"Brother Pegasus, Brother Pegasus. Hey, I am calling you. What is with pretending to be a deaf and mute horse!"
Under the boundless blue sky.
Jason, who had been kicked out of the Underworld by Goddess Hecate, sat upon the sacred Pegasus, soaring through the blue heavens.
"Chirp."
"Chirp what? Speaking horse language, I understand it!"
Jason unhappily patted the head under Pegasus's saddle.
Pegasus humanely rolled his eyes and said helplessly in horse language, "Little master, what exactly do you want?"
"I do not want anything. I just want to chat with you. Hey, Brother Pegasus, what do you think I should do next? Whom should I go see first?"
"I do not know. Do not ask me!"
Pegasus replied instantly, clearly having anticipated this question from Jason long ago.
"Hey, Brother Pegasus, do not say that."
"Little master, I beg you. If you have any orders, just give them. Do not do this. I am afraid!"
Amused by Pegasus's attitude, Jason could not help but laugh. He said, "Brother Pegasus, what is wrong with you? I am not some demon. Actually, I am just hesitating. Should I go see my teacher Hephaestus first, or return to the Argo?"
On the matter of Goddess Hera, Jason needed to visit Hephaestus.
But Jason obviously could not put his mind at ease about the Argo.
After weighing it several times, Jason sighed lightly. "Sigh, as expected, I still need to go to Mount Olympus once first. But those on the Argo."
"Brother Pegasus, what do you say? Should I go find Goddess Athena first?
Um. Forget it. After all, this journey is ultimately a tribute offered to Athena.
But if I do not find Goddess Athena, then whom should I ask to temporarily watch over the Argo for me."
Pegasus said nothing and obediently flew on.
Seeing that this slippery fellow ignored him with an attitude of not wanting to get involved, Jason could not help but pat his head again in annoyance. He said, "Brother Pegasus, you were not like this before. How did you become so worldly now!"
No helping it. Those close to vermilion become red, those close to ink become black.
"Truly an unreliable Brother Pegasus. If only I had brought Cerberus out. Then she could help me watch the Argo.
Teacher Hecate cannot come online now, but Cerberus is not impossible. Wait, Cerberus?"
His body stiffened slightly. Finally remembering something, Jason blinked.
"Ah, my Goddess Teacher. Brother Pegasus, what to do, what to do? I seem to have been bitten by Cerberus again!"
"Chirp?"
"I left her in the Endless Abyss and forgot to bring her out!"
Pegasus: ...
The Endless Abyss?
That was a place feared by all the gods!
For a moment, Pegasus did not know what to say. And what made him even more speechless was.
"Forget it. Forgotten is forgotten." In the next second, Jason said indifferently, "Anyway, she is Lord Tartarus's granddaughter, after all. Lord Tartarus will not make things difficult for her. Um, probably."
"Chirp chirp?"
Is this really okay?
"What can I do? Teacher Hecate will not let me return to the Underworld now."
"Chirp chirp."
Talk to Goddess Hecate?
"Useless. Even if I say it, it will not work. Teacher Hecate is lazier than me, and she does not like the Abyss. So even if I tell her, she will not move.
If she were willing to move, she would have brought Cerberus out long ago."
"Chirp chirp."
I think the next time you see Cerberus, you will absolutely be bitten to death!
"No fear. Anyway, she cannot bite through me!"
With this said, Pegasus was momentarily at a loss for how to retort.
"Forget it. Do not talk about Cerberus. Anyway, once Lord Tartarus gets tired of playing with her, he will toss her out. But if I cannot count on that now, then whom should I go find?"
Jason fell into thought.
Seeing this, Pegasus silently prayed and mourned for Jason's next target in advance.
"I got it!"
Then, Jason's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Go, Pegasus!"
Jason grabbed the reins and said excitedly to Pegasus, "We are going to the Arcadian Mountains to find Teacher Chiron!"
...
Some time later.
"So, you came running to me again?"
The centaur sage Chiron looked at his proud student Jason before him.
For a moment, he did not know what expression to show.
In the end, he could only laugh helplessly. "No, Jason. I cannot go."
"Why, Teacher Chiron?" Jason interrupted Chiron in confusion. He said, "Anyway, you have no students here now. It has been nearly a year since the last student left, right, Jason?"
