After asking my mother, Selene, to restore the nymphs to their original forms, I resumed rowing and watched as the ship approached an island.
The island was Lemnos. The moment we arrived, there were no welcoming crowds—only women glaring at us with hostility. Their faces were tense, and their crude grips on spears marked them as amateurs.
Some looked beautiful, others not, some were muscular, others emaciated. I'd heard that Lemnos was an island inhabited solely by women—blamed on a curse from Aphrodite. Nestor had just explained it to me before we landed.
"They still haven't come back..."
Jason, the leader of the Argo, and most of the heroes aboard the ship followed him—along with the island's highest authority, their queen, Hypsipyle—to the city.
Of course, not everyone could leave the ship, so a few stayed behind—and there weren't many left aboard the Argo. Me, Heracles, Hylas, Atalanta, Orpheus, Nestor, and Peleus... barely any. Only about one-tenth of the crew remained.
We decided to wait, but before long the sun set and night fell. Still, no one returned.
"I'm starting to worry. I wonder what's happened..."
"Hmm..."
Orpheus stared anxiously toward the city of Lemnos, while Nestor wore a grave expression, lost in thought.
Lemnos, an island of only women—men venturing into that would surely be distracted. I can imagine what might come next. But men losing their focus on women means one thing: opportunity.
"Iskios?"
"Where are you going─!?"
"With all the men's gazes gone for once, I felt like I could relax and wash up a bit. Don't worry—it won't take long."
I jumped off the ship, and Peleus and Heracles, startled, called after me. I looked up at them and briefly explained my plan: if anyone tries to ambush me, I'll kill them. Then I left the Argo behind and sprinted into the forest.
Where there's a forest, there's bound to be a spring nearby. I wanted to wash properly after so long.
Ever since the Argo expedition began, with all the eyes on me, I hadn't been able to let my guard down enough to bathe.
And with my face what it is, I'm easy prey for any would-be attacker—but more than that, if I got ambushed and ended up causing secondary or tertiary trouble thanks to Mother or Apollo, it would be a headache. So I've stayed on guard at all times—even while sleeping or eating.
I sped into the seclusion of the forest and soon found a clear spring. After spotting it, I scanned my surroundings, checking for any prying eyes. Luckily... I felt none.
"Phew...! Finally, I can wash without worry...!"
The constant fear of being jumped at any moment made washing difficult, let alone fully immersing myself in water.
Back when I was living on the run, bathing was nothing more than a luxury...
I used to take a bath for granted in my past life... but being cast into this end-of-days Greece makes even a simple wash feel like a gift. Confirming no one was around, I removed my cloak and mask, stripped off my clothes, wrapped a cloth around my waist, and sank into the spring.
The cold water gave me goosebumps at first, but the chill turned refreshing, and I felt content. Enjoying the icy embrace, I gazed up at the full moon floating above the treetops and
"Haah... I feel revitalized..."
The forest around me was alive only with the rustle of animals moving through the undergrowth and the whispering wind—it was so peaceful I couldn't help but smile. Yes... this was the peace, this gentle calm I'd longed for...!
Before boarding the Argo, I'd briefly hoped for some stability—only to end up raising children because of the centaurs, then being dragged into Jason's expedition... so many things have happened.
People might say I'm too self-sacrificing, but I think I'll always be like this, past, present, and future. As I was lost in that thought, I suddenly sensed someone watching me.
The moment you let your guard down is when you're most vulnerable.
With Jason and the rest of the crew away, in fact, all the remaining Argo sailors were enjoying their free time.
Hylas and Heracles, Peleus and Nestor were busy with a wager, while Orpheus gazed at the waxing crescent in the night sky, composing a piece worthy of offering to it.
And Atalanta quietly ran through the forest without a word to anyone. She spotted someone bathing in a large spring hidden among the trees. But─
"Aaah... how peaceful..."
─Who is this beautiful maiden─no... this is a handsome boy? At first glance his features suggested a young woman, but Atalanta recognized the figure as unmistakably male. And he was wearing a blissful, innocent smile.
This was Lemnos—a place of only women, so a man couldn't possibly be here, she thought. Then Atalanta spotted a familiar mask and cloak, along with a set of clothes, laid out near the spring.
Seeing those items and the boy floating in the water, Atalanta gasped, 'No way...!' His peaceful gaze sharpened in an instant as he turned his eyes toward the tree where she'd been sitting.
"Who's there!!!?"
As soon as she spoke, a stone flew toward Atalanta. She leaped from the tree to dodge it, and the branch she'd been sitting on snapped at the point of impact.
Landing on the ground, Atalanta scanned the spring area in confusion. The boy who'd been floating moments ago had vanished, and the cloak, mask, and clothes that had been laid nearby were gone.
Wondering where he had gone, she looked around—unaware she'd been flanked until someone seized her from behind.
"Urgh...!"
"You saw me..?! Me─!"
Held from behind, Atalanta couldn't break free. Beyond that, she felt a chilling aura of murderous intent behind her.
The hands binding her wrists gripped with brutal strength, and the voice that spoke carried lethal malice. It took her a moment to process the situation, but Atalanta realized who had seized her