."
"Lady Goddess, please slow down, wait for me!"
Like a shadow, Adonis constantly followed behind Aphrodite.
But despite the girl's unwavering devotion, the goddess herself seemed to grow increasingly irritated with her.
Any time that girl came up to her, she would either snapp at the girl, ignore her entirely, or sometimes even send her on pointless errands, only to walk away the moment she left.
The reason for this?
"This girl… why does she remind me of Hephaestus? And those green eyes… they look just like his," Aphrodite thought, perplexed. But despite her confusion, she quickly dismissed the thought, deciding it wasn't important enough to dwell on.
By now, she had mostly pieced together that everything she was seeing represented the future, and she suspected that this was part of Promise's 'revenge' on her.
Yet, she couldn't understand how any of this could be revenge. Was it somehow related to this little girl named Adonis? It seemed laughable to her!
Aphrodite originally wanted to stop this ridiculous game, but for some reason, as she watched the little girl endlessly chase after her, she found herself thinking about Promise's final words.
Goddess of love and beauty, have you ever truly given your love to anyone?
Aphrodite wasn't sure what she felt in response to that question.
She didn't stop the vision from continuing.
And so, she bore witness to the unfolding of fate.
Naturally, the masterminds of this whole event—Promise and Hecate—stood watching from afar.
Even Helen, who had been dragged into the scene thanks to Hecate's mischievous revenge, observed the scene.
Although they were watching from a distance.
"Hey, Goddess Hecate," Promise asked, curiosity evident in his voice. "This little girl named Adonis… why does she seem so familiar to me? I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."
Even Aphrodite had figured it out, so naturally, Promise couldn't miss it either.
Tilting his head, he looked curiously at the beautiful goddess in the black dress standing beside him.
"Hmph!"
However, Hecate didn't answer; she crossed her arms, letting out a loud huff as she turned her head away, clearly sending the message: I'm really mad right now, so don't talk to me.
This almost made Promise laugh out loud.
Come on, you're Hecate, a revered and powerful goddess!
"Yeah, exactly, especially those eyes… they really look like..." Helen chimed in, nodding as she glanced between the two, eventually concluding with certainty, "They're exactly like yours, Brother Promise!"
"It's not just the eyes," Promise muttered, still puzzled. "But why do I see traces of my goddess teacher in her as well..."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Hecate again.
Seeing that she was still maintaining her I'm mad, don't talk to me attitude, he couldn't help but tease, "Ah, my beloved, most respected goddess! Don't be mad. How about I give you a shoulder massage or rub your back?"
"Get away from me! Don't disgust me!" Hecate let out a sharp cry and at the same time slappedthe hand Promise had actually reached out with.
"I don't need your shoulder rubs or back massages! If you really want to please me, swear that you'll never bother me again..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Promise cut her off decisively.
"That's impossible!"
With a playful grin and a look that screamed I've got you, the young man flatly refused. "Goddess Hecate, your words wound me! After all, I hold you in the highest, highest, highest regard!"
Damn it!!
Hecate clenched her fists tightly, her teeth practically grinding in frustration.
"Pff… Oh, I'm sorry, esteemed goddess," Helen couldn't help but laugh out loud before quickly apologizing. "I didn't mean to laugh, I just—well.
I am a little surprised, after all, I've never seen Brother Promise act like this before."
After a brief pause, she also added thoughtfully, "In fact, the way I see it, Brother Promise really does trust you, Goddess Hecate."
"Trust me? Hah! He's just out for revenge, that's all!" Hecate felt that she was so angry that she didn't want to go out for hundreds of years.
Her beautiful red eyes glared at the boy fiercely as she said.
"I've never met anyone as petty as you! Just because I gave you a disdainful look every time we crossed paths, you've dragged me into your mess again and again, using me as your backup muscle?"
Promise, still grinning mischievously, simply shrugged.
"Why don't you go to your goddess of fate, Clotho for this whole fate-watching thing?" Hecate grumbled. "She's much more skilled in that area. Why are you bothering me?"
"I'm worried about her," Promise replied without hesitation. "What if Goddess Aphrodite causes trouble for her afterward?"
"And you're not worried about me?" Hecate's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Well, you're super powerful, Goddess Hecate, and besides, you could always just hide in the Underworld." Promise's answer was so matter-of-fact that it nearly made the goddess' fists clench in frustration.
'Ahhh, I really want to ignore all that and just pin him to the ground and beat him up!'
"See? This is the true face of your dear Promise! Isn't it too infuriating? Doesn't he deserve a good beating?" Hecate, still seething, turned toward Helen, pointing angrily at Promise.
"Not at all." The latter blinked her mesmerizing violet eyes and looked tenderly at the young man while replying with a soft smile, "I actually think this rare side of Brother Promise is… rather adorable."
"Ah, Helen, you're such a good girl. I knew spoiling you all this time was worth it," Promise said, patting the girl on the head with a satisfied grin, then turning to give Hecate a smug look.
The look in his eyes made the goddess roll her eyes in exasperation, her face wearing the expression of someone who had given up on life—just let it all end, please…
But wait, that's not right...
As she glanced at the bow and arrow in Helen's hands and reconsidered her doting attitude toward Promise, a realization struck her.
'This is going to get interesting!'
Her previous weariness vanished, and Hecate suddenly lit up with newfound energy.
After a quick glance at Promise, she smiled in a way that sent shivers down his spine.
But before the boy could ask what she was thinking, Hecate diverted the conversation, turning her gaze back to the real focus of the moment—the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.
And in response to Promise's earlier question, she finally answered, "I don't know… If you really want to find out what's going on, go ask Clotho yourself."
"After all, it's Clotho, the goddess of fate, the one, who truly controls and glimpses the future. She knows all that's to come."
"As for me, my powers and this magic of fate merely show one possible outcome."
Hecate, as the goddess of crossroads, dealt with the multitude of paths that could shape destiny.
Her role was to add a little grease to the wheels of predestined events, allowing fate to take its course smoothly or go slightly astray.
So, for this point, Hecate hadn't lied to Promise.
She truly didn't know what this particular fate entailed, nor did she know how it would ultimately unfold.
She had simply followed Promise's plan and found the person called 'Adonis' within this thread of destiny.
The question that loomed over all this—whether Aphrodite had ever truly loved someone—was one Promise had known the answer to from the very beginning.
Aphrodite had loved, deeply, giving everything to that person.
After all, in Greek mythology, this was well-documented.
Aphrodite did indeed have a lifelong love.
And that love was none other than Adonis.
It was because of this man that the white rose was stained with blood, becoming the symbol of enduring love.
And at the same time, it was also because of Adonis that Aphrodite cursed all love in the world, casting a shadow of doubt, worry, pain, and sorrow over it.
However…
No, no, no...
Wait a second, wasn't Adonis supposed to be a man?
'How did he become a she here, and why does she look like my goddess teacher…?'