Gates Of Olympus, No Looking Back

We were engaged for three years. Yet Kyros delayed our vow ceremony at Hera's temple thirty-three times. The first time, he went to guide his fragile apprentice, Lyris, on her first mission. I waited alone all night by Hera’s sacred fire. I endured the agony of divine punishment. The contract mark on my ring finger burned my flesh to a crisp. The second time, Lyris whined over the comm-stone that she was scared. Kyros dropped my hand without a second thought. He left me to fight a lesser beast for her. After that, every single time we stood at the altar, Lyris somehow ran into a "deadly crisis." Then came today. "We'll have our ceremony, I promise. But I'm responsible for Lyris. She doesn't feel well, so I have to go." He kissed my ear, tossing me a casual excuse, and walked away. Through the comm-stone, I heard him laughing with his friends. "Who cares if I delay it? She's an orphan. Where is she going to go without me and the guild?" I wiped my tears. I swallowed the soul-shredding agony of Hera's wrath. I was done. He didn't know I wasn't an orphan at all. I was a Goddess from Mount Olympus. My only reason for coming to the mortal world was to spend the rest of my life with him. Now, thirty-three divine punishments later, it was time to let go of this pointless romance. It was time to go home. But when I crossed the Gates of Olympus—a place no mortal could ever reach—he broke. He fell to his knees at the foot of the mountain. He even tried to rip out his own Demon Hunter heart with his bare hands, just begging for one last look from me. Chapter 1 I had worn Kyros’s promise ring for three years. But he never finished our bonding ceremony. Today, I forged my 100th legendary enchanted weapon. It was also the day Kyros promised—for the 33rd time—to complete our vows at Hera’s temple. "To our Chief Enchanter, Astraea!" One of the guild masters raised his glass in the hall. I forced a smile and stood up. As a Goddess of Olympus, I knew Hera, the goddess of marriage, tolerated no betrayal or disrespect. Every time I took a divine punishment, my divine core grew weaker. But I willingly took the pain for him. "Thank you, Master." I raised my glass. I tried to keep my voice steady. The strong liquor burned my throat. My ruined insides rejected it violently. I almost fell over. My stomach churned. My vision blurred. "Master Astraea, you look so pale." Leon, a young hunter, looked at me with worry. I waved him off. But my eyes drifted to a corner of the room. Kyros was on his knees. He was carefully feeding a glowing golden potion to Lyris. "Open up, drink slowly." His voice was heartbreakingly gentle. "This is Apollo’s Morning Dew. It cures magic backlashes." Morning Dew? My hands shook. I had camped at the Lernean Hydra's nest for three days to get that potion. I fought through my own divine weakness to bring back that life-saving item. Now, he gave it to Lyris without a second thought. And she only had a scratch from a lesser Dryad. Kyros never even looked at me. His entire focus was on Lyris. He treated her like fragile glass. The alcohol made the divine backlash worse. The whispers around me got louder. "Gods, Kyros is way too obsessed with his apprentice," someone muttered. "Poor Astraea. Her own fiancé..." "Shh, keep it down." Their pity hurt more than mockery. After the party, I followed Kyros out of the hall. The sun was setting. The golden spires of Hera's temple gleamed in the distance. Today, we had to finish our final vow ceremony there. Kyros summoned his griffin mount. I stepped forward, but he put a hand up to stop me. "Lyris is hurt. I have to take her back to camp." He sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. There was no room for debate. "Go home by yourself." His words pierced my chest like a sword. When we got engaged three years ago, he swore to the gods. He said no other woman would ever ride his mount. On the coldest winter nights, he used to give me his only coat. He would freeze in the snow just for me. Now, he wrapped his lion-skin cloak around Lyris’s shoulders. "What about the temple tonight...?" I tried to stay calm. "Another day. I have a responsibility to Lyris. She doesn't feel well, and I have to take care of her." He turned around and gave my forehead a lazy kiss. "We’ll have our vow ceremony eventually." In the past, I would have lost it. I would have screamed and asked him who his real fiancée was. But this time, I just gave him a small smile. "Okay. Be safe." Kyros froze. My calm reaction surprised him. But his cold mask quickly returned. "I’ll get you an enchanted gem to make up for it tonight." Then he got on his griffin. He helped Lyris up and flew away without looking back. The midday sun roasted the ground. Sweat rolled down my cheeks. But my heart felt like it was buried in ice. It was freezing to the bone. I took out our Demon Hunter blood-oath scroll from my pocket. It had been signed for three years but never activated. I traced the faded ink. Eight years ago, I gave up my throne and came to the mortal world for him. Goddess Hera gave me a strict warning. "Mortal love is a lie. You get thirty-three chances. After that, if you do not return to Olympus, my divine flames will burn you to ashes." Now, the thirty-three chances were gone. I loved him, yes. But I would never sacrifice my own life for him. It was time to let go of these eight years of love. I