The Hero Caught That Lightning

Griffins were, in fact, gryphons, a powerful type of Phantasmal Beast.

They were actually followers of Zeus, guarding the treasures atop Golden Mountain, which was why they were sometimes associated with lightning.

And at this moment, Griffin was soaring through the sky like Zeus's thunderbolt, like a streak of lightning.

"Wuzhi—!"

After venting its earlier frustration, it descended with high spirits and walked over to Thaumas.

"Thaumas, Griffin has finished exercising. It wants you to ride it." Athena acted as a temporary translator. Did the Goddess of Wisdom do this sort of thing too?

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

Come to think of it, his backpack really could hold quite a lot. It could fit so many things—could it become a Noble Phantasm or a Bond Craft Essence too?

"Griffin, you need to lie down, or I won't be able to reach you." Thaumas stroked its fur. It was very clean and smooth.

"Wuzhi!" Griffin nodded and lay down directly, allowing Thaumas to handle things.

Only after the saddle had been secured did Griffin stand up.

It took a few steps first, sensing that something was different from usual. It quickly adapted, then happily flew around for a while.

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

And so,

Griffin spread its wings.

"Ah..." Thaumas's legs went weak. After all, he really was afraid of heights, damn it!

Otherwise, why had he disliked Hermes so much back then? It was because that guy hadn't treated him like a person at all, just grabbed him and took off.

Although things were a little better now, the situation was still far from optimistic for Thaumas.

Griffin did not take off immediately. Instead, it hovered one or two meters above the ground, waiting for Thaumas to adapt.

It wanted to see whether this arrogant human who called himself a hero, this human who had defeated it, could catch the lightning streaking across the sky.

Athena was curious as well.

But unlike Griffin, Athena never doubted whether Thaumas would survive. What she wondered was whether he could overcome his fear of the sky.

After all, if he feared this sky, he could not meet the king of gods who ruled over the sky and thunder.

This was also why Athena had brought Thaumas here to tame Griffin. If he could not even overcome fear, how could he become a hero?

And now,

This stretch of sky was also waiting to be conquered by him. Athena felt her father's gaze. Perhaps Zeus had initially only been watching this Griffin that had slipped away, but now, the God King's gaze had shifted.

Being watched by the sky at a time like this did not fit Athena's plans for a hero, but surprises were what excited gods even more!

Then soar. Let her see, let the God King see, whether he could overcome the fear in his heart. Catch this lightning permitted by the God King!

This would be a miracle!

And so,

"Bzzzz—"

Accompanied by a powerful howl, Griffin became a streak of lightning, like an arrow fired with all its strength, shooting upward into the sky.

A flash of light flickered in the sky. Thaumas clung desperately to the bronze-forged metal reins. He had made them using Hephaestus's Authority.

They were nowhere near comparable to the work of the god of craftsmen himself, but at the very least, they would not melt beneath the impact of such high speed. Ordinary ropes would have long since burned away.

At that moment, Thaumas found it difficult to breathe. He gradually began to feel tension, anxiety, fear, and a sense of losing control, worrying that he might fall and injure himself.

What exactly did that feel like?

His whole body went numb, while his arms and thighs twitched involuntarily.

Humans were born to live on the ground. Only with solid earth beneath their feet could they feel secure. That was what it meant to have one's feet on the ground.

Flying, meanwhile, represented freedom. It broke free from the shackles of the earth.

Racing heartbeat, chest tightness, chest pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, chills, weakness, trembling legs, dizziness, and all sorts of other symptoms—

These should not have happened to a body tempered by Heavenly Fire, yet reality was just that bizarre. The fear in his heart made his body react on its own.

But he continued to clutch the reins tightly, even though his hands were trembling beyond recognition.

Hermes had protected him before, reducing that resistance and fear. But now, for the first time, he was truly facing the sky. Even in modern society, he had only ridden airplanes and roller coasters.

And anyone who had ridden a roller coaster knew that going uphill was not scary. The drop was where things got thrilling.

Griffin stopped high in the sky, carrying Thaumas as it circled around.

Thaumas slowly adapted, but he did not have time to admire the scenery around him.

Because—

"Wuu—!"

Griffin cried out, then accelerated and dove straight toward the ground.

"Ah!"

At such high speed, even Thaumas's voice could not be heard.

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

Scientifically speaking,

This sensation came from gravitational acceleration acting on the human body, while the body's inertia tried to maintain its original state of motion, creating a force that resisted gravity.

Fear of weightlessness was a conditioned reflex, originating from humanity's instinctive response to falling from heights in ancient times.

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

But unfortunately, Thaumas was neither a parachuting enthusiast nor a pilot or air force officer.

Right now, he only knew one thing—

That was—never, ever let go of the reins in his hands, or he would definitely crash horribly!

He would not die, but it would hurt like hell!

He felt as though his entire body was about to fly off. The fact that he could still sit firmly was truly thanks to his sensible design.

The stirrups hanging from Griffin held his feet firmly in place, and the safety belt he had specifically added kept him from being flung straight off.

But if he let go, that was another matter.

Because Griffin was turning wildly, trying to throw Thaumas off.

But unfortunately for it, he chose to face his fear head-on!

And so, the hero and lightning streaked down from the sky together.

The hero caught the lightning and tamed this fledgling Griffin.

After they landed steadily, the utterly drained Thaumas undid the safety belt on Griffin and slid down.

"Griffin, you fly very well, but promise me you won't play like this next time!"

Before passing out, Thaumas used every last bit of strength to say those words.

In response, Griffin smiled slyly.

Perhaps whatever the master was like, the mount would be like too.

P.S.: Sorry, everyone. I originally wanted to keep writing, and you can all see that this chapter ended too abruptly, but when I got home, I had no idea when a swarm of bees got in. I've been so busy dealing with them that my head is spinning.

Even after I turned off the lights, bees were still rushing into my home. I have no idea what made them go crazy and invade my room. There aren't even any flowers in my home.

I'm surrounded by buzzing right now. I barely managed to write this chapter after sealing all the doors and windows shut, listening to that sound. I really did my best, but I need to deal with this first. I'm afraid they might build a nest on my balcony.

My trypophobia is seriously making me want to die.

I'll post a picture for you all later.