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(Fate) Chapter 189: You are free
🕑 Added 2024-11-06 16:10:41 +0000 UTCOnboard the Argo,
With the goddess's arrival, the heroes respectfully kept their distance, leaving only the young man who was being watched by the goddess.
“Oh yes, just a little disagreement!” Athena said, with an unusually bright smile on her face. “So minor, I seriously considered fulfilling our oath by making it official.”
“After all, defeating someone as perfect as me would surely shock the gods and ensure your legend lives on forever.”
Indeed, after all, the person in front of him, was Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, second only to Zeus, the king of gods himself.
In fact, this achievement was more enough to fulfill their oath.
A finale that shocked the world and the gods.
However, the real subtext of this statement was that Athena couldn't wait to turn Promise into a god, so that he could be immortal and withstand more attacks.
“Oh, Goddess Athena, you are so narcissistic."
"But this is the fact." Athena said, flicking her silver hair over her shoulder.
Promise looked at the goddess in front of him and had to acknowledge that despite his banter, he actually agreed with her words in his heart.
After all, in terms of beauty, strength, and wisdom, she was undoubtedly at the top.
“So...if that's the case, doesn’t that mean I’m the blemish on your otherwise perfect life?” he joked, only to realize his mistake the moment he spoke.
Hearing this, Athena's smile towards the boy became a little brighter.
However, after looking at the person in front of her who was obviously famous all over the world, but still someone she could send to the underworld with a mere puff of air, she still endure it.
Instead, after thinking about it for a while, she pulled out Promise’s little “grudge book” and jotted down the offense, marking it as one that could never be erased.
Looking at the goddess, who was mimic his own grudge-keeping habit, Promise couldn’t help but say, “Uh…Goddess Athena, I think I can actually explain…”
“Go ahead. I’m listening,” Athena replied, still writing as she spoke.
“Well, you know… maybe you bear a little bit of responsibility too. I mean, after all, you were the one who ran into me…”
His voice trailed off, becoming quieter and quieter as he watched the goddess in front of him, narrow her eyes, smiling in a way that made him increasingly nervous.
Realizing his explanation would be useless, Promise thought for a while, only to give up this fruitless thinking with a sigh, and decided to be blunt.
"Forget it, I admit that I was just unhappy with your plan at the time, so I wanted to mess with it, and in the end succeeded. I am the stain on your life, and nothing can change that now, so, there is no point in you being angry!"
When Promise raised his head and said these words very firmly, the whole world suddenly became quiet.
Whether it were the gods who were spying on this place, or Heracles and the others on the boat, who heard it even though they didn't want to, were all changed.
What was even more shocking was that after hearing this, Athena's expression did not change at all, and she didn't even seem angry.
After silently writing down the matter in the little notebook of vengeance, she returned it to the boy and pinched his cheek just as she always did.
“You’re right, Promise. On second thought, I suppose I do share some responsibility. After all, you aren’t even my follower; you belong to Hera. And I foolishly took that arrow you aimed at me… Yes, this is indeed my fault.”
Seeing Athena smile as she spoke so gently, Promise, who had been defiant only moments before, swallowed hard and immediately backed down. “Um… Lady Athena, how about I atone with my life right now?”
“Why would you do that?” Athena asked, blinking in surprise as she looked at the young man in front of her. “You’re innocent. I’m the one at fault, after all. Besides, you’re a follower of Hera, not Athena. You’ve refused me multiple times…”
She sighed, adding with a wry smile, “Ah, so it seems, you’ve always been a stain on my life, and since I’m not even your goddess, what right do I have to decide your fate?”
As Athena finished speaking, even Hermes, who had been watching in amusement, couldn’t help it anymore as he turned to Hera and said, “Maybe you should just let Promise follow both you and Athena; otherwise, I think someone is bound to go crazy sooner or later!”
Hera rolled her eyes and replied, “This is the only time you’ll hear Athena saying that Promise isn’t her follower.”
“Goddess Athena, I was wrong. I admit it. Can we act normal again…?”
“Wrong? What did you do wrong? Wasn’t it my mistake?” Athena tilted her head, and asked in surprise. “And I have always been normal. What's wrong with me?"
Seeing Athena’s gentle expression and her rising smile, Promise, who was feeling a bit helpless, suddenly
remembered an incident from two days ago, and got a sudden idea.
