An ordinary life.
A life doted upon by the gods.
And a life Jason had never even imagined: a life of slaying gods...
These were the three paths Hecate had shown him directly through memory-synchronization magic, the exact three paths she had seen that day.
Thus, in this moment, Jason naturally understood everything that had happened.
He also understood why his teacher Hecate had been acting so strangely lately.
"Ah, for some reason I suddenly feel so much lighter."
Hecate released Jason, walked over to the bed, and flopped down like a salted fish. She smiled and said, "As expected of Teacher's good disciple. You really know how to share your teacher's burden... Alright, stop making that tearful face.
Be happy. This is the truth you've been seeking for so long."
"Teacher, I feel like I've been tricked..."
"That's really not my fault." Hecate, dressed in her long black gown, yawned elegantly and continued, "I genuinely had no intention of telling you at first. But... who made you have such a strong need for control?
You're terrified of dying, yet you insist on grasping everything in your own hands."
"It's precisely because I'm terrified of dying that I have to know everything, understand everything, and leave no weaknesses behind!"
Jason replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Then you still blame me?" Hecate found it amusing.
"This... this is different!"
Jason scooted closer, climbed onto the bed, and looked at Hecate with a pitiful expression. "Teacher, this situation is clearly beyond your obedient disciple's control. How about you rewind time and we start over?
No, no, even if you really rewound time, I'd definitely still ask.
How about this: you seal away this memory and leave behind a note that says 'This memory must not be taken. From Jason'?"
"Keep dreaming!" Hecate rolled her eyes at Jason, stretched out her pale finger, and flicked his forehead. She said irritably, "You've thought it through quite nicely, but why should I?"
"Because I'm your obedient disciple!"
"Wicked disciple!" Hecate emphasized.
"Eh... Teacher, you've changed. You don't love me anymore. Just now you kept calling me your good disciple. Boo-hoo-hoo."
Hecate's crimson eyes looked with amusement at Jason pretending to cry in front of her. In the end she helplessly waved her hand. "Alright, enough acting... How do you feel seeing futures so different from your own?"
"Hmm... Teacher, can the other gods see these three paths?"
Jason immediately stopped fake-crying and, after a moment of thought, seriously asked Hecate the question he cared about most right now.
"Don't worry. This is my authority as the Goddess of Crossroads. Even God-King Zeus... as long as the three Fates do not specifically probe your destiny and discover the hidden path of destruction I concealed, even Zeus will not see the slightest clue.
Right now, in their eyes, your future is still the one intertwined with Medea."
At this point, Hecate paused.
She sat up and earnestly explained to Jason, "You know I'm the Goddess of Roads, right?"
"Yes." Jason nodded. "And also the goddess of magic, the moon, and such, right?"
One god with many domains was very common in the Greek age of gods.
"Yes, but the authority over roads and opportunities is unique to me. That is why I can see destinies outside the river of fate... In simple terms, miracles.
The three paths I showed you are the three most likely miracles to appear once you break free from your original life.
But the path you are still most likely to walk right now remains the one you already know: the voyage of the Argo.
And since they are miracles, they are filled with all sorts of unexpected variables. The longer time passes, the more changes will occur."
Jason listened calmly, thought for a while, and said thoughtfully, "According to what you're saying, Teacher, it's simply a matter of probability.
If I escape my original fate, the paths I might encounter are the three you showed me.
But actually, nothing is certain. Besides those three, I still have other choices. For example... being kept by you, Teacher?"
"Yes, exactly." Hecate nodded in acknowledgment.
"By the way, Teacher, do you know what 'being kept' means?"
"I don't, and I don't want to know. You definitely didn't mean anything good." Hecate pinched Jason's cheek as he tried to act cute.
After she felt she had comforted him enough, Hecate stood up and went to Medea's room.
As she left, she helplessly shook her head, lamenting that neither of her students ever gave her peace of mind!
Once Hecate was gone, the relaxed expression Jason had been forcing instantly vanished completely.
At this moment, Jason truly regretted it, and he also understood why Hecate had kept this from him for so long.
"I originally thought that as long as I worked hard to escape the original Jason's fate, I could welcome a future filled with hope... But of course. This is an age where gods still exist. How could completely escaping them be so easy?
But... slaying gods?
The me who walks that path sure has some guts!"
Jason could not help laughing as he said this.
Would he dare? ...Probably, he would.
Jason had some self-awareness. Although he could not imagine how his future self could kill gods, if he had no other choice, he would definitely choose that path.
Because Jason held no reverence whatsoever for the gods of this world. He only feared their power.
"My soul and body have been strengthened by the River Styx and underworld flames. I have also been continuously taking the medicine Teacher gave me, so my inner self has been strengthened as well. In this world, I already possess a certain degree of self-preservation.
Therefore, the best choice... really is to choose Hera!"
Jason silently recited, "As Queen of the Gods, if Hera swears before all the gods to protect me, she cannot break that oath.
And Teacher... given her personality, as long as I choose to leave and stop being her student, she will never look at me again.
Teacher Hecate leaving now is clearly leaving the final decision to me. Her coming here was merely to grant me the right to know.
So... which path should I choose?"
As he spoke, Jason could not help but laugh. "Actually, the choice is quite simple.
If I chose Hera, Teacher Hecate would not be angry. She would simply erase me from her life.
But if I chose Teacher Hecate, Hera's hatred toward me would only grow, because that would mean I subconsciously declared her inferior to Hecate!
And she is the lofty Queen of the Gods. After losing face to me twice, there would be virtually no room left for reconciliation between us.
...Teacher, I think both my ordinary path and my destructive path might exist because of Hera."
Jason stood up, his face full of helplessness.
