After being sacrificed to Eros [Greek mythology]

When Apollo said this, the lyre in his hand slowly played again, intermittently, as if sorrow was written on his face.

The scorching sun shone on the sun god, making his face shine brightly.

The faint music drifted into Cupid's ears, softening Cupid's nerves one by one, making old scenes appear in front of his eyes.

The Sun God is the God of War, a poet, an out-and-out genius, and a devoted lover.

Cupid sighed nonchalantly, raised his wrist, and pressed Apollo's lyre again.

"Stop singing."

He repeated what he said just now, but his tone was slightly lighter than before, "If you want, let's go to the riverside you mentioned, and take a look at Miss Daphne's laurel tree."

Apollo's pupils froze for a moment, then shook his head in distress.

"I'm not willing to go. Whenever I see the laurel plant of Daphne, I feel very desolate, with an indescribable sadness... This kind of emotion is really bad, and you can't understand it."

Cupid paused for a while, and pursed his lips helplessly, as if he was cornered by a naughty child and had to use his last trick.

Cupid leaned over slightly, tapped Apollo's lira, and said with a smile, "You'd better go with me. Otherwise, my ears really can't bear it."

Apollo heard something different from Cupid's tone.

His wheat ear-colored eyes burst into light, hesitantly but earnestly asked, "You won't... have a way to call Daphne back?"

Cupid shook his head in denial.

"Becoming a laurel tree is Daphne's own wish, how can I reverse it."

Apollo was discouraged, "Then what are you talking about. You can't just go to enjoy the scenery with me, right?"

Cupid didn't answer, he raised his chin, and stared at the misty distance.

"I really can't bring Miss Daphne back. But, you can meet her in another way."

……

Together they came to the laurel tree where Daphne was transformed.

Laurel grows near the water, with strong roots and leaves. Looking at it from a distance, its posture is natural, which is quite different from other surrounding trees.

"My Daphne, even if turned into a laurel, is still beautiful." Apollo stroked the branches and leaves trembling with the wind familiarly, and closed his eyes ecstatically.

"Finally, what can you do to get me and Daphne to meet again?"

Cupid smiled slightly.

Cupid's arrows cannot be taken back, whether it is the golden arrow of passionate love or the lead arrow of bitter hatred.

Even if Daphne can really change from a tree back to a human form again, she still hates Apollo and will still avoid him.

Therefore, if Apollo does not change his infatuation and insists on seeing the girl, he can only become a laurel tree himself.

Apollo listened, squinting his eyes, a little skeptical of life.

Enduring his beating heart, he said in frustration, "You didn't stop turning my dear Daphne into a tree, but you also want to turn me into a tree? I think you did it on purpose, right?" ?”

Cupid is innocent, "I don't have one."

Cupid briefly explained that Apollo and Daphne are one person and one tree, so naturally they cannot communicate.

But if Apollo himself turns into a laurel tree, then they are the same race.

In the quiet night surrounded by moonlight, absorb the aura of moonlight together... then their souls can go out of their bodies for a short time and have a short communication.

This method is theoretically feasible.

But in fact, turning the handsome and brave god Apollo into a tree will definitely attract ridicule and criticism from the gods of Olympus.

Apollo couldn't help hesitating for a moment.

Cupid patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll keep a secret for you. Anyway, it's not like turning into a tree forever, it's just a temporary grievance, in exchange for a reunion with Daphne. It's up to you whether you want it or not." .”

After a pause, he smiled again and said, "Respected Sun God, if you don't want it yourself, then you can't blame me for being ruthless, and you can't disrupt it anymore. Play it at my wedding and play it at your place."

Apollo snorted lightly, what he said sounded a bit aggressive.

But the provocation is the provocation, and he is still subject to this provocation.

Face is not an issue, he is the God of the Sun, he is not even afraid of beasts and monsters, how can he be afraid of turning into a tree?

The power of the golden arrow was outrageous, and it had already penetrated into Apollo's blood.

