Novel Lived
Chapter 226: Take me to see Athena
Chapter 226: Take me to see Athena
"Heracles, it's time to go."
Onboard the Argo, Hermes, dressed in casual attire, wearing a feathered cap, and sporting his signature cheerful, squinting smile, arrived amidst the chaos.
The sun had crashed into Mount Olympus, the Calamity Dragon Typhon had emerged, and the cataclysmic divine war had begun.
Hermes approached Heracles, who stood among the crew.
Two events in Heracles' mythology stood out the most:
The first one was the Twelve Labors, which Hera had orchestrated to persecute him, each seemingly impossible to complete.
And the second one was divine war between the Titan gods, who had transformed into giants, and the Olympians.
To be precise, Zeus, the king of the gods, had learned from the Fates about an impending divine war that would soon engulf Olympus.
In the original myth, Heracles played a critical role in that conflict.
This foreknowledge was why Zeus had watched over Heracles from the moment of his birth, ensuring Athena, Hermes, and other gods secretly guided his growth.
It was also why Heracles, after his death, was granted immortality as a god.
Now, Hermes had come to bring Heracles to Mount Olympus, where the sun's flames scorched the mountain as Titan giants climbed its slopes, intent on attacking the gods.
He listened to Hermes and nodded seriously, asking no further questions.
After all, the changes that were happening to the world were evident to anyone who had eyes
to see.
At that moment, the sea, turbulent and raging under the influence of the Titans' emergence, was split by a figure rising from its depths as Poseidon, the god of the sea, emerged, holding his trident, with a grim expression.
Hermes turned to him in surprise as Poseidon stepped onto the Argo.
The sea god swept his gaze across the crew, his deep voice resonating:
"Children, those who were meant to be imprisoned in the abyss have broken free and turned their fury against us.
"This is a war of the Olympians, one that does not concern you. But the world is far too dangerous now, and I have promised a certain child that I would ensure your safety.
"Therefore, I ask you to halt your journey and follow me to the deepest part of the sea, to the sanctuary of my temple, where you can take refuge."
The identity of the person Poseidon spoke of was obvious without explanation.
Hermes, standing nearby, immediately showed an expression of sudden understanding and nodded in agreement.
Onboard the Argo, the goddess of the sea, Thetis, and the wise centaur, Chiron, also began persuading the crew to follow Poseidon's advice.
Just as the heroes seemed to waver, a cold voice broke through the din.
"Where is Promise?"
Though soft-spoken, the voice carried over all the noise, silencing everyone aboard the Argo.
Atalanta's piercing, verdant eyes fixed steadily on the two Olympian gods standing before her.
"Yeah, where's Promise? When is he coming back?!" Jason and the others, finally realizing the situation, began shouting in earnest.
But the more perceptive among them, such as Thetis, Chiron, and Medea, remained silent.
After all, deep down in their hearts, they had already guessed the answer.
"He went to paint," Hermes said, still smiling with his eyes half-closed.
"And it's a painting that belongs to him alone."
When he spoke those words, a flicker of sadness crossed Chiron's eyes.
Yet it was soon replaced by a deep, heartfelt pride and joy.
He understood now.
The student who had, from the beginning of his studies, proclaimed his desire to fall like a hero was finally on his way to achieve that dream.
"I see," Atalanta said with a quiet nod.
Her face showed no surprise or panic.
After all, when Promise left, she had already sensed something was amiss and had prepared herself for this moment.
So that day... he really was saying goodbye to all of us.
But... I didn't agree to it.
Atalanta turned away.
Under the confused gazes of the Argo's crew, she took down the celestial bow from her back, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring to its full arc.
Then, releasing her grip, she loosed a prayer arrow into the darkness that had consumed the sky.
This was not a prayer to Artemis, the moon goddess, nor to Apollo, the god of light.
It was directed toward someone far more familiar to her and to everyone on the Argo: their dear companion.
Moments later, the sound of wings flapping reverberated through the suffocating darkness. From the shadows that had swallowed the stars and clouds, a figure emerged, struggling against the oppressive gloom.
Before long, it became visible to everyone aboard the Argo.
