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(Fate) Chapter 207: Take him home (2.8k words)
🕑 Added 2024-11-24 17:06:04 +0000 UTCUnbeknownst to many, dawn had arrived.
The goddess of the night, Nyx, reluctantly retreated to the Underworld, urged on by the sun god.
Meanwhile, Promise had finally reached the sacred grove of Ares, the god of war.
His next task was to confront the sleepless, venomous dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece, completing the final trial of his journey.
In fact, facing mythical monsters and achieving victory wasn’t new to Promise.
After all, ever since he had descended the mountain with Jason and entered into his initial oath with the goddess of wisdom, he had walked this path tirelessly, overcoming countless trials along the way.
But this time was different.
This time, the battle was an offering to the brash and reckless Ares, in pursuit of completing his divine painting.
For this, Promise would have to forsake the wisdom that had always been his greatest weapon.
He would fight in the most primitive and straightforward way: raw, unbridled combat.
And in this battle, not only will the gods give up their long-standing concern for him, but even Pegasus or the Hundred-Eyed Giant and Centaur Sage, would be allowed to help him.
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“So, it’s finally happening?!”
Ares, who had been looking forward to this for a long time, trembled with excitement.
Standing in the grove, looking down at Promise as he dismounted Pegasus and strode toward him, he spread his arms wide and burst into laughter, shouting,
"Come! Offer me a battle of unyielding ferocity! Fight, roar, clash—let blood flow and chaos reign! Hahahaha!"
The other gods exchanged looks of disdain at Ares’s antics, while their gazes drifted toward Promise with concern.
It wasn’t that Promise wasn’t capable, after all, he was someone, who had repeatedly performed miracles.
His fate had intertwined with those of four goddesses, and he had drawn the attention of the Olympian gods, as well as older deities like Nyx.
He had even managed to shatter the perfection of the flawless goddess of wisdom—a feat in itself fulfilling their covenant and leaving the gods in awe.
By all accounts, a mere dragon should not have been a challenge worthy of their worry.
The problem, however, lay elsewhere.
Promise, the man who defied odds and performed impossible feats, who was on the verge of completing the legendary task of claiming the Golden Fleece and painting the Twelve Olympians, was also undeniably... the weakest hero in all of Greece.
If it weren’t for him being drowned by the golden apples, which gods and goddesses couldn't help but give, the thing that later became so excessive that even the tree was cut down, Promise might have been blown away by a stiff breeze long ago.
Well...not blown to the Underworld, but straight back home.
Therefore, at this moment, even Athena, who firmly believed in Promise and felt there would be no problem, was ready to take action at any time if the situation turned bad.
In fact, it wasn’t just the gods who were worried about him—even Pegasus…
"Chirp—!”
"Hey, hey! What are you doing? Don’t bite my hair... Speaking of which, Pegasus, I’ve been meaning to ask something for a long time. You’re a creature of myth, a Pegasus from the Age of Gods. Can you really not talk, or have you just been pretending all this time?”
Pulling his ponytail out of Pegasus’s mouth, Promise looked at the creature with both disdain and suspicion.
The later, however, let out a soft neigh.
"So, you’re saying that in my current situation, even if you could talk, you’d have to pretend not to? Listen, your master here isn’t afraid of death! My dream is to go out in a blaze of glory, so why are you, a mythical Pegasus, acting so overly cautious?"
Is this supposed to be complementary?!
Pegasus neighed in response and mimicked the action of grazing on grass.
"Living is great—you get to eat more grass… You bastard! One day, I’ll pluck all the feathers off your wings, chop them off and use them for a barbecue!”
You call that eating grass? You’re clearly just eating melon seeds!
Promise glared fiercely at Pegasus, and Pegasus, not to be outdone, glared right back.
Hmph, just a weakling for a master!
Seeing this, Promise decided not to talk further and turned toward the Sacred Forest.
Pegasus, however, quickly moved to block his path.
"What’s the matter with you, Pegasus?"
Now genuinely puzzled, Promise looked at him as Pegasus flapped his wings lightly, then crouched down, signaling for him to get back on.
"Are you... worried about me being on my own?"
Promise finally understood.
Pegasus nodded and, with a very human-like sigh, seemed to say: There's nothing I can do about it, After all, my master’s a weakling.
Seeing this, Promise couldn’t help but laugh as he reached out and patted his head, saying,
"Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Besides, you can’t come with me this time. The upcoming battle is mine alone, and you can’t step in to help."
Pegasus didn’t respond, merely looked at him with worry in his eyes.
Ever since that time when Promise had captured him with that pure white bridle, pulling him down from the stars, they had been inseparable all these years.
Every path Promise had walked, Pegasus had accompanied him.
And though he was quite mischievous, loved to graze, and even excelled at selling people out, if there ever came a day when Promise was no longer around, when he was lost—
Pegasus would surely be one of the most heartbroken beings of all.
