The favor of the goddess of fate
Was always given to those who were prepared and strove for it.
When the words of the goddess of fate Clotho fell, and Jason, who had been momentarily stunned before regaining his senses, hurriedly stood to express his thanks to her.
"You actually need not do so... Though I say that, I feel that you probably will never have a day when you pray to me."
At this point, Clotho's expression could not help but appear somewhat embarrassed as she said: "Because your fate is no longer under my domain."
Clotho's words made Jason look toward her involuntarily.
He saw her then turn to Medea beside them and say: "And little Medea as well; her fate is also no longer under my domain."
Hearing this, Jason blinked, as if realizing something, his eyes gradually widening.
Scenes from yesterday replayed in Jason's mind.
Then, they lingered on the oath Hecate had made Clotho swear.
Clotho had just said that the oath was actually the result of a negotiation between the goddess of wisdom Athena and Hecate.
Now, combining this with the conclusion that their fates no longer fell under the goddess of fate's jurisdiction.
"Our fates... So they are truly fully in our own hands now." Jason could not help but murmur softly.
"Yes." Clotho smiled as she replied to Jason: "From the moment yesterday, in my presence, you two completely shattered your destinies, the former fates naturally could no longer bind you in the slightest.
As for the new threads of destiny..."
As Clotho spoke, under a shower of golden particle lights, her companion divine instrument materialized in her hand out of thin air.
The spindle of fate.
After taking hold of it, under the urging of divine power, a thread extended from it toward Jason and Medea.
But just as it was about to touch the two of them, the thread suddenly halted, hovering beside them, unable to connect to Jason and Medea's bodies for a long time.
"As you see, due to my oath, sworn upon the river of oaths in the underworld, that I would never act against you two, never use my power on you both.
It is effectively equivalent to handing fate directly to you."
At this point, Clotho paused slightly, then revealed a somewhat depressed expression as she said: "I only realized this afterward. At the time, I merely thought Hecate did not want me to continue peering into you and little Medea's futures.
Now it seems... I was clearly tricked!
No wonder afterward, Hecate and Athena both slipped away right after I made the oath!"
Hearing Clotho's words, Jason did not respond for a long while.
He looked at the thread of fate before him, which retreated even if he reached out, unable to touch him.
A fate controlled by himself...
Jason could not help but let out a light sigh.
"You seem... not very happy?"
Clotho gazed at Jason.
Jason was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the beautiful goddess of fate before him, who had lightly raised her brows, and hurriedly shook his head, saying: "No, great Goddess Clotho, for such an outcome, I am naturally filled with awe and excitement.
But at the same time... I feel a trace of bewilderment and a sense of unreality."
Hearing Jason's words, and looking at Medea beside him who also appeared somewhat bewildered, Clotho thought for a moment and said: "That is true, after all, for you two, fate itself is an ethereal and intangible existence...
Forget it; let us not speak of this matter!
The more I think about it, the angrier I get at being deceived by Hecate and Athena!
The key is, I cannot do anything to those two!"
Thus, Clotho did not mention the matter further.
Seeing that Clotho did not pursue it, Jason naturally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
He had not deceived Clotho; he truly felt bewilderment and a sense of unreality about this matter, but that did not mean Jason did not understand.
What it meant to control one's own fate!
In the ancient Greek era, under the threat of the living gods, controlling one's own fate was something Jason had always dreamed of.
Thus, Jason's earlier sigh was naturally not because of this matter.
He was only thinking, could he... truly offer tribute to Hecate?
Teacher, what exactly should I offer you to repay your kindness to me?
The roads goddess Hecate, Jason's magic teacher.
She should originally have been the goddess to whom Jason offered tribute first and foremost.
But now, she had become the goddess to whom it was most difficult for Jason to offer tribute.
...
The next day,
At the break of dawn, when the sky was dimly lit.
Jason left alone, without bidding farewell to anyone.
He quietly departed, preparing to head deep into the ancient grove.
To complete that final trial.
