"Teacher, you're here."
Medea didn't notice Jason's face twisting into all kinds of shapes—just as Hecate opened the door, she turned to look.
"Hm."
Hecate nodded and slowly walked inside.
Upon seeing Jason's expression cycle through disbelief, panic, and existential crisis, she seemed to sense just how violently his brain was shaking. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Her previously sour mood was starting to lighten.
"Teacher Hecate, may I ask, she...?"
Hecate locked eyes with Jason, who looked like he was hanging on by a thread, his eyes brimming with despair, with just a faint glimmer of hope still clinging on.
"She's my student, Medea. Princess of Colchis… Hmm? Oh dear, didn't I tell you?"
As she spoke, Hecate tilted her head.
And then she smiled—a little devilish grin that, to Jason, looked like it came straight from hell.
In that instant, Jason's colorful world turned grayscale.
Thud…
He collapsed in a heap.
It's over. It's over.
Medea… is one of Hecate's students?!
Oh gods. What have I walked into? This is like a lamb throwing itself at a tiger!
And Hecate—she actually has the nerve to look amused by all this!
And Teacher Chiron! I misjudged you! You definitely knew—you totally knew—and you still didn't warn me! Don't tell me… you've betrayed me too?!
"You were always wondering why I suddenly took an interest in you, weren't you? Well now, my dear student—little Jason—do you understand?"
So satisfying.
So cathartic.
That's how Hecate felt in this moment.
She wasn't normally the type to indulge in petty payback, but Jason had put her through so much emotional turmoil today—it was only fair he got a taste too.
And what a discovery she'd made: teasing Jason and watching that crushed, sky-falling-down expression of his was… fun!
No wonder Athena enjoyed playing games with him so much. The way he clearly didn't want to, but had to go along with everything—that awkward resistance—it was honestly kind of hilarious.
Weirdly… gratifying, even.
At that moment, Hecate felt like she was about to awaken some rather strange new instincts.
"Hecate-sensei, y-you can't do this to me…"
Jason looked like he was on the verge of tears. Hecate's smile had never looked brighter… or more devastating.
He was actually about to cry!
"Eh? What did I do? Weren't you the one who begged me so desperately to take you in as a disciple?" Hecate shrugged. "I even tried to refuse at first, remember? Little Jason."
"I… I—!"
Jason wanted to curse. He did. But he didn't dare.
"Teacher, Jason, what are you two talking about?"
Medea tilted her head, confused by their strange conversation. Her little mouth puffed up in a pout—utterly adorable.
It should've been a heartwarming moment.
But to Jason, standing in the middle of this living nightmare…
At this moment, I, Jason, solemnly declare—
Atalanta is the best. Atalanta is truly the best!
Jason stared at the adorable Medea in front of him, screaming internally.
Atalanta, I miss you! Sure, you're a headache too, but I was wrong! I was so, so wrong! I miss you like crazy right now!
Meanwhile, after having her fun and feeling vastly better, Hecate quietly observed Jason for a while.
She finally relaxed.
Good. It seems… he really doesn't know.
This was Hecate's biggest worry: that Jason might have caught a glimpse of that path too. If he had… she would've had no choice but to consider some "unorthodox" ways of erasing his memory.
After all, as a mere mortal, Jason's mind would be child's play for a god to read.
Yes—after some time to cool down and reflect, Hecate had made her decision: to keep what she saw a secret.
She'd brought Jason here. Things had already progressed to this point. There was no better option left.
And honestly, if in the past she'd only agreed to take Jason in for the sake of Medea and a few magical experiments, now she had a different reason altogether.
Guidance.
Hecate is one of the three goddesses of fate. [T/N: Bruh, at this rate, Hecate's collecting titles like Pokemon. Goddess of magic? Sure. Fortune? Why not. Opportunity? Throw it in. Now she's one of the Fates too? Honestly, she might just be Zeus in cosplay at this point.]
