Everyone was stunned!
Those three words perfectly described the inner thoughts of nearly every person present.
Gods were not actually rare in the age of ancient Greek mythology.
They were objects of awe and reverence.
An ordinary mortal might never meet a single god in their entire life.
Most of the time, people only heard tales of the gods from wandering bards.
That was why King Aeson had been so overwhelmed with emotion when he put on the crown, was bathed in golden light, and received an oracle directly from God-King Zeus.
A god, and Zeus himself no less, was granting his son Jason a marriage, and to an extraordinarily beautiful goddess at that!
And then… what were they witnessing now?
Moon Goddess Artemis had stepped forward first and loudly objected to her own father Zeus's oracle.
She had dragged the beautiful pale-gold-haired huntress Atalanta out from among the heroes of the Argo and declared that Atalanta was the one who should marry Jason.
Then Queen Persephone of the Underworld and Goddess of Agriculture Demeter pulled forward the lavender-haired girl Medea and began arguing with Artemis.
Next, Goddess of the Hearth Hestia and Sea Queen Amphitrite appeared and declared their full support for the sea goddess Thetis.
Three factions instantly formed and clashed.
The oracle bestowed by God-King Zeus had become a lit fuse that detonated something unimaginable.
This turn of events left not only King Aeson, King Pelias, and all the courtiers and soldiers speechless,
even the heroes of the Argo, who had spent more than half a year with Jason and grown used to meeting gods, stared with wide eyes and slack jaws.
Before they could digest the first wave of shock, the next wave arrived.
Queen Hera, the noble and dignified beauty, appeared alongside Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess of all.
They did not nominate anyone in particular to pair with Jason.
Hera simply refuted Hestia's claim loudly and, in front of everyone, publicly declared that Jason was her beloved child and follower.
The heroes of the Argo thought to themselves: Wait a moment…
We distinctly remember Jason being the child of either Lady Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, or Lady Hecate, Goddess of Crossroads.
Since when did he become connected to Lady Hestia of the Hearth and Queen Hera?
What is even happening anymore?!
Everyone was completely numb.
In a short span of time, goddess after goddess had stepped forward,
each one noble, graceful, and breathtakingly beautiful.
And at the very center of their quarrel stood the golden-haired, emerald-eyed Jason in his pure white holy garments…
"This golden apple really is impossible to divide," murmured Chiron the centaur sage, hiding among the crowd with a sigh.
Only now did Chiron truly understand why Jason always looked like he was about to cry whenever this topic came up.
Artemis, Persephone, Demeter, Hestia, Amphitrite, Queen Hera, and Lady Aphrodite.
And this list still excluded the three most dominant figures who held the highest places in Jason's heart:
Goddess of Crossroads Hecate, God of the Forge Hephaestus, and Goddess of Wisdom Athena…
There was simply no way to divide it. Even if you chopped the apple into a thousand pieces, it still wouldn't be enough!
Chiron finally understood. While his heart ached for Jason being tugged back and forth by the goddesses,
a smile bloomed on his face and his eyes sparkled with amusement.
He knew it was a little unkind, but…
Sorry, he really couldn't hold back the laughter!
Then…
"Hera, why are you even here?"
While everyone watched in total numbness, the mighty God-King Zeus finally stopped hiding behind the scenes and stepped out from the light.
At the same time, Hermes (who had been enjoying the show) and Apollo (who had helped earlier) appeared as well.
Apollo immediately noticed Artemis waving him over for support and walked to her side without hesitation.
"I am here, of course, for my child Jason," Hera replied, lifting her chin proudly. She shot a triumphant glance at Hestia. "Jason is my child now, Hestia, because I have already reconciled with Hephaestus!"
She turned to Jason (currently held by Persephone) and beckoned gently with a loving gaze. "Come here, Jason. Come to me.
Once you're with me, you may marry whomever you wish!"
"Are you not being ridiculous?!" Zeus's face darkened at Hera's words.
Hera completely ignored him.
She was practically blooming with joy inside. A problem that had troubled her for ages had suddenly been solved!
Now that Hephaestus had reconciled with her, Jason was finally within reach!
