Chapter Summaries

Samael struggled to manage the race as Atalanta and Hippolyta fell under the influence of Aphrodite’s Authority, while contestants raced for the prize. After the chaos, Hippolyta invoked her agreement with Atalanta and dragged Samael away.

• Samael approached Hippomenes in the pit, but Atalanta tackled him and desperately searched him for a Golden Apple.
• A contestant charged toward the finish, and Samael used Atalanta to trip him before accidentally revealing that a woman had been hiding inside the contestant’s armor.
• A red-haired woman crossed the finish line first, the woman from the armor came second, and Atalanta took third after Samael tossed her a Golden Apple.
• Samael removed Aphrodite’s Authority from Atalanta and Hippolyta, then sealed it inside the real Golden Apple.
• Atalanta woke in Samael’s arms and learned that Hippolyta claimed him under their agreement, so Hippolyta dragged him away by the collar.

Atalanta agreed to race Hippolyta after learning that Theseus had acted on her wish to protect children, but a ruling invalidated Hippolyta’s results and reopened the contest for Atalanta’s husband. As Samael headed to the track with Atalanta and Hippolyta, he spotted someone from the Sea God Temple beside King Iasos.

• Hippolyta told Atalanta that Theseus had subdued Heracles and captured her, and Atalanta recognized that he had acted on her wish for children to grow up surrounded by love.
• Atalanta agreed to race Hippolyta, who promised to protect Amazon newborns if she won and hoped to bring Theseus back to help her tribe.
• Samael learned that Atalanta and Hippolyta had made their own wager, leaving him frustrated that Atalanta might lose to Hippolyta and leave for Amazon.
• A maid announced that Hippolyta’s results had been voided because she was ineligible by gender, and that Atalanta’s husband would be chosen again from among the winners.
• Samael went to the racetrack with Atalanta and Hippolyta, then saw a Sea God Temple figure beside King Iasos.

King Iasos declared Hippomenes the winner and named the surviving contestants his slaves, but Asclepius exposed Hippomenes's cheating and brought forward divine oracles backing Atalanta's marriage to Theseus. The Sea God Temple demigod objected, while Asclepius reached for yet another oracle.

• King Iasos awarded the victory to Hippomenes, and the Sea God Temple demigod declared that the losers would become his slaves.
• Samael stopped Atalanta from confronting her father and pointed out Asclepius, who accused Hippomenes of using a mind-confusing item and attacking Theseus.
• Asclepius played a recording that proved Hippomenes had confessed, prompting the crowd to condemn him.
• The Sea God Temple demigod invoked Poseidon's oracle in support of Atalanta's marriage, but Asclepius presented Athena's blessing of the union between Theseus and Atalanta.
• Asclepius presented Themis's oracle condemning Hippomenes and Medusa's oracle marking him with a curse that let Theseus pursue vengeance.
• The Sea God Temple demigod warned Asclepius to stop interfering, but Asclepius asked whether three oracles were not enough and reached for another scroll.

Asclepius proclaimed Atalanta’s protection and Hippomenes’s punishment, but Hippomenes was killed by Ares after blaming Aphrodite. Samael left with Atalanta and their companions for Iolcus, while he and Athena each privately revealed plans that would burden the other.

• Asclepius declared that Atalanta would be protected by the Mount of the God of War and that Theseus’s competition results stood, then ordered Hippomenes to report for trial.
• Hippomenes blamed Aphrodite for the Golden Apple, and Ares struck him down with a beam of light.
• Asclepius healed the arena crowd, while Samael assigned labor to malicious competitors and led Atalanta away.
• Samael rebuked Hippolyta for trying to bargain over Atalanta, then gave her a snake scale and directed her to seek Athena’s advice for the Amazons.
• Samael, Atalanta, and Heracles joined their companions and Diana, who announced that they were traveling to Iolcus for Athena’s trial.
• Samael planned to make Athena address the Amazons’ troubles, while Athena privately intended to send him into a difficult journey and draw Olympus’s attention.

Samael learned that Artemis had offered information about Paradise Island in exchange for help rescuing Orion, whose preserved soul and intellect were deteriorating. Athena revealed that unknown Rules were stripping Orion’s soul, and Samael suspected Paradise Island was connected.

• Athena asked Samael to lead an expedition to find Paradise Island, with Artemis’s help as the price for the information.
• Samael recalled how Artemis accidentally killed Orion after Apollo tricked her, then sought Athena’s help to restore him.
• Athena explained that she had preserved part of Orion’s intellect and soul in the bear plush Artemis carried, but the preservation was failing.
• Athena said Orion’s intellect was fading and unknown Rules were stripping away his soul; Samael suspected Paradise Island was involved.

