Hera's Doting!
"Good morning, beautiful and wise goddess Athena."
Near a small creek not far from the kingdom.
The immaculate and elegant goddess sat on a rock by the creek, the rising sun highlighting her waist-length silver hair.
Her golden eyes, smiling, looked at the boy who approached her.
Hearing his greeting, she nodded gently.
As Promise dismounted and approached, she pulled out another golden apple from somewhere and placed it in his hand.
"Goddess Athena, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
Whether it was because she found Promise's playful banter with Jason amusing, or because she was excited about him finally embarking on his journey, the goddess who loved heroes and their stories seemed to be in a very good mood.
"Goddess Athena, why do you always give me a golden apple every time we meet?" Promise asked, holding up the apple with a puzzled look.
"Eh, you don't like it?" Athena tilted her head.
"It's not that I don't like it..."
Although Promise knew these Greek gods could be capricious, often giving benefits for no reason and becoming inexplicably angry in many stories, this was the wise Goddess Athena.
From their interactions, Promise felt her rationality clearly outweighed her impulsiveness.
"There's no special reason, I just want you to grow stronger," Athena said with a light laugh, pinching his cheek.
"After all, compared to that Jason, you seem like a gust of wind could blow you over."
"I'm not that weak, am I?"
Promise was a little unconvinced.
Although it was true, the other party was Jason!
"Do you want me to try blowing you over?"
"Well... to fulfill the promise with you, the wise Athena, I also think I should eat a couple more golden apples."
Promise said earnestly, carefully storing the golden apple right in front of Athena.
The later just found it amusing and didn't say much.
"Do you know why I chose this moment to see you?" Athena then asked Promise.
Promise thought for a moment, his gaze inadvertently glancing at Athena's reflection in the creek.
Sitting on the rock, her long dress revealed her white, slender legs...
"You mentioned you would witness me becoming a hero and eventually grant me a grand ending!" Promise replied. "And I'm still far from being a hero, so if I'm not mistaken, you're here to help me become one, right?"
Athena didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she took out another golden apple, but this time, she placed it directly in his mouth.
As Promise bit into the golden apple, he thought about something else.
Everyone knew golden apples were for restoring strength, and in Greek mythology, they belonged to Hera.
Golden apples first appeared at the wedding of Zeus and Hera.
Gaia, the Earth goddess, brought a golden tree from the edge of the world, gifting it to Zeus and Hera.
The tree bore golden apples.
Eventually, this golden apple tree was placed by Hera at the edge of the world, in a sacred garden guarded by three goddesses and a fearsome creature, the hundred-headed dragon Ladon.
Many stories in Greek mythology revolve around golden apples.
One of Heracles' Twelve Labors involved retrieving a golden apple from this sacred garden.
Another famous story involves the golden apple inscribed "to the fairest," and the three golden apples used by Atalanta in her race.
"That's right."
Athena confirmed, not at all embarrassed to have her intentions revealed.
Instead, she was quite pleased as she answered, "I am here to help you become a hero!"
Athena loved heroes.
If Promise could see her stats, he was sure there would be a 'Hero Creation' skill, and it would be at least EX level!
After all, most Greek heroes were associated with her.
Her frequent involvement earned her the title of 'Mother of Heroes,' leading some to speculate she was preparing to overthrow Zeus.
In this world, only two beings had the power to overthrow Zeus.
One was Typhon, the progenitor of all monsters.
The other was Athena herself...
'Hey, if Athena really planned to overthrow Zeus, should I help?'
'Wait, to die a mortal fighting against the King of Gods, Zeus, in such a grand endeavor... Ah, beautiful goddess Athena, I would gladly join your cause!
"What are you thinking about!"
Athena suddenly knocked on Promise's head.
"Goddess Athena, you're peeking into my thoughts!" Promise instinctively held his head, looking at her wide-eyed.
"I didn't peek, but I did tell you that even if I don't know exactly what you're thinking, I can sense it when you're thinking about me... But your thoughts just now were quite bold. Not an insult, but..."
As she spoke, she rested her hand on her chin, looking at Promise with great interest.
