[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 40

“Did you have fun playing outside today?”

Li Jia finished her milk and tiptoed onto the bed. Hera was already waiting for her on the bed tonight.

Usually, Li Jia was the one who waited for Hera to get off work as a routine. Today, the roles were reversed.

Hera was waiting for her at home. Li Jia inexplicably felt that the role of the little wife had shifted to Hera, and there was a hint of resentment about it.

“Today, I went to the ktabor Valley with Linai. The irises there are blooming all over the mountains, they are incredibly beautiful.”

Of course, Li Jia deliberately omitted the part where Zeus and Demeter met.

“So you picked all the roses in my flower garden?”

She was still found out…

Li Jia immediately snuck into her arms, using her finger to draw circles on Hera’s collarbone. Golden faint patterns surged, and Li Jia’s collarbone also emitted a faint light in response.

Seeing that Hera’s breathing wasn’t hurried, it seemed she wasn’t angry, maybe just asking casually. Li Jia lowered her voice: “It has always been roses, and I’m a bit tired of seeing them, so I picked them all. I wanted to give Your Majesty a change of scenery.”

“The petals were given to the citizens of Fragrant City Spring. They can make fresh flower pastries. When they heard they were a gift from Her Majesty Hera, they couldn’t stop smiling and praised Your Majesty for caring for the people. Many said they couldn’t bear to eat them and wanted to take them home to keep.”

Li Jia recited the pre-prepared script, answering smoothly when questioned.

Hera’s attention was entirely on Li Jia’s hand.

Her hand was so small.

Li Jia drew circles on her collarbone, which felt prickly and numb. Hera covered her cheeks, her ears burning, and she let out a breath.

Then, she lowered her hands and used her large hand to grasp Li Jia’s wrist to stop her from moving: “Then, what do you plan to compensate me for the large patch of bare flower garden?”

Li Jia thought for a moment, her hand immobilized in Hera’s grip.

She could only move forward a little and nodded vigorously: “Your Majesty, I know exactly what to plant. I swear you will love it. It’s something you’ve never seen before, and it’s very practical.”

Li Jia wasn’t lying. When asked what to plant, many names of plants instantly flashed through her mind.

She then dismissed them one by one, finally settling on something she thought was very suitable for planting in the flower garden.

Li Jia always wondered why people planted plants that were highly ornamental but not very practical, or plants that were highly practical but had almost no ornamental value. Couldn’t they have both?

In her university campus, for example, they planted Styphnolobium japonicum everywhere, which smelled fishy and foul. Students protested countless times, wanting to change the tree species, but were all rejected.

Because Styphnolobium japonicum is not delicate and easy to maintain.

It can withstand the dampness of the south and the smog of the north, it is drought-resistant, cold-resistant, tolerant of barren soil and pruning, and basically doesn’t shed leaves. It is a low-cost air purifier.

The most important point: the saplings were cheap.

Li Jia thought, why couldn’t they plant some mango, pomegranate, or loquat trees?

They would be both beautiful and edible.

Her roommate simply glanced at her and told her to wash up and go to sleep.

“Oh?”

The woman raised an eyebrow, her palm rubbing the delicate skin of the girl’s wrist. A faint trace of interest spread in her deep red pupils: “Something that will please me more than roses, and is also practical? Can you tell me what it is?”

Li Jia’s heart skipped a beat under her gaze, but she still lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with a cunning light: “I can’t tell you now, or there won’t be a surprise. But Your Majesty has to promise me that no matter what you see, you won’t get angry.”

“When have I ever been angry with you?”

A barely audible gasp first escaped the woman’s throat, and then she couldn’t help but curve her lips. The sternness in her eyes broke into starlight, carrying a hint of indulgent helplessness.

She released Li Jia’s wrist, instead gently pinching her chin, her fingertip brushing against Li Jia’s slightly cool lips: “But if you dare to plant something strange and make a mess of my flower garden, be careful of your waist.”

The words sounded a bit odd…

Li Jia quickly shook her head, shrinking into Hera’s arms: “Never!”

She paused deliberately, adding: “And the flowers it bears are white, and the fruit is sweet. It’s just that the flowering period will be very long, maybe three or five years.”

“When the thing grows out, I’ll invite you to taste it together, sister, how about that?”

So, it’s a fruit tree.

Hearing Li Jia’s confident words, a barely suppressed smile played on the woman’s lips, fleeting like an illusion.

“Since it’s so good, you may do as you wish.”