It was none other than Promise's faithful companion-the pegasus, Brother Horse.
Even Hermes, typically unflappable, looked genuinely surprised at Atalanta.
No one had expected that Brother Horse, a being so unique to Promise, would respond to Atalanta's call!
After all, Brother Horse had always been perceptive.
It might even understand better than Promise himself who mattered most to him.
Atalanta was the human companion who had left the most footprints on Promise's journey.
Moreover, she was also the first hero Promise ever painted.
The celestial horse landed gracefully in front of Atalanta, gently nuzzling her as if in
recognition.
At that moment, everyone assumed Atalanta intended to ask the Pegasus to take her to
Promise.
But instead, she surprised them all again.
"Could you take me to the goddess Athena?" Atalanta once again made an unexpected choice,
looking at Pegasus expectantly and saying.
"I want to see her."
Pegasus tilted its head, as if carefully considering her request. After a moment, it nodded.
"Wait!"
Medea suddenly dashed over, and spoke in urgency. "I want to go too!"
Hearing this, the winged creature hesitated as it looked at Medea for a moment, but
eventually nodded in agreement.
Fine, for the sake of Goddess Hecate, I'll take you too.
Then, without waiting for Helen or the others to speak, the winged horse flapped its mighty
wings and carried Atalanta and Medea toward the place where the goddess Athena resided.
As the others watched the pair disappear into the distance, they were left puzzled, unable to make sense of the sudden turn of events.
"Teacher," Heracles said, his brows furrowed as he turned to Chiron.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"That day... Promise was saying his final goodbyes to us, wasn't he?"
Chiron's expression turned melancholic, but he managed a small, warm smile as he nodded.
"Is there really no way to stop him?" Heracles continued.
"If you tried, he'd never speak to you again for the rest of his life," Chiron replied gently. "But more importantly, things are different now than they were back then."
"He's not blindly seeking a hero's death. He's walking firmly on the path he chose, all the way
to the end."
"I see." Hearing his words, Heracles let out a long sigh before a smile broke across his face.
Looking back at Hermes, he said.
"Then let's go, Lord Hermes. And rest assured, this time I'll fight until the very last moment
-I won't fall!"
"Because... I must witness, on behalf of these friends who cannot go, the final masterpiece
he's going to paint!"
When Heracles spoke those words, Jason's eyes widened in realization, Theseus froze in
place, and Meleager and the others were left in stunned silence.
At last, they understood what was about to happen.
Hermes wasted no time, taking Heracles away with him, while the rest of the group followed
Poseidon to his underwater temple for safety.
On the way, Chiron turned to the sea sage Thetis, who had remained silent the entire time,
and asked her gently, "Aren't you going to go with them?"
Thetis' eyes dimmed as she gazed at Chiron.
However, she forced a faint smile and shook her head.
"No, for the same reason you're still standing here. I want to do my part for him, to protect
his friends in his stead.
So... after this is over, when he becomes immortal, I'll go see him then."
She hesitated, after all for some reason.... there's a voice within her telling her not to go.
Warning her that if she went there, she'd witness something she'd rather never see." Hearing this, Chiron fell silent for a while as he bowed his head in sorrow. Knowing the deepest secrets about Promise, he could only lower his head sadly with an
apologetic look on his face, not daring to look at the sage of the ocean in front of him again.
Elsewhere, at the battlefield on the burning Mount Olympus, where the powers of thunder and destruction clashed violently, the confrontation between the god king, Zeus and the Calamity Dragon Typhon raged on.
Yet, something unexpected was becoming increasingly apparent. That was...Zeus, the king of the gods, could not hold out for much longer.
In the original myth, the battle between Zeus and Typhon actually lasted for an extended
period, spanning weeks or even months, with the devastation sweeping across all of ancient Greece like a relentless storm.
But this time, the situation was drastically different.
The reason?
"Zeus."
Typhon, with eyes like blazing fire, fixed its gaze on the king of the gods who stood before it.
The massive dragon flapped its enormous wings, its crimson body radiating destructive power as it burned with the authority of annihilation.
The Father of Monsters, Typhon, stared at its destined foe and spoke in a deep and resonant voice, "Where is your thunderbolt?"