The underworld,
the temple of the goddess of the roads Hecate.
Pushing open the doors of the ancient temple, Jason stepped inside.
He walked along the dimly lit corridor illuminated by dim underworld flames until he reached the temple's hall and entered it.
The scene that entered Jason's eyes then suddenly opened up.
At the same time, the underworld butterflies circling around him also dispersed and departed.
In the hall of Hecate's temple, the surroundings were adorned with glass lamps forged by the god of craftsmen Hephaestus. The 'wicks' within them were replaced by the divine fire of the sun god Helios.
And on the divine throne in the hall, representing her divine seat, sat the goddess.
Naturally, it was Jason's teacher, the goddess of the roads Hecate.
In her hand was a crystal ball. The protagonist inside the crystal ball was her other student, who was also Jason's nominal little sister and senior apprentice, Medea.
When Jason entered, she still did not look up and said indifferently, "You are back... Why did you not go to the banquet with Medea?"
"Because for a student, all the congratulations from many people are not even one ten-thousandth of a single word from you, Teacher." Jason replied with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Hecate could not help but look up. Her vermilion eyes reflected the white-clothed youth before her.
Then Hecate rolled her beautiful eyes at Jason, stood up, and her black waist-length hair swayed slightly.
"Is that so? ... Then my good apprentice, what are you still waiting for? Hurry over here and let your teacher dote on you properly."
As Hecate spoke, her perfect goddess features revealed an extremely dazzling smile toward Jason.
However, facing such a smile made Jason's body stiffen slightly.
"Teacher, please do not do this. I am scared..."
"What are you afraid of? I am not going to eat you."
Hecate's smile remained unchanged.
This made Jason reveal a bitter smile.
He should have known better than to say those threatening words before coming to the underworld.
With such thoughts, Jason resignedly walked to Hecate's side.
But what he did not expect was that when he arrived before Hecate, what greeted him was not the teacher's 'affection'... No, it was affection.
However, it was affection completely different from what Jason had imagined.
"... You have worked hard."
Under Jason's somewhat surprised gaze, Hecate did not reach out to roughly tousle Jason's face. Instead, she tiptoed and patted his head.
Her gaze was rarely gentle as she said softly to the surprised Jason, "Well done. As expected of my student."
Seeing this, Jason, with wide eyes, looked at Hecate for a good while.
"Um... May I ask, are you really my teacher?
Ouch ouch ouch, Teacher, I was wrong. Do not pinch my face. It is swelling, it is going to swell!"
Do not be fooled by the goddesses' delicate appearances; their strength was truly greater than one another.
Even for this goddess of roads and magic, Hecate, who primarily wielded magic.
When she exerted force, Jason could only beg for mercy sincerely, not pretend.
"Squat down..."
Hecate said expresslessly to Jason.
"Eh?"
"I told you to squat down."
"Oh..."
As Jason squatted down in confusion, Hecate fiercely gave him a conk on the head.
Then, hearing Jason's cry of pain, Hecate vented her frustration and finally let out a sigh. She came to the side and sat down.
"You did well with this matter... Although it basically had nothing to do with you and was entirely Medea's doing."
Sitting down, Hecate continued, "But the matter between you two finally has a resolution... I am very happy."
It was rare for Hecate to be so candid.
And hearing this, Jason finally understood why Hecate was so gentle this time.
The matter between them was a heart ailment for Jason and Medea.
But how could Hecate not value it?
Only in this matter could Hecate not intervene; it was also not convenient for her to do so.
After all, both were her students, her children.
And now, Jason and Medea had finally completely broken their fates and escaped their original destinies.
Hecate was naturally happy from the bottom of her heart for these two students.
"Teacher, do you need me to bring my little sister over too?"
Understanding this, as Jason stood up and prepared to walk out, he said.
"If Medea knew how much you care about her, Teacher, she would definitely be very happy too!"
"No need." Hecate stopped Jason.
"If she could come, I would have had you bring her long ago."
She could come?
Jason was stunned for a moment.
"Prepare yourself."
Hecate said calmly, "In a little while, I will take you to Hephaestus... Hephaestus and Athena are both there waiting for you."
Upon hearing this, the last trace of confusion in Jason's eyes, which had held some bewilderment, also vanished.
After a moment of silence, Jason came before Hecate.
Looking at Hecate before him, Jason thought for a moment and said softly to her, "Then before that... Teacher, can I be willful for a bit?"
Hecate looked at Jason.
Then... Hecate did not refuse.
Or rather, her waiting here for Jason, instead of at the temple of the god of craftsmen Hephaestus.
Had already expressed her attitude.
After some time passed,
Jason once again lay on Hecate's lap.
Lying comfortably on Hecate's beautiful legs, inhaling the faint fragrance that wafted into his nose, Jason felt his entire body healed. With his lips curving upward, thinking this life was worth it in the next instant.
"I suddenly feel a bit curious."
"Hm?"
"How many goddesses have you slept on like this?"
Hearing Hecate's faint remark, Jason instantly could not smile anymore.
"Um, that, that..."
"Do not rush, my good apprentice. Do not rush. Let your teacher help you count."
Hecate smiled, gently stroking Jason's head with her hand, and said slowly, "First it was Athena who started it, then the goddess of the hearth Hestia, and then if I remember correctly, it was Hephaestus...
It seems that aside from Queen of the Heavens Hera and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite.
To this day, every goddess you have encountered has fallen victim to your schemes, right?"
As Hecate listed the names of the goddesses one by one, her smile grew brighter with each one.
In response, Jason wanted to cry.
"Teacher!
Can we be normal? Please, please!
I was wrong. I really was wrong!"
"Wrong where?" Hecate's smile unchanged, she said.
"Wrong everywhere, all wrong!"
