In the endless abyss,
a place illuminated by dim underworld flames.
"Checkmate!"
After Typhon placed the final piece, Cronus, the Titan King of the Gods and father of Zeus, fell into silence.
Typhon, with white hair cascading to her waist, gazed quietly at Cronus for a moment with her bewitching eyes. Then she turned and walked toward the God of the Abyss, Tartarus.
"Father, have you decided?"
Typhon sat down, looked at the trembling Tartarus, and revealed a charming, enchanting smile as she stared at the chessboard before them.
Nearby, the three-headed hellhound Cerberus watched with utter adoration.
Since she had taken the form of a goddess, Typhon's features were naturally exquisite beyond compare.
She wore a vivid cheongsam, her long legs wrapped tightly in black silk.
Ever since the wedding of the Lord and Lady of the Underworld, Typhon had not changed her attire once. Clearly, she was extremely satisfied with the cheongsam that perfectly displayed her flawless figure.
Or perhaps the greater reason was that, when she had worn it before that white-clothed youth, even that hero could not look directly at her.
With her waist-length white hair, she possessed a demonic, seductive charm that almost no other goddess had.
Paired with the bright cheongsam and black silk, her destructive allure was simply terrifying.
If not for this, Zeus, King of the Gods of Olympus, would not still be obsessed with the fleeting glimpse of her at that wedding even now.
"This…" Under Typhon's bewitching gaze, Tartarus held a black piece between his fingers but could not place it for a long time.
His eyes even flickered slightly, avoiding her stare.
Seeing this, Typhon thoughtfully glanced at the board and lightly laughed. "Cerberus, how many pieces has Father stolen?"
"Two," Cerberus answered honestly.
"Lies! I did not steal anything! …Look, look! Cronus is stealing pieces right now! He's stealing too!"
Tartarus loudly protested and pointed at Cronus, who was secretly moving pieces behind him.
"I didn't steal! I absolutely did not! Don't you dare slander me, Tartarus!"
Just as Cronus was about to argue and the abyss rang with joyous chaos,
Tartarus suddenly froze. As though sensing something, he turned toward the distant endless void and muttered, "Huh? Why is that little fellow here again… and that little goddess came too?"
Typhon naturally heard Tartarus's mumbling and paused briefly.
Then her eyes lit up. "He's finally here!"
With that, she stood up in evident excitement.
Tartarus looked at her and asked, "So they came to see you?"
"Yes."
Facing Tartarus's gaze, Typhon nodded. "That child came for me… Though I truly did not expect Hecate to return here again because of him.
Father, can you send me to them?"
No sooner had the words left Typhon's mouth than,
"Lady Hecate…? Is Lady Hecate here?!"
Cerberus, currently in the form of a little girl who bore a striking resemblance to Hecate, immediately rushed over upon hearing the name.
"Not just her," Typhon said with a smile, patting Cerberus's head. "That child is here too."
"That child… Jason is here?" Cerberus blinked. Then her expression turned adorably ferocious!
"Damn you, Jason! This time I'll bite you to death or I'm no Cerberus! Woof woof woof!"
"Let them come here…? Never mind. I'll just bring them directly. It's been a while since I last saw the kid. I miss him. And besides…"
Tartarus stopped mid-sentence.
At the same time, he exercised his divine authority. In this endless void where even the concept of time had ceased, he tore open a rift.
He directly summoned Hecate and Jason.
Immediately, underworld butterflies danced through the void. The beautiful goddess in a black dress and the white-clothed youth beside her arrived under the protection of the butterflies.
Light suddenly appeared in the endless darkness before them. Jason was still dazed by it when,
"JASON!"
With Cerberus's furious shout, she pounced straight at Jason and pinned the completely unprepared youth beneath her.
"I'll bite you to death! I'll bite you to death!"
Once she had him pinned, Cerberus opened her mouth wide, ready to chomp down.
But at that moment, Hecate, who stood beside Jason, reached out and lifted Cerberus by the scruff of her neck.
Jason had not yet had time to cast a grateful look at Hecate when she darkly said to Cerberus, "I have no objection if you want to bite him, but could you not do it in that form?!"
