A handful of frogs sat before me, croaking loudly. At first glance, I had wondered why frogs were here, of all places, but it wasn't hard to guess who was behind this.
This place was end-of-days Greece. Here, the weak are kicked aside by any of the gods who see an opening. No doubt… this was the work of the god who had taken an interest in me, turning the nymphs who had been targeting me into frogs.
I looked down at the frogs, putting two and two together, but which god had done this? Just then, I sensed a new gaze from above. …This gaze wasn't Apollo's.
Apollo was busy driving his solar chariot by now, so he probably couldn't have done it, but there was one more god capable of this trick. Quietly riding the clouds, the goddess who materialized before me… was my mother.
"Iskios…"
"Mother… did you happen to be the one who turned those nymphs into frogs just now?"
Selene, the goddess of the full moon, was my mother in this life. Her long black hair veiled her eyes, but I could still see her gaze, her irises clearly.
In that look, there was affirmation—I knew it was my mother who had turned the nymphs into frogs. Well… she was a Greek goddess in the end. I shouldn't have expected otherwise… end-of-days Greece never betrayed my worst predictions.
Those nymphs who'd been turned into frogs had tried to attack even me, but this felt different. Yet the usually meek goddess was strangely worked up. Her voice was timid, as if she was holding back a step, but her words were full of fierce resolve.
"Y-yes…! I know there's nothing I can do to help when it comes to Lord Apollo… but this is different…! I won't let you marry some random pile of bones lying around…! You are my son…!"
…Good gods, Apollo was bad enough, and now Mother was meddling too… Was my marriage now ruined? But… it was too soon to make that call. I cautiously asked my mother on the off chance.
"Then, Mother, who would you be willing to accept me marrying…?"
"M-marriage…!? I-Iskios… D-did you have someone in mind…!?"
Suddenly, my mother placed her hand on my shoulder, shook me, and shouted in a voice much louder than usual. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at me, her pupils contracting.
F- frightening. Mother was shaking me and staring at me like that—it was terrifying. People who speak little are scarier, and gods even more so… Did I just run afoul of my mother's ire?
"N-No… I'm just asking hypothetically, Mother…"
"H-hypothetically… hmm…"
I still didn't have feelings for anyone, and my goal in this end-of-days Greece was to keep a low profile. But in case things did go the wrong way, I needed to hear my mother out.
My mother suddenly closed her eyes, lost in thought. But her contemplation didn't last long—less than ten seconds later, she burst into tears and wailed.
"I still don't want to see you married!!! I can't bear the thought of your beauty being tarnished!"
"…"
She began crying like a petulant child and sank to the ground. I was speechless. All the while, she clung to my cloak, weeping bitterly.
"Iskios!!! Please, don't make your mother this sad!!!"
"…"
"Just thinking about every day you were chased by Lord Apollo almost tore my heart apart…! Wahhh—!!!"
Honestly, I wanted to tell her to stop… Damn this is annoying…! Apollo was persistent enough, but now Mother was just as bothersome. It was pitiful to watch. To make her stop crying, I took off my mask, helped her up, placed my hands on her shoulders, and spoke.
"It's okay, Mother! I won't let anyone just grab me or make me marry them! Not once have I let anyone touch me…!?"
"Sniff… hic…!"
"Please have a little faith in your son, Mother."
Even as I asked for her trust, her tremors lessened and her sobs quieted. She still looked at me with tear-filled eyes, but the signs of her earlier outburst had almost vanished.
"H-Huh… Iskios, if you say that… sniff…!"
Seeing her finally calm down, I felt a bit relieved. I'd taken off my mask to make better use of this appearance. I hadn't expected to remove it for something like this… I sincerely hope nothing like this happens again.
…Anyway, I now knew how my mother felt about me and managed to calm her. I'd have to be careful about this topic from now on… The only thing left—
"Also… I have a favor to ask…?"
"Wh-what is it… Iskios…?"
I pointed to the nymphs turned into frogs, bowed my head, and made my request.
"First… could you please turn those nymphs back to their original forms?"
Apollo was annoying, but Mother was hardly any easier. Her overprotectiveness was off the charts.
After Hylas, with Iskios's help, made it out of the forest on his own, Heracles, upon hearing the news that Iskios had rescued Hylas, was about to dash back into the woods—but he didn't have to. Iskios was standing there unscathed, waving his hand and cheerfully calling out, 'Yo!'
At the edge of the forest path, my friend Iskios—cloaked and masked—waited there as if nothing had happened. Thereafter, the [Argo] expedition gathered supplies without incident, boarded the ship, and continued sailing toward its destination. As they rowed, Heracles quietly asked Iskios, who was rowing next to him, what had occurred in the forest.
"Yeah. I met Mother."
"Mother…? You mean Lady Selene?"
"Yes. We spent a little time together."
Iskios said no more and continued rowing. Those who had heard the tale of the chase between Apollo and Iskios all knew that Iskios was Selene's demigod. Heracles thus understood that something had to be going on, yet Iskios remained his usual quiet self. Still, to thank him for rescuing Hylas, Heracles stopped rowing, walked over to Iskios, and bowed.
"Ah… Iskios."
"What is it?"
"…Thank you for saving Hylas."
"Sure thing."
In a cool, detached tone, Iskios responded to Heracles's thanks. Thus, outwardly unfazed, he resumed rowing and kept watch over the men.
But no one realized Iskios was wrestling with a problem of his own. And Iskios had no intention of confiding it in anyone.
Those nymphs who had attempted to ambush him and Hylas, only to be struck by his mother's wrath and turned into frogs—plus the fact that Mother had restored them—crossed his mind, and Iskios felt apprehensive about the road ahead.
"This is driving me crazy… it's getting harder to live my life as I please…"
Apollo kept transforming himself into a woman to try to seduce me, and Mother Selene constantly watched who I might marry. If she disapproved, she could turn me into a frog like she did those nymphs—or do something even worse.
But it would be no surprise if that happened. Iskios had long accepted this; after all, this was end-of-days Greece. In fact, the nuclear apocalypse might have been a vacation in comparison.
Of course, he wouldn't let his guard down—if he sensed eyes on him, he'd move immediately. But what of the innocent victims caught in the crossfire? No need to think about that too deeply.
"Ah, I'm losing my mind…"
Thinking about the possible future awaiting him, Iskios cursed and looked up at the sky. A breeze blew, and the sun's rays danced across the sea under a clear blue sky.
The sky was this clear, yet his heart felt perpetually overcast.