The Underworld.
With the flames obtained from the sun god Helios, plus a bit of processing by the craftsman god Hephaestus, and Jason's decorations, the wedding hall was filled with brilliant lights.
The most eye-catching wedding ceremony of the lord of the underworld Hades and his queen Persephone had already concluded.
This wedding had now reached its closing stage.
However, not a single god or person had left the hall at this moment. They all chose to remain inside, surrounding Hades and Persephone, chattering away with questions, or standing to the side, passionately discussing the wedding they had just witnessed.
At the same time, filled with anticipation, their gazes frequently turned toward Jason, who was wearing a mask and disguised as the great hero Heracles in white.
Their expressions of longing and hope clearly showed that they had not been satisfied. In fact, it was impossible for them to be satisfied.
After all, greed knows no bounds. This holds true for both gods and humans alike.
Keep going, keep going, hurry it up!
This was the message the gods were sending to Jason, who looked utterly speechless.
What made Jason the most speechless was that even Hecate and Athena were watching the spectacle with gleeful expressions, casting such gazes at him. Oh, no, Athena aside. She always enjoyed watching the chaos unfold.
Teacher Hecate, why are you joining in too?!
Jason lowered his head, avoiding these gazes.
His sight then shifted to the group of human heroes who had been invited and were now being closely watched by the hellhound Cerberus, led by the wise centaur Chiron.
"The gods' wedding. So it is this grand, this magnificent?!"
The wise centaur Chiron looked at a certain man beside him, surveying the splendid hall before him. He shook his head with a face full of emotion.
No, no, no. The gods' usual weddings are indeed more splendid than those of humans, but they are not that much better.
"Hey, hey, did you all see that? The queen of the underworld is so beautiful. What is that divine garment she is wearing? Is there any existence in the world more beautiful than the lord of the underworld?"
Ahem, watch your words. There are quite a few goddesses present here.
"By the way, that thing is called a ring, right? It is wonderful. To be together for life, never parting. When I get married, I must imitate and craft one to give to my beloved!"
"Yes, yes! I want to learn from the great gods and hold a wedding like this!"
"I would really like the dress that Lady Persephone wore just now. If I put it on my beloved, she would surely look incredibly beautiful too!"
...
"It seems things are proceeding smoothly, including with the humans over there."
The messenger of the gods, Hermes, came to Jason's side and brought him a glass of fruit juice.
How can this child drink alcohol? He is still so young!
Hermes, do not lead this child astray!
Hermes, stay away from him!
When Hermes had just brought wine to celebrate with Jason, he immediately faced fierce hostility from the camp of the goddesses.
Not only Hermes, but Jason himself felt quite depressed about it.
However, it was clear that neither Jason nor Hermes was foolish enough to argue with the goddesses. So, if he was small, then small it was. If it was fruit juice, then fruit juice it was.
"I am sure that when they return, they will not be able to resist spreading the word about everything they witnessed today. By then, the whole world will know about this wedding and that Goddess Persephone has become the queen of the underworld."
Hermes stated the purpose of Jason inviting these humans to witness the event.
"Thank you, Lord Hermes." Jason took the orange juice and said sincerely to Hermes, "This time, it is all thanks to you. If not for you, things would not have gone so smoothly until now."
"It is nothing. After all, it is a request from a cute child. Besides, I did not do much. But in return, you let me witness such a wonderful wedding. It is just..."
Hermes said this and could not help but smile. Then he raised the goblet of divine wine in his hand and drank it all in one go.
"Just?" Jason looked at him in confusion.
"Just that from now on, things around you will probably become even more lively." As Hermes spoke, his gaze involuntarily turned toward the group now surrounding Queen Persephone, who was wearing a snow-white wedding dress.
Those goddesses whose eyes were filled with envy, who wanted to reach out and touch it but feared leaving a stain on the wedding dress.
For example, the queen of the gods Hera, the goddess of the sacred flame Hestia, the moon goddess Artemis, and so on.
At the same time, the male gods were there too, though separated by a distance from Lord Hades.
The gazes of Zeus and the others no longer lingered on the nymphs in cheongsams or maid outfits. Now, there was only Persephone in her wedding dress.
This was the charm of the wedding dress.
Even though Persephone was not the most beautiful goddess, at this moment, because of that outfit, she had undoubtedly become the most radiant goddess in the hall!
That was why Hermes said that Jason's future would become even more lively.
Because after witnessing such a grand wedding, it would be strange if they did not come to Jason the next time a god got married.
Moreover, not just for weddings, but for the wedding dresses, rings, cheongsams, and maid outfits, Jason was bound to face a bombardment!
"Hmm. I do not weave wedding dresses anyway."
Jason clearly understood what Hermes meant, so he replied with that.
"Leaving aside the fact that all the gods now know how grand, magnificent, and special the wedding you organized is. Even if we step back ten thousand times, if Athena gets annoyed by them, she will not let you off the hook."
