Olympus, the sacred mountain,
That is the gathering place of the Olympian gods, a land where humans cannot set foot.
The hero named Bellerophon sought to ride Pegasus to Olympus, the sacred mountain, to attend the assembly of the deities, thereby angering the gods and suffering severe punishment, falling from the sky above the divine mountain.
Even among the dazzling stars accumulated in the long river of history, the heroes who could set foot in this place are few and far between.
According to records, only the renowned Heracles has come here, helping the gods defeat the Titan giants led by Typhon, the ancestor of myriad demons.
And today, another young man has had the fortune to step into this territory.
Moreover, he has entered a place that no mortal has ever set foot in until now... that is, within the temple of Hera, the queen of the Olympian gods!
Olympus, the sacred mountain, the underworld of no return... Throughout all of Greece, the unknown domains left for this young man seem to truly be few now.
Whoosh!
The sacred white horse soars through the sky, flapping its pure white wings.
And upon this heavenly steed sit two people.
One of them is the elegant goddess in a pristine long dress that clings to her body, perfectly accentuating her graceful figure: Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
The other is naturally the protagonist of this journey, Jason... ah, no, he should now be called the white-clothed masked hero, Heracles.
That's right, a mask.
In less than two days of rushed work, the god of craftsmanship, Hephaestus, effortlessly forged the exquisite mask that Jason needed.
Moreover, it is a divine artifact!
With this mask, even Queen Hera cannot glimpse his true appearance!
Not long after, the heavenly steed arrived before the grand doors of the resplendent temple and stopped, retracting its wings.
Under the guidance of the nymph goddesses who had been waiting at the door for them for quite some time, Jason and Athena entered the temple of Queen Hera.
And upon the golden throne within that temple, the noble and beautiful matron Hera was seated at this moment.
Thus, Jason finally met this goddess, who had no small influence on both the current him and the Jason of the past.
The Hera who entered Jason's eyes was clad in luxurious attire.
Her beautiful countenance, while indeed sharing some resemblance with Hephaestus, was undoubtedly far more beautiful than Hephaestus appeared.
Not to mention that at this moment she sat upon that golden throne, wearing an exquisite crown, with her elegant curly hair cascading from beneath the crown.
Her beautiful eyes radiated a dignified yet serene expression.
Truly worthy of being Queen Hera... Jason thought in his heart.
However, at Jason's side, Athena's gaze upon such a Hera appeared somewhat peculiar.
Hera has truly put in a lot of effort this time... It's just a pity, you really don't have the slightest chance.
As Athena felt regretful and nearly burst into laughter over it, Hera was naturally also appraising the white-clothed hero Heracles before her eyes.
And without exception, upon first laying eyes on Jason, Hera's gaze could not help but brighten slightly.
After all, Jason's appearance was quite outstanding even among Greek mythology, often compared to the god of light, Apollo.
Moreover, the current Jason no longer had that original unruly arrogance, nor the barbaric aura; instead, he appeared exceedingly refined.
In this regard, few people throughout Greece could compare to Jason.
Although he wore a mask, one must know that this mask was crafted for him by Hephaestus, so it naturally would not be inferior.
The mask was in a black and gold tone, covering only Jason's nose and eyes.
Thus, at a glance, others would still know that this person's looks were undoubtedly high, yet at the same time, it truly served to conceal his features, thereby adding a touch of mysterious allure... To be honest, when Hephaestus placed this mask on Jason, Jason's mood was quite complex.
After all, he had expended so much effort, preparing for over three full months, to craft that mask for Hephaestus.
Yet Hephaestus had replicated it in merely two days, and made it even better than his... Even knowing she was the god of craftsmanship, Jason still felt a profound sense of defeat.
"You are that white-clothed hero, Heracles?"
After a brief appraisal, with just one look, Hera, who was more than satisfied, spoke up. As she addressed him, she paused slightly.
She then appraised the Jason before her once more, a trace of doubt flashing in her eyes, and said: "Strange... White-clothed hero Heracles, I ask you, have I... seen you somewhere before?"
Jason had after all been a child whom Hera once greatly favored, and Hera had even left a mark upon him back then.
Although that mark had long been removed by Hecate when Jason apprenticed under her, it was clear now that Hera still sensed a faint familiarity from Jason.
Before Jason could respond to Hera's question, he heard Athena at his side chuckle lightly and say: "Great Queen Hera, you often descend to the mortal world to aid those pitiable children... Perhaps among the children you have saved is this one."
One cannot lie to the gods, for they see through it at a glance.
Thus, this thorny question was naturally answered by Athena... This was also the purpose of her accompanying him.
"Yes, great Queen Hera."
At this moment, Jason seemed to finally regain his senses, stepping forward to bow respectfully to Hera before saying: "This insignificant one, in my most difficult times, was indeed aided by the great Goddess Hera!"
These words were not false, for Jason had indeed received Hera's help during his most difficult times.
"In fact, this is also the reason this child later took the name Heracles."
At this point, Athena spoke up once more, coaxing Hera: "Because he has always remembered the grace of Goddess Hera toward him and holds you in great admiration!"
"Is that so?" Hera was slightly stunned. "But did Hephaestus not say that this child did so because..."
At this, Hera suddenly stopped.
Because although Hephaestus had indeed said that it was because Jason was a special case among heroes, not wishing to have his name echo through the ages, and thus took the name Heracles.
But that was Hephaestus... Hephaestus, with whom she shared a mother-daughter relationship, yet one that was exceedingly poor!
And this Heracles before her was her student, so Hephaestus certainly would not tell the truth, that her own student admired her!
Thus, at this moment, Hera could not help but understand.
