Jason's Law of Survival, Version 2.0!

[T/N: A double-sized chapter.]

'Hera...cles?'

The two Lycian warriors looked at each other and noticed doubts in each other's eyes, so they turned their heads and wanted to ask Jason again.

However, they found that Jason had quietly disappeared, and the figure in white is no longer in front of them.

The two of them hurriedly searched around for a while, but it was fruitless, so concluding that Jason had left, they could only helplessly remember the name given by Jason in their hearts.

And decided to return to the kingdom of Lycia.

So that they can finally report the name of the hero, who in their understanding has come down from the stars and someone their kingdom is bound to sing the praises of, Heracles.

Obviously, they have also decided to report the new achievement of the hero, who has slain the monster Chimera, that he has defeated the half-giant Antaeus, the son of the King of Sea.

So that, it can be spread to every corner of the land and the whole of Greece can learn that a hero as great as him, exists; and also that he is loved by many gods, is dressed in white, and rides a pure white Pegasus.

*****

But unaware of the thoughts of two warriors, or at least not completely aware of their thoughts, at this time, Jason, who has used the stealth spell to quietly slip away along with Pegasus, quickly came to a meadow.

And Jason arrived in front of a handsome blond god, who was waiting for him, wearing a feather hat and a short-sleeved tunic—Hermes, the Messenger of Gods.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, noble God Hermes."

While saying this, Jason saluted him.

After all, just now, it was Hermes who informed Jason about Antaeus's weakness, and Jason avoided a possible feuding with Poseidon, the King of Sea.

By just defeating Antaeus and not killing him.

"Hey, why are you talking like this, little Jason?"

But Hermes waved his hand, then hugged Jason's shoulder with unusual familiarity and said with a smile: "You don't need to be so formal with the relationship between the two of us... By the way, child, you have grown so big after disappearing for just the blink of an eye... well, not bad, good."

While saying this, Hermes carefully looked at the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him and patted him on the shoulder while he kept nodding his head, like he is very satisfied with Jason's growth.

But upon seeing this, Jason blinked and felt that Hermes seems like he is a little too enthusiastic, so he pondered about it for a few moments, then thoughtfully and cautiously asked: "God Hermes... Is there anything you need me to do?"

After Jason finished speaking this, without waiting for a reply from Hermes, who was about to show an expression of 'you are really good' and start speaking, Jason hurriedly continued: "But I'm sorry God Hermes, Goddess Athena has told me to reach Calydon as soon as possible..."

"It's all right." In return, Hermes also didn't give Jason a chance to continue and hurriedly waved his hand while saying with a smile: "I'm not in a hurry, you can first go and deal with the Calydon's wild boar, and then go to Hephaestus to make that artifact. Don't be worried about delaying on my side!"

'...Damn it!'

'I knew it, meet you definitely can't result in something good!'

Indeed, so far, whenever Jason has encountered Hermes, it has always resulted in a troublesome business.

So at this moment, Jason has a really strong urge to turn around and leave.

But what made Jason feel helpless is that Hermes had already caught him, both figuratively and literally.

"Little Jason, don't be so fast in refusing me."

Hermes has already become familiar with Jason's character, so while still not releasing his hold on him, Hermes hurriedly continued: "I won't let you do labor in vain... listen to me first."

After looking around, Hermes, who has made sure that there are no other god's sight around him and Jason, slightly leaned to reach Jason's ear and said: "Since you want to become an immortal god, then you obviously need to convince Father God, right? This time, it is a good opportunity for you!"

'My goodness, this one involves Zeus?'

When Jason heard this, he was about to categorically reject Hermes.

But the sly Hermes added his chips again and said: "And if you help me this time, then the tribute on my side will be written off!"

"At the same time, I can also tell you what kind of tribute will be liked by Artemis, whom you will be meeting soon!"

'... God Hermes, the more rewards you are stacking up, the more afraid I am feeling!'

After all, looking at Hermes readily promising rewards even before mentioning the actual task, Jason naturally concluded that it is going to be a really troublesome task.

However, simultaneously, the chips added by Hermes are indeed attractive to Jason, who at the same time has also realized that he could not easily avoid this matter, so after hesitating for a while, he couldn't help asking: "Then, God Hermes, can you give me a little hint about what's going on?"

"And... Has Goddess Athena met you too? "

"She has met me, and now, she is probably with Artemis, surely to show off your tribute to her... But, if I have guessed correctly, this tribute is actually something she has taken from you on her own, right?"

Hermes winked at Jason.

Hermes is the Messenger of Gods, the Messenger of God-King Zeus.

But at the same time, Hermes is also the God of Lies and Trickery; he is even praised as the creator of the art of deception.

Among the Gods, he is known as one of the friendliest gods as well as a very clever, cunning, scheming, and treacherous God.

Even when he was very young, he dared to and has deceived many Gods, including Apollo and Hera, but has still maintained friendly relations with most of the Gods he has deceived.

Therefore, many believe that among the gods of Olympus, apart from Athena, Hermes is undoubtedly the smartest one, due to which Zeus entrusts so many things to him.

Jason smiled, then while looking away, he said: "No, that's my tribute to Goddess Athena."

Even though Hermes is almost sure that this isn't the case, he sensed that although there is deception in Jason's words, which can only be detected by him, Jason is actually not speaking a lie.

After all, although Jason hasn't personally given any tribute to Athena, that harp has already become Jason's tribute to Athena.

"You, child... no wonder Athena likes you so much."

Hermes was dumbfounded, so he patted Jason on the shoulder, then said with a smile: "Don't worry, Athena isn't trying to make things difficult for you on purpose, this information is something from Athena so that you can go and find Artemis's tribute with ease."

