"...Jason?!"
As soon as Jason stepped out of the abyss, he heard someone call his name in an utterly surprised tone. He subconsciously looked up and saw the three goddesses of vengeance before him.
The one who had called out to Jason was Tisiphone, the smallest among the three goddesses of vengeance, the Goddess of Retribution.
Under Tisiphone's surprised voice, the other two goddesses also turned their attention over.
They looked at Jason before them, dressed in white clothes and holding a fainted little loli in his arms, and could not help but all freeze in place.
They even almost thought they were having a hallucination!
Because Jason had only entered that abyss which could devour even time and space, less than three days ago!
"Huh, Goddesses, you're all still here?" Jason saw them and also froze for a moment, then revealed a kind smile on his face.
"Jason... It's really you, Jason?"
The Goddess of Retribution Tisiphone spread her wings and flew in front of Jason, looking at him with an incredulous gaze.
"You... you didn't actually go into the abyss at all, did you?!"
"No, I did go." Jason froze for a moment, then looked at the goddess before him in confusion and said, "Look, I even brought Cerberus out."
With that, Jason showed the little loli in his arms to the goddesses before him.
The Goddess of Retribution Tisiphone froze for a moment. Only then did she notice Cerberus in Jason's arms.
And at a glance, she saw through her soul and knew that this black-haired little loli was indeed Cerberus!
Thus, not only did the Goddess of Retribution Tisiphone freeze, but the two other goddesses who had hurried over also froze.
The three of them looked at Jason together with extremely surprised and incredulous gazes.
They had to know that not long ago, they had been discussing going in after a month to bring them out.
But what was this situation right now? ...He had gone in less than three days ago and run out from the endless abyss that imprisoned the gods?
And he had successfully brought back Cerberus?
How was that possible!
"Right, Goddesses, may I ask how long I've been in there?"
"Less than three days..." The Goddess of Retribution Tisiphone replied subconsciously.
"Three days?" Jason's expression changed, and he said with exceptional surprise, "I actually went in for a whole three days?!"
"A whole... three days?" The Goddess of Retribution Tisiphone looked at Jason with a strange gaze.
That was the abyss, the endless abyss that imprisoned numerous gods!
"Oh god, it's over, it's over. It's been so long. Teacher must be worried to death!"
However, it was clear that Jason, who had already entered and exited that abyss multiple times, truly panicked a bit upon hearing that three days had passed.
"Sorry, esteemed three goddesses, I have urgent business now and must take my leave first. As for my rudeness, I will apologize to you next time!"
After Jason finished speaking, he ran off holding Cerberus, under the three goddesses' dazed gazes.
All the way, Jason ran back to Goddess Hecate's temple at his fastest speed.
This time, Jason did not even knock on the door and directly pushed it open.
"Teacher, I'm back. And look what I brought back for you!"
Holding Cerberus in his arms, Jason called out loudly, "I brought back your illegitimate daughter for you!"
The instant the words fell.
Boom boom boom!
A burst of crimson lightning struck Jason's body with unerring accuracy.
Although the damage was not great, Jason's hair stood on end from the electricity. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black smoke, and even Cerberus in his arms suffered along with him.
However, even after being struck by lightning, Cerberus still did not wake up.
Immediately after, Hecate, with a head full of black lines, appeared before Jason via teleportation from somewhere in the temple.
"What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly. Say it again."
"N-Nothing." Jason revealed an awkward yet polite smile, raised Cerberus in his arms, and said, "Teacher Hecate, look, I brought Cerberus back. And she looks just like you!"
Upon hearing this, Hecate looked at the fainted Cerberus that Jason was holding up, looked at this little loli who resembled her by seven parts, and could not help but freeze for a moment.
Then the black lines on Hecate's forehead could not help but increase.
"Wait wait wait, Teacher, wait first!" Seeing Hecate raise her staff, preparing to strike him with another bolt of lightning, Jason hurriedly clarified, "Her transforming like this really has nothing to do with me. I swear!"
"...What happened? Tell me."
Hecate glared at the wicked disciple Jason before her, then said irritably.
At the same time, in the blink of an eye, Cerberus had arrived beside Hecate. Hecate examined her and found that the fainted Cerberus was fine... To be precise, not only was she fine, she was better than she could possibly be.
