NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: I Really Want to See!
In the candlelit wooden cabin, Promise didn't wait long.
Soon, Hera brought the dinner she had prepared.
Surprisingly, the meal was very simple, not a feast, but just some freshly baked bread and washed fruit.
Promise guessed she was being mindful of her role as an old lady... though it had been blatantly obvious from the start.
"Thank you very much for your generosity and... it tastes great, thank you."
Promise gratefully accepted the dinner Hera offered and expressed his thanks.
Given the current situation, everything had already become inconsequential.
Due to the significant deviations from the legends he knew, he finally decided to just go with the flow and stop overthinking!
The only thing he was curious about now was when Hera would finally reveal the truth and realize she had mistaken his identity!
However, she didn't seem to have any immediate plans to reveal her true intentions.
After Promise enjoyed the dinner she had prepared and stood up to thank her again and express his desire to leave, Hera readily agreed this time.
She told him that after leaving, he only needed to follow the direction of the brightest star in the sky to return to his companion.
Promise then bid farewell to Hera and headed back towards Jason.
After he left, Hera also stepped out of the cabin.
As she stepped into the moonlight, her white hair transformed into dazzling golden locks, flowing from beneath the crown on her head.
Her amber eyes quietly watched the direction in which Promise had departed, both majestic and gentle.
"Why didn't you reveal your true identity to him?"
Athena, emerging from the starlit night, couldn't help but ask Hera.
If Hera had turned her head at that moment, she would have noticed that the expression on the face of the goddess of wisdom watching her was somewhat odd.
But Hera didn't.
Because her gaze remained fixed on Promise.
"Because I have thought of a better idea."
With a slight upward curve of her lips, painting a beautiful and gentle smile, Hera said, "When he returns to his kingdom and seeks to reclaim everything that was once his, I will appear by his side and help him reclaim it all!"
Athena immediately understood Hera's intention.
She planned to stand by that young man's side in front of the world.
This was ancient Greece, the divine era, and Hera was the most esteemed goddess here—the queen of the gods!
Therefore, there was no doubt that when she appeared before that young man and publicly declared that she would help him reclaim everything, it would create an immense uproar in this era!
"You are that satisfied with this child?!"
Athena asked incredulously, her eyes wide open.
"The goddess of fate told me he would bring me honor and punish the king who humiliated me, and..."
Watching the gradually disappearing figure, Hera's gaze softened, and with a hint of pride, she said to Athena, "You saw it too, didn't you? That child is so adorable and excellent!"
'Cute, I won't argue with, but excellent...'
Athena also glanced in the direction Promise had left.
Undoubtedly, she was the first goddess to come into contact with Promise, and Athena was indeed interested in him.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have given him a gift and marked him during their first meeting.
But that was all.
Her interest in Promises wasn't particularly strong.
However, she was a goddess with a deep love for heroes, even earning the title "Mother of Heroes."
She appeared in almost all of the ancient Greek legends
So if Athena had known about Promises' "dreams" and had asked a few more questions that night when they first met, understanding why Chiron was reluctant to let him descend the mountain, she would have realized she had discovered a precious gem!
But she didn't, because... Promise was too weak!
Even compared to Jason, he could be described as frail.
Therefore, she never considered that someone like Promise could have such "great" dreams.
But right now, that didn't seem to matter.
The real issue was...
"Queen Hera, are you... really sure you want to do this?"
Athena hesitated, looking at Hera.
"Yes." The latter nodded, raising her head proudly. "He is worth it. On that day, I will appear by his side and tell everyone that the one standing behind him is me, Queen Hera!"
... Well, that is to say, is there such a possibility?
You actually recognized the wrong person?
Looking at Hera who had obviously made up her mind, Athena was dumbfounded... Even as the goddess of wisdom, she was really dumbfounded at this moment!
She didn't expect that things would develop to this point!
Not only that, one wrong step lead to another.
This matter was like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger, and was already developing to a point where it was out of control.
However, there was still a possibility of recovery now.
Athena quickly calmed down.
After all, she was the goddess of wisdom, and she knew that if she pointed out the truth at this moment, everything could be avoided.
but...
want to see!
'I really want to see it!'
'I really want to see her confidently appear in front of the child, announcing to everyone that she will stand by the child, and then the expression on her face when she suddenly realizes that she has recognized the wrong person from the beginning!'
'What an expression that would be!
But no, Athena, you're the goddess of wisdom.
You can't do that, and when Hera eventually realizes her mistake, she will definitely seek revenge.'
Athena, Athena, this is not the behavior of a wise person.
So...
"I understand."
Athena nodded cheerfully and, with a smile, seriously replied to Hera, "Don't worry, I'll help too!"
Well, this was ancient Greece.
And Athena was still one of the Olympian gods!
Nothing else, matters to them except their own entertainment.
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.
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Meanwhile, in the makeshift camp within the forest,
"Brr—!"
Just returning and sitting by the campfire, Promise couldn't help but hug himself and shiver violently!
Looking up at the brightest star in the sky, he realized that after walking just a few minutes, he had found his discarded weapons and wealth and returned to where Jason was.
He didn't even see the river again.
"What happened to you?" Jason asked curiously, adding wood to the campfire. "So, Promise, where did you go? Why did you come back so late? Did something happen?"
"Uh... nothing?" The latter replied, after some thought, testing the waters.
"Why are you asking me?" Jason looked puzzled.
"No, I just... I don't know how to explain," Promise said with a wry smile.
And then recounted everything that had just happened to Jason, except for the fact that the old woman's identity was Hera.
Jason was interested but not overly concerned.
This was understandable, as he didn't know, like Promise, that the old woman was Hera, nor did he realize that this event was originally meant to be his opportunity!
And Promise couldn't be explicit about it, since Hera obviously hadn't realized...
But it should be fine, right?
Promises couldn't help but think.
After all, they still had some distance to travel, so she should soon realize her mistake...
Moreover, that silver-haired, golden-eyed goddess was likely the goddess of fate from Greek mythology.
She would definitely step in to correct the course of fate once she noticed the deviation!
With this thought, Promise felt relieved.
In fact, after sending Jason away, he even took out his Heroic Spirit Class Card to check if today's events had increased his Heroic Spirit quality!
But to his confusion, there was no record of today's encounter with Hera.
The card still only showed the bonuses from his interactions with Theseus and studying under Chiron...
The reason was simple: the matter was far from over.
The next day, he discovered that the situation was becoming increasingly absurd...
The following morning, as Promise and Jason prepared to ride their horses and, as usual, teach some bandits a lesson and gain some reputation... a thick fog suddenly enveloped them.
When the fog cleared, and they emerged from it, they were astonished to find themselves in the marketplace of a town.
The morning had once again turned into night.
When they asked the townspeople where they were, they were told this was the kingdom of Iolcos... yes, the very destination of their journey.
Jason's hometown!
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