After two days of effort, the boat Eros needed was finally complete.
It was docked near the edge of the island, waiting only for Eros to finish his preparations before they could set off.
However, Eros hesitated, should he bring a few people along with him?
Ever since gaining wisdom, the others had begun mimicking Eros of their own accord. They learned to wash up, groom themselves, and even weave linen to make clothes.
Now that they were cleaned up and dressed decently, Eros noticed… some of them didn't actually look too bad.
If he brought one or two along, then even if the voyage got boring…
Pft! No, stop right there! What are you even thinking?! You're destined to court goddesses, not become another Zeus!
Then again, if he thought about it differently… wasn't he just trying to preserve the spark of Silver Age humanity? What was wrong with that?
With this justification in mind, Eros confidently approached them to discuss the idea.
"Sailing out to sea? Great Prophet Eros, do you require attendants to serve you?"
In just half a month, these people had already begun forming the early outlines of a tribal hierarchy.
And the one who had bestowed wisdom upon them, Eros was revered with the title of Great Prophet.
"No, it's not quite like that."
After a moment of hesitation, Eros decided to go ahead and reveal the truth: that this age was nearing its end.
There wasn't much point in telling them, he knew it might unsettle them, but he still felt compelled to say it.
To his surprise, no one showed any signs of shock.
"The end of the world?" the chieftain replied calmly. "A few months ago, a sacred hind appeared to us and conveyed the will of the King of the Gods."
"You already knew?"
Eros was visibly surprised.
"Then why…"
He was about to ask why they had remained so indifferent, but then he remembered the way they used to live, blank, aimless, drifting.
And suddenly, he understood.
These people had once been nothing more than empty shells, drifting through life without purpose, desire, or even the concept of death. They had no sense of urgency about life or its end.
Even after gaining some wisdom from him, even after desire was kindled, they were still far from truly being human.
They were like stones that could be born and die without protest or reflection.
Honestly… sorry I mistook you for primitive savages. You're actually scarier than beasts—at least beasts struggle.
"Prophet Eros, if you wish to have servants, I can find a few suitable candidates for you right away."
The tribe's leader made the offer with a completely neutral expression.
"…Forget it. No need."
If they were still naive human girls, maybe he'd be interested.
But if they hadn't truly become human yet, just hollow vessels, then what was the point?
As expected, evolution takes time. No matter how much he tried to speed it up, they were just mimicking humanity on the surface.
Feeling a bit down, Eros returned to the beach.
"All ready to go?" asked Apollo, who was sitting at the bow, shining like the sun as always.
"Pretty much. No point wasting more time. Let's hea-"
He stopped mid-sentence.
A strange notification suddenly appeared before him.
[??? Eros ???]
It looked like one of those achievement pop-ups… but the meaning was unclear. It simply displayed his name, Eros.
"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" Apollo asked curiously, seeing him freeze in place.
"No, it's nothing. I've packed everything."
Eros decided not to dwell on it for now and focused on the task at hand.
He hadn't left anything important behind on the island.
Besides some daily supplies, he had packed enough food and fresh water to last a week, along with a fishing rod.
After double-checking everything, Eros pushed the boat into the sea.
Hollowed out from a giant tree, the boat was large and solid.
With calm weather and gentle waves, the vessel slid into the water smoothly, so much so that Eros felt like he was boarding a luxury yacht.
"Don't just stand there! Check the wind. If it's favorable, raise the sails," Apollo called out from the bow.
"Alright, alright," Eros grumbled.
He had no real experience sailing, so this part was up to Apollo. After all, she was destined to become the protector of seafarers one day.
Once the sails were raised and the open sea stretched out before him, a strange sense of ambition stirred in Eros's heart.
Years ago, after thoroughly exploring the island, he had long dreamed of sailing beyond it.
But leaving land was a huge risk.
He had no maps and no advanced shipbuilding knowledge back then, setting out to sea was basically suicide.
Who would've thought… that dream was finally becoming reality.
With Apollo by his side to guide him, this voyage would likely go smoothly.
Just thinking about it lifted his mood.
Whatever frustration he had felt earlier was swept away by the breeze and the endless horizon. Looking out over the ocean, Eros suddenly shouted:
"I'm gonna bag a goddess! HELL YEAH!!"
Forget ambition and lofty ideals, sometimes, one sentence was enough.
In Greek mythology, if you didn't hook up with at least one goddess or princess, were you even alive?
Eros swore: he would not die from some ridiculous "Hera's jealousy" situation.
He would not die before he bedded a beautiful goddess!
[??? Love? Eros ???]
Apollo, still seated at the bow, couldn't help but burst into laughter at his outburst.
Even after noticing so many ways in which Eros differed from other humans, she still found him endlessly entertaining.
Her laughter brought Eros back to reality, snapping him out of his frenzied declaration.
What are you laughing at, huh?! You smug dolphin girl!
If I wasn't afraid you'd flatten me, you think you could run off that easily?!
With Apollo and Zeus already on board, the only one he hoped not to run into was Poseidon… that would turn this voyage into a comedy.
Oceanid goddesses, here I come!
"Achoo!"
Far off in the sea, Poseidon astride a giant seahorse, sneezed loudly.
"Are you alright, Lord of the Seas?"
A nearby sea witch swam over with concern. Poseidon casually wiped her nose… on the sea witch's chest.
"I'm fine. Have you found the Oceanids' location yet?"
"Um, well…" the sea witch hesitated with a nervous smile.
"When they heard you were coming, they, uh…"
The Oceanid goddesses had all scattered in panic. The location of their gathering had already changed several times, and now they could only be tracked by intuition.
"No worries. Go find them. I heard one of them is called Amphitrite. She sounds quite… intriguing."
"Yes, my lord!"
Should I become Queen of the Sea first… or King of the Sea? Hm, tough choice.
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Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!