Even though he knew that some of his friends on the ship could hear and even though he knew that those unscrupulous gods might be hiding in the clouds and in the dark and eavesdropping,
He made up his mind and said, "Goddess Athena, can you please stop doing this? If you do this again, I will cry. Believe it or not, I will cry right in front of you!"
When he said this, Athena’s smile finally faded, and she looked at him in exasperation.
Rolling her eyes, she finally replied, “Cry? You’re now a hero famous across the entire world, and you’re saying something like that?”
“But it’s all thanks to you, Lady Athena, and to Queen Hera, Lady Artemis, and Lord Apollo. So in front of you all, I’m still just that boy just came down from the mountains. Isn’t that right?”
When Promise blinked at Athena and spoke this words, even though she felt very amused in her heart, her eyes couldn't help but soften... Even though she knew that these were words he said in a hurry, using them as a clever escape, she was still very happy.
If Hecate or Goddess Thetis had been present, they would no doubt feel a bit emotional.
Well...they would definitely marvel at how skilled this young man was at handling goddesses.
“Alright, enough,” she said, a gentle smile in her tone. “The wisdom I gave you wasn’t meant for tricks like this… Anyway, I've made note of this matter, and I'll settle the score with you sooner or later!"
After saying this, without waiting for the boy to reply, Athena waved her hand, blocking the watchful eyes of gods and heroes alike.
“Now, let’s look at the journey that is about to reach its end.” As she spoke, her golden eyes reflected the grown young man before her.
With a soft smile, she turned around and stood on the deck of the Argo, gazing into the distance, speaking slowly. “Toward the adventure for the Golden Fleece, the legacy of the Olympian gods, and… our vow.”
With these words, Athena, as she had always done throughout the journey, pointed the way forward for her chosen hero.
This was the path that would guide him to his ultimate destination—a prophecy left by the goddess of wisdom.
The first challenge awaited: Ares, the god of war.
There was no need to say much about him.
As the embodiment of war, strength, and power in Greek mythology, and the personification of human conflict, he was not one to be easily conquered.
To defeat him, one would need to offer a fierce battle.
Therefore, the oracle given by Athena to this simple-minded god of war was also very simple, even very straightforward, and she did not even bother to be a riddler, saying: "When you reach the end of the Golden Fleece adventure, abandon the power of the gods and defeat the inevitable dragon alone."
“When you overcome that dragon and seize the Golden Fleece—a symbol of adventure and relentless will, that will be the moment you paint the picture of Ares, the god of war."
Then, it was Hestia.
Hestia, the goddess of hearth and home, also symbolized the sacred flame.
As the oldest of the Olympian deities, she was a chaste and unblemished goddess.
“Flame embodies her presence, representing the eternal promise of home, stability, harmony, and prosperity,” Athena explained.
Hestia may appear very low-key in Greek mythology, with only a few records of her, yet this did not not mean that the power she controlled was not great.
In ancient Greece, the extinguishing of a flame symbolized the end of a lineage, and every household maintained its own hearth, while every town had its own altar.
The sacred flame on these altars symbolized the life of the town and its people.
“In the past, both Poseidon, god of the sea, and Apollo, god of light, sought Hestia’s hand, but she refused both of them because she devoted all her love to the world, passing on the flame.”
“That is why she requested a grand banquet from you. What she truly longs to feel is the fire that you will ignite in her honor…”
This was Hestia’s oracle and when Athena’s voice faded, her expression grew uncharacteristically serious.
For next was the prophecy concerning Zeus, the king of gods, himself.
Zeus, the third king of the gods in Greek mythology, was the god of the sky and thunder.
“He overthrew his father’s brutal rule, saved his kin, and established the glorious Olympian court. But he has always harbored a nightmare—born from the curse his father laid upon him.”
“This curse will fall upon a goddess dear to him, and that goddess is the wise ocean nymph who led you to Olympus—Thetis!”
With these words, Athena fell silent, her gaze thoughtful as she looked at the young man before her.
After some time to digest her words, Promise looked up at her in confusion.
Ares, the god of war; Hestia, goddess of the sacred flame; and Zeus, king of the gods, were the challenges ahead on his journey that he needed to complete.
But there was also someone else, the goddess of wisdom, standing before him: Athena herself.
As if sensing his question, Athena smiled and said softly, “Promise, when that final moment comes, I’ll take your hand and stand beside you as we face the brilliant end together.”
