Several days had passed since receiving the return gift from Goddess Demeter.
Jason finally bid farewell to the reluctant Goddess Demeter, who repeatedly instructed him to come back and visit often, and returned to the underworld.
When the heavenly horse flew over the skies of the underworld and arrived before the gates of hell.
"Who dares to trespass into the underworld without permission?!"
The furious roar from the three-headed dog Cerberus made the heavenly horse stop.
Then, as the heavenly horse descended from the high sky, Cerberus, who had transformed into a massive magical beast, clearly saw the figure in white sitting above. He could not help but be stunned.
"Jason, is that you? ... But why do you..."
Cerberus looked at Jason in surprise. Then his nose twitched as he sniffed the enormous magical power and vitality emanating from Jason's body.
"This scent... it feels somewhat similar to Lady Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld. No, it seems more like Lady Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture..."
Muttering to himself, Cerberus transformed in front of Jason into the black-haired, red-eyed loli in a black dress. She looked up at Jason, who had dismounted from the heavenly horse, and asked curiously, "Jason, what happened? Why after just a few days... have you changed again?"
Not far away, the two-headed dog Orthrus also walked over.
He too curiously examined Jason before him. Then his nose twitched, memorizing Jason's new scent, before lying back down.
"This matter is a bit long to explain..."
Jason came to Cerberus's side, taking advantage of the height difference to skillfully reach out and pat Cerberus's head. Before Cerberus could bare her teeth and snap in anger, he stuffed a piece of honey cake into her mouth.
"Do not think you can fob me off with just one honey cake! ... Though your patting feels pretty nice, so that is why I am letting you do it especially."
The two-headed dog Orthrus looked disdainfully at Cerberus, who was on the verge of manifesting a tail and wagging it furiously. Then he said to Jason, "Boy, hurry and take this embarrassing fellow away... She has been getting more and more annoying lately. It would be more peaceful with just me, a dog, guarding the gate!"
"Yes, Jason, hurry and take me away. I do not want to guard the gate anymore... Speaking of which, why did Goddess Hecate suddenly get angry and punish me to guard the gate?"
Cerberus said with a depressed expression as she ate the honey cake.
"Because Teacher is actually very easily embarrassed... I will talk to Teacher about this later. And besides, it is about time for me to fulfill my promise to you."
"Promise?" Cerberus blinked her eyes at Jason, then said happily, "Jason, you are finally going to take me to the human world to play?!"
"Yes." Jason smiled and nodded at Cerberus.
Taking Cerberus to the human world was a promise Jason had made to her long ago.
After all, back then, because of Jason, she had been trapped in the endless abyss.
If the previous Jason had not fully understood the terror of the abyss, then after the experience last time where he nearly lost himself in it, Jason felt that he truly owed Cerberus some compensation.
"Speaking of the human world... Were there not two humans who sneaked in secretly these past two days?"
"Humans?" Jason was momentarily stunned and looked toward Orthrus, who was speaking.
Who could that be, someone so eager to court death by coming to the underworld.
He had completely forgotten that he, a human, had been treating the underworld like home.
Oh, no, that was not right. He was no longer entirely mortal now. He was a demigod.
"Yes, yes. Indeed, two humans came in, and they were even caught by Lord Hades, the King of the Underworld.
But it served them right. They actually wanted to come down and steal away Lady Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld!
However, Lord Hades did not kill them directly because... actually, one of them seems to know you."
Cerberus said this while looking at Jason before her.
"Knows me?" Jason, who had not expected the topic to turn to himself, could not help but be stunned.
"One of them claimed to be your senior brother. And those two were let in by us because he had the invitation you gave out back then."
Orthrus added.
"That is impossible!" Jason was even more surprised after hearing this. "The invitation was made by Teacher Hephaestus. It is a one-time item that disappears after leaving the underworld... Wait, unless that person did not come on the day of the wedding!"
As Jason said this, it was as if he had thought of something. A helpless expression gradually appeared on his face. He said, "Alright, I think I know who it is... He truly is my senior brother. If I am not mistaken, he should be called Theseus, right?"
Theseus, this was one of Jason's senior brothers under Chiron.