It was estimated that when she woke up from this sleep, her strength would at least double, if not more!
"It's like this, Teacher..."
Then Jason also concisely told Hecate about what had happened in the abyss.
When she heard that Jason had offered tribute to Tartarus, and that Tartarus was extremely satisfied and gave a generous return gift, Hecate's expression toward Jason could not help but appear extremely speechless.
However, Hecate had somewhat grown accustomed to it... Although she did not know what was so good about this wicked disciple, he was indeed very favored by various gods.
"Then, when leaving, Lady Typhon gave Cerberus a drop of blood, and then she fainted... Oh, right, Teacher Hecate."
Jason said this far, hesitated for a period of time, but in the end, looking at Hecate before him, Jason still told her honestly, "Lady Typhon told me about that sword...
She said that the body of Goddess Athena flows with cursed blood.
And Teacher Hephaestus possesses the ability to fuse her destructive power with Athena's power to create... a weapon that can truly slay that one!"
Hecate froze.
"She actually told you all of this?"
This time, Hecate was truly surprised.
It was not unexpected for Typhon to know about this, because if she did not, she would not have directly given her own essence blood to Jason.
Evidently, what Typhon anticipated was the emergence of the god-slaying weapon.
Because the closeness of Athena and Jason's relationship was not a secret.
However, Hecate had not expected Typhon to tell Jason these things.
Because just as Jason had thought at the time, as long as the god-slaying weapon was created, and Jason held it, then no matter whether Jason was willing or not, he would only have the path of destruction left to walk.
After the surprise, looking at Jason before her, Hecate fell silent for a while again.
"Then what about you? You actually know about this now. What do you think?"
As Hecate spoke, her expression appeared much more relaxed.
During this time, Hecate had actually been troubled over whether she should tell Jason about this... about the god-slaying sword.
Although Hephaestus said that divine favor might not necessarily be happiness for Jason.
But god-slaying was destined not to bring happiness to Jason.
Because if Jason truly wanted to destroy Olympus, then what about Artemis, Hestia, Athena, and those gods?
And what about Hephaestus?
However, always keeping it hidden from Jason was not a solution either.
Thus, Hecate had actually been troubled all along, but now that Typhon had brought the matter to light, Hecate naturally felt relieved now.
"Mm... As for me, actually, I want to seriously ask Teacher you for one thing." Jason thought for a moment, then looked at Hecate with utmost seriousness.
Who knew that Hecate would roll her eyes and say, "You want me to help you erase your memory? ...No way!"
"Then isn't that it." Jason shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "Teacher, look, since I can't erase the memory, what else can I do? ...I can only continue walking the current path.
Get stronger, get stronger, keep getting stronger.
Become immortal, become stronger than anyone, and only then can I make my own choices, rather than passive ones."
Jason said this very flatly.
The matter of the god-slaying sword did indeed surprise Jason, after all, he had not expected that he would actually have the chance to obtain a terrifying weapon capable of slaying Zeus.
But after the surprise, Jason thought about it, and now knowing these things, and even if he obtained that god-slaying sword now, it seemed useless!
Because even with the weapon, that did not mean he could kill Zeus.
He was not even an immortal deity now. Taking the god-slaying sword to find Zeus would probably result in Zeus striking him down with one bolt of lightning, leaving not even ashes behind.
One had to know that although Jason's soul had been strengthened, divine lightning could still destroy him!
And Hecate, looking at Jason before her, felt his answer somewhat unexpected, but upon careful thought, it was also reasonable.
"...If it were three years ago, I would probably find your words utterly inconceivable, but now..."
Hecate looked at Jason before her with a complex expression and said, "I find that I... seem to be understanding you less and less!"
"But no matter what, I am still Teacher's most adorable disciple!" Jason said to Hecate with a beaming smile, "And men should keep a bit of mystery, after all!"
"Most adorable... Pfft!"
"And a man? You're still just a boy right now."
"Teacher, that's too much!" Jason widened his eyes and looked at Hecate.
"Alright, I don't have time to fool around with you." Hecate waved her hand and dismissed him, "Your teacher Hephaestus has come to find me several times already, asking why you haven't gone back yet... Speaking of which, you came to find me, actually planning to ask me what kind of tribute would be good for Hephaestus, right? How come you suddenly stopped asking?"