was the Goddess of Stars. It was time to go home. Chapter 2 I walked straight back into the guild hall. The masters looked surprised to see me. "Master Astraea, the party just ended. You should go rest," the guild master greeted me with a smile. I placed my Master Hunter badge and my blood-oath scroll on the table. "I'm leaving the guild." The hall fell dead silent. "Leaving?" The master picked up the badge with shaking hands. "You've been our Chief Enchanter for seven years! What will we do without you?" "Someone else will take my place." "But..." he pressed on. "What about your engagement to Master Kyros? Even the city's governor attended your party three years ago! It was such a glorious moment!" A glorious moment. I smiled bitterly. The engagement party was grand. The whole city blessed us. But three years passed, and those vows were just empty words. "Kyros won't care if I leave." I gave a dry laugh. "He has more important things to do right now." A young knight let out a heavy sigh of pity. I just bowed deeply and said my final goodbye. At dusk, I walked back to our empty stone castle. It used to be our love nest. Now, it was as cold as a grave. I poured a glass of cold water. Just as I was about to pack my bags, the comm-stone lit up. It was a scrying vision from Lyris. In the projection, she was snuggled up in Kyros’s arms. She wore a disgustingly sweet smile. "Thank you for spending the whole afternoon with me, Master." Lyris’s voice was cloying. "To repay you, let me take you to the Aegean Strait tomorrow to watch the Sirens dance. I can't wait." She even winked at the vision before it cut off. I put my glass down. I felt absolutely nothing. I was used to her little taunts over the last three years. Whenever Kyros took her out, she would "thoughtfully" send me these visions. She loved marking her territory. And Kyros wouldn't be coming home tonight. That was just normal now. I walked to the window and looked up at the stars. As a Goddess of Olympus, I could feel the mountain calling me. The voices echoed in my heart. They were warm and familiar. "Come back, Astraea." "Your throne is waiting for you." "Let go of your mortal obsessions. Embrace the power of the stars again." I closed my eyes and answered the call of Mount Olympus. Instantly, a brilliant beam of starlight shot down from the sky. It broke through the castle ceiling and burned a glowing star map onto the back of my hand. It was Hermes’ guiding mark. In two days, I just had to take this mark to the altar at Star-catcher's Cliff. It would open the sacred portal and take me home. Five years ago, Kyros tried to get close to the mountain to find a legendary artifact. He suffered the worst monster attack of his career. Argus Panoptes, the hundred-eyed giant guarding the divine realm, almost killed him. Since then, "Olympus" became a taboo word for him. We never talked about the mountain again. We never went near that sacred land. Kyros, once I go back to Olympus, we will never see each other again in this lifetime. Chapter 3 The next morning, I was erasing the last traces of myself from the room. The door suddenly opened. Kyros walked in looking exhausted. He reeked of Siren perfume. The cheap, sickly-sweet musk of lesser Sirens practically choked the room. My hands paused. I threw my old cloth cloak into the cold forge. The flames swallowed the fabric. They also swallowed the last bit of warmth from the "mortal Astraea." Over the years, Kyros had been obsessed with monster scents. Once, I used a drop of Aphrodite's morning dew to wash my hair, and he snapped at me. "That smell is too strong. Wash it off!" he had said. So I, a proud Goddess of Olympus, never dared to wear perfume for three years. It turned out he didn't hate perfume. He just hated it on me. For the first time ever, he actually offered an excuse. "Lyris's wound kept hurting last night. I rented a room at the tavern to rest." This was the first time in three years he explained staying out all night. "Mm," I replied calmly. My cold reaction made him a little uncomfortable. "Are you going out to gather enchanting materials?" he asked, looking at my half-empty closet and the ashes in the forge. He obviously thought I was just packing for a trip. "Something like that." He let out a huge sigh of relief. "Good. I was worried you were going to throw another tantrum." He turned toward his study. "I'm just grabbing something, then I'll head out." A few minutes later, he came out with a fancy velvet pouch. I recognized that pouch. It was from the most expensive jewelry shop in the city. "I'm off," he said, rushing to the door. Right as he stepped outside, I heard a loud crack. The crystal statue on our shrine—a statue that had been there for eight years—suddenly fell to the ground. It used to hold my divine blessing. But now that his promises were shattered, the magic broke. The statue smashed into pieces. I looked at it. It was a carving of us right after our first successful monster hunt. In the statue, we were hugging tight and smiling brightly. That day, he promised to take me to Artemis' Moonlight Springs every year, no matter how busy he was. But ever since Lyris became his apprentice, he forgot all of it. The arcane clock ticked in the empty room. I stood in silence for a long time. Then I swept up the broken crystal pieces. I threw the remains of our happy memories into the fire, watching them turn to