Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"My friend, this bow was a gift from Artemis in exchange for the sacrifice you made when you captured the Erymanthos boar, wasn't it?"

My God, capture the Cretan bull, sacrifice it to Zeus, and the king of the gods will bestow upon you the helmet!

The armor you're wearing is the armor bestowed upon you by the god of light, the one who cleans Apollo's cattle pen!

Antaeus's bracers! The Titan you strangled?

"Tell me, buddy, how did you manage to lift that big guy up into the sky? I can't wait to hear! Now I'll have something to brag about back home!"

Jason knew these things like the back of his hand, and with an extremely exaggerated tone and expressive face, he urged Hercules beside him to hurry up.

Faced with such a reckless individual, Hercules' lips twitched slightly, his tense facial expression nearly breaking down, and he immediately lost the will to intimidate this frivolous fellow who had come up to him.

At this moment, Jason, like a snake climbing a pole, moved even closer as if they were old friends, and his restless hands quietly reached for the Hercules' quiver.

"And this jar of arrows you have, isn't it a divine weapon bestowed upon you by Athena, the one that shot down the monstrous bird of Lake Stimphalis? Let me touch it a few more times!"

"It's been contaminated with the droppings of those strange birds, which are highly poisonous..."

Hercules, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't help but frown and remind her.

Jason, who was holding the arrow close to his eyes to examine and touch it, and even sniffed it, suddenly changed his expression. He hurriedly stuffed the thing back into his quiver, his heart pounding wildly. The smile he forced still showed traces of lingering fear.

"Brother, you saved my life!"

Then Jason eagerly picked up the jar and, in a very obsequious manner, filled Heracles' bowl with wine.

“Kaludon is not a place for you. The hunting grounds are not a meadow for a spring outing. That demon boar could kill you at any moment.”

Hercules picked up his wine bowl, glanced at Jason, and after a moment's thought, drank it all in one gulp.

"Aren't there still you guys? I'm just there to make up the numbers."

Jason made no attempt to hide the fact that he was a weakling, then changed the subject with a bright smile.

"However, such a magnificent epic would be a waste if no audience witnessed it."

Then, the blond man picked up his glass, waved generously to the heroes around him who were gradually becoming familiar with him, and joked and cheered.

"Come on, let's toast to the strongest man in all of Greece! Wow, I don't know how he built those muscles, they're so enviable. If I were a woman, I would definitely marry him!"

"Who says men can't do it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, men can too!"

"Even non-humans can use it!"

Prince Calydon responded to this presumptuous overstepping of authority with a smile and cheerfully joined in the commotion.

At this moment, the Greek heroes on the field, seeing that the murderous aura in Heracles' eyes had gradually dissipated, responded with bursts of laughter, each of their lewd jokes more outrageous than the last.

"roll!"

Hercules' face darkened, and he couldn't help but smirk and curse as he raised his glass in response. The deathly atmosphere around him seemed to circulate again.

The banquet quickly grew more lively, and the heroes no longer cared about seating arrangements or backgrounds. They sought out acquaintances or people they felt a connection with, chatting and drinking together.

Peleus and Telamon, two great heroes who had been acquainted with Hercules, also stepped forward with their wine cups to drink and chat with the mighty god.

Peleus gently patted Heracles' chest, his tone calm and solemn.

"Painful trials will inevitably lead to great achievements. By overcoming these obstacles, you will go even further."

Hercules' lips were pressed tightly together, and his face looked somewhat somber.

Just as the atmosphere became tense, Telamon laughed heartily, put his arm around the Hercules, and looked on expectantly.

"Hercules, my brother, my child is about to be born. After you capture that beast, how about coming to my house for a visit? And while you're at it, can you help me name him?"

Upon hearing the request, the burly man's expression softened, and he nodded in a low voice.

Peleus and Telamon discussed the name with the Hercules and eventually settled on "Ajax".

At this time, no matter where the drinking party was, Jason's smiling figure could always be seen, and the atmosphere was enlivened by him.

A moment later, the blond-haired youth toasted Samael and the others at their table.

Chapter 142 One God Leads Four Pitfalls (2/2)

The ancient serpent smiled politely and raised its glass, but to Atalanta and Circe, Jason's misplaced masculine charm was, as always, met with disdain.

He had no choice but to tactfully touch his nose and leave. However, before leaving, he secretly gave Samael a thumbs up, his eyes revealing a hint of admiration and envy, and his mouth moved slightly.

Sure, bro.

As expected, I still want to beat this guy to death...

Samael noticed the sudden sharp gaze behind him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"I don't like him, he's so glib!"

Atalanta frowned and snorted softly, having naturally taken in Jason's little tricks just now.

At this moment, the hall seemed to come alive as the blond youth moved around.

"Indeed, he seems more attractive to men."

Samael surveyed the bustling hall, a mocking chuckle escaping his lips. His gaze lingered briefly on the Hercules figure, a glint in his eyes.

It seems that due to his appearance, not only the existence of Theseus, but also the content and order of the Twelve Trials of Hercules have been subtly altered.

Presumably, this Hercules wouldn't easily provoke the Typhon descendants, who are currently united and under Athena's protection.

Having obtained some evidence, the ancient serpent relaxed slightly. While sipping its drink, it observed the assembled Greek heroes with great interest, a slight smile playing on its lips.

This trip was worthwhile. Those cold, rigid names from books have now broken through the barriers of time and space, appearing before my eyes and gradually gaining warmth and life.

At the banquet, he met the magnanimous Prince Calydon, his hot-tempered sister Caenis, the patient and composed Peleus, and the wise but seemingly foolish Telamon...

And Jason, who has excellent oratory skills and the ability to warm up the crowd.

Today, he did a good job as the atmosphere-maker, successfully dispelling the dullness and oppression brought by Hercules.