Hermes grinned mischievously, looking at Jason with a gaze full of anticipation for the drama.
Faced with such a smile, Jason returned a smile, but clearly felt quite displeased inside.
"I did not consider these things. I merely offered my tribute to my brother-in-law Lord Hades, my sister Queen Persephone, and my godmother Demeter."
Then Jason replied faintly to Hermes, "I believe the great gods will surely understand me."
"Yes, they will definitely understand. You can rest assured."
Hermes nodded. "At least before Hestia, Queen Hera, King Zeus, and the others receive the tributes you send them, they will help block the gods who come to trouble you. You can rest easy on that point.
As for the tributes. They are not bad at all. After all, the tributes you usually send are not inferior, so keep up the good work!
But if after sending tributes all around."
Snap.
Jason stood up expressionlessly.
Today, he could not continue the conversation!
"Lord Hermes, I have other matters to attend to, so I will go first. This wedding is also about to reach its closing time."
As Jason spoke, under Hermes's smiling gaze, he headed toward Lord Hades and Queen Persephone.
Not long after Jason had left, his teacher Hecate came over and sat in the seat he had just vacated, silently staring at Hermes before her.
Now, Hermes could no longer smile easily.
"Ahem, Goddess Hecate, let me say this first. I had no intention of bullying that child!" Hermes, who decisively chose to surrender, said, "I just wanted to remind the child a little that he needs to be more careful when dealing with the gods in the future."
"Thank you for your reminder." Hecate said faintly, "But he is my student, my child. Therefore, I will discipline him."
In other words, you are not needed at all!
This display of protectiveness was all too obvious.
As Hermes fell silent, his gaze subtly glanced toward Hera.
"Rest assured, she cannot hear what I said."
Hecate said faintly, "Moreover, she cannot see me now."
"She cannot see you?" Hermes was stunned.
"I used a little trick. Now, in her eyes, I am just an unremarkable goddess."
Hearing this, Hermes nodded thoughtfully.
"Then, Goddess Hecate, may I ask what you want from me?"
"A small matter." At this moment, Hecate's gaze shifted toward the goddess in the wedding hall whose eyes were covered with a white cloth.
And as if sensing Hecate's gaze, the goddess representing absolute justice, Themis, who was beside the second-generation queen Rhea, turned her head toward Hecate.
The two exchanged a silent gaze at that moment.
"Why has Jason been favored by her, and even become her successor!"
...
Some time later...
Zheng—
The clear sound of a seven-stringed lyre rang out in the hall, gradually quieting the lively space.
The gods and humans, now silent, instinctively turned their gazes toward the source.
Was it about to begin again?
Yes, it was about to begin again. Although this would also be the final closing.
Hearing the beautiful lyre music played by Jason that followed, and the symphony formed by the nine Muse goddesses accompanying it.
Lord Hades, slightly stunned, came back to his senses and gently squeezed the small hand of Persephone that he had been holding tightly.
Persephone turned her head and looked at Lord Hades in confusion.
"Let us go." Hades said softly to Persephone, who was wearing a wedding dress and was the most beautiful today.
"This is the final tribute that child has offered us." As Hades spoke, he led Persephone out of the encirclement of the gods.
At the same time, hearing this sound, the nymphs in maid outfits also began to move.
Not long after, in this golden divine hall, a stage was quickly prepared.
Hades, dressed in a pure white formal suit, led Persephone, who was wearing a wedding dress, onto the center of the stage.
And just as they stepped onto the stage, under the influence of the love goddess Aphrodite's divine power, rose petals once again rained down from the sky.
One by one, decorated candles appeared out of thin air, forming a heart shape that surrounded the groom and bride of today.
Persephone placed her hand on Hades's shoulder, and Hades gently held Persephone's waist.
Under the gaze of the gods and the humans present, under the symphony jointly played by Jason and the nine Muse goddesses.
Lord Hades and Queen Persephone danced gracefully in the falling rain of petals.
"I was wondering why Hecate kept pulling me to practice dancing these past two days. It turns out it was for this."
Persephone whispered softly in Lord Hades's ear.
Her face was a bit red now, and so was Hades's.
"All of this was done by that child, right?"
"Yes." Lord Hades nodded gently. "This is the tribute he offered to me, you, and Demeter. Do you like it?"
"What do you think?" Persephone gave Hades a playful glare.
"Actually, I am quite troubled right now."
Persephone looked at Hades in confusion. "Are you not satisfied with this tribute?"
"No, we are satisfied, more than satisfied." Hades answered immediately, then said helplessly after a moment, "But precisely because it is too satisfactory, I really do not know what return gift to give that child now."
Jason offers tributes to the gods.
The gods give corresponding return gifts.
This was the rule of the game crafted by Athena.
Hearing Hades's words, Persephone's brows also furrowed slightly.
Indeed, in the face of such a wonderful tribute, what kind of return gift should they give?
...
"Persephone is truly so happy."
