The very next morning, Jason set out for the temple of Goddess Hera with Medea and Iskios in tow. Their party consisted of Jason, Medea, Iskios, and a single coachman guiding the chariot.
Originally, by winning the footrace against Atalanta, Iskios had effectively won her hand in marriage, but he was adamant that he wouldn't take her away with him.
"Huh...? Lady Atalanta isn't coming along?"
"Ah, I see… Goddess Apollo brushed off your marriage lightly, but Goddess Selene might be different…"
Jason knew full well that Selene, Iskios's mother, was a hopelessly doting mother. In a way it was twisted maternal love, but she was fiercely overprotective of him.
Of course, her duties kept her busy, so she may not have been around much, but everyone had heard how during the Argo expedition she'd turned every nymph that tried to ambush Iskios and Hylas into frogs.
If the goddess Selene—twisted maternal love and all—found out her only son had secretly wed someone… Jason didn't dare think of what would happen next.
"Oh, wow, quite the crowd…!"
"There really are a lot of people~!"
"Ugh…!"
Jason looked on in shock at the throng gathered outside the temple of Goddess Hera, while Medea clasped her hands together in admiration. As for Iskios… his stomach churned so violently he felt nauseous.
At the wedding venue, there were faces both Jason and Iskios recognized—humans, yes, but also deities they knew. And, unsurprisingly, there stood Goddess Apollo. The moment Iskios laid eyes on her, he began to tremble.
"Y-yes… she really is here…!"
"You mustn't run, Iskios…!"
Iskios tried to bolt, but Jason, who'd already noticed, grabbed him by the shoulder to restrain him. Even though Jason urged him quietly to stay put, Iskios's attempt at escape was ultimately exposed to Apollo.
The moment Apollo saw Iskios, he changed his form to male and lunged at him. At that sight, Iskios's face under the mask went deathly pale and he slipped into the shadow cast by Medea.
"Iskios! So you came as well!!! Huh, wait…!?"
"It looks like he's hidden in the shadows…"
Medea let out an awkward chuckle, gazing down at her own shadow. Thanks to the sunlight, Iskios's silhouette was faintly visible, and there he was, trembling uncontrollably with fear.
Because Apollo had sworn by the River Styx, he wouldn't strike at Iskios. Yet the mere presence of Apollo was enough to embody terror in Iskios. Seeing him like that, Apollo's expression soured as he turned and departed.
"Hmph… I'll be back."
Apollo's departing back looked genuinely pitiable. Jason and Medea felt the same way, but when they thought of all Iskios had endured over the last two years, they found themselves unable to feel any sympathy.
Once Apollo left, Iskios emerged from Medea's shadow, still cautious, and walked inside alongside Jason and Medea. There, as guests of the bride, many gods had gathered, and on the groom's side, renowned heroes filled the place.
Among them, Heracles was nowhere to be seen—still away on his labors—and Goddess Hera would naturally not appear at her own temple's wedding ceremony. But Iskios and Jason spotted familiar faces they'd seen in Chiron's stables. And then—
"We meet again, Iskios."
"It's been a while, Goddess Hera."
Having been walking quietly to himself, Iskios ran into Hera once more. It was their first meeting since he'd saved Callisto, and Hera received his greeting with a friendly smile.
On the surface, Iskios maintained his composure, but he never let his guard down. At this wedding, the real threat was deities who might go berserk upon seeing his unmasked face.
Iskios's top priorities for caution were Zeus and Poseidon. He'd already been tormented enough by Apollo, and if Zeus or Poseidon got hold of him… That would be the end. Of course, Iskios had no intention whatsoever of letting himself be caught by any of them.
Though things might be harder now than before, Iskios possessed absolute confidence in never being caught—not only confidence but patience too. Having once been chased by Apollo, he'd been tempered, yet this was a path he never wanted to travel again.
"I've heard many stories about you. They say you married a maiden of Arcadia…"
"I- is that so…?"
"Quite so. It's one of the most talked-about tales among the gods… You really didn't know."
Upon hearing Hera's words, Iskios finally sank into despair, thinking, 'I'm screwed!' He hadn't considered that point at all.
'But where…? Where did these rumors come from…?' he wondered, confused, and asked Hera.
"Goddess Hera… through whom did you hear these rumors…?"
"Hmm…? Oh, I heard it from that Apollo fellow."
…
Iskios felt a wave of emptiness wash over him and nearly collapsed to the ground, but he managed to catch himself and stayed standing.
In truth… Iskios might underrate his own feats, but among the gods his deeds were the second most famous after Heracles. His recent marriage by winning the race against Atalanta (though he claimed he would spare her virginity) had naturally become a hot topic among them.
Unaware of these behind-the-scenes details, Iskios inwardly despaired, 'Ah… that bastard Apollo's making me look like a fool…' Then he looked around before asking Hera,
"So… where is my mother, Goddess Hera? She doesn't seem to be here…"
"Well… this morning, after hearing the rumor, she shut herself up in her temple."
…
Her reaction was undoubtedly pettish. But Iskios didn't see it that simply—he knew all too well his mother's twisted maternal love.
Hearing Hera's testimony, Iskios had no trouble guessing his mother's state. He thought today that something ominous was bound to happen soon.
-Not a beauty contest, but a contest among gods?-
Damnation… I never guessed the rumor would spread so quickly. And my mother, upon hearing I'd wed, shut herself away in her temple. That's an ominously dangerous sign.
I'd asked Goddess Hera about my mother and learned that she'd become a holy recluse, refusing to speak with anyone, barricading herself in her own temple. And that just this morning.
I stood in a secluded corner watching the wedding of Peleus and Thetis in full swing, but my heart was too heavy for the event to register. My head was filled only with my own worries…
"Long time no see, Iskios. Are you enjoying yourself?"
Just as I was lost in my own brooding, Peleus—the bridegroom and a fellow alumnus of Master Chiron's stable—approached and spoke to me.
"Enjoying myself? If this is what enjoyment looks like, I must be completely out of my mind, Peleus."
"I- I'm sorry… It's just, I saw you standing here by yourself and got worried…"
"No need for apologies… Why am I even like this…"
"Ahahaha…"
I didn't get the sense that I disliked Peleus; on the contrary, I felt sympathetic toward him. His mindset was different from that of other Greek heroes.
Typically, Greek heroes are caricatures of barbarism—mindless wreckers with no concept of virtue or morality, even more savage than Vikings. Then again, I'm a Reincarnator, so compared to them I'm an oddity myself.
That said, Peleus is an anomaly himself. He's the kind of hero with a boyish idealism. On a human level, he's remarkably endearing. Of course… his timid nature, always stepping back a measure, is his flaw…
"This one's mine!"
"No, this one's mine!"
"This one's mine!!!"
But at that moment, from the center of the wedding celebration where guests were enjoying themselves, a quarrel rang out. No one needed to look to know whose voices they were.
On one side stood Athena; the other, Hera; and the last, Aphrodite. These three goddesses were fighting over something, and as they glared and ground their teeth, the other gods and humans trembled.
Peleus too was intimidated, though he could cope. Yet, couldn't they show some restraint? This was a wedding, after all. And what were they fighting over…? The [golden apple]. And these goddesses were squabbling over who was the fairest with that apple.