[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 17

The night was soft and warm, and the cold light seeped into the hot spring ravine. The geothermal heat surged up, covering the surrounding green branches and leaves with a layer of mist.

The young woman curled up on the couch, her breathing shallow and light, with a thin layer of sweat still clinging to her forehead, clearly exhausted.

Hera approached with light steps. Just as her fingertips touched Li Jia’s clothing, the girl flinched like a startled kitten. Hera’s eyelashes fluttered, and she carefully lifted the girl up sideways.

She was so light, like a feather settling in her arms.

The breeze outside the corridor carried the unique sulfur scent of the hot spring. Hera lowered her gaze to look at her, the moonlight falling perfectly on half of her face.

Only when she was asleep did she seem less afraid of her.

“It’s alright if you’re a little more spoiled,” Hera thought.

The mist from the open-air hot spring rose up. Hera tested the water temperature first, then removed Li Jia’s “uniform” and bent over to gently place her into the water.

When the warm water reached her shoulders, she let out a soft groan and snuggled further into Hera’s embrace. A bit of water mist clung to her eyelashes, like morning dew on a butterfly’s wing.

Hera raised her hand to brush aside the wisps of hair near her cheek. The skin her palm touched was warm, and the combination of the skin temperature and the spring water blended together in the warm pool.

So obedient.

Li Jia was half-asleep and fuzzy, feeling as if someone was undressing her. She forced her eyes into a narrow slit.

Mist swirled everywhere, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

A slender, pale hand moved over her body. In the blink of an eye, the pleated skirt was pulled down, and her whole body was submerged in the spring water. The complete relaxation made her unconsciously hum softly.

Li Jia could feel another person joining her in the water because she was sitting on that person’s lap, with someone supporting her back to prevent her from slipping into the center of the spring vent.

This was Hera’s private pool, and its size was built to suit Hera’s height. When Hera sat down, the water level reached just above her shoulders. But when Li Jia sat down, the water would completely cover her.

Realizing this, Li Jia dared not move. She even instinctively pressed closer to Hera’s chest, afraid that she would fall under the water.

It was just a little embarrassing.

Li Jia was straddling Hera’s knees, completely unclothed, her flower-bud pressed against Hera’s kneecap, feeling swollen and numb. Whether intentional or not, Hera bumped her knee slightly.

The sensitive center violently constricted, and a trickle of nectar spilled out, wetting Hera’s leg.

How pathetic.

Li Jia was secretly glad they were in the water, so nothing was visible.

Otherwise, how could she ever face anyone again?

After a while, the person holding her showed no sign of letting go, so Li Jia had no choice but to pretend to cough twice, then slowly open her eyes, feigning a look of pleasant surprise: “Your Majesty, where are we?”

She couldn’t be blamed for losing her composure. The hot spring was simply too stuffy and hot. If she stayed submerged for another ten minutes, her skin would start to wrinkle.

“Yellow Springs.”

“The name of the bath.”

Hera briefly answered her question.

This… was a rather morbid name.

Li Jia struggled to pull her two hands out from under Hera’s arms.

She couldn’t stay in any longer; slow-roasting at low temperatures was unbearable. She needed to get her hands out to cool down.

As she soaked, Li Jia’s attention was drawn to something else.

It seemed the Goddess’s cup size was only half the size of her own.

A strange sense of pride swelled up. Finally, there was something she could surpass Hera in.

Sensing the little thoughts of the person in her arms, Hera casually muttered an incantation.

Li Jia distinctly felt the mountains on her back enlarge, then shrink, then enlarge again, and finally return to normal.

Li Jia: “… (Damn it, treating her like a Japanese cartoon character.)”

“Your Majesty, do you think I’m dirty? Is that why you brought me here to bathe?” Li Jia resorted to her old trick, adopting the mannerisms of a drama-style “green tea” wife. Her voice was sweet and carried a hint of grievance.

“Mhm, a little.”

Hera’s private bath was located at the center of the hot spring ravine’s protective barrier—the place where the divine power was most abundant and the peak of her divine protection.

