If you had to pick just one word to describe the woman standing in front of me, noble would pretty much cover it.
It didn't matter that she was dressed in plain, everyday clothes—just meeting her gaze made you feel like you needed to lower your head. No, scratch that. Not bowing felt like blasphemy.
Because she was—
"Long time no see," I said, forcing a smile as I lowered my head.
"Lady Hera. Queen of the Gods."
Sure, tracking down the Greek gods had been the plan from the start. But running straight into Hera the moment my teleportation finished? That felt…almost like she was waiting for me.
Not that I was complaining. It was nice to see a familiar face. Kind of.
"Welcome back, Cyd," Hera murmured, placing a hand gently on my head. Her voice was soft, tinged with guilt.
"You've suffered because of our selfishness."
A blessing can be a curse too. Their so-called kindness had only pushed me farther from what I truly wanted. Maybe they thought they were helping. Maybe they even believed I'd thank them someday. After all, they were gods—they'd seen countless mortal lives crash and burn. Of course they thought my dreams were naïve.
They believed I'd regret wanting an ordinary life.
They believed I'd come running back, grateful, someday.
They believed…a lot of things.
And because of those beliefs, they shattered everything.
"I'm sorry," Hera said, turning away, her voice cracking.
They'd thought that, just because I'd inherited the blessings of thirteen gods, I couldn't be hurt. They'd never considered that I might actually stand up against the King of the Old Gods himself.
Why should I have feared him? Why should I have bowed and smiled and backed down?
Even now, Hera couldn't forget the sight of that so-called King—broken, panicked, fleeing back to Olympus with his tail tucked between his legs.
He regretted it, sure.
But it was too late.
For him, that hellish prison—the one they'd called Pandora's Box—had been meant to seal away his worst enemies: the Titans. A place of despair.
And he'd thrown me in there too, hoping I'd be his little light of hope.
Hoping I'd forgive him.
Coward.
The King who could see the future with his "wisdom" couldn't even face the mess he'd made.
He chose to open the Box, thinking maybe he could still fix things.
But when the gods flung it open together… they found nothing inside. No hope. No despair.
Just emptiness.
So they ran.
No, they fled.
The mighty gods, the "almighty" Olympians… they abandoned the world they'd failed.
All because they'd tried to force one stupid kid into the shape of their idea of happiness—and killed him instead.
Were they even gods anymore?
Or just fools with too much power and no idea how to use it?
"But it's okay," I said lightly, scratching the back of my head. "I'm back now. And there's something I need to talk to you all about."
Hera gave a small, almost broken laugh.
"He really was wrong about you," she said. "He knew the truth… and he still couldn't face you. He was the first to realize what we'd done."
"You mean… Zeus is here too?" I tilted my head.
"Technically, yes," Hera said, rolling her eyes. "But you probably won't find him. He's hiding from you."
Hiding from me.
Huh.
That… actually sounded kind of awesome.
"Anyway," Hera coughed awkwardly, her cheeks coloring slightly, "I, um, actually have a favor to ask."
I raised an eyebrow. "If it's something I can do."
"I want you to look after someone," Hera said seriously, fixing me with that queenly stare that made saying no basically impossible.
"He's Zeus's grandson."
…Wait a second. Hera, asking me to look after one of Zeus's illegitimate kids?
Wasn't she usually the one trying to kill them?
"This isn't a murder mission, right?" I said quickly, waving my hands.
"No! Nothing like that!" Hera cried. "You're the only one who can do this! Zeus spoils the boy rotten. It's a miracle he's even allowed to walk around by himself."
Yikes. Definitely sounded like a "problem child" situation.
"He's been brainwashed with all kinds of ridiculous nonsense," Hera added, rubbing her temples. "Things like 'meeting someone special is a hero's greatest adventure' and other embarrassing garbage."
…Okay, maybe this wasn't a trap after all.
I blinked. Maybe… maybe Hera actually just wanted me to help the kid.
"And," she added, her voice dropping lower, "there are two other gods near him. They'll probably come to you once you show up. If possible, I'd like you to help look after… well, a certain goddess too."
I frowned.
"She's not the one you know, but… you'll understand when you see her," Hera said, coughing awkwardly.
Memory end.
"You're Bell, right?" I said, leaning down and poking the dazed white-haired kid sitting on the dungeon floor.
"YES!" he shouted, springing upright like a loaded spring.
I gave him a slow once-over.
"Yeah," I said. "You've definitely got that wide-eyed, never-been-punched-by-life look."
Behind him, a loud howl split the air.
The minotaur—bigger and meaner than anything that should've been wandering around this low in the Dungeon—fell to its knees, howling in pain.
Because I had its right arm clamped in my grip—and I wasn't exactly being gentle.
Bell swallowed hard.
He had every right to be freaked out.
A monster that could crush a regular adventurer with a single punch—and here I was, holding its wrist like a misbehaving puppy.
"Oh, this one?" I said casually, lifting my hand.
The minotaur let out a final whimper—and then went flying like a cannonball straight into the ceiling.
Boom.
Silence.
I turned back to Bell, offering him a hand.
"Can you stand?"
"I-I can!" Bell squeaked, scrambling upright against the wall like a nervous baby bird.
He made sure not to touch the hand that had just manhandled a minotaur like it was made of cardboard. Smart kid.
"You can still stand? Not bad," I said with a grin. I reached out and plucked a glittering magic stone from the remains of the minotaur.
I tossed it to him.
"For you. Reward."
Bell caught it with both hands, staring at it like I'd handed him a golden ticket.
"Wait, really?! Minotaur cores are super valuable!"
"Then," I said, stretching lazily, "use the cash to buy me dinner. Deal?"
Bell nodded so hard I thought he might sprain his neck.
"Dinner?! I'll treat you to a feast!"
Not far away, a blonde girl tilted her head in confusion.
She'd been the one who accidentally let the minotaur slip past earlier. She'd been ready to jump in and fix the mess, but before she could, someone had bolted ahead of her—faster than she could react—and crushed the monster by hand.
Sure, she could've killed the thing cleanly herself. But making it kneel?
Yeah, not happening.
Still. Problem solved. No big deal.
Sheathing her sword, the girl turned and walked back toward her waiting companions.
The Dungeon was as lively—and dangerous—as ever.
Somewhere deep inside it, a pure white hero had just met the boy who dreamed of becoming a hero himself.
Their journey had begun.