In the ancient forests of the Greek divine era, dangers lurked everywhere, constantly accompanied by the appearance of ferocious wild beasts.
Especially at night.
In the deep, shadowy ancient forest under the cover of darkness, no one knew what awaited you around the next corner.
If it were any other time, Atalanta probably would not take such a risk.
But from the moment she received the envelope until now, Atalanta could no longer afford to care about that.
She extinguished the campfire, stuffed the little bird into her bosom, raised the Bow of the Heavens, took a deep breath, and her holy azure eyes became resolute.
"Great goddess Artemis, please protect your sincere believer Atalanta. Let the moonlight illuminate the path ahead of me!"
As her words fell, it was as if Artemis had heard her prayer.
The light of the bright moon gathered on Atalanta, illuminating the road ahead of her.
Seeing this, Atalanta breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she gripped the Bow of the Heavens tightly and rushed into the grass-infested woods.
Soon after she charged into the forest...
A sudden roar of various wild beasts echoed through the woods!
What made Atalanta's face change drastically was that, for some unknown reason, all those beasts were charging straight toward her!
At the sight, the little bird stuffed in Atalanta's bosom saw the magnificent scene of all kinds of ferocious beasts pouncing at once, rolled its eyes, and decisively fainted.
Atalanta frowned, feeling a headache, and also very helpless.
Lately, for some reason, her luck had been consistently bad.
She had clearly prayed devoutly to Artemis, but along the way, she kept encountering all sorts of strange things.
Although none of them posed a real threat, they were all extremely troublesome!
Tonight was the same.
It was as if she had poked a hornet's nest of beasts. When the morning sunlight shone on Atalanta's light yellow long hair.
Having survived this long night, Atalanta now stood exhausted at the top of a large tree.
She looked up, her holy azure eyes gazing into the distance at the ancient forest that seemed endless.
"Great god of light Apollo, the devout believer of the moon goddess Artemis, Atalanta, prays to you here. Please point out the direction for me to proceed."
After finishing her prayer and resting briefly, Atalanta did not linger and continued forward.
During the day, perhaps because the beasts were resting, Atalanta's progress this time was unusually smooth...
The smoothest in over a month.
"Is she not your most favored believer?"
At that moment, on a distant mountain peak.
Among the gods, the most handsome god of light Apollo withdrew his gaze from Atalanta, tilted his head with a strange look at Artemis, who had turned away and ignored him, and said, "Why are you... bullying her like this?"
"Because she did something that wronged me!"
Artemis puffed out her cheeks.
"She did something that wronged you? No way, she is your loyal believer. How could she." Apollo seemed very surprised.
Apollo naturally knew this child, Atalanta.
Therefore, he also knew how much Atalanta worshiped Artemis.
"She did!"
"What did she do?"
"She got too close to little Jason... closer than me!" As Artemis spoke, she stomped her foot unhappily!
Seeing this, even Apollo was a bit dumbfounded and said, "If I remember correctly, the one who has been matchmaking her with Jason is you..."
"I did want them to get along well, but, but... but I did not let her relationship with little Jason become better than mine!"
Apollo blinked at Artemis's sophistry and said, "So you have been bullying your believer until now?"
"I did not mean to bully her. I just, just... did not want her to see little Jason anymore..."
"But little Jason is very worried about her situation right now." Apollo, seeing this, only felt a headache and said, "He even came to me for help, and I promised him I would bring Atalanta over..."
As he spoke, Apollo glanced at Artemis.
In ordinary circumstances, Apollo would side with Artemis even if it meant breaking his promise to Jason.
But...
Apollo licked his lips.
He recalled the delicacies he had secretly enjoyed with Hermes during this time.
So after a brief hesitation, he decisively took a stand and said, "In any case, stop it, Artemis. You do not want to make little Jason dislike you, do you?
Moreover, Atalanta is your most devout believer. It is better for her to get along with Jason than for others to do so, right?