ash along with my remaining feelings. By evening, the room was completely wiped of my existence. I lay on the bed, exhausted, when my best friend called. "Astraea! Did you see the vision that bitch broadcasted to the guild?" Thea’s voice shook with rage. "I'm furious! You two are soul-bound. How could he do this!" "What vision?" I asked flatly. "Lyris! She just sent a scrying vision across the network to provoke you. It’s too much!" Thea forwarded the vision to me. In it, Lyris stood on the cliffs of the Aegean Strait. She was wearing a rare amulet forged by a Wood Nymph. Even I would have trouble getting a relic of that level. She was holding the velvet pouch Kyros took this morning, blushing and smiling at the crystal. "Three years of knowing you. I'm so lucky," her voice was cloying. "Happy three-year anniversary, Kyros!" Happy three-year anniversary. I froze for a second, then gave a bitter laugh. Right. Today was the third anniversary of our promise ring. We had never celebrated it, so I didn't even remember. I let out a long breath. My voice was eerily calm. "Kyros and I don't have a soul contract." "What?" "You've been engaged for three years! And he hasn't bound his soul to you?" My best friend’s scream almost shattered the stone. Yes. Three years of engagement. And he walked away from the altar thirty-three times. Chapter 4 That night, Kyros actually came home. It was a miracle for the past three years. He pushed the door open and immediately looked at the shrine. Seeing the empty table, he froze. "Where is the crystal statue?" He sounded panicked. "It fell and broke." He looked at the ashes in the forge and relaxed. He put his cloak aside and took out a cheap box. "I didn't have time to get your gift yesterday. Today is our three-year anniversary. Here is a crystal necklace. Happy anniversary." I took the box. It still had the merchant's stamp from the Athena Square flea market on it. He didn't even bother to hide the cheap mark. I opened it. Inside was a cloudy, cheap crystal pendant. The chain was already tarnishing. I gave a bitter smile. I already had two of these necklaces in my jewelry box. He bought them before to "make up" for things. "Thank you." I set the box aside. Obviously, Lyris's vision reminded him of our anniversary. He just grabbed this trash from the street market to brush me off. Kyros paced around the room. He was trying to bring something up. "Astraea, I need to discuss something with you." He acted a bit shy. "What is it?" "Can you step down from the 'Supreme Laurel Crown' contest this year?" He avoided my eyes. "Let Lyris have it." He stammered as he spoke. I laughed inside. So this cheap gift came with a price tag. "Sure." I nodded calmly. Not just this year. I wouldn't fight her for any guild awards ever again. After tonight, I was leaving. "You... you agree?" My quick answer shocked him. He kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Then he couldn't help but speak again. "Lyris is my apprentice. I should take care of her. And you are basically her mentor's wife, so it makes sense. To make up for it, we will go to Hera's temple tomorrow morning and do our vow ceremony. I swear on the Three Fates, there will be no accidents this time." I looked at him. I was about to use this last chance to tell him I was leaving. But before I could speak, his comm-stone rang again. Lyris's crying voice came through. "Kyros, a Harpy scratched my arm. It hurts so much..." Kyros's face changed instantly. "What? Where are you? Is it bad?" he asked frantically. "In the abandoned temple outside the city. I can't move..." Her voice grew weaker. Kyros turned to look at me, a hint of guilt in his eyes. "Astraea, I..." "Go." I waved him off. "She needs you." Kyros looked so relieved. He quickly packed his gear. "I swear, I will be at the temple at 10 AM tomorrow." He looked back from the door. "I won't break my promise this time." I couldn't help but smile bitterly. He didn't even give me the chance to break up with him to his face. After the door shut, I was alone in the room. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was midnight. That was the thirty-fourth time. The next day, I put on a pure white dress. I walked alone to Star-catcher's Cliff outside the city. The starlight staircase to Olympus shone in the sun. It radiated a holy energy that would make mortals tremble. I sat at the edge of the magic circle and waited for it to open. At 3 PM, right before the circle activated, my crystal rang. Kyros's rushed voice came through. "Astraea, I'm sorry. Lyris's wound is worse than I thought. I have to take her to the temple for healing. When you get back, we will do the ceremony immediately." I looked at the comm-stone. My heart felt absolutely nothing. I replied softly, "There is no need, Kyros. I am crossing the divine gates back to Olympus. After today, the mortal Astraea is dead." I crushed the comm-stone without hesitation. Brilliant starlight rained down from the sky. The clouds parted. A massive illusion of Mount Olympus shook the sky above the city. As the divine gates opened, my true form—sealed for eight years—appeared in the sky. Stars became my crown. The Milky Way wove into my robes. My holy, majestic, untouchable Goddess form reflected in the eyes of every mortal looking up. In the sweeping divine light, I heard a desperate, hoarse scream in the distance. But none of that mattered to me anymore.