"Then obviously, the answer is already clear. After all... I only want to survive in this world!"
"My choice is..."
...
...
The next day.
When Hermes came before Jason, he received the answer from Jason's own mouth.
Truthfully, no matter which path Jason chose, Hermes would not have been surprised.
Yet even he had believed Jason would most likely choose Hera.
Because that was the choice a clever person would make.
And was Jason clever? ...Obviously. Even Hermes considered him clever!
Therefore...
"Lord Hermes, I would like to ask the esteemed you to convey to the great Queen Hera that I, Jason, feel infinitely honored and fortunate to be noticed by her, even cherished by her. For this, my heart is filled with boundless gratitude.
I believe mere words can no longer express the reverence and love I hold for the great Queen Hera, yet...
I am sorry. I am Hecate's student."
At these words, a strange light flashed in Hermes' eyes as he looked at the boy before him. Jason's gaze was exceptionally calm.
"I am Hecate's student. I am now, and I always will be. Therefore... I am sorry. I will not leave my teacher.
Because she is my faith. In this life, I will never betray her!"
...This guy really thinks I can't hear him? He didn't even bother drafting his lies.
Inside Demeter's temple, Hecate, munching on a divine fruit, looked through layers of temple walls at Jason, who was solemnly declaring this to Hermes outside. She was utterly speechless.
Because there was not even a trace of sincerity in those impassioned words!
Yet...
Hecate glanced at Medea beside her, who was anxiously pacing back and forth.
The corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted a little.
She bit into the divine fruit and mumbled, "Wicked disciple..."
"Jason..."
After a brief moment of surprise, Hermes gazed at the white-clad, golden-haired, green-eyed boy before him.
A trace of unusual light shone in his eyes as he smiled and asked, "Are you certain... you wish to make this choice?
Are you certain you want to spurn the love of Queen Hera?"
"No, Lord Hermes. This humble one merely feels that I am unworthy of bearing the love of the great Queen Hera."
Jason gently said to Hermes, "And for me... having one teacher who loves me is enough."
Does Hecate love him?
Jason felt that, at least right now, love my ass!
But after spending so much time together, Jason had come to understand one thing: this seemingly unreliable teacher Hecate...
Was actually extremely reliable!
When compared to the other gods, she felt completely out of place.
Too conscientious... Or are all the gods of the Underworld this conscientious?
Though that did not seem right either, since Hecate did not truly belong to the Underworld.
"I see." Hermes nodded.
He reached up and adjusted his winged cap.
He gazed at the boy before him, who was only about thirteen years old.
"Jason, although you have yet to formally embark on your journey, I can guarantee that your life will be extraordinarily brilliant and dazzling!
From this day forward, I, Hermes, messenger of the gods among the Olympians, will watch over you.
And I bless your entire life!"
...Damn it!
Lord Hermes, we have no grudge between us. Why are you cursing me?!
A brilliant, dazzling life?
No way.
I don't want that. I just want to live a safe, peaceful life!
Even though I know that's becoming less and less realistic, and now I've even offended Queen Hera completely, can't you at least leave a tiny sliver of humble fantasy in my heart?
Why must you be so cruel?!
Jason was tired... Jason felt his heart was so very tired.
But he still had to force a smile for Hermes, bow to him, and say, "This is my honor, great Lord Hermes."
Hermes smiled, ruffled Jason's hair, and said, "Jason, I am truly looking forward to the day you fully grow up.
Honestly, if Athena hadn't already warned me off, I would really have wanted to leave some mark on you... Never mind, now is not the right time.
Grow up quickly, Jason. I'm waiting... I think Athena and the others are waiting too, waiting for the day you officially set out on your journey!"
With that, Hermes departed.
He could hardly wait to deliver this news to the gods of Olympus.
Jason probably never imagined, and would never even think, that most of the gods had actually been paying attention to this incident!
God-King Zeus, Sea-King Poseidon, Underworld-King Hades, Wisdom Goddess Athena, Sun God Apollo, Moon Goddess Artemis, even Beauty Goddess Aphrodite and the eldest sister of the gods Hestia, and others.
They had all been secretly watching and awaiting Jason's choice.
And what reactions would they show to the choice Jason made?
Jason did not know for the time being, and he probably did not want to know.
At the same time, just as Hermes, wearing his winged sandals, left Demeter's temple and flew through the sky, a sudden gust of wind struck him, catching him completely off guard.
He was blown straight down from high in the sky and crashed heavily into a mountain crevice.
"Cough cough..."
Hermes, covered in dust and dirt, climbed up and looked helplessly toward Demeter's temple.
He knew this was Hecate's doing.
The reason was probably that during their conversation, he had deliberately steered Jason to praise Hera and belittle Hecate.
Indeed, Queen Hera was an incomparably noble existence.
But Hecate truly was not afraid of her!
Who was she? She was the most unique existence among the gods, belonging neither to the sky, the sea, nor fully to the Underworld, yet holding extremely high status in all three realms. Even God-King Zeus treated her with respect. She was Hecate!
Hermes was helpless. Naturally he did not dare confront Hecate about it, and he was indeed in the wrong, so he could only leave disheveled and dusty.
Meanwhile, under Hecate's lead, Medea and she came before Jason.
"Big Brother Jason..."
M frenziedly wanted to ask but was also afraid to know the answer as she looked at Jason.
Jason smiled at her, walked over, and pinched her cheek... Hey, no wonder those gods love pinching my face so much. It really does feel nice!
Then Jason looked at Hecate.
He spread his hands toward her with a helpless expression and said, "No choice now, Teacher Hecate. It seems I can only continue being your most beloved disciple!"
"Wicked disciple." Hecate said as she stroked Jason's head.
A faint smile graced her face.