"Don’t worry, I’ll come back. I won’t fail this time."
Feeling warmth in his heart as he looked at Pegasus, Promise smiled and said, "See? Even Atalanta and Heracles didn’t try to stop me. They know I’ll succeed this time. After all…"
"This journey is nearing its end. If I fail at this moment, what’s left wouldn’t be a hero’s legend—it would be an ancient joke!"
After hearing this, Pegasus thought about it seriously and found that it was true.
If that really happened, it would probably be worse for Promise than death…ah ..no, actually, it might even be worse than living forever!
So Pegasus finally gave way and allowed Promise to enter the Sacred Forest of Ares, the god of war.
The power of Ares barred Pegasus from entering, but for once, it didn’t return to the skies.
Instead, it wandered around before finally stopping beneath a large tree nearby, where a small goddess stood alone, holding a crystal ball.
Pegasus landed beside her and nudged her gently.
Clotho stroked its head and, with her soft, delicate voice, said quietly, "You should have given him my doll."
Pegasus shook its head, knowing full well that Promise would refuse the doll.
Clotho understood this too so, she didn’t press the matter.
She simply allowed the morning breeze to stir her white hair before softly saying, "Don’t worry. He’ll come back for you."
Promise had entered Ares’s Sacred Forest.
Without Pegasus to guide him, however, he was unable to determine the location and soon lost his way.
Fortunately, in the forests of ancient Greece, one type of creature was never in short supply—the nymphs, spirits born from nature itself.
Nymphs were beings of natural essence, typically appearing as beautiful young women who loved music and dance.
Though they neither aged nor fell ill, they were not immortal.
In the perilous Age of Gods in ancient Greece, most nymphs sought refuge under the protection of deities, serving and honoring the gods. Thus…
"Hey, child, how did you get into this forest?"
As Promise wandered through the ancient woods, not knowing where to go, a green-haired, blue-eyed nymph, clad only in a thin white dress that barely covered her, leaving much of her skin exposed,
suddenly appeared before him.
Looking at her, Promise’s eyes lit up, but before he could say anything, the nymph hurriedly spoke, "Hurry, leave this place! You shouldn’t be here. Before the great god Ares returns, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you—but you must leave at once!"
It was obvious that she was one of the nymphs serving Ares.
Promise was stunned for a moment but quickly responded, "Wait, beautiful nymph! My name is Promise, and I am a student of Queen He..cough I am a student the centaur sage Chiron.
I’ve come here to undergo the trial of retrieving the Golden Fleece under the witness of Ares, the god of war, and to defeat the dragon that guards it!”
Hearing this, the nymph looked even more shocked.
She looked up and down at the frail-looking boy in front of her, as if convinced that a single punch from her could send him straight to the Underworld, before asking with a face full of disbelief, "You?"
“Really!” Promise said helplessly...after all, he was clearly accustomed to this reaction.
"I swear on the name of the gods that what I say is the truth!"
By now, he was so used to making vows that it came almost automatically.
Once he swore in the name of the gods, the nymph naturally believed him.
But because of this, the look she gave him grew even more strange.
After all, any normal person seeing Promise for the first time would question how someone with such a small, delicate frame could even dare attempt such a feat.
It’s worth mentioning that most nymphs were actually quite shy, and it was rare for them to take the initiative to appear before humans.
However, in Promise’s case, this wasn’t unusual at all. Because…
This child looked so adorable.
His aura resembled a painting kissed and blessed by the muses of art, his emerald-green eyes clear and beautiful like the stars themselves.
The more the nymph looked at him, the harder it was to look away.
So, there was no way she could let him march to his death.
In fact…
Hmm, the great god Ares probably wouldn’t want such a cute boy to die either. So maybe… I could just keep him here for a while and invite him home as a guest!
The nymph had this thought as she looked at the boy in front of her, swallowing her saliva.
Well...let’s not forget, this was a very op..uh liberal era.
It wasn’t uncommon for nymphs to occasionally appear and seduce handsome young men of ancient Greece.
The most famous example was Hylas, the foster son of the great hero Heracles.
In the original myths, Hylas was the arms bearer of Heracles, who took Hylas with him on the Argo, thus making him one of the Argonauts.
One day, while fetching water, he caught the eye of a (Naiad) water nymph, who pulled him into the water and took him away.
His disappearance greatly upset Heracles, who, left the Argo and searched for him for a great length of time.
Incidentally, it was rumored that Hylas was also Heracles’ lover…
Well...it could only be said that Heracles had quite the adventurous life and he played quite well.
However, in Promise’s timeline, Hylas did not join the Argo, so Promise had no knowledge of him.
Yet, unbeknownst to himself, Promise had altered another person’s fate.
The eldest and second eldest Fates didn’t mind.
By now, they were used to it.