Jason looked at Hecate with teary eyes, pitifully.
Seeing this, Hecate could not help but reach out and gently pinch Jason's face. Then her lips curved upward, and she said no more.
And to prevent Hecate from continuing this terrifying topic, Jason hurriedly changed the subject and said, "By the way, Teacher Hecate, speaking of which... Where is Cerberus? I did not see her.
This time, I found her another brother."
"Brother? Oh, you mean that dragon... Cerberus? Is she not with you?"
"With me?"
Jason was stunned and looked up at Hecate.
Hecate also looked at Jason, and the two blinked.
"She is not with you?" Hecate was stunned.
"No!" Jason widened his eyes.
"Teacher Hecate, Cerberus would not still not have come back, right!"
"Come back? ... Where did she go?"
Hecate was puzzled.
"Last time, you had her go with me to the abyss god Tartarus..."
As he spoke, Jason's voice grew smaller and smaller.
Hecate's gaze toward Jason also gradually became strange.
"I say, do you really not learn your lesson?"
Hecate reached out and lightly tapped Jason's forehead, saying irritably, "Last time she bit you so badly, and now you threw her in there again. It has been one or two months, has it not."
"This, that... I thought you would have picked her up long ago, Teacher..."
Jason replied in a small voice.
"Pick her up? I am not that idle. Do you think I like the abyss? That ghost place is only something you run to every day."
"Um... Then Teacher, what do we do now?"
Jason looked at Hecate helplessly for help.
Hecate rolled her eyes directly and said, "What do we do? How should I know what to do? It has nothing to do with me. You made the mess; you clean it up yourself!"
"But, but if I go now, I will definitely get bitten..."
Jason had a headache.
"That is what you deserve! ... But speaking of Cerberus, it reminds me. Where is your senior sister? Why no news from her?"
"Senior sister? Which senior sister?" Jason was stunned.
"Circe."
"Circe, that senior sister? She, she..."
As he spoke, Jason could not continue.
This made Hecate's gaze toward Jason become even more subtle.
"You forgot about her too?"
"No, this one I really did not forget, but as for Senior Sister Circe and the matter with the nymph Scylla..."
Jason hesitated for a while before saying to Hecate, "In the end, that matter was Senior Sister Circe's fault.
You know, Teacher, that the gods watch me many times.
So I think it would be good to let the nymph Scylla chase Senior Sister Circe for a while, to let her vent some of her anger first.
And for this matter, I had the Argo keep watch the entire time to ensure it did not escalate.
Then when the nymph Scylla has vented her anger, I can plead on behalf of Senior Sister Circe, and things should go much smoother."
Turn major issues into minor ones, minor ones into none.
Upon hearing this, Hecate nodded lightly.
Although she did not fully understand the entire process, she believed in Jason. After all, to this day, Jason had never made a mistake.
After a brief exchange between master and apprentice, Jason's emotions gradually calmed down at some point.
He even fell asleep without knowing when.
And after Jason fell asleep, the entire temple hall immediately became quiet.
Even the lamps around them extinguished one by one.
Only a small lamp remained, barely illuminating the darkness.
Underworld butterflies emitting ghostly light danced around the two.
One underworld butterfly landed on Hecate's shoulder.
From within came the voices of those two familiar goddesses.
"Wait."
Hecate said faintly.
"Hecate, you are hogging him again..."
The words from the goddess of wisdom Athena had not fully fallen.
Hecate cut off the connection.
Then she lowered her head and looked at Jason quietly lying on her.
"Your fate has finally changed, and that heart ailment can be put to rest. Unfortunately... for the current you, this is still far from enough."
Hecate said softly, gently stroking Jason.
"You have worked hard." After a long time, in the serene temple, Hecate's gentle voice lightly echoed.
"I have always been watching... watching how hard you have worked.
So rest assured, my child.
No matter how difficult the path, as your teacher... I will always accompany you, accompany you all the way."
The underworld butterflies fluttered and danced around her and Jason.
The dim light beside them illuminated the current Hecate.
In her eyes at this moment flowed a gentle gaze that Jason had never seen.
In those eyes was endless affection...
Yes, this journey had been so arduous.
Since the birth of the Argo and the opening of the path to the Golden Fleece, Jason had shed the last layer of 'clothing' he used for resistance.
He shed the 'clothing' named the white-clothed Heracles.
He became a hero in the name of Jason.
But if asked who in the current world least wanted to become a hero, without a doubt, it was him.
Jason had never wanted to become a hero.
Not to mention the matters along the way with Athena, Hera, and Medea.
Even Hecate, watching, often broke into a cold sweat for Jason.
Now, this matter had finally come to an end.
But... was everything just over like this?
No, far from enough.
At this moment, resting in Hecate's embrace was, as Jason said, a form of willfulness for him.
Now, in the temple of the god of craftsmen Hephaestus, in that Hephaestus temple sealed by magical barriers.
In Hephaestus' massive forge.
The demonic spear given to Jason by the ancestor of all monsters Typhon had already been refined.
The cursed divine blood of the goddess of wisdom Athena had long been sprinkled into it.
That pitch-black demonic sword... was about to be born.
And once that sword emerged, the waiting ancestor of all monsters Typhon would bare its fangs.
The greatest catastrophe for the current world...
Was about to descend.
And Jason could no longer avoid it.
Whether it was the god-slaying figure wielding the demonic sword and destroying Olympus that Hecate saw.
Or the white-clothed hero saving Olympus that the goddess of fate Klotho saw.
Jason clearly could not escape.
And now, the god of craftsmen Hephaestus and the goddess of wisdom Athena were clearly waiting for him in the temple.
Originally, Jason should have gone now, to the temple of Hephaestus.
But Hecate forcibly carved out this time.
Letting him... rest first.