So, which door should he choose?
Jason did not hesitate or waver for long. He stepped forward and pushed open the door labeled "Goddess Hephaestus."
The reason was simple. Jason had briefly considered which would be more advantageous to him: a male god or a goddess.
After recalling how kindly goddesses such as Hestia, Athena, and Demeter had always treated him, Jason naturally and decisively chose the goddess.
Moreover, the wise gods had already given him a clear hint.
Hermes had emphasized that Hephaestus was a goddess and had even explained why she was a goddess.
Athena had also explicitly told Jason that Hephaestus was a goddess completely different from Artemis.
Although Jason did not fully understand the reason, both the wise Goddess Athena and the cunning Hermes had reminded him in this way.
Naturally, Jason knew exactly which choice he should make.
Thus, when he pushed open the door on the right, he saw the deity who had been waiting for him for quite some time inside the temple hall.
Hephaestus, God of Craftsmanship.
Their gazes met, and the image of Hephaestus was reflected in Jason's eyes.
Only half of her face was visible.
One half was as exquisitely beautiful as any goddess, while the other half was concealed behind a pitch-black mask.
Her eyes were the color of amber.
Hephaestus sat in an ornate wheelchair, dressed very plainly in simple white robes, far less elaborate than the attire worn by the maids outside.
"You have surprised me greatly, child."
Hephaestus spoke softly. Her voice was extremely pleasant.
"Wealth, strength, beautiful women... none of these are what you seek."
So it really was a test? Jason could not help thinking this upon hearing her words.
"No, it was not a test... Unlike Athena, I have no interest in such games." Hephaestus shook her head lightly, as if reading Jason's thoughts. "When I said they were yours, I meant it."
Because Jason's soul was imbued with the power of Hades and had been tempered by the undying flames of the underworld, no one could now read his thoughts through his soul.
"...Eh." Jason blinked.
"Do you regret it, child?"
Hephaestus asked calmly.
"No, not at all." Jason shook his head. "Once I make a choice, I never regret it. It's just... this should be our first meeting, Lady Hephaestus."
Jason always planned before acting.
Although this was indeed his first meeting with Hephaestus, Athena had already told him.
Hephaestus was a goddess who was the most difficult yet also the easiest to deal with.
At the same time, considering everything he knew about Hephaestus's story, Jason had naturally arrived at one conclusion.
When facing Hephaestus, he absolutely could not lie!
Even though no one could currently read his thoughts, if it were Hephaestus, who had seen countless lies and deceptions, she would probably see through him with a single glance.
On the contrary, if he treated her with complete sincerity, he would receive kindness in return!
Hearing Jason's reply, Hephaestus looked at him with slight surprise for a moment before continuing, "I have known of you for a very long time and have been watching you.
The reason is simple. You should already know of the conflict between me and Hera."
"So I must admit, when I learned that you actually rejected Hera and caused her to lose face before all the gods, I was truly delighted."
As Hephaestus said this, the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly.
She was clearly recalling the moment when Hera, because of Jason, had been humiliated in the divine assembly and flew into a rage.
However, upon hearing this, Jason looked extremely embarrassed and even covered his face.
The truth was that Jason never wanted to offend Hera. More accurately, he did not want to offend any god.
But the problem was that right now, the only way to immediately reconcile with Hera would be to leave Hecate's side, and Jason could think of no other solution.
That did not mean Jason had never considered how to resolve the issue with Hera. On the contrary, he had long since found the answer.
The solution could actually be found by simply looking at the stories of Heracles and the future god Dionysus.
Both were illegitimate children of Zeus who had been relentlessly persecuted by Hera throughout their lives, yet in the end they reconciled, and in both cases it was Hera who took the initiative to make peace.
The reason was simple: both eventually achieved immortality and possessed extraordinary strength!
In the end, personal power and an immortal existence.
In short, aside from Hecate, this was the best solution!
It was also because of this that Jason had accepted the arrow of the Moon Goddess from Artemis and was now striving even harder to attain immortality.
