Dear brother, this arrow, I prepared it for you for three years.
I ask you, are you ready to receive it?
At this moment, time flows.
The sands of the hourglass reverse,
Three minutes earlier.
When Jason steps into the temple of the goddess Hecate with one foot!
A series of soft sounds echo. In the empty temple around him, the magic arrays that had long been waiting activate one after another.
Magic chains emerge from them, densely packed as they shoot toward Jason.
At the same time, in this instant, the most brilliant pearl of the Olympian pantheon, the goddess of wisdom Athena, appears once more outside the temple.
Compared to three minutes later, her appearance is obviously earlier.
Moreover, her anxious golden eyes now hold a trace of confusion.
But just as in the events three minutes from now, amid the fluttering of underworld butterflies, dressed in a long black gown, the shared teacher of Medea and Jason,
The goddess of the crossroads, Hecate, appears and blocks Athena's path.
Their eyes reflect each other's figures.
Athena, due to that trace of confusion she has not yet fully processed, hesitates slightly and does not immediately draw her divine spear and shield to attack Hecate as she would three minutes later.
And it is this slight hesitation that makes everything... different!
In the instant the magic chains appear and assault Jason.
One after another, blooming underworld fire lotuses suddenly bloom from his white robes.
These are the flames from one of the five great rivers of the underworld, the river of undying flames!
In the blink of an eye, Jason is surrounded by undying fire, which surges toward the magic chains at extreme speed.
The undying flames from the underworld easily halt the assault of the magic chains.
Jason himself has ten thousand ways to block such an attack.
Three minutes earlier, Jason would be bound by the chains and pierced by Cupid's golden arrow.
The greatest reason was his complete lack of defense.
After all, this is the temple of Hecate, his teacher.
And the person in the temple is his senior sister, his sister Medea, with whom he studied magic.
After being struck by the golden arrow, there would be no need to break free from the chains either.
Medea is a very smart child, and she knows Jason extremely well.
Thus, she knows this is the moment with the highest chance of hitting him.
But at the same time, Medea also knows that this golden arrow on Jason would only yield two results.
He is willing to be hit.
He is unwilling to be hit.
Because he is that white-robed hero who fell from the stars in the sky!
Even knowing the final outcome, could she not struggle a little?
After all, she prepared this arrow for three years.
Moreover, this arrow is also her confession of love!
Unfortunately... as Medea said at the end three minutes ago.
The one before her is Jason, yet not Jason.
He, in the end, is not him.
He is not the Jason who came before her in the river of fate that the goddess of fate Clotho showed her.
Thus, Medea ultimately gave her own answer.
The one before her is not Jason, but her... dear brother.
The undying flames refine the incoming magic chains.
Because of this obstruction, the chains naturally cannot imprison Jason.
Even if a few chains wrap around Jason's body.
But now, as a demigod wearing the war god Ares's belt, he only needs to shake lightly, and the magic chains shatter with a sound!
Then, he slowly takes steps forward.
Surrounded by undying fire, and amid the magic arrays lighting up in the temple one after another, from which more chains emerge attempting to seal him, he walks toward Medea.
At the same time, in this moment, Medea ends her prayer to Hecate.
She rises and draws the golden bow and arrow of the little love god Cupid.
She turns around and aims this arrow, prepared for three full years, at Jason.
At this moment, her beautiful amethyst-like eyes reflect the slowly approaching Jason.
Medea naturally feels surprised by this.
After all, she is not a god and cannot possibly remember the reversal of time by the hourglass.
But it does not matter.
As she said, she has long been mentally prepared for everything.
After all, she prepared for a full three years.
Thus, almost at the exact same timing as before, while Medea is surprised in her heart, the golden arrow in her hand shoots out once more.
The golden arrow points straight at Jason!
This is the golden arrow of the little love god Cupid.
The myths and legends of the little love god Cupid are divided into two types.
First, in early myths, he is revered as one of the very ancient gods, born at the time of the first divine court, considered the embodiment of all divine love and desire.
He is the symbol of all love and passion.
Second, in later myths, he is seen as the youngest son born from the illicit affair between the goddess of beauty Aphrodite and the war god Ares.
His image is usually that of a mischievous little boy holding a bow and arrow, barefoot with a pair of small wings.
And he only grows to the age of fifteen before permanently stopping.
He has a golden bow, golden arrows, and lead arrows.
If struck by his golden arrow, one yearns for love and is driven toward marriage.
