Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.3] Quest 266- The Goddess Festival, Day 1- Artemis’ Date

First of November, the start of the Goddess festival.

Room of Prayer.

“So, any more strangeness of the dungeon?” Cirrus asked.

“No, it is peaceful… how goes giving back that child her body back?” Ouranos asked.

“Slow and steady. We can’t rush it. We are currently going over everything several times over to make sure it’s correct. Freya has agreed to help after the Goddess Festival is over.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help.” Said Fels. “This project brings back some old wounds… just be careful with how you do things alright?”

“Of course, you drilled such things into me as a kid.”

“Good, and from the looks of things, Dionysus is hard at work.” Fels opens up the visual on their Oculus.

“Of course, it is for his child, well I need to get going. I have plans today.”

“Did they hire you to sing again? Last time your performance was interrupted by Evilus.”

“No, it’s a date. Ai and Artemis are fighting to see who gets the first date.”

“Hmph.” Ouranos scoffed. “I still can’t wrap my head around Artemis being married.”

“Did you know Artemis in heaven?” Cirrus asked.

“Partially. Her deer would run all around Olympus, so I saw her a handful of times. Two things you can always expect from her were that she would claim her prey and remain far away from the grasp of any man.”

“Hmm… Kinda wished you would tell me childhood stories about her. Say, were gods ever children? Like both size and mentality?”

“No. We are born this way, as adults fully formed. The mental aspect is accurate as we learn and grow from our authorities.”

“Huh? That’s pretty neat. I’ll see you next time!”

Returning to the Moonlight Tower.

“You two still seeing who gets the first date?” Cirrus said, taking a seat on the couch in their bedroom.

“We are at 72 to 72 in rock paper scissors. The first to make it to a 2-point difference wins.” Said Artemis. “But this one here uses her level 7 senses to quickly change her hand in a split second.”

“And this goddess here is using her godly abilities to see through my intent and preparing in advance. You think I wouldn’t notice that minuscule flicker of light that isn’t even a frame of a second?”

“Hmmm!!!!”

Sparks flew between the two.

“Why not just blindfold each other and temporarily seal Ai’s Falna? I can be the judge for it.”

“… Alright, fine!” they shouted in unison.

Cirrus gets some cloth and covers their eyes.

“Now you can start.”

“ROCK PAPER SCISSORS SHOOT!!”

They held out their hands.

“…Ai wins.”

“What!!”

“Yes!!”

They move their blindfolds to see that Ai used rock and Artemis used scissors.

“Dammit!! Let’s go again!!” Artemis shouted, putting her blindfold on again.

1 hour later.

“Yes!!! I won!!!” shouted Artemis after surprisingly 30 more matches.

“Fuck! But I get tomorrow alright!”

“Of course! Of course! Now I need to get ready! Cirrus, could you go and get the badges from the Guild?”

“I already got them.”

“Okay, I’ll only be a minute!” Artemis left to get ready.

“So, what are you gonna be doing?” Cirrus asked Ai.

“Hmm… probably hang with Aisha or Nox, Circe is watching Thetis so… man, I really wanted to go! I even brought some clothes for the special festivals!”

“Well…” Cirrus got up and placed his hand on her cheek. “Maybe tomorrow I can see one of them.”

Her tail wagged a bit.

“I’ll knock your socks off!”

“I’m done!” Artemis came out to leave Cirrus and Ai breathless.

Wearing a white turtleneck sweater with a black skirt that goes into her black tights, and brown boots with her hair let down, she looked divine in Cirrus and Ai's eyes. It was a truly fresh look for the huntress. The goddess of the hunt has recaptured her husband and fellow co-wife's hearts once more.

“… Okay, that’s pretty cute, but mines will blow hers out of the water!” Ai said, blushing at the sight of a casual wear Artemis.

“I… I don’t know." Cirrus checks his wife up and down, liking how the sweater fits her, her narrow waist, the blue complimenting her black tights which compliment her brown boots. "Artemis kinda made my heart skip a beat.”

“Fufu!” Artemis giggled, grabbing Cirrus’s hand. “Let’s get going Cirrus! See yeah Ai!”

Ai watched as Artemis takes Cirrus to the festival.

“… She is very cute,” Ai admits.