As soon as the name Daphne was mentioned, his heart ached like a hole.

But if he hesitated for a moment, the bone marrow all over his body felt like being pierced by countless steel needles, and he was so painful that he couldn't breathe.

Apollo straightened his expression, and finally asked, "Are you sure I can see Daphne?"

Cupid nodded.

"I can swear it."

Apollo frowned pitifully, "Forget it. You don't need to swear, no matter it's true or not, I'll try."

He has been tortured so listlessly these days, he finally had an opportunity, and he couldn't let it go no matter what.

The worst thing is to lose face.

Even if all the people in Olympus laughed at him, he was willing to meet Daphne only once.

In the city-state, thunder and rain are accompanied by raindrops, like a cold cemetery, but this cemetery is not deserted at all, on the contrary, it is so lively that it makes people upset.

Hessy people gathered in the square, they were all slaves captured by Chloe.Crying, shouting and howling westerly wind mixed together, like the wraiths of the underworld... It made people think that hell is not in the underworld, but here.

Such a scene, the former Psyche must have been afraid.

Now it seems that it is commonplace.

After going through so many things, she has been able to deal with troubles relatively peacefully. Even if the troubles are overwhelming and no one can breathe, she is able to turn the tide and balance the situation in a more optimistic situation.

The God of West Wind told her, "I have already told Agnes the news of your arrival. She wanted me to say hello to you, and then she told you that she is fine. Everything is going according to the original plan!"

After hearing this, Psyche was relieved.

She knows that her sister is reliable, and she can't stretch her hips too much.

The final battle between the sisters and Chloe is coming.

After waiting in the cold wind for an unknown amount of time, I finally saw a vague figure on the tall stone platform of the hall.

Surrounded by a group of guards, the figure was dressed in dazzling Chinese attire, and the crowd erupted as soon as he appeared, and it was Chloe himself.

Seeing him twisting his slender beard on his face, his obsequious expression was exactly the same as before.

His head is slightly bald, and it has a tendency to spread around, his eyes are narrowed, his footsteps are sloppy, and it looks like he has a lot of indulgence.

Psyche clenched his fists.

It was this person who killed her parents and made her homeless.

I don't know how long this hatred has been hidden in my heart, and now it's finally time to let it go.

Seeing the slight redness in the corners of her eyes, the God of West Wind hastily reminded softly, "Psyche, we have to hold back. Agnes must be closer to that guy in the crowd at the moment, and she must feel more uncomfortable. She is still here. Let’s stand still, we can’t ruin things first.”

Psyche gasped and nodded silently.

Of course she won't.

After enduring it for so long, she would not allow herself to fall short at a critical moment.

Seeing Chloe's appearance, many captured people did not recognize him as the "king" at all, and their emotions immediately became agitated.If they were not unarmed, many people would have rushed over directly.

The scene seemed to be getting more and more chaotic.

The gloomy sky finally couldn't hold back any longer, and the torrential rainwater poured down like a waterfall, as if the rainwater was not rainwater, but huge boulders that hurt people when they hit them.

The torches used to burn the slaves were extinguished by the icy rain in barely a blink of an eye.

Psyche took a step back intimidated by the overwhelming aura, she had never seen such heavy rain, the Milky Way broke its embankment directly, and huge water dragons rushed straight to the ground, unstoppable.

When there is rain, there is thunder, and the accompanying thunder is like a monster eating people. There are faint purple lightning flashes in the clouds. Just looking at it from a distance makes you feel chills.

Under the momentum of the thunder, ordinary human voices were also inaudible.

Zephyros said worriedly, "Oops, Zeus couldn't be angry, right?"

If Chloe's behavior really angered Zeus, it was no joke.

...After all, Zeus once brought down the flood of waves and destroyed all human beings.

As he spoke, he saw chaos in the square, and some guards shouted hoarsely, "Protect the king, protect the king!"

I can only hear this sentence, no matter how many voices are drowned in the crackling rain.

Seeing that the timing was right, Psyche was about to start to act, but the scene got out of control.

