CHAPTER 400: CHAPTER 395: YOUR BLOND HAIR IS SOMEWHAT GREEN

Artemis glanced worriedly in the direction Apollo had left. Back when the two siblings had worked tirelessly to seize the authority of the Sun God and Moon God, they couldn’t even begin to count the efforts they poured into this pursuit. If anything were to happen to the Sun God’s power, most of their years of hard work would instantly vanish.

In her understanding, someone violently destroying the sun outright would make more sense than what was happening now.

"Hercules, do you know what’s going on with the sun? Are you secretly a Prophetic God too?"

Nezha didn’t bother explaining. Right now, trying to tell her "I’m far nobler than all of you" would be something Artemis couldn’t possibly comprehend.

"Maybe the sun just got tired and needed a little break."

This statement wasn’t wrong; I arranged for the sun to take a day off.

Though Artemis couldn’t quite figure out what was happening, she became acutely aware of the unfathomable depth in front of Hercules. As a god, her arrogance toward demigods utterly dissipated.

"Hercules, where are you off to?"

"To get some breakfast."

...

The sun stopped there without rhyme or reason. Apollo, having rushed over immediately, attempted to use the reins of the solar chariot to pull it away, but the sun stayed stubbornly immobile. The divine horses pulling the chariot had their rumps whipped so much they were practically split into eight parts—still to no avail.

Apollo tried his best to rely on his Divine Authority to connect with the unresponsive sun, but it behaved as though it had crashed, offering no response whatsoever. Furious and aggrieved, Apollo eventually descended into despair.

I, the Sun God Apollo, can’t control the sun. I’m nothing but a joke.

The little golden-haired boy found himself trapped in a spiral of self-doubt.

So, the sun took a day off, and the other gods assumed it was Apollo behind the stunt. No one dared interfere, since Apollo, as one of Zeus’s confidants and one of the Twelve Main Gods, was not someone to mess with.

The one god who could intervene—Zeus the Divine King—was too busy chasing women and couldn’t be bothered.

A daylong morning sunlight finally responded to Apollo as the full moon rose. At that moment, Apollo felt like a love-sick fool who had spent all day texting a goddess, only to finally receive a goodnight text from her.

No matter how much resentment or frustration boiled inside him, he couldn’t resist the gratification of receiving even the slightest acknowledgment from the goddess. "Fine, fine," he thought. "Living life properly together beats anything else."

After settling the sun that had taken its day off, he hurried back to Chryneia Mountain. At this point, he felt like he couldn’t manage the sun and keep an eye on his sister simultaneously. Alright, Artemis, you better not let yourself be deceived by that guy’s charming facade and sweet-talking!

When Apollo arrived at Chryneia Mountain, he spotted his sister almost sticking herself to that scoundrel. His mental state instantly cracked. It was as if the person who had humiliated him was now seducing his sister right in front of him.

"What are you two doing?!"

The sentence erupted in a furious shout.

Artemis noticed how close she had gotten to Hercules and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, smiled sheepishly while raising her wrist. "Look, Apollo, this is a bracelet Hercules polished for me. Oh, what a beautiful piece! I imagine the other goddesses back at Olympus will be absolutely envious!"

Apollo rushed between the two, forcefully separating them, and spoke to Hercules with difficulty: "You win, Hercules. This female deer is yours."

With that, he grabbed Artemis’s hand.

"Come on, Artemis, we’re leaving!"

Nezha felt Apollo was being overly sensitive. You’re just a little golden-haired boy, while I’m a proper person.

"Excuse me, could you wait a moment?"

Apollo shielded Artemis behind him and barked angrily: "What else do you want?"

"I’d like to ask where I can find some excellent osmanthus flowers."

"What do you want them for?"

"I want to make mooncakes."

The moment Artemis, who had been dragged away, heard the word "mooncake," she came to a halt and couldn’t move. She poked her head out to ask, "What’s a mooncake?"

Nezha replied, "Nothing more than a type of food."

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Artemis threw herself into helping despite the murderous glare from Apollo. Thus, the world’s very first batch of mooncakes came into existence.

If not for the high-quality ingredients, the craftsmanship would have been rather mediocre. Still, as the first creation Artemis crafted personally in the kitchen, the mooncakes received accolades far beyond what they deserved.

Nezha was indifferent, casually packed some as gifts for a lucky "brother" of his, and rode off on the female deer back to Mycenae.

Artemis and Apollo stood high in the skies, silently watching Hercules’s figure fade into the distance.

"Artemis, don’t tell me you’re genuinely enamored with that guy?"

Artemis, with her previous demeanor now completely restored, radiated an air of calmness.

"He’s actually not bad. Handsome, strong, good at cooking, tells enchanting stories, thoughtful, patient, and delightfully witty. Among male gods, he’s unquestionably top-tier. Once he arrives at Mount Olympus, he’ll absolutely gain the admiration of countless goddesses."

Apollo remained unconvinced: "He’s nothing more than a smooth-talking trickster. Sure, he’s got some skill, but only barely."

Artemis suddenly cast a sharp glance at her brother and sternly declared, "Put away that damned arrogance and pitiful pride of yours. Do you think the sun suddenly stopped moving due to mere coincidence?"

Apollo was aware the sun’s immobility wasn’t coincidental, but he stubbornly refused to admit Hercules had caused it.

"Apollo, the reason we’ve gotten this far isn’t solely due to our accomplishments but also because we provide sufficient value to our father, Zeus.

And you should be familiar with that prophecy concerning our father."

Apollo seemed shaken: "Are you saying he will? No, it’s impossible, absolutely impossible! The terror of God King Zeus is something we can’t even fathom!"