Thus, her “painting” had no prophecy.
Because at that time, she would step onto the stage and become part of the story herself.
So the final painting would be of her, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and it would also be the last painting Promise would create for himself.
Leaving this last prophecy, Athena left, leaving only a single golden apple behind, a quiet trace of her presence.
Promise accepted the golden apple, then returned to his room on the ship.
Just as he thought the night would finally night would be quiet, he returned to the room and immediately froze there.
Because at this moment, an another goddess was sitting by the window.
With amber eyes gazing thoughtfully into the distance, she seemed lost in her own reflections.
Golden curls cascaded from beneath her crown, her expression stately and serene.
But as she turned her head and saw Promise, that air of majesty softened instantly, and the gaze she gave him was as tender as that of a mother toward her lovely child.
“Hera, my goddess… What brings you here?”
Promise blinked, and said with a surprised look on his face.
“Oh? Athena can come see you, but I cannot?” Hera, who would only put down her queen status in front of Promise, said to the boy with a smile.
Before Promise could respond, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “And my dear child, aren’t you going to introduce me to that girl named Helen?”
Promise immediately recalled that day when Helen made a vow before the goddess of beauty and Hera herself.
Realizing the implications, he couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless.
“The most beautiful woman in the mortal world… Really worthy of my child. That child is really good, you have excellent taste,” Hera said, nodding with satisfaction. “My child, when you reach the end of your journey, should I fulfill our promise and host a grand wedding?”
“Uh, Lady Hera, no need to rush! Really, there’s no need!” Promise replied, wiping away imaginary sweat in an attempt to keep his cool.
Hearing this, Hera tilted her head thoughtfully, then an understanding expression crossed her face. “Could it be… you’re more interested in that follower of Artemis, the moon goddess? She’s quite charming too. But compared to Helen… Well, nevermind, as long as you’re happy, I suppose.”
"Goddess Hera, there's really no need to rush this!"
Promise spoke desperately but seeing Hera’s growing displeasure due to his words, he quickly tried to explain, “Actually, Lady Hera, I’ve been meaning to tell you something important. Ever since the day I came down from the mountains, met you, and became your follower, I had already made a decision.
“Just as Atalanta devoted herself entirely to Artemis, the moon goddess, I had already resolved to dedicate my life to you. Under your watchful gaze, I will see this grand adventure through to its glorious end…”
Hera clearly hadn’t expected him to say this so, her eyes widened, and her face filled with unconcealed joy and excitement.
Seeing this, Promise breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this would end Hera’s talk of marriage.
But just as he relaxed...
"Then... what about Athena?"
Promise looked at her after a pause, and found that Hera seemed a little cautious at the moment as she asked, "Haven't you already given a part of your life to her too?"
After saying this, and seeing Promise’s silence, Hera didn’t seem angry.
Instead, she smiled and said, "Child, I’m not unreasonable, and and it's not that I can't see how special she is to you.
In fact, we have never stipulated that one person can only follow one deity, so in theory, you could believe in both me and Athena at the same time... To be exact, if it were anyone else, that would have been fine, and none of us would argue over it."
"But you are different."
Hera looked at Promise calmly and continued, "Because whether it’s me, Athena, or even Artemis and Demeter, we all know the truth in our hearts.
"Once one of us has you, sharing will never be an option."
"So, my child, for you alone… you can only choose one goddess."
Promise said nothing.
He recalled the first meeting between Hera and Athena, when they clashed precisely over this issue, their rivalry escalating continuously ever since.
At the same time, he looked at Hera with confusion and puzzlement, wondering why she was bringing this up now.
After all, the matter was over already, he had already chosen Hera, hadn’t he?
As if she saw the trouble in his heart, Hera smiled, but this time the smile was very complicated, and Promise found that he couldn't understand it.
She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated, closing it again, as though trying several times to find the right words.
Finally, she bit her lip and forced out the words, as if summoning all her strength.
Words not only for Promise but for all the gods who were listening.
“Promise, from this moment onward… you are free.”
...What?
At this moment, Promise, who was suddenly unable to understand, could not help but open his eyes wide and look at Hera.
"I will only give you this chance," as she said, forcing herself to smile, though it looked as if she was holding back tears. "Remember, this is your one and only chance. So… go and choose your goddess."
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