Moreover, according to Jason's estimate back then, he was the strongest hero of the current era besides Heracles!
Therefore, Jason, who had aspired back then to be a social butterfly, naturally had a good relationship with this senior brother.
Theseus, the future king of Greece, a demigod and son of Sea Emperor Poseidon. His most famous feat in life was undoubtedly venturing into the labyrinth of Minos, which was said to allow entry but not exit, and slaying the monster inside, the Minotaur.
That was the bull-headed man Asterion.
And coming to the underworld was also a very famous myth.
One of Theseus's good friends, Pirithous, fell in love with Queen Persephone. To help him, Theseus followed him and sneaked into the underworld together, attempting to abduct Goddess Persephone.
In the end, after being discovered by Hades and imprisoned, it was Heracles who came and rescued Theseus.
As for the other, Pirithous, he was forever imprisoned in the underworld.
After all, Theseus was the son of Poseidon, and he had come to help. Thus, Hades ultimately showed mercy.
Upon learning of this matter, especially knowing that it was caused by the invitation he had given out, Jason naturally could not continue to stand by and watch.
Therefore, after thanking Orthrus, he turned around and prepared to head directly to the temple of King Hades.
"I want to go too!"
Seeing that this was a chance to slack off, Cerberus immediately followed along.
The two-headed dog Orthrus had nothing to say about this. He even somewhat hoped that Cerberus would leave quickly.
Because ever since she had spent more time with Jason, Cerberus had become increasingly lively, which made Orthrus feel more and more annoyed by her dog-like behavior.
As the heavenly horse carried Jason and Cerberus flying once more through the underworld, passing through the gates of hell and arriving at the surging River Styx.
The ferryman Charon raised his head in puzzlement and looked at the solemn heavenly horse in the sky. As it flew over the ghostly flames, the ghostly flames in his eyes flickered a few times.
"That child... has become a demigod? Directly exchanging blood with a child. Even a major god would need a hundred years to recover from that.
And this enormous vitality... Goddess Demeter, huh. In that case, it is not so strange."
The ferryman Charon was first very surprised, but upon sensing that it was the blood of Goddess Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture, he immediately felt relieved.
Because the gods of the underworld all knew that Jason was the younger brother of Queen Persephone and called Demeter "godmother."
The strained relationship between King Hades and Goddess Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture, had only been eased thanks to Jason, making the recent wedding possible.
Charon's reaction soon appeared among the gods throughout the underworld. The underworld gods were also very surprised that Jason had become a demigod, but after a brief moment of surprise, they quickly felt relieved just like Charon.
Some gods even thought that Jason had surprisingly waited until now to become a demigod.
Not long after, Jason and Cerberus arrived together at the temple of King Hades. During the flight, Jason had briefly explained his situation to Cerberus.
And now, because of the wedding not long ago, Jason had become a well-known figure throughout the underworld.
Thus, upon Jason's arrival, a nymph immediately went in to report, and others came to receive him.
Moreover, the nymph who came to receive Jason secretly asked if he had any extra qipaos or maid outfits. After the experience at the last wedding, they still wanted to wear them.
Because they had discovered that when they wore those two outfits, the gazes of the men around them changed...
"Does Cerberus want to wear one?"
"What?"
"A maid outfit or a qipao."
Jason pretended to be casual as he said this to Cerberus, who was very similar to Hecate and looked like Hecate in her loli form.
"Why would I wear those clothes?"
Cerberus looked full of doubt.
"Because they look good."
"No interest."
"...Ten honey cakes a day!"
"Deal!" Cerberus replied lightning-fast, while Jason secretly rejoiced inside.
However, he warned himself that he must wait until Cerberus went to the surface to implement it. Otherwise, if Hecate saw, she would absolutely guess Jason's true intentions, and then he would be caught and thrown into a dark room to be beaten.
Not long after Jason and Cerberus had made this secret deal, Queen Persephone came over, led by the nymph.
"Jason... Eh?"
Sensing the aura on Jason's body, Persephone was slightly stunned. She came before him, circled around Jason a few times, and after understanding what had happened, she leaned close to him and linked arms with him. Smiling, she said, "It seems little Jason is now my indisputable cute little brother!"
