Unknowingly, dawn had broken.
A touch of morning glow appeared in the east, the stars one by one hid away, and the crescent moon's curve also vanished at the western horizon.
The nymphs serving the Sun God Helios led the flame-spitting horses out from the luxurious troughs and carefully fitted them with beautiful harnesses.
For fear that these ill-tempered divine horses would breathe flames at them.
The last nymph who had been singed by flames, although under the Sun God Helios's emergency aid she had not gone to the Underworld to report, had her beautiful long hair burned clean off.
It had been decades, and she still dared not come out from her home.
However, today they quickly noticed something unusual, because these ill-tempered divine horses were obedient to an almost abnormal degree!
And the reason for all this was naturally because at this moment, the white-robed hero standing to the side, gazing at them.
It was also at this time that the Sun God Helios, on one side, applied sacred ointment to Phaethon's face, allowing him to withstand the fiercely burning flames.
At the same time, the radiant sun crown was also placed on his head.
"Child, you remember, absolutely do not use the whip, but you must tightly grasp the reins. The horses will run on their own; you need to control them, make them run slower.
And the sun chariot cannot fly too low, otherwise the ground will blaze with flames.
But it also cannot fly too high; be careful not to scorch the sky... Go on up. The darkness before dawn has passed. My dear child, grasp the reins!
And also..."
After instructing Phaethon, Helios then turned his head to look at Jason, saying, "White-robed hero Heracles, everything... I leave to you!"
The masked Jason nodded lightly to the Sun God Helios.
Then, just as he was preparing to board the sun chariot, the Goddess of Craftsmen Hephaestus, who had been at the side, reached out and pulled Jason back.
"...Be very careful." Hephaestus said softly to Jason, "I will always be watching you, my child."
"Mm." Jason smiled at Hephaestus, saying, "Do not worry, Teacher. I will be back soon."
After Jason finished speaking, he turned and boarded the sun chariot.
Phaethon looked at Jason who had followed him up, his brows furrowing, appearing not very pleased. But yesterday Helios had strongly indicated that this matter was non-negotiable, so although Phaethon felt unhappy, he said nothing.
He merely gripped the reins tightly and watched Jason vigilantly.
Using his eyes to tell Jason that today he was the one driving the sun chariot and to not get any ideas!
Seeing Phaethon looking at him with eyes full of hostility, Jason smiled and was not angry. He then went to the corner on one side and sat down.
Afterward, Helios opened the large gate, and the vast space of the world unfolded before their eyes.
The horses charged forward at full speed upon entering the path, bravely breaking through the dawn mist.
And when the sun chariot, under the lead of these four flame divine horses, charged out of the gate in that instant, light broke through the night.
The divine horses neighed, carrying the sun chariot toward the high places of the sky.
At the beginning, it was extremely smooth.
Thus, driving the sun chariot, that indescribable excitement, pride, and arrogance also flooded Phaethon's emotions as a man, making him no longer resent the extra person beside him coming to share the honor he had obtained.
"You should thank me!"
And Phaethon even excitedly boasted to Jason beside him, "If it were not for me, you would fundamentally not be able to sit on my great father's chariot, much less drive the sun chariot with me to bring light to the mortal world!"
Seeing Phaethon's proud expression, Jason revealed a light smile, saying, "Mm, thank you, Phaethon."
After speaking, Jason no longer said anything.
Phaethon did not mind. He was now utterly focused on driving the sun chariot, performing this sacred task.
Not long after, when the sun chariot quickly crossed paths with the night chariot in that instant, the Jason seated in the sun chariot could not help but be stunned.
He subconsciously turned his head to look toward the night chariot behind that carried the hidden night.
And on his head, two little question marks appeared.
"Hecate... Teacher? Why is she there?"
Just as Jason was puzzled.
"Ah, what a pity, is it not, Hecate."
The Night Goddess Nyx, who had deliberately let the two chariots cross paths, covered her mouth and laughed at the somewhat helpless Hecate beside her, saying, "You could not witness your student driving the sun chariot in that handsome manner."
"Handsome? ...Sorry, Goddess Nyx, I did not see it."
Hecate brushed the black strands of hair by her ear moved by the wind and said faintly, "I only saw a disobedient disciple with reluctance written all over his face, eager to jump down from that chariot, a foolish disciple... Goddess Nyx, he really is not a hero!"
"In this world now, you are the only teacher who has always denied that your student is a hero."
"I am just telling the truth." Hecate had a look of "that is simply how it is; if you do not believe me, there is nothing I can do."
"Then according to what you say, he has deceived all the gods in the world now."