If struck by his lead arrow, one rejects love, and even lovers develop hatred, ending in breakup.
Such power is difficult for even gods, or even chief gods, to resist.
In stories about him, there is one where he plays a prank out of anger because the sun god Apollo mocked him.
He shoots the sun god Apollo with a golden arrow from his hand.
Then shoots the laurel goddess Daphne with the matching lead arrow.
In the end, Apollo falls in love with Daphne and pursues her madly, but Daphne, because of the lead arrow, becomes averse to love and refuses to yield even at the cost of her life.
She even transforms into an eternal laurel tree to escape Apollo's love.
And the love between Medea and Jason in the original story also stems from this.
Jason wants to obtain the Golden Fleece, but it is guarded by the sleepless dragon of Colchis. To help him, Queen Hera has the little love god Cupid shoot Medea with a golden arrow, causing Medea to fall madly in love with Jason.
In the end, Medea single-handedly creates Jason's most glorious moment.
At the same time, she single-handedly creates Jason's tragic end.
The turning point for the two is this golden arrow.
The love god's golden arrow.
This is the center of their destiny!
And since it cannot be avoided, then find every way to resolve it, to control all variables in their own hands!
This is the knowledge Medea learned from Jason.
Thus, at this moment, the love god Cupid's golden arrow is in Medea's hand.
The golden arrow prepared for a full three years shoots from her hand.
The arrow points at Jason!
So, Jason, are you ready to receive it?
The answer... actually, in the present of reversed time, already has a result!
In the eyes of the goddess of wisdom Athena, who has stopped fighting.
In the eyes of Queen Hera in the clouds.
In the eyes of the hearth goddess Hestia, the messenger of the gods Hermes...
In the eyes of these gods who came because of Jason.
And also in the eyes of his teacher, the goddess of the crossroads Hecate.
As Jason faces this incoming golden arrow, he does not dodge.
The undying flames thus boil.
They form a vortex of underworld flames surging toward the golden arrow.
Although the undying fire is one of the five rivers of the underworld, it cannot damage this golden arrow of the little love god Cupid.
But it can at least obstruct it.
Moreover, Jason never intended to refine the golden arrow with these flames.
Thus, when the golden arrow enters the flame vortex and arrives before Jason, trailing flames.
Jason extends his right hand.
He... firmly grasps the golden arrow shot by Medea!
"Sister."
Then, the one who grasps the golden arrow looks up at Medea, who shot it and is now looking at him.
He smiles at her and says: "Your golden arrow... I accept it!"
Medea is stunned for a moment. She has no memory of those three minutes, which leaves her slightly shaken by everything before her, causing her to pause.
But...
"Yes."
Medea smiles.
After all, she knew from the start that her dear brother could absolutely catch the golden arrow she shot.
Because he is the most radiant hero in the world.
Trivial fate can never halt his steps!
Thus, Medea says: "Dear brother, the golden arrow I prepared for three years... you must keep it safe!"
"By the way, congratulations, dear brother."
As she speaks, Medea descends the steps, revealing a sincere smile to Jason and offering heartfelt blessings as she says: "From this moment on, dear brother, you no longer need to worry about that original fate.
From this moment on, dear brother...
You have completely escaped your destiny!
Dear brother, you can now spread your wings, ride upon the sacred heavenly steed, and fly higher, farther.
Now, nothing can bind or restrain you, dear brother!"
Destiny,
The original destiny named for Jason, the long-troubling fate for this white-robed youth.
At this moment, finally welcomes its conclusion.
As Medea says at this instant, in this moment, he finally completely breaks free from the cage binding him.
He can spread his wings and fly higher, farther!
It is just...
No one notices the fleeting dimness in Medea's eyes at this instant.
Jason... in the end, did not accept the golden arrow she shot.
He is, in the end, only her dear brother.
Not that Jason...
At this moment, Jason places the golden arrow he caught into the silver pouch at his waist.
Then he opens his arms to Medea.
"Medea."
Jason calls her softly, smiling gently at the slightly stunned Medea: "Come here, my sister."
Medea pauses for a moment, then reveals an incomparably radiant smile.
"Yes!"
She nods and trots toward Jason, then throws herself into his embrace and hugs him.
"Dear brother!"
This arrow shatters Jason's destiny.
But it does not destroy the relationship between Jason and Medea.
In fact, it shatters the barrier in Jason's heart.
It makes Jason open his arms to Medea!