"Hmm… would this count as cheating?"
In the clouds above the outskirts of Colchis, Ares, clad in armor with his fiery red hair cascading, stood looking somewhat bewildered.
Below, Heracles, the giant stag Actaeon, and the others were already seated atop the two sun-born bulls, pulling their horns as they began plowing the field.
Poisonous dragon teeth were scattered into the furrows.
By nightfall, these would grow into soldiers born of the earth.
Ares' words made the surrounding gods look at each other subconsciously... Here, Athena, Hera and others needed no introduction, and even Poseidon, the god of the sea, has come.
In fact, nearly all the Olympian gods—except Zeus, who was off somewhere unknown, and, Hades, the god of the underworld who could not come out during the day, were already present..
This was, after all, the climax of this great adventure.
Having followed it from the very beginning like a favorite series, how could they not show up for the finale?
Even Nyx, goddess of the night, was anxious to come out.
But she hesitated to appear, as her presence would challenge the balance of power in the sky, so she could only fret silently.
Besides her, Hades, too, was eagerly awaiting nightfall.
Meanwhile, Helios, the sun god observing the scene, felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
"Of course it's not cheating,"
After a light cough, it was Athena who finally stood up and talked to Ares.
When in doubt, leave it to Athena...she can solve it anyway.
Not only was this a mantra for many heroes, but it also applied to the gods themselves.
After all, Athena was the wisest, the most capable, and even found joy in solving such matters.
"Ares, as the god of war, your domains are battle and slaughter. Therefore, for Promise, that child to gain your power and complete your painting, the offering must be a battle you deem worthy.
"That's why none of us can intervene," she explained.
Ares looked at the goddess of wisdom standing in front of him, wearing a white dress, as flawless as ever, "Yes, so you see...
As he spoke, he then pointed to Promise, who was being carefully guarded—or rather, restrained—by Chiron. "But that guy hasn't fought at all!"
Hearing this,Athena smiled slightly. "Promise hasn't fought because he won this battle from the very beginning. Those who were saved by him volunteered to fight for him and have been looking forward to and waiting for this day.
"And more importantly, he hasn't broken the rules. He hasn't used the power of the gods, has he?"
"But…" Even after hearing all this, Ares still looked conflicted.
Seeing this, Athena sighed, realizing that no amount of reasoning would make Ares understand.
Or perhaps Ares didn't care for such reasoning at all after all, his mindset was straightforward.
To gain his power, and to complete his painting, one had to fight.
A battle that excited him was all he cared about.
So, Athena said, "Don't worry. Promise will present you with a battle. He will face the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece alone and defeat it."
Hearing this, Ares finally seemed satisfied, his thoughts aligning.
Athena shook her head, exasperated.
She felt she shouldn't have wasted her time reasoning with Ares in the first place.
She returned to her place beside Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, who was being pushed forward by the goddess of love, Aphrodite.
It was worth noting that Hephaestus and Athena were on good terms.
Now, seeing Hephaestus seemingly reconciling with Aphrodite, the sly, amused smile on her face, as if she were watching a show, was hard to hide.
Hephaestus, however, simply turned his head, choosing to ignore her entirely.
Meanwhile, Hera instinctively distanced herself from Hephaestus's presence, standing instead with Hestia and Demeter, who were quietly chuckling to themselves.
And, as Chiron had mentioned earlier, when their secret "meddling" was exposed, Athena's gaze had flickered at first.
But once it became clear that everyone was guilty of the same thing, the embarrassment faded entirely.
"Though, to be honest, I didn't expect you to ask for help. That caught me off guard."
At that moment, Apollo, standing beside Artemis, turned to Hermes and remarked, "Wouldn't it be more entertaining for you if Promise completed all these trials on his own, right?"
"Hey, hey, what are you saying? Promise is my good friend!"
Hermes opened his eyes wide and looked at Apollo with an expression that said 'you are slandering me', but Apollowasn't buying it at all.
"Alright, fine. I admit it. I *did* think that way at first, and yes, I thought the latter option would be more interesting," Hermes said with a shrug. "But if this were any ordinary situation, I'd probably do it. However, this is about Promise's painting. And his paintings, without exception, are always fascinating."
Hearing this, Apollo understood and nodded. "That's true. Even the painting of your hunt back then was extraordinary."
"And now Promise only has three paintings left to complete," Hermes continued. "To be precise, aside from Ares, there are only two more: Hestia and Athena."
"That means it's already decided."
"He will paint all of us eventually. You're looking forward to that moment, as am I, as is everyone else.
"Besides, I wasn't lying to you. I genuinely consider Promise a friend. He's destined to become one of us."
---
As the sun set and dusk fell, the two divine bulls, exhausted from the plowing forced upon them by the heroes, dragged their heavy steps back to their cave.
However, Jason, Heracles, and the others did not relax at all, and remained vigilant, their nerves still tensed and unyielding.
Because as the sun dipped lower, little by little, the poisonous dragon teeth scattered into the furrows began emitting visible toxic vapors, seeping out of the soil.
