[1st POV]
"Isaac! Do you need help?"
Artemis asked with concern when seeing me struggling alone to pull up the sailcloth.
"There's no need, dear... ha. I can do it myself..."
After a couple of minutes, Artemis couldn't hold back any longer and helped me with the sailcloth against my will.
"Are you going to sail away and not come back?"
Artemis asked sadly.
I hugged her, but she didn't resist.
I would have been surprised if she had after the two weeks we spent together.
During this time, she seemed to have changed completely.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go back. However, I can visit you from time to time, if you don't mind. You understand that I have a life over there, and I have to return to it. I have a duty."
This time, she interrupted me with a kiss.
"M-m-m. I know, dear."
She hugged me even tighter, making it hard for me to breathe.
"I'm just worried, not about never seeing you again, but about what might happen to you over there..."
"You don't have to worry, I'm much stronger than you think."
I smiled at her.
"Besides, who said I'm leaving right now?"
"True."
She hardly smiles back.
"Besides, you have an important match."
"What match?"
I was surprised.
"A game of blackjack with Hippolyta. She's been preparing for this for a long time and is ready to take revenge for the loss of all her people. Hehe. By the way, the winner was promised a prize from the gods."
"What do you mean?"
I was surprised
'Are the Olympians are keeping an eye on all of this?'
"The Olympians learned about it from the very first days when you brought this game to us. At first, only Hermes and Ares were keeping an eye on you, but then other gods joined in. How many did you win? Remind me."
"Four hundred fifty-nine Amazons have lost to me in all kinds of card games."
"Exactly, and Zeus wanted to see if you could defeat the luckiest and smartest woman in Themyscira, the ruler. The winner will receive a special prize, but that will depend on who wins."
"Why didn't I know about this?"
"I mentioned to you yesterday that Hippolyta would play against you this evening."
"Got it."
I sighed, anticipating a heated game.
"Well, for now, we have some time for..."
"... training!"
She enthusiastically dragged me to the Arena.
I can't tell if she wants to wear me out before my match with Hippolyta, but I think she does...
The final confrontation between me and Queen Hippolyta took place closer to midnight.
To be honest, it was the longest card match I've ever experienced.
The game was played over several rounds, specifically five.
Most importantly, for the first time during my stay here and while playing with the Amazons, I felt that I might actually lose.
That feeling began when I lost the very first round to her.
Looking into her eyes, I realized that while her people were losing to me all this time, she had been learning from those who had already played against me.
She had been training.
Queen Hippolyta can't afford to lose to a man, even if I'm not as much of a jerk as they all thought.
She is the Queen!
I also began to worry even more when she took the second round.
After that, I had a burning desire to activate my berserker mode, hoping it would help me win, but the odds were slim.
So, I focused on the game and managed to win the third round, which made Hippolyta frown.
The next round started, and luckily for me, Hippolyta moved too quickly at the start, and I won the fourth round.
After that, the final began.
The fifth round!
We were both tense, with drops of sweat trickling down from my temple to my chin.
This was the longest round yet.
In the end:
"And here are my six-teen."
Hippolyta was completely red from embarrassment, shame, and anger but remained silent.
Then, as if out of nowhere, a very muscular guy in underwear with brown skin and long hair appeared.
"Well, I'm very glad you won, Isaac."
He smiled at me.
"I had bet on your victory. Ares and Zeus did too."
"Lord Hermes?"
Hippolyta exclaimed in surprise and fell to one knee.
The other Amazons followed suit.
I'm the only one remaining standing.
Why should I kneel? I'm not really a believer. Even if there's some nonsense like pantheons of gods, they don't matter to me.
"Rise, valiant warriors of Themyscira."
A pleasant voice rang out, that of Hermes.
"I'm only here for a short time. However, I would love to stay longer, but I cannot. So…"
A light emerged from his hand, and a beam shot towards me.
That white beam was about ten centimeters from my eyes, and I nearly went blind.
Thankfully, it quickly faded, revealing a simple ring, seemingly made of copper.
"This is the Ring of Mind."
Hermes said, still smiling.