Walking through the streets of Orario his arm was locked with Artemis’.

“Hm! Hm! you are pretty good at disguising!” Artemis said with glasses that give her a scar over her right eye and a hair clip that changed her hair color.

“Just small changes do wonders,” Cirrus said with a hairband to keep his hair back and to change its color and glasses that slightly change his facial structure.

“So where to first?”

“How about the stalls? I haven’t eaten anything all day for this part of the festival.”

“Then let's partake in this feast!”

They went around eating one of every food they could and enjoying themselves.

“Look a shooting gallery! Can you get me that plushie!” Artemis said.

“Yeah, I’m on it.”

Pop!

“We have a winner! What do you want, miss?" The stall owner said.

"Can I get that plushie of the Uncrowned?"

"Here you go!" he hands a medium-sized plushie of Cirrus.

"... Why do you have this? Hey, where did you buy this?" Cirrus looked at the man.

"Hey man, it's not my fault the guy is hot, been getting a lot of girls coming and trying to get one. I bought these from some merchants." The owner said.

And played some games they had sprinkled around.

"Agh! Why is this so hard!" Cirrus said as he and Artemis play Goldfish Scooping.

"And that is 38!" Artemis said with 38 good-sized goldfish.

"Ooh! You're really good, miss!" said some kids.

"Fufu. Here you kid go." She hands them goldfish. "Remember it's all in the wrist!"

They played another game.

"Come on, sweetie put in some strength!" Artemis said as Cirrus was playing Can Knock Down. "I want that mask!" Artemis points to a copy of Cirrus' Ceryneian mask.

"I kinda wanna know who made these? Also, those cans are fucking glued to the stool!" Cirrus pointed out.

"You should listen to your girlfriend." said the lady owner. "Put your back into it." She said, smirking.

'This fucking carny scammer!!'

Cirrus squeezes the ball tightly. Artemis could see the ball slowly beginning to burst and quickly sealing Cirrus's Falna or else that ball would shoot through and possibly kill a few people.

"Fine!! Here's my fucking back!!" Cirrus threw with all of his strength and accuracy to hit the stool, knocking it over while the cans remain still.

"Uhhh..." The lady looked at everyone watching.

"Hmph!" Cirrus swipes a mask and leaves with Artemis holding hands. Cirrus hands the mask to Artemis. "Here. A hard-earned mask."

"Thank you, Zep-Zep!" Artemis said, smiling like moonbeams putting it on.

"Hm..." Cirrus grunted, hearing his pet name.

"Look!" Artemis got in front wearing a copy of his mask. "What do you think? Good right!"

"Better on me."

"Zep-Zep!!"

She got angry.

Eventually, they walked to the plaza where the goddesses of harvest gathered with only four remaining: Freya, Demeter, Hathor, and Damia.

“Hmm…”

“What?” asked Cirrus.

“Freya seems a bit… off?”

Cirrus looks at her to find nothing out of the ordinary.

“… I assume she wanted to spend the festival with her Odr.”

“Oh? She found her own Orion?”

“Something like that… well, let’s get going. There is still much to see.”

They resumed their date and made it to the western district of Orario, the Heroes Bridge, where 31 statues of the world's past heroes were built all lined up on the side of the bridge.

“…” Cirrus looks at a monument of a hero that is worn down.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I just found his monument a bit disheveled.” Cirrus cleaned it up a bit. ”Even after so long, no one cleans you up, huh?”

Artemis looks over his shoulder to read the plaque.

“Epimetheus, Hero of the 1st Flame. Do you like his story?”

“Of course, the first hero to rise from the darkness wielding the Fire of Heaven. Paving a path for those behind him to reclaim the world they lost.”

“And you know what happened to him, right?”

“Of course.” He stopped his hands. “Which is why I found it stupid they would mock him for attempting to stop the Black Beasts. Heh, guess that’s how people are after he did something immeasurable for both he and Prometheus.”

“You know Prometheus committed something he shouldn’t have.”

“And yet here we are, gods mingling with humanity, all from one god deciding to lend a hand at the cost of his own safety. Maybe to gods, he is a criminal, but to humanity… we can consider him to be a god who granted us their first and only miracle to the world.”

“… Well, I can’t argue with you on that, but regardless, he did something we gods have to clean up someday.”

