The child of prophecy?

Bai Mo gave Medea a bottle of Asclepius's medicine. Her condition was growing worse and worse. She had been just one step away at the end, only to be stopped, and her heart was filled with grief and fury.

A giant made of seawater surged up, its appearance exactly that of Poseidon. Holding a golden trident, it descended with a terrifying menace.

"Poseidon, I think even Zeus has no right to stop a daughter from returning to her father. Are you really going to wipe us out now?"

Bai Mo shouted at Poseidon. Facing the sea god, this fellow showed not a trace of fear. Was he fearless out of ignorance, or did he have something else to rely on?

Poseidon laughed. "Hehehe, according to our earlier sacrificial agreement, Medea failed to find true love. That means she is now my handmaiden. Bai Ermo, don't bring ruin upon yourself. Offer her up now, and I may consider pardoning your disrespect."

Bai Mo said, "You might fool an idiot with that."

Bai Mo would never believe Poseidon's bullshit. In his eyes, sea god or legendary deity, underneath it all, he was nothing but a bastard.

"Heh, Bai Ermo, I gave you a chance, but you failed to appreciate it. Do you really think your father cares about the life of a mongrel like you? Surely you aren't expecting those wings to carry you out? Or do you think Athena will stand up for you again?"

Poseidon mocked him, his voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Bai Mo looked at his wings. Only a tenth of their stored energy remained, even though they should not have depleted so quickly.

Was it because they got seawater on them? It looks like the sea god's authority is even more frightening than I imagined.

Magic was something immensely abundant in this world, yet slowly dissipating. Some people had made progress in researching it, and the Olympian Gods naturally understood very well how to weaken it.

Once contaminated by the seawater Poseidon controlled, the magic drained rapidly away as though drawn by magnetic force. Now it could probably only keep Bai Mo flying for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Bai Mo seemed to sense something. He looked in a certain direction. Amid the surging waves, a sail fluttered, and a ship sailed toward them through the storm.

"I must be mad. There's something wrong with my head. Damn it, have I become stupid too after spending so long with those hot-blooded idiots?"

Jason kept cursing his own stupidity, but he still could not convince himself to turn a blind eye.

The Argo came riding the wind and waves. Last time, it had abandoned Bai Mo and sailed away. Now it had returned in his hour of crisis.

"Have these people lost their minds? What fools."

Poseidon scorned the little Argo. Even at its prime, it could not have matched him, let alone now. Its crew was nothing like before, with hardly any powerful heroes aboard. Even Jason counted among its strongest fighters.

Yet inwardly, he was furious. Under the original sacrificial arrangement, the Argo would have been offered to Poseidon, but because of Bai Mo, many of fate's arrangements had been disrupted.

A complicated expression appeared on Bai Mo's face. He had never expected Jason to come to his rescue. Jason had already escaped, yet had plunged back into the maelstrom because of him. Immense guilt welled up in Bai Mo's heart.

I can't drag this out any longer.

A cool sensation flooded his mind again, this time accompanied by a voice.

"Bai Ermo, give up. This is an enemy you cannot resist. You have only one option now. Make an offering to me. Leave Medea and go to my temple. As long as you offer me the Thread of Fate, I will protect you from the gods."

Athena's voice rang out again, and reason once more took control. But the next moment, Bai Mo took out the olive branch Athena had given him.

"Athena, have you had enough fun? I have to admit, if I hadn't been lucky enough to visit Circe's home, where the olive branch was temporarily blocked, I'd still be under your control, wouldn't I? How many times have you influenced my mind along the way?"

A chill seeped into Bai Mo's words. Now he truly understood the cycle of cause and effect, and the inevitability of retribution.

The olive branch had given him wisdom, but it had also been subtly influencing him. Without it, back in Colchis, Bai Mo would have discussed avoiding Medea with Jason. He had been influenced far too many times along the way. When he obtained the Golden Fleece, for instance, he could have simply lifted the curse. What did something like that amount to?

Even my interest in this so-called Thread of Fate was largely its influence. Never mind that I could destroy a planet after reaching 250,000 horsepower-how could someone from another world like me possibly have such a thing?

"Phineus was a pawn you arranged, wasn't he? You anticipated it long ago. I couldn't find a single trace of myself in this world. How could someone who appeared out of nowhere not take an interest upon meeting a prophet like Phineus? Then, under your influence, I walked step by step into the trap you wove."