It possessed the magical properties of healing wounds, calming the spirit, and relieving fatigue.

Without her permission, no one could see this private bath. Not even Winslow and Dorin knew of its existence.

From the outside, it looked like a swamp surrounded by a canopy of trees; no one would ever suspect this place.

The connection between Xiangcheng Spring Metropolis and the hot spring ravine was tied to Hera’s divine soul. Outsiders could not cross the boundary. However, Hera had no desire to govern Xiangcheng Spring Metropolis herself.

She preferred to let truly capable people take over.

Hera was a very strange goddess; not only mortals but also the other deities on the Divine Mountain said the same.

As a deity, one would naturally want everyone to submit to their divine power, but she, on the contrary, had no such ambition. What she pursued was equality for all beings, treating everyone on par.

Li Jia wasn’t discouraged by Hera’s answer. If it were anyone else who heard someone call them dirty, they would immediately storm off.

Li Jia knew Hera didn’t mean it that way.

After all, for a goddess who had been solitary for over a thousand years and now had a personal attendant for the first time, it was normal not to know how to interact.

She wouldn’t hold it against her.

Embracing a thorny rose requires patience and courage.

“Then can I come to bathe every day from now on? I promise I’ll wash myself very cleanly and absolutely won’t dirty Your Majesty’s bed.”

Li Jia looked at the woman pitifully. She didn’t want to run to the small pool to wash every day. Plus, autumn was only three months away, and the weather was getting colder. She wanted to soak in warm spring water.

Hera seemed momentarily stunned, then said, “You may.”

“Can I bring Winslow with me?” Li Jia, thinking of her good friend, became more audacious and asked.

“No. I don’t like sharing my things with others.”

A definite refusal.

Li Jia thought Hera was referring to the private bath and nodded. It was true. It was already a kindness that Hera was willing to share such a wonderful thing with her. It would be rather ungrateful to try and bring her best friend along.

She would just have to leave her best friend behind.

Hera and Li Jia agreed that the location of the Yellow Springs private bath would be known only to the two of them.

Seeing the little girl’s determined expression, Hera leaned close to her ear and told her the verbal incantation to activate the private bath.

Later, seeing her groggy, Hera sighed and waved her hand, and the private bath disappeared.

She explained to Li Jia that she had changed the incantation to a physical object: as long as Li Jia appeared there and touched her ring, the private bath would appear. Conversely, touching it again would make it disappear.

Li Jia could understand this; it was like changing the password to a fingerprint lock—something she was familiar with.

After explaining, Hera was still slightly uneasy and asked her to demonstrate the process twice before she was reassured.

Seeing that she had soaked long enough, Hera held her up, placing her on the clean jade slab, and picked up a wool towel to dry the water droplets from Li Jia’s body.

Li Jia glanced at Hera and noticed that she had changed into a long silk robe at some point. Since there’s such a quick and convenient way to change, why not just get my clothes on too?

But they were both girls, so it probably didn’t matter. Li Jia didn’t think too much of it, simply putting it down to Hera’s unique habits.

Hera liked to feed her, bathe her, dress her, and sleep with her at night.

As long as Hera was around, all the things that used to bother her were easily solved.

Now, she had friends, was well-fed and well-clothed, and never had to worry about money.

Li Jia had heard her university roommates talk about wanting a “Daddy-type” boyfriend. At first, she thought they meant an older man, but then she searched online.

It turned out to mean a male partner who displays a strong sense of protectiveness, responsibility, and care toward their significant other, like a father.

Li Jia hadn’t experienced much paternal love, but she felt that if there were such a thing as a “Daddy-type” boyfriend, then Hera was a “Mommy-type” girlfriend.

She would quietly take care of everything for her.

After visiting the Temple of the Marriage Goddess today, Li Jia saw a completely different Hera from what she had imagined.

A transcendent goddess should not have to deal with such trivial matters, content to simply enjoy the offerings and incense.

Dorin and she were constantly fighting and struggling for a space for their own kind.

It was like those moments when a girl felt helpless, suddenly discovering someone supporting her and defending her from behind, telling her not to be afraid, working toward the same goal.

