Although the Argo ship spirit initially felt that using the main cannon to deal with a single giant crab was somewhat overkill.
But now, this ship spirit lady had to admit.
In the instant that beam of light pierced tonight's night sky and turned the giant crab to light.
She felt a pleasure that could not be described in words.
Firepower is justice!
"Well done."
Jason replied with a smile to the excited ship spirit.
And Atalanta slowly regained her senses at this moment, subconsciously looking toward Jason... she recovered so quickly mainly because she was somewhat accustomed to it.
Accustomed to witnessing, while at Jason's side, events that could only be described with the word miracle.
It was also at this time that Atalanta, looking at Jason, suddenly realized how close she was to him...
Her holy azure eyes gazed at him under the moonlight's illumination.
Upon realizing she was being held by him, a faint blush appeared on Atalanta's face.
And it was at this moment that the Argo's hull stirred once more; the dimmed main cannon was retracted, and the pressure binding the heroes vanished.
The released heroes, with Heracles and Theseus leading, rushed out first to the front of the ship. Just as they were about to inquire what had happened, upon seeing Jason before them and Atalanta held in his arms, they could not help but freeze.
At the same time, amid a shower of pale golden particles, the spirit of the Argo reformed into the maid-outfitted ship spirit and returned to Jason's side.
What followed was straightforward.
Jason introduced this final boarding woman to those gradually gathering—the favored child of the Moon Goddess Artemis, Atalanta.
Under the full moon's gaze, under the watchful eye of the goddess in the moon who tightly clutched her handkerchief...
Naturally, he also explained what had just occurred.
And it was around this time,
"What a joke!"
Among the stars, standing alongside the Goddess of Night Nyx, Hera—who had witnessed the entire process—widened her golden eyes.
Gazing distantly at the scene below, she said in disbelief: "What is that fool Athena doing? How could she grant such power to that bastard!"
Leaving aside Hephaestus and Hecate for now, what are you doing, Athena!
Hera cried out inwardly.
And the recovered Nyx, naturally, remained quite calm.
After all, Athena had indirectly given Jason the legendary divine tools: the bow of the God of Light Apollo and the arrows of the Moon Goddess Artemis.
Thus, gifting him such a warship was hardly surprising.
And the Argo's main cannon was the crystallization of the efforts of Goddess Hecate, Goddess Hephaestus, and Athena, these three goddesses.
Its power had just been demonstrated.
Though its strength fell short of the bow and arrows combined, considered individually, it yielded nothing!
In other words, that single shot from the main cannon was sufficient to match a Moon Goddess arrow fired by Jason under a full moon!
Thus, it was clear: Hera was stunned. She ceased her idle chat with Nyx, bid a hasty farewell, and turned in panic to seek Athena.
Hera did not search long before finding Athena.
After all, Athena herself could not have strayed too far.
Moreover, upon seeing that cannon shot, Athena knew Hera would come looking for her.
For this, Athena had long prepared in her heart.
As one of the participants, she naturally knew the main cannon's power.
Comparable to any major god's personal divine weapon!
After all, this was the culmination of efforts from three goddesses, and ones who had reached the pinnacle in their respective domains.
But since she was prepared, Athena naturally had the confidence to persuade Hera.
And in fact, the Argo main cannon's drawbacks were quite evident.
Its activation speed was slow, and due to its overwhelming power, even as a product of the God of Craftsmen Hephaestus, it could not fire continuously, lest the hull shatter under the strain.
After that previous shot, the Argo had been propelled backward thousands of meters by the recoil!
At the same time, energy required accumulation.
This was also why the main cannon could only be used once a month.
But the advantages were equally clear.
Immense power, long range, and most importantly, firing big guns was a man's romance, justice!
Though the one controlling the firing was the ship spirit lady.
Faced with the Goddess of Wisdom Athena's silver tongue, Hera accepted this outcome... mainly because she had no choice but to.
Because the ship spirit had declared it outright: Goddesses Hecate and the others had sworn by the River of Oaths, granting the Argo to Jason.
Jason was the Argo's first and only master!
Then, as Hera departed and the smile faded from Athena's face, she looked toward Jason in the distance, a peculiar glint flashing in her eyes.
"I wonder what Father's reaction will be upon learning of this... from the hands of the Magic Goddess Hecate and the God of Craftsmen Hephaestus, a mere three months of collaboration yielded such a terrifying weapon.
