"Honorable, ancient Goddess Nyx, is there sothing you need from ?"
In fact, the dawn should have broken more than ten minutes ago.
But just as the Sun God Helios was preparing to open the heavy doors of his divine palace, ready to drive his chariot, drawn by four fiery horses, and illuminate the world, the Goddess of Night, Nyx, appeared in front him, smiling as she held him back.
"It's nothing major," the goddess draped in the starry night sky responded with a soft smile. "It's just that there's a child who wishes for the night to last a little longer today."
Wearing her cloak of darkness and stars, she continued, "So, Sun God Helios, would you mind raising the sun a bit later today?"
"This..." Helios hesitated.
"Not too much longer," Seeing this, the Night Goddess continued with a chuckle, "Just half an hour later than usual will do."
Hearing this, Helios imdiately breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "If it's just that, then of course, there's no problem.
By the way, may I ask who this child is, the one for whom you're willing to delay the sunrise?" "His na is Promise," The goddess of night answered. "A very interesting child."
...
And now,
At that very mont,
In the natural paradise of Arcadia, on the plains outside the city.
The night still lingered, as did the final monts of this evening yet to end.
Promise had finally arrived before Atalanta.
Standing in front of her in his disheveled embarrassed state, with dirt and exhaustion clinging to him, Atalanta found herself recalling the strange words he had uttered earlier-about goddesses being jealous.
Curious, she opened her mouth to ask more.
"Forget it, that's just a minor issue," Promise interrupted, shaking his head lightly, brushing aside her confusion as his clear, erald eyes gazed steadily at her, unwavering.
"The ti hasn't passed yet. After all, the sun hasn't risen. Isn't that right, Atalanta?"
His hair was ssy, his clothes a little tattered, and there were even a few cuts on his body.
But even so, in Atalanta's eyes, he was still so... very handso.
"Then, my esteed huntress," Promise said, his tone as warm as ever, "Would you be willing to grant this person standing before you the one who nearly arrived late-an opportunity to make up for it?"
"Will you... accept my challenge?"
As Promise finished speaking, a silver teor fell from the starry sky.
The crowd gasped in astonishnt as the silver teor revealed itself to be the winged Pegasus, who unfolded its majestic silver wings and landed beside Promise.
The beautiful and artistic creature looked at him with an innocent expression, as if to say, "Don't bla for being late!"
After all, the Moon Goddess Artemis had aid her arrows at Pegasus the entire ti, leaving the poor creature too scared to descend earlier.
Atalanta didn't respond imdiately.
She stood there silently for a mont, looking at the young man in front of her.
Then, without a word, she stepped forward, took out a small ribbon from her body, and gently began to tie Promise's ssy hair back into place.
"You didn't need to co," Atalanta said calmly. "I've already taken care of everything."
Her father, Iasus, the king this kingdom had already conceded.
"No, I had to co," Promise replied, standing still as she tied his hair.
He looked into her eyes and said. "Because fate can't be avoided, and I'm here to help you rewrite it."
Just like during Goddess Artemis' hunting festival, when Promise had rewritten the fates of the giant stag Actaeon and leager, Atalanta had witnessed firsthand how he could alter destiny.
She knew that Promise was the only one in the entire world capable of shaking the future that Clotho, the Goddess of Fate, had foretold.
"How can you rewrite fate... by beating in the race?" Atalanta asked, her deep green eyes glancing at him.
"Exactly," Promise answered confidently, with a smile.
"...I don't think I'll lose," The huntress remarked, casting a glance at Pegasus. "Don't forget that we have already competed once in Calydon, and the result was that you lost."
Hearing this, Pegasus imdiately shouted in dissatisfaction.
That loss was totally his master's fault! If not for him being so weak, there's no way they would have lost to her back then!
"Indeed, Brother Pegasus here wasn't up to the task," Promise agreed, nodding with her.
"Neigh?!" Pegasus turned to him in disbelief.
