Three days later,
This evening, Jason, who was originally sitting on the sacred pegasus and hurrying along the road, had to stop his own steps.
Because although the pegasus was clearly flying high in the sky, very suddenly, a silver branch fell from the appearing moon.
It struck neither too far nor too close, right on top of Jason's head.
"Ouch..."
Jason, who was hit by the silver branch, rubbed his head and looked puzzled at the branch that had fallen into his arms.
He thought for a while. Then, seeing the suddenly enlightened Jason, he sighed helplessly, patted the pegasus's head, and said, "Brother Horse, let us go down and rest for a while."
The pegasus glanced at the silver branch in Jason's hand and obviously also understood what was going on.
Sympathetically looking at Jason, the nodding pegasus then brought Jason down to a mountain path.
Once on the ground, the pegasus folded its wings. As Jason was looking around, the branch in his hand suddenly floated up slowly again and gently knocked on Jason's head once more.
After that, it floated beside Jason, pointing out the direction of the road ahead for him.
Jason and the pegasus looked at each other. Jason shrugged his shoulders. Thus, this one person and one horse could only follow the direction pointed by the silver branch and walk over.
After a period of time, when night had fully fallen and the bright moon's moonlight illuminated their bodies.
Jason and the pegasus also arrived at a cliff. Just as this one person and one horse continued walking forward...
"Halt your steps, passing human!"
A slightly harsh female voice suddenly rang in Jason's and the pegasus's ears. The one person and one horse subconsciously stopped their steps and looked toward the source of the voice.
Then they saw a monster slowly walking out from the shadows, coming under the moonlight, and before Jason and the pegasus's eyes.
This was a female evil being, its name was Sphinx.
It had a human face, a pair of huge wings, and a lion's body.
Very similar to another kind of creature, the Egyptian sphinx!
Seeing this monster, Jason was merely stunned for a moment.
But as another figure followed the Sphinx out from the shadows, Jason completely understood the current situation.
He knew which god had stopped him.
It was Moon Goddess Artemis.
At the same time, Jason's face also showed embarrassment.
Because the person who followed the Sphinx and appeared before Jason's eyes, although it was not Artemis, was still an acquaintance of Jason's, and Jason owed her something...
That's right, the one related to Artemis, and whom Jason owed something to, besides Artemis's most loyal follower Atalanta, who else could it be?
"...Long time no see, Jason."
Atalanta, the hunter clad in beautiful emerald green clothes, bathed in the moonlight, looked at Jason, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Those beautiful emerald eyes now emitted a dangerous aura, just like... locking onto prey!
"Yes, long time no see, Atalanta."
Jason showed a slightly embarrassed but polite smile and said, "What a coincidence. I was just thinking of going to find you. Ouch..."
Just as he spoke, Jason's head was gently knocked by the silver branch floating beside him, obviously telling Jason not to lie.
Atalanta was slightly stunned upon seeing this. Then, probably understanding something, her gaze toward Jason became even more unkind.
As the atmosphere between the two became somewhat stiff, and the pegasus on the side lowered its head to eat grass and watch the show, the Sphinx, who did not know how to read the timing, jumped out.
It looked at Jason and Atalanta and asked puzzledly, "You two know each other?"
"...Hmph."
Atalanta crossed her arms in front of her body, let out a light hum, and turned her head away. That light yellow long hair swayed slightly with the night's gentle breeze.
And regarding Atalanta's attitude that had turned cold again, Jason, who was clearly in the wrong this time, could only touch his nose and accept it!
Who let Jason take someone else's bow and run off, and moreover, with no intention of returning it at all? Jason felt that if it were him, he would definitely be angry too!
"Whatever, whether you know each other or not has nothing to do with me."
Looking at these two for a while, the Sphinx shook its head and then said, "But since you know each other, that is perfect.
Human, you heard it. My name is Sphinx. If you want to pass from here, you need to answer my riddle.
If you answer correctly, I will let you leave.
But if you answer incorrectly, you will be eaten by me!"
"He has nothing to do with me. I will answer mine, he will answer his!" Atalanta said flatly to the Sphinx, "Ask now..."
"Wait!"
Jason interrupted Atalanta's words, stepped forward, grabbed Atalanta's hand, ignored her struggle, and said to her, "Apologize, I guarantee to apologize... Listen, now is not the time to be angry!"
Atalanta glared at Jason, who said this to her. That angry appearance was as if she was about to open her mouth and bite... but actually, it was just for show.
Atalanta's struggle was actually not as intense as Jason had imagined. This could not help but make Jason feel a little surprised.
But the current situation was obviously a good thing, so Jason did not continue to think too much.
Then his eyes turned, and the Jason holding Atalanta turned to the Sphinx and said, "Lady Sphinx, may I take the liberty to ask you a question? Before we answer your riddle, how much time do we have to think about your riddle?
For example, now you tell us, we go discuss it, and give you the answer tomorrow morning, is that okay?"
"Yes."
Probably because Jason's attitude was very good, the sphinx nodded and said, "I can give you that much time.
But you are not allowed to run away, because if I discover you ran, I swear by the gods, I will definitely hunt you to the ends of the earth!
Now, listen carefully to my riddle:
What animal walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening? And when it has the most legs, that is precisely when it walks the slowest and is the weakest in strength!
...Remember it clearly. Now you only have one night's time. If you cannot answer tomorrow morning, I will eat you!"
The sphinx said this very confidently, obviously very confident in its own riddle, believing that Jason and Atalanta definitely could not guess it.
And hearing the riddle it gave, Atalanta's brows furrowed, clearly not having thought of the answer.
Then Atalanta naturally looked toward Jason and discovered that at this moment, Jason was looking at the Sphinx with a slightly strange gaze.
Atalanta was slightly stunned.