Hera tightened her arms, holding Li Jia securely in her embrace, resting her chin on the crown of Li Jia’s head, her voice lazy and low: “I look forward to your invitation.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Li Jia took advantage of the situation and then acted coy, her fingers once again restless as they hooked the hem of Hera’s clothing: “Then, is Your Majesty no longer pursuing the matter of me picking the roses?”

“The petals that were sent out have brought smiles to the citizens’ faces, what more is there to pursue?”

Hera lowered her gaze to the furry head in her arms, the melancholy in her eyes dissipating somewhat: “Just next time you want to touch my things, you must tell me first.”

Li Jia nodded repeatedly like pounding garlic, rubbing against Hera’s neck. Her nose was filled with Hera’s unique scent, like sunshine over honey.

Linai was equally apprehensive on her side.

Artemis was holding the little penguin and noticed a cut on her small wing—it was from being cut by transparent fishing line during the day.

Linai was excited at the time and didn’t feel any pain, but now that it was late and her body had returned to its animal form, the sense of pain was maximized.

She pitifully held up her small wing in front of Artemis, showing her the small incision.

Artemis examined the fluffy wound in the moonlight, her brow suddenly furrowed. The usual gentleness in her eyes was instantly covered with frost, and even her voice sank an octave: “How did this happen?”

“I cut it accidentally…”

Artemis rarely got angry, and her expressionless face indicated she was furious.

Linai shrank her plump body, burying her little head even lower, her voice as thin as a mosquito’s: “It was… when I was looking for irises in the ktabor Valley, I got caught on a fishing line on the ground…”

“It didn’t hurt then, really!”

Artemis didn’t speak. Her fingertip gently touched the wound that was seeping fine blood. The little penguin let out a whimper of pain, and its little claw instinctively curled up.

Artemis silently opened her portable medicine chest, taking out ointment and gauze.

When the cool ointment was applied to the wound, Linai couldn’t help but tremble, but she obediently kept silent.

She watched Artemis’s focused profile. The moonlight outlined her tightly pressed lips. Her eyes, usually gentle, were now full of anger, yet she softened her movements when bandaging, afraid of hurting her.

“If you are so reckless again, don’t even think about going out with Li Jia.”

The tone was still cold, but it concealed a hard-to-miss nervousness: “Why didn’t you say anything when it hurt after you got back? Do you have to wait until the wound is infected before you speak up?”

The little penguin rubbed her palm, quietly admitting her mistake: “I was wrong, don’t be angry… I will listen to you next time.”

Artemis looked at her pitiful appearance, her brow slightly relaxing, but she still said crossly: “There won’t be a next time.”

Li Jia and Linai sighed. Being the attendant (or consort) of a god was not an easy task.

Afterward, Li Jia and Linai visited the ktaborValley a few more times, observing for a period of time, confirming that Zeus and Demeter had fallen deeply in love.

The setting in the book couldn’t be changed, they could only push the character step by step toward her destiny.

Li Jia lay in the field of irises, gazing at the clear blue sky, and said, “What about me? What will my ending be?”

Linai lay down next to her, feeling a little sad about Li Jia’s words. Li Jia was the only person from her original world she had met in this world.

Perhaps the atmosphere was too heavy. Linai turned sideways, leaning on her elbow on the grass to look at Li Jia, and joked:

“Once the mission is complete, you can go back to your original world. Isn’t modern technology much more comfortable than here? You can eat snacks, watch TV shows, and even ship couples and follow stars.”

The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the petals and fell on Li Jia’s eyelashes, casting fragmented shadows, which added a few hints of vague loneliness to those eyes that usually held a smile.

“But I will never see her again.”

Linai was stunned. She opened her mouth, her throat tight, and said helplessly: “Li Jia, you know, as adults, we have to learn to accept things.”

“Linai, I accepted and understood a long time ago.”

“I just can’t bear to leave her.”

Li Jia was incredibly calm, as if she was talking about someone else’s life story: “When I first came here, I chose to approach her just to survive. I thought a person like me, who had been scrambling in the ashtray of society, wouldn’t have a heart anymore.”

“But I love her. I didn’t know what love was at first, but by the time I fell in love with her, I realized she had been waiting for me for a long, long time.”

Li Jia gave a self-mocking smile: “I was so stupid.”

“Sometimes I imagined if I could be with her forever, that would be wonderful. She is so good, she would be fine with anyone.”

The tone shifted, and Li Jia’s voice dropped, tinged with unconcealable bitterness.

“But I am just a mortal. I am just an attendant. She will be ridiculed by the outside world, and her life seems to be stained because of me. When I think of this, I wish I could die immediately.”

The first reaction to liking someone is an inferiority complex.

“Fortunately, I stopped her, stopped her from marrying a scumbag. Fortunately, she married me.”

