"Goddess of the Moon Hecate?"
Seeing the goddess before her, Atalanta recognized her identity.
Although she grew up in the wilderness and had little interest in other gods besides her devout Artemis, knowing practically nothing beyond the twelve main gods, she had witnessed Hecate and Ares working together to repel Poseidon during the Argo's journey, thus recognizing this powerful goddess.
Moreover, Atalanta remembered that Ares had a rather intimate relationship with Hecate; although they were master and disciple, their actual relationship was closer than that of mere teacher and student.
Even though this goddess seemed somewhat aggressive now, Atalanta didn't think she would truly harm her. Atalanta didn't know how she came to this conclusion, but she just had that feeling—perhaps it was the wild intuition of a child raised in the mountains.
So, in response to Hecate's question, Atalanta nodded, put away her Bow of the Heavens, and replied, "That's right, I am Atalanta of Arcadia."
She did not claim to be a princess; Iasos's various actions had made her disassociate from that identity.
"Heh, you're quite pretty."
Hecate held a candelabra and circled her twice. Atalanta felt Hecate's gaze creep inch by inch over her body, making her feel uncomfortable, even from a goddess.
After circling, Hecate withdrew her gaze, muttered something softly, and then continued to look at Atalanta's face.
Atalanta cautiously spoke up at this moment, asking,
"Hecate, is there something you need from me?"
"Can't I come if there's nothing?"
Hecate replied upon hearing this,
"This crossroads is within my divine authority. What's wrong with me patrolling here?"
"Nothing."
Atalanta lowered her head in thought, then asked,
"Did Ares call you here?"
"Ares? Humph."
Hecate suddenly seemed angry for some reason. She looked around Atalanta and then asked,
"Where is that guy? Didn't he escort you all the way from Arcadia?"
Atalanta also turned her head to look behind her, then said,
"I don't know. Although Ares traveled with me, he usually doesn't reveal his form in front of me. Now, perhaps he has gone to attend to other matters."
"He hides his whereabouts from you? Could that guy be secretly peeping at you while you're picking flowers or bathing?"
Hecate's brows furrowed tightly, looking quite conflicted:
"I didn't teach him invisibility magic for him to use it like that."
"But I didn't use it like that either."
With a sigh, Ares's figure finally appeared in this dim world. He stepped out from a ball of fire, looked around the world, and then asked Hecate with great helplessness,
"Teacher, why are you stopping people here?"
This time, Hecate was truly not called by Ares; even he didn't know why this shut-in, who hadn't stepped out of her home for hundreds or thousands of years, would come to this crossroads in Sparta to block Atalanta.
Hecate's magical attainments were, after all, still superior to Ares's. At that time, Ares, following behind Atalanta, did not notice that Hecate had already set up an "ambush" here, so he watched helplessly as Atalanta was pulled by Hecate into another realm.
Considering the subtle relationship between the two now, Ares did not enter this realm immediately. After all, Hecate could not possibly do anything to Atalanta.
However, after much thought, he decided to come in and see what Hecate wanted to do. As soon as he entered, he heard his teacher fiercely slandering him to the hero he had painstakingly rescued.
Upon seeing Ares enter, Hecate's gaze immediately fell upon him. Ares also met his teacher's gaze; their eyes met for two or three seconds, then shifted away. At this moment, although both Ares and Hecate appeared normal, Atalanta still felt the atmosphere around her become subtle.
This awkward atmosphere lasted for a few seconds, and finally, Ares was the first to speak. He asked,
"Teacher, what are you doing here?"
"I came to see what kind of beauty the legendary Princess of Arcadia is, who has so enchanted Ares that he broke his vows and abducted someone on the spot?"
Hecate crossed her arms, saying huffily,
"You probably don't know, but out there, in some places, rumors say you two already have several illegitimate children."
"Gossip is a fearful thing."
Ares clicked his tongue and replied,
"I already knew about such things. Look, Heracles is even being called a dead gay by people."
Atalanta, however, replied somewhat apologetically,
"Hecate, Ares is just using his reputation to protect me; nothing has actually happened between us."
"That's right."
Ares also chimed in,
"Look at Atalanta; she actually doesn't like men. She only likes children. I brought her here just to arrange for her to manage the orphanages in the city for me."
"What? Isn't that a pedophile?"
Hecate looked at Atalanta with some alarm, then quickly bypassed her and came to Ares's side, asking in a low voice,
"You dare let such a person manage the orphanages in Sparta? Aren't you afraid something unsavory might happen there?"
"Teacher, why has your thinking become so… indescribable lately?"
Ares said to Hecate, somewhat speechless,
"Atalanta's 'liking' for children is not the kind of 'liking' you understand; it's just a normal elder's affection for young ones."
"Oh, so that's it."
Hecate sighed in relief, then smiled at Atalanta,
"Sorry, I haven't been feeling quite right lately."
"Teacher," Ares said from the side, "it's because you've been wearing yellow glasses lately, so everything looks yellow to you."
Hecate subtly stepped on Ares's foot, making him yelp, then snapped her fingers, dispelling the realm that enveloped them.
After the world returned to its normal state, Hecate gave Atalanta a standard goddess's professional smile and said,
"A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I'm relieved to hear you don't like men."
Receiving Hecate's apology, Atalanta was somewhat flattered. She whispered,
"It's nothing, really. Actually, it's not that I dislike men; I just dislike those rough, disrespectful, boorish men. Perhaps in the future, if I meet a man who truly moves my heart, I might come to like him."
"Hmm?" Upon hearing Atalanta say this, Hecate's heart, which was about to settle, quickly rose again.