Athena explained that Mount of the God of War was searching for Paradise Island, the suspected destination of vanished Greek heroes and a possible hidden weapon of Zeus. Samael agreed to join the expedition, while learning that Athena feared Zeus was targeting her forces and that the island was unlikely to be among the Amazons.

• Athena revealed that Orion had described Paradise Island during episodes of soul separation, and Samael asked what benefit the search offered Mount of the God of War.
• Athena explained that Paradise Island might be the final resting place of Greek Heroes, while Medusa said Orion had seen Perseus and his sons there.
• Themis said fate suggested Zeus was manipulating the heroes and that Mount of the God of War needed to uncover his hidden cards before Olympus faced upheaval.
• Samael realized Athena wanted him to find or destroy Zeus's possible weapon, and he asked whether Poseidon or Hera had urged her to act against Zeus.
• Athena said Zeus seemed to have set his sights on Mount of the God of War, then dismissed Samael's hope that Paradise Island lay among the Amazons.
• A jolt in the carriage snapped Samael out of the conversation and sent his head into Atalanta's embrace.

Atalanta read the original Orphic doctrinal manuscript to learn more about Samael, but its creation story stunned him. Samael discovered that Athena had written the myth to describe him and Tina, and Athena welcomed him back as the Primordial Serpent and king.

• Atalanta told Samael she was studying the manuscript to understand him better, and he hurriedly skimmed it to avoid questions.
• Samael read the manuscript’s creation story, in which the goddess Euryonome and the serpent Ophion created the world.
• Samael secretly contacted Mount of the God of War and asked what was going on with the Orphic Cult.
• Athena revealed that she had written the creation story and identified Euryonome and Ophion as Tina and Samael.
• Athena welcomed Samael back as Euryonome, Goddess of Chaos and Order, and Ophion, the Primordial Serpent.

Samael learned that Athena, Medusa, and Themis honored him as a creator god for his past deeds, and accepted the duty of finding Paradise Island and lifting the curse on human heroes. He and Athena then planned how to exploit Poseidon and Hera while keeping Zeus unaware of their schemes.

• Athena praised Samael as a creator god, and Medusa and Themis bowed in reverence.
• Samael thanked the goddesses, then agreed to find Paradise Island and break the curse of fate upon human heroes.
• Samael told Athena to leave Poseidon and Hera hanging until they discovered Zeus's hidden cards.
• Athena explained that Poseidon would seek an alliance despite their public conflict at Arcadia, since he craved power against Zeus.
• Samael judged Hera isolated and weak, and proposed using Heracles to keep her committed to rebellion.

Samael and the Three Goddesses planned how to overthrow Zeus and contain Poseidon, then considered replacing Olympus with a new order led by Mount of the God of War. Athena embraced Samael’s idea of building a Starry Sky Court from the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Cloths.

• Samael reflected on how he had guided Heracles to rebel against Zeus and hoped the Three Goddesses would carry that struggle forward.
• Athena assessed the Olympian Gods’ likely positions in a rebellion and teased Samael about Hippolyta.
• Samael warned Athena that Poseidon’s sea authority and divine allies could turn Olympus’s internal conflict into a broader threat.
• Samael proposed replacing Olympus with Mount of the God of War and sending the Twelve Olympian Gods to Tartarus Prison if necessary.
• Samael suggested using twelve Gold Cloths and eighty-eight constellations to establish a Starry Sky Court, and Athena enthusiastically explained how its Cloths could replace the Olympian hierarchy.

Samael and the Three Goddesses planned to create gods from the eighty-eight constellations, establishing the Star Pioneers as a new divine system rooted in humanity. After ending the meeting, Samael returned to the expedition’s camp and sent Athena a Golden Apple bearing a mysterious inscription.

• Medusa warned that the Primordial Gods and Olympians could threaten their plans, while Samael concluded that the new order needed more than the Star Cloths to challenge Olympus.
• Samael proposed granting godhood to the eighty-eight constellations through the Orphic Cult, and Athena suggested linking them to the four divine authorities and human faith.
• Samael proposed beginning with Asclepius and disaster bells in city-state temples, and Themis embraced the vision of the Star Pioneers.
• Samael assigned the Mount of the God of War to draw Zeus’s attention, arrange the alliance with Poseidon and Hera, and find candidates for the stellar authorities among Greece’s finest heroes.
• Samael returned to the stopped carriage at night, inscribed “To the most beautiful goddess!” on a Golden Apple, and sent it with the Little Mole.