It just meant a little extra work.
After all, their youngest sister’s heart was entirely elsewhere.
However, as the nymph had these thoughts and even prepared to act, a sudden chill ran down her spine so cold, she shivered, almost letting out a scream.
Whipping around, she frantically scanned her surroundings.
What?What just happened?
Why does it feel like I almost wandered to the gates of the Underworld with one foot ready to step through?!
The nymph felt a deep fear, coupled with confusion at the same time.
Promise tilted his head, watching her curiously, then asked, "Beautiful nymph, would you be willing to guide me to the sleepless dragon?"
The nymph turned back to look at Promise.
Her eyes darted as she thought it over, then stretched out her hand as if to stroke his face.
In the next instant, the icy feeling of the Underworld brushed against her again, sending her reeling.
Finally, the nymph understood.
"Promise, you must have a god you deeply revere and who loves you very much, don’t you?"
Promise blinked, as he looked at her in surprise, and replied, "How did you know? Though that was in the past—I’ve already been abandoned."
“Abandoned?” The nymph looked at him in disbelief.
Are you joking?
I nearly got obliterated by a god’s gaze just now!
"Who is it?" She asked instinctively.
"The noble, gentle, and kind Queen Hera," Promise answered earnestly.
Hearing his words, the nymph’s mind filled with question marks.
Noble, gentle and kind? Are you sure those words can be used to describe Hera?
What about jealous, suspicious, and possessive?
She had just barely finished the thought when she suddenly felt herself teetering on the banks of the River Lethe in the Underworld.
Now the nymph was on the verge of tears.
If Promise weren’t right in front of her, she might have immediately dropped to her knees and begged Hera for forgiveness.
You call this abandonment?
Who are you trying to fool?!
Pouting, the teary-eyed nymph stared at Promise with a pitiful expression, which only left him confused.
"Fine, I’ll take you there,”
The Nymph didn't dare to say anything more.
Submitting to Hera's authority, she no longer dared to have any evil thoughts and obediently led Promise to the sleepless dragon guarding the Golden Fleece.
Even so, along the way, looking at Promise’s frail figure, she couldn’t help but tell him about the sleepless dragon as she tried to dissuade him for one last time.
"The sleepless dragon guarding the Golden Fleece has a body as hard as steel, it can can spew scorching poisonous flames. It never sleeps and never lets its guard down.
I’ve actually seen countless powerful heroes perish under its fire or claws, so Promise, are you sure you still want to face it?”
The latter nodded without hesitation.
Seeing this, the nymph sighed in resignation.
However, at the same time, she also felt a bit grateful that she wasn’t under direct divine scrutiny as she led him to the dragon.
It was there, beneath an enormous oak tree, that the famed Golden Fleece of ancient Greece hung high in the branches.
Guarding it was the sleepless dragon, its iron-like body coiled beside the ancient tree.
Its ever-open eyes fixed on the green-haired nymph as she brought Promise forward.
"Long time no see, mighty dragon," the nymph said with a smile.
What was a little beyond Promise' expectations was that the nymph, who led the way was not afraid of it, and even greeted it with a smile, and the sleepless dragon actually nodded in response.
It spoke, its voice deep and resonant, "Long time no see. And as for you,” it continued, shifting its gaze to Promise, "if I’m not mistaken, you’ve come for the Golden Fleece, correct?"
Promise didn’t have a chance to reply before the dragon went on.
"But aren’t you a bit… too frail? I feel like I have to hold my breath just speaking to you, lest I exhale too strongly and accidentally blow you away.”
The sleepless dragon continued to talk, even nagging, saying, "Honestly, Ares is too lenient. He lets anyone in. Sure, I agreed to guard this thing for him, but I clearly said I needed peace and quiet!
Every now and then, someone comes barging in, shouting about dreams, adventures, or riches, and so on before they charge at me.
Not that they can harm me, but can’t I get a moment’s rest? I haven’t slept properly in ages, and it’s all your fault! It’s so infuriating!”
As the dragon grumbled endlessly, Promise turned to the nymph with a bewildered expression.
The green-haired nymph remained calm, clearly used to this, and explained to Promise, "That’s just how Lord dragon is. It’s actually quite nice, just… a bit talkative. And even though it literally can’t close its eyes to sleep, it keeps complaining that it wants to rest and sleep everyday…"
The green-haired nymph hadn’t even finished speaking when the sleepless dragon suddenly stood up, its massive form towering so high that it seemed to block out the sun as it snapped in annoyance, "What are you talking about? How could I possibly not be able to sleep? I can definitely sleep! It’s my dream!
And so what if it’s been a hundred, two hundred, or even three hundred years—or thousands of years since I last slept? What right do you have to say that I can’t sleep?"
The sleepless dragon’s dream was… simply to get a good night’s sleep?
Such a humble yet strange dream!
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