The Argonauts knew that soon, an army of dragon-tooth warriors would rise from the earth.
This marked the second trial.
Seeing this, King Aeëtes, who had been watching the scene from afar, issued an order to his attendant. "Send word. Tell the soldiers to prepare for battle!"
In fact, there was no need for King Aeetes to say much, as the Colchian soldiers had already gathered here, and prepared themselves for the upcoming confrontation with the dragon-tooth warriors.
The bravery of Heracles and the others had indeed impressed the Colchians.
Yet, ever since the tale of the Golden Fleece began to spread, heroes and even demigods had continuously come to challenge it.
Some, with the help of the gods, had also succeeded in forcing the bulls to plow the field.
But to this day, no hero had ever been able to survive the swarming hordes of dragon-tooth warriors that emerged from the soil.
These creatures were undead revenants from the Underworld. They had no concept of death and could not truly be killed.
No matter how many times they were slain, they would rise again.
Thus, the second trial was actually quite simple,.
The heroes had to stand their ground and fend off the endless onslaught of the undead warriors until dawn the next day.
At this moment, the queen of Colchis, Medea's mother, a stunningly beautiful woman, came over to Chiron, the wise centaur, and Promise.
She pleaded with them to give up the trial, not wanting her daughter to suffer any harm.
The method to give up was simple: they merely had to retreat within the city walls.
By the rules decreed by the gods for this trial, the undead soldiers would not enter the city, and they would dissipate with the first light of dawn.
Hearing this, Promise sighed helplessly.
He even seemed to complain as he answered the queen, "Beautiful queen, it's not that I refuse to let them give up. In fact, I might be the one here who wishes for their surrender the most. But…
"I also know that they will undoubtedly persist until the very end!"
The queen did not understand what Promise meant by this but she returned to relay his words to King Aeëtes.
While he pondered their meaning, night had already fallen.
"How is it already so soon?!" King Aeëtes looked up in astonishment at the dark curtain that suddenly descended over the sky.
The rapid shift from day to night gave him the impression that the sun had been chased away by the encroaching darkness.
And indeed, that was the case.
The goddess of the night, Nyx, impatient to make her entrance, hurried the reluctant sun along, spreading her veil of night and scattering stars across the sky.
She was not alone. Hades, the god of the Underworld, also seized the opportunity to emerge, finally taking his place among the spectators.
Under the glow of the moonlight, the dragon-tooth warriors began to claw their way out of the ground.
These undead revenants from the Underworld appeared as skeletal figures, their hollow eyes glowing with ghostly flames.
Their rattling bones emitted an eerie cacophony as they moved, and the scent of the living drew them like a beacon.
Fixating on the Argonauts, the skeletal warriors raised their weapons and charged, launching their relentless assault!
"Hmm… this doesn't seem to be the first time, does it? That poor sun god Helios is starting to look a little pitiful," Chiron said with a chuckle, gazing at the night sky.
"Teacher Chiron, how are you still in the mood to joke at a time like this?!"
Promise looked down at the two sides that were soon fighting each other, and couldn't help but complain anxiously: "Are you really not worried about them at all?!"
"Of course I'm worried," Chiron replied gently, his ever-calm demeanor unshaken. "But I also trust them, just as I trust you, Promise. After all, most of them, like you, are my students."
Promise was silent for a moment, then turned to Chiron with a serious expression. "Teacher Chiron, am I really just supposed to stand here and watch?"
The latter didn't answer immediately.
He paused to think, his thoughtful demeanor unchanging.
"Actually, I quite agree with the suggestion of that girl Medea."
Chiron then looked at Promise and said, "She suggested we find some chains, just like the ones Lord Hephaestus used when she once imprisoned you, and tie you up."
"What?!" Promise's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Chiron.
'You actually thought of something that horrifying?!'
"She even said the chains should still be on the ship, held by that maidservant automaton…"
"I do have them."
At the moment, a cool, clear voice suddenly rang out.
In the darkness, stepping into view—or perhaps having been there all along—was the maidservant automaton in her pristine linen uniform.
She approached calmly and looked directly at Chiron, saying, "Respected Centaur Sage Chiron, do you require my assistance in binding Lord Promise?"
"What?! How could you even think of doing something so terrifying?!"
Promise stared at her in disbelief.
'Weren't you sent by my goddess teacher to serve me?!
Do you even realize that if you overthrow your superior like this, the goddess teacher might dismantle you for insubordination?!'
As though sensing his thoughts, the maidservant gave Promise a serene, graceful smile and said, "Lord Promise, can you guess why Hephaestus entrusted me with those chains?"
Chains capable of binding even a god.
Promise froze at the question, unable to come up with an answer for a while.
The maidservant's smile deepened as she explained joyfully, "Because they were specifically made to imprison you, Master Promisr. Master Hephaestus explicitly instructed me that when everything was over, I must bind you as quickly as possible and return you to his temple."
As soon as she finished her words, Chiron almost burst out laughing, barely managing to hold back his amusement.