Most importantly, with Atalanta there, would it not be easy for you to see Jason whenever you want?"
Hearing the earlier words, Artemis's mouth was still pouted high.
But after hearing the latter part...
"Yes!"
Artemis's eyes lit up instantly, and she said, "Why did I not think of that... Hurry, let us quickly go bring Atalanta over!"
"Wait, wait, hold on. We cannot do that!"
Apollo pulled back the impatient Artemis and told her about the recent unspoken rule among the gods.
It was actually not a big deal; it was just that the gods could not directly bring the invited people over. They had to let them cross numerous difficulties and reach Jason on their own.
Only then would they be qualified to join the journey for the Golden Fleece!
...
...
That very evening,
To please the god of light Apollo who had helped him, Jason specially prepared a type of food full of form and tantalizing taste today: barbecue!
Barbecue was a very common delicacy in the future.
In fact, barbecue also carried a certain cultural significance. It rebelled against conventional dining through the preservation of raw flavors and the crude, ready-to-eat effect.
Especially outdoor barbecue, which had a unique sense of wild abandon and romance.
Under the constantly extending scene of roasting over a campfire and eating, the alluring aroma and the joyful atmosphere on site were irresistible to people.
Thus, beside the beautiful beach under the night sky's stars, where a gentle breeze carried a faint salty taste.
The dazzling campfire illuminated the darkness under the starry sky.
The delicious ingredients grilled over charcoal fire, infused with bursts of carefully prepared spices by Jason, emitted an enticing fragrance that could hook anyone's appetite.
The heroes gathered here swallowed their saliva as they watched Jason's operations.
Over this period, their stomachs had long been conquered by Jason.
Jason's senior brothers were conquered once again.
During this time, more than one prince had expressed to Jason that he should forget about that damned Golden Fleece and just come home with him. He swore to the gods that he would share his sacred royal authority with him!
In the face of such events, Jason usually did not even need to lift a finger.
Heracles, Theseus, and Meleager would step forward proactively to drive away the pests for Jason.
Go away, go away. Even if it were true, it would not be your turn!
They had not even spoken yet!
Seeing this, the gods indicated that they also had something to say, and those three should step aside!
"So fragrant, really fragrant!"
At that moment, Jason, who was casually grilling the barbecue, heard the sudden voice by his ear, turned his head, and saw Apollo, who had returned at some point, staring intently at the food he was making. He immediately perked up.
"Great Lord Apollo, please wait a moment. Yours is already prepared. I will bring it to you right away!"
As Jason spoke, he took out the already prepared barbecue, served it on an exquisite plate, and handed it to Apollo.
This plate was of the same type as those from the lord of the underworld's wedding back then.
It was crafted by Hephaestus himself, so preservation was naturally no issue.
Taking the barbecue, Apollo quickly grabbed a skewer of grilled meat, took a bite, and his eyes lit up instantly.
Seeing that Apollo liked it, he ate big mouthfuls.
Jason did not immediately ask about Atalanta's situation. Instead, he considerately handed over a cup of freshly squeezed fruit juice from tender fruits.
It was not until he finished eating, paused, and savored the deliciousness for a while that Jason quietly asked about Atalanta.
Upon learning that Atalanta was fine and just delayed on the road due to certain matters, and that she would naturally return in a while, Jason breathed a sigh of relief and completely set his mind at ease.
He then entertained Apollo even more diligently.
After another period passed, Jason, who could finally rest, looked at the heroes gathered not far away, eating hot barbecue, drinking fine wine, and boasting.
As well as Hermes and the others who had mixed in at some point.
Jason did not join them. Instead, he took some of his favorite foods and quietly left, coming to a relatively secluded spot.
Sitting on a boulder, he looked up at the starry sky overhead and the shimmering sea below the boulder.
Facing the slightly salty sea breeze, Jason ate his grilled barbecue alone in silence.
