Jason obviously did not want to have any dealings with gods.
In Jason's heart, he was very clear: no matter which god it was, as long as it was a god, it meant… trouble!
Especially the Greek ones.
If one looked through the entire collection of Greek stories and summed them up, it really only amounted to one sentence: whether Greece was in chaos or not, the gods had the final say!
More than half of the major events in the current world had the shadow of gods lurking behind them.
That included the original tragedy of Jason.
One theory for why Medea suddenly fell hopelessly in love with Jason was that the little God of Love's arrow had struck both of them.
As for why Jason's romantic history was so bumpy, there was also that seemingly joking curse from the mother of the God of Love, the Olympian goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.
Therefore, after learning that he was Jason, this boy was determined, for the sake of his own future, to never get involved with any gods!
Yet things do not happen more than three times.
After leaving the little girl and cautiously walking back, Jason still ended up meeting Hecate once more on the only path home, even after detouring for one or two hours.
This time, Hecate had transformed into neither an old woman, nor a young lady, nor a child.
She wore a long black dress that outlined her graceful figure. Her waist-length black hair hung loosely behind her as she sat in a pavilion that had suddenly appeared in the forest.
Looking at this goddess who sat there quietly, noble and elegant while waiting for him, Jason revealed a bitter smile. Then he walked forward without hesitation and entered the pavilion.
"You really are a clever little fellow."
Hecate's beautiful crimson eyes calmly watched Jason as he approached, bowed to her, and addressed her as the exalted Goddess. She smiled and said, "I was still wondering whether I should punish you if you tried to run again this time."
"And… since you have been avoiding me so desperately, you must already know who I am, right? …I can tell that Chiron takes good care of you. He put a lot of effort into those clothes of yours."
Hecate's words caused Jason to freeze for a moment.
Over the past month, Chiron had arranged many outdoor tasks for Jason. In truth, he wanted Jason to accompany Heracles and the others, to make him realize the gap between himself and them, to ignite the competitive spirit of youth and change his mind.
Yet Chiron was also worried that Jason might encounter danger outside, so the apprentice uniform Jason currently wore was specially made—an item that could save his life at critical moments.
"Um… Honorable Goddess, may I ask who you are…?"
"Hm?" Hecate looked into Jason's puzzled eyes and was stunned for a second. "You don't know who I am? …Then why have you been avoiding me so much?"
Because you're a god! — Jason thought in his mind.
"Because I'm a god? …Little one, countless people spend their entire lives praying for even a single glimpse of a god, and you don't want to meet one?"
This time Hecate was genuinely surprised.
She had thought Jason was avoiding her because he had heard something from Chiron.
Holy crap, she can read my thoughts!
Jason was startled inside and hurriedly emptied his mind, trying not to let his random thoughts run wild.
After examining Jason with slight interest for a few moments, Hecate quickly lost interest and said, "Fine. Since it wasn't directed at me personally, I won't be angry with you. I was originally thinking of turning you into a little pig for a while."
Hecate's casual words made Jason want to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, because he knew these gods were fully capable of doing exactly what they said!
At the same time, he felt a slight relief: this goddess seemed at least somewhat reasonable and appeared to be one of the more conscientious ones among the gods.
"I am the Goddess of Crossroads, Hecate…"
Goddess of Crossroads, Hecate?
Jason's eyes widened in shock.
He truly had not expected that the special goddess Teacher Chiron had specifically mentioned not long ago would appear before him today!
Damn it, Teacher Chiron, you big liar! Didn't you say this goddess was extremely difficult to encounter?!
"Then… Lady Hecate, may I ask what business you have with me?" Jason suppressed his inner shock and asked cautiously.
"Mm, I need you to swear an oath to the Olympian gods that you will unconditionally fulfill one request for me."
Hecate said calmly, "And in return, I will also help you accomplish one thing.
Whether it is wealth, authority, power… whatever you ask for, I can make it happen.
That includes restoring your parents to their former throne!"
Hearing this, Jason froze. Of course he would not doubt Hecate's words.
Not to mention that she was a goddess, Teacher Chiron had also said that even the current God-King Zeus, who was at the height of his power, would show her some respect.
Yet precisely because of that, Jason was worried about what she might ask him to do.
Especially after thinking it over carefully, he realized he seemed to have no prior connection with her at all. The gods his parents worshipped were not her either.