The people gathered in the square rushed to the top of the stone platform like a wave, angrily trying to pull Chloe down.

In this dark crowd, there is a nimble and nimble figure that quickly shuttles among them. Looking down from a height, one can see that it is a woman, holding a long dagger... It is Agnes, she It has already started to act first.

Worried that something might happen to his sister, Psyche said to Zephyros, "Come on, let's go down and have a look."

Zephyros nodded heavily, neither of them were unarmed mortals, so they called a cloud directly, needless to say, broke into the wind and cold rain directly.

The continuous rain fell to the ground like golden beans, and the whole square was like a huge frying pan, stirring up the fleeing people.

"Protect the king, protect the king...!"

There are still people shouting at the top of their lungs, but this shout is too humble and has no appeal at all.

In order to prevent any accident from happening suddenly, Psyche paid special attention to Aldous - she was afraid that he would come out and make trouble suddenly.

After lingering for a long time, it was determined that there was no such person.

The scene was tense and tense to the extreme.

Zephyros propped up a transparent barrier to keep out the violent storm.He pointed to something not far away, and Agnes seemed to be approaching King Chloe.

Agnes's strike was extremely accurate, and the sharp blade stabbed towards Chloe in just a blink of an eye.

Psyche's heart rose to his throat.

She didn't know if this blow would succeed, but she was ready to fail.

Once Agnes is in any danger, she and Zephyros will take action immediately, saving the person first.

Fortunately, the situation was not that bad. The ground was red with blood, and Agnes's sharp long dagger had already pierced Chloe's arm.

—but not the heart.

Zephyros beat his feet and chest, "It's over, it's still a little bit worse!"

The surrounding guards were about to counterattack immediately, and before they could react, a fierce bolt of lightning hit the ground, startling the hairs on Psyche's ears to stand on end.

She stared helplessly as the lightning struck Agnes, and there was a large group of people standing there... However, Chloe was the only one who was scorched into charcoal.

Chloe's body was scorched and blackened, and she fell down in a daze, and then collapsed into pieces of dust.

The accident happened so suddenly that it made people dumbfounded.

Seeing the king being hacked to death, the eagles and dogs in charge of defending the king were in a state of chaos. They could no longer form a line of defense, and they fought with the people who rushed up, and also drowned Agnes.

There are too many people, a vast expanse, like ants swarming out of a nest.

All of a sudden, the crowd turned against each other, wrestling and killing each other, which was thousands of times more lethal than the torrential rain.

Psyche was anxious to fish Agnes up, but saw that the small stone box that Hades had given her had been opened at some point.

Immediately, Psyche felt as if cold water had been poured on his back, and his whole body was cold.Looking at Zephyroth again, he also trembled - neither of them was ready to open the small stone box.

No one knew what was inside.

That is the thing of Hades, a symbol of death and mystery.

Psyche calmed down a little, and bravely picked up the small stone box.

It was empty inside, as if there was nothing.

Zephyros and Psyche looked at each other.

However, soon the stone box changed, a puff of blue smoke slowly floated up, at first there was only a wisp, and it became thicker and thicker, as if there were invisible flints hidden in the depths, which were suddenly ignited.

The flames came back from the small box, they were not the usual bright yellow, but shone with a cold green light. Although it was a flame, it made people feel no warmth at all, but a biting cold.

Is this what Hades said, the thing that can drag people to hell can also send people to heaven?

Seeing the danger, Zephyros knocked Psyche's hand off first.

"Psyche, it's dangerous, let go!"

I saw that the flame was burning extremely fast, and after a moment of dazed effort, it was already unstoppable.

That thing turned into countless wisps of blue smoke, covered with a layer of coldness that made people feel cold inside, billowing and drifting towards the fierce fighting crowd.

What happened next was enough to describe it as psychedelic.

I saw that the flame released from the small stone box turned into countless clusters, flying in the air, like the head of Medusa, and many people who came into contact with the flame were eroded by this hellfire and fell down in pain It landed on the ground, and then turned into a wisp of dust in an instant, drifting away and disappearing.

