"Teacher Chiron, I seem to have encountered a problem right now that concerns my life and death. If I don't handle it well, I might... just be gone!"
When Jason rode the Pegasus away from the Underworld this time, he did not immediately go to the presence of the goddess Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen.
Instead, he came to the place where the centaur sage Chiron lived.
The centaur sage Chiron, who had taught numerous Greek heroes, could be said to have mentored eighty percent of the great heroes in the entire glorious Greek heroic tales.
He was Jason's first teacher in the truest sense.
Chiron had somewhat gotten used to Jason's repeated visits, thinking he was coming to play, and had prepared tea.
But he was immediately startled by Jason, who spoke with utmost seriousness right in front of him.
"Concerning your life and death..."
Chiron widened his eyes, looking at Jason with some disbelief.
Chiron knew that Jason's body had been strengthened by the waters of the Underworld, his soul had been tempered by the flames of the Underworld, and he had received guidance from Athena's wisdom.
And most crucially, Chiron knew Jason's character well, so he always felt that even if the world were destroyed, this student of his would still be bouncing around alive...
"Jason, what exactly is going on!"
Therefore, Chiron stood up and said to Jason in an extremely serious tone, urgently: "What exactly happened?"
"Yes, Teacher Chiron, this actually mainly involves my other two teachers, and it also has to do with Goddess Athena and the others."
Jason said with a light sigh to Chiron, whose eyes were widening more and more: "Teacher Chiron, you also know that I later took Teacher Hephaestus as my master, right?
Actually, the matter is like this..."
Subsequently, Jason briefly recounted the recent events to Chiron.
And Chiron was listening with utmost seriousness at first, thinking in his heart that something terribly dreadful must be about to happen, since it involved a full three goddesses.
And mainly, these three were all extraordinary goddesses!
But gradually... Chiron's serious expression slowly became strange... His expression looking at Jason became more and more strange.
"The matter is like that, Teacher Chiron."
After Jason finished speaking, he picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, then continued to complain to Chiron: "Teacher Chiron, what should I do now!"
"So what you mean by something concerning your life and death is actually..." Chiron's mouth twitched slightly, a few black lines appeared on his forehead, and he said: "Actually, it's just that you feel the love from those three goddesses is too heavy?"
"Yes, Teacher Chiron!"
Jason nodded, saying with a face full of pain: "Teacher Hecate originally wasn't interested in these things at all, but recently it's like Teacher Hephaestus has ignited her competitive spirit, and she's becoming more and more aggressive.
Goddess Athena... Sigh, I won't even say it, she's really too terrifying. She actually dug such a big pit waiting for me to jump in, and now I have no choice but to jump!
Teacher, it's too hard for me, really too hard..."
Saying this, Jason looked up, with eyes full of expectation, and said to Chiron, who was momentarily at a loss for words: "Teacher Chiron, you must have a way, right? You must have a way to help me get through the current difficulty, right!
You have to save me. If you don't save me, I think soon I won't be able to come see you anymore, Teacher!"
"Is it that terrifying?" Chiron was amused by Jason's words despite himself, and said to Jason with a wry smile: "Being cherished by goddesses, isn't that something ordinary people can't even envy? It's a tremendous blessing..."
"No, Teacher Chiron, you don't understand!"
Jason directly interrupted Chiron's words and said to Chiron in an extremely serious tone: "Women are trouble to begin with, let alone goddesses!
Teacher Chiron, you have to help me. Teacher, you know everything, so you must also know how to deal with goddesses!"
Jason looked at Chiron with expectant eyes.
Chiron smiled unnaturally and said: "This, I actually really don't know... I do know how to teach you all how to win the favor of the gods.
As for how to cope with that kind of favor... Sorry, I don't know."
"No way." Upon hearing this, Jason instantly felt his future was utterly dark and said despairingly: "Then aren't I doomed... It's over, it's over. Should I prepare a coffin for myself early?"
