The Hero Caught That Lightning

The Griffin, or griffin, is a powerful creature of fantasy.

They are actually familiars belonging to Zeus, guarding the treasures on the golden mountain, which is why they are sometimes associated with lightning.

At this moment, the Griffin was like the thunder of Zeus, soaring through the sky like a bolt of lightning.

"Wuzhi--!"

After venting its pent-up frustration, it descended with high spirits and walked up to Thaumas.

"Thaumas, the Griffin has finished its exercise, and it wants you to get on." Athena acted as a temporary translator. Does the Goddess of Wisdom really do things like this?

"Alright, thank you, Lady Goddess." After thanking her, Thaumas took the saddle he had crafted himself out of his backpack and walked over to the Griffin.

Come to think of it, his backpack really can hold a lot of things; to be able to fit so much inside, could it be a Noble Phantasm or a Bond Craft Essence?

"Now Griffin, you need to lie down, otherwise I won't be able to reach." Thaumas stroked its fur; it was very clean and soft.

"Wuzhi!" The Griffin nodded and lay down immediately, letting Thaumas work.

Once the saddle was secured, the Griffin stood up.

It took a few steps, feeling that things were a bit different than usual, but it adapted quickly and flew around joyfully for a while.

It returned to Thaumas and lay down again, signaling for him to climb on.

And so, The Griffin flapped its wings.

"Ah~" Thaumas's legs went weak. After all, he really is afraid of heights, hey!

Why else would he have hated Hermes so much back then? It was because that guy didn't treat him like a person at all, just grabbed him and took off.

Although the situation was slightly better now, it still didn't look promising for Thaumas.

The Griffin didn't take off immediately; it hovered just a meter or two off the ground, waiting for Thaumas to adjust.

It wanted to see if this arrogant human who called himself a hero, this human who could defeat it, could hold onto this bolt of lightning streaking across the sky.

Athena was also curious.

But unlike the Griffin, Athena never doubted whether Thaumas could survive; she was curious if he could overcome his fear of the sky.

After all, if one fears this sky, one cannot meet the King of Gods who controls the heavens and the thunder.

This was also Athena's purpose in having Thaumas tame the Griffin. If he couldn't even conquer his fear, how could he become a hero?

And now, This sky also awaited his conquest. Athena felt her father's gaze. Perhaps Zeus was only watching this runaway Griffin at first, but now, the God King's focus had shifted.

Being watched by the sky at such a time did not fit Athena's plan for a hero, but surprises only made the gods more excited!

So, take flight! Let her see, let that God King see, whether you can overcome the fear in your heart! Seize this lightning bolt permitted by the God King!

This will be a miracle!

And so, "Vroom--"

Accompanied by a powerful whistle, like an arrow shot with all one's might, the Griffin transformed into a bolt of lightning, surging from the ground toward the sky.

A streak of light flickered in the heavens. Thaumas gripped the bronze-forged steel reins tightly—reins he had crafted using the power of Hephaestus.

Although he was far from being the God of Smiths himself, at least these reins wouldn't melt under the high-speed impact; ordinary rope would have burned away long ago.

At this moment, Thaumas could barely breathe. He began to exhibit symptoms of tension, anxiety, fear, and a loss of control, worried that he would fall and be injured.

To be specific, what kind of feeling was this?

It was as if his whole body had gone numb, with his arms and thighs twitching uncontrollably.

Humans are born to live on the earth; only when their feet touch the ground do they feel secure. That is what it means to be grounded.

But flight represents a kind of freedom, breaking away from the constraints of the earth.

Increased heart rate, chest tightness, chest pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, chills, weakness, trembling legs, dizziness, and so on.

These symptoms should not have occurred in a body tempered by Heavenly Fire, but reality is just that bizarre; the fear in his heart caused his body to react spontaneously.

Yet, he kept his grip on the reins, even though his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

In the past, it was Hermes who protected him, reducing the resistance and fear, but this was his first time truly facing the sky head-on. Even in modern society, he had only ever been on airplanes and rollercoasters.

And anyone who has been on a rollercoaster knows that the climb isn't scary; the drop is where the thrill lies.

The Griffin stopped at a high altitude, carrying Thaumas as it circled the area.

Slowly, Thaumas began to adapt, but he didn't have time to appreciate the scenery.

Because, "Woo--!"

The Griffin let out a cry, then accelerated, diving straight toward the ground.

"Ah!"

At such high speeds, one could not even hear the voice of Thaumas.

As he descended, he felt a downward acceleration that made him feel as though he were in free fall.

Scientifically speaking, this sensation is caused by gravitational acceleration acting upon the human body, while the body's inertia attempts to maintain its original state of motion, thereby creating a force that opposes gravity.

The fear of weightlessness is a conditioned reflex, stemming from the instinctual reaction humans developed in ancient times toward falling from great heights.

This reaction can be overcome to a certain degree through training or by adjusting one's mental state.

But unfortunately, Thaumas was neither a skydiving enthusiast nor a pilot or airman.

He only knew one thing now, and that was—never let go of the reins in his hands, otherwise, he would absolutely suffer a miserable fall!

He wouldn't die, but it would hurt like hell!

He felt as if his entire body were about to be flung off; that he could still sit steady was truly thanks to his reasonable design.

The stirrups hooked onto the Griffin held his feet fast, and combined with the safety belt he had specifically added, they prevented him from being thrown off directly.

But if he were to let go, that would be another story.

Because the Griffin was turning frantically, trying to shake Thaumas off.

Yet, it was a pity that he chose to face his fear head-on!

Thus, the hero and the lightning slid down from the sky together.

The hero grasped the lightning, taming this fledgling Griffin.

Once they landed steadily, a completely drained Thaumas unbuckled his safety belt from the Griffin and slid down.

"Griffin, you flew well, but you must promise me, no more playing like that next time!"

Before Thaumas fell asleep, he used the last of his strength to say these words.

To this, the Griffin smiled cunningly.

Perhaps a mount takes after its master.

PS: I am sorry everyone, I originally wanted to continue writing, and you can all see that this chapter ended too hastily, but I don't know when a swarm of bees got into my house as soon as I returned home, leaving me frantic and overwhelmed.

Even with the lights off, bees were still rushing into my home; I don't know what caused them to frantically invade my room, as I don't even have any flowers in my house.

I am surrounded by buzzing sounds right now; I wrote this chapter while keeping the doors and windows tightly shut, listening to that noise. I really did my best, but I have to go deal with this problem first; I'm terrified they might build a nest on my balcony.

As someone with trypophobia, I really want to die.

I'll post a picture for you all to see in a bit.