"Actually, it's really nothing... By the way, Goddess, do you have any divine instructions for me?" Promise changed the topic, asking Athena.
Hearing this, the smiled and didn't pursue the previous conversation...
A hero aspiring to die gloriously, and Athena, who loves fostering heroes, were indeed a match made in heaven, so to speak.
'Unfortunately, she was a virgin goddess.
From their last interaction, he realized that even the wise goddess had a terrifying potential to become a yandere!
Athena then reached into Promise's luggage, pulling out his list of grudges and names.
She opened it and skimmed through it.
"Who do you plan to find first?"
"Heracles!" Promise's answer was immediate and without hesitation.
After all, when talking about Greek mythology, aside from the Argonauts, Heracles' Twelve Labors were the most famous!
Oh, and there was also the Trojan War.
These stories were the hallmarks of Greek mythology.
Now that Promise had already embarked on one hallmark, he was certainly eager for another.
But to his surprise, Athena shook her head and said, "No, you can't go yet."
Promise didn't question why, just looked at her in confusion.
"Do you know about the relationship between Heracles and Hera?"
Promise nodded.
Of course he knew. In Hera's villainous career, persecuting Heracles was one of her most typical stories.
"You really do know. Did Chiron tell you?... No, Chiron wouldn't mention such things. How do you know?"
Promise didn't answer and instead asked her curiously, "Why can't I go now?"
"Well, not now." Athena smiled. Seeing that he had no intention of explaining, she didn't mind.
After all, this was the age of Greek gods.
Both gods and prophets who could see the future were numerous.
Though, those who dared to pry into the affairs of gods and got caught often met tragic ends.
"Hera may be fond of you, but even with the blessing of the Fates, you cannot interfere with Heracles' affairs now, let alone with someone else also watching over him."
Athena didn't specify who that someone was.
But Promise immediately understood.
The King of the Gods, Zeus!
Zeus had been watching over the future strongman Heracles since his birth.
"As for others..."
Athena looked amused as she glanced at the list of grudges, putting it down. She said to Promise, "Aside from Heracles, although the others aren't a big issue, let's put them aside for now."
"Because I happen to have a trial that's more suitable for you."
"It doesn't require great strength. It only needs the wisdom and courage you displayed on the altar when you offered your sacrifice to Hera, and most importantly..."
Athena smiled gently as she spoke.
---
Legend has it that in ancient Greek mythology, there was a kingdom called Aegina.
The people of this kingdom worshipped a river goddess named Aegina.
In fact, it wasn't so much worship as it was that Aegina lived among them, being the true ruler of the kingdom.
The king was her child.
Aegina was the daughter of the old river god Asopus.
Her extraordinary beauty and innocent nature brought her the greatest disaster in ancient Greece.
Well..she caught the eye of Zeus.
One day, when Asopus was away, Zeus transformed into an eagle, abducted Aegina, and when the old river god discovered this and pursued relentlessly, he struck him with a lightning bolt, breaking one of his legs.
Zeus took Aegina to Attica, where he established a kingdom and, to show his love, named the kingdom after her.
One of the three judges of the underworld, Aeacus, was the son of Aegina and Zeus.
Due to Zeus's influence, this kingdom quickly prospered.
Even after Zeus lost interest or found a new target to pursue and forgot about the place and the river goddess, Aegina continued to protect it with all her might, seeing it as her second home.
Through her efforts, the kingdom of Aegina became the most renowned in the region of Attica.
Many people visited, and the kind-hearted river goddess welcomed them all, treating all her subjects as her children.
However, this prosperity attracted the attention of Hera.
Upon learning of the river goddess Aegina's relationship with Zeus from the king, Hera became furious.
In retaliation, she cast a severe curse.
Hera brought various disasters and suffocating plagues upon the kingdom.
The once flourishing, vibrant kingdom was shrouded in death in just a few days, becoming a hell on earth.
And the river goddess Aegina could only look on in despair, unable to do anything.
"Most importantly…?"
Promise looked at Athena, who was smiling and observing him, feeling a bit puzzled.
"That is the most important point, and it is also the divine mandate I bestow upon you."
Athena smiled and replied, "That would be the most noble goddess, Queen Hera's… indulgence!"
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