That very afternoon, in the region of Arcadia.
From a magic circle that connected the Underworld to the mortal world, Hecate grabbed Jason by the scruff of his neck like a chick and tossed him out of the Underworld.
She flung him straight into the cave on Mount Pelion where the centaur sage Chiron resided.
"…Why are you back again?"
Sensing the fluctuation of divine power, Chiron, with the body of a horse and the torso of a man, handsome with golden hair and emerald eyes, immediately arrived.
He stared at Jason, who was climbing up from the ground, his face full of strangeness.
Seeing Jason once or twice beyond all expectation had been a pleasant surprise.
But when it happened too often, one grew numb…
This meeting was only a few days after the last one!
"You didn't anger Hecate and get expelled from her tutelage, did you? Hecate actually removed her protection from you… Wait, no, she clearly removed it, so why can I still not see through you?"
After examining Jason, who was dressed in pure white and wearing Apollo's blessed sword at his waist, a puzzled look appeared in Chiron's eyes.
In the past, because of Hecate's protection, no god could see through Jason or read his thoughts. But now Chiron discovered that even without Hecate's protection, he still could not see anything.
"Uwah, no way, Teacher Hecate really abandoned me…? As for why you can't see through me, it's probably because something extra was added to my soul."
Jason walked over to Chiron and explained that his soul had been tempered and that he had even received Hades's protection.
Now Chiron's gaze toward Jason grew even stranger.
"Even Lord Hades of the Underworld favors you this much… Wait, didn't you used to hate the gods? How is it that without my noticing, the number of gods you've met keeps increasing?"
As he spoke, Chiron could not help smiling, clearly remembering the Jason from not long ago.
"Teacher Chiron, you're talking nonsense! When have I ever hated the gods?"
Jason declared with utmost seriousness, "I simply felt that the great gods are so busy, they absolutely must not waste time on an insignificant person like me. From the bottom of my heart, I, Jason, respect and adore the great gods!"
Chiron was rendered speechless. He turned away with a light laugh. "Fine, fine. Teacher can't outtalk you."
With that, Chiron led Jason to sit in the shade of a lush tree.
After Jason asked about his senior brothers and learned they were still in lessons, he briefly explained the reason for his current visit.
"You refuse to sit and wait for death, so you choose to take the initiative…? Though it sounds extremely dangerous, Teacher believes in you."
Just as Jason was deeply moved,
"After all, Teacher knows that no one cherishes his own little life more than you do."
…Jason pouted.
But he truly could not refute that statement!
"Teacher Chiron, there's actually something else I wanted to ask while I'm here…" Jason changed the subject.
He pointed at himself, then pointed at the sky, giving Chiron a meaningful look.
Seeing Jason stop halfway through his sentence, Chiron looked puzzled for a moment before saying, "Jason, are you worried that the gods have left traces on you and might overhear what we say?"
"No such thing, Teacher!"
Jason denied it instantly while nodding vigorously…
Chiron was speechless. He covered his forehead. "Your personality really hasn't changed at all… Rest assured, there are only three divine marks on you right now."
"That's a relief… Wait, three?!" Jason froze. "One from Teacher Hecate, one from Goddess Athena, and the last one is…?"
Though he had only spent a short time with Athena, Jason, wearing his white robes, knew very well that she would never let him leave without leaving something behind!
As for the final one, Chiron did not hide it. He simply pointed at the sword of Apollo that Hecate had once used as a chandelier and that Jason now carried again…
"…Teacher, can you send me back to the Underworld?"
"Aren't you going to meet Lady Demeter?" Chiron asked with amusement.
"But right now, I'm scared!"
Jason chickened out.
Between dignity and his life, Jason wanted both!
But since he had already come this far, Jason would not leave empty-handed. After confirming that no gods would overhear their conversation, he immediately asked Chiron the question that had been bothering him for some time…
"Teacher Chiron, after I left that day… did anything happen?"
My teacher has been acting really strange lately!
In truth, Jason had long noticed Hecate's recent unusual behavior.
After privately ruling out all sorts of unreliable guesses, like Hecate wanting to eat tender grass, planning terrible experiments on him, or trying to stir up trouble between him and Medea, Jason narrowed the timeline down to that day.
The day he left Chiron's place to head to the Underworld and then fainted!
That was indeed when Hecate's attitude toward him began to change.
It was not exactly strange; it was just that after spending so much time together, Jason already knew Hecate was very casual about most things, including matters concerning him and Medea.
Yet starting from that day, she had suddenly become unusually concerned about him!
At the same time, Jason knew that if Hecate wanted to tell him something, she would have done so already.
But Jason… did not want to sit passively!
Jason never wanted to invite trouble, but when trouble he could not avoid came knocking, he would strive to resolve it immediately!
"Something happened…? Oh, you went to the Underworld that day, so you wouldn't know." When it came to what happened that day, Chiron naturally remembered quickly.
He told Jason how, right after Jason left, the sky suddenly shook and God-King Zeus flew into a terrifying rage.
God-King Zeus suddenly became furious…? Could that have anything to do with me?
Jason was puzzled. He naturally did not think he possessed that kind of influence.
But… the timing was indeed a little too coincidental!
Jason silently noted it down and began thinking of countermeasures.
On this matter, continuing to question Chiron would obviously yield no results, since Chiron clearly did not know the reason either.
And as it happened, on this trip Jason still had to face one particular goddess!
That goddess was certain to know why Zeus had been angry!
…
At this very moment, on the sacred Mount Olympus.
In a flower field that bloomed eternally through all seasons,
the silver-haired goddess of incomparable beauty, Athena, strolled leisurely.
Walking beside her was Queen of Heaven Hera.
Queen Hera's expression was not pleasant. She was still angry.
The target of her anger was naturally Jason!
Athena was currently trying to reduce Hera's fury toward Jason.
The reason was simple: Athena was very interested in Jason… especially after Artemis's "betrayal," her interest had only grown!
Thus, for now, she did not want to see Jason encounter trouble.
Unfortunately, the effect was not great.
The main reason Hera was angry was not that Jason had suddenly changed his faith and become a follower of Hecate.
It was that Jason had caused her to lose face in front of the other gods!
Back then, in front of Zeus, Athena, Hermes, and the Moirai, she had confidently declared that Jason was her believer, that everything brilliant about him existed because of her.
She had even been smug about it.
Who would have thought the slap in the face would come so quickly? She immediately learned that Jason was not her believer at all, but Hecate's child instead!
The gods of Greece are all incredibly petty, and losing face was even worse!
Therefore, just as Athena was starting to get a headache over this,
"Hm…?"
Suddenly sensing that the mark she had left on Jason had activated, as though he had left the Underworld,
Athena let out a soft sound of surprise. She instinctively turned her head and gazed into the distance toward him.
After confirming her feeling was correct, the corners of Athena's mouth curved upward ever so slightly.