During the Argonaut Expedition’s first night, Samael reflected on the dangers of their mission and accompanied Atalanta to visit the mother bear who had raised her. They returned to camp holding hands, with Atalanta feeling reassured before the journey ahead.

• Atalanta roasted meat for Samael while Orpheus played music for the companions, and Artemis later dragged Samael into her tent for the night.
• Samael recognized that the expedition involved powerful gods and Zeus’s secrets, so he decided to treat its dangers more seriously than earlier adventures.
• Atalanta told Samael that they were near the place where King Iasos had abandoned her, then led him into the forest to visit her adoptive mother, a giant female bear.
• The mother bear warmly welcomed Samael, and Atalanta said goodbye as she prepared to leave on another journey.
• Samael promised to protect Atalanta, and the two returned to camp holding hands.

Jason welcomed Samael and the others to Iolcus and became fascinated by the animated bear’s lecherous commentary, only for Artemis to shoot it full of arrows. After Samael explained Artemis’s identity, Jason asked him to handle any dangerous women they encountered on the voyage to Colchis and happily began the welcoming banquet.

• Jason enthusiastically greeted Heracles, Theseus, and their companions as they arrived in Iolcus.
• The animated bear appraised the maidservants, and Jason eagerly tried to approach it.
• Artemis shot the bear after catching Jason’s interest, then gathered and repaired it.
• Samael told Jason that Artemis was Diana and that the bear was her cursed lover.
• Jason rejected the idea of courting heroines and asked Samael to protect him from dangerous women on the voyage to Colchis.
• Jason decided that Samael would handle the women while he pursued the men, then led the group into the hall for the banquet.

Jason entertained the heroes in Iolcus before setting out to seek the Golden Fleece, while Samael and Hercules discussed Jason’s flaws and his honesty. That night, Samael and Atalanta shared a room and ended up together beneath the bed curtains.

• Jason told Samael that his uncle had tasked him with obtaining the Golden Fleece, and admitted he feared the voyage but felt he had to go.
• Jason hosted a lavish feast, promised to charge its expenses to the palace, and privately encouraged Samael not to waste the night.
• Samael criticized Jason to Hercules, then said Jason’s honesty made him likable; Hercules agreed and toasted their friendship with him.
• Jason arranged for Samael and Atalanta to share a room because there were not enough beds.
• Samael and Atalanta moved into the same bed, shed their clothes, and Atalanta pinned him beneath the bed curtains.

Samael and Atalanta spent seven days shut in their room together, repeatedly postponing meals and sleep. Caenis finally confronted them over the noise, and the chapter ended with the pair agreeing to sleep separately while Circe kept watch over her unconscious roommate.

• Samael woke beside Atalanta, and they stayed in bed together instead of getting up.
• Samael and Atalanta continued their intimate encounters for seven days, neglecting meals, sleep, and greeting everyone.
• Caenis, driven mad by the noise next door, grabbed her spear and charged out to confront them.
• Circe knocked Caenis unconscious, dragged her back inside, and layered their rooms with protective magecraft.
• Samael and Atalanta agreed to sleep properly, cleaned the bedding, and lay down separately.

Samael conjured a divinely blessed ship at Iolcus to help Jason’s Golden Fleece expedition, though the gods turned its arrival into a spectacle. After Athena teased him about traveling to meet the parents, Samael asked whether she had received his Golden Apple, and she reacted furiously.

• Caenis woke with a foggy mind and aches, while Circe hurried her out of the room and hid the Nether Moon Staff and medicine pouch beneath the bed.
• Samael watched the harbor at Iolcus and concluded that Jason could not sail across the Sea of Oceanus without a suitable ship.
• Samael summoned a massive vessel, and Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, and other divine signs bestowed blessings upon it before the people and King of Iolcus.
• Samael complained to Athena that she had made the ship’s arrival too grand, and Athena explained that the other gods had appeared for their own reasons.
• Athena teased Samael about meeting the parents, and Samael asked if she had received his Golden Apple, making her furious.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter is an extra segment set in the world of Tiamat.
• It focuses on a group of adventurers who gather to watch a live broadcast of a high-level dungeon dive by a famous adventurer team, the "Silver Wings."
• The broadcast is interrupted, and the adventurers in the group decide to investigate the source of the interference.

