Under the dusk,
Jason's lyre music abruptly ceased.
Because the golden-horned deer had stopped its steps before an old woman with a full head of silver hair.
...Such a clichéd trope. These gods really do love pulling this routine.
Jason thought this inwardly as he dismounted from the golden-horned deer.
And then, just as Jason was pondering how to strike up a conversation with this old woman, the elder spoke first, saying to Jason: "Child, have you heard a story?
About eternally repeating a completely meaningless action."
Facing the old woman who showed him a kind smile, Jason thought for a moment, then shook his head at her.
"Is that so? Then come with me."
With that, the old woman turned around, leading the golden-horned deer and Jason, who exchanged a glance, forward.
Though this old woman's pace seemed slow, she actually walked quite briskly, even requiring Jason to take small steps to keep up.
This made Jason inwardly unable to resist complaining. If it's already like this, why pretend to be an old woman? Why not just appear in her true form...
That said, who exactly is she?
Just as Jason was thinking this, the old woman led Jason along a small path and finally arrived at the base of a steep mountainside.
And almost the moment Jason had just arrived here, he felt the ground shaking noticeably. Subconsciously looking up, he saw a round boulder rolling down from high on the mountain!
"Watch out!"
Seeing this, Jason almost instinctively stepped forward, preparing to help this elder block the rolling stone. But what slightly surprised him was that the stone, upon rapidly rolling to the foot of the mountain, automatically came to a stop.
Immediately after, Jason also saw a raggedly dressed man walking down from the steep slope of the mountain.
As Jason watched this scene in confusion.
"His name is Sisyphus."
The elder, showing not the slightest panic, said to Jason in a calm voice: "He is the founder of the nearby kingdom called Corinth, and also its former king.
He was originally an extremely clever man, but he offended the king of the gods, Zeus, and was thus cast down to the underworld. However, he did not die because of it.
Before descending to the underworld, Sisyphus instructed his wife not to bury his body, and upon arriving in the underworld, he told the god of death that a man not buried has no qualification to remain in the underworld, and requested three days' leave to return to the living world to handle his affairs.
As a result, upon returning to the mortal world, he was reluctant to leave. Thus, the gods of Olympus punished him, telling him that at sunrise he must push this round boulder up the mountain, and if at sunset he fails to push it up, the boulder will naturally roll back down.
And at the same time, if he can push the boulder to the mountaintop by sunset, then he will be forgiven."
Hearing this old woman's words, Jason looked at the boulder that had rolled to the foot of the mountain, then at this steep mountain, and at that raggedly dressed elder.
"...Eternally repeating a completely meaningless action." Jason said softly, lost in thought.
"Yes, exactly." A faint smile appeared on the old woman's face. She turned her head to look at Jason and said: "This is that story of eternally repeating a completely meaningless action, and this is precisely the punishment Olympus has given to this man.
Because he can never push this boulder to the mountaintop. Everything he does is forever meaningless."
Hearing this, Jason looked at the boulder that had unnaturally stopped, then at this steep mountain, and nodded in understanding.
It was obvious that divine power had been applied to this boulder.
However... what does this have to do with me?
Jason looked at the old woman in puzzlement.
"Child of the goddess of roads Hecate, and also the child offering tributes to the gods of Olympus, you have come here this time to receive the oracle given to you by the goddess of wisdom Athena, right?"
The old woman smiled at Jason. After Jason nodded, she pointed at this boulder and the man pushing it up the mountain, saying: "Then... if I were to tell you to go help him, what would you choose to do?"
"Help him?" Jason was slightly stunned.
Then he looked up at the man who had walked down, glanced at Jason and the old woman before leaving, going to the side of the boulder to rest, and quietly waiting for tomorrow to continue his meaningless task.
At the same time, Jason keenly noticed that his eyes were already dead... This was also very normal. Day after day, doing such an endless, meaningless task that burned away his life, it would be strange if his gaze weren't lifeless.
"Yes." The old woman said with a smile: "Help him... If I said that, what would you choose to do?"
Looking at the old woman, Jason fell silent.
Smash this boulder? ...Hmm, a very simple and crude answer, as long as you don't mind the gods giving you trouble later.
Help him push the boulder to the mountaintop? ...The punishment given to him by the gods was to make him repeat this endlessly for his lifetime.
Because the gods believed there was no harsher punishment than engaging in such futile and hopeless labor.
And the old woman... in truth, she was the goddess who had descended from Mount Olympus, searching for Jason for many days, and only learned of Jason's whereabouts upon Amphitrite's arrival on land.
The mother of Queen Hera and Zeus and others, the second generation Queen of the Gods, Rhea.
At the same time, it was precisely because she had been searching for Jason on the earth for many days that she had accidentally encountered this man named Sisyphus and learned about his affairs.
And upon learning, Rhea prepared to intervene in this matter, because she felt such a punishment was a bit too severe for this human.
Of course, the main reason was still because Rhea had learned the truth behind this man receiving such a harsh punishment... Back then, when Zeus abducted the daughter of the river god Asopus, Aegina, it was precisely this man who had accidentally witnessed it.
He then went and informed the river god Asopus, allowing the river god Asopus to quietly take away his daughter Aegina.
And this man Sisyphus offended Zeus because of it, leading to his current outcome.
Other matters aside, but this kind of thing...
And just as Rhea formed the notion to intervene, she thought of Jason.
Thinking of Hestia, Athena, Hermes, and accurately speaking, all those gods on Olympus who were paying attention to him.
And having heard quite a few things about Jason, knowing he was a child who often gave the gods surprises.
Thus, Rhea naturally formed the thought of what that child would do... And so, there was this current scene.
Though Jason did not understand the full context, this being a test from the gods, Jason still understood.
So at this moment, as Jason looked at this boulder and the dejected man Sisyphus, he began to seriously contemplate a solution.