Although Jason had offered companionship to Hephaestus, that was not a physical item, so Jason needed to offer the first item he forged himself to Hephaestus. Jason had actually come to the Underworld this time also to consult Hecate about this.
To hear Hecate's opinion.
However, halfway through, Jason had given up, because...
"It's because you suddenly remembered halfway that you hadn't prepared a tribute for me, so you didn't dare to ask, right?"
Hecate slanted her eyes at Jason, who had become embarrassed before her.
"Heh, indeed my most adorable disciple!"
"Um, Teacher, actually, it's not that I didn't prepare a tribute for you. That... how should I put it... I really don't know what to give Teacher you that's good."
Easily seen through by Hecate, Jason now had no choice but to reply honestly, "Because I feel that Teacher you aren't interested in other things either... How about, Teacher, I offer myself to you?"
Upon hearing this, Hecate looked at Jason before her, who was looking at her expectantly.
Hecate, with a dark face, was too lazy to say anything more.
With a wave of her hand, the underworld's nether butterflies trapped Jason.
In the next second, Jason was kicked out of the Underworld by Hecate and returned to Hephaestus's temple.
"Ah, it seems I was rejected... Whatever, Teacher being tsundere isn't the first day either. I have time to slowly wear her down!
Speaking of which, have I been forgetting something all this time... It seems like the god of death asked me to pass a message to Teacher.
Whatever, I'll say it next time I remember."
Muttering to himself, Jason found a place to sit down and began to space out.
Recalling the experiences of these two days, even Jason himself felt it somewhat unreal.
"A god-slaying sword... This thing is really not good. Should I find a way out for myself? If they really find out, I'm done for... And it requires Goddess Athena's blood, which means Goddess Athena will definitely know... Sigh, what a hassle."
Pondering all of this, Jason could not help but sigh.
However, Jason did not wallow for long. Just as he had said earlier, now knowing all this, so what? It was fundamentally useless.
He still had to do what needed to be done.
Moreover, Jason did not completely lack a way out now... The three black pieces given by the God of the Abyss Tartarus could not be used to imprison Zeus and the others, but thinking the other way around.
What if used to imprison Jason himself?
Then, going into the endless abyss, even Zeus would have no way to deal with him, after all, Zeus's father was also in that abyss.
"Whatever, no point thinking so much. Thinking too much is meaningless. What I need to do right now is actually still just two things.
First, prepare those things for Brother-in-law Hades's wedding... These aren't hard to solve if Teacher Hephaestus is still willing to help me.
Then I need to accomplish the second one first... What exactly should I forge to give to Teacher Hephaestus?"
Jason's brows furrowed deeply.
And just at that moment...
"Jason, what are you doing? ...Since you're back, why didn't you notify your teacher?"
Accompanied by the soft words in his ear, Hephaestus, who had sensed Jason's return and immediately driven her wheelchair, now appeared before Jason.
Jason looked up, looking at Hephaestus slowly approaching him, looking at this Hephaestus who wore a half pitch-black mask, with the other half of her face being a goddess's visage. Jason could not help but fall silent.
In fact, Jason was not completely without direction... He had long since seriously considered what he should forge for Hephaestus.
It was just...
Jason hesitated, but he still revealed a smile and welcomed Hephaestus.
Then the two arrived in the temple hall. As Jason told Hephaestus what he had done and where he had gone these two days, he also observed Hephaestus, inwardly conflicted over whether he should do that.
After some time passed...
"Child, do you have something you want to say to me?"
Because of Jason's repeated gazes, Hephaestus noticed something off about Jason and had him sit before her, asking him doubtfully.
"...Yes, Teacher Hephaestus, but I don't know if I should presumptuously say it."
"It's fine, say it, child." Hephaestus smiled gently, "You are my student. You can make any request of me, and I will accept it."
"Is that so... Then please excuse my presumption, Teacher Hephaestus!"
Upon hearing this, the somewhat moved Jason finally took a deep breath, gritted his teeth lightly, looked at Hephaestus before him, and said, "Then, Teacher Hephaestus, may I ask... can I see your true appearance?
Can you take off your mask and let me see?"