God's punishment finally came.

It's just that this time it's not Zeus's great flood, it's not a disaster that destroys the world, it's just a cluster of small flames.

Panic spread rapidly among the crowd like a terrible plague. The palace guards who had been fighting with the people threw away their helmets and armor one after another, trying to escape from this nightmare flame.

Of course, there were also many old and weak people who fell to the ground in a panic.

But as Hades said, the things in the stone box are selective, and it just sends some people where they should go.

……

I don't know how long this catastrophe lasted.

When the torrential rain finally stopped and the golden sun shone on the sea level again, the sight was wide open, seemingly unreal, as calm as if nothing had happened.

The sea breeze carried a hint of coolness, and swept away the moldy atmosphere that had accumulated in the city-state for several years.

Psyche finally finds Agnes by the sea.

Logically speaking, the square where the ceremony was held was still some distance away from the seaside, so Agnes should never appear by the seaside.

However, everything was unpredictable—it was the westerly wind Zephyros used to protect Agnes, who was inattentive and overpowered, blowing her directly to the coast, but fortunately, she was fine.

Agnes lay powerless on the beach, looked at the weeping Psyche, and smiled, "Why are you crying? You're fine, I'm fine, we've worked so hard, and finally, Zeus still heard us Prayer, sent a natural disaster, and wiped out Chloe. We should be happy."

Psyche laughed through tears.

Should she tell her sister that it was not Zeus who helped them, but Hades of Hades who helped them—he sent the small stone box to turn the tide in a way that was suitable and did not cause too much harm.

Zephyros helped Agnes up.

He scratched his head and smirked sheepishly.

"What, I'm really sorry, I didn't control my strength, and instead brought you here. That... I will definitely change it in the future!"

Agnes rolled her eyes.

Zephyros is the god of the west wind, but he can't control the wind well, which is famous all over Olympus.

Psyche and Agnes have also been taught many times.

……

After the catastrophe, there were ruins everywhere in the city.

However, even if the city is riddled with holes, it is happier than before.Because Psyche is convinced that the "worms" dormant behind the city-state have been wiped out.

People who rely on the sea to eat the sea are hardworking and ingenious.If it wasn't for moths like Chloe who misled the country, the city-state would have been prosperous and rich.

After burying his parents, Psyche returned to live in the palace.

In the blood of the former king, there are only two daughters, both of whom can inherit the throne.

Psyche voluntarily abandoned the current monarch.

She is well aware that her mind is not as bright as her sister's, and she is easily impulsive and easily controlled by her own emotions, often unable to take care of the overall situation.When making plans, she was not as thoughtful and far-sighted as her sister.

It is not her heart to live in the position of a serious king for a long time, bound by various rules, which violates her character and her heart.

Most importantly, the little Cupid of Olympus is still waiting for her.

She has to go back quickly.

Their wedding hasn't happened yet.

I haven't seen her for a few days, but she has been thinking about Cupid like crazy, and often feels a dull pain in her heart for no reason, which presumably is also a side effect of the Golden Arrow.

From the moment the golden arrow pierced her heart, she could no longer be alone.

She and him are two people whose souls are intertwined.

On the other hand, Agnes is extremely busy, and has been dealing with Aldous' affairs.

A few days ago, the small wooden house did not trap Ados. Taking advantage of the turmoil, Ados sneaked away to the vicinity of the palace. He was carrying flint, a dagger and a long rope, and he seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to take revenge.

However, Agnes has long noticed his little trick of concealing it.

Agnes had already formed her trusted palace guards, but before Aldos could do anything, she was caught off guard and thrown into the palace prison.

According to the decree of the city-state, he will be convicted of treason and punished with the maximum penalty.

All kinds of affairs, large and small, in the city-state are governed submissively by the new queen, who is only in her twenties.

Those who had opposed Agnes's being king all fell silent when they saw this situation, as if they had become dumb.

