Themis, the goddess of justice
Half a month later,
Promise arrived in Aegina.
He had reached the kingdom cursed by Hera.
The journey had been uneventful, and without Jason to back him up, hd had been more cautious, avoiding isolated areas and staying away from bandits.
Thus, the journey had gone smoothly.
In the kingdom, a light rain was falling, washing away the bleakness that pervaded the land, as if hoping to cleanse it of the plague and disasters.
The rain was actually the tears of the river goddess Aegina.
She resided in the center of the kingdom, in a tall tower, but rather than living there, she was imprisoned.
She could only watch helplessly as her children, the kingdom's inhabitants, and the kingdom itself slowly perished under the curse.
Promise walked alone through the kingdom, observing the devastation and the suffering of the sick people.
He walked for a long time until, at some point, the sky darkened and an old woman holding a lantern blocked his path.
The old woman's eyes were covered with a white cloth as she stood before Promise.
With a hoarse voice, she asked, "I sense the presence of a stranger… child, where do you come from, and why have you come here?"
In ancient Greece, who were the most terrifying individuals?
Promise could responsibly tell you: the elderly, children, and women!
Especially the elderly, because you could never be sure if the old person suddenly stopping you was a disguised god.
However…
Promise looked curiously at the old woman blocking his path.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to answer, "I come from the kingdom of Iolcos. A goddess guided me here."
"A goddess?"
The old woman asked calmly, and Promise already had an answer in his mind.
This woman was undoubtedly another God.
Having met three gods already, Promise was getting better at identifying them.
However, he was still a bit puzzled, unsure if Athena knew about this or if she had deliberately sent him here because she knew.
"Wise Athena, the goddess of wisdom," Promise answered straightforwardly, having a good idea of the woman's identity.
The old woman was silent for a moment before continuing, "Why did she send you here?"
"To help the people of this kingdom and lift the curse."
"Do you know who placed the curse on this kingdom?"
"Yes," Promise nodded, "the noble Queen Hera."
He naturally knew.
Not to mention that during the half-month journey, he had already gathered information about the kingdom of Aegina.
In fact, when Athena mentioned Aegina, Promise had recalled the tragic story of this goddess.
After all, before using the Spirit Class Card, he had prepared well, studying various myths.
"Knowing that, why did you come here?" the old woman asked with her hoarse voice. "A follower of Queen Hera."
"I already answered that question."
Promise smiled, saying, "To help the people of this kingdom and lift the curse."
Perhaps because Promise's answer was too relaxed, the old woman fell silent for a moment.
But likely remembering that this was Athena's arrangement, she soon accepted it.
She didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Promise watched her leave, hesitating whether to follow, but she suddenly stopped in front of him.
Seeing this, he understood and followed her.
They arrived at a small mud house where the old woman lit a lamp and took out a scale from somewhere, placing it on the table.
After signaling for Promise to sit down, she took out some fruits and placed them in front of him.
"Aren't you afraid that by doing this, you might anger the Queen Hera?" she asked.
Promise took one of the fruits but did not eat it, and replied, "No, I'm not afraid."
As soon as he finished speaking, the scale on the table tipped slightly.
Promise blinked at the sight.
"Oh?" The old woman's voice now held a hint of interest as she asked, "Is it because you are her follower and she dotes on you?"
Promise looked at the goddess who had maintained her old woman's appearance despite being detected and shook his head, saying, "No."
The scale remained tipped, not returning to its original state and he also realized that it was measuring truth and lies.
In ancient Greece, there were not many gods associated with scales, and the most famous one was…
Wait, blindfolded eyes and holding scales…
In an instant, Promise's eyes widened.
The fruit he had been about to bite into stopped mid-air.
He put it down honestly, his body instantly tensing.
"If that's not the reason, then why aren't you afraid?" The woman's voice, now clear and cold, showed curiosity, even shedding the hoarse tone.
"The reason I'm not afraid is that I already have a plan…"
The scale wavered slightly.
Promise was telling the truth but not the whole truth.
After all, he couldn't just say it was because he wasn't afraid of dying.
"Oh, you have a way to lift the curse?" The old woman asked, clearly interested.
Promise shook his head and then nodded.
Seeing her waiting, he continued, "I don't have a way to lift the curse… to be precise, even if there were a way, I couldn't do it.
Because it's a curse from the Queen, even if it can be lifted, it shouldn't be. The only one who can lift it is herself!"
She nodded and then continued, "As expected of a child favored by Athena… I've heard about you from her, and I know what happened between you and Hera. But I didn't expect Athena to send you here.
Moreover…"
She suddenly fell silent.
After a while, she spoke again and asked Promise a very strange question, "What kind of goddess do you think Hera is?"
"What kind of goddess… hmm… noble?"
The scale wavered again, and she remained silent, standing quietly in front of Promise.
"I think she should be a gentle and kind goddess. Even my teacher Chiron said so." Promise thought for a moment and answered.
Hearing this, she seemed to smile slightly.
In the next second, in the flickering light of the cabin, she shed her disguise, her graceful figure clad in a white robe, sitting before Promise.
"She, out of a moment's anger, has dragged so many lives into this. Seeing this, do you still think she is a gentle and kind goddess?"
With her clear voice falling, Promise, looking at the now unmasked goddess in front of him and could only show a wry smile, raising his hand as he said, "I'm sorry, I can't answer that question, esteemed goddess of justice — Themis!"