Jason broke into a cold sweat.
"Lady Athena, please don't joke with me like that."
"I am not joking." Athena tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear and sighed. "I truly want you... I have many believers, but none of them are children I truly favor. The ones I finally take a liking to always belong to someone else."
For example, Heracles. For example, the future God of Medicine Asclepius. And now, the current Jason.
Good heavens, what a Cao Cao Athena was!
No, wait. While Cao Cao famously loved married women, what should this be called in Athena's case?
"Never mind. I won't make things difficult for you."
Athena reached out and gently pinched Jason's cheek again.
Even though Jason had grown into a handsome young man, in the eyes of Athena and Hestia he was still no different from a little child.
Before certain other gods, however, the moment he "grew up" and became "appetizing," things would be entirely different.
For example, a certain God of Light. Or a certain King of Gods... This comparison was definitely not malicious!
But who could blame Athena and Hestia for being virgin goddesses?
"Jason, do you have a lyre?"
Jason looked puzzled for a moment, then took out the golden lyre Chiron had given him from the silver bag.
Long ago, Apollo, God of Light, had told Jason that the next time they met, he hoped Jason would play beautiful music for him.
Thus, over the past three years, Jason had not neglected his studies in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
At the same time, under the influence of Chiron and Hecate, instead of growing into a burly warrior like Heracles, Jason had become increasingly refined and elegant, every gesture radiating the grace of a prince.
If not for the fact that three years ago he had already met nearly all the Olympian Chief Gods and carried the mixed divine auras they had left on him, those nymphs in the forest earlier would not have merely teased him with fleeting glimpses; they would have taken him by force...
Such cases were not unheard of in Greece. There was a famous beautiful youth named Hylas who had a deep connection with Heracles.
His beauty so captivated the water nymphs that they dragged him straight into the lake and claimed him.
Athena accepted the golden lyre. With a light touch of her jade-like fingers, the gold turned silver-white.
A campfire then appeared beside them, illuminating Jason and Athena.
Athena adjusted her sitting posture, gently patted her thighs, and smiled invitingly. "Come here, Jason."
"...Lady Athena, the moonlight is truly beautiful tonight."
After a brief silence, Jason turned his head to gaze at the bright moon in the sky.
To his surprise, Athena waved her hand, and towering trees immediately blocked the moonlight.
"Come here, Jason." Athena smiled again.
Though his head ached, under the unwavering golden gaze of those eyes, Jason helplessly gave up resisting.
He lay down reluctantly, hesitantly, and very unwillingly.
What Jason did not know was that the more bashful and reluctant he acted, the more Athena wanted to "bully" him.
After all, reactions like Jason's were genuinely rare in this era.
Athena pressed Jason's head down, making him rest on her lap. She stroked his hair and, feeling his stiff and tense body, let out a soft laugh.
Then she stopped teasing the boy. Her fingers gently brushed the strings, and beautiful music began to flow.
Though the melody Athena played lacked the magical power of Apollo, God of Light, it was like clear spring water gently washing over Jason's heart.
Gradually, Jason felt his eyelids growing heavy.
Surrounded by a faint, pleasant fragrance and the music brushing past his ears, Jason closed his eyes for the first time in three years.
The next day.
When morning birds came to Jason's side and placed freshly picked fruit still dotted with dew beside him, Jason finally opened his eyes.
He sat up abruptly. Athena was already gone.
The small cabin nearby had vanished as well.
All that remained before him were the ripe fruits neatly arranged on a tree stump and Pegasus walking over.
"...If Teacher Hecate found out I got this close to Lady Athena, would she be jealous?"
Biting into a fruit, Jason couldn't help muttering.
Then he thought about it...
"I feel like Demeter would be more likely to be jealous over this than Hecate."
As for Hecate's magnanimity... to put it bluntly, she simply did not care at all. Jason was never sure whether he should feel relieved or regretful about that.
"Let's go, brother horse. Time to head to Calydon."
After finishing the fruit and washing up at a nearby clear spring, Jason patted Pegasus, who had been waiting for him.
"By the way, brother horse, did you see where my lyre went?"
Pegasus tilted its head, indicating the direction of Mount Olympus.
"She took it... Strange. Why would Lady Athena take that thing?"
Though puzzled, Jason did not dwell on it. It was just a lyre, after all. He mounted Pegasus.
The heavenly horse soared into the sky, and one youth and one steed sped toward Calydon.
At that very moment, Athena had come before Demeter, Goddess of Harvest.
Demeter looked at Athena with confusion. Though she did not understand why Athena had come, she still welcomed her.
"Little Jason has left the mountain."
"Really?!" Demeter stood up in delight.
"Yes." Athena nodded with a smile, then seeing the worry immediately appear on Demeter's face, continued, "Don't worry. I already went to see him last night and made sure Hera won't detect him for now."
"For now?" Demeter was dissatisfied.
"Little Jason isn't easy to catch, and Hecate doesn't even care, so of course I have to enjoy playing with him a bit."
Athena cheerfully plucked the strings of the lyre in her hands.
She had waited over three years for this moment.
And she had even been stood up once before...
"Just don't go too far." Demeter frowned.
"Relax, I know my limits... Oh, right. Do you know what this is?"
After nodding, Athena held up the silver lyre for Demeter to see.
"This?" Demeter examined it curiously. Wasn't it just an ordinary lyre?
"This is a gift little Jason gave me." Athena's lips curved upward in an obvious boast.
Demeter froze for a moment, then pouted jealously. "Little Jason has never given me anything!... Hmph, what's so great about that? Next time I'll make him give me something even better!"
"But," Athena spread her hands with a shrug, "as far as I know, this is the very first offering little Jason has ever made to any of us... and the recipient was me."
At those words, Demeter became even more upset.