Greek Goddess Reviewer

Chapter 2 – Hera’s Help

Hera, the goddess of family.

Those familiar with Greek mythology might also know her as the embodiment of jealousy.

But in her defense, I’d say her actions were perfectly reasonable.

Among the morally bankrupt gods in Greek mythology, I dare say she stands out as one of the few with actual integrity.

No, let’s be honest here.

Wouldn’t she be crazier if she just let all those women who slept with that bastard Zeus go unpunished?

Of course, they say she showed no mercy even to rape victims, but Hera is strictly the goddess of family.

Letting mistresses and illegitimate children go unchecked would lead to broken homes, which would mean neglecting her domain.

Callisto?

Who’s that?

Anyway, the reason I’m saying all this.

It’s because the goddess standing before me was breathtakingly beautiful.

Thankfully she had hastily put on a tunic to cover her lower body, otherwise I might have become the madman who got an erection in front of a goddess.

「Zeus is targeting you.」

「Probability of Zeus pouncing on you: 98.9%」

But why is this status window suddenly appearing so tactlessly?

「To counter him, sleep with goddesses and leave reviews.」

「There is a goddess in front of you that you can review.」

「Target: Hera, Goddess of Family」

「Difficulty level: High」

「No review has been registered yet.」

What the fuck?

‘You want me to sleep with Hera now?’

I can’t!

I won’t!

That woman, if you mess with her wrong, you won’t even have bones left to collect!

I remained frozen, head bowed before Hera, unable to say anything.

Hera must have thought I was completely terrified, as she looked at me with even more pitiful eyes.

“Poor child. Zeus, that guy, what on earth is he trying to do to this young one…”

Sympathy flows from her tone.

‘Right. This woman is the goddess who protects family and its ethics.’

I’m an orphan who was abandoned by my family and became a slave.

It makes sense that she would sympathize with me, essentially abandoned from a broken home.

“Are, are you saying you’ll help me?” I belatedly asked.

Hera nodded.

“With Ganymede, my intervention came too late, but now it’s entirely possible.”

Hera gritted her teeth.

They say she’s one of the greatest beauties in Greek mythology, and it shows.

Even when angry, she looks beautiful.

“I shall never repeat the same mistake again.”

Hera’s gentle hand reached out to me.

“Come here, child. I will surely help you escape from his clutches.”

But where to?

How to escape from that guy?

Though trembling, I couldn’t hastily grab Hera’s hand.

“How?” I asked.

Tears flowed from one of my eyes.

I was now completely a frightened boy.

“Where to?” I asked.

Hera looked at me with pity.

“Unfortunately, you are a child thrown out of home. So I cannot fully save you.”

Kheuk!

Hera suddenly embraced me.

Her bursting bosom pressed against my face.

I swallowed my saliva and froze in place.

“Hestia, goddess of the hearth, looks after orphans. I will guide you to her, so endure until then. She will protect you completely.”

Thank you! Thank you, goddess!

It was right to act like a frightened child after all!

Hera, queen of the gods!

And Hestia, the first virgin goddess whom no one dares to touch!

With those two, I can escape from Zeus!

「Hera helps you.」

「Probability of Zeus pouncing: 76.2%」

What?

This isn’t enough?

‘What if Hestia helps?’

「Calculating based on that assumption.」

「Probability of Zeus pouncing: 46.9%」

The probability has decreased significantly.

But it hasn’t disappeared.

No, rather, there’s still half a chance remaining.

‘Hera and Hestia’s help alone isn’t enough!’

Even if they sympathize with me and actively help, that wouldn’t be everything.

Yes. What the status window mentioned at first was right.

‘I need to sleep with the goddesses!’

Didn’t it say to leave a review?

Then what exactly would happen?

「You can receive part of the goddesses’ blessing and grow as a god.」

The status window answered my question as if it had been waiting. I clenched my fist.

‘Grow into a god?’

In Greek mythology, humans becoming gods is only accomplished through the gods themselves.

Unless you have divine lineage, most are elevated by receiving the gods’ blessing.

Otherwise, you need to achieve heroic feats, which is impossible for me right now.

That’s only possible for those with divine blood.

‘But with this status window…!’

Did it say to sleep with goddesses?

Crude as it may be, it was giving me one possibility.