Speaking of this, a glimmer of light flashed in Li Jia’s eyes: “I only got married once in this life, and I don’t regret it.”

The wind blew gently, and the irises swayed slightly, making a rustling sound.

“To love someone is to not bear to occupy any part of their life.”

“I love the stars and the moon, but if I pick them down, they are no longer the stars and the moon. Then it is no longer the stars and the moon that I love.”

“Some people are inherently the stars and the moon in the sky, and they should stay in the sky. And I am quite satisfied just to be able to look up and see them or know they exist.”

Li Jia couldn’t utter the rest of the words. The system’s cold warning still echoed in her mind. The unfulfilled plot was like a forbidden shackles, tightly gripping her throat.

Linai quietly listened to the girl’s continuous murmurs.

Looking at her overly bright eyes, Linai felt empty inside. She touched her friend’s forehead and comforted her.

“It’s okay, everything will pass.”

Li Jia didn’t speak, she just sat up and looked into the distance. That direction was the Hot Spring Stream.

It was her home.

Linai’s frequency of visiting Li Jia became higher and higher. Hera directly recorded Linai’s fingerprint for the Hot Spring Stream, and the door would automatically open for her with just a touch.

Artemis teased: “Why don’t I get this treatment? Every time I come to your house, I have to ask you with my divine sense.”

“If you’re not coming in, leave.”

The blonde woman was as cold as ever. If Artemis wasn’t Linai’s guardian, Hera wouldn’t bother opening the door for her.

Li Jia had few friends here, and being able to chat openly with Linai was enough for her to carefully cherish this friendship.

Although Hera didn’t want too many people around Li Jia, since Li Jia liked it, she tacitly allowed this exception.

This time, Hera did not marry Zeus. Her name was not on the marriage history with him, so the divine punishment had no right to fall upon her.

Figuring this out, Li Jia finally sighed in relief. She had to expose Zeus’s true nature, and the person who exposed him would no longer be Hera.

She would be the one to expose him.

Rushing to disturb Demeter would lead to her aversion. Li Jia and Linai discussed it and, with the help of the system, learned that in a while, it would be the annual Festival of the Harvest.

It was an ancient Greek festival celebrating the harvest and praying for bountiful crops in the coming year, and it was one of the most solemn festivals in ancient Greece.

During the period, grand feasts and parades would be held in various places. Slaves could sit at the same table as their masters, embodying the carnival atmosphere of “everyone is equal during the harvest season.”

Demeter, as the Goddess of the Harvest, would attend the grand feast prepared for her at the Viridia Altar, enjoying praises and hymns from all sides, and solving various problems for farmers across the country.

The Viridia Altar was located in the western part of South Marsh, directly under the jurisdiction of the Borlo Wheat Fields. Every priest was personally selected by Demeter and was very loyal and trustworthy.

Artemis and her little penguin frequently stayed at the Hot Spring Stream for dinner during this period. Linai had nothing but praise for Winslow’s cooking. She loved to eat here because she didn’t have to be a vegetarian anymore!

Winslow also liked having people eat at the Hot Spring Stream. It was a recognition of her cooking skills, so she always cooked five or six portions, just enough for everyone to eat together.

“Can I go and have fun? Please, sister.”

Li Jia requested when they were having dinner together in the evening.

Hera was absentmindedly scooping a spoonful of borscht for Li Jia. Hearing this, her movement paused, and she looked up at her.

Li Jia was looking up at her, her eyes bright as if filled with broken light, with a hint of cautious anticipation.

“The Festival of the Harvest is crowded and disorderly.”

Hera’s voice didn’t show much emotion. She pushed the soup bowl toward Li Jia, but her fingertip lightly grazed Li Jia’s cheek: “You want to go?”

“I do.”

Li Jia quickly nodded and immediately picked up the soup bowl and drank a few mouthfuls.

“I want to see everyone celebrating the harvest, and… Linai also wants to go. With her and the Goddess of the Hunt accompanying me, I won’t cause any trouble.”

After speaking, she glanced at Linai and blinked.

Alright then.

Linai readily agreed.

Artemis laughed scornfully from the side: “So I’m just a bonus?”

Li Jia immediately offered a placating smile: “How could that be? The main reason is that with you there, Her Majesty the Goddess of Marriage can be more at ease.”

Hera was silent for a moment. Her gaze fell on Li Jia’s expectant face, and she finally relented: “Fine, I will go with you. But you must stay by my side and are not allowed to wander off.”

Li Jia instantly beamed, her eyes curving, and she nodded vigorously: “I know! Thank you, sister!”

She only calls her sister so nicely whenever she has a favor to ask.

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