"...Demeter gave you her blood?"
Hades, who had also hurried over, looked at Jason before him and said the truth with a slight air of surprise.
After seeing Jason nod, Hades pondered for a short while before continuing, "That is good... I originally thought it would be Athena or Hecate giving you their blood, but Demeter is not bad either.
With her blood and inheriting her power, you essentially control part of the divine authority over life. Now, you even have the strength to draw the bow of the God of Light alone and shoot the arrows of the Moon Goddess!"
She could make the land fertile, plants lush, and the five grains abundant, or make the earth wither, all things decay, and not a blade of grass grow.
In other words, Jason could bestow vitality upon others, and also withdraw vitality to use on himself.
Now, as long as it was not a barren desert, Jason, who was already hard to kill, had become even harder to kill.
"No, before praying to the great gods, I will not use the bow given to me by Lord Apollo to shoot the arrows bestowed by Artemis, the Moon Goddess."
Even knowing in his heart that Hades was just speaking figuratively, Jason still gave a cautious reply.
"And also... Brother-in-law Hades, Sister Persephone, I am truly sorry!"
Regarding Jason's sudden apology, Hades and Persephone were first stunned for a moment, but they soon reacted.
Thus, after some time had passed, Hades brought Jason and Cerberus to a dim room.
Then, in that room, Jason saw two mortals chained to the wall, currently being guarded, supervised, and whipped.
"Lord Hades, Lord Heracles!"
Upon seeing the arriving King Hades and the white-clothed hero wearing a mask, the guards immediately greeted them respectfully.
As for Cerberus in her loli form, not many people recognized her.
"Heracles...?"
The blond man chained to the wall, looking somewhat on the verge of death, struggled to raise his head and looked toward the so-called Heracles.
Then, seeing that the Heracles before him was not burly at all and was stunned, he spotted the signature white clothes and immediately realized who this person was!
"Junior brother... is that you?"
Theseus said this, his words filled with expectation and shame.
"You all go out first."
Hades waved his hand, making everyone in the room who was administering punishment leave first.
Only then did he say to Jason, "Do you know them?"
"This one is my senior brother." Jason removed his mask and pointed to Theseus. Then he looked toward the other person hanging nearby and shook his head, saying, "I do not know the other one... Brother-in-law Hades, I will give you a satisfactory answer."
Upon hearing this, Hades nodded lightly and then turned around, leaving the place with complete trust.
After Hades left, Jason came before Theseus. With a slightly sharp gaze, he said to Theseus, "Senior Brother Theseus, explain the situation to me... I gave you the invitation out of trust in you.
But clearly, you have made me lose face."
"I am sorry, Junior Brother Jason... But actually, the main purpose of my coming to the underworld this time was not because of Goddess Persephone, but to see you."
"See me?"
Jason was stunned for a moment, then looked toward Cerberus.
Cerberus shook her head at Jason, indicating that Theseus was not lying.
"What is going on?" Jason frowned and asked in puzzlement.
"Last time you came here and gave me the invitation, I remember I told you, Senior Brother Jason, that I probably could not come because I was about to head to Crete Island and enter the labyrinth of Minos."
Jason nodded lightly. He did indeed remember Theseus saying this, which was why when the two-headed dog mentioned that a human had come with the invitation now, Jason immediately thought of Theseus. He had been the only one absent at the time.
"But just as I was preparing to go to the labyrinth of Minos, solve the labyrinth of Minos, and kill the monster inside, I heard that before me, a hero had already rushed there..."
Seeing Theseus speak haltingly and appear extremely weak, Jason hesitated for a while but ultimately could not bear it. He placed his hand on Theseus, and the influx of vitality gradually restored Theseus's complexion.
Then, without paying attention to Theseus's surprise, Jason asked in question, "A hero? ... Who?"
"The huntress who just left Sisyphus pushing the boulder, the female hero who participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, Atalanta."
After Theseus finished speaking, he paused slightly and then looked at the stunned Jason, saying, "The main reason I came to the underworld this time was to see you and tell you this... When I heard about it, it was said that to save those children about to be sacrificed to the monster in the labyrinth, she was already going to enter the labyrinth."