By the way, the biggest takeaway from this trip is right here beside me.

Samael snapped out of his daze, glanced at Jason surrounded by a group of muscular men urging him to drink, and smiled wryly.

Accompanied by two beautiful women, one older and one younger, he was probably the most popular man with women at the scene.

Furthermore, Atalanta only sipped wine and remained vigilant at all times, and she ruthlessly rejected any attempts by male heroes to talk to or flirt with her.

Circe, on the other hand, was only focused on eating and drinking, his mouth covered in sauce.

This further highlights Samael's unique position, squeezed in the middle, drawing gazes of either envy or jealousy upon the ancient serpent.

But soon, his exclusive favor attracted hatred.

"Hey kid, what achievements have you made that you have the right to sit here?"

A middle-aged man, hiccuping from drinking, strode over with unsteady steps, slammed his hand on Samael's table, and gave a disdainful snort, his eyes flashing with contempt.

"That's right, say it out loud, let everyone hear it."

Another person following behind raised their arms and cheered.

At this moment, the hall fell silent. The heroes looked at Samael with some frowns and some worry, but more of them were indifferent and mocking.

Ah, heroes, at their core, are still just human.

While they possess commendable abilities and qualities, they also have indelible flaws and desires.

In this world, those with strength are the ones who deserve respect.

Samael smiled knowingly, his gaze gradually hardening.

"Whizzing!"

However, before the ancient serpent could make a move, it used these two troublemakers to flex its muscles, and a sound of air being cut through the air rose from its side.

As the two turned around, two arrows pierced through the stone pillar, their tails humming and vibrating.

Immediately, they instinctively raised their hands and touched one side of their cheeks, where warm liquid flowed into their palms.

Blood!

The stinging pain that spread from the wound on their cheeks caused the alcohol to dissipate into cold sweat on both of them.

"Now, are we even qualified to sit here?"

Atalanta gripped the bowstring tightly, her expression grim.

"I'm talking about him, you..."

"He's one of my men, we're in this together. If you want to fight, come find me!"

As the huntress's sharp gaze fell upon them, the two felt a chill run down their spines, their faces turned pale, and they instinctively shrank back and staggered backward, like rabbits being targeted by a mother leopard.

"waste!"

Seeing how incompetent the two provocateurs were, Atalanta scoffed disdainfully.

When the two came to their senses, their faces flushed a deep purplish-red. The presence of the heroes made them feel intensely humiliated in front of everyone.

Just as they were angrily raising their hands, Prince Calydon, who had left his seat earlier, heard the commotion and rushed over from the backyard. After seeing the situation, he frowned and roared.

"What are you doing!"

"Meleagelos, she's humiliating us, humiliating your uncle! Punish them, teach them a lesson!"

"Shut up! This is my guest! A state guest of Caludon! Get out!"

"Are you just going to sit idly by and watch your own blood relatives be treated like this? How can you be so biased towards outsiders?"

The two troublemakers cried out in protest.

King Kaludong frowned and walked down the steps to his two uncles. He grabbed one of them by the collar and leaned close, giving a cold, gloomy snort.

"Enough! I know what kind of people you are! If it weren't for Mother's sake, you wouldn't even be qualified to join the hunt, yet you dare to provoke others!"

"What, do I need the guards to escort you out? Leave my palace, lest you utterly disgrace Calydon!"

The two middle-aged men turned pale for a moment, glared hatefully at their nephew and Atalanta, and then turned away from the palace in humiliation.

As their figures gradually disappeared into the night, Prince Calydon immediately raised his cup and approached Atalanta and the other two, apologizing profusely.

Out of respect for the prince, Samael and the others didn't take it too seriously and let the minor offense slide.

The prince, relieved to have been forgiven, then raised his wine glass and continued to interact with the heroes in the hall, gradually fading away his earlier unpleasantness.

"There's really no need for them to stand up for me."

Sitting in his seat, Samael rubbed the bridge of his nose and whispered.

“I brought you here to fight monsters, not to let them insult you. If I don’t stand up for you, what right do I have to be your leader?”

Atalanta winked and smiled, her tone full of protectiveness.

Okay, so he's probably really being treated like a low-level, illegitimate child of a goddess, right?

In your opinion, those divine items are all for saving my life?

The ancient snake scratched its head helplessly and smiled bitterly to itself.

After calming himself down a bit, Samael looked up at Prince Calydon, who was toasting with the heroes, a playful glint in his eyes.

This was a clever man who knew that Atalanta was the key to defeating the Boar and the link between Calydon and the Goddess of the Hunt. Therefore, he was too busy treating the three of them with utmost respect and dared not offend them.

It's a pity that his two uncles weren't as clever.

He vaguely remembered that during the hunt in Calydon, the prince offered the pelt of the demon boar to his elder sister, Atalanta, on the grounds that she had shot the first arrow, in order to promote reconciliation between man and god.

However, the two who had just been driven out were resentful and actually tried to snatch the boar pelt from Atalanta. Enjoy the cheers of the people of Caledon.

In the end, the prince had no choice but to harden his heart, kill his two muddle-headed uncles, and decisively show his sincerity to Artemis.

But later, when the queen saw that her two brothers had been stabbed to death by her son, in a fit of grief and anger, she threw the wooden carving that was connected to her son's life into the fire and burned it, thus betraying him, and then committed suicide.

The unfortunate old king, it seems, didn't have many days left to live.

Now the whole family can set off together.

Tsk tsk, father betrays son, two uncles are useless teammates, mother turns out to be a werewolf, this prince of Calydon is really pitiful.

One god leading four bad guys, it's impossible to play.

Samael was filled with emotion, once again grateful that the people who had teamed up with him back then were Gilgamesh, Merlin, Anna, and Quetzalcoatl.