To take away that priceless treasure, the Golden Fleece, from the sleepless giant dragon!
To draw a period at the end of this half-year-long Argo expedition.
Facing the first ray of sunlight breaking through the horizon, Jason, who had lifted his head, could not help but squint his eyes slightly.
And when he exited the city gates along the way, he saw a graceful figure standing by a large tree outside the city at some point, leaning against it and quietly waiting for him.
"Atalanta?" When the sunlight shone on her light yellow long hair, which had pale green at the roots, Jason could not help but be stunned.
Hearing Jason's voice, Atalanta lifted her head.
Her holy azure eyes reflected the figure of the man before her.
"How did you..."
Before Jason could finish his words, he saw Atalanta walking toward him.
Then, she placed the several apples she had been holding in her arms into Jason's hands.
"Thank you for last night's matter... Goddess Artemis has forgiven me. These are what she and I found together last night."
...There are apples in this wild place?
Jason blinked, thinking for a moment.
It would not be Sister Deer, would it... Probably went to ask Sister Deer for help.
Jason guessed the truth but did not say it aloud, accepting the apples from her.
And after handing the dew-kissed apples to Jason, the two's gazes met for a moment.
Then Atalanta turned around, said nothing, and walked past Jason toward the city.
Jason looked at her back, then at the apples in his hand.
He picked one up and took a bite... Mm, very sweet.
"Atalanta, thank you. These apples are very sweet!"
Jason said to her.
Atalanta's body paused slightly. With her back to Jason, she nodded lightly and said: "Mm... Come back soon."
"Alright." Jason smiled in response.
He turned and headed toward the ancient grove where the sleepless giant dragon resided.
And just after the two parted ways, in the shadows of a nearby corner.
"Medea, you are just going to watch like this? Not go out?" The goddess of fate Clotho blinked and could not help but say to Medea beside her.
Medea did not reply.
She had actually prepared something for Jason as well, but it was not breakfast.
Rather, several bottles of potions targeted at the sleepless giant dragon...
"...Elder brother does not need help."
After a long silence, just as Clotho was starting to worry for her, Medea finally said with a dim gaze: "What he needs is not potions, but an apple... That is all."
After speaking, Medea turned and left.
Leaving behind Clotho, who looked somewhat bewildered upon hearing her words.
The moment of the decisive battle was about to arrive.
This time, although there were no crowds gathering as there had been yesterday.
The gods, however, naturally assembled.
After half a year, the Golden Fleece was finally within reach.
The gods, who had pursued this white-robed youth for so long with their gazes, naturally would not be absent at this moment.
"Finally, this moment has arrived."
The hearth goddess Hestia gazed at Jason entering the ancient grove, holding the guide, stepping one by one toward the sleepless giant dragon.
She could not help but sigh.
"Yes, truly not easy."
Sea Queen Amphitrite also expressed her sentiment about this.
And at the same time, she looked toward Queen Hera not far away.
"Half a year... In the end, is that not just the time for a nap? Why do you all speak as if it has been an exceedingly long period?"
At this moment, a burly man suddenly arrived among the crowd.
The instant she saw him, Sea Queen Amphitrite could not help but furrow her brows.
"Why have you come?"
"Why can I not come... Speaking of which, when will big sister return the heavenly horse she lent to that child!"
As the man spoke, he looked toward Hestia.
And regarding the matter of the heavenly horse, his identity was naturally self-evident.
Sea Emperor Poseidon!
Then, before Hestia could reply.
"Poseidon, when did you become so petty."
A steady, heavy voice rang out.
Under the surprised gazes of the various gods.
Lord Hades of the underworld arrived here alongside Queen Persephone of the underworld.
"That is right, Poseidon. What is with your pettiness? What is wrong with my child borrowing one of your heavenly horses? Does he not have the qualification for that?!" Not only that, the agriculture goddess Demeter followed beside them!
"Hades?!" Poseidon was stunned and said in surprise to Hades: "You actually left the underworld?"