She represents randomness, chance—those twists of destiny no one can predict. And precisely because of that, she could see the vast array of possibilities surrounding Jason.
Most gods, when they gazed at Jason's fate, could only see one thing: his original ending.
Death on the ship. Betrayed by a witch.
But what Hecate saw—what she alone had glimpsed—was a path born from defiance of fate.
A miracle.
There were many roads, countless branches.
But among them, three stood out as the most likely miracles: ordinary, cherished… and destruction.
So Hecate decided: she would bury what she saw today deep in her heart.
Forever.
She was not a goddess of the sky, nor the underworld, nor the sea. She was the goddess of magic in the Nasuverse.
And as long as Hecate didn't will it, not even Zeus himself could peer into her thoughts.
Right now, she had only one lingering concern.
After taking a moment to collect herself, Hecate glanced at Medea and at Jason—still utterly speechless and visibly suffering.
Then, she turned her head to the window.
To the distant Mount Olympus...
Because Hecate knew—she wasn't the only one who could peek into fate, or… tamper with it.
In this regard, no one could rival those three goddesses—The Moirai, the Fates of destiny!
And yet, Hecate wasn't all that worried.
After all, what she had glimpsed was already a miracle—a fate so insignificant in the grand river of destiny, it might never even come into being.
What's more, it was a path born from a mere mortal!
The only reason Zeus, the King of the Gods, had even sensed it was because he sat upon the divine throne. When that path first stirred into existence, he felt a flicker of danger—nothing more.
So even the Moirai, with all their sight, would find their vision of Olympus's downfall buried beneath far greater possibilities!
. . .
At this moment, within the hallowed halls atop Mount Olympus—
Zeus sat high upon his throne, regal and solemn, his presence as commanding as ever.
Below him stood the Moirai—the Three Fates—whom Hermes had summoned with all the swiftness he could muster.
Each of the three was incomparably beautiful, robed in flowing gowns, their forms graceful, distinct, and harmonious.
Their names were Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis.
There are two different legends about their origins.
The first claims they are daughters of Chaos—or sometimes of Ananke, the primordial force of inevitability.
The second holds that they are daughters of Zeus himself and Themis, the goddess of law and justice.
"O great King of the Gods, Zeus," said the eldest, Atropos, stepping forward. "What matter was so urgent that you summoned us in such haste?"
Zeus remained silent for a moment. Then, in an even tone, he spoke:
"Just now... I saw a future—one in which Olympus is destroyed."
The moment the words left his mouth, Hermes froze in place.
He lifted his head and stared at Zeus, eyes wide with shock.
The Moirai, too, were taken aback, exchanging startled glances.
"That is why I've summoned you here," Zeus continued, urgency rising in his voice. "I want you to investigate. Find out exactly what's going on... and give it everything you've got. Understand?!"
In that instant, thunder growled around Zeus's body, and a crushing, wordless pressure fell upon the four gods gathered below him.
"Yes, mighty King of the Gods," the Moirai replied in unison. "We shall give it our all!"
Without delay, the three goddesses activated the full force of their divine power, delving into the threads of fate to examine Olympus's destiny.
And soon, they saw it.
They saw the destruction of Olympus.
As they returned to themselves, they exchanged glances once more, all of them visibly shaken.
"What did you see?!" Zeus stood up, having sensed their discovery. His voice thundered with urgency.
"Yes, noble and mighty Zeus," they answered. "We saw it clearly... Mount Olympus is indeed heading toward destruction."
They looked to each other again, then spoke in turns, revealing what they had seen.
"Deep in the infernal depths of Tartarus, the Titans you once imprisoned have never ceased their plotting against your divine realm."
"Before long, a monstrous Titan—one with a hundred dragon heads, a pitch-black tongue, eyes that spew fire, a body towering above the sky, covered in feathers and sprouting massive wings—will lead them in a breakout from Tartarus and challenge your rule!"
"That giant... he is the child of primordial Tartarus. His name is—Typhon!"