"No, I was not deceived."
Hecate replied without the slightest hesitation. Then, under Nyx's smiling gaze, after a good while, Hecate turned her head away, her gaze remotely watching that Heracles seated in the sun chariot.
In the end, she said unwillingly, "Although he is not a hero, he is indeed more like a hero than other heroes... But as my student, is it not very normal for him to be excellent? What is there so praiseworthy about it!"
Looking at Hecate before her, who under her own pressure had even gradually started to throw a little tantrum, Nyx could not hold back and finally laughed out loud.
It was also at this moment...
Inside the Olympian sacred mountain.
"Quick, look, look!"
The noble matron, Queen of the Gods Hera, pulled her eldest sister Hestia and said in an excited and proud tone, "Look at Heracles, Heracles is now driving the sun chariot!"
Hestia looked at Hera's excited appearance.
Although she was also excited, she felt more of a headache.
Because Hera now seemed to be sinking deeper and deeper, almost regarding the white-robed Heracles as everything.
Last time, after a few days without seeing him, she had been so anxious that she nearly turned the entire mortal world upside down searching. If in the end that so-called white-robed Heracles was actually Jason...
Hiss...
Hestia cast a subtle glance toward Athena not far away.
Athena, seeing this and looking at the excited Hera, revealed an expression as if she wanted to cry.
"Do you have to be this happy?"
Even God-King Zeus at the side could not bear to watch... Mainly, now even he felt Hera was somewhat pitiful and could not help but remind her, "That child is not yours; he is Her... Hephaestus's!"
"Hephaestus is also my child!"
Hera raised her head toward Zeus and said, "If it is for Heracles, then... I will go apologize to Hephaestus and let her share Heracles with me; that is not impossible!"
Seeing Hera's appearance of having made up her mind to reconcile with Hephaestus.
The gods around, with faces full of watching the drama, could not help but slowly open their mouths wide.
Then everyone together cast their gazes toward Athena's side.
And Athena, hearing Hera's words, at this moment had her eyes opened very wide, her mouth twitching several times.
In the end, one could see her taking several deep breaths before taking out the silver lyre... Yes, precisely the lyre Jason had given her.
At the same time, the gift that was the root of all this trouble.
Holding the lyre, Athena squeezed hard...
Clang clang clang... All the strings broke.
Mm, her mood felt much better.
Athena put away the broken lyre, preparing to repair it tonight.
As for the matter between Hera and Jason... Athena now very much wanted to throw everything down, wash her hands of it, and declare she was done!
Clearly, the matter of driving the sun chariot had received the highest attention from the gods.
After all, this was not a small matter. One must know that even among the gods, not every god could drive the sun chariot.
Moreover, it was the white-robed hero Heracles, who was the hottest topic recently; it would be strange if everyone did not cast their gazes over.
At this moment, even many gods in the Underworld were watching this matter through their own means.
Although the one actually driving the chariot now was fundamentally not Jason but Phaethon, Helios's child, in their hearts, the true driver was naturally Jason.
Some gods had even started to complain that Helios was inconsiderate, actually putting an unnecessary person up there...
Regarding these, Jason naturally did not know... After all, he could not perceive the gazes of the gods, but in his heart, he had a rough idea.
And how to put it... He was somewhat accustomed to it by now.
Therefore, Jason naturally remained calm, staring at the sun chariot and Phaethon, prepared to act immediately if anything seemed off!
Afterward, actually not much time passed.
When Phaethon's sense of novelty and excitement faded with the passage of time, and his attention began to scatter somewhat, he made the greatest mistake.
"Do not look!"
When Jason noticed and shouted to stop him, it was already too late.
Phaethon lowered his head and looked toward the earth.
In this instant, although the sun chariot was now an independent space with no more hypoxia issue, Phaethon, looking at the earth, still had his face turn pale in a moment.
What followed was fear spreading throughout his body, making him instantly tense up, his breathing stop.
His mind buzzed, becoming a blank.
"Ah—!" With a miserable scream, Phaethon dropped the reins from his hand and subconsciously stood up.
In the instant he stood, because of the fierce wind from the divine horses pulling the sun chariot in winter run, it nearly blew him directly away. Fortunately, Jason had anticipated this when he saw him lower his head and thus pressed him back into the chariot.
However, at this time, because it had lost restraint and control, the speed of the four divine horses underwent a subtle change, causing the entire sun chariot to start bumping and shaking in the air. This could not help but make Phaethon, who had slowly come back to his senses, feel trepidation once more.
"Grab the reins, Phaethon!"