"Now, she should have already gone in... Sorry, junior brother. I could not stop her for you."
"Wait, wait!" Jason stopped Theseus, looking very confused as he said, "Why did you come to the underworld to find me because of Atalanta?"
"Eh, because she is not your woman?"
Theseus looked very surprised as he said to Jason, "I heard Heracles and Meleager say so!"
Jason was speechless for a period, organizing his thoughts for a while.
"No wonder I could not find her back then. She actually went so far away..."
Muttering, Jason looked toward Cerberus.
Cerberus nodded again, indicating that everything Theseus said was true.
At this point, Jason's attitude toward Theseus finally softened.
"Then, senior brother, explain to me about Sister Persephone..."
Just as Jason finished speaking, the person who had been hanging silently nearby suddenly spoke up, "Right now, the whole world is saying that Persephone is the most beautiful goddess... On the day of the wedding, she wore the world's most beautiful garment called a wedding dress, surpassing any goddess in the world.
I know about the invitation. It was I who begged Theseus to let me come along. The one with ill intentions toward Goddess Persephone was me."
"...You are quite honest."
Jason turned his head and looked indifferently at the man nearby.
"Shall I eat him for you? Three honey cakes will do."
Jason shook his head.
"Then two... two, it cannot be any less!"
Jason speechlessly patted Cerberus's head and said, "Alright, alright. This is not about the honey cakes. The matter arose because of my invitation, so it should be resolved by me... Senior Brother Theseus, I will tell Lord Hades and Queen Persephone everything about your matter truthfully. As for the outcome, I will not interfere.
...They are my family."
Without waiting for Theseus's reaction, Jason looked toward the other person and said, "As for you... you do not need to introduce yourself. I have no interest in hearing your name. It seems you are also a hero. I will heal you first, then you take up your weapon and have a duel with me.
If you win, you leave the underworld, and I die in your place.
If you lose, you die by my hand."
After Jason's words fell, a flash of reluctance passed through Theseus's eyes. Just as he was about to continue persuading Jason.
"Alright."
The man agreed and said with a difficult smile, "I have heard Theseus speak of you, that you are a very special person... Now I believe it.
Thank you. Even if I die by your hand, that is my salvation.
Otherwise, I think I would be imprisoned here forever, enduring endless torment."
"You overstate it. I am not that kind-hearted... It is just that this matter was caused by the invitation I sent out, so naturally, it should be resolved by me.
After killing you, I will go apologize to Lord Hades and Queen Persephone myself... Right, senior brother, lend me the treasured sword on you for a moment."
As Jason spoke, he came before the man and gave him vitality, allowing him to quickly recover from his injuries.
Then he took Theseus's treasured sword and turned to leave the room.
After some time, having obtained a suitable weapon, he said goodbye to Theseus and walked out of the room.
Soon, the sound of weapons clashing came from outside, but it lasted only a moment.
After a short while, Jason walked back in.
His white clothes were like snow, spotless.
It was just that the treasured sword in his hand was broken...
"Cough, sorry, Senior Brother Theseus. I used a bit too much force just now and broke it."
Jason coughed dryly and said to Theseus, "When I have time, I will forge one for you... Um, if you can survive, that is."
Then Jason brought Theseus, who was still chained, before King Hades and Queen Persephone.
He told everything to them truthfully.
Theseus still could not escape punishment, but looking at Jason's face, Hades agreed to let him die first and then come back to accept a century of punishment.
As for Jason... even if Jason begged them to beat him, they would be reluctant to do so.
Thus, after this matter ended, Jason immediately took Theseus and returned to the human world.
And prepared to go with him to the labyrinth of Minos.
Jason was still Jason. He hated getting involved in troubles.
Moreover, on his body, there were matters like the magical spear and Athena's blood awaiting him. The longer it dragged on, the more danger increased by the day.
But upon hearing that Atalanta had gone alone into that dangerous labyrinth, and recalling her stubborn and strong-willed appearance, Jason ultimately... sighed.
Fine, just consider it as conveniently fulfilling his agreement with Cerberus.
Having made the decision, Jason could only comfort himself this way now.