"Athena, the goddess..."
Upon hearing the words of his two teachers, Jason muttered softly, and a complex expression could not help but appear on his face.
Regarding Athena, Jason had once said that if it were not because he had Hecate first, he would definitely become Athena's child.
These words were naturally not false, after all, Jason could not lie to the gods.
It was evident that in Jason's heart, Athena held a very high position.
But this was also natural. Although Athena had indeed brought Jason many troubles, at the same time, if it were not for Athena, Jason would not have reached his current level in such a short time.
Therefore, in Jason's heart, he was very grateful to Athena.
"...You do not want her to know?"
Noticing Jason's hesitation, Hecate was silent for a moment before asking.
"Yes." Jason did not object and directly nodded in admission. He said, "Because I do not want to be enemies with Athena... in various senses."
Whether it was because Athena, as the Goddess of Wisdom, was a god who was extremely difficult to deal with, or emotionally, Jason did not want to be enemies with her.
"Is that so... But I think that goddess would be very pleased."
Hecate returned the Helm of Invisibility in her hand to Jason and said to the puzzled Jason, "Because she would probably be very interested in this new game with you... Speaking of which, who is the next god you should offer a tribute to?"
"...Goddess Athena." A wry smile appeared on Jason's face.
"Offering a tribute to Athena, and then obtaining blood from her to forge a demonic sword capable of slaying gods."
Hecate also laughed. She said, "To think that things have collided like this. I wonder if this is fortunate or unfortunate for you..."
Although the gods all knew that Athena had received a silver lyre from Jason... a tribute that Athena usually used to vent her anger by crushing it and then repairing it, only to crush it again once repaired.
It was precisely because of that tribute that the curtain was raised on the twelve tributes from the gods and the twelve gifts from the gods.
But obviously, after witnessing the subsequent tributes Jason offered, and looking back at that utterly ordinary lyre, Athena would not accept it...
So although the gods would still say it verbally, in their hearts, they tacitly accepted the situation where Athena would obtain another tribute from Jason.
Athena's gift had even been prepared long ago, and she had greeted the other gods not to send the same thing.
That was her shield.
The world's most solid defensive weapon, the strongest shield that even Zeus's divine thunder could not split!
Not long after, Jason left the temple of Hephaestus... The magic spear was left behind.
Although this magic spear could not be refined now, Hephaestus needed it as a reference to create armor capable of absorbing the destructive aura.
Otherwise, there would be no need to wait a month. As the destructive aura on Jason's body grew stronger, it would inevitably be discovered sooner or later.
And before leaving, Hecate had originally planned to leave her divine power on Jason's body to cover up the destructive aura that was quietly leaking out.
But just as Hecate's divine power surged into Jason's body.
The scales on Jason's left hand suddenly flew out, emitting a holy light that directly blocked Hecate's power outside...
"Um, Teacher..." Jason said to Hecate, who now had a few more black lines on her forehead, with an innocent expression on his face. He continued, "This has nothing to do with me."
Hecate glanced at Jason and let out a cold hum.
Thus, seeing this, Jason hurriedly slipped away. After bidding farewell to the doll sisters outside the temple, he whistled and summoned the holy pegasus.
"Brother Horse, I have to trouble you again." Jason reached up and touched the pegasus's head. The pegasus neighed softly and nodded gently toward Jason.
Then the pegasus carried this white-clothed youth into the blue sky and galloped toward the temple of the Goddess of Agriculture Demeter.
That was right. Jason was going to see Demeter next, and the reason was simple. According to the rules of that "game," once Jason offered a tribute and received acknowledgment from the god who received the tribute, that god had to give a return gift.
That is, a gift for the child.
In this wedding, Jason had offered tributes to three gods in total.
The King and Queen of the Underworld, and Demeter.
And when Jason, holding the reins, was brought by the pegasus under the blue sky, Jason unusually asked the pegasus to slow its pace.
Riding on the pegasus, overlooking the earth below, after a long time, Jason finally said softly, "Speaking of which, Brother Horse, you have always been with me."
"Neigh—?"