"What? Why?!"
Promise was utterly dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed at the girl in front of him. "Why would my goddess teacher do this to me? I haven't done anything wrong!"
"It's precisely because you haven't done anything," the maidservant replied earnestly. "In fact, it's not just my master, even the goddess of beauty knows. They both believe that because you won't act on your own, it's better to act preemptively."
Promise was still struggling to process this information when the maidservant added,
"Lord Promise, your goddess still hasn't made her choice, has she? And… do you truly think my master and the others are the patient type?"
"It's been over a month, hasn't it?" the maidservant automaton said with a graceful smile. "It's been over a whole month, Lord Promise, and yet, you still haven't made a move. It's as if… I've been serving you, following you around for over a month, and you haven't laid a hand on me!"
The gods overheard this loud and clear.
In an instant, all their gazes shifted to Hephaestus.
At that moment, Hephaestus seriously contemplated dismantling the insubordinate maidservant who dared to entertain such rebellious notions.
"Lord Promise, running away won't solve anything," the maidservant continued with a sweet yet unnervingly cheerful expression. "If you're thinking of dragging this out until the end, it won't work."
Promise also found that her smile at this moment, looked increasingly terrifying.
"The longer you drag it out, the more impatient everyone will grow. As for the final outcome…" The maidservant's expression remained perfectly composed. "well since you gave me a name in the first place, I'll quietly cheer for you in my heart."
"Don't just cheer me on!" Promise's scalp tingled with anxiety.
He had indeed been trying to stall until the oath with Athena concluded, not wanting to avoid making a choice but hadn't expected his intentions to be so thoroughly exposed… though, in hindsight, it would have been strange if they weren't.
"Why don't you do something!" Promise exclaimed.
"Eh? But I'm just a humble automaton. I can't do anything."
The maidservant blinked innocently, pretending to think deeply before adding, "The only thing I seem to be capable of is tying you up, Lord Promise."
"Ahem! No need for that."
Chiron coughed lightly and interrupted the maid's words, because he keenly realized that if he let the maid continue talking, Promise would not be able to escape unscathed tonight.
At the same time, he also noticed that the maidservant was still very resentful, mainly because Promise had never taken action against her...
"Well, Promise, you understand now, don't you?"
Looking at Chiron who was smiling at her as always, the boy burst into tears and said, "No, I don't understand. I just want to commit suicide now!"
"Dying won't solve the problem either," the maidservant interjected mercilessly. "And because of your oath with Goddess Athena, it seems that, Lord Promise, you can't even die."
"I should have had my goddess teacher dismantle you when I had the chance!" Promise glared at the maid, who was still sticking out her tongue, as if not worried or angry about his words at all.
Seeing this, Promise turned to Chiron, and pleaded pitifully, "Teacher…"
Chiron sighed and said, "If I let you go, they'll be mad at me."
"They won't! I've figured it out now," Promise shook his head and replied. "I won't try to reject them anymore. I should be standing with them. After all, I'm also one of the Argonauts, one of their own."
When Promise said this, the Pegasus, which had been pretending to be deaf and dumb, finally fell from the sky among the stars in the night sky and came in front of him.
The majestic creature nuzzled Promise affectionately, nickering softly.
But the latter, still in his frustrations, turned away, ignoring it.
'One day, I'm going to settle the score with you, horse.'.
This guy had been selling him out every chance he get.
He would, one day, pluck every feather from it's wings and see how far it could run!'
As he thought about it, Promise' gaze involuntarily fell on the pegasus's wings.
The latter, however, instantly noticed that there was something wrong with his gaze, so it screamed immediately, retreated frantically, and made an expression that said "stay away from me".
If anyone knew Promise best, it was clearly this pegasus.
Seeing this, Chiron couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.
"It seems you finally understand how to paint this picture."
"What else is there to paint?" Promise retorted, tears streaming down his face. "I'm too weak to do anything, now that gods can't help me so I have to rely on Jason, Heracles, and the others to help me!"
"That's right," Chiron nodded sagely. "You're so weak that we can't rest easy without helping you."
Promise was speechless.
His tears flowed harder. "Teacher Chiron, I'm telling you, you're going to lose me at this rate!"
"That's fine. You're always thinking about dying anyway, so I'd lose you sooner or later," Having said that, looking at Promise, pretending to be sad and angry, Chiron couldn't help laughing again.
Finally, the pegasus carried Promise into the night sky's highest reaches.
Below, on the battlefield, the Argonauts were surrounded by a dense swarm of dragon-tooth warriors.
Watching this chaotic scene from afar, Medea's mother, who had tears streaming down from her eyes, clutched King Aeëtes's arm, pleading with him to intervene.
How could she not be worried about her daughter, whom she was finally seeing again after so many years?
King Aeetes was also helpless and was struggling internally, not knowing whether he should give the order to his soldiers and have them help.
Just then, a brilliant silver meteor streaked across the night sky, glowing under the moonlight and illuminating the darkened land below.