Athena Was Willing to Help the Hero

Faced with the overwhelming pressure of the Queen of Heaven, Hera, Thaumas did not care much, but that stinking blond was different.

Jason's body trembled. If Thaumas had not secretly supported him, he might have gone limp again. After all, Jason had no connection to the Queen of Heaven now.

Suddenly facing a god, it was already impressive that this coward had not fainted from fright.

At that moment, Thaumas finally noticed the flickering in Hera's eyes and the flow of her Authority. She was exerting a kind of pressure on Jason.

Jason was not too bad after all. He had not fallen even under this.

Forcing himself to endure the discomfort, Jason said, "R-respected Queen of Heaven Hera, first of all, thank you very much for your help. But please forgive a mortal's ignorance. I do not know why someone as noble as you would help me."

"Not bad," Hera said, withdrawing her Authority and nodding slightly. Then the Queen of Heaven froze for a moment before continuing.

"Why don't you take a guess? There'll be a reward if you guess correctly."

Who knew what Athena was trying to do by sending her a voice transmission? Still, since Athena was in a good mood, she would grant her this small request.

"Then... what if I guess wrong?" Jason asked weakly. As expected of you, Jason! You even dared to ask that? Answering a question with another question—you really were gifted at courting death.

Hera said nothing. She merely stared at him coldly, her icy and powerful aura wrapping around Jason. Clearly, she was already very displeased.

Not everyone could enjoy the Queen of Heaven's favor, though in truth, it had been snatched away by Thaumas...

"Th-this... could it be because my brilliance, martial prowess, handsome looks, and elegant bearing left even you, Queen of Heaven, amazed—" Seeing Hera's increasingly strange expression, Jason hurriedly changed his tune.

"Then it must be because of your kindness and wisdom, Queen of Heaven. After all, such a beautiful goddess was actually desecrated by that pig-and-dog bastard Pelias.

He not only stole my throne, but even dared to commit violence within your temple and defile your noble statue, Goddess Hera! Such a heinous beast naturally deserves the punishment he has earned."

Finally, after hearing him out, Hera's expression eased. She waved her hand slightly and said softly.

"Get lost! You didn't get it right, but you weren't entirely wrong either."

Jason quietly breathed a sigh of relief. After bowing, he turned and silently left. Soon, he would discuss with Thaumas how to obtain the Golden Fleece. After all, the Kingdom of Colchis was separated from here by countless mountains and a vast sea!

He had no idea how to do it, but Thaumas, who had brought all this about, should have a way. He was quite confident in his understanding of Thaumas. And even if Thaumas had no solution, had the Goddess of Wisdom not already promised to help him?

His mood immediately improved, and he stepped out from the Queen of Heaven's shadow. Everything was slowly getting better.

Thaumas followed Jason, but before he had gone far, a slender, fair hand gently grabbed him.

"Child, you cannot leave yet!" Hera said with a blissful smile. Now that the annoying fellow was gone, she could play properly with her child.

Helpless, Thaumas could only stay behind and be vigorously tousled by Hera like a kitten.

So this was what "favor" meant? He had thought Nasuverse Heavy Industries was into much heavier stuff... Still, if even Hera betrayed her marriage, that would really be ridiculous.

Fine, let her tousle him. This was the god he ought to believe in, unlike the God of Amusement and the Plug God.

Meanwhile, although Jason did not understand why Hera had kept Thaumas behind alone, he did not think much of it. Thaumas always managed to do unexpected things.

What mattered most now was resting well and enjoying himself. After all, he had Thaumas.

"That will not do!"

The sudden crisp, cool voice made Jason's entire body jolt. What? He had not even had the chance to enjoy wealth and glory, and another goddess had already come for him...

He did not really want to do things himself. As expected, he was better suited for important duties like being a commander.

"You can do it. I can make you a captain," Athena said enticingly, like a demon whispering in his ear.

Huh? Even gods knew what I was thinking? Then what happened inside just now... Hiss! No wonder Goddess Hera had seemed so strange...

"Although I seem to have missed something interesting, what matters most right now..." Athena sounded regretful, but she still decided to fulfill her duty first.

"Jason, I said that as long as you followed my oracle, I would help you reclaim your throne."

Jason barely dared to breathe, afraid of missing even a single word. This concerned his throne!

"Although many amusing little incidents occurred along the way, overall, I am still very satisfied.

So I will help you. Using wood that will never sink, I will help you build a ship laden with glory!

It will carry you across the boundless sea to the distant Kingdom of Colchis. You will gather the greatest heroes in the world and complete the gods' trial together!" Athena patiently guided him, gradually stirring Jason's motivation. Finally—

"And you, Jason! You will be the captain of this ship called the 'Argo'! You will be the leader of the heroes!"

He, Jason, would begin worshipping Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, from this day onward!

She was offering far too much.

"And not only will I provide the materials, I will provide the techniques as well. The gods' followers will come to help, and I will even work on it myself. But I will need your supervision!"

Jason immediately decided to act. As for Thaumas? Trapped deep within Goddess Hera's embrace, he would probably have a hard time getting out!

Then he, Jason, would take on this arduous task. As for Thaumas, he could wish himself luck. This great me—no, no, no! From now on, he should be called Captain! He would definitely build that warship that belonged solely to its captain!

Thus, Jason, completely wrapped around Athena's finger by the Goddess of Wisdom, left the temple and went with Athena's followers to arrange the shipbuilding work. From that day onward, until the ship was completed, he would likely have a hard time meeting Thaumas.

The paths people walked could not be copied, and every hero had a different mission.

Athena concealed herself and quietly sat before Hera's temple, repeatedly twirling her purple hair as she pondered seriously.

With this, Jason would not disturb little Thaumas anymore, right?

Jason looked like a decent toy too, but she had already found something better.

Someone like Jason was like a puppet, his fate manipulated by others. It sounded nice, but it was not as thrilling as the unknown.

She truly looked forward to seeing whether this could be the key to helping the gods win the Third Divine War. Although Heracles could also do quite well, she still preferred this child.

Thaumas, I have secretly done so much for you. You must satisfy me too! Let me see whether you can bring about a Miracle, just like your name!

"Θαύμα" (the Ancient Greek spelling)

"Thaumazein" (the modern Greek spelling)

Both words meant "Miracle," and were pronounced "Thaumas."

These past days, I have personally written so, so many scripts for you. Let me see whether you will submit, perish, or choose to defy the Goddess of Wisdom once again and break fate!

Thaumas, my dear hero! Bring me a miraculous performance!