"Big... cough, excuse me, lady, what exactly are you..."
"Quiet." The goddess Athena, who was still working on weaving clothes for Jason, said without turning her head. "Just sit there quietly... and don't even think about sneaking away. It will be done soon."
After Athena finished speaking, Jason, who had been rolling his eyes and wondering whether he should quietly slip away, could only behave and sit properly.
Then those emerald-green eyes of his could not help but size up the unfamiliar goddess in front of him... She wore a pure white long dress, and her silver hair cascaded down her back, gently swaying in the breeze coming through the window.
Even though he could only see her profile, it was enough for Jason to understand just how devastatingly beautiful this goddess was.
Yet even with such a breathtaking face right in front of him, Jason's gaze remained perfectly clear... Give me a break. As a transmigrator, even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run! Internet celebrity faces, all those fairy maidens from TV dramas; he had seen more than enough!
And the more beautiful they were in Greece, the more dangerous they were. Especially when the other party was a goddess.
So forget about love at first sight. Even if Athena herself came onto him, Jason would probably cry and say he couldn't afford it, he really couldn't afford it!
Right now, Jason was only observing Athena because he was purely trying to figure out which goddess she was.
At the same time, he did not look for long before averting his gaze.
Jason vaguely remembered that in Greece, some people had been punished by moody goddesses simply for staring at them a few extra seconds.
Time passed minute by minute. A little over an hour later, Athena stopped what she was doing, looked at the finished product in front of her, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Come here."
Jason hesitated for a short moment before walking over to Athena.
"Take them off."
"Huh?"
"Strip off your clothes."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Athena saw Jason's expression change.
The way he looked at her now carried unmistakable fear!
What are you planning? It's broad daylight, and I'm only twelve!
"What are you thinking about?" Although Hecate's hidden protection prevented even Athena from easily reading Jason's thoughts, she could naturally tell from his eyes that nothing good was going through his mind.
She knocked him on the head in annoyance, then could not help laughing. "Relax. Your teacher came to see me three days ago. I promised her I wouldn't bully you. All right, I'm done teasing you. Here, put these on. I really am a bit tired."
Hearing that Hecate had been here, Jason instantly relaxed half of his tension.
At the same time, he saw Athena set the items down and walk out of the room.
Jason hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, quickly stripped off all his clothes, grabbed the garments Athena had given him, and put them on.
It's fine!
Even if the person outside is some old pervert who doesn't even spare twelve-year-old boys, I'm a man! Even if she peeks, I'm not the one losing out!
Yes, that's exactly it! Jason comforted himself this way in his heart.
Of course, Athena would never peek at Jason. She was still a virgin goddess. If any man dared to expose "that thing" in front of her, she would probably kill him on the spot!
Although Athena did want to tease Jason a little more, she really was tired. Several consecutive days of high-intensity work had taken their toll even on her.
Moreover, Athena's mischievous streak was not actually that strong. The reason she enjoyed teasing Jason so much was mainly because his reactions felt fresh and new to her.
Compared to Jason's reactions, take Meleager or Jason's first encounter with Hecate, for example; those reactions had been honestly a bit dumb.
But when Athena played with Jason, he never fell for a single one of the dozen-plus scenarios she prepared. In the end, she had no choice but to use divine power to lure him into the trap.
That would have been fine if Jason had simply been a coward, but during the final confrontation with the bandits, his decisiveness had genuinely surprised Athena.
He killed without hesitation. It was clearly his first time killing, his first time dancing on the edge of blades, yet he showed not a trace of fear during the fight. Only after everything was over did he reveal his vulnerable side, vomiting uncontrollably.
And decisiveness truly was Jason's... or more accurately, the transmigrated Jason's most prominent trait.
Becoming Hecate's disciple, bathing in the waters of the River Styx, enduring the tempering of the Underworld flames on his body... when doing all these things, Jason had never hesitated for very long.
Not long after, Jason pushed open the door and stepped outside.
The moment he appeared, even Athena's eyes brightened slightly.
The pure white robes fit perfectly on the golden-haired, emerald-eyed Jason. The garments were edged with faint dark hues; that was the color imparted by the immortal flames.
Moreover, because this Jason was not the original, he lacked the original Jason's pride and untamed arrogance. Instead, the white robes highlighted an air of refined elegance.
And Jason's looks had always been exceptional. In the myths, he was even compared to Apollo, the god of light.
Although at only twelve years old this year he appeared a bit less heroic and a bit more adorable, it was precisely that adorableness that made the goddess Athena feel even more satisfied.
She even felt a sudden urge to scoop Jason up and cuddle him.
But considering her status as a goddess and wanting to maintain her dignity, Athena reluctantly gave up on the idea... Little did she know that in Jason's mind, her image had already plummeted beyond recognition!
"How is it? Clothes woven by my own hands," Athena asked with a smile.
"They fit perfectly..." Jason was still thinking about how he should respond properly.
"Of course they fit perfectly. These are clothes woven by me. They will change with your body and always remain the most perfect fit for you, no matter how you grow.
And that's not all. Because they were made using the immortal flames of the Underworld as material, even if they are damaged, they will repair themselves automatically!
Furthermore, you can now actively summon those immortal flames and wield them!"
Jason was genuinely stunned after hearing this. He clearly had not expected the clothes to be this extraordinary... Well, they were, after all, the result of several days of dedicated work by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Crafts.
What felt even stranger to Jason was looking at this unknown goddess proudly showing off her creation. After a moment of hesitation, he put on an expression of utter shock and exclaimed, "They're that amazing?!"
"Of course! These are made by my wis... by me."
Athena paused halfway through her sentence, then changed the subject. "I've already heard everything from Hecate. You don't need to go to Prometheus anymore."
As she spoke, two items suddenly appeared in Athena's hand: a golden object resembling a compass, and a small pouch for holding things.
"This item will point toward whatever location you have in mind, and this one can store a large amount of food. Both are things you will need. Take them."
In simple terms, one was a compass that could point to any place, and the other was a spatial storage pouch.
"Lady Goddess, this..."
One must not accept rewards without merit!
Even though Jason could tell at a glance how extraordinary the two items were, he did not want them!
"Hecate asked me to give them to you. The purpose is to help you complete your task sooner."
With that single sentence from Athena, Jason's path of refusal was completely blocked. He had no choice but to accept the two items.
Then he bowed deeply to Athena to express his gratitude.
"You little rascal..."
Although Hecate's protection prevented Athena from knowing what Jason was thinking, she could still tell whether his gratitude was sincere.
So Athena could not resist stepping forward, reaching out to pinch Jason's cheek, and then smiling with satisfaction. "Since everything is ready, it's time to set off... Jason, your story has only just begun!"
Story... Even if it really does end up becoming a story in the end, I hope my ending will be different.
Jason helplessly thought this to himself. After hesitating for a moment, he said to Athena, "Lady Goddess, may I ask who you really are..."
"You want to know who I am?" Athena put on an expression that said "finally, you asked" and smiled. "Then the next time we play together, you can find out the truth yourself... See you next time, Jason."
"...Mm, goodbye." Jason nodded expressionlessly.
Never again, goddess!