Unexpected?

At Athena's temple, Bai Mo walked into the familiar yet unfamiliar building. A maid immediately came to greet him, carrying warm water and a towel to dry his rain-soaked hair.

"What is the meaning of this? I just killed this country's king. Aren't you afraid of me at all?"

Bai Mo asked the maid. Hearing his words, she smiled faintly and said, "My lord, as servants of the gods, we chose long ago to entrust everything we have to the goddess. We take no part in worldly affairs."

Bai Mo took the towel from the maid and gave his hair a quick rub, then prepared to go to Athena's place of worship.

"Wait, hero. The goddess is not there right now."

"Huh? Isn't that where you contact her?"

"That is true, but the priest instructed us not to disturb the goddess during this period. And you are the only person we are permitted to tell that she is not here at the moment."

She's not here? In the end, Bai Mo could only return to his room. He placed the olive branch on the nightstand and opened the cabinet. His luggage from the Agora seemed to all be here, including the lead-colored arrow and some of Asclepius's spare medicine. That was basically everything.

She's forcibly tied me to Athena's ship. Damn it, seriously. Don't tell me I'm really going to fight in the Gigantomachy. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Bai Mo sat on the bed, wiping down the unfinished blade as he thought, piecing together all the factors at play in an attempt to find a way out.

Meanwhile-

At Mount Caucasus, where Prometheus, the ancestor of humanity, was imprisoned, a goddess arrived.

Prometheus was enduring excruciating pain. He saw Athena arrive, but the falcon had just finished pecking at his internal organs, and he had no strength to speak with this uninvited guest.

"Prometheus, great god of forethought, my teacher, I must admit that you've truly given me a great deal of trouble this time. What I expected even less was that you managed to fool every god. Hehe, if the gods of Olympus were to learn of this, I'm afraid you would be doomed beyond redemption."

Athena stood beside the bound Prometheus and spoke calmly, her voice neither sorrowful nor joyful. A flicker of surprise passed beneath Prometheus's placid gaze.

Clearly, the god of forethought was somewhat surprised by Athena's arrival, but he concealed his emotions well, hoping to use the opportunity to draw out more information.

"All right, Prometheus, you should have rested enough by now. At this point, asking those meaningless questions would only waste time. Prometheus, what do you want me to do? Crown him, or offer his head to Zeus?"

Athena's words were obscure, but judging from them, she was probably speaking of the person he had seen.

Prometheus opened his eyes. Fate seemed unchanged: Heracles would ultimately come to free him. He would become Greece's greatest hero and lead humanity out from under the gods' protection. Eventually, humans would steadily encroach upon the divine authority over the sea, the sky, and the earth. The gods' power would grow weaker and weaker, until at last humanity broke free of their control.

This was what fate had shown him, but fate seemed never to have told him that Athena would come at this time.

"Athena, I will tell you nothing. Fate has already arranged everything. Anyone who tries to defy it will be made its plaything. Athena, I taught you this before."

Athena fell silent. Then, slowly, she asked one final question.

"At the end of what you saw, what becomes of us?"

The next day, at Jason and Medea's wedding, which was also a ceremony honoring Hera.

An apple tree grew on a cliff covered in green grass. Its apples shone bright red, and their sweet fragrance drifted on the wind into the nose of every guest.

This was the happiest day of Medea's life. She had dreamed of it for longer than she could remember.

Jason came up behind her and combed her hair.

"Hehe, this seems to be the first time you've done this for me."

"Mm."

Jason nodded, seeming indifferent. This was hardly how a groom about to be married should act.

"What's wrong, my love? Why do you still look so troubled on a day like this?"

"Medea, you've always granted every request I've made. I have one last request. Will you grant it?"

"Of course, my love."

"Good. Then, after I put the ring on your finger, please return the Thread of Fate to Bai Ermo."

Medea froze. She clearly hadn't expected that request. And indeed, Jason knew that the only reason Bai Mo had come back was the Thread of Fate in Medea's possession. To be honest, he had wanted to manipulate Medea a little more before getting her to hand it over.

But what had happened yesterday was too strange. He had just told Medea that he would make Pelias pay, and only a few hours later, Bai Mo had killed him.

Jason had learned that his future would no longer have anything to do with Bai Mo, but...

Whether as his captain or his friend, he couldn't keep owing him forever. This was probably all he could do for him.

