Hero's Seed (2k)

"Little Tata, tell me, do you really have [Clairvoyance]?"

The purple-haired goddess blinked her golden eyes again and again, her intense curiosity keeping her from eating or sleeping.

"You tell me?" Thaumas shot back vindictively. Athena's actions in front of the Temple of Demeter had left him holding a grudge.

She had taken the "money" yet only done half the job. Hmph, the Goddess of Wisdom should have a taste of this annoying feeling too!

"No, no! Tell me, did you already know Hera would come to see Jason back then?" Athena pressed on.

"How would I know? I have no idea!" Thaumas lied, but the Bracelet fiercely struck back at the divine power Athena had used to probe him.

"Damn it! You've become less lovable! I'm the goddess of heroes!" Athena said frantically.

"But Hera is my goddess!"

Another blunt remark pierced the little warmth hidden in Athena's heart.

Damn it! Athena had clearly met him first, so how did Hera have better judgment than her!

How had she ever come to think Thaumas wasn't all that great?

She really wanted to go back and tell her past self just how outstanding he was!

As she looked at Thaumas's Bracelet, every Authority that had sunk into it carried the scent of another god!

How was she supposed to steal Thaumas away now?! If she'd known, she wouldn't have treated this like a game. She should have stepped in sooner.

Clearly, Athena was the goddess most suited to Thaumas. Hera was completely useless! Athena had practically been helping Hera "raise" this child!

"Goddess Athena, I don't know what you're thinking, but I have to remind you that I will not betray my goddess!" Thaumas added again.

Athena said nothing. She would wait. Her plan was flawless, and she would definitely snatch him away!

Now was not the time!

"So, what do you want to do now, my hero?" Athena suddenly asked.

"Goddess Demeter gave me an Authority that can make all things grow. Even in the Underworld, it can make life bloom with color! But right now, I still lack a seed!" After thinking it over, Thaumas said this to Athena.

"Then what kind of seed are you planning to use?" Athena continued probing.

Yes, what kind of seed would be best?

There were simply too many seeds in the mortal world, countless ones carrying beautiful meanings.

To be honest, Thaumas had only thought about bringing life and color to the Underworld. He had not considered this question carefully yet.

"Mm, what does the goddess think?"

This was the time to ask for Athena's wisdom—if this goddess was willing to offer advice for free.

Gods operated on a fee system: one offering for one wish. If you were lucky, they might even prepare the tribute for you.

This was where the origin of a certain minotaur needed to be criticized.

The sea god Poseidon had already prepared the tribute for you. As the king's boss, all the king had to do was deliver what his boss had prepared back to his boss.

Yet that king had actually dared to keep the tribute for himself. He really had some nerve! He even got his wife mounted by a bull.

Actually, in Thaumas's opinion, the king should have been the one mounted by the bull, not his wife.

"Mm... most seeds have their own meanings and origins. How about giving Hades a one-of-a-kind seed?" Athena suddenly thought of something and offered the suggestion excitedly.

"One of a kind?"

"That's right! If it's you, Thaumas, you can definitely create a life-form that has never existed before! A Miracle that has no trace in either the past or the future, existing only in the Underworld!

"If this life were to grow in the Underworld, it would definitely be a miracle! Try it, try it! I want to see it too!" Athena's eyes burned brightly!

You just wanted to see it, didn't you? This wasn't advice worth taking at all!

That had to be it, right?!

A life-form that had never existed before? How was he supposed to do that?!

And it had to exist in neither the past nor the future. What was he supposed to do about that?!

He had originally wanted to casually find one on the ground and muddle through, but if Thaumas really tried to fool her, Athena might just go complain to Hades.

Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Was the price of asking Wisdom really this high?

Based on Thaumas's knowledge,

flowers that represented Miracles included blue roses, rattlesnake plants, lavender, blue enchantresses, cacti, balloon flowers, sunflowers, morning glories, yarrow, Yimi flowers, and so on.

Among them,

the flower that best represented Miracles was the Yimi flower.

It adapted well to its environment and mainly grew in deserts. Even in harsh conditions, it still bloomed into a beautiful flower, representing a miracle of life. That was why it carried the meaning of Miracle.

However, Athena clearly did not want Thaumas to do that. She wanted this "tribute" for Hades to be special enough!

She believed that what fascinated heroes most was challenging one impossibility after another. If Thaumas merely followed his original idea, it was far from impossible.

Because the hardest part of it was obtaining Demeter's help. Athena had truly not expected Thaumas to "have" [Clairvoyance].

Although Demeter's juicy gossip was also explosive, and Athena could talk to Hermes about it later and have him test the waters for her,

compared to Demeter, Thaumas clearly interested Athena far more.

"Then let's give it a try!" Thaumas nodded.

Since existing seeds had been ruled out, he could only consider gods.

But Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld who represented seeds, should currently have been "locked up" by Demeter. Moreover, Demeter had already said that the doors of the Temple of Agriculture would not open again anytime soon.

It seemed the gods would not work either. Among the gods Thaumas knew, there were not many who could create a "seed that did not exist," and even if there were, they would not be willing to help him—Athena, for instance.

After all, Athena had legends of creating humanity. He just did not know whether she could do it in the Nasuverse. Probably not.

Forget it, why was he even thinking about that? She would not help him anyway.

Sigh...

He could only consider that idealistic sort of thing.

A flower blooming in one's heart was still a flower, right?

He did not know whether cold Hades would like it, but if it were a goddess, she would definitely love it.

Then,

"Goddess Athena, shall we go to the Underworld together? Night will be here soon," Thaumas asked Athena.

"Of course! What, Thaumas? Do you already have an idea?" Athena asked.

"Mm, a little. There are still six days, which is enough. I believe Lord Hades will like this gift," Thaumas said.

"What gift?" Athena could not help asking.

"Secret! You'll find out when the time comes. And after I apologize to Lord Hades, I can fulfill the Goddess of Wisdom's request, can't I? I'd be quite troubled if I couldn't find you afterward!

"After all, I promised you that once I gained Lord Hades's forgiveness, I would fulfill your request as the price of the introduction!" Thaumas said.

Athena then rubbed Thaumas's head and smiled faintly. Very satisfied with his performance, she said happily, "Then let me see what kind of Miracle this is too!"