To an outsider, confronting Athena now was foolish, tantamount to destroying his last chance of survival. Athena was gritting her teeth too, though not out of anger at Bai Mo's words and actions, but because of something else.

The voice in his mind sounded again, Athena's words now cold. "Bai Ermo, stop bringing ruin upon yourself. I already know that your origins carry the curse of fate. I don't want to see you throw your life away. If you don't want all of Prometheus's efforts to come to nothing, set aside your prejudices now."

Athena did not deny the matter of Phineus, and this time it was Bai Mo's turn to be bewildered. What did this have to do with Prometheus? Could it be...

A sharp gleam flashed in Bai Mo's eyes. Good. That makes success even more likely.

"Heh, what's the point of saying that now? Athena, you're no different from those other gods. It's just a pity I fell into your hands. Yes, I'm in trouble now, but until the very end, who wins remains to be seen."

With all his strength, Bai Mo hurled Medea straight toward the Argo. Poseidon did not stop him. In his eyes, the Argo was merely a toy in his palm. The person before him was the bird that might actually fly out of its cage.

"Don't bring ruin upon yourself!"

Athena delivered her final ultimatum, her heart bleeding too. This was the one prophesied to overthrow Zeus. Athena was the only one qualified to inherit the throne of the god-king after Zeus's death. When her wisdom led her to conclude that Bai Mo was the person in Prometheus's prophecy, even the goddess of wisdom could not help being ecstatic.

Originally, the person in the prophecy should have been the hero Perseus. But because of the gods' interference, Zeus had failed to bring all the humans on earth under his control. Later, in the prophecy Zeus received, the one capable of overthrowing him should have been Heracles.

Now, in Athena's mind, Bai Mo was the person in Cronus's prophecy. This explained why her earlier conjecture had been so mistaken.

The one who bestowed this power was not Zeus-or rather, not Zeus alone. The authority of lightning appearing in a descendant was already inconceivable. The chance of producing such offspring through a union was less than one in ten thousand, but someone could seize that one-in-ten-thousand chance.

Prometheus. Only he, with his foreknowledge, could have laid out such a scheme.

And only Prometheus's teachings could explain Bai Mo's utter lack of reverence for the gods.

Only Prometheus could have concealed him from the gods' eyes and quietly arranged his fate. She had believed she controlled him, only to find that she was merely the umbrella shielding him.

He had put Heracles forward as a distraction while secretly nurturing Bai Mo, keeping everyone from discovering him. By the time his wings had fully grown, everything would already be settled.

Athena had always been confident. Had she been a male god, Zeus would certainly have killed her immediately, because she was the only god whose wisdom surpassed his, and the only god who could inherit the throne of the god-king.

In Cronus's prophecy, Zeus would be overthrown by his own child, but the prophecy never said the successor would be the child who overthrew him. Athena had always understood it this way: one day, a child with power surpassing Zeus would appear, and together with her, he would drag Zeus from the throne of the god-king.

Power could not rest in one person's hands alone. Afterward, that person would suppress this world with absolute strength, while she would set the whole world right with her astounding wisdom!

That was why she had always paid close attention to Heracles. Now it seemed that Heracles was a smokescreen.

And now, this was the final piece, the final piece that would fulfill her dream! Her success could not do without him, just as Blue Dream could not do without Oga! He had encountered her just after leaving Prometheus's protection. What could that be, if not fate's arrangement?

Poseidon took up his trident and swung it at him. The tremendous force knocked Bai Mo, who was catching his breath, down to the sea's surface. The next instant, a tornado sweeping between heaven and earth surged up, cutting off everything.

"Aaah!" Jason gnashed his teeth in fury. Aeëtes was deeply worried too, while Athena wished she could rush down immediately. But she could not. Doing so would directly arouse Zeus's suspicions. Quite apart from anything else, Hera was beside her right now.

Unless Bai Mo made an offering to her, she could not intervene. Otherwise, Bai Mo would truly be doomed.

"Bai Ermo, must you really take it this far? I no longer need your Thread of Fate. Your loyalty is enough."

Faced with this situation, Athena lowered her demands again and again. She even felt some regret now. Why had she not noticed at the beginning? Had she known from the start that Bai Mo was the one in the prophecy, would she have let him sail with Jason? She would have sent him straight to a place no god could find and let him grow until he was strong enough.

Poseidon looked at the person standing on the sea's surface, surprised again and again. This was not his blessing. And... those eyes held not a trace of fear. What a strange thing...

