"Beautiful goddess, to dance with such a stunning and captivating goddess as you is truly my honor."
Enveloped in a silver-white long robe, the tall figure of the king of the gods Zeus resembled a towering mountain. At this moment, he held the delicate goddess in his arms.
His voice was exceptionally gentle, and his eyes seemed to emit lightning as they gazed tenderly at her...
"No, esteemed king of the gods, great sky god Zeus, to dance with you is the greatest honor of my life."
Typhon, with a smile carrying a hint of bewitching allure and seductive charm, responded softly to Zeus.
Her enchanting figure in the cheongsam swayed gently, complemented by those mesmerizing eyes and the faint fragrance wafting into Zeus's nostrils.
This made Zeus, who took a deep breath, feel invigorated from head to toe... in the literal sense.
However, what Zeus did not know was that the more vibrant the rose, the sharper its thorns.
The more beautiful something appeared and the more alluring its scent, the closer it was to poison.
After all, the one in his arms at this moment was Zeus's greatest enemy in his life, aside from the second-generation king of the gods, his father Cronus.
The ancestor of all monsters, Typhon...
Hecate watched from the sidelines, observing the two chatting amiably. To be precise, if Zeus were not mindful of Hera's presence, he might have directly made a move, tightly embracing and claiming the bewitching goddess in his arms. That greedy expression.
Her lips twitched involuntarily twice.
Then she looked toward Jason, who was caught by Athena, and could only sigh helplessly, continuing to stare at this stomach-churning scene.
She prepared to act immediately if anything seemed amiss.
Hecate was actually very averse to trouble. If it were in the past, upon seeing such a scene, she would have stood up and left without a word.
She had absolutely no interest in this spectacle of dancing on lightning, discoing at the mouth of lava, or waltzing in the underworld.
Moreover, she had no desire to intervene. If Zeus discovered Typhon's true identity, she did not care what the dance would turn into today.
But... who let her end up with such a worrisome disciple?
On a side note, the primordial gods like the god of the abyss Tartarus and the god of darkness Erebus had no interest at all in the matter between Typhon and Zeus.
They were now happily engrossed in abusing weaker opponents at chess.
Unbeknownst to them, quite a few gods in the underworld had been thoroughly trounced by Tartarus and Erebus.
Now, things were gradually shifting toward a balance, and even pushing back... well, all within these few hours.
The three-headed hellhound Cerberus suddenly shivered inexplicably!
Then, the dance ended.
Jason finally gained his liberation.
Athena released Jason and did not pester him further, because she knew very well that continuing would truly make Jason resent her.
But before leaving...
"By the way, little Jason, next up... it will be my turn, right?"
Athena winked at Jason, her lips curving upward as she said, "I will be looking forward to it very much."
With that, Athena turned and left, leaving Jason with her beautiful silhouette.
...Did you not take my lyre as a tribute already?
Jason's mouth twitched slightly.
However, he obviously only dared to say this in his heart.
And after finally being freed, Jason's gaze immediately turned toward Typhon's voice, his eyes sharpening.
Typhon clearly noticed Jason's gaze. As she glanced toward him seemingly unintentionally.
The smile she showed Jason carried a bit more sincerity.
Then she politely declined Zeus's renewed invitation, as well as those from the war god Ares, Poseidon, and others.
Claiming discomfort, she left the stage.
Zeus wanted to pursue, but after turning his head and meeting the narrowed eyes of Hera, he immediately dismissed the thought.
Because beside Hera at this moment stood his mother, the second-generation queen Rhea.
And at that moment, unbeknownst to him, the goddess with her eyes covered by a white cloth, emanating an aura of sanctity and inviolability, yet somehow appearing quite... ahem, alluring.
The embodiment of absolute justice, holding the scales of absolute balance in her left hand and the sword in her right that slays all injustice, Themis, came before Jason.
"...Um, Goddess Themis?"
Jason looked at her somewhat puzzled.
Could it be, you want to dance with me too?
As Jason thought this.
Themis suddenly turned her head, looking toward the retreating Typhon. After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice gentle as she said to Jason, "Because my eyes are covered, I cannot see anything... but precisely because of that, I see everything very clearly."
Jason first tilted his head in confusion.
But soon, upon realizing Themis's meaning, Jason's eyes gradually widened.
"Child, you should not get involved in these matters... On this point, your teacher has been somewhat negligent."
As Themis spoke, she turned her head, her cloth-covered gaze looking far toward Hecate.
Hecate seemed to notice and looked toward Themis. As their gazes clashed from afar, Hecate's brows furrowed slightly.
"If you cannot do it well, I can take your place..." Themis said softly.
Her voice blended into the symphony rising in the hall, audible only to Jason beside her and Hecate.
But this time, before Themis could finish her words.
"Goddess Themis!"
Jason, uncharacteristically, directly interrupted her.
With a serious expression, he turned back to Themis and said firmly, "She is my teacher... the teacher I respect and love the most!"
Upon hearing this, Themis fell silent for a period.
"Is that so." Themis turned around and said faintly, "I understand."
With that, she walked away directly.
Jason watched her departing figure, his serious expression gradually softening into puzzlement.
He did not quite understand what Themis wanted to do.
In fact, even now, Jason did not understand why he, who seemed utterly unrelated to her divine domain, had been favored by her.
