If the first half of the quest for the Golden Fleece was filled with all manner of dangers and hardships,
then the journey home felt almost like… a pleasure cruise.
That was not hard to understand. This was the age of ancient Greece when the gods still walked the earth,
and the favor and affection of the gods were simply like this.
Thus, in the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
The returning Argo, carrying numerous heroes, the blessings of the gods, and the priceless treasure known as the Golden Fleece, finally came home at last!
On this day, it was as though even Apollo, God of Light, was blessing them. Dazzling, radiant sunlight bathed the sacred Argo and everyone aboard in brilliant splendor.
After ten days of wondrous travel through the deep sea under the divine power of Sea Queen Amphitrite, the heroes of the Argo finally surfaced once more and basked in the bright light of day.
They had returned to the harbor of Iolcos,
the very same port where they had originally gathered from every corner of the Greek mainland before setting sail!
Though more than half a year had passed, they recognized the place in an instant.
After all, the houses Jason had built here were still standing untouched.
Protected by the gods, every trace of their former life remained exactly as it had been when they left.
"Praise the gods of Olympus!"
It had taken them half a year to seek the priceless Golden Fleece, yet the journey home had taken less than a month.
Faced with such a miracle, many knelt in the sunlight, kissed the deck of the Argo with sincere reverence, and offered praise to the gods.
Even the Spirit of the Argo (the doll-like lady in maid attire) turned sullen and tearfully complained to Jason, complaining that she was "no longer pure."
Only after Jason repeatedly promised to personally give her hull a thorough cleaning did she finally calm down.
"Is this your homeland, Jason?"
A gentle voice sounded beside Jason's ear.
With light steps, the beautiful sea goddess Thetis came to his side. She gently pressed down the sea-blue curls that danced in the breeze.
When Jason turned to look at her, a lovely smile immediately bloomed on her face.
This was the goddess once pursued by both God-King Zeus and Sea-King Poseidon, famed throughout all the seas for her beauty and virtue.
Actually, the reason Sea Queen Amphitrite's quarrels with Poseidon were largely because of this very younger sister…
One could say that if not for the prophecy concerning her, Zeus would never have let her go.
The moment she appeared, she instantly drew the gazes of countless heroes present.
Many could not help comparing her to Queen of the Underworld Persephone.
These days, Persephone was universally acknowledged across the Greek mainland as the most beautiful goddess,
largely because of the grand wedding of the Lord and Lady of the Underworld that Jason had personally orchestrated, an event that had stunned both gods and mortals alike.
Yet even when compared to Persephone, the gathered heroes could only conclude… that Thetis was in no way inferior!
"Lady Thetis, why did you come out here?!"
Jason's eyes widened slightly. He spoke to her with obvious alarm. "And why aren't you wearing your veil? Where is the veil I asked Teacher Hephaestus to craft for you?"
Thetis blinked. She quickly understood why Jason was panicking.
Just a few days ago, she had been the same way: hiding in Jason's room, too terrified to step outside,
fearing that the moment she left that magic-protected space, that man would find her.
But now she was no longer afraid.
During the banquet hosted by the sea gods for the heroes, Amphitrite had quietly informed her of the decision of the Olympians.
Remembering that decision, Thetis's gaze drifted to Jason.
She looked at the young man before her: handsome as Apollo himself, clad in pure white robes, refined and gentle.
The most renowned great hero in the world.
When she recalled how even her elder sister Amphitrite had spoken of the matter with envy, saying Thetis was truly blessed,
a trace of shy delight flickered in Thetis's eyes.
Clearly, being pulled from one fire only to land in another… Thetis did not mind at all!
The cliché of a hero saving a maiden in her darkest hour might be old, but one had to admit: it worked.
See Princess Io, turned into a cow and guarded by the hundred-eyed giant;
see Queen Hypsipyle of the island;
one could even look at Hephaestus himself for reference…
Thus, Thetis gazed at Jason's face with shining eyes. After shyly lowering her head, she spoke in a voice as soft as flowing water that caressed the hearts of everyone who heard it.
"I forgot… Jason, could you put it on for me?"
"Uh… sure."
Jason paused for a moment, then stepped forward without thinking too much. He took the white veil from her hands and gently placed it over her face himself.
The white veil concealed Thetis's breathtaking beauty, yet at the same time it added a layer of mysterious charm.
Jason was actually very perceptive (survival instinct, after all),
but he genuinely had not noticed anything strange about Thetis yet. Just two days ago she had still been trembling in fear of Zeus…
But as the saying goes: the people involved are lost, while the bystanders see clearly.
Among the heroes watching from the side, Prince Theseus of Athens could not help whispering to Prince Meleager of Calydon beside him,
"Hey, don't you think this goddess… seems to have feelings for our little junior brother?"
Goddesses appearing aboard the Argo was no longer anything unusual.
After more than half a year, whether it was the sea nymph Scylla, or Lady Athena and Lady Artemis who kept popping up,
the heroes had long grown accustomed (numb, even).
After all, if you stuck close to Jason, you might lack anything else, but you would never lack the favor of goddesses…
"Yeah, it really looks that way," Meleager nodded.
"Then doesn't that mean… they actually make quite a good match? Should we senior brothers give them a little push?"
Before Meleager could reply, he caught sight of someone who had suddenly appeared beside them. His whole body stiffened, and he quietly slipped away.
"Hey, Meleager, I'm talking to you! Why aren't you—"
Theseus turned, annoyed, wanting an answer, only to see the beautiful huntress Atalanta with waist-length pale-gold hair standing silently beside him.
