The Underworld.
For three months, Jason had been residing near the River of Flames—one of the so-called five rivers of the Underworld. Unlike the others, this river was not filled with underworld waters but with unquenchable fire.
"Here, Jason, this is your fire lotus for today." The spirit of the flames in this place—who was, in essence, a type of deity born from fire—spoke.
A mature woman wrapped in flames, known as Fire Spirit, handed a dark lotus flower, burning with netherfire, to Jason, who sat on a rock.
Taking it, Jason skillfully plucked the petals and chewed them while glancing at Fire Spirit. "Sister Fire Spirit, when do you think my teacher will come to get me? It's been three months already, hasn't it?"
"Hm? What, little Jason, are you already tired of my company?" Fire Spirit teased with a smile. "I've been spoiling you so much these past three months!"
Hearing this, Jason shuddered, recalling his experiences over the last three months. Just as he was about to respond—
"Hm… It looks like you've gained more than I expected in these three months."
Accompanied by fluttering underworld butterflies, Hecate emerged from the shadows.
Seeing Jason casually eating the fire lotus, completely unaffected by the netherfire, she turned to Fire Spirit and said, "You've done well."
"It was nothing." Fire Spirit waved it off with a smile and then turned her gaze to Jason, who hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully to Hecate.
"I really like this kid," Fire Spirit continued. "Especially when I saw him endure my flames in silence at first—it was just too adorable. Hehe!"
In short, ever since Hecate left, Jason had not only bathed in the River of Pain under Charon's guidance but had also undergone purification in the inextinguishable flames.
The spirit of this place had personally bathed his body in fire!
Though she hadn't dared to temper Jason's soul without Hecate and another deity with the power of life present, she had at least refined his body.
As a result, Jason's resistance to fire had reached an extraordinary level—even divine flames could barely harm him now!
"Hecate, are you here to forge his soul now?" Fire Spirit asked. Then, after glancing around and seeing no one else, she frowned. "But… you came alone?"
"There was an issue. She couldn't come." Hecate shook her head. "Her mother must have hidden her away again, so she probably never even got my message."
"I see… But Hecate, if it's just you, even if this kid has gotten used to the netherfire, won't it still be—"
"I never intended to temper his soul just yet," Hecate interrupted. Then she turned to Jason. "Jason, go find her."
Jason, who had been quietly listening, blinked in confusion. "Find… who?"
"Persephone. Once she knows it's me, she'll come. Her mother, Demeter, must have hidden her away again. To find her… go to the Caucasus Mountains and look for Prometheus. He will help you."
Demeter… Persephone?
Jason mulled over the names for a moment before recalling who they were.
Demeter—the goddess of agriculture, grain, and harvest, one of the Twelve Olympians. And Persephone was her daughter.
As for Prometheus, he was even more famous—he was the one who brought fire to humanity in myth!
It was also well known that Demeter frequently hid her daughter away. Persephone was exceptionally beautiful, even among goddesses. To prevent her from falling into the hands of Zeus and other gods, Demeter often kept her concealed.
"So Persephone hasn't become the Queen of the Underworld yet… And I never knew Teacher had such a good relationship with her."
Jason nodded in understanding.
"Persephone, huh… As the daughter of the great goddess Demeter, she should be more than suitable," Fire Spirit mused before turning to Jason with a hint of regret. "But that means you'll be leaving soon, Jason. No one will be here to keep me company anymore."
"Sister Fire Spirit, I'll visit you often," Jason reassured her.
"Good boy!" Fire Spirit chuckled and pinched Jason's cheek. "Here, just for that, I'll give you something good!"
With a wave of her hand, the flames of the river surged, and netherfire gathered in her palm. Slowly, the fire condensed into familiar lotus petals—twelve in total.
Handing them to Jason, Fire Spirit explained, "If you run into danger outside, swallow one pellet and spit it out. It'll burn your enemies to ashes!"
Jason hesitated, looking toward Hecate for confirmation.
Seeing her nod, he finally stepped forward and gratefully accepted Fire Spirit's gift.
Then Hecate spoke. "This is not something you should use unless necessary. You are under my protection and have bathed in underworld waters, so you are immune. But for others—half-gods included—these flames will burn their souls to nothing."
Hearing this, Jason's hands trembled slightly.
If the soul was destroyed, not even the Underworld could take them in.
These twelve petals were essentially twelve instant erasures of existence!
Afterward, Hecate took Jason out of the Underworld.
When they emerged, Jason immediately recognized the location—it was Arcadia, near the cave of Chiron the Centaur!
Once they arrived, Hecate handed Jason a black feather. "Once you find Persephone, burn this at night and call her name. She will appear."
Jason gave her a questioning look. Somehow, this whole thing felt a bit odd.
But he said nothing. After bidding farewell to Hecate, he returned to Mount Pelion's cave.
However, just as he stepped inside, he was met with a very startled Chiron.
"You're back already?!"
Seeing Jason return after only three months, Chiron was utterly shocked!