Before Psyche left, Agnes had just finished her coronation.

I saw the new female monarch of the city-state rushing over, "Psyche, do you really want to leave?"

Psyche nodded silently.

Agnes took her hand and said earnestly, "Psyche...I really hope you can still be by my side."

The current city-state is at a critical turning point.

In this ancient and conservative city-state, only men can be the heirs, and it is the first time in history that a woman ascends the throne.

In the future, I don't know how many unpredictable difficulties are waiting for the role of "monarch".

Psyche smiled.

Although my sister's voice was weak and soft, but looking into her eyes, she was brave and resolute, and a certain light flowed through her inadvertently.

Agnes feels... like a bright light in the sea fog. Although the road ahead is still rough, she is the captain of the steady course.

No matter how difficult it is, we will face it.

Psyche patted her hand, "Dear sister, you don't have to keep me. I believe you are a good king, and you can carve out a world with your own ability."

These words were not flattering words, but what Psyche wanted to say sincerely.

Agnes hesitated for a moment, but she still couldn't help it, and whispered into Psyche's ear, "Is it really worth giving up the throne for a man, sister?"

In Agnes' perception, men are the most unreliable.

Of course, she didn't beat her to death with one shot. She was disgusted with all the men in the world... She just felt that men could associate with each other, and husbands could also have one, but they could only be part of her life, not all of them.

She has ego goals that she must achieve.

It is a bit difficult for her to accept that she should give up everything and go to Mount Olympus with a man thousands of miles away.

She's not one to be driven by love.Her self-realization is far more important than love itself.

Of course Psyche understood what her sister meant.

Perhaps, this is also the biggest difference between the two sisters.

Psyche is naturally more romantic and playful, while Agnes is naturally more rational and calm, and she is also born with a sober and intelligent mind for governing the country.

There's nothing good or bad about this, it's just that the paths are different.

As long as the heart can be satisfied, it is a good choice whether it is a king who holds great power or a goddess who is free and willful.

Psyche knew this very well, so he didn't try to grab the throne randomly.

In fact, human rights were neither interesting nor important to her.

She just wants to give birth to a pair of butterfly wings, and simply wander between the heaven and the earth with the gentle and knowing God of love.

Everyone has the most precious thing in everyone's heart. She and Agnes have different experiences, so they are destined to have different paths.

What Psyche wants is pure love as strong as gold.

The cold palace struggle can't satisfy her heart. Even if the whole Greek islands surrender at her feet, it's not as comfortable as a person who can accompany her to sleep with her and whisper with her.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this pursuit that Psyche sent the golden arrow into his heart without hesitation.

They are two sisters, one whose rationality prevails over emotions, and the other whose emotions overwhelm rationality. Neither of them can fully understand the other, and neither can change the other, so they have to choose the path that suits them best.

"I will miss you."

The circles of Agnes' eyes were a little red, and she finally said something.

Psyche nodded.They are connected by blood, needless to say, as long as they look at each other, they can understand each other's heart.

Psyche put on his cloak, and just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of Zephyros standing where he was.

She was slightly surprised, "God of West Wind, aren't you going back?"

Zephyros had stayed long enough, and Ben made an appointment to go back to Olympus with her and attend her wedding.

But now...

Zephyrus showed a smile, "Psyche, when you and Cupid are married, I will go."

He paused, then looked at Agnes, "Your sister will also go. But today, I won't go back."

Psyche was stunned for a moment, and then felt the different atmosphere between the two.

So is he going to stay?

Psyche deliberately teased, "Zephyros, don't forget, Cupid also promised to help you release a golden arrow. If you don't go back, how can you help me?"

Agnes frowned suddenly.

Zephyros smirked, a little bit speechless, "Cupid helped me find it from the beginning."

There was no way, since Agnes didn't want to go to Olympus to be the high god, he could only stay with her in the mortal world, be the shadow behind her, and be her good wife.

——He didn't hit the golden arrow, he was willing.