"It's worth a lot. Athena specifically tuned it for you. With this ring, you can mentally communicate with any sentient being you know personally, over a distance equal to the diameter of the Earth. But be careful, don't abuse it, or you might go insane. This is a very ancient artifact forged by Hephaestus and enchanted by Athena and Aphrodite."
"So… telepathically?"
"Yes. That's what you call this power, I believe."
I took the ring and slipped it onto my ring finger.
"I've done what I was supposed to do and expressed my respect to you, mortal. Now I will take my leave. Our goddesses owe us a lot after this contest."
After that, he vanished.
I was left with a rather interesting artifact that I immediately tested on Artemis.
She was quite surprised to hear my voice in her head but responded.
Now, I could communicate with Artemis, and we wouldn't feel so sad about our separation.
Afterward, the Amazons threw a "feast for the ages." They didn't even care that their queen had technically lost or that she insisted on it.
Seeing her tipsy at the celebration, I stumbled upon such a thought.
After… after that began the lesbian orgy of the Amazons. Apparently, they just needed an excuse…
Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch it all.
Artemis led me away to the place, and we spent the whole night there, boosting my endurance stats and leveling up my "Casanova" skill by one level.
...
Two days later
I left on my journey.
I was given directions on how to reach mainland Greece and where to contact the US consulate and return to my hometown, Gotham.
I was accompanied by many Amazons, including Hippolyta, Diana, Artemis, and Donna.
Artemis was holding back tears. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were shining.
We said our goodbyes, and as a parting gift, Artemis, Diana, and Donna presented me with a fine gladius sword.
They wanted me to train and not forget the skills I had acquired with Artemis.
The sweet Donna even secretly slipped a couple of scrolls into my bag for me to read during the journey.
After that, I set sail. I felt a lump in my throat as I watched the distant shores of Themyscira fade away.
Who would have thought I would miss a place where I had nearly lost my life?
I traveled for over a day.
The next day, around noon, a whole fleet of NATO warships stumbled upon me.
I was glad that most of them were American.
A fast boat picked me up from my raft and brought me aboard the flagship, where I was welcomed much more warmly than I had been at my initial in Themyscira.
I had a couple of interviews, first with Admiral Collins and then with a "psychologist," who was probably an NSA agent or even from Argus.
They asked me about Themyscira and my time there.
However, I didn't tell them everything, and I only shared a bit part of my story, skipping various nuances and the gifts I had received.
They were in the "Inventory."
After that, they left me alone, considering that I had miraculously survived all of it.
By the end of that week, I arrived in Boston.
There, I tried to call the precinct in Gotham, but for some reason, there was no connection.
After deciding not to wait around, I boarded a bus to the city.
I arrived in Gotham closer to evening, and as I got off the bus at the stop, I realized something was wrong.
Hearing a conversation between two passersby, I understood that a new gang war had erupted in Gotham City.
It seemed to be a big one, especially since Batman, Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing were all actively involved.
There were also rumors that the Green Arrow stopped by for a few days and stopped a few bank crimes and gang fights.
I sighed and went home.
Honestly, I had thought about stopping by the precinct, but I held off because I wanted to check in with Kira and Alice about Katherine and catch up on all the news from them.
I hoped they were all okay.
After half an hour, I was ready to knock on Kira's apartment door when the voice of another sweet neighbor stopped me.
"Isaac, they're not here!"
My hand froze mid-knock, and my heart sank.
"They left. They've left this city for good."
'Phew! Thank God they got out.'
"Where did they go?"
"Is that really important?"
She scoffed.
"But if you're curious, I'll tell you. Katherine took her sister and niece away to a safer city about a month ago. She said she had been offered a transfer for a while now. I think it was a smart move because they won't be in any danger there."
She was right.
Katherine had made a smart choice.
I had told her before that it was dangerous for her sister and the little one here, and she agreed.
It looks like my "death" was the last blow for her. Well, for now, I needed to deal with other matters.
After thanking the old woman, Nancy, I headed to my apartment.
As I entered, I realized I was mentally and physically tired. I needed to relax.
I went to my "stash" and poured myself some whiskey.
Just then, I heard the sound of breaking glass coming from my room.
"Just my luck…"
I grimaced, pulling out the sword they had gifted me from my "Inventory." I headed to investigate the noise.
To be continued…