The golden apple is one of the most famous treasures in Greece.
According to legend, there is only one golden apple tree in the world, and it exists in the Golden Apple Sacred Garden guarded by the Hesperides nymphs and the hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon.
At the same time, this golden apple tree is the wedding gift from the Earth Goddess Gaia to the god-king Zeus and Queen Hera.
In Greek mythology, numerous epic stories revolve around it.
For example, the most well-known is the event of "who is the most beautiful goddess" that unfolded around the golden apple, which directly led to the eventual Trojan War.
Atalanta also has no small connection to the golden apple. She, who swore to the moon goddess Artemis to remain eternally pure, ultimately could not resist the allure of the golden apple.
And in the epic of Heracles's twelve labors, there is the case of retrieving a golden apple from the Golden Apple Sacred Garden.
However, even the powerful Heracles did not choose to acquire the golden apple head-on.
Instead, midway, under the guidance of the prescient Prometheus, he found the Titan divinity Atlas who supports the heavens on his shoulders.
Only by taking on the temporary burden of supporting the heavens as a condition did he obtain the golden apple.
And now, Jason must go to the Golden Apple Sacred Garden before Heracles and even meet that hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon whom not even Heracles had clashed with!
"The hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon..."
Ares's brows furrowed slightly. He looked puzzled at the silver-haired, golden-eyed Athena before him and said: "You want that boy to battle the hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon?"
"Yes." Athena nodded lightly, smiled at Ares, and said: "Such a battle should be sufficient to meet your tribute requirements, right?"
Ares, one of the most renowned divinities in Greek mythology, the god of war among the twelve main gods of Olympus!
The son of the god-king Zeus and Queen Hera.
Ares is the god of war, civil strife, slaughter, and riot.
He is described as "the bloodthirsty demon king of murder and the conqueror of fortified castles."
He is the symbol of strength and power, the embodiment of bloodthirsty, bloody human calamity.
Slaughter and carnage are Ares's daily fare. Wherever there is fierce battle, he immediately charges there, slashing indiscriminately without regard for right or wrong.
At the same time, he is the great enemy of wisdom, the calamity of humanity! ...Because Ares is truly too brainless.
Thus, the tribute offered to Ares, the tribute most to his taste, is battle... an exhilarating, unbridled battle!
No need for other operations, because those operations are superfluous to Ares as the god of war!
"...If he defeats Ladon relying solely on himself without borrowing the power of gods like Artemis and Apollo, then it would indeed qualify."
Ares looked at Athena and said: "But you have such confidence in that boy? The guardian of the Golden Apple Sacred Garden is not so easy to deal with!"
"That is not for you to worry about." Athena said faintly: "Moreover, the stronger the opponent, the more beneficial it is for you."
Ares thought about it upon hearing this, and it seemed indeed so.
"But in return, if he completes the tribute to you, should you not offer a corresponding gift?"
"Naturally." Ares replied without thinking: "I, the war god Ares, am not some stingy god!"
"That is good." Athena's lips curved up slightly as she said: "Then let me think... Since Artemis's gift to him is an arrow, then you give him your war god's belt."
"Fine... Wait, give him what!" Ares, who had readily agreed, was stunned upon reacting.
"What is it?" Athena pressed toward him and said: "Artemis gave him an arrow, Apollo is preparing to give him a bow. Do you intend to offer something inferior to theirs?
Or... as the god of war, do you consider yourself inferior to them?
Oh right, incidentally, what I am preparing to give him is my shield!"
After Athena finished speaking, Ares, who had opened his mouth, found himself speechless for the moment.
He naturally could not admit that he was inferior to Artemis and Apollo, especially since Athena had indicated she would hand over her own shield!
Thus, in the end, Ares could only agree to such a bet.
With this, the bet between the two was officially established!
And just after the bet was established and Ares had not been gone long...
"Artemis's child's arrow, Apollo's bow, and now Ares's child's belt... Athena, you would not have fallen in love with little Jason, would you?"
The second generation Queen of the Gods Rhea, who suddenly appeared beside Athena, looked at her with a peculiar gaze.