Athena did not know when she had come to the side of the agricultural goddess Demeter, who had been watching all of this.
"Facing such a wedding, I imagine no god could resist it."
Athena whispered softly beside Demeter.
And her gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted toward Queen Hera, Queen Amphitrite of the sea, and the others.
Demeter followed Athena's gaze toward Hera and the rest, seeing the jealousy and envy in their eyes, along with expressions of longing that they could not hide.
Then Demeter withdrew her gaze and looked toward Persephone, who was dancing happily in her wedding dress under the heart-shaped candlelight and the gaze of the gods.
After a long while, as her gaze gradually softened, Demeter sighed softly and said, "I still cannot forgive that guy Hades for abducting my daughter.
But considering how much effort that child put into organizing this wedding, and how happy my daughter is, I can choose not to oppose this marriage anymore!"
Hearing this, Athena's lips curved up slightly.
She scanned her gaze around, found Jason in a corner playing the seven-stringed lyre.
Her lips moved slightly.
"Little Jason, Demeter says she really likes the tribute you gave her. Congratulations! You have successfully passed the tributes for Lord Hades, Queen Persephone, and the agricultural goddess Demeter!"
Hearing the sudden voice in his ear, Jason's body stiffened slightly.
Then, upon realizing who was calling him, Jason gradually relaxed his whole body and secretly let out a sigh of relief as he walked.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
With Athena's assurance, Jason could finally relax. The tributes for Lord Hades, Queen Persephone, and the agricultural goddess Demeter.
For this wedding, the tributes for these three gods.
He had finally delivered them perfectly!
However, he could not relax yet.
In his heart, as he felt a wave of relief from Athena's confirmation and congratulations right now.
He was also constantly reminding himself.
After all, this was far from over.
Twelve tributes offered to the gods.
Twelve return gifts from the gods.
Jason had only offered tributes to eight of the main Olympian gods so far!
The remaining tributes were for King Zeus, Queen Hera, the eldest sister of the Olympian gods Hestia, Sea Emperor Poseidon, and Sea Queen Amphitrite.
And also the love goddess Aphrodite, who had provided Jason with tremendous help this time, allowing the wedding to proceed so successfully.
The wife of the craftsman god Hephaestus, his master's wife.
And besides these, the tribute for Hecate was another pitfall!
Among these tributes, aside from Hestia and Aphrodite's possibly being a bit easier to handle.
King Zeus, Queen Hera, Sea Emperor Poseidon.
The future looked grim!
Thinking of this, the slight bit of complacency that had just risen in Jason's heart vanished without a trace.
Not long after, after Hades and Persephone finished dancing the piece they had practiced many times, they embraced and left the divine hall.
After all, the rest of the day was their golden time as newlyweds to spend alone.
However, the sound of the symphony did not stop because of this.
Jason understood that after witnessing this wedding, the gods' emotions were now at their peak.
If they left at this time, it might cause some dissatisfaction in their hearts.
Therefore, Jason ultimately decided to end it with a dance, to vent their excited emotions and let them fully enjoy themselves.
So after Lord Hades and Persephone left, Athena stood on the stage and announced that from now on.
Everyone could invite beautiful goddesses or handsome male gods to dance and enjoy themselves here. The scene immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Soon, the male gods, and even some humans, boldly extended invitations to the goddesses and the nymphs in cheongsams and maid outfits.
And probably because they had witnessed this wedding, many goddesses also responded to their invitations.
However, this was tough on Zeus, Poseidon, and the others.
They regretted it deeply in their hearts. Why did they bring their wives along?!
Seeing more and more male and female gods stepping onto the stage, and noticing that most of their expressions were ones of excitement and joy, Jason felt relieved and stepped down.
Hiding in a corner, playing his seven-stringed lyre, with an attitude of minding his own business.
Clearly, Jason had no intention of getting involved in this dance.
And using the seven-stringed lyre in his hand, he silently rejected the expectant gazes from quite a few goddesses and nymphs directed at him.
However, would things really go so smoothly?
"Ja. No, little Heracles, can you dance with me?"
The goddess who was the worst at reading the atmosphere and also the most willful.
The moon goddess Artemis!
Upon hearing that she could invite someone she fancied to dance, Artemis's eyes lit up. Ignoring that Jason was currently playing the seven-stringed lyre, she came directly before Jason, whose mouth twitched slightly.
She showed a pure and innocent smile and extended her hand toward Jason.
Reject?
But the other party was a goddess!
Then accept?
Jason wordlessly scanned the area behind Artemis.
The wisdom goddess Athena smiling over, the sacred flame goddess Hestia looking eager to join, the agricultural goddess Demeter who also had some ideas.
Even Queen Hera and Sea Queen Amphitrite were ignoring their husbands and casting gazes toward Jason.
Plus the camp on his teacher's side, and at a time like this, it was worth mentioning Medea as well.
In the end, Jason looked up and cast an utterly resentful gaze toward Artemis.