A beautiful and melodious voice, like the rustling of gentle wind through the treetops or the gurgling of spring water over stones.
The nymphs of the forest, the woodland Dryads and Naiads, watched curiously from the shadows as Jason rode slowly through the woods on a pure-white Pegasus.
Clad in snow-white robes, with golden hair and emerald eyes, Jason, paired with the heavenly horse that had folded its wings, instantly captivated these forest nymphs.
Especially when they discovered that this delectable prince was so pure and had never been touched by anyone, their excitement grew even greater.
In Greece, danger did not come only from beautiful women; beautiful men were just as perilous.
More accurately, anything beautiful was inherently dangerous!
Thus, the soft whispers of the nymphs constantly echoed around Jason, never ceasing.
Some bolder nymphs even deliberately revealed glimpses of their enchanting figures within his line of sight, attempting to catch the youth's attention.
Yet Jason's heart was firmer than gold; how could he possibly be swayed by them?
…Well, to put it plainly, ever since becoming Hecate's disciple, he had almost never lacked for encounters with goddesses. He had even climbed into the bed of Demeter, Goddess of Harvest (though he had been young at the time and too scared to do anything).
Even now, he probably still wouldn't dare.
How could he possibly succumb to such minor temptations!
Throughout the day's journey, Jason was never alone; wherever he went, nymphs accompanied him.
When night fell deeply, Jason stopped traveling.
Though he himself no longer needed sleep, Pegasus declared it was tired and needed rest. It had no intention of becoming a glorious victim of overwork.
And just at that moment, a small path appeared ahead of him.
At the end of the path, visible at a glance, stood a lone house.
Jason expressionlessly urged Pegasus to leave quickly.
Are you kidding? This was an ancient forest; how could anyone possibly live here!
"Come here."
A pleasant voice rang directly in Jason's mind.
This time, the other party clearly had no intention of being polite or mysterious anymore and went straight to the point.
After all, a fall into the pit, a gain in wit; especially after stumbling twice.
Hearing that familiar yet not entirely familiar voice, Jason lowered his guard, dismounted from Pegasus, and led the horse down the path.
The moment he stepped onto it, the path vanished, turning back into grass and trees.
Not only had his retreat been completely cut off, the entire area was now shrouded in divine power, preventing anyone from peering in.
Thus, even if something were to happen tonight, Jason could scream his throat raw and no one would come to help.
Soon after, Jason did not have to walk far. Outside the illuminated wooden cabin, he saw the goddess sitting beneath the moonlight, waiting for him.
The pure moonlight shone upon her waist-length silver hair. That flawless profile was so breathtaking that even Jason couldn't help taking a second glance.
She was, of course, the goddess in a white dress with silver hair and golden eyes: Athena.
Athena looked at Jason before her with a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes held no mirth as she said, "It seems this time, at least, everything went smoothly."
She was displeased!
Because this smooth outcome was actually the result of her, Athena, compromising!
Jason himself was quite surprised. He had originally expected to be dragged into several incidents deliberately arranged by Athena before finally meeting her.
"Most esteemed Goddess of Wisdom, Lady Athena, it is my honor to see you."
"Enough. It has only been the blink of an eye. Why act so stiff and formal? Come sit."
Three years was indeed no more than a blink to the gods.
When Jason released Pegasus, the horse sensibly trotted off to graze nearby. Jason walked over and sat before Athena.
"Hmm… you truly have grown a lot."
Athena, seated slightly higher, carefully examined Jason before reaching out to pat his head.
Among the twelve Olympian Chief Gods, if one set aside Demeter and Hera, there were actually only two Chief Goddesses truly captivated by Jason:
Hestia, eldest sister of the Olympians, and Athena, Goddess of Wisdom.
Moreover, not long after first meeting Jason, Athena had clearly expressed to Hecate her desire…
The white clothing… The reason Athena chose this color when weaving clothes for him was no coincidence.
"Why did you suddenly come out?" Athena asked. "You're not unaware of how dangerous it is for you right now."
"Well… it wasn't exactly sudden." Jason hesitated for a moment before answering helplessly, "I was kicked out."
"Kicked out? …Setting Hecate aside, have you graduated from Chiron?" Athena was slightly taken aback.
"Mm… I suppose so." Jason thought about it, then told her that he had not slept once in three years.
"Three years without sleep, traveling daily between the Underworld and the surface for training… Should I say, as expected of the child I have chosen?" Athena patted Jason's head again.
"Since that is the case… after you finish dealing with the boar in Calydon, go to Hephaestus.
I will speak to Hephaestus and have him forge a divine artifact capable of preventing Hera from recognizing your identity.
However, in exchange, you must gather the materials yourself, and I will only protect you… for one week."
"To put it simply, within one week you must resolve the boar that Artemis threw down in Calydon and reach Hephaestus to renew your protection."
Having quickly organized the plan, Athena smiled at Jason and declared, "And by the name of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, I promise you this:
Once you accomplish all of this and obtain that divine artifact, I will grant your wish. I will scheme to obtain divine fire for you and make you immortal!"
Without Jason needing to explain, Athena had already guessed what he desired and where he intended to go next.
"…I understand, Lady Athena."
After a brief silence, Jason accepted Athena's terms.
Because three years ago, Jason had already made his plans.
In the current situation where contact with the gods could no longer be avoided, he had singled out Athena from among all the gods.
Setting aside Zeus and Hera, the god most likely to grant him divine fire and immortality was clearly Athena, Goddess of Wisdom.
And with her, Jason did not need to plead himself; he only had to complete the trials she designed.
That was simply how Greek stories worked.
Athena would grant virtually anything to the heroes she favored.
The only requirement was that they successfully reach the end of the trials she crafted, trials almost perfectly balanced to match the value of the reward.
"Now then, you should…" Just as Athena, satisfied with Jason's answer, was about to continue, she paused and looked at him again. "Actually, there is one thing I forgot to ask.
Back then, why did you choose Hecate instead of Queen of Heaven Hera?"
Athena was genuinely curious about this.
Because choosing Hera would obviously have been the truly wise decision.
If it were Hestia here, however, she would never ask such a question.
"Because Hecate is my teacher, and although she always acts as though she is detached from the mortal world… she has actually done so much for me."
Jason had no intention of hiding anything, nor did he need to. "And most importantly… at that time, Teacher Hecate came to find me."
That night when Jason met Hecate, he had already told her:
If Hecate had not come to him, he would have chosen the wisest option.
But in the end, she came.
Your eyes are so beautiful… Those were the words Hestia had once said to Jason.
Though it is true that without comparison there is no harm, and Jason only appeared so outstanding because he was contrasted with this world.
Regardless, that was the truth.
Thus, after receiving this answer, Athena silently gazed at Jason for a long while. Then she rested her chin on her hand and let out a melancholy sigh.
"Sigh… What should I do? I find myself wanting to steal you away more and more.
How about… while Hecate cannot come right now, I just cook the rice before it's too late? I'll make you swear by all the gods that from this day forward, you are my child?"