Compared to Jason's confusion, Hecate, who let out a cold hum at this moment, clearly discerned some of Themis's intentions.
Another one, coming to steal the child...
But this one was evidently not as clever as Athena, who had seen through Hecate's position in Jason's heart long ago.
Thus, she had instead provoked Jason's resistance.
With this, the grand dance that served as the finale to this wedding finally came to an end.
The reluctant gods departed one by one.
Hera ultimately did not discover Hecate's presence, after all. Hecate had used her magic to make Hera unable to detect her.
Moreover, she had used magic to influence those in the hall, making them subconsciously avoid the name 'Jason'.
This was the main reason Hera had not noticed Jason.
Of course, many gods had detected Hecate's magic, but since it was not malicious, and those who could resist it did not mind adding this layer of insurance to continue concealing it from Hera.
As for those who could not resist... if you cannot resist, why chatter?
And the most regretful today was undoubtedly Zeus.
Because after dancing with him, Typhon returned directly to the abyss.
Thus, leaving Zeus only with the image of a goddess in a cheongsam that haunted his dreams.
This made Zeus, who searched fruitlessly before leaving and departed unwillingly, still mobilize his forces after returning to Mount Olympus, ordering Hermes to search for her.
But this time, even Hermes could not find Typhon's whereabouts.
After all, only a few knew Typhon's true identity.
In the end, this regret lingered in Zeus's heart until the day Typhon emerged from the abyss and challenged the king of the gods, Zeus.
Only then did the gods and Zeus discover the truth in shock...
Jason did not immediately receive the return gift for his tribute, after all. It was their wedding night, so naturally, some understanding was needed.
As for the agricultural goddess Demeter, who had personally sent her daughter off, her heart was now extremely complex.
Thus, with everything concluded and the gods departing one by one.
Finally, in Hecate's temple.
Hecate, who had just returned home and barely sat down.
"Teacher Hecate!"
Jason pounced on her without any shame.
As Hecate recovered from her slight daze and subconsciously wanted to lift Jason up and toss him out.
"I am so tired... Teacher, can I rest against you?
Just for a little while, just a short while!"
Jason looked up, gazing at Hecate with hopeful eyes.
Hecate looked into Jason's eyes, where the undisguised fatigue was evident... Jason was indeed very tired, both physically and mentally.
After all, offering blessings to the lord and queen of the underworld, and inviting so many gods to attend the wedding, Jason naturally had to bear the corresponding pressure.
In this wedding, the most exhausted was none other than Jason.
He truly had not enjoyed a single moment.
Even though dancing with so many goddesses seemed enviably wonderful, for Jason, it was more of a burden than a blessing.
Hecate, of course, understood all of this in her heart.
"...Only this once. No next time."
Thus, Hecate's heart ultimately softened.
"Thank you, Teacher Hecate."
And this time, Jason was probably truly exhausted. After showing Hecate a happy smile, he soon fell asleep beside her.
Hecate watched Jason, who had fallen asleep just like that beside her.
After a moment, she sighed softly.
"This child... is actually quite foolish." As Hecate spoke, she adjusted her sitting posture, then gently pressed Jason down, letting him lie on her lap.
After lying down, Jason rubbed against Hecate's soft lap twice to make himself more comfortable. His face, now without the mask, relaxed even further at this moment.
This made Hecate, who was watching him, involuntarily reveal a faint smile.
And she could not help but reach out, gently stroking Jason's cheek and hair.
And just then...
"Teacher... Hecate?!"
A suppressed exclamation made Hecate subconsciously look up.
She saw Medea standing before her, eyes wide open, looking at her and Jason lying on her lap with an incredulous expression.
That expression clearly showed she had received quite a shock.
Even the item in her hand slipped and fell to the ground...
As Hecate was momentarily stunned and came back to her senses, she subconsciously turned her head and suddenly discovered that someone was sitting nearby at some point.
The three-headed hellhound Cerberus... she did not know when she had sat there, holding a dessert taken from the wedding hall, eating it...
"...Ahem, do not overthink it."
Hecate ultimately coughed lightly, appearing somewhat uncomfortable as she said to Medea, "This child is too tired, so that is why I... How about this, you come and replace me..."
"...No need."
After a while, the calmed Medea picked up the fallen item from the ground. Looking at the soundly sleeping Jason with a peaceful expression, she said softly, "I think I have never seen Brother looking so relaxed... He must truly trust you a great deal, Teacher, so let him rest for a bit."
As Medea spoke, she walked away hugging the item in her arms.
On a side note, the item Medea was holding was the bouquet that Persephone had tossed... Medea had returned a step late because she had quietly traded with others to get this bouquet.
And after she left, Hecate heard Medea's mutterings: "So Teacher Hecate is the biggest rival..." "Too cunning, of all people, Teacher Hecate." "What to do, the opponent is Teacher Hecate..." and the like.
This made Hecate's slightly stiffened face show an expression of helplessness.
She truly had no such intention!
But when she lowered her head to look at Jason in her arms...
"You..."
Hecate extended her small finger and gently pinched his, but in the end, she did not put him down.
"By the way, Cerberus, when did you get here?"
"Huh?" Cerberus looked up at Hecate, blinked her eyes, and while eating the sweets, mumbled unclearly, "I have been here the whole time..."
Hecate's smile stiffened slightly.
Then, looking at the utterly oblivious Cerberus, her beautiful red eyes gradually narrowed...