The pegasus turned its head and looked at Jason in confusion.
Jason smiled lightly and touched its head. He said, "Since the year when Hestia, the goddess, entrusted you to me... it has been about four years now. Quite a lot has happened during this time, right, Brother Horse?"
The pegasus thought for a moment and nodded.
Indeed, quite a lot had happened.
From its memory alone, the number of times it had been "threatened" by gods to bring Jason before them was already many.
At first, the pegasus trembled in fear beside him, but later it became completely accustomed to it.
"I... actually sometimes really feel quite tired."
Jason leaned down and lay on the pegasus's back. He said, "Every day is spent in constant anxiety, and as soon as one thing ends, the next one immediately follows. There is not even time for a break... Being a hero is truly a damnable profession!"
Upon hearing this, the pegasus let out a soft neigh, as if comforting Jason.
"It is fine, it is fine." Jason patted the pegasus and smiled. He said, "I am just complaining... After all, I cannot really say these things to Teacher and the others."
By Jason's side, the one who could listen to his complaints was probably... only the pegasus.
"Brother Horse, I do not want to be a hero at all."
"Neigh—"
"But for some reason, they always want me to become a hero and think I am very suitable... Sometimes, I actually want to be willful too."
"Neigh—"
"I want to do nothing and run off to hide somewhere... Brother Horse, do you know? When Artemis, the goddess, said she wanted to hide me away, I was actually tempted. It is a pity that Artemis, the goddess, came to find me, otherwise I might have really gone with her..."
"Neigh neigh!"
"I know, I know, so I did not go with her... Brother Horse, do you know why I want to become immortal?"
"Neigh!"
"It seems you know... But that makes sense, after all, I have said it many times.
That is right, I just do not want to be bound and want to live freely... In this world, that is all!
But recently, I suddenly started thinking that after I become immortal... Will I really be able to live freely?
Ah, but I will definitely still strive to become immortal. Of course, I will not choose to give up, after all, I have worked hard until now. It would be too much of a loss to waste it midway... It is just that recently, I seem to suddenly understand something."
Jason muttered, "I understand why Teacher saw a future where I abandon everything and ultimately become a mortal..."
Upon hearing Jason's soft complaints... these complaints that he could not say to others and could not say to the teachers he trusted in his heart, so he could only vent them to it.
"Brother Horse, I am so tired... So can I close my eyes and nap for a bit... Just a short nap."
As Jason spoke, on the pegasus's back, he slowly closed his eyes.
Once he woke up, he would no longer complain.
Once he woke up, Jason would go to think about and handle the matters regarding Athena, that black sword, the magic spear, and Typhon... Regarding Typhon, although it was obvious this time that she had tricked him, Jason was actually not very angry in his heart.
Because when he first made contact with her back then, Jason had already prepared himself in his heart.
There is no free lunch in this world. Wanting to obtain the power of the other party... and moreover, the power of a demon, how could it be possible without paying a price?
Jason had shown his attitude during his second meeting with Typhon... the time they met alone.
As long as Typhon did not do anything that would involve Hecate, everything would be fine.
Moreover, it was not unexpected that Typhon would urge Jason to forge the black sword. She had always wanted Jason to come to her side. If she did nothing, that would instead be very strange and something worth Jason's vigilance.
Therefore, in today's series of events triggered by the magic spear, although Jason was somewhat surprised, he accepted it calmly.
And regarding the issue of the black sword, Jason back then had also expressed that if possible, he actually wanted to obtain this power...
So now, he really just felt a bit tired.
Jason did not hate Typhon, but he hoped that things could slow down a bit, allowing him to rest for a while...
And not long after Jason closed his eyes, a holy light suddenly shone and illuminated Jason's body... From the mark on the back of his left hand, the scales emitting a holy aura flew out, blocking everything from the outside world.
And it made Jason, who was only planning a short nap, fall into a deep sleep just like that.
It was not until the slowly flying pegasus, after a three-day journey, arrived at the temple of the Goddess of Agriculture Demeter that the holy scales returned to Jason's left hand and turned back into a mark. Only then did Jason open his golden eyes and wake up.