A choice to completely break free from Zeus.

‘I’ll do it. I’ll definitely do it!’

I raised my head.

“We’ve arrived.”

I gazed at the place Hera had guided me to.

Hera dismissed other passing goddesses and attendants, claiming she would personally guide me to my quarters.

“This is the path down to the mortal world.”

My determination.

My resolve to sleep with other goddesses before being taken by Zeus.

I had arrived at that starting point.

“Hephaestus.”

There was a god waiting for Hera in front of the entrance to the human world.

Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths.

One side of his face was hideously disfigured, but the other side showed a man with strong features.

Though he limped with a cane, his well-built upper body was a physique forged by blacksmith work.

“Mother.”

With a deep voice, Hephaestus bowed his head to Hera.

Hera gently pushed me toward him.

“Take this child to the Temple of the Hearth.”

“Father would…”

“That man can no longer bear to watch him lusting after other males.”

Hera gritted her teeth.

“Not content with desiring other women, he now desires men too. This deviates from the principles of being faithful to one’s family.”

She is one who rejects polygamy even unto death.

She was a goddess who held the absolute truth that only monogamy constitutes a proper family.

From a modern perspective, this would be most appropriate.

Well… in this insane ancient Greek world, Hera with such thinking was merely considered a goddess driven mad by jealousy.

“I understand.”

But Hephaestus obeyed his mother’s words. He wrapped his arm around my waist and carried me on his back.

“If we were to be discovered…”

“I will take responsibility.”

Hera spoke softly, then knelt down. She gazed quietly at me as I was carried on Hephaestus’s back, and held her face in her hands.

“Handsome child. Let’s meet again.”

With those words, Hera pressed her lips to my forehead.

The blessing that flowed from her lips coursed throughout my entire body.

I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

“Thank you, Queen of all things.”

Hera smiled gently. Then she waved her hand.

Whoosh!

With the help of Hera and Hephaestus, I headed toward the earth.

* * *

“This place is…”

The Temple of the Hearth.

The temple that serves Hestia, goddess of the hearth and the first virgin goddess.

I had visited temples a few times since being reincarnated into this world.

But each time, there was a sacred, solemn atmosphere where one absolutely must not speak.

Whether it was Zeus’s temple or Hera’s temple.

It was the same wherever I went.

But this place is different.

“Kyahaha!”

“Over here, over here!”

“Try to catch me!”

Children are playing.

And with such pure innocence.

I was well aware that Hestia was a benevolent goddess who cared for orphans.

But seeing it in person made me truly understand.

Ah.

Zeus really was a terrible god.

“This is as far as I go.”

After guiding me, Hephaestus pulled his hood over his head.

His fierce red eyes stared through me intensely.

“You’re an interesting one.”

Hephaestus left with those words and turned away.

And only after I watched him limping away and disappearing did I realize what he meant.

‘Wait a minute.’

Did I just survive facing the true forms of three gods?

I looked down at myself.

But there was nothing unusual.

‘Status window. Could this be…’

「Passive Skill: One Who Faces Gods.」

「You can survive facing a goddess’s divine form and making direct contact with their true self.」

Ha……

How can you only tell me this now?

‘So it’s not about the goddess’s avatar, but I have to actually sleep with them for the review to be valid.’

And when I rate and write a review, I can grow by receiving the blessing of the goddesses I’ve slept with.

I raised my head.

And looked at the window floating in front of me.

「Hera helps you.」

「Probability of Zeus pouncing: 75.2%」

It decreased by 1% after Hera helped me escape to the human world.

But it’s still high.

To lower it even a little from here, I needed Hestia’s help by any means necessary.

Flutter.

I lowered the hood that had been covering my face.

And made my way to the temple of the hearth.

The orphans all turned to look at me at once.

The priestesses who were transferring fire also looked at me.

“Oh my. Who is this handsome boy?”

One of the priestesses walked over to me.

And tilting her head, she asked,

“Is something wrong? Have you lost your way?”

I trembled violently.

I grabbed my arms and began to sob.

“Oh, what’s this?”

Facing the confused priestess, I desperately cried out.

“Save me!”

This time with genuine sincerity, not acting.

“I’m b-being chased! Please save me!”

I just didn’t mention who was chasing me.