Character Developments

• Klein: A former adventurer turned bartender, Klein is initially reluctant to get involved but eventually joins the investigation, showing his lingering adventurer spirit.
• Lily: A young, inexperienced adventurer, Lily gains confidence and learns from the more experienced adventurers in the group.
• Gideon: A mysterious, high-level adventurer, Gideon reveals his true strength and becomes more open with the group.

Significant Themes

• Adventure and Exploration: The chapter highlights the thrill and danger of dungeon diving, as well as the allure of the unknown.
• Teamwork and Camaraderie: The group of adventurers comes together to face a common threat, showcasing the importance of teamwork and friendship.
• The Power of Information: The live broadcast and the group's investigation emphasize the value of knowledge and information in the adventuring world.

Character Interactions

• Klein and Gideon: Klein's initial distrust of Gideon evolves into respect and a tentative friendship as they work together.
• Lily and the Group: Lily learns from and bonds with the more experienced adventurers in the group, particularly Klein and Gideon.
• The Group and the Unknown: The group's dynamic shifts as they face the mysterious interference, with each member contributing their unique skills and perspectives.

Samael explained that he gave Athena the Golden Apple to help guard against Aphrodite, whose influence threatened to disrupt the expedition for the Golden Fleece. Athena devised ways to use the apple against rival goddesses, but warned that Zeus had turned their ship into a hidden altar.

• Athena complained that Medusa had claimed the Golden Apple and that her owl had defected after being lured away with food.
• Athena told Samael that she had withdrawn her appeal to Themis because she believed the goddess would not rule impartially.
• Samael explained that Aphrodite’s influence connected Helen, Hippolyta, and Atalanta to major Greek conflicts, and warned that she might interfere with the Golden Fleece expedition.
• Athena and Samael discussed using the Golden Apple to stir conflict among Aphrodite, Hera, Medusa, and Themis, while agreeing to keep Olympus stable for now.
• Athena warned Samael that Zeus’s divine markings had turned their ship into a hidden great altar.

Samael reflected on the grim fates awaiting the Argonauts and suspected Zeus planned to sacrifice them, while the Argo prepared to sail. Jason led the heroes out of Iolcus and, after joking with Samael, proved capable as captain by organizing their voyage to Colchis.

• Samael recalled the tragic fates of many Argonauts and feared Zeus intended to sacrifice all fifty heroes.
• Iolcus supplied the Argo, and Samael arranged extra fruit for the voyage.
• Jason gave the order to sail, and a favorable gale carried the Argo out of the harbor as the people cheered.
• Jason admitted to Samael that he regretted leaving Iolcus and joked about his night with the women who had visited him.
• Jason gathered the heroes in the captain's cabin to study the sea chart and plan their route to Colchis.

While the Argonauts explored a reef-covered island, Jason and Samael prepared for trouble, unaware that the island was a resting Leviathan Giant Whale. The whale surfaced and attacked the fleeing explorers, and Artemis, Atalanta, and Heracles fired to protect them.

• Jason sent Meleager, Caenis, and Castor to explore the island, but Caenis gave her place to Pollux.
• Samael warned Jason that trouble would come and advised him to prepare the archers to cover the explorers.
• Jason reflected on the Argonauts' past adventures and their survival, while Samael recalled secretly protecting the crew and rejected the Grand Altar's claim on them.
• Atalanta warned that the island was moving, and Heracles spotted something rising through the dark water.
• Oryx identified the island as a reef formed on a Leviathan Giant Whale and said the creature was usually gentle.
• A huge armored Leviathan Whale burst from the sea and lunged at the explorers' boat, so Artemis, Atalanta, and Heracles attacked it with their divine shots.

The Argo’s crew defeated a Leviathan Giant Whale and rescued an unconscious girl while returning from their search for fresh water. After the crew feasted on the whale, the girl revealed it was her companion, and the heroes realized she belonged to the Sea Royal Family.

• Samael and the crew pulled the advance boat to the Argo while their attacks killed the Leviathan Giant Whale.
• Meleager explained that the advance team had rescued an unconscious girl from the sinking island after she attacked them.
• Jason ordered the whale butchered, and the crew sailed away from its corpse before enjoying a feast of whale dishes.
• The girl woke, and Oryx translated her accusations that the crew had kidnapped her and killed her companion, the whale.
• The son of the sea god noticed gill slits behind the girl’s ears and recognized her as Sea Royal Family; the head chef told her he knew where her whale was.