Fate: I Heard After Death, You Can Ascend to the Throne of Heroes?

Athena,

By the stream in the ancient forest, under the glow of the campfire, this golden-haired, bright-eyed goddess, who emerged from the starlit night and moonlight, stood in front of, Promise and Jason, dressed in a pure white gown.

She was the goddess of wisdom, who leaped from the split head of the god-king Zeus, one of the twelve Olympian gods in Greek mythology.

At this moment, her golden eyes reflected the image of Promise standing before her.

Those beautiful golden eyes shimmered with divine light.

Under her divine power, under the wisdom goddess's authority, nothing in the world could be hidden. 

And this was why she showed a slight surprise and interest in Promise.

Because even her divine power could not see his past.

Nor his future.

The future of humans and demigods is usually not a secret to most gods, especially those like Athena.

Just like the great hero Achilles, whose only weakness was his heel, she knew from his birth that he would die on the battlefield.

However, it wasn't that she saw nothing of Promises' future; rather, she saw many possible futures.

In other words, she saw the potential futures.

In an instant, Athena understood that the boy before her was either blessed or abandoned by the goddess of fate.

This meant that Promise would not follow a predetermined path but also that he possessed infinite possibilities!

Interesting...

Unconsciously, a slight smile appeared on Athena's lips.

At that moment, after a brief surprise, Promise, looking at Athena, finally snapped back to reality.

He gently blinked his green eyes, feeling a mix of amazement and swift acceptance at the sight of the silver-haired, golden-eyed goddess who had suddenly appeared before him.

From the moment he followed Jason down the mountain, he had already mentally prepared himself.

This was ancient Greece, the era where the great heroes and gods of myth coexisted—the age of gods!

Whether it was to enhance the quality of a Heroic Spirit or to reach the Throne of Heroes upon death, the thing he had to do was to participate in various legends.

For instance, the legend of the Argo centered around Jason, the Twelve Labors of Heracles, or Theseus retrieving his sword and officially embarking on his journey to Athens.

In these legends, there existed an undeniable presence.

Alongside the great heroes, they composed those enduring legends.

And that presence was the gods!

"Greetings, esteemed and beautiful goddess." Coming to his senses, Promises rose and greeted Athena with a formal bow, then gently nodded, saying, "Yes, I am Promise, a student under Chiron's tutelage."

With a slight pause, he then looked towards the still-dazed Jason and said, "He is Jason, my senior brother."

And his voice finally brought Jason back to reality.

Snapping out of his stupor, he scrambled to his feet, bowing tightly to Athena, "Y-yes, I am Jason, great goddess..."

Hearing this, Athena's golden eyes shifted from Promise to her original target, Jason.

After a brief assessment, she nodded lightly.

Then she returned her gaze to Promise and her smile grew more pronounced.

Under her scrutinizing gaze, which felt as if it could see through everything about him, Promise felt increasingly uncomfortable.

After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but asked, "Beautiful goddess, may I ask you a small question?"

"Of course, interesting child."

"Just now, you mentioned Chiron's protection..." Promise carefully chose his words, "Does that mean Chiron has always known where I am?"

Well, he was not surprised to hear that he had Chiron's protection.

Because he knew a secret... although it might not be much of a secret, that his teacher, the wise centaur revered throughout ancient Greece, was in essence, a god!

Moreover, the divine blood flowing in his veins was exceptionally noble!

Because Chiron, like Zeus, Hera, and Hades, was a child of the second-generation god-king Cronus.

In simple terms, he was actually Zeus, Hera, and Hades' half-brother!

"Yes."

Athena, with a slight smile, said, "Yes, because of this protection, your teacher has always known where you are."

Promise remained silent for a moment, then looked at Jason.

With a sympathetic gaze, he said, "You're in trouble."

"Huh?" Still in shock from the goddess's sudden appearance, Jason, with his mind in a fog, responded blankly to Promise, "What's wrong with me?"

"Because I've been running around with you for so long, and Chiron hasn't come to catch me, it must mean he has tacitly approved of this."

Promise said with a matter-of-fact tone, "But this matter can't just be ignored, so when he comes to see me, one of us will definitely have to take the blame."

"And that naturally means you, since you brought me down the mountain!"

"What do you mean I brought you down the mountain?" Jason couldn't help but widen his eyes at Promise. "It was clearly you who begged me to bring you down!"

"I asked everyone who was going down the mountain," Promises shrugged. "But you're the only one who actually took me out. So, who else would he blame?"

"You... I..." The latter was momentarily speechless.

At this moment, a melodious laugh rang out beside them.

Athena, covering her mouth with her hand, chuckled softly and said to Promise, "Generally speaking, the real culprit should be the one punished, right?"

"Usually, that's true, but what can I do? Chiron loves me too much." The latter showed a helpless expression.

"Even in front of the goddess, you dare to lie!" Jason couldn't help but expose him, turning to Athena, "Goddess, don't believe him. The truth is, Chiron has already given up on him, almost ready to abandon him!"

"That teacher would never abandon any of his students." Athena laughed, looking at Promise, "But I can see that he finds you quite a handful."

After saying this, she began to search herself for something.

After a moment, she pulled out a golden fruit and handed it to him, saying, "Interesting child, you've made me very happy tonight. Here, this is your reward."

Promise took it, and his expression turned slightly odd as he seemed to realize something.

"Beautiful goddess, may I ask what this is...?"

"Surely you must be tired from the journey."

In front of Athena, Promise' frail physique, even weaker than Jason's, was clearly visible to her eyes. 

To be precise, compared to Jason, who was born and raised in this divine era, his physique was indeed fragile!

"It will cure your fatigue." Athena answered softly.

Hearing this, Promise' expression became even more peculiar.

"So it's really a golden apple to restore strength..."

Muttering to himself, he then put the golden apple away.

As Jason watched this scene with envy, Athena finally shifted her gaze from Promise to him.

Her smile vanished, and her voice turned cold, "Jason, your journey is to return to the kingdom of Iolcos and reclaim everything you lost, correct?"

The latter looked at the beautiful, silver-haired, golden-eyed goddess in front of him showing no surprise at her knowing his purpose. 

After all, the one before him was a true God!

"Yes, honorable goddess."

She nodded slightly and continued, "I have come tonight for you, Jason. I bring you a divine oracle that will help you reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to you from your uncle!"

Hearing this, Jason first looked at her in shock, then glanced at Promise, who seemed to be deep in thought.

Finally, he said with great joy, "Thank you, goddess. I..."

However, the goddess of wisdom raised her hand to interrupt him and said, "I am only delivering the oracle. Whether you can understand its meaning and seize the opportunity depends on you. Remember, on this journey, do not ignore the plea for help from the old, weak, and women."

Jason hadn't yet reacted when Promise' mind suddenly cleared.

Yes, he had guessed the meaning of the oracle.

After all, he knew the outcome from the beginning.

He also knew who Athena referred to as the 'old, weak, and women'... more accurately, it wasn't a person, but a God.

Queen Hera!

And this queen was actually Promise' second target on this journey, besides the Argo!

Knowing that he had to leave his mark in this world and be part of those legendary stories meant he had to interact with the gods.

And it was highly likely he couldn't avoid it.

So, he had already decided from the start not to wait passively but to take the initiative!

.

..