'What do you an, 'I wasn't up to the task'? You're obviously the one who wasn't up to the task.
Hell, you couldn't even beat a little girl!'
"So this ti," Promise didn't care about his blaming look and continued, "I'm racing you myself."
When he said this, Atalanta, who had just finished tying his hair, took two steps back, and looked at the boy in front of her in surprise.
"This race will be witnessed by the gods," Promise declared. "And I will not borrow any power from the gods.. I'll beat you fair and square, Atalanta... This ti, I'll make sure you lose with no room for doubt!"
As Promise said this, even Pegasus stopped its protests and looked at him intently.
Even the gods, who were watching from above, blinked in surprise.
'Is he serious?:
Atalanta was fast.. incredibly fast. In fact, in this era, there was only one person who could
really compete with her in speed, and that was Hercules.
Now hearing him say that he would run against her without any help...
And then.
'Slap!'
"Ouch! Why did you hit ?!" Promise yelped, clutching his head and staring at Atalanta in
shock.
"Even though you're speaking seriously... sorry," Atalanta said, her eyes scanning him from head to toe, the person who was universally acknowledged by both gods and heroes as the weakest in all of ancient Greece.
"Do you know that when you say this, it really makes people feel that you are looking down on the other person, and therefore you really deserve a beating?"
Hearing her words, for a mont, Promise didn't understand, until he heard Pegasus
laughing beside him.
Only then did he realize that Atalanta was trying to say that he was a weakling.
Now Promise was angry.
Sure, it was true... but that didn't an she could just say it!
Just as he was about to protest angrily, Promise suddenly froze, his eyes locking onto
Atalanta's face.
And at that mont, not only him, but all the onlookers present watching the scene-those who had co to witness the event, the challengers and the injured who had failed before, even Atalanta's father-all froze in disbelief.
Because, Atalanta was smiling.
In the soft glow of the lingering moonlight, her smile was radiant, as though she had transford into a goddess herself.
"You're Surprised, right?" In the distance, leager, who was wrapped in bandages and staying with the giant deer Actaeon, looked at the smiling Atalanta and then at the dazed
crowd.
With a resigned tone, he comnted, "This is her true self. What we've seen until now was
only the surface."
Atalanta then turned back to Promise, finally responded with determination in her voice, though, there was a smile still lingering on her beautiful face.
"Alright. I accept your challenge."
"Chase then. I will give it my all... Even though I know you intend to change my fate, I will
never deliberately lose to you."
"Ah!" Promise smiled in return, matching her seriousness. "I will catch you, Atalanta, because I promised you-I will change your fate!"
As the two spoke these words, and with the gods watching, the long-awaited race was set to
begin.
At that mont, the delayed sunrise finally broke through the sky.
The night gave way to dawn as the first rays of light stretched across the horizon.
The crowd watched from a distance as Promise and Atalanta ca to the three-foot wooden
stake.
Pegasus, having folded its wings, stood quietly by Promise's side, its innocent expression masking any guilt.
"I think I know who he is now," soone in the crowd suddenly said.
"What a coincidence, I was thinking the sa... And if it's really him, everything makes
perfect sense.
It seems like the person she's been waiting for all along was him," Another person took over
the conversation and sighed.
So people gradually ca back to their senses, while others were still confused, when suddenly, a bard with yellow-orange hair and matching eyes appeared among them, playing his lyre as he sang tales of the hero standing before them.
Atalanta's fa had grown imnsely.
Because she had participated in the famous events such as hunting sacrifices of the moon
goddess Artemis, the falling teor, the wild boar of Calydon, and the subjugation of the
monster Chira.
These stories had spread far and wide, elevating her renown.
But who was the real protagonist of these tales?
"The devoted follower of Hera, the student of the centaur sage Chiron, the hero chosen by the Goddess of Wisdom, the one who seeks the Trial of the Golden Fleece-Promise!"
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