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(Fate) Chapter 196: I've noted it down
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 15:47:01 +0000 UTCEver since meeting Promise, Hermes had been slightly angry with himself.
Angry that why he hadn’t met him sooner.
After all, life had only grown more colorful since Promise had come along, filled with surprises and intrigue at every turn!
“And that’s the gist of it.”
On the island, in a secluded corner of the divine banquet, Apollo kept watch while Hermes, tipping his feathered hat, smirked at Peleus, who had just learned everything and was processing it in stunned silence.
The corners of Hermes’ mouth were lifted and he looked clearly pleased.
The Night Stone, obtained by Thetis from Hestia—was once used as a substitute when Zeus was swallowed, making it a unique artifact.
It didn’t render someone entirely invisible; rather, it cloaked them as if under a shroud of night, causing others to subconsciously overlook and forget their presence.
Since it was powerful enough to affect even the King of the Gods, even the goddess of wisdom, Athena herself had been influenced to a certain extent, which was why, she did not realize that something was wrong at the first time.
As for why Thetis hadn’t used it to avoid her fated marriage, that was simply because its powers weren’t absolute, and Thetis had never truly intended to escape her destiny.
Her only wish was to keep Promise out of the situation.
However, what Thetis could never have anticipated was that the artifact would have no effect on Hecate.
But thinking about it carefully, it kinda made sense, after all, Hecate shared a close bond with Nyx, the goddess of night, and was a uniquely powerful goddess of magic.
Hecate’s dislike of Promise wasn’t something she’d exaggerated.
When she said she found him annoying, she truly meant it.
Because he was so prone to causing trouble like a magnet, which made him her natural nemesis.
As the saying goes, “Those who know you best are often not your closest allies but rather your enemies.”
Therefore, when Hecate found out what was going on, she knew that the truth couldn’t stay hidden forever.
Eventually, Promise would find out.
And if she truly did nothing… she could easily imagine Promise doing something as audacious as carving a tally mark on her thigh!
He even dared to shoot Athena with an arrow—what was left that he wouldn’t dare?
So, Hecate was really scared, though not completely.
She still didn't want to work, so she told Hermes everything.
And the God of trouble, in his excitement, then relayed all to another major player in this matter - Peleus.
Now, with pale face and white hair framing his blue eyes, Peleus stood in shock, reeling from the revelations about the relationship between Promise and Thetis.
He was utterly stunned, stunned by everything Promise had done until now.
He was particularly shaken by the truth behind that night when darkness had cloaked the world until the delayed sunrise: how Promise had saved Zeus, the king of gods, and even dared to shoot an arrow at Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
“All of this… was really done by Promise?” Peleus asked Hermes in disbelief.
Though he’d known Promise was favored by the gods and had heard bits and pieces from Orpheus, Heracles, and Jason about his feats,
But in fact, most of the heroes aboard the Argo only had a vague idea about the magnitude of Promise’s actions.
“Of course it was him,” Hermes replied, a smirk playing on his lips. “After all, who else could achieve all of this, but him? Even Heracles couldn’t pull it off.”
“To be precise,” Hermes continued, “Heracles’ fate was also rewritten by Promise. As were the fates of Orpheus, Meleager, and even your teacher, Chiron. What that kid has done is far grander than you could ever imagine.”
Hermes’ tone was calm, almost as if recounting a trivial matter—Mainly because he had become accustomed to it, or even numb to it.
But to Peleus, these revelations were nothing short of worldview-shattering.
This sudden understanding completely washed away the joy he had felt about his marriage that day, leaving him with a storm of complex emotions.
But Peleus was a rare and stable character among the ancient Greek heroes, so he did not shout or scream about all this, nor did he disbelieve or question it.
Instead, after calming down a little, he took a deep breath and asked Hermes the question that weighed most heavily on his mind.
“Lord Hermes, may I ask… why are you telling me all this now?”
Hermes didn’t hesitate in his reply.
“Oh, that? Well, it’s because Goddess Hecate entrusted me to tell you.”
“Goddess Hecate…”
Peleus’ eyes flickered for a moment, then he quickly remembered that she was Medea’s teacher.
"The goddess was afraid of being held responsible by Promise, and she also thought this matter was troublesome and didn't want to get involved, so she gave the decision-making power to you."
