“So, that guy named Heracles has just integrated himself among you lot, right?
The bloodline of Zeus, is it?
He really is an incredible fellow.” Atalanta sat beside Asterios, the two of them tearing at the same piece of barley flatbread, chatting about simple, everyday things.
“Yeah~ He is quite impressive, you know.
Maybe in the future, he’ll even be stronger than me~” Asterios smiled and handed the barley flatbread in his hand to Atalanta beside him; the size of the piece he had torn off was just right for her.
He was now able to remember these little details in life, and to Atalanta, he was truly a very considerate person.
And his assessment of Heracles was no joke; having only been here for a few months, Heracles had already displayed his extraordinary talent, combining his innate brute strength with the techniques he had learned to become even more powerful.
At first, he couldn’t beat Peleus in wrestling.
While Heracles was indeed stronger in terms of raw power, after being coached by Chiron and Asterios, his technique improved by leaps and bounds, and Peleus was no longer his match, often finding himself thrown to the ground by Heracles instead.
His running also surpassed that of Pollux, and Asterios now felt that aside from himself, the only other person who could be faster than Heracles was Atalanta.
Come to think of it, Atalanta didn’t have any special bloodline or power, yet she was gifted with such incredible speed and mobility; it really was something to marvel at.
“Hahaha~ But let me tell you, when Orpheus plays his lyre, Heracles wishes he could plug his own ears.
Ha~ Hahaha~ Hahahaha~ That scene was just too funny; even I didn’t expect him to be so averse to music.
It’s strange, considering he’s quite good at reading and very diligent in his studies.” Asterios let out a hearty laugh that didn’t match his usual image; Atalanta had never seen him laugh like this before.
It was clear that the arrival of Heracles had added a lot of joy to his life; normally, Atalanta would never see this guy laughing like this at such a time.
At this moment, Asterios picked up the grilled fish by the fire, sprinkled a little salt on both sides, and then stuck it back into the ground to continue roasting over the flames.
Atalanta sometimes really wanted to say that the way this guy interacted with her was like raising a cat, but because she felt it wasn’t appropriate to say so, she had never mentioned it.
He then picked up the meat skewers that had been grilled beforehand and handed them to Atalanta, while he picked up the wineskin beside him, opened the lid, and took a swig for himself.
“Eh~?
I couldn’t tell, you’re actually quite the drinker~” Atalanta couldn’t help but tease him after watching him gulp down the wine, and Asterios smiled and responded that he was super brave~ and super good at drinking~ “Hmm~ Bring it here and let me try~” Atalanta brushed aside his claim about being a great drinker and just asked him to hand her the wineskin.
Asterios complied, but after Atalanta took a swig, her face immediately flushed like a sunset cloud, and she completely lost her composure.
Asterios was stunned; Atalanta’s naturally elegant face had become alluring due to the crimson flush of intoxication.
Good grief, Asterios hadn’t expected her to show such an expression at this moment.
“You guy…
what did you pour in here…
This, this isn’t the kind you used to drink…” Atalanta was already quite drunk, and she leaned her whole body against Asterios.
Asterios hadn’t expected her to have such a low tolerance, and he reached out to take the wineskin back from her hand.
As a result, Atalanta put her hand behind her back; it was clear that if Asterios didn’t answer her, she wouldn’t give the wineskin back to him.
“It’s the divine wine that Dionysus offered to Hephaestus.
You know, this is wine brewed by the God of Wine himself.
I don’t feel much when I drink it, but for you, it might be too strong~” Even in her drunken state, Atalanta was deeply shocked by Asterios’s words.
She brought the wineskin in front of her, never having imagined that it contained the divine wine Dionysus had offered to Hephaestus.
When did Asterios get his hands on this?
He was just a mortal, right?
She had been spending a lot of time by Asterios’s side lately; there was no way this guy could have gone to catch up with the gods.
Atalanta figured even she couldn’t do that.
Did Chiron go to find Hephaestus?
But because she was drunk, Atalanta let her guard down, and she really snuggled into Asterios’s arms like a house cat.
Asterios had no choice but to smile and hold her with one arm, while using his other hand to move the grilled fish and meat further away from the flames, just enough to keep them warm.
“You’re so amazing~ You’re Chiron’s son~ and the senior brother of the Heroes of Pelion~ I heard them say you’re loved by the gods too~ Since you’re so amazing, there must be many women around you in the future, right~ Hehe~ If I married you, I’d definitely have to live in fear every day, right~ There will surely be women more beautiful than me who will like you, right~” Atalanta babbled nonsense in Asterios’s arms, leaving Asterios between laughter and tears.
Women more beautiful than Atalanta?
That would be too easy; just kneel before Aphrodite, and perhaps if Aphrodite were happy, she might just give herself to Asterios—she was practically waiting for that to happen.
“We are all just mortals…
beings who will grow old.
Beauty will fade, the body will weaken, and the spirit will wear down; these are the characteristics of us humans.
Oh Atalanta~ I don’t just desire your youth and beauty; what I love is the time spent with you, the process of growing old together and walking toward death.” Atalanta’s complexion improved at these words, and she curled up in Asterios’s arms, saying that he only knew how to say pretty things; they weren’t old yet~ they were still in the prime of their youth and beauty, which is why he thought that way.
Once she grew old and withered in the future, Asterios would abandon her and find other women.
[Why does she always fixate on this?
It’s as if I won’t grow old or wither too.
Does this girl think I’m immortal?] Asterios was speechless inside; Atalanta’s strange sense of worry was inexplicably hard to handle.
Asterios didn’t consider himself a terrible person; although he couldn’t guarantee whether he would have relationships with other women, the position Atalanta occupied in his heart would certainly not change.
A person’s heart is very subtle; sometimes it is vast enough to hold the boundless sea of stars in the sky, and sometimes it is so small that it can only fit a few people.
Atalanta already occupied an extremely important place in Asterios’s heart, and it wasn’t something Asterios could just discard if he wanted to.
Rather, it would be more worth worrying about what a pathetic state he would become if Atalanta were to leave his side; that would be more worth concerning himself with.
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”