The moon goddess's arrow and the light god's bow, when united, form one of the strongest divine artifacts in Greece, in no way inferior to Zeus's thunderbolt, Poseidon's trident, or Hades's helm and bident!
This point had already been affirmed by Hecate and Hermes.
But among this, there is actually one issue.
That is, as a mortal... even with the baptism of the River Styx and the forging of fire, but only to that extent, how is Jason to draw Apollo's bow and shoot Artemis's arrow without the gods' help?
Now, Athena had given the answer.
That is the war god Ares's war god's belt!
With this belt, Jason's strength will not be inferior to Heracles's, and he will naturally be able to draw Apollo's bow and shoot Artemis's arrow.
"Grandmother Rhea, what are you saying!" As Athena spoke, she turned and intimately linked arms with Rhea.
The pale purple gown Rhea wore was woven by Athena herself, showing that the relationship between the two was actually very good.
"How am I saying anything random." Rhea patted Athena's head and smiled: "Though you are usually very attentive to those children, compared to little Jason, it is simply two different things!
Moreover, I have heard that you repeatedly wanted Jason to follow you, and even secretly went to find Hecate, but she completely ignored you."
"Because Jason is a good child. Grandmother Rhea, do you not like him very much now as well?"
"Hmm... That is true." Rhea nodded without denying it and smiled: "After meeting him this time, I understand why you children have suddenly all been revolving around him. He is indeed very special."
"Is that right... It's a pity he was taken first by Hecate, otherwise!" As Athena spoke, she pouted and glared fiercely at the direction Ares had left.
Evidently, she held a grudge against Ares...
To be precise, if not for not wanting to cause more trouble for Jason, Athena had nearly not held back just now and started fighting Ares again.
What do you mean not my child... Making you blurt out the big truth!
"What do you mean taken first by Hecate... If I recall correctly, even if Hecate had not taken him, he would still be Hera's child."
After Rhea finished speaking and looked at Athena who was dissatisfiedly looking at her, Rhea could not help letting out a light laugh.
"Alright, you all go on with your fussing and competing. I will not say more, but... can little Jason really defeat the dragon guarding the Golden Apple Sacred Garden?"
Facing Rhea's curious inquiry, Athena shook her head and said: "I do not know, because normally speaking... it is almost impossible."
After finishing, under Rhea's slightly surprised gaze, Athena continued: "Though little Jason has grown a lot compared to three years ago, facing the hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon... he has almost no chance of victory without using our power!"
"Oh... Then how do you plan to help him?"
"I will not intervene this time."
Contrary to Rhea's expectations, Athena shook her head.
"What, you will not intervene?" Rhea appeared very surprised.
"Yes... Not only will I not intervene, this time no one else can either, because only in this way will it meet the scale sufficient for offering tribute to Ares!"
Upon hearing this, Rhea's brows furrowed.
Athena looked at such a Rhea, thought for a moment, then said to Rhea: "Grandmother Rhea, do you know how my first meeting with that child came about?"
"That child is indeed very likable, but if it were only that, I would not be so attentive to him... I will never forget that scene."
Athena softly said to Rhea: "When everything became inevitable and he could not avoid it, the light he released in that moment..."
What Athena spoke of was precisely when Jason killed for the first time.
When facing the bandits with no way to escape, Jason raised his sword and killed them all, and only after killing them all did he run aside to vomit because it was his first time killing...
It was also at that time that Athena was deeply attracted by Jason.
"Grandmother Rhea, after experiencing this matter, I think you understand as well, right?... That child always gives us different surprises."
Athena smiled at Rhea and said: "Therefore, he will defeat the hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon... We only need to watch."
Athena evidently had full confidence in Jason.
However, if Jason were here, he would probably say to Athena with an expression on the verge of tears: "I truly thank you, Athena!"
...
...
The next day, Jason looked at the gods' messenger Hermes with a face full of disdain.
And from his mouth, he obtained a new oracle.
That was to find the Golden Apple Sacred Garden within a week, go there, and obtain a golden apple.
And without borrowing the power of gods like Apollo and Artemis, personally defeat the hundred-headed giant dragon Ladon guarding the Golden Apple Sacred Garden.
To offer tribute to the war god Ares, one of the twelve main gods of Olympus!