While Jason was lost in these thoughts, Hephaestus continued speaking to him. "And clearly, the more outstanding you become after rejecting Hera, the angrier she will be."
"The angrier she becomes, the happier I will be."
"So even though this is our first meeting, I am still willing to bestow treasures upon you... I simply did not expect that the things most people in the world pursue are not what you desire at all."
"Child, can you tell me what it is you truly want?"
Hephaestus looked at Jason with curiosity. Although she had no intention of testing him, after he rejected all the temptations before him, she naturally became intrigued by the boy standing in front of her.
At the same time, Athena's earlier conversation with her involuntarily resurfaced in Hephaestus's mind.
"He is very special, different from all the other children..."
In truth, very few people, or very few gods, in the world today truly understood the real Jason.
Even Demeter, the Goddess of Harvest who had spent more than half a year with him as his godmother, probably did not fully understand Jason.
The only ones who truly understood Jason were Chiron, Hecate, Hermes, and Athena.
"Endless wealth also represents worldly power."
"Weapons represent great strength and the honor of heroes."
"The automatons of every style can satisfy any fantasy you might have of women. I have never shown these to any other god except you."
"Yet you rejected all of them." Hephaestus gazed directly at Jason and asked curiously, "Wealth, power, honor, even women, none of these are what you seek. Then, child... what is it you pursue?"
"The current Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, was someone you rescued from her prison after enduring great hardship."
"When Demeter wept and caused the earth to wither, you stepped forward of your own accord and restored life to the land."
"For the three years that followed, you trained in martial arts under the centaur sage Chiron and studied magic under Hecate without ever resting for a moment."
"At this moment, I believe that aside from a few gods, nearly all the gods think you are destined to walk the glorious path sung of by poets and become the brightest star among the constellations from ancient times until now... and I was one of them."
"But today I suddenly realized I was wrong." Hephaestus looked at Jason and said, "Your eyes tell me that you truly have no interest in any of those things... Tell me, child, what is it you are pursuing?"
What am I... pursuing?
Hearing Hephaestus's words, Jason fell into brief silence.
Clearly, he had not expected Hephaestus to suddenly ask him such an unrelated question.
But after a moment of hesitation, Jason still gave her the answer. "If Your Ladyship asks what I am pursuing... then I think what I am actually seeking is the past."
"The past?" Hephaestus grew even more puzzled.
"Yes... a past that I can never return to."
Jason smiled faintly and said softly, "A lonely stranger in a strange land, thinking doubly of kin on every festive day... The past is what I seek.
But I also understand that it is a place I can never return to, so I can only strive, strive harder, and at the same time... survive."
Under Hephaestus's slightly stunned gaze, Jason spoke very calmly. "Because I know that for those who now exist only in the past, their only remaining wish for me...
is probably that no matter where I am, I will live well."
Hecate, the centaur sage Chiron, and Athena, aside from Hermes, had shown Jason extraordinary leniency from very early on.
The simplest example was Athena.
Athena had suffered plenty of setbacks because of Jason.
Yet whenever Jason met Athena, whether she was delivering gifts or telling him to rest properly, she was always the first.
This was also one of the reasons Jason inexplicably managed to gain the favor of so many goddesses.
Hephaestus fell silent. Her amber eyes fixed upon Jason, who was smiling at her.
She remained speechless for a very long time.
"Come here, child."
Jason obediently walked over to Hephaestus. She instinctively reached out, wanting to pat his head.
But when her hand was halfway there, she silently withdrew it.
Then she took out an exquisite silver bracelet from her bosom and personally fastened it around Jason's wrist.
It was the divine artifact Athena had commissioned her to forge, the one that shielded him from Hera's perception.
Originally, after handing this item to Jason, Hephaestus had intended to let him leave, but now...
"Child, where is my tribute?"
Hephaestus smiled as she looked at Jason, whose body stiffened slightly and who then looked somewhat embarrassed. With her beautiful voice, she said softly, "You should have already prepared a tribute for me, yes?"
"But it doesn't matter if you haven't. Before that, stay here for a while."