After that, she said no more.
She simply lowered her head in silence before me.
"...I will see you again at the wedding, Astellon."
"...Yes."
After that brief farewell, the sea split apart, and she vanished into the waves.
What remained was only the now-calm sea, and a lingering afterglow that felt strangely out of place.
And as time passed, the day of Thetis's wedding arrived.
When the ceremony began, not only the people of the kingdom but also the gods of Olympus attended the wedding between Thetis and me.
Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, and countless other gods were present at the ceremony.
"A human... is standing there?"
"Ugh... Thetis...!"
The gods who had come to the wedding murmured about the bride and groom, who had yet to appear.
But then—
"..."
The moment Thetis and I entered together, every sound fell silent.
"...That is..."
"...Unbelievable."
"They're even more striking than the rumors said..."
"Ugh...!"
Even the gods lost their words for a moment.
For before them stood beauties from whom even their own sex could not look away.
After that, the wedding proceeded without incident, and under the blessings of the gods, Thetis and I were formally joined as husband and wife.
And at one side of the ceremony, Hecate, Atalanta, and Medea—already married to me—were staring at me intently, while Hippolyta, still unmarried, looked at Thetis, the star of the day, with eyes full of envy.
Then, in the midst of it all, an existence slipped into the venue unnoticed.
"How dare they not invite me...!"
It was none other than the goddess of strife, Eris.
Having not been invited to the wedding, she slipped in secretly, evading the eyes of the gods and humans alike.
Clack
"Let's see how well you all do."
She placed a single golden apple on the table and vanished.
"...What is this?"
And the first to notice the golden apple on the table was Aphrodite.
"...A golden apple?"
When she lifted it, Athena and Hera, standing nearby, also noticed the golden apple in her hand.
The gazes of the two goddesses turned at once to the golden apple in Aphrodite's hand.
"...There's writing on it."
Then Athena spotted the inscription on the apple and read it aloud.
"'To the most beautiful goddess'..."
"....."
The instant those words ended, the atmosphere around them turned cold in an instant.
"Then."
At that moment, Hera spoke first.
"...This would be mine."
"...What are you saying?"
Aphrodite answered with a smile at Hera's words.
"...If we are speaking of beauty, surely that is not a matter for you to claim over me?"
"...Wisdom and dignity are also part of beauty."
Athena, listening to the two goddesses, quietly cut in.
"...You are both mistaken."
"...."
And so the three goddesses' war of nerves began, until in the end—
"...Let us leave the judgment to Lord Zeus."
The three goddesses, unable to reach a decision, stood before Zeus, the king of the gods.
"...So."
And Zeus, standing before the three goddesses, looked down at the golden apple they had brought and said, "...You are quarreling over this?"
"...Yes."
"What is there to think about? Naturally, it should be me, the queen of the gods."
"No. That golden apple belongs to me, the goddess of beauty."
"Beauty is not only a matter of appearance."
"...Hm."
After thinking for a moment, Zeus decided that whichever one he chose, it would be troublesome to bear the wrath of the two goddesses left unchosen, and so he pondered what to do.
Glance
Then, all at once, someone entered Zeus's sight.
In his gaze stood a single hero and king, known as the most beautiful man in Greece.
Having made his decision, Zeus said, "...Very well."
He tossed the golden apple in his hand toward Astellon, who stood beneath the gods' blessing.
"...?!"
"Astellon, you who are counted among the most beautiful in Greece, make the judgment."
Boom
While I was greeting the gods at the wedding, the golden apple came flying toward me.
I caught it reflexively.
"...Me?"
When I answered Zeus's words, three gazes turned to me at once.
Hera, Athena, Aphrodite.
The goddesses who had been claiming ownership of the golden apple now looked at me, urging me to choose to whom it should be given.
"This is... bad."
I had to choose only one of the three goddesses.
But whichever one I chose, I would end up making two goddesses my enemies.
"Ha... why must such a trial be laid upon me..."
Taking a breath, I looked down at the golden apple.
To the most beautiful goddess.
That short sentence had been the beginning of all this.
"...Ha."
A short laugh escaped me before I realized it.
"Lord Zeus."
I raised my head and looked at the god who had handed me this apple.
"This is... far too much for me."
"Too much? I merely gave you a choice, you who are thought to know beauty. You need only make the decision."
At my words, Lord Zeus replied with a calm smile.
"If it is you, then you should be able to judge fairly."
"Fairly..."
He seemed not to realize how irresponsible those words were.
I closed my eyes for a moment. And then—
"...Thetis."
I felt the presence of my new bride standing beside me.
Right now, this was my wedding to Thetis.
So I decided that, in my heart, this apple should be given to Thetis.
Just as I stepped toward Thetis to hand her the golden apple—
"Hmm~"
"Ah..."
From far away, I spotted Hecate smiling as she looked at me and the golden apple.
"Ahem."
When our eyes met, she gave a deliberate cough—something she never usually did—and looked back at me.
"Ah. I've gone and made eye contact for nothing..."
From that look, I realized she too wanted me to give it to her, and if I handed the golden apple to Thetis as things stood...
"Would I make it through the night in one piece?"
If it were Thetis, she would surely tell Atalanta, Medea, and Hippolyta as well.
One or two might be manageable, but taking on four at once would be difficult even for me.
Such thoughts flashed through my mind in quick succession.
"How, then, am I supposed to handle this..."
As I stared at the golden apple, the source of all this trouble, I considered whether there might be some suitable way out.
"Ah! That should do it!"
Then a thought struck me.
I lifted the golden apple.
"...Before speaking of beauty, we must first decide what the standard for this apple is."
"The standard?"
"Yes. Beauty does not refer only to outward appearance. It must include the heart as well."
As I said that, I looked at the three goddesses staring at me.
No, to be precise, the four goddesses including Hecate.
"In that case, I am not qualified to judge this apple."
"What did you say?"
Hera's brow twitched slightly at my words, but I continued.
"I am already a husband with wives."
As I said that, I looked at Thetis beside me.
"...And for me, the most beautiful one has already been decided."
At that, the surroundings fell completely silent, and they looked at me with interest.
"Hmm..."
Lord Zeus also murmured, intrigued.
"So this should not be entrusted to me, but to someone more impartial."
And I handed it back to Lord Zeus.
"...!"
The gods' gazes stirred once more.
"You stand at the highest seat, so it is only right that you resolve this matter."
"...Ha."
Lord Zeus took the apple and looked at me.
"...Very well. Then this matter shall not be left to me, but to another human—one who is beautiful and pure of heart."
With those words, Lord Zeus ordered Hermes to find such a mortal man and entrust the choice to him.
"Somehow, it worked...!"
At that, I cheered inwardly. And then—
"To think he would dare pass this choice on to me... I shall reduce the offerings at the next sacrifice."
With a sweat that did not show on my face, I looked at Lord Zeus.