She understood that this child truly admired her greatly, and that Hephaestus had lied to her out of fear that she would take away her student!
Therefore, as she now looked at the white-clothed Heracles before her, her gaze became even gentler, and the more she looked, the more she liked him.
This caused Hera to involuntarily rise from the throne, descending several steps from above to stand before Jason.
"Dear child... Come, remove your mask and let me see."
Faced with the noble Hera before him, the white-clothed Heracles could not help but appear utterly flattered and surprised, hastily looking toward Athena in panic.
"This probably won't do, Goddess Hera."
Athena stepped in front of Jason, smiling wryly at the puzzled Hera: "Hephaestus put the mask on this child precisely so that you would not see, so he cannot remove it..."
Of course, this was a lie.
Jason could naturally remove it; Hephaestus would never impose any restrictions on her treasured student.
However, such an explanation was evidently something Hera could fully accept.
"Is that so... Hephaestus is still as petty as ever!" Hera frowned in displeasure.
"Child, studying under Hephaestus must have been quite arduous for you!"
"Um... Actually, Teacher Hephaestus is very good to me." Jason replied softly to Hera: "Moreover, I am greatly honored to study at Teacher Hephaestus's side..."
"Is that so... It seems you are a good child." Far from feeling angry at Jason's words, Hera appreciated him even more.
She believed she understood Hephaestus well... Back then, because of that beautiful chair, all her joints were locked by the chair's mechanisms, rendering her immobile, her divine power vanished, and she lost all face before the gods.
This naturally made Hera greatly resent Hephaestus, even viewing her as a goddess with a bad temper and cruelty.
And for such a cruel goddess, this white-clothed Heracles could still say such words, and they were the truth.
Thus, Hera naturally regarded him as a good child who respected the divine, becoming even more pleased with him.
And so, as Hera looked upon Jason with utmost satisfaction, pondering how to persuade him to leave Hephaestus's side and come to her own.
While simultaneously regarding Athena as exceedingly obtrusive.
Suddenly, another great god's voice transmitted into Hera's ear, causing Hera to be momentarily stunned.
She turned her head, looking toward the outside of the temple, and pondered for a time.
"The reason I summoned you this time is actually to express my gratitude toward you, child... Being within this temple feels a bit too formal.
Child, and Athena as well, come with me."
With that, Hera led Athena and Jason out of the ancient and majestic temple, arriving in a garden of eternal spring.
Within the garden were numerous nymph maidens, and in the pavilion, a dignified and beautiful matron was seated inside.
It was she who had just transmitted the message, summoning Hera to bring Athena and Jason here... And the gods who could speak to Hera in such a manner were naturally few indeed.
Hey, what a coincidence, Jason happened to know such a goddess as well; she was naturally...
"Goddess Rhea?"
When they arrived in this garden of eternal spring, Athena, upon seeing the goddess clad in a dark purple gown, with golden tresses as radiant as Hera's and a pair of beautiful amethyst eyes, could not help but appear greatly surprised.
Rhea smiled at Athena, then softly said to Hera: "Hera, is this your child, that white-clothed Heracles?... Hmm, indeed, he is a very adorable child."
Rhea said to Hera with a smile.
And regarding Rhea's words, Hera could not help but glance covertly at Jason and Athena, seeing the two hesitate for a moment but offer no rebuttal.
Hera could not help but cry out inwardly: Well done, Mother Goddess!
Unfortunately, she simply did not notice the peculiar gazes that Athena and Heracles directed toward Rhea.
Nor the mischievous wink that Goddess Rhea gave to Jason...
Immediately after, Hera stepped forward and said a few words to Rhea.
Rhea thought for a moment and agreed.
She then stepped forward, pulling Athena along, and left the place.
"Goddess Rhea, what are you planning?"
After hesitantly following Rhea away, Athena could not help but say to Rhea: "Leaving Jason alone there is too dangerous!"
"Athena, don't worry. Jason is a very clever child; he knows what he should do."
Rhea said softly to Athena; that trial of pushing the boulder had left a profound impression on Rhea.
"Moreover... Speaking of which, Jason was the one Hera valued first. Even though it is now a done deal that he is Hecate's child, you cannot deny her even the slightest opportunity, can you?"
Hera was after all her daughter, so Rhea naturally had to show some bias.
However, this evidently could not dispel Athena's worries.
Because she knew that although Hera now held Jason... that white-clothed Heracles in very high regard, liking him more the longer she looked.
But if Jason accidentally revealed his identity, the sin of deceiving a goddess, combined with past matters, would inevitably provoke Hera's thunderous wrath!
One must know that Jason's soul, having obtained the undying flame and the protection of Lord Hades, is thus indestructible. Yet there remains one thing in this world that can destroy him: the divine thunder in Zeus's hand!
And Queen Hera can actually wield such divine authority as well!
Because when the mighty Zeus courted Hera, he promised to share his power and honors with her, allowing her to briefly wield the authority of thunder!
This was also the primary reason Athena was uneasy and accompanied Jason here.
Regarding this, Rhea actually knew as well.
Looking at Athena's worried expression, she smiled and then said: "Athena, you truly do like this child... Rest assured, I do not wish to see that child come to harm either, so... look!"
With that, Rhea produced a borrowed divine artifact: none other than Lord Hades's helm of invisibility!
She then took the slightly stunned Athena's hand and donned Hades's helm.
The two became invisible and stealthily slipped back.
After slipping back, the two sat in a certain corner within the pavilion.
They then began to watch with keen interest as Hera dismissed the surrounding nymph goddesses, proceeding with a live broadcast alongside this white-clothed Heracles...