Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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"Achoo."

Hephaestus sneezed a few times and rubbed her nose. She gave Artemis a suspicious look, feeling sure the Moon Goddess had somehow just offended her.

Artemis quickly looked away under Hephaestus's stare. Doubt played over her face.

"Say, do you think it's possible..." Artemis had barely opened her mouth when Hephaestus raised a hand.

"NO." The refusal came so fast that Artemis never got to finish.

Artemis pouted, wondering why Hephaestus shut her down before she could even finish.

"Artemis, this isn't like you at all." Hephaestus started to piece things together. After their trip through the portal, August seemed even more popular. Even Artemis was now drawn to him, as if he had some magnetic pull.

"Didn't you swear off romance? You're not Hestia. If you were Hestia, I might at least understand your perspective," Hephaestus wondered if something had taken hold of Artemis.

"..." Loki and Demeter stared at Artemis in shock, eyes gleaming as if they had stumbled onto the gossip of the century.

"You've got to be kidding me. What did that kid do to win you over?" Loki stared at her in disbelief.

Had August picked up some secret charm skill? Another woman had fallen for him. This was getting ridiculous.

"I... I don't know." Artemis was normally strict and decisive, but now she felt a fluttering interest in romance.

"He's dull and quiet. He has a weird temper and strange hobbies. He looks plain and doesn't have an ounce of youthful energy..." Hephaestus openly started listing all of August's flaws.

Loki and Demeter stared at Hephaestus, baffled.

A virgin goddess dreaming about romance was easy enough to understand, but Hephaestus was obviously in love with August. Why was she criticizing him so openly? What was she trying to pull?

"Hephaestus, what exactly do you see in him?" Loki prodded.

What did she see in him? How could she have a crush and criticize him at the same time?

In the middle of her rant, Hephaestus touched the eyepatch that covered her scarred face. "He doesn't care that I'm ugly. He was the first person to tell me I have a unique kind of beauty."

She meant it. She still remembered the day August first saw her face. She had braced herself for disgust, but none came. He only smiled at her, warm and honest, without a trace of pity.

When asked what drew her to him, she answered honestly.

"Damn." The Goddesses at the table were stunned.

"No wonder you like him," Demeter said.

Women cared about their looks, and Goddesses cared even more. For ages, Hephaestus had only listened to rumors of her scars. August complimenting her directly made a huge impression and instantly raised her opinion of him.

So that was the truth. While Hephaestus listed his flaws, she was secretly thinking about how to win him over.

'She's totally gearing up to steal him...' All the Goddesses around the table had the same thought: Hephaestus was about to try to take Hestia's man.

"So, what's your plan for him?" Demeter leaned in carefully.

What would she do if she actually managed to win him over?

"I will watch over my current children until they pass on. I won't accept any new members. Once the time comes, I'll take him and leave this world forever."

Hephaestus explained her plan, looking a bit shy. She would stay with her current Familia until they passed away, then leave with August for a new world and never return.

Goddesses with strong emotions could be scary...

"And what about you? What do you like about him?" Hephaestus turned the spotlight back on Artemis.

The Moon Goddess had always avoided men. So why was she suddenly interested?

"I... I don't know."

Artemis had no answer. She truly couldn't say what it was she liked about him.

Demeter stepped in with the simplest answer. "If August had lived a thousand years ago, people would have called him a hero. Honestly, he has a stronger sense of right and wrong than most heroes from any age."

"There's nothing mysterious about him. He's an ordinary man who refuses to abandon what he believes is right. That alone makes him seem almost saintly compared to everyone else. Loki, could any of your children stand before an angry crowd and still offer the Xenos a home?"

"August knows where he draws the line, and he has no tolerance for cruelty. Once someone crosses it, every part of him turns against them. He's like a hedgehog. Get too close with the wrong intentions, and all you'll find are spines."

August seemed ordinary at first glance, but the way he held to his principles set him apart. He was kind without being gullible and ruthless when necessary, never for the sake of cruelty.

Once someone crossed the line, he acted without hesitation. That stubborn refusal to look away made him hard to ignore, especially in a city like Orario.

"Hmm." Artemis and Hephaestus thought about it.

Demeter was right. In his own world, August might have been just another person—but in Orario, he stood out.

"Most importantly, he's not a pervert," Loki agreed, crossing her arms. That was the trait she respected most. "He keeps his guard up around Freya. When Ishtar tried to charm him, he literally punched through the illusion."

It showed he couldn't be swayed by simple tricks. He was always aware of what was happening around him.

"Still, bagging this guy isn't going to be easy. He's got unlimited potential. With his personality, he's bound to run into someone who actually knocks him off his feet."

Loki thought that a man like August wouldn't stay single forever. His strong morals and stubbornness were very attractive to many women.

Thinking about it made her sigh.

"I feel bad for my Finn. He finally finds a Pallum with skill, potential, and real guts, only to realize her heart is already taken..."

Loki shared some of her own Familia's problems.

Since the War Game, she had seen her Captain looking into Liliruca Arde's background. Finn wanted to restore the Pallum race's glory, and he finally found a promising Pallum.

Sadly, Liliruca's heart was with someone else.