"I say, do you have to be this scared?" Chiron looked at Jason before him, who was favored by the gods, and only felt a wave of helplessness throughout his body.
Most of his disciples were thinking about how to obtain the love of the gods.
This disciple of his, on the other hand, had received so much love, and the gods who loved him most were all extraordinary.
But far from being happy, he was acting as if he had encountered the end of the world.
No, if it really were the end of the world, he probably wouldn't be this despairing...
"Teacher, it seems you really don't understand anything." Jason said to Teacher Chiron with a bitter smile: "Let me give you a small example, Teacher.
Suppose one day, Teacher Hecate, Teacher Hephaestus, and Athena, the three respected goddesses, bring a golden apple to me and ask me to divide it among them.
What should I do?"
"Just divide it fairly and justly, right?"
Chiron said, puzzled.
Jason sighed deeply and said: "Hecate and Hephaestus are my teachers, and as their student, they are special to me, not to mention that I'm also Teacher Hecate's child.
So when dividing the fruit, in their hearts, they would actually think I should give more to them.
Therefore, dividing it equally with Goddess Athena is not the correct choice at all!
But if I give them more and give Goddess Athena less, then what would Goddess Athena, who has always guided me with her wisdom, think?
Similarly, even if I divide it equally, in Goddess Athena's heart, she actually wouldn't feel happy, because the help she has given me is no less than that of my two teachers...
Now, Teacher Chiron, do you understand?"
Jason said to Chiron with a face showing no hope for the future: "I can't divide it into three portions. In my heart, it's impossible to treat them completely equally.
And even if I really did treat them equally, what they would feel is only dissatisfaction, because they are goddesses... They are goddesses, Teacher Chiron!"
Chiron was stunned, hearing Jason's words.
Because he... could not refute them!
How willful the gods were, Chiron knew very well.
Therefore, he knew that Jason's assumption was actually very realistic...
Gods were creatures who would absolutely not share something with others.
Just like how a person can have multiple faiths, but the greatest faith can only be one...
And moreover, the gods who wanted to share the golden apple in Jason's hand were far more than just Hecate, Hephaestus, and Athena!
The reason Jason had always emphasized that he was Hecate's child and respected Goddess Hecate immensely, besides the fact that Jason truly saw Hecate as his closest kin in this world.
Actually, there was also the intention of using it as a shield.
Because Hecate didn't care about anything, she wouldn't compete for anything, and the numerous gods all knew this, so they could only smile helplessly at it.
But now, because of Hephaestus's involvement, and the words spoken to Hecate, Hecate was no longer silent.
And the result brought by her not being silent...
"Teacher Chiron, could you personally craft a coffin for me?"
Jason said to Chiron lifelessly: "I hope that on the day I leave, I can have a piece of pure land... Just let me stay on this mountain forever then."
"Aren't you being too pessimistic?" Chiron couldn't help but say: "I admit, what you said does have a tiny bit of reason, but the issue is that their love for you is also real.
They care for you so much; they won't watch you get hurt!"
"Then Teacher, let me ask you, what was the original ending of my fate?"
Jason asked Chiron, and Chiron opened his mouth, then... closed it.
"You say, doesn't she love me?... At least in that fate, I think my senior sister and junior sister loved me, and what was the result?"
"Although her love is different from Teacher's and Goddess Athena's, she is a witch, and these are even more willful goddesses... Teacher, just prepare to collect my body; I've already made that mental preparation!"
"You're too pessimistic." Chiron said speechlessly: "Things are far from reaching the extent you imagine..."
"This isn't pessimism; this is thinking deeply and worrying far ahead, proceeding with caution!... If I hadn't always been like this, I would have been gone long ago. How could I still be alive now!"
Jason said extremely seriously.
"That said, since you've made it this far, it means you put effort into everything you do, and up to now, you've always done very well. Why are you giving up so easily now?" Chiron replied with a slight headache.