Li Jia also understood why the Temple of the Marriage Goddess had the most abundant incense offerings.

It was an expression of sincere prayers and blessings.

As Li Jia was lost in thought, Hera had already dried her entire body and put on her silk pajamas.

Hera held Li Jia close, so only her back was visible. The two “grapes” were too prominent and had to be hidden.

This time, Hera didn’t walk back slowly but returned to the deep palace with a shadow teleportation.

Li Jia felt she was like the Goddess’s slothful accessory: the Goddess was responsible for diligently supporting the household, and she was responsible for being beautiful and lying around at home.

Hera set her down and walked to the center of the hall to light a lamp. The pitch-black chamber was instantly filled with light.

Ever since she learned the little girl was afraid of the dark, Hera would light a lamp every night. Over time, it became a habit.

Even when Hera wasn’t home, the lamp would light itself when the time came, guarding the deep palace all night long.

Li Jia stood on the floor, her focus sweeping across the interior of the hall.

Soon, she spotted her Kuromi backpack on a chair.

She had been wondering while bathing: Where did my backpack go?

I hope it didn’t fall somewhere.

Li Jia felt a bit sad thinking about it because it contained her doughnuts, which she had saved for her late-night snack.

Now, seeing the backpack safely placed on the chair, the joy of recovering it overwhelmed her. She quickly walked over.

Phew, good, good. They weren’t soft; they still had that crispy, caramelized texture. She sat down beaming happily by the low wooden table near the couch.

She wasn’t as tall as Hera, and all the items and furniture in the deep palace were custom-made to Hera’s height. So she had asked Winslow to find a human furniture maker to make a few styles she wanted.

According to the first rule of Li Jia’s Slothful Living Philosophy: Li Jia would do her best to treat herself well within limited conditions.

A low table, a rug, a sofa, a shoe rack, a trash can…

It was a shame that this era didn’t have electricity, and no one was filming idol dramas, or she’d arrange for a refrigerator and a TV too.

The originally austere and minimalist deep palace now had a large collection of items that didn’t belong there because of Li Jia’s arrival.

Li Jia loved pink and cute things. She and Winslow were on the same wavelength; whenever she needed something, she would go to Winslow, and it was always the right choice.

So, one could see a Hello Kitty comb hanging on a hook next to the tall black dressing mirror in the deep palace, and a Spongebob Squarepants trash can sitting next to Hera’s wooden desk…

Fortunately, only she and Li Jia could enter the deep palace, so Hera let her do as she pleased.

Li Jia took out milk and doughnuts, preparing to thoroughly enjoy her late-night snack.

Two bottles of milk a day was a mandatory rule Li Jia set for herself, because…

She silently eyed Hera. Modern scientific research suggests that bone growth is possible before the age of twenty, and Li Jia was not willing to give up just yet.

After finishing the milk, Li Jia had just unwrapped the oily paper. The sugar glaze on the doughnut she held between her fingertips glistened with fine light in the dim lamplight.

Just as Li Jia was about to take her first bite, her wrist was gently tugged from the side. The next second, the sugar-glazed doughnut had changed owners.

“Hey! That’s mine!”

Li Jia instinctively turned her head to glare. Hera was holding the doughnut in her mouth, raising an eyebrow at her. A little sugar glaze stained the corner of her lips. She swallowed and said, “It’s very sweet.”

“I waited in line to buy that! Your Majesty, don’t you usually not eat human food?” Li Jia asked pitifully, carefully guarding the other doughnut.

“I feel like eating it today.”

“Can others eat it, but I cannot?”

The icy cold question instantly made Li Jia choke.

Dorin wasn’t just “others.” What was she getting angry about now?

Forget it, I don’t want to argue with the high-and-mighty Grade Schooler Goddess.

Fortunately, Hera went to sleep after finishing the snack and didn’t try to snatch her remaining doughnut.

Li Jia jotted down another note in her small notebook: From now on, buy an extra portion of everything; there’s a petty spirit who wants to eat it too.

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