Hermes spoke frankly, smiling at Peleus: “You can pretend that you never heard any of this and proceed to marry the wise and virtuous sea goddess Thetis, or you could choose to reveal this to Promise.”
Hearing this, Peleus immediately understood as a wry smile appeared on his face.
After all, it was clearly not a decision that could bring anyone joy.
Soon, Thetis, having returned from her meeting with Hecate, anxiously rushed back, only to find that within the banquet, she could no longer see Peleus’ figure—she was already too late.
Peleus, now wearing the winged sandals Hermes had lent him, had already departed from the gathering.
He had returned to the Argo.
...
...
The next day,
Wearing Hermes’ winged sandals, Peleus once again arrived aboard the Argo.
Before anyone could understand the reason for Peleus’s sudden departure and return, he had already approached Promise, as he stared at the young man with an intensely serious expression, and said, “Promise, I challenge you to a duel!”
“And this duel will be held under the witness of the gods, making it sacred and solemn!”
When Peleus said these words, not only was Promise taken aback, but even Atalanta beside him was momentarily stunned.
After all, among the heroes aboard the Argo, Peleus was one of the few that Atalanta actually did not dislike.
After all, he was a very steady and composed person.
“What are you saying, Peleus?”
After coming back to his senses, Telamon, Peleus’ brother, looked at him with utter disbelief, exclaiming, “Do you know what you’re saying?!”
Peleus didn’t respond; he only looked at Promise in silence.
But it was this reaction that made the gathered heroes quickly realize that Peleus was actually serious at this moment.
He really wanted to challenge Promise.
And this challenge was to be under the the witness of the gods.
“What are you trying to do, Peleus!”
Seeing this, Theseus was the first to react in anger.
With Heracles having left, Theseus, who already had a close relationship with Promise, and who felt immense guilt toward Promise due to the events involving Helen and Persephone, had secretly sworn to himself to protect Promise during this journey.
He was determined not to let any harm come to him.
And it wasn’t just Theseus who grew angry; as soon as they realized that Peleus wasn’t joking, even Meleager and the great hunter Actaeon, as well as his own brother Telamon, widened their eyes and glared at Peleus in fury.
It was widely known that most of the heroes aboard the Argo had been recruited by Promise himself, going down his infamous “grudge list,” which they all feared.
And beyond that, the reason they were aboard the ship had much in common with Chiron’s, who had initially followed Jason and Promise down the mountain quietly, which was out of concern for the boy as delicate as a flower.
Even though Promise’s name now echoed throughout all of Greece, and they had each witnessed or learned about his great deeds in one way or another, the heroes aboard still saw him as the same young man from their early days training together in the cave on Mount Pelion.
Back then, this young man had been weaker than all of them and even Jason could crush him.
But at the same time, he was more dedicated than anyone, his purpose the purest.
Promise wanted to become a hero, even if it meant sacrificing his life.
It was this unbreakable resolve that had drawn them all together.
And it was why, when they learned of Promise’s achievements, none of them felt any jealousy, instead, they felt genuine happiness for him from the bottom of their hearts.
Because they understood how incredibly difficult it had been for him, and each of them knew in their hearts how much effort Promise had poured into achieving what he had now.
After all, even the goddess of fate, who could foresee the future, had never seen anything promising in Promise’s fate.
The bright future he now faced was one he had carved out himself.
It was because of this very reason that the goddess of wisdom had focussed all her attention on him and no longer cared about anyone else except him.
Peleus did not speak.
Enduring the anger of those around him, including his own brother, he just stood in front of Promise in silence,
His blue eyes looked steadily into Promise’s clear green gaze, and Promise looked back at Peleus just as calmly.
“All right.”
Then, Promise gave his answer.
“Let’s duel.”
Promise didn’t ask for a reason, because that was irrelevant.
He knew that Peleus would give him an explanation, when everything was over.
Hearing this, Peleus also smiled.
He also knew that Promise would not let him down… After all, whether back in their days training in the mountains or now, he had never let anyone down.
However...
“When it’s all over, Peleus, make sure to clean your neck and wait,” Promise said with a calm tone. “I may not know what’s going on, but this grudge—
I’ll noted it down.”
At these words, Peleus froze.
And the heroes who had been glaring at him now looked at him with sudden pity.
Haha, Peleus, you’re in for it; you’ve just landed in Promise’s little book of grudges!
.
.