“Someday? What do—"

“Cirrus?”

Artemis and Cirrus turned to see Bell with Syr soaking wet.

“Hm? Cirrus?” said Bell. Looking at Syr. “He doesn’t look like Cirrus?”

Cirrus looked at Syr and he felt she was looking through him, and when Syr made a slight smile—

‘!!’

Cirrus's eyes slightly widen from the realization.

“Seems you have sharp eyes,” Cirrus said, removing his glasses.

‘She looked at my soul, that slight smile, Freya.’

“I-it really is you! Then the person next to you is.”

Artemis removed her glasses, and the scar faded, and she let her divinity out.

“Hey-o! Don’t tell anyone alright!” she said, putting back her glasses and hiding her divinity again.

“So, what brings you two here? A date?” Cirrus said, glancing at Bell and Freya disguised as Syr.

“Yup!” Syr said with a smile as she wraps her arm around Bell’s.

“Well, that’s good. You two should keep your heads low. You as well, Syr, you're rather popular with the customers. I assume your current state is from some getting away from them, right?”

“Ha-ha… yes seems some people were watching us.”

“Well, let me help you there.” He walks over to them and changes Bell’s hair with a hair clip, his hair turned to gold. He parts Syr's hair with a clip that changed her gray hair to light brown.

“From afar, one wouldn’t recognize you!” Artemis said. “But you will need a change of clothes to make it work.”

“T-thanks!” Bell said.

“No problem, you can keep the magic tools. We should get going.” As Cirrus walks past them, Cirrus whispers into Syr's ears. “I suggest telling him the truth now when you have some privacy.”

“…” she looks at him as he leaves with Artemis linking her arms with his.

‘… Maybe… I will have to explain it to him eventually…’

Walking along through the west district, Artemis asked him a question.

“Can I ask you something that’s been on my mind for a long time?”

“Um sure? But what brought this out?”

“Those statues of ancient heroes… did you ever dream of becoming a hero?”

“… You know Ai asked me that once as kids.”

“And what did you tell her?”

“Yes, but not anymore.”

Artemis knows what Cirrus did in the past and even to this day, it still wears on him from time to time.

“Was is it because of the things you did?”

“Partially, but mostly because… I don’t wanna say it.” He glanced away from Artemis.

“Go on.” She said, standing firm before him. “Goddess’s word, I won’t pry any further if you tell me!”

She crossed her heart and looked him straight in the eyes.

“… Haa… fine.” He blinked and looked his wife in the eyes. “I don’t want to be a hero because… I hate… I hate it because there was not one hero who was happy in the end.”

“That’s not true.”

“Name one happy hero. They mocked Epimetheus to where he just left his own story. Argonaut died on his next adventure. Giorgio was killed by his envious cousin. Hell… even Albert died in the end.”

Artemis's face grew slightly sorrowful and strained. She was going through her mind to find one that had a good ending.

“…” she had no words to say at this moment.

“Plus, in the end, they are remembered as heroes who did no evil. I… I don’t want that. I don’t want to die in some tragedy or have people know me for just violence. I want people to talk about my songs or the work I did in Fuyukusa, the lives I bettered, and the social equality I created in the city I built. I want to be know as someone who was just human, one with shades of white and black with even grays. But… but most of all, I wanna be happy.”

Some more silence between the two occurs as Artemis walks up to him and hugs him tightly.

“Promise.”

“What?”

“Promise me.” She looked deeply into Cirrus’s eyes. “Promise you will be the first.”

He was lost in her green eyes that burned with seriousness of her words and tone.

Cirrus cracked a smile as he picked her up to have their eyes meet on equal levels.

“I promise, for you and for Ai.” leaning in the lovingly kissed Artemis’ soft and tender lips that tasted of an assortment of stall food. “But isn’t it cheating? I’m already happy.” Cirrus makes a slight smirk.

Artemis wraps her arms around him and gives him another kiss.

“There is an inn nearby.” She said, pulling her lips from his with a blushed face. “I can make you even happier.”

“Oh? Lead the way.”

Ai back at home.

“… At least she told me they're spending the night together at an inn… and tomorrow will be a good day for me!” She rolls and pulls up the blanket, excited for the next day of the Goddess Festival.