"Yes." Chiron nodded and said to Jason, "But even if there are no students now, I cannot leave. Because you cannot guarantee that in the next second, there will not be a student seeking knowledge who comes here to learn."
Seeing Chiron's serious expression, Jason thought for a while and said, "Teacher Chiron, you have always nurtured us, taught us martial arts, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Cultivating us into great heroes is your purpose, right, Teacher Chiron?"
"No." Chiron smiled mildly and replied, "I do not necessarily have to cultivate you into great heroes. That is your own affair. I merely respond to your heart seeking knowledge."
"But Teacher, many senior brothers came to learn from you precisely to become great heroes. You also taught us according to the standards of heroes, right?"
Upon hearing this, Chiron thought for a moment and nodded to Jason.
"Then that is right!"
Jason slapped his thigh. Then he looked seriously at the slightly stunned Chiron and persuaded him. "Then Teacher, you must venture out this time. Because your lessons have not ended at all!
Teacher, there is one lesson you have never taught us. That is, what it takes to be called a true hero!"
Before the puzzled Chiron could reply, the serious Jason continued, "Teacher, let me ask you. Is a person with great power a hero? Is a person with a strong physique a hero? Is a person who commands a faction a hero?"
After saying this, Chiron looked at the serious Jason before him and could not help but laugh. He said, "Have you not always been unwilling to become a hero?"
"Yes, Teacher. I am unwilling to become a hero. Because the word hero. in my view, carries too much weight."
At this point, Jason could not help but sigh lightly.
"But you are already a great hero."
"But I do not feel that way! I never think of myself as a hero!" Jason interrupted Chiron's words. He said, "Teacher, do you truly believe that someone who kills some monsters and displays great power can be called a hero?
Forgive my bluntness, Teacher. That can only be called a butcher at most!"
Upon hearing this, Chiron was slightly stunned. Looking at the serious Jason before him, he could not help but fall into contemplation.
"Then Jason, what do you think can be called a hero?"
"Um. Actually, this is truly hard to say."
Facing Chiron's question, Jason could not help but scratch his head. "But Teacher, I think the most basic condition for being a hero should be self-discipline. Teacher, do you truly believe that a person who has only a body of useless power but easily falls into desire deserves to be a hero?"
"Teacher, let me tell you my truest feelings. During this Golden Fleece journey, we passed by an island inhabited only by women.
The queen of the island warmly entertained us and provided us with delicacies.
Everyone gladly accepted, even having relations with the women on the island.
They felt at ease enjoying everything. But when the women on the island hoped they would stay and bear the responsibilities they should, hoping they would replace the frail women to till the fields and work.
They felt terrified and angry instead."
Jason spoke plainly of the events on that island, the scenes he had witnessed.
And as Jason described, Chiron's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
"So Teacher Chiron, you truly do not plan to go see for yourself?"
"Teacher Chiron, do you truly feel that your teachings. have ended?"
Upon hearing this, Chiron was silent for a long time.
Finally, looking at Jason before him, he could not help but reach out and rub his head, laughing. "You. You say over and over that you do not wish to become a hero, but when speaking of this, you are so eloquent.
Fine. This time, I will go out and see!"
"But I have one condition!"
Chiron looked at Jason, whose face lit up with joy, and said, "Jason, can you show me what a hero in your heart is like?"
Upon hearing this, Jason was stunned for a moment and thought for a while.
"I will do my utmost best, Teacher Chiron. After all, this is also a tribute I am offering to Goddess Athena!"
The persuasion ended.
The centaur sage Chiron officially ventured forth!
Thus, Jason was also able to relax.
With Chiron to oversee, Jason was completely at ease about the Argo.
Then he sat on Pegasus and hurried without pause toward the temple of the God of Craftsmen, Hephaestus.
Along the way, Jason noticed that Pegasus kept sneaking glances at him. He could not help but feel depressed and said, "Brother Pegasus, why do you keep staring at me?"
"Um, nothing. It is just that those words just now actually came from you. It was truly unexpected."
"Ha, Brother Pegasus, what do you mean by that!"
"I mean nothing else. It is just. I think what you said is very right. And little master, you really do not need to deny it anymore. You are a great hero.
Um, if only you could change that so-called prudent personality of yours a bit!"