Seeing Hera pay him no mind, Zeus swept his gaze across the chaotic scene and shook his head helplessly. "Child, come over here to me and Hestia and the others…"
Before he could finish,
"Don't go over there! Come to our side!"
Artemis, dragging Apollo behind her, cut Zeus off.
"Nonsense! My little brother obviously belongs with his big sister!"
Persephone hugged Jason tightly and refused to let go while Demeter nodded beside her.
Thus the hall split into clear factions:
Apollo and Artemis with Atalanta.
Persephone and Demeter with Medea.
Hestia and Amphitrite with Thetis.
Hera (who had just reconciled with Hephaestus and created a "multiple-choice" option) together with Aphrodite.
The situation instantly became extraordinarily delicate.
Yet this alignment was not surprising.
Apollo and Artemis's interference was clearly instigated by Athena, Goddess of Wisdom.
Persephone and Demeter's perfectly timed appearance was obviously Hecate's doing.
Aphrodite and Hera had undoubtedly reached some agreement with Hephaestus.
Hestia and Amphitrite currently stood on Zeus's side.
As for why Hecate, Hephaestus, and Athena herself had not appeared, the reason was simple.
All three of them knew perfectly well that showing up now would not raise Jason's favorability; it would only lower it.
Given Jason's personality, he was undoubtedly furious and disgusted by what was happening.
And indeed he was.
His deathly pale face revealed as much.
What choice did he have?
There was no choice at all!
He did not know exactly what had transpired between Zeus and Thetis, but considering that Zeus had been pursuing her not long ago, Jason could never side with Thetis.
Once that option was eliminated, there was truly nothing left to choose.
Because refusing Thetis meant slapping God-King Zeus in the face.
Therefore, the seemingly safest choice was Hera and Aphrodite's "multiple-choice" faction.
They looked the easiest to fool, after all.
But in reality, that was a trap!
Hera was the goddess who presided over marriage. Going to her side meant Jason would be forced to accept some form of marriage.
He could not lie to the Goddess of Marriage herself!
Although that option would remove the obligation to marry Thetis specifically,
one must never forget:
Athena had once said that love was the forbidden fruit of the Goddess of Wisdom, and that she was destined to go mad for love.
The only reason she had not gone mad yet was because her reason still held.
If Jason actually married someone, it would undoubtedly test how much rationality Athena had left.
That was practically suicide!
No one knew, and Jason definitely did not want to find out, just how terrifying a mad Goddess of Wisdom could be.
Jason's face was extremely pale.
Yet under these circumstances, his mind did not short-circuit from the absurdity of the situation.
Instead, it entered an almost miraculous state of hyper-clarity, as though desperately searching for any sliver of hope in this hopeless predicament.
Incidentally, the goddesses like Artemis and Hera tugging him around only seemed to make things harder, but in truth they had given him enormous breathing room.
If they had not caused this chaos, Jason would have been faced with a single-choice question from Zeus. Unless he wanted to offend Zeus, he would have had to accept.
Their interference had actually saved him.
Idea after idea surfaced in his mind, only to be suppressed and discarded.
How to break this deadlock… how to break it…
Precious seconds ticked away.
The Hourglass of Time?
No!
That belonged to the second-generation gods, and Zeus was standing right here. How would he explain using it?
Even if he could explain it, it would only buy meaningless time. It would not change the situation!
The chess piece from Lord Tartarus?
Or Hades's helm of invisibility?
No, no! If the situation were truly that hopeless, Teacher Hecate and Athena would never have stayed away.
There must be a way!
What is it… what is it…
Suddenly, as though struck by inspiration, Jason lifted his head.
His gaze locked onto Atalanta.
He recalled the words she had spoken, almost casually, on their way here today.
Princess Io, Queen Hypsipyle of Lemnos…
Flowing water of princesses and goddesses…
That method was worth trying!
Jason clenched his teeth lightly, then stepped out of Persephone's embrace.
In that instant, he became the focus of every gaze in the hall.
Everyone awaited his decision.
"I am sorry, great God-King Zeus, Queen Hera, Lady Artemis, and Sisters Persephone.
I…"
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Am
Atomic