Before the tournament was held, in the depths of the underworld, the queen of the dead awaited within her silent domain. While Hades was in Olympus discussing matters with Zeus, the vast dark palace remained under the watch of its sovereign.
There, among corridors of black stone and gardens that bloomed despite the death surrounding them, a solemn calm reigned, broken only by the distant whisper of the souls arriving in the realm of the dead.
Persephone was seated on a marble bench within one of the palace's inner gardens. In her hands she held a parchment sealed with the emblem of the judges of the realm: the verdicts issued by Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus regarding the newly arrived souls.
The goddess traced the lines with a careful gaze, evaluating eternal destinies with a serenity that concealed the weight of her responsibility. However, in the midst of that routine task, something disturbed the stillness of the garden. A presence. Subtle, yet unmistakable.
Persephone did not look up immediately. She slowly closed the parchment, rolling it carefully between her fingers. Only then did she speak, her voice soft yet laden with authority.
"It is bad manners to watch someone from the shadows."
There was no response.
With a slight movement of her hand, the stems of the nearby plants trembled as if awakening from a dream. They rose swiftly and slid across the ground toward the garden's shadows. In an instant, they coiled around the intruder and dragged him into the light.
The captured man had the appearance of a young noble. His black hair fell messily to his shoulders, and he wore a fitted white tunic. Over it, he bore an elegant black armor, light yet finely crafted: along the abdomen, flowing engravings mimicked the movement of intertwined serpents, while on the chest shone circular bronze patterns reminiscent of the heroic style of ancient Greek armor. A short cape rested upon his shoulders, completing the attire of the legendary captain of the Argo.
Persephone observed him calmly, showing no surprise.
"If you wanted an audience with me, you could have requested one" she said firmly. "Or were you only interested in spying on me while I work, Jason?"
The Argonaut tensed slightly upon hearing his name. For a moment, he seemed to search for an excuse among the thoughts rushing through his mind.
"Of course not, my goddess!" he replied quickly. "I was only… trying to find the most appropriate way to approach you."
The queen of the underworld regarded him with a mixture of skepticism and fatigue. Then she made a brief gesture with her hand, and the plants obeyed at once, loosening their grip until they released the intruder.
"Then speak" she said. "What is it that you want, Jason?"
The hero rose with a measure of regained dignity. He shook his cape with a theatrical motion and assumed a posture that seemed rehearsed before a mirror.
"My goddess" he declared solemnly, "I have come to offer you the best proposal you could receive."
Persephone arched an eyebrow, visibly unimpressed.
"You see" he continued with enthusiasm, "I have come to offer myself, the legendary captain of the Argo, as your champion in the tournament the Olympians are organizing."
"No, thank you" she replied immediately.
The response was so swift and blunt that Jason was completely taken aback.
Without adding anything further, Persephone picked up the parchment again, rose from the bench, and began to walk along the garden's stone path, considering the conversation over.
"But… my goddess" Jason insisted, hurrying to follow her. "You are one of the few deities who have been allowed to participate in this tournament. And, with all due respect… who better than me to represent you? I know most of the heroes who will compete. I know how they fight, how they think, what their weaknesses are."
Persephone finally stopped and let out a long sigh.
"I am not interested in that absurd tournament —she said, her tone laced with annoyance."
She turned her face slightly and glanced at him sideways.
"And besides… if I had to choose someone, it definitely wouldn't be you".
The goddess resumed her path with the same calm as before. Jason remained still for a moment, processing those words.
"I know…" he finally said in a lower voice.
Persephone stopped again.
"I wouldn't choose myself either."
The queen turned her body to look at him more closely. Jason took a few steps toward her, this time without theatrics, with a much more serious expression.
"I know I've made thousands of mistakes in my life" he continued. "I also know I'm not the hero I was meant to be."
The Argonaut kept walking until he stood before her. In his eyes there was a mixture of determination and weariness.
"But I also know that in here…" he said, placing a hand over his chest. "The heart of a hero still beats. One who wants to prove he can fight for something more than his own glory. One who wants to prove he can still be useful."
Then Jason dropped to one knee and took the queen of the underworld's hand with respect.
"My goddess…" he said sincerely. "I beg you to give me a chance to prove it."
Persephone watched him in silence. For a long moment she said nothing, merely studying the face of the hero kneeling before her. Within her, a faint sense of compassion began to take shape.
Jason barely lifted his gaze to observe her expression… and then lowered it again, carefully hiding the mischievous smile that was beginning to form on his face.
It had worked.
Before coming to the palace, he had consulted Sisyphus, one of the most cunning condemned souls of the underworld. The old trickster had revealed a crucial detail about the queen: Persephone had a heart too soft for her own good. If he could make her look at him the way one looks at a wounded animal… the battle would already be won.
Jason had rehearsed every word, every pause, every gesture of his speech.
And now he was seeing exactly the expression Sisyphus had described.
"Very well" Persephone said at last.
Jason lifted his head quickly.
"I will allow you to be my champion."
"Really?!" he exclaimed with a surprise that seemed genuine, accompanied by an almost innocent smile. "I thank you, my goddess! I promise you won't regret it."
Jason rose from the ground and gently released the queen's hand.
"Although…" he added afterward, adopting a slightly timid tone. "If it's not too much trouble… there's a small contraption I would like to ask of you."
Persephone looked at him with curiosity, tilting her head slightly.
"And what kind of object do you think you might need…?"