The underworld.
Jason had already lived for three months beside the River of Fire—Phlegethon, one of the five great rivers of the underworld, a river whose waters were not underworld water but endless flas.
"Here, Jason, your fire lotus for today." The spirit of this place, Pyrrhia a divine being born from the flas themselves, a mature woman whose body was wrapped in fire—handed a dark lotus flower completely engulfed in underworld flas to Jason, who was sitting on a rock.
Jason took it skillfully, plucked the petals, put them in his mouth, and began chewing while speaking to the floating Fire Spirit beside him. "Big Sis Pyrrhia, when do you think Teacher will co pick up…? It's already been three months, right?"
"Mm… Little Jason, are you already tired of keeping your big sister company so soon?" Pyrrhia smiled at Jason. "And here I've been spoiling you rotten these past three months!"
Hearing this and recalling his experiences over those three months, Jason could not help but shiver. Just as he was about to say sothing to her,
"Mm… It seems your gains over these three months are even better than I expected." Accompanied by dancing underworld butterflies, Hecate stepped out from the shadows.
Looking at Jason, who was now completely ignoring the underworld flas while holding and eating a fire lotus, Hecate turned her gaze to Pyrrhia and said, "You have my thanks."
"It was nothing." Pyrrhia smiled and shook her head at Hecate, then looked at Jason, who had hurriedly stood up to perform the disciple's salute to Hecate.
"I really like this child—especially the way he never made a sound at the beginning while being burned by my flas. It was just too adorable, hehe!"
In simple terms, after Hecate left, Jason had not only swum freely in the River of Pain tended by the ferryman Charon; he had also received the baptism of the undying flas.
The spirit of this place had personally used those flas to baptize his body!
Although Pyrrhia did not dare touch Jason's soul without both Hecate and a god who wielded the power of life present, rely baptizing his physical body was clearly within her ability!
Over these three months, Jason's resistance to fire had nearly reached its maximum. Even ordinary divine flas would now find it difficult to harm him!
"Lady Hecate, you've co this ti to temper his soul, right? But… you ca alone?"
Pyrrhia looked around and saw no other goddess besides Hecate.
"Sothing unexpected happened. She didn't co." Hecate shook her head. "She's probably been hidden away again by her mother and didn't receive my ssage."
"I see… Then, Lady Hecate, if it's only you, even though the child has now grown accustod to the undying underworld flas, isn't it still…"
"I'm not planning to temper his soul right now." Hecate looked at Jason and said, "Jason, you go find her and bring her here."
Jason, who had been listening to their conversation, froze for a mont and looked at Hecate in confusion when he suddenly heard this.
"You go find Persephone. If she knows it's for , she will definitely co. She's probably been hidden away again by her mother Deter. As for how to find her… you can start by going to the Caucasus Mountains and looking for Protheus. He will help you."
Deter, Persephone?
Jason recalled the two nas for a short while and then rembered.
Deter, goddess of agriculture, grain, and harvest—one of the Twelve Olympians. Persephone was her daughter.
As for Protheus, he was even more famous: the one who, in the myths, brought fire to mankind!
Deter did indeed often hide her daughter Persephone away, for Persephone was so beautiful that she stood out even among goddesses.
To protect her from the clutches of gods like Zeus, Deter would conceal her.
'It seems Persephone hasn't beco Queen of the Underworld yet… By the way, Teacher and Persephone are on such good terms?' Jason thought to himself, then nodded to Hecate.
"Persephone… As the daughter of the great goddess Deter, she is indeed qualified."
Pyrrhia also nodded, then looked at Jason with regret. "But that ans little Jason is leaving… Now there will be no one to co here and talk with ."
"Big Sis Pyrrhia, I'll co visit you often."
"Good boy!" Pyrrhia pinched Jason's cheek and laughed. "Here, just for that, big sister will give you sothing nice!"
With a wave of her hand, the undying flas of the nearby River of Fire surged upward. Underworld fire gathered in her palm.
Eventually, the flas transford into twelve lotus petals that Jason was very familiar with.
As she handed the petals to Jason, Pyrrhia said, "When you're in mortal danger outside, swallow one and spit it out. Burn them all to death!"
Hearing this, Jason glanced at Hecate. Only after Hecate nodded did Jason step forward, thank her, and accept Pyrrhia's gift.
Once Jason had taken them, Hecate finally spoke. "Only use these if you have absolutely no other choice… You are under my protection and have been imrsed in the waters of the Styx, so you are fine. But for anyone else outside—even a demigod,
the mont they are touched by these flas, their soul will be burned to nothing."
After Hecate finished explaining, Jason's small hand trembled, and he nearly dropped them.
He had heard the two of them say that if the soul was destroyed, one could not even enter the underworld!
These twelve petals could probably erase at least twelve people from existence entirely!
Unless they had a backup for their soul.
Soon afterward, Hecate brought Jason out of the underworld.
The place they erged was one Jason knew very well.
It was the area around the cave on Mount Pelion in Arcadia, ho of the centaur sage Chiron!
After arriving, Hecate handed Jason a black feather and told him that once he found Persephone, he should burn it at night and call her na; she would appear. Jason could not help but look at Hecate several tis, feeling that sothing about this task was odd.
But he did not say anything more. After bidding Hecate farewell, he returned to the cave on Mount Pelion.
The mont he stepped inside, he ran into Chiron, who had sensed his presence and hurried over.
"You're back so soon!"
Seeing Jason return after only three months, Chiron was naturally extrely surprised!
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