This guy. Already knows the answer?
As Atalanta was thinking this, the recovered Jason nodded slightly to the Sphinx and said, "I understand, Lady Sphinx. Before sunrise tomorrow, we will definitely return and solve your riddle."
After saying this, Jason then brought Atalanta and left this place.
The pegasus quietly followed.
Along the way, the two arrived at a secluded place in the forest. Only then did Jason release Atalanta.
Then, before Atalanta could say anything, Jason immediately clasped his hands together, with an extremely sincere attitude, and said to Atalanta, "Sorry, really very sorry, Atalanta!
And this is your Heavenly Bow. I hope you can forgive me!"
Atalanta looked at Jason somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting him to admit his mistake so decisively.
Because Atalanta had actually seen quite a few heroes who, even though they were clearly the ones who did wrong, would never admit it because of face.
Although Jason had always said that he was not a hero and would not become a hero, and Atalanta had heard Jason say these words.
But in Atalanta's heart, even if she would not admit it, she regarded Jason as a hero... and moreover, the hero that best fit her imagination.
"At that time, I really needed your bow, so I took it away. Because at that time, besides your bow, Atalanta, I truly had no other way to shoot the great Moon Goddess Artemis's gift bestowed upon me.
And the matters on my side... Atalanta, you also know some of them.
So really, very sorry!"
Admitting mistakes must be proactive, and the attitude must be sincere!
Atalanta silently looked at Jason apologizing to her for a while and then reached out to take the Heavenly Bow.
After Atalanta took away the Heavenly Bow, Jason looked up at the Atalanta before him who was stroking the Heavenly Bow and no longer looking at him.
Hesitating for a while, he carefully asked, "Um... Atalanta, have you forgiven me?"
Atalanta glanced at Jason but did not answer.
Actually, Atalanta was not as angry as Jason imagined, because Atalanta knew why Jason had taken the Heavenly Bow away.
After all, on that night in Calydon, when Jason shot the silver arrow under the moonlight that killed the Calydonian boar.
Atalanta was the only one who knew.
Moreover, although she had complained to Moon Goddess Artemis about Jason taking her bow and running off, that day when Artemis spoke to Jason, she did not ask when Jason would return the bow.
Because Atalanta had not asked Moon Goddess Artemis to retrieve the bow for her.
After all, just as Jason said, Atalanta knew about Jason's matters... The encounter three years ago, and the encounter three years later. This fateful connection made Atalanta vaguely understand how heavy the oracle Jason carried on his back was.
Therefore, lending the Heavenly Bow to Jason was actually something Atalanta had tacitly approved... At the same time, this was also Atalanta's apology to Jason, to atone for her unreasonableness toward Jason back then.
Of course, Atalanta would absolutely never tell Jason these things, nor would she ever admit them!
And Atalanta was not not angry. What she was actually most angry about was that Jason left without saying goodbye...
"You actually already knew the answer to the riddle just now... right?"
Hearing Atalanta's words, Jason could not help but look strangely at the Atalanta before him who was holding the bow and changing the subject. He even quite wanted to ask her if she was really the Atalanta he knew.
After all, Jason felt that Atalanta should pounce on him now and fight with him...
'Oh, right, I remember now. Atalanta swore to Artemis that she would not fight with him again.'
Thinking this, Jason showed a face of sudden realization and then nodded to Atalanta.
Atalanta furrowed her brows lightly and looked at Jason, saying, "Since that is the case, then why did you not directly say the answer earlier?"
"Because I was not certain that after I gave the correct answer, it would really let us leave, or deny my answer.
So I wanted us to discuss it first and prepare."
Hearing this, Atalanta was slightly stunned and looked at Jason, saying, "What you mean is, even if we answer the correct answer, it still will not admit it?"
"Not excluding that possibility... But this matter is actually quite easy to resolve. When answering the question, we swear to the great Moon Goddess Artemis and seek Artemis to witness the fairness for us. It should not refuse.
I saw that it was very confident in its own riddle."
Hearing Jason's words, Atalanta did not reply. She just secretly clicked her tongue lightly... because she still had not thought of the answer now.
Thus, looking at the Jason before her, this gave her a certain sense of frustration.
After all, this was suppression in intelligence, more irritating than in martial prowess...
But this was not Atalanta's fault, because Jason knowing the answer to this riddle was obtained through cheating.
Although Jason did not know the story of the sphinx, he had an impression of this riddle.
Because this riddle was very famous, in the future it was adapted into various films, animations, and such. Having experienced the internet era, Jason had naturally heard it.
What animal walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening? And when it has the most legs, that is precisely when it walks the slowest and is the weakest in strength...
The answer is human!
Morning corresponds to infancy, crawling.
Noon corresponds to middle age, walking upright.
Evening corresponds to old age, walking with a cane.
Of course, Atalanta naturally did not know any of this. She still thought Jason was really that smart, knowing the answer as soon as he heard it.
"So what we need to guard against is not this point, but after we answer the riddle, whether it will fly into a rage and attack us out of shame! ...Right, by the way, Atalanta, why are you here?"
This place was not near Thebes city, and Atalanta was from the natural paradise of Arcadia side.
Therefore, Jason truly did not expect to encounter Atalanta here.
Atalanta was silent for a while. Because it was not something she could not answer, she said, "Actually, I was preparing to go to the Kingdom of Corinth side and was passing through here."
"Kingdom of Corinth... What are you going there for?"
Jason blinked his eyes. At the same time, his heart had some doubts, because he inexplicably felt that this kingdom's name seemed somewhat familiar.
"Because over in the Kingdom of Corinth, there is a kind of impossible trial underway where one pushes a boulder up a mountain, and one can also leave one's name on the mountain. Therefore, many heroes are rushing there now..."