Cerberus's human shape was that of a little girl who looked almost exactly like a miniature Hecate.
Cerberus struggled for a moment. Upon realizing it was Hecate, she immediately threw her arms around her.
"Lady Hecate! Lady Hecate! Waaah, I missed you so much!
Take me out! Please take me out! I promise I'll be good from now on and never steal honey cakes again! Waaah…"
Her mournful crying was enough to move anyone to tears. Naturally, Hecate's heart softened.
"Alright, don't worry. Since I'm here, I'll definitely take you out… Look at the mess you've made!" Hecate comforted Cerberus while glaring fiercely at Jason.
Jason felt somewhat depressed. He wanted to say, Teacher, you're not much better! You knew full well what would happen and still found it too troublesome to intervene…
"Little Cerberus, you're being naughty again."
At that moment, Typhon approached in her cheongsam.
Looking at Cerberus in Hecate's arms, she could not help saying, "You make it sound like I've been tormenting you. Aren't you my child?"
As she spoke, Typhon's brow suddenly furrowed slightly.
She looked at Cerberus, who was practically a tiny carbon copy of Hecate.
After a moment of thought, she gently pointed at Cerberus.
Cerberus's black hair instantly turned the same white as Typhon's.
Only then did Typhon nod in satisfaction.
She turned her head toward Jason, the corners of her mouth rising into a wickedly charming smile. In a faint, resentful tone she said, "You left me forgotten here for so long. My child, you've finally deigned to come see me."
As she spoke and walked toward Jason, her eyes filled with grievance, as though Jason had truly wronged and abandoned her.
Jason's scalp tingled at the sight.
Hecate stepped forward two paces and silently stood in front of Jason, staring at Typhon.
"That sword is not here right now."
Then she said calmly, "I entrusted it to Lady Nyx for safekeeping… And you can give up any hope. That sword was forged with Jason's blood and Hephaestus's divine craftsmanship. It has become his natal divine weapon.
No one but Jason can wield it!"
Typhon could not help chuckling. "Hecate, there's no need to be so nervous. I'm not going to eat him… Though I truly did not expect that in such a short time, you would let your possessiveness toward him run so wild."
"He is my child." Hecate gazed silently at Typhon. After a moment she declared with utmost seriousness, "As long as I draw breath, no one will lay a finger on him.
Especially you, Typhon, Ancestor of All Monsters!"
Even Typhon froze at those words.
Cerberus and Jason were stunned as well.
"So give up your dreams, Typhon." Hecate ignored their reactions and continued, "You alone I will never allow him to stand with!"
Typhon's brow furrowed.
"Didn't you once say that whatever path that child chose, you would never interfere in the slightest?"
"That was then. This is now." Hecate replied, "Anything else I can ignore, but this… I must intervene!"
At that moment, Jason finally understood why Hecate had suddenly accompanied him here.
She had come to declare her resolve to Typhon.
Just then, the clear sound of a piece being placed rang out from nearby.
"Since Hecate is here, will you not greet me?"
Cronus, father of Zeus, suddenly spoke calmly.
"…Lord Cronus."
Hecate hesitated briefly, then released Cerberus. She walked past Typhon and respectfully greeted Cronus.
Originally, Hecate had thought she would face Cronus's wrath.
After all, his imprisonment here was deeply tied to her actions.
Yet to her surprise, Cronus merely looked at her quietly for a moment before turning his gaze to Jason in the distance. He smiled and said, "Child, is the hourglass I gave you useful?"
"Thank you for the gift, Lord Cronus. It has saved me many times."
"Good." Cronus nodded with a smile. Then he said, "Will you inherit my power?"
Jason froze. Hecate froze as well.
"I already know. That weapon is in your hands… Truly, I never imagined someone like you could appear in this world."
Cronus spoke with some emotion. "Therefore I am willing to grant you my power, to bestow upon you supreme divine might, enough to fight that bastard Zeus!
Then, with that power, slay every traitor of Olympus.
Afterward, free me. Together we shall rule the divine court and share divine authority. What say you?"