At that moment, everything seemed inexplicably very quiet.
It was clearly a barbecue hosted by Jason, but the scene of the heroes gathered not far away seemed completely unrelated to him.
Looking at his back, it inexplicably made one feel a sense of loneliness.
"Is it delicious? Let me try. Ah..."
A familiar voice suddenly rang in Jason's ear.
A strand of silver thread fell on Jason's shoulder as he sat.
Athena bent down and took a bite of the grilled meat Jason was holding up in his hand.
"Mm... The taste is really quite good!"
Jason was slightly stunned, turned his head to look at the goddess Athena, dressed in a white long skirt under the moonlight.
While he was dazed, his eyes met Athena's golden ones.
In that instant, Jason's eyes widened slightly.
Then, Jason's lips moved twice.
A standard smile appeared on his face.
But before Jason could say anything to Athena, his gaze instinctively glanced aside, and he saw two goddesses slowly approaching from not far away.
The goddess of crossroads Hecate, the god of craftsmen Hephaestus... his two teachers.
So Jason smiled again.
He hurriedly stood up, nodded lightly to Athena, and said softly, "Goddess Athena... Teachers!"
With that, Jason immediately trotted toward his two teachers.
Seeing this, Athena could not help but pout.
But she did not say anything.
"Teachers, you are finally out! ...Um, you ask about this in my hand? This is called barbecue. It is very delicious. Come, teacher, let me feed you."
Hephaestus smiled and accepted Jason's feeding.
Hecate instinctively wanted to refuse, but after meeting Jason's gaze, she recalled the back view of Jason she had just seen, and her heart softened instantly.
So she tucked the black strand behind her ear, opened her small mouth, and gently bit into the food Jason offered.
Then, her vermilion eyes reflected Jason's expectant expression.
A hint of amusement involuntarily appeared in her eyes.
After savoring it carefully, she said softly, "It is acceptable."
"And me, Jason." Athena, seeing this, leaned over.
"Mm."
Without refusing, Jason smiled, picked up another skewer of grilled meat, held it in front of Athena, and said, "Of course, Goddess Athena."
As Athena bit down, her gaze collided with Jason's again, and in that instant, Athena's brows suddenly furrowed slightly.
A very subtle sense of difference... but this did not escape Athena's notice.
However, before Athena could fully react, she saw Jason as usual... the Jason in front of Hecate and Hephaestus.
Therefore, even though a flash of doubt crossed her eyes, after observing and finding it the same as always, Athena did not think further.
"By the way, Teacher Hecate, Teacher Hephaestus, and Goddess Athena, since you are out, does that mean..."
"Yes." Then, Hephaestus smiled in response to the expectant Jason and said, "We have finished it... your Argo!"
Thus, that evening, Jason disappeared.
When Heracles and the others discovered this, they immediately panicked. Everyone began searching, looking all night long.
But even after they turned over every corner of this coast, they still did not see Jason's figure.
Just as they were frantic and at their wits' end about this, Jason returned on his own.
At the same time as Jason returned, they noticed that in the woods always shrouded in mist, the thick fog was gradually dissipating bit by bit.
The Argo was already complete...
Jason brought back this astonishing news.
This instantly attracted the attention of all the heroes and the gazes of all the gods watching in secret.
"Where is it?" Someone instinctively followed up, then immediately realized it was a very foolish question.
Then everyone turned their gazes toward the woods where the thick fog was gradually clearing.
"Since the ship is finished, does Jason need us to go in together and carry it out?"
Theseus asked Jason.
Jason shook his head at him and said, "No need... Look."
As Jason spoke, he looked up and pointed at the azure blue sky above.
Seeing this, as the crowd was puzzled, the sky suddenly darkened.
Then the heroes who instinctively looked up at the sky could no longer close their mouths. They all gaped wide, showing stunned expressions.
Because above them, a massive seagoing ship crafted by the gods was flying through the air!