Then Jason recalled how, when Teacher Chiron mentioned her, his gaze toward Jason had been rather strange… as if he had brought her up specifically because of Jason.
After only a few seconds of thought, Jason answered Hecate very readily: "No problem, Lady Hecate!
I, Jason, hereby formally swear to the Olympian gods that I will unconditionally fulfill one request for the exalted Goddess Hecate!"
Jason's decisiveness caused Hecate to feel a bit surprised once more.
It made her take a few extra glances at this boy who appeared to be only about twelve years old.
In truth, Jason had no choice… or rather, he did not need a choice. Jason was well aware that if this powerful goddess truly meant him harm, she would not need to go through all this trouble; one word from her and he would probably be dead.
"Very good… That matter does not need to be fulfilled now. When the time comes, I will come find you personally. So, Jason, what is your wish?"
Having achieved her goal so easily, the satisfied Hecate now looked upon Jason with much kinder eyes.
"…Lady Hecate, could the matter of the wish wait a little?" Jason hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking Hecate, "I want to go back and think about it…"
Hecate was not angry at Jason's request. After all, it was also a sign of respect toward her… though in her heart she would have preferred to finish everything quickly and go home to continue her experiments.
In the end, she gave Jason a feather the color of the underworld and told him that once he had decided, he only needed to place it under the moonlight and speak her name.
Finally, after ending this horrifying day in which he kept running into a god no matter which way he went, Jason returned to the cave on Mount Pelion as the evening glow approached.
"Why are you back so late?"
The moment he walked in, Jason encountered a worried Chiron hurrying toward him.
Seeing the genuine concern in Chiron's eyes, Jason could not help but feel a trace of guilt… Chiron truly treated him very well.
Even though Jason stubbornly refused to study anything, Chiron never scolded him; instead, he patiently tried to correct Jason's thinking.
"Teacher Chiron, I met a goddess today… It was Lady Hecate!"
"Hecate?!" Chiron was shocked. "Jason, what exactly happened?!"
The two soon arrived at Chiron's wooden house. After the evening glow faded and night fell, Jason recounted everything that had happened that day.
"Fulfill one request… It seems she knows as well."
After listening to Jason's story, Chiron clearly understood the whole situation and let out a sigh of relief.
"Teacher Chiron, do you know what Lady Hecate wants me to do?" Jason asked curiously.
"Mm… more or less."
Chiron gave a bitter smile but did not explain further.
Seeing this, Jason did not press the issue. He had something far more important to ask Chiron.
He looked at Chiron seriously and said, "Teacher Chiron, I remember you told me that Lady Hecate is very special!
She does not clearly belong to the sky, the earth, the oceans, or the underworld, yet she holds an exalted position in all of them, right?"
"Mm, what is it?" Chiron nodded.
"You also said that Lady Hecate represents chance and randomness, that she represents the unpredictability of fate, correct?"
"Yes." Chiron nodded. "Even within the flow of time foreseen by the gods, if she chooses to intervene, she can still add a measure of luck.
That is why she is the most special goddess. Her privilege is unrestricted!"
"Then that means… she possesses the power to alter fate, right?" Jason's expression grew increasingly solemn as he looked at Chiron.
"That is one way to put it," Chiron replied. "Otherwise she would not be called the Goddess of Crossroads."
"I see… Teacher Chiron, I think I already know what wish I should make to Lady Hecate."
With those words, Jason stood up.
He bowed deeply to Chiron and said, "Teacher Chiron… I'm sorry! This unworthy disciple Jason hereby earnestly requests that you grant your disciple's request to drop out!"
Here we go again!
That was Chiron's first reaction.
But he quickly noticed that today, Jason was different from usual… This time, there was no longer any trace of confusion in his eyes!
This time, he was truly serious!
"…May I hear your reason?"
After a period of silence, Chiron did not get angry or upset. Instead, he smiled and spoke to Jason in an exceptionally gentle voice.
This only made Jason feel even worse.
Chiron had never given up on Jason, and the reason he cared for him so much was that he had long known Jason was actually a good child.
His eyes could not deceive Chiron. Chiron could sense the occasional guilt that flashed through Jason's eyes whenever he looked at him.
"Because the wish I intend to make to Lady Hecate is to become her disciple! …I'm sorry, Teacher Chiron. I want… to change my own fate!"