"As for my side...have you ever heard of a princess named Io? "

*****

[T/N: I know that in many versions, Heracles is the descendent of princess Io, born after 11 generations, so consider this taken from a version in which this isn't the case, and both Heracles and Io are present at the same time.]

*****

A short while later.

After saying goodbye to Hermes, Jason continued on the journey to Calydon.

"Brother Pegasus, my life is really too difficult."

Jason lay on Pegasus with a tired look and said: "I've only been out of the mountain for four days... Only four days!"

After speaking this, Jason couldn't help but sigh deeply.

'In four days, I have already met three gods, and now, I am soon going to meet Artemis...' Thinking of this, Jason couldn't help lowering his head and while burying his head on the horse's back, he let out a moan of despair.

"His—"

Pegasus turned his head and looked at Jason with eyes full of pity.

Indeed, even if Pegasus has just watched from the side, he has begun feeling that Jason's life really isn't easy.

"Forget it, it's useless to think so much."

But very soon, Jason raised his head again, again cheered up, and said: "Anyway, things have developed like this, I just need to continue moving forward with cautiousness."

After speaking this, Jason sighed, then took out a small booklet from the silver bag around his waist.

After holding a pen, while thinking, Jason began to write in the booklet.

'Jason's Law of Survival in the Greek Age of Gods, version 2.0'

'Although there can not be so many heroes saving beauty situations for me in this world, and so many heroic and righteous situations cannot be encountered by me out there, also the grace and favor of the gods are even more problematic to enjoy.'

'Life is long and full of crises. When I go out, I must keep safety in mind, I must hide if I can hide, and I must run if I can run.'

'But--'

'There are always surprises in every person's life, and it is impossible for a life to be smooth sailing!'

'Therefore, if I am forced to encounter something that cannot be avoided, I must carry forward the fine tradition of not leaving behind my name after doing good or great deeds, and even if the situation demands me to give my name, I cannot give my real name!'

'At the same time, the grace and favor of the gods, although can be encountered by luck, are things that can only be enjoyed with a life.'

'But if I encounter Gods, I must not refuse them straightforwardly or let the Gods feel disappointed.'

'At the same time, if possible, I should not resist, because from experience, the more I resist, the more excited they will become.'

'Therefore, I have to learn to follow the new trend as much as possible and show the 'ordinary' side to let them gradually lose interest in me.

'Let them believe I am just an ordinary person.'

'Of course, this does not mean that I must not resist, it is for as long as they do not exceed the limits of my tolerance.'

'Finally--'

'If I can't escape no matter what, then follow the old rules, pretend!

'Pretend to be sincere, pretend to be cute, pretend to be stupid.'

'Try to please them as much as possible, and try not to offend any god!

'Next, the best way to deal with the enemy is naturally once and for all.'

'But remember, this is a messy world, and I can't even guarantee that a cow or dog I kill on the roadside is the child of a certain god or not.'

'Therefore, when dealing with the enemy, I must first figure out the background, and if possible, solve it peacefully.'

'And if I can't solve it peacefully, I must not leave behind any traces, a moonless, dark, and windy night is the best.'

After writing this, Jason breathed a sigh of relief.

But immediately, after a brief thought, Jason prudently began to plan his recent encounter and the 'priorities' of future events.

'Right now, there are two things that have the highest priority.'

'First one is to cooperate with Athena and turn me into an immortal God at the fastest speed!

'And the second one is to collect tributes for the gods!'

'Just in terms of tribute, the tribute with the highest priority is obviously tribute to Artemis, who I will be meeting soon, next is Hephaestus, the God of Smithing, and third highest is Hestia, who I do not know when will come out again to meet me.'

'So, the next problem is that how should I make sure that the tributes I choose for them are something they will like?'

Jason thought for a while and soon formed a plan.

'Referring to Hermes's suggestion on this matter, it is the gods who understand the gods best!'

'Therefore, only through a god, I can ensure that the tribute I will be giving will satisfy the Gods!'

'But in this case, most likely, Athena will not answer, so who can give me the most correct suggestion except for Hermes?'

'Moreover, who will patiently listen to the questions of a mortal human, who is not even a demigod?'

'...The god of foresight, Prometheus!'

So, Jason gradually sorted out a clear plan for himself.

Therefore, with a clear path ahead of him, finally, Jason felt slightly relieved.

After putting away the booklet and looking at the sunset that was about to end, Jason couldn't help thinking silently in his heart: 'Although the situation in the past few days was very chaotic, it is still under control... And, at least for now, it seems that to be developing in a good direction!'

'And although the task given by Hermes is quite troublesome, and along with Zeus, it also involves Hera, the Queen of Gods...this is also an opportunity!'

'Because Hermes is right, no matter what, I indeed need to make a good impression in front of Zeus, so that he will agree to let me use the Divine Fire.'

'Moreover, the script of this task is such that I do not need to directly face Zeus, but I can still please him, this is undoubtedly exactly what I want... Maybe Hermes finding me for this task is not a complete accident, but I am at least sure that this is the result of Athena's suggestion.'

'In this case, I should first deal with the boar in Calydon, then I should rush to Prometheus, the God Prophecy and Crafty Counsel, and next rush to Hephaestus, the God of Smithing.'

'And finally, I will help Hermes solve the trouble of Princess Io...'

Just as Jason was thinking and planning, Pegasus suddenly stopped and softly neighed at Jason, interrupting Jason's thoughts.

Jason returned to his senses and looked down in the direction indicated by Pegasus.

Jason has finally reached the Kingdom of Calydon.