This was Promise's way of being a hero, summed up in two words...
calling reinforcements!
Well, it would be a waste not to use them when he had such powerful allies.
Usually, he wouldn't resort to this tactic for standard trials.
Although the nine-headed Hydra was one of Heracles' Twelve Labors, and a particularly famous and difficult one at that, since its poison could cause unbearable pain even to gods (though it couldn't kill them), this trial was now merely icing on the cake for the current Promise and no longer posed any challenge.
So much so that even the goddess of wisdom was too lazy to pay attention to this matter anymore.
So, not to mention summoning Cerberus, Argus, and the others, but even if he'd brought every hero from the Argo or called in a bunch of gods for help, Athena would simply smile and say, "As long as you're having fun."
The reason Promise took on this trial in place of Heracles was simply that he had made a long-standing promise to Chiron...
Back when they dealt with Hades, the god of the underworld, and Persephone, the queen of the underworld, Promise had vowed to Chiron that before his own end, he would rewrite Chiron's fate.
From there, the rest was simple.
The Hydra's poison was certainly troublesome, but Cerberus, was basically immune to it,
So, lured by honey cakes, the leading three-headed hellhound went straight into the Hydra's lair, and dragged the dazed, sleepy Hydra out of its cave by its heads.
What followed was a thorough beatdown.
Pegasus descended from the sky, knocking the Hydra out.
The hundred-eyed giant Argus, using his many eyes, grabbed the Hydra's heads and burned them with the flames handed to him by Hestia.
Cerberus, meanwhile, happily gulped down the snake's heads along with the poisonous blood.
The most well-behaved of the bunch was the Golden-Horned Deer, who stayed quietly beside Promise, controlling the plants to wrap around the body of the struggling nine-headed Hydra, making it unable to move easily.
In the midst of this battle, Promise even had time to sketch a picture of the pitiful Hydra being thoroughly beaten...
The beating lasted until dusk.
Promise couldn't help but marvel, in his heart that Hydra sure can take a beating!
If he hadn't secured the sacred fire from Hestia at the start, they'd probably still be at it for quite a while.
After cutting off all nine of the Hydra's heads, Promise took out his pristine paintbrush and painted an invisible canvas to wrap the immortal central head, sealing it away.
With that, everything was finally over and he expressed his gratitude to everyone.
He promised the hundred-eyed giant Argus a cask of fine wine, while the Golden-Horned Deer of the moon goddess Artemis was promised a playful romp the next time they met.
As for Cerberus, the one who had done the most, he simply tossed him three honey cakes.
And as for Pegasus...
"Go eat your grass!"
Promise gave the Pegasus, who came over to him, a cold look and kicked its butt.
Amid Pegasus's aggrieved cries, the group left, satisfied.
Goddess Hestia, the eldest of the Olympian gods, blinked and smiled at Promise, asking, "And what about me, little Promise?"
"Hmm..."
Just as Promise was thinking about what to give Hestia for helping them, the latter suddenly chuckled, interrupting his thoughts, and said, "It's alright. I didn't help you for a reward. Besides, if ....we're being honest, I've already received plenty from you over time."
After all, she'd been entertained by all the excitement and had her fill of amusement at every turn.
"But Promise, have you thought about my painting?"
"...I'm sorry, Goddess Hestia," Promise apologized sincerely.
"Oh dear, I wasn't trying to scold you," Hestia said, coming up to the boy's side and poked his cheek with a smile. "I wasn't rushing you either. What I meant was... if possible, could you prepare a banquet for me?"
"A banquet?"
Promise was stunned for a moment, as he looked at the pink-haired goddess in front of him with confusion.
"Yes, but not just any banquet. It must be a feast for the Olympian gods," Hestia continued, her eyes now filled with a special kind of warmth as she spoke softly to Promise, "Please prepare a banquet for the twelve Olympian gods... because I can't remember how long it has been since our family gathered together and shared a happy moment."
"And that's something I can no longer do myself. But you, child, they will surely respond to you."
Before Promise could react to her request, Hestia added with a mischievous grin, "And the only 'over-the-top' requirement is that everything served at the banquet must be personally cooked by you."