Theseus swallowed hard and forced a bright smile.
"A-Atalanta! When did you get here?"
Atalanta glanced at him, then looked toward Jason, who had just finished putting the veil on Thetis and was now kindly fixing a few strands of her hair.
She said nothing.
Jason truly meant nothing by it. When he was little, with the mindset of an elder brother toward his younger sister, he often helped Medea with her hair,
and the Goddess of Crossroads Hecate too.
Whenever Hecate got absorbed in an experiment for days, months, or even years, she tended to become rather disheveled.
Though in truth Hecate could fix it instantly with magic, once she saw that Jason enjoyed helping, she simply stopped using spells.
Come to think of it, little Jason back then had basically been freeloading off Hecate…
Even though it was an innocent gesture, Jason's actions still made Thetis's watery eyes grow even more enchanting.
Atalanta watched without stepping forward. The emerald in her eyes showed no great ripple of emotion.
While Theseus and Meleager beside her trembled in fear for reasons unknown,
"Big Brother!"
Medea came running over with quick little steps and arrived before Jason and Thetis.
"Big Brother, I've checked. Everyone has finished packing. When shall we set out?"
Only then did Atalanta finally walk forward.
As the saying goes: three women make a theater troupe.
Though that exact phrase did not yet exist here, none of the heroes watching dared approach.
They all very consciously kept their distance and chatted among themselves elsewhere.
"I see… Then it's time to go home."
Jason nodded to Medea, then gazed into the distance toward the royal city of Iolcos.
"Right, Medea, where is Cerberus?"
"I'll go fetch her later."
Atalanta, now beside them, answered Jason's question.
"And Pegasus too."
Atalanta had met Cerberus long ago in the labyrinth and had even traveled together for a while, so the two actually got along quite well.
As for "Horse Brother," that went without saying.
Until now, the person who had ridden Pegasus the most (aside from Jason) was Atalanta.
Jason naturally agreed.
"I remember you set out on this voyage to reclaim your throne, right, Jason?" Thetis, still veiled, suddenly asked. "So now that you're back, are you going to become king?"
Before Jason could answer,
"He will not become king."
Atalanta answered for him instead.
"If he wanted to be king, he could have married that princess named Io back in Inachus and taken the throne right then and there…"
"Io… princess?"
Thetis blinked.
"Jason once saved Princess Io from the hundred-eyed giant. In gratitude, her father the king wanted to pass the crown to him.
Princess Io fell in love with him too… She was an incredibly beautiful princess.
And that very night, Jason rode away on Pegasus."
At these words, an embarrassed look appeared on Jason's face.
"Atalanta, what are you talking about? That's ancient history. It's long over and done with."
"What am I talking about? What are you talking about?"
Atalanta continued, "I heard that princess later traveled thousands of miles to find Chiron just to look for you. She still hasn't given up.
Oh, by the way, the reason she was put under guard was because a certain great god took a fancy to her and angered a certain great goddess."
Thetis blinked again. The story sounded… oddly familiar.
"And it's not just that princess, either. From what I know, you've had plenty of chances to become king, Jason."
Atalanta went on, "The most recent one was during this very voyage, wasn't it?
Queen Hypsipyle of Lemnos fell in love with you at first sight and pursued you madly.
And in Colchis, if you had wanted the throne, I'm pretty sure no one there would have objected. Right, Medea?"
Medea's cheeks flushed. She glanced at Jason, then nodded without denying it.
"Atalanta, what are you doing?"
Jason couldn't help rolling his eyes at her.
"Nothing. I just suddenly remembered how many similar situations you've actually been in."
Atalanta tilted her head and said, "From what I know, there are already several cases. And the ones I don't know about… Jason, you really have captured quite a lot of women's hearts, haven't you?
And if I'm not mistaken, that includes quite a few nymphs… and even great goddesses."
Thetis stopped blinking entirely. Her expression froze solid behind the veil.
"Hey, she's right!"
Theseus, who had been pretending to talk to someone else while actually eavesdropping, suddenly chimed in.
"When I visited the Underworld last time, I noticed Junior Brother Jason is extremely popular down there.
I even asked Asclepius about it later. He said lots of Underworld goddesses like Jason, and even a certain fire spirit is very fond of him… Meleager, why are you pulling me away for—"
Meleager turned and walked off without looking back. He had decided to abandon Theseus to his fate.
"Listening to all this… you really are something, Jason."
"Atalanta, what's gotten into you?"
Jason rolled his eyes again at her teasing.
"Nothing. I just suddenly felt like mentioning it.
You really have won the hearts of quite a few women and goddesses. Even my own goddess…"
Atalanta tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled lightly. "Yet strangely enough, not a single one has ever won yours.
You really are… incredibly timid."
"Because it's nothing but trouble! Women, especially beautiful women!"
At this point Jason didn't overthink it. He had complained about this to Atalanta many times before, so he spoke bluntly.
"Io was fancied by the great God-King Zeus. Hypsipyle is being watched by Lady Aphrodite.
I wouldn't dare touch them. Too much trouble. Trouble, begone!"
When those words left Jason's mouth, Thetis's expression completely froze behind her veil.
Fortunately, the veil hid it.
Medea secretly thought to herself how close a call it had been. Thank goodness she had stopped her father and mother, or Big Brother would probably have fled that very night, and no one could have caught him.
As for Atalanta… she laughed.
She laughed very happily.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, her blooming smile carried, for some reason, a hint of charming playfulness.
After all,
Princesses and goddesses come and go like flowing water.
But the steadfast companion Atalanta remains the iron pillar forever.