On Olympus, a crowd of gods watched the unfolding spectacle with great interest. Only Zeus's gaze remained unsettled.

Athena is acting a little strangely. She's normally so calm. Why is she like this?

Does this son of mine, whom I barely know, have something worth Athena going this far for?

For a time, countless gods watched the scene with tense excitement in their eyes, while Jason and the others at sea could only stare at the enormous whirlwind connecting heaven and earth.

"Heh, boy, you've got backbone. I've never seen Athena care so much about anyone. How about this? Kneel before me now and swear allegiance, and I'll pardon your disrespect."

Hearing this, Bai Mo reacted as though he had heard a joke.

"Hehehehehehe."

"Boy, I've given you chance after chance. Are you some child who doesn't understand how to judge the situation? Listen well. Countless promising heroes like you have been buried at sea. As a human, you must understand that when you face a god, you kneel!"

The trident stabbed down again, driving Bai Mo back, but the laughter did not stop. The sound gradually irritated Poseidon.

"Heh, the crime of disrespect... yes, what a convenient charge. But was anything I said wrong, you son of a bitch?"

Hearing "son of a bitch" again, even Zeus thought this fellow was far too arrogant. But the next moment, all the gods' gazes turned uncomfortable.

Bai Mo slowly walked toward the sea god, each step accompanied by words that cut to the heart. "If we're talking about sins, Poseidon, aren't you guilty too, forever craving power and wanting to replace Zeus? You're simply stupid and shortsighted, arrogant and conceited, so you're used as a pawn again and again. You think brute authority can force me to submit? Ridiculous. Make ten thousand people choose between you and Athena, and all ten thousand would choose Athena. Have you forgotten those wretched days when you walked the earth?"

Then Bai Mo simply looked up at the sky, spread his arms, and declared loudly, "You gods who took part in this voyage of the Argo, are you really as great and flawless as your priests claim?"

Pointing one hand at the sky, Bai Mo's imposing presence did not waver. Strengthened by electric current push, his voice pierced the curtain of water as he shouted, "Hera, you yearn for true love. You know how painful betrayal is, yet you shamelessly exploit other people's love for your own selfish ends. That is why Zeus will never be faithful to your love in this lifetime. That is the punishment for your sins."

"Aphrodite, you are the least worthy of your position. You cannot even remain faithful to your own marriage, yet you toy with other people's feelings at will. You're a whore. Your farce of a marriage is your punishment."

"Poseidon, I hardly think you're worth discussing. You struggle against Zeus, yet possess neither strength nor wisdom, resorting only to underhanded means. You bully the weak and fear the strong. Ambition beyond your ability is your most pathetic punishment."

"Ares, you call yourself the god of war, yet bow before power. Even I feel ashamed for you. Being nothing more than a blade in the gods' hands is the punishment for your sins."

"I despise you creatures. Nearly all of you know the sweetness of love. You enjoy your own love, yet wantonly toy with other people's feelings. You disgusting bastards."

"And Athena... I did respect you before. But now, even that respect was probably the result of your manipulation, wasn't it? You are a great god, yet fundamentally no different from the others. My life belongs only to me. No one can control it. Not you, not Zeus, not even that so-called fate."

Then Bai Mo threw Athena's olive branch into the sea. Being someone else's pawn was nothing shameful. But knowing he was a pawn and still willingly remaining one was a betrayal of himself, a betrayal of freedom.

Watching the olive branch sink into the sea, Athena's suspended heart finally died.

"Bai Ermo, if you reject me, then as one of the Gods of Olympus, I must strangle this future threat to us in its cradle. Bai Ermo, is that what you wish to see?"

"You dithering thing, what's the point of saying this now? Do you think I hadn't prepared myself when I chose this path? But I've lived according to my own wishes, with no regrets in my life. Which of you can say the same?"

Bai Mo breathed deeply, preparing to walk the tightrope.

"If you want to fight, then fight. But you'd better be careful. Especially you, Zeus. Watch out. One wrong move might really make the prophecy come true. Then you'd truly be pathetic."

On Mount Olympus, the gods immediately erupted.

"Arrogant wretch! Hurry, kill him!"

"No, we must flay him and tear out his tendons! Make him die in agony!"

"Arrogant wretch! How dare you threaten the god-king! What right do you have to rebuke us?"

"Prophecy? What prophecy?"

Mount Olympus immediately erupted. Athena knew that nothing could be salvaged anymore. In that case, she had to cut ties with Bai Mo.