Hestia laughed as she poked Promise's cheek again, saying, "I need to feel your sincerity. And... if it doesn't taste good, I won't give you the painting so easily!"
"Hmm... Preparing food for the twelve Olympian gods, and I have to cook it all myself?" Promise sighed helplessly. "Goddess Hestia, how about... we just talk about storming Olympus again instead?"
"Haha, no way!"
Hestia rolled her eyes at Promise, laughing as she released him and took two steps back.
She then waved goodbye to Promise, saying, "That's settled then, Promise. I'm really looking forward to the banquet you'll prepare for us!"
As her words fell, the last rays of sunlight faded, and night once again fell upon the mortal world once again.
But after leaving Promise, the smile on Hestia's face quickly disappeared.
Her brows furrowed, and she hurried along her way.
In fact, she moved as fast as possible, rushing back to her temple.
On the way, she didn't even have time to acknowledge the greetings of the nymphs and handmaidens she passed, hurrying directly to her room.
Inside the room, she retrieved a key and then opened a wooden chest, pulling out the Zeus Stone—the black stone that had once been swallowed in Zeus's place.
As she opened the chest and saw the stone still inside, Hestia barely had time to let out a breath of relief before, in the next moment, the stone vanished right before her eyes.
Hestia froze for a second, her expression shifting as she quickly realized what had happened.
She immediately scanned the room, her eyes wide, and said, "Thetis... You've been following me this whole time?!"
Thetis did not respond.
With Hades' Helm of Invisibility on her head and the Zeus Stone cradled in her arms, she was preparing to sneak away.
"Wait a minute, Thetis..." Hestia's expression shifted several times before she finally sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, take it. Since you're so insistent. But... let's talk about it, Thetis.
I swear I won't try to take it back from you."
Hearing this, Thetis hesitated for a moment before finally removing the Helm of Invisibility, revealing her graceful figure and her long, slightly curled blue hair cascading down.
With her head lowered, she said with an apologetic look on her face, "I'm sorry, esteemed Goddess Hestia. I didn't mean to offend or steal your treasure, it's just..."
Thetis bit her lip gently.
Hestia wasn't angry, though.
She turned and sat down, clearly tired after her hurried return.
Looking at Thetis, who was tightly clutching the stone, Hestia sighed and, in a mildly exasperated tone, said, "It's just...Just what, Thetis? You still stole it. Forget it, I won't blame you anymore. But tell me, why do you need it so desperately?"
And then without waiting for Thetis to respond, Hestia quickly interjected, "Hold on a second. Let me just say this, you'd better not try to brush me off with the same old excuse… Not wanting that child to endure more suffering might be a reason, but it's not enough to make you go to such lengths."
Hearing this, Thetis opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to lie.
Seeing this, Hestia tilted her head and continued, "But, if I think about it more carefully, it probably still has something to do with that child... Hmm, let me think about it. Since your original reason wasn't the main one, what else could be connected to him?"
Thinking about it for a while, she rubbed her forehead as she looked at the beautiful goddess in front of her, who seemed so gentle that it reached down to her very bones.
Suddenly, an image flashed through Hestia's mind.
It was from that night when Promise finished Queen of Olympus, Hera's painting and painted six more gods in one go.
To place herself on the same level as Athena and Clotho, Hera had made a vow to Promise.
That vow was for a wedding in which all the gods would participate.
The most magnificent wedding!
And Hera had said that the spouse she would find for Promise would be either the most beautiful woman in the world or... the most virtuous among the goddesses!
"Oh!"
At that moment, Hestia's eyes widened as she finally pieced it together.
Yes, Of course!
How could Thetis not know about Hera's vow?
After all, the first goddess to decipher the meaning behind the four threads of fate entwined around Promise wasn't anyone else—it was this wise sea goddess.
Athena corresponded to the path of heroism and wisdom.
Clotho symbolized both fate's favor and its abandonment.
Themis represented kindness and justice.
And Hera, the Queen of Heaven, embodied the love of the gods' and...a chaotic marriage!
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