The underworld.
Jason had already lived for three months beside the River of Fire—Phlegethon, one of the five great rivers of the underworld, a river whose waters were not underworld water but endless flames.
"Here, Jason, your fire lotus for today." The spirit of this place, Pyrrhia a divine being born from the flames themselves, a mature woman whose body was wrapped in fire—handed a dark lotus flower completely engulfed in underworld flames to Jason, who was sitting on a rock.
Jason took it skillfully, plucked the petals, put them in his mouth, and began chewing while speaking to the floating Fire Spirit beside him. "Big Sis Pyrrhia, when do you think Teacher will come pick me up…? It's already been three months, right?"
"Mm… Little Jason, are you already tired of keeping your big sister company so soon?" Pyrrhia smiled at Jason. "And here I've been spoiling you rotten these past three months!"
Hearing this and recalling his experiences over those three months, Jason could not help but shiver. Just as he was about to say something to her,
"Mm… It seems your gains over these three months are even better than I expected." Accompanied by dancing underworld butterflies, Hecate stepped out from the shadows.
Looking at Jason, who was now completely ignoring the underworld flames while holding and eating a fire lotus, Hecate turned her gaze to Pyrrhia and said, "You have my thanks."
"It was nothing." Pyrrhia smiled and shook her head at Hecate, then looked at Jason, who had hurriedly stood up to perform the disciple's salute to Hecate.
"I really like this child—especially the way he never made a sound at the beginning while being burned by my flames. It was just too adorable, hehe!"
In simple terms, after Hecate left, Jason had not only swum freely in the River of Pain tended by the ferryman Charon; he had also received the baptism of the undying flames.
The spirit of this place had personally used those flames to baptize his body!
Although Pyrrhia did not dare touch Jason's soul without both Hecate and a god who wielded the power of life present, merely baptizing his physical body was clearly within her ability!
Over these three months, Jason's resistance to fire had nearly reached its maximum. Even ordinary divine flames would now find it difficult to harm him!
"Lady Hecate, you've come this time to temper his soul, right? But… you came alone?"
Pyrrhia looked around and saw no other goddess besides Hecate.
"Something unexpected happened. She didn't come." Hecate shook her head. "She's probably been hidden away again by her mother and didn't receive my message."
"I see… Then, Lady Hecate, if it's only you, even though the child has now grown accustomed to the undying underworld flames, isn't it still…"
"I'm not planning to temper his soul right now." Hecate looked at Jason and said, "Jason, you go find her and bring her here."
Jason, who had been listening to their conversation, froze for a moment and looked at Hecate in confusion when he suddenly heard this.
"You go find Persephone. If she knows it's for me, she will definitely come. She's probably been hidden away again by her mother Demeter. As for how to find her… you can start by going to the Caucasus Mountains and looking for Prometheus. He will help you."
Demeter, Persephone?
Jason recalled the two names for a short while and then remembered.
Demeter, goddess of agriculture, grain, and harvest—one of the Twelve Olympians. Persephone was her daughter.
As for Prometheus, he was even more famous: the one who, in the myths, brought fire to mankind!
Demeter did indeed often hide her daughter Persephone away, for Persephone was so beautiful that she stood out even among goddesses.
To protect her from the clutches of gods like Zeus, Demeter would conceal her.
'It seems Persephone hasn't become Queen of the Underworld yet… By the way, Teacher and Persephone are on such good terms?' Jason thought to himself, then nodded to Hecate.
"Persephone… As the daughter of the great goddess Demeter, she is indeed qualified."
Pyrrhia also nodded, then looked at Jason with regret. "But that means little Jason is leaving… Now there will be no one to come here and talk with me."
"Big Sis Pyrrhia, I'll come visit you often."
"Good boy!" Pyrrhia pinched Jason's cheek and laughed. "Here, just for that, big sister will give you something nice!"
With a wave of her hand, the undying flames of the nearby River of Fire surged upward. Underworld fire gathered in her palm.
Eventually, the flames transformed into twelve lotus petals that Jason was very familiar with.
As she handed the petals to Jason, Pyrrhia said, "When you're in mortal danger outside, swallow one and spit it out. Burn them all to death!"
Hearing this, Jason glanced at Hecate. Only after Hecate nodded did Jason step forward, thank her, and accept Pyrrhia's gift.
Once Jason had taken them, Hecate finally spoke. "Only use these if you have absolutely no other choice… You are under my protection and have been immersed in the waters of the Styx, so you are fine. But for anyone else outside—even a demigod,
the moment they are touched by these flames, their soul will be burned to nothing."
After Hecate finished explaining, Jason's small hand trembled, and he nearly dropped them.
He had heard the two of them say that if the soul was destroyed, one could not even enter the underworld!
These twelve petals could probably erase at least twelve people from existence entirely!
Unless they had a backup for their soul.
Soon afterward, Hecate brought Jason out of the underworld.
The place they emerged was one Jason knew very well.
It was the area around the cave on Mount Pelion in Arcadia, home of the centaur sage Chiron!
After arriving, Hecate handed Jason a black feather and told him that once he found Persephone, he should burn it at night and call her name; she would appear. Jason could not help but look at Hecate several times, feeling that something about this task was odd.
But he did not say anything more. After bidding Hecate farewell, he returned to the cave on Mount Pelion.
The moment he stepped inside, he ran into Chiron, who had sensed his presence and hurried over.
"You're back so soon!"
Seeing Jason return after only three months, Chiron was naturally extremely surprised!