Fate: I Just Want to Die and Sit on the Throne of Heroes-Chapter 77: Athena and Medusa

Chapter 77: Athena and Medusa
Having gone through it once already, Rowe was far more cautious this time.
He was no longer chasing an immediate, clean death.
Now he wanted something else.
To stack up the factors of death one by one.
To gather every thread of risk, line them up, and then, at the right moment, twist them into a noose of inevitability.
Put himself somewhere no one could walk away from.
The idea was similar to his previous attempt, yet fundamentally different.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Rowe had no intention of making the same mistake twice.
“Teacher Chiron, where is Mr Rowe?”
With the dawn light filtering into the woods outside the cave on Mount Pelion, Heracles opened his eyes and immediately noticed something was missing.
“Lord Rowe has set off on the path to becoming a hero.”
In the open area beside the cave, Chiron was tuning a finely crafted longbow. He gently plucked the bowstring again and again, feeling the vibration in his fingertips.
“So fast? Only three days?”
Heracles was genuinely surprised.
“Did he already learn in three days what you have been teaching me for years?”
What did I teach him?
If anything, it was closer to him teaching me.
Chiron fell silent but could not bring himself to deny it.
“It seems I should think more carefully about what Mr Rowe told me before…”
Heracles sank into deep thought.
Chiron forcibly suppressed the twitch at the corner of his lips.
He simply could not picture this earnest, heroic young man opening his mouth and saying “your mother” over and over.
Fortunately, Rowe had left for now, so there was still time to correct the boy’s path.
At that thought, Chiron felt the weight on his shoulders double.
So, first things first…
“Heracles, from today onward, when you see Mr Rowe, you must address him as Grandmaster.”
Heracles: “?”
So for the past two days, he had been calling this person his “big brother.”
What exactly had he been calling him?
What was this situation?
Rowe, already far from the cave, naturally knew nothing of the conversation between Chiron and Heracles.
He simply followed the direction Chiron had given him and set off alone.
In the Age of Myths, the shape of human society depended on how the gods chose to look at them.
Before Gilgamesh, in Mesopotamia, humanity had always been “slaves” of the gods. The gods there pursued nothing but eternal dominion.
Greece was different.
The Greek gods came from beyond the heavens.
They had divinity, but they also glorified humanity.
They were lofty and radiant, yet their temperaments were riddled with human flaws.
They reigned above, but amused themselves like mortals.
This was the scenery Rowe saw along the way.
On the morning of the second day, Rowe arrived at Athens.
What greeted him was a vast and magnificent city.
Layers of sturdy stone rose up into city walls and gates. Temples towered toward the sky, their outlines shining beneath the sun. From the grand theaters, faint strains of song and music drifted outward.
The place Chiron had mentioned, where the gods would test mortals, lay somewhere near here.
Rowe stopped just outside the city and observed quietly.
The morning breeze stirred his linen robe, making it flutter around him.
That simple pause was enough to draw someone’s notice.
“Where does this gentleman hail from?”
A carriage drew up beside him with a soft whinny.
From it stepped a graceful young woman with silver hair. She wore a blue wreath, a white robe cinched at the waist with a dark blue belt that outlined a subtle curve to her chest and figure. Beneath the split hem of her dress, long white legs showed in elegant lines.
From head to toe, she carried a dignified, goddess like nobility.
Rowe’s gaze moved past her.
His eyes fell instead on the figure following close behind.
A small girl in a white gauze dress, with long purple hair.
The moment Rowe’s gaze landed on her, the girl visibly shivered, her whole body faintly trembling.
Fortunately for her, he only looked at her for a heartbeat before drawing his eyes back, his expression calm.
“I came from Pelion,” Rowe replied.
Just from the other party’s appearance and bearing, he could tell she was one of the central figures of Athens.
And if he wanted to become a “hero,” the first step was to let the world remember his name.
There was no reason to hide his identity.
“My name is Rowe.”
“Rowe? Sage Rowe?”
The young woman blinked, clearly taken aback.
In Greece, hearing the name “Rowe” almost automatically called to mind the title of Sage.
Not to mention that the plain linen robe on his body matched perfectly with the old stories.
She could not be completely sure, but she quickly gathered herself and offered him a noble’s bow.
“I am Pallas, High Priestess of Athens.”
“This girl is my future successor, Medusa.”
“H…hello, sir.”
Medusa’s voice was clear but tiny, her tone timid.
“I apologize. This child is a bit shy.”
“Pallas” smiled apologetically.
Rowe only nodded slightly.
As expected.
Medusa, the “Gorgon” who would one day be cursed into a monster for incurring the wrath of the Greek gods, had originally been a handmaiden of Athena.
And naturally, she was no mere human.
She was an earth attributed goddess.
No matter how she concealed herself, no matter how she suppressed her presence, the dense divinity swirling within her could not escape Rowe’s eyes.
If that was the case, then the identity of this so called High Priestess was obvious.
The Goddess of Wisdom and War.
Athena, freshly returned from Olympus.
Rowe smiled.
“As you can see, I have come seeking the approval of the gods.”
Seeking the approval of the gods?
“Pallas” Athena, borrowing a form that could walk the mortal world, lowered her fine brows for a moment, then curved her moist red lips.
“Unfortunately, the beautiful primary deity I serve, Lady Athena, has no intention of arranging any trials.”
That much was true.
Greek gods might enjoy living among humans, but they were not constantly throwing tests at them.
“However, if you go east from here, there is a forest. Deep within it stands a statue imbued with the divine power of Hermes.”
“You may be able to find something there.”
That could be considered a gesture of goodwill.
The Goddess of Athens thought so at least.
This man before her had an excellent physique, and even if she could not be certain that he was the famed Sage, she could at least tell he was no ordinary wanderer.
If not a sage, then a hero of considerable power.
And such a hero might be worth seeking out in the future.
Rowe nodded, ready to leave.
But before he took a step, he looked again at the timid little girl half hidden behind Athena.
“Medusa, is it?”
He smiled at her.
He was indeed curious about this particular piece of myth, and he did not mind intervening if an opportunity ever presented itself.
Saving her would also be an excellent way to offend the Greek gods.
“She is a good child.”
“Mm…”
Unexpectedly praised, Medusa flushed bright red.
She still summoned up her courage and whispered, “Th…thank you.”
Athena simply smiled faintly.
The tall grass swayed as the lone figure moved farther and farther away.
Hermes.
That was Rowe’s true objective this time.
The god whom Chiron had said had set up a trial.
A representative of the Greek gods, messenger to Zeus.
He might not be counted as one of the Twelve Olympians, but his status was unique.
Hermes had no dedicated great temple or exclusive festival, yet his statues stood at every crossroads.
His image was carved onto the walls of every city, guiding travelers and watching over the city states.
Until now, he had also been the one quietly monitoring Heracles’ growth, honoring the name of the God King.
Silently guiding, silently guarding the trajectory of the boy’s life until he came fully into his power.
If Rowe could step into that one’s field of view…
Then perhaps he could pull Zeus’ gaze to himself as well.
The King of the Gods, forced to look directly at his enemy.
Surely he would not remain calm.
If that was the case…
Then when he stood before the trial, he needed to be arrogant.
The more arrogant, the more unhinged.
The closer he would be to death.
<><><><><>
[P@treon Christmas Discount: 20% OFF]
[Read Up To 40+ Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics]
[
[email protected]
/FanficLord03]
[Join The Discord For Updates, Polls, And Etc.]
[.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]