What if they were given more time?"
Though the Argo had drawn the gods' attention, as the Goddess of Wisdom Athena saw through its true significance at a glance.
The terror of the Magic Goddess Hecate and the God of Craftsmen Hephaestus combined!
Their joint efforts would almost certainly forge horrors rivaling the divine weapons held by Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades!
And the one who had orchestrated their collaboration, sensing this potential, was Jason...
"It seems from now on, they likely won't collaborate on weapons again; Father won't allow it... but that's not quite right."
As Athena spoke, as if struck by a thought, she paused briefly before turning her gaze back to the Argo.
More precisely, to Jason atop it...
"...Yes, come to think of it, he is the most outstanding creation currently in the making."
Moreover, forging him involved far more than just Goddesses Hecate and Hephaestus.
Ultimately, just as Athena had surmised.
As word of the Argo's excellence spread among the gods, Zeus—who had been who-knows-where carousing—displayed his aspect as king of the gods.
On Mount Olympus, he summoned Goddesses Athena, Hecate, and Hephaestus.
But these matters bore little relation to Jason.
After all, the current Jason remained temporarily unable to involve himself in such affairs.
The Argo continued sailing the seas; though last night's events had greatly shocked the many heroes aboard, the shock came suddenly and faded quickly.
The next day,
With no need to row oars, the massive Argo advanced on its own, and under the guidance of the Goddess of Wisdom Athena, it always sailed the correct course.
Thus, the idle passengers on the Argo sang and danced aboard, as if on a pleasure cruise, much to Hera's chagrin as she watched with furrowed brows.
Though the crab had been slain, it clearly did not deter Hera's determination to cause trouble.
Moreover, after confirming with Athena yesterday that the main cannon could only fire once a month, Hera immediately devised another plan.
She sought out a goddess of the seas.
Queen of the Seas Amphitrite!
Yes, the very Amphitrite who had once lent Jason her lyre, aiding him in offering tribute to the God of Light Apollo.
Upon Hera's arrival and hearing it was to target Jason, Amphitrite instinctively wanted to refuse.
But upon second thought, after pondering, Amphitrite ultimately agreed.
Because Amphitrite felt that rather than letting Hera run amok unchecked, it was better to keep an eye on things herself.
That way, next time she pressed Jason for tribute, that child would have no choice but to comply!
With this in mind, Amphitrite—feeling quite pleased—immediately accepted Hera's request.
And Hera, completely unaware she had recruited a double agent, was overjoyed at Amphitrite's response.
After all, as one of the seas' sovereigns, with her aid, thoroughly humiliating Jason would be effortless!
Thus, that very afternoon, the once clear skies suddenly clouded over densely.
Soon, it became the seas' most dreadful thunderstorm.
The once calm surface churned with waves, as if the ocean raged in fury, turning the Argo's merry crowd pale-faced in an instant.
Many knelt, devoutly praying for the gods' protection.
Pleading for the Sea Emperor Poseidon's mercy.
Jason blended into the crowd, feigning panic as well, earning a roll of the eyes from Atalanta, who had rested a night and recovered her spirits.
After all, consider the words of his prayer.
"Great Olympian King of the Gods Zeus, great Sea Emperor Poseidon, great Underworld King Hades, great Queen of the Gods Hera... great Goddess of the Crossroads, Teacher Hecate, your humble Jason prays to you here, seeking your protection..."
Good grief, all in one breath without pause; who knows how many times he had practiced in secret to sound so fluent.
He named every Olympian major god in one go, leaving none out!
At the same time, Jason quietly instructed the ship spirit to disable the sea navigation program, as this storm was clearly the work of the divine.
The surging seas intentionally herded this "small vessel" toward somewhere.
Seeing the panic among the Argo's crew—mainly Jason's feigned terror—Hera's expression finally improved, even curling into a smug smile.
This amused the nearby Queen of the Seas Amphitrite, who had invoked her divine authority to create it all.
Though the weather appeared terrifying—thunderstorms at sea were indeed fearsome—its actual effect was negligible.
Soon, the Argo's protective barrier activated; not a drop of rain fell aboard, though the ship rocked more violently, paling the faces of those unaccustomed to water.
Thus, after a full day and night of thunderous clouds, the Argo was guided to the side of a peculiar little island.
On this lovely island dwelt a group of wondrous monsters.
Their name was Sirens...