"Because with those people, I can think deeply and consider how to deal with them, but Teacher Chiron, they... are my teachers, and my benefactors.
Their feelings toward me are not hate but love, so how could I possibly consider how to deal with them?" Jason sighed.
Upon hearing this, Chiron was slightly stunned, looking at Jason before him.
Then Chiron smiled and nodded gently.
Yes, this was the Jason he knew.
And it was also because of this that he had gained the affection of so many people.
He absolutely would not sit idly by when encountering things; no matter what, if it could be solved, he absolutely would not drag it to tomorrow.
When facing difficulties, he strived to turn big issues into small ones and small ones into nothing, but if there was no way out, then he would wield the weapon in his hand and cut through all thorns!
This was indeed Jason... this man who had crossed over to become Jason, but only in matters like this, facing people who loved him, he could not strike directly, solve the matter, and cut through the thorns.
Because he was human, with emotions and desires.
"I think I understand... Jason, you actually fell in love with them, right?" Chiron said to Jason with a smile: "You fell in love with them, developed feelings for them, so you can't solve these things.
But you always like to consider the worst-case scenario, so in the situation where you can't solve the current issues, you feel fear..."
To Chiron's words, Jason opened his mouth, originally wanting to refute, but he found he couldn't refute.
Seeing this, Chiron couldn't help but laugh, and he laughed very happily.
Jason said gloomily: "Teacher, what are you laughing at!"
Chiron, who was laughing loudly, laughed for quite a while before answering Jason's question, saying: "I'm laughing because you really are still a child... Jason, rest assured, you won't have any problems; I guarantee it to you.
Yes, according to what you said, Teacher can't deny that no matter how you divide that golden apple of yours, you absolutely can't divide it.
But Jason, have you thought about another thing: at the moment you painfully swing down the knife, won't they step in to stop you...
I bet they will!"
Chiron said to Jason with a smile: "Because for a child like you, they absolutely won't watch you get hurt... Even if they are willing to compete for a result.
But in the end, there will surely be someone who intervenes, preventing this complete golden apple from being divided!"
That day, when the sun set in the west.
Jason, who had accompanied Chiron for the day, rode the Pegasus and headed to Hephaestus's temple.
What Chiron said was indeed another possible outcome.
And it was an extremely likely outcome; Jason had to agree with that.
But the outcome Jason was worried about was also an extremely possible situation. As for what the final ending would be... Jason didn't know.
No one else knew either, not even the Greek Fates, those gods like the wisdom goddess Athena, the crossroads goddess Hecate, the prescient god Prometheus, who could peer into the future.
Because Jason's soul was protected by the power of Hades, the king of the Underworld, and in his river of fate, there was also an eye of Prometheus guarding it.
Therefore, all Jason could do was move forward.
The sacred Pegasus carried this youth dressed in white, flying over numerous high mountains, all the way to the temple of Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen.
And just as Jason returned here, Hephaestus had already noticed and had been waiting for Jason for a long time.
Regarding Jason's return so quickly, Hephaestus was actually somewhat pleasantly surprised, after all, she thought she wouldn't see Jason for a short time.
Take her for example; if she and Goddess Hecate were in the same situation, Hephaestus felt that she would at least lock Jason up for a while, not letting Jason meet the other party...
"Teacher, this time I came actually for the tribute to Hades, the king of the Underworld..."
"Are you here to pick up those things?" Upon hearing this, Hephaestus nodded gently and said with a smile: "You came at the right time; I'm almost done making them..."
"Is that so? That's great!... But Teacher, I'm not just here for those things. Actually, this time I came... Cough cough."
Jason cleared his throat lightly, looked at Hephaestus for a while, until Hephaestus became puzzled, then said in a small voice: "Teacher Hephaestus, could you arrange for me... to meet with the goddess of love and beauty—Aphrodite?"
Wanting to meet his teacher's wife... Jason ultimately didn't dare to say it so recklessly.