Jason, pressing down on Phaethon's shoulders, reminded him. Phaethon turned his head to look at Jason and, seeing Jason's expression still calm, this calmness slightly affected him. He subconsciously obeyed Jason's command and grabbed the reins.
But at this time, the directionless Phaethon already completely did not know how to pull the ropes to control the chariot.
Seeing the chariot gradually veering off track, Jason knew this could not continue, but even so, Jason had no intention of replacing Phaethon.
Although the situation at hand had already become dangerous, and even if Helios learned Jason had replaced Phaethon, he would not be angry.
But Jason absolutely would not gamble, after all, these Greek gods were overly capricious.
Therefore, after brief contemplation, Jason immediately took out the golden leaf imprinted with the sun mark that Helios had given him last night.
He placed it to his lips and gently blew a sound.
The magical sound made the divine horses, who had already started to run somewhat wildly, immediately return to the original track.
The shaking sun chariot became steady once more.
"Do not worry; there is nothing to fear. And look... the ground is actually very beautiful, is it not?"
Seeing that things were fine, Jason then set down the leaf and soothed the still shaken Phaethon.
However, clearly, the effect was not great.
Now Phaethon, looking at Jason, had only one thought: to hand the reins in his hand to Jason and let him do it.
Seeing that Phaethon had been thoroughly frightened, Jason thought for a moment and then said, "Phaethon, you know, what you are doing now is a great deed sufficient to be recorded in the history books, a lifelong glory.
How could such a thing not be accompanied by beautiful music?"
As Jason spoke, he took out the golden seven-stringed lyre from the sunlight beside him and then played it.
The magical music gradually soothed the fear in Phaethon's heart. Under the music, Phaethon finally calmed down.
Thus, with the fear vanishing along with the music, Phaethon ultimately, under Jason's all-the-way assistance, successfully completed his mission.
When night fell, Phaethon also drove the sun chariot down from the highest point in the sky.
And at the curtain fall, the places the sun chariot flew over, the evening glow burned along with it.
On the way back to the Sun God Helios's temple, knowing that everything was about to end, the excited Phaethon said to Jason, "Heracles, it is about to end soon. This time, our achievement will surely resound throughout the entire earth!"
"No, Phaethon, this is your glory..." Jason was just correctly advising this fool, who wanted to take everything upon himself.
"No, this is our shared glory. Heracles, without you, I might have just died back there!" But Phaethon was very firm.
Thus, Jason opened his mouth, then simply said nothing more.
Anyway, he was now Heracles; the glory on his back was already plenty, and a bit more would not crush him!
And at this time, in Helios's temple, the various gods were also excitedly awaiting the return of these two humans who had completed the great deed.
But what surprised everyone was that just as the sun chariot once again crossed paths with the Night Goddess Nyx's chariot in that instant...
"Eh?" Jason, whose body was suddenly pressed close by two goddesses, blinked his eyes.
"Long time no see, little Jason."
Nyx, leisurely seated in the chariot and smiling as she let the chariot run freely, patted the dazed Jason's head.
Jason looked at the Night Goddess Nyx before him, dressed in a black gown as if adorned with stars, appearing so radiant.
And looking at the Goddess of the Crossroads Hecate beside her, who, compared to such a goddess, still did not seem inferior, he said, "Hecate... Teacher?
That, may I ask... what is this situation?"
Jason looked at these two goddesses and at this running chariot, a bad premonition gradually surging in his heart.
"Nothing much; I just felt it would be interesting... Mm, since little Jason you can drive the sun chariot, I wanted to see if little Jason you could drive my chariot as well."
Nyx replied with a smile, "If little Jason you feel there is no problem, then when little Jason you become immortal, you can come take my place!"
Hearing this, Jason blinked at Nyx.
Then he looked toward Hecate.
After sorting out his thoughts a bit.
"That, thank you very much for your favor, Goddess Nyx, but..."
As Jason spoke, he lunged toward Hecate, who could not dodge... There was no place to dodge in this spot anyway, and said righteously, "Sorry, Goddess Nyx; I have already promised Teacher Hecate that after becoming immortal, I would guard the gate for Teacher!"
"You say what you say; why lunge over... Let go!" Black lines appeared on Hecate's forehead as she pushed Jason with her hand.
"Teacher, it is so high here, so dark." Jason looked at Hecate pitifully, saying, "I am so scared..."
Hearing this, Nyx was directly amused, and even Hecate was made to laugh in anger by Jason's words.
Then, after Hecate pinched Jason's face hard and struggled a bit, she rolled her eyes at Jason but said nothing more.