"Of course. After all, today is my little brother's most glorious day... Eh, no, it seems it is not.
Originally it was, but now it is not anymore."
Persephone said this, tilting her head in thought, then continued: "In any case, it is a day of great commemorative value, so of course Hades and I must come!"
Hearing Persephone say this, the surprised gods thought for a moment.
They found there was indeed some truth to it.
After all, the wedding from a year ago was still fresh in their memories.
Putting themselves in her shoes, they probably would not remain indifferent either.
However, Hades rarely walked about the mortal world. To be precise, most of the time, he was too lazy even to attend the Olympian gods' assemblies.
One could go a hundred years without seeing him a few times.
Thus, seeing him come out this time because of Jason inevitably made these gods present feel a bit surprised.
And just a short while after Persephone's words fell.
"Hm?"
Accompanied by a light exclamation.
The love goddess Aphrodite pushed the craftsman god Hephaestus, seated in a wheelchair and substituted by a doll, as she arrived here.
The love goddess Aphrodite swept her somewhat surprised gaze over the gods present and said: "So lively? How did you all..."
Before the love goddess could finish her words.
"Hahaha, I did not expect everyone to actually be here!"
"Apollo, look; it seems we are the last to arrive."
The laughing god king Zeus arrived here at this moment alongside Apollo.
Apollo glanced at Zeus, who wanted to pull him along, then at Hera, whose expression immediately darkened upon seeing him appear.
Without thinking, he turned and left Zeus's side, running to Artemis's side instead.
Seeing that Apollo would not help him, and looking at Queen Hera, who let out a cold hum and turned to leave, Zeus's expression could not help but become awkward.
"Hera, do not go... Listen to me; let me explain!"
However, Zeus's thick skin was not something that had developed in a day or two.
This small bit of awkwardness, Zeus instantly disregarded as he chased after Hera.
But what he did not expect was that this time, Hera would rather run to the love goddess Aphrodite and the frowning craftsman god Hephaestus than face him!
But in any case, at this moment, adding in the Athena, Hermes, and other gods who were already here.
The chief gods of Olympus...
Were all assembled!
What a magnificent sight this was!
If someone knew of this, knew that the chief gods of Olympus, even the god king, had gathered because of a human, a child.
Who knew what level of shock it would cause!
And regarding this matter...
"You all are truly too idle!"
Inside the ancient grove, in a shady spot under the trees where Jason had just departed moments ago.
Amid a dance of underworld butterflies, Hecate, hidden within, emerged from it.
Gazing at Jason's back, then lifting her head to behold the scene above where the gods had gathered together.
She only felt her head vaguely aching once more.
It was, after all, an important moment for her student, so Hecate naturally would not be absent... Though in truth, she had never left at all.
Yesterday, she had helped block Athena in her temple and even gotten injured!
Last night, she had finally been able to rest a little, only to receive resentful thoughts from the various goddesses that had broken through her layers of magical barriers.
What grudge, what enmity!
Though she had vented at Athena verbally and felt a bit refreshed.
But she was still unhappy.
Who would want their possession to be constantly eyed and coveted by others!
...Though there was a bit of secret delight, could they not settle down a little!
And then, rushing over this morning, she had seen this stimulating scene right before her eyes...
"Wicked disciple, wicked disciple, making trouble!"
Clutching her little heart, Hecate leaned against a nearby large tree, calling out while resentfully pounding the tree.
"How did I end up taking such a wicked disciple!"
The underworld butterflies danced around Hecate, and even they, with their consciousness, expressed contempt toward Hecate.
Pretend; keep pretending, pretend hard!
If you are angry, then do not hold him so tightly; let go, let go.
Try letting go!
At this moment, under Hecate's immense resentment.
Jason naturally shivered violently.
He abruptly turned his head, his holy azure eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings, and using his demigod power, communed with the spirits of this land. After a thorough search turned up nothing.
Jason finally relaxed and turned to continue toward the sleepless giant dragon.