"Oh? Braver's thinking about marriage?" Hephaestus had never expected this kind of gossip from Loki Familia.

"Liliruca Arde has a good head for command, enough nerve to slip behind enemy lines, and she can handle herself in a fight. Finn's spent his whole life trying to restore pride to the Pallums. Of course he'd want to marry the finest Pallum woman he could find." Loki said.

She made no effort to hide it. Everyone knew.

"True. That girl went through hell with the Soma Familia for years. Meeting August was what finally helped her climb out. With her grit, she'll do just fine on her own, even as a Supporter."

Artemis understood why Liliruca Arde had earned so much respect. Among all the Adventurers in Orario, she had been the one to recognize what August could become. Winning both his trust and Hestia's only proved how capable she was.

Lili had clawed her way back from a life that should have broken her. It was hard not to admire someone who had come so far.

"You don't think Finn has a shot?" Demeter asked, surprised. "Pallum women usually marry Pallum men. That's just how it's always been."

It wasn't like Loki to doubt her own Captain...

"A shot?" Loki rolled her eyes.

Not a snowball's chance in hell.

"Every girl wants someone she can believe in. And unless I've read him completely wrong, August couldn't care less that she's a Pallum."

Loki sipped her tea.

Did they really think a Goddess couldn't see what was going on? Her Captain was headed for a tough rejection.

"Whatever. A little heartbreak builds character. Life isn't always smooth sailing."

Finn Deimne needed a wake-up call.

Did he really think finding a wife was like making a deal? Lili had fought her way out of a nightmare with August's help. If Finn wanted to win her over, he needed to understand just how deep her loyalty ran.

"It is what it is." Loki gave a helpless smile.

If Finn wanted a top Pallum wife, he should have helped one grow himself instead of trying to take someone who was already accomplished.

Lili might be a Pallum, but she didn't owe it to anyone to marry the Braver just for her race.

"Ooooh."

The talk had started with August, but Loki's blunt honesty gave the Goddesses plenty to gossip about. Who would have guessed the Loki camp was facing romantic rejection?

Excellence attracts excellence—

Outside the dining room, the members of Artemis Familia had gathered near the door, shamelessly listening in on the goddesses' tea party.

Their goddess seemed to have feelings for August. Hephaestus openly admitted she liked him. Now Finn had set his sights on Liliruca Arde, placing him in direct competition with August.

The gossip just kept getting better.

"Do any of you like August?" Lante whispered suddenly, glancing around at her Familia. She was asking what everyone was really thinking.

"Uh..."

Talk about throwing someone under the bus. Why did everything circle back to him?

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

"Achoo. Achoo. Achoo."

Meanwhile, back on Earth, August sneezed a few times and rubbed his nose.

"What's wrong? Did you catch a cold?" Hestia handed him a tissue and leaned in, looking him over.

"Is someone talking about you behind your back??"

Her divine senses found no sign of illness. No virus, no sickness—he was perfectly healthy. Someone was definitely gossiping about her man!!

"Is it Hephaestus? Or maybe Artemis? Yeah, it's got to be them. They're the only ones who act like that." Hestia was sure those two were behind it.

Freya was too busy obsessing over Bell Cranel to care about August. And Ishtar? She'd been hiding out since Apollo lost. Honestly, Ishtar should be grateful Hestia hadn't shown up to settle things.

"You're just throwing names out," August sighed.

But honestly, her instincts were scarily accurate.

"Hmph. Call it intuition." Hestia gave a proud thumbs-up.

That was a Goddess's wisdom. She might seem lazy most days, but when it came to protecting her own, she always came through.

"Sure, sure." August let it go. "Lili, how's the prep going?"

He glanced at Lili, who was sliding a recording drive into a special recon drone built just for stealth missions.

"All set,"

Lili said, proud of her work. "Once we send this into the other world, it'll quietly record everything we need."

Now that the portal was open to a new world, exploring the Dungeon wasn't his main focus anymore.

With a new world to explore and a recent promotion to Level 3, August's ambitions had grown.

The third world was Fate/Strange Fake—a timeline from the TYPE-MOON universe.

Hestia's early scouting showed the timeline hadn't reached the big events August remembered. They had three days before things got really messy.

It was clear what was going on. The Counter Force, or whatever version of Alaya ran that world, had put them at this exact moment on purpose. The world's defense system probably wanted the local Servants to take out August's team.

But August wasn't going in unprepared. He had his own plan. Why should he be afraid of a mythological battle in the TYPE-MOON universe? If the Counter Force wanted a fight between Gods, he was ready.

He had real Goddesses at his side—unsealed, full-power Olympians. If Artemis and Hestia let loose, they could destroy the planet with one punch.

"Lord August, our schedule is really tight," Lili pointed out.

Before anything else, they needed a base to operate from.

"Don't worry about the base. The military will have it secured by tomorrow," August said, brushing off the concern.

According to his latest briefing: in twenty-four hours, he'd send a team of modern soldiers through the gate to secure the area and establish a perimeter.

Taking over a new world—even a shaky parallel world—was a huge opportunity. Commanders like James wanted the tactical data and the fame of cross-dimensional missions, and August was glad to let them go for it.

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