"All right, my love. I promise you."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Medea finally relaxed her furrowed brow.

In the city, a figure was walking briskly.

"Ah, found him."

Atalanta leaped onto a roof. Someone was actually sitting atop Athena's temple. Was he utterly lawless, or did he have nothing to fear?

"Atalanta? What brings you here? Aren't you going to the wedding?"

Bai Mo looked at Atalanta as she approached, somewhat puzzled.

"Forget it. However you look at it, a place like that has nothing to do with me. But... if you wanted to go, I could keep you company."

"Let's not. I feel like it would be a hassle."

"Heh, same here."

As though by mutual understanding, the two said no more. A breeze swept through the girl's dewy locks and brushed against his face.

"Want to know what people are saying about you now?"

"No. I've heard enough of what others have to say. I only do what's right, what I won't regret. Life is short. If I couldn't live the way I wanted, that would be too painful."

"You really know how to kill a conversation."

"Uh, sorry, Atalanta. I'm not much of a conversationalist."

"I know."

Atalanta simply sat down beside Bai Mo, looking at his familiar appearance and his relatively new outer garment.

"Your clothes look lovely. Have you finally decided to put some effort into your appearance?"

Atalanta was a little happy, seeming to think Bai Mo had dressed so carefully for her sake.

"Mm, I borrowed them from someone. I'll have to return them later."

"Sounds like a lot happened while you were lost. Tell me about it."

"Nothing much happened, really. I was just lucky enough to meet a kind person, though she was a little eccentric."

Bai Mo told Atalanta about Circe on Aeaea Island. As he chattered away, he failed to notice the smile gradually vanishing from Atalanta's face.

"Oh? Is that so? Bai Ermo, I never expected you to be so popular with women. Are you the hero of some wandering bard's third-rate story?"

At last, Bai Mo, whose head was about as dense as a block of wood, noticed that something seemed off with Atalanta's mood.

"Um, Atalanta, are you angry?"

"No, I'm-not-angry at all!"

With that, Atalanta tossed her hair and left.

Watching Atalanta leave, Bai Mo couldn't help marveling at how quickly a woman's mood could change.

Just as I thought, even though I was poor in my previous life, I was still happy. A big reason was that I never fell in love. But before Bai Mo could dwell on it for long, something unexpected happened!

The sky had been clear just moments ago, but in the space of a few breaths, fierce winds howled and thunderclouds gathered. Above the cliff where Jason's wedding was being held, a tornado appeared. Yes, in a place where a tornado could not possibly occur, one had appeared.

Have the gods gone mad? Or has Zeus openly fallen out with Hera because of me?

This is a ceremony honoring Hera. What's happening now is a blatant slap in her face. Would the dignified mother of the gods let herself be humiliated? Or has war already broken out on Olympus?

Bai Mo immediately activated Electric Current Push, shooting off like an arrow loosed from a bow. Going all out, it would take him less than a minute to get there. Within that minute, a figure walked out of the tornado.

His long white hair flowed freely like waves. His face looked aged and weathered, and his beard remained motionless in the storm. The muscles on his body were like the roots of an old tree, and he exuded an imposing presence without showing anger.

White light gleamed in his eyes. He looked with contempt upon everyone present; in his eyes, they were no different from the weeds on the ground. The seawater beneath his feet turned into countless warhorses, and the battle-ready air of killing intent kept everyone from daring to move.

People fell to their knees. Some prayed in terror, some screamed wildly, and many more simply knelt there, motionless, terrified that the slightest movement might anger the being before them.

A sound tore through the air as Bai Mo arrived like lightning. He was moving so fast that the turf beneath his feet was torn up. At this moment, he truly saw a being who belonged only in legend. Though he had never seen him before, his identity went without saying.

A golden trident in hand, warhorses trampling the great waves beneath his feet.

From ancient Greek mythology, one of the four wielders of supreme authority, the sea god who ruled the oceans, Poseidon, had truly descended here!

Poseidon? What is he doing here? Damn it, hasn't Athena come back yet? Or have the gods already reached some kind of agreement? Thoughts raced through Bai Mo's mind, but the next moment, he stopped thinking and took a deep breath.

First, stay calm.

He met Poseidon's eyes, and Poseidon glanced at him in turn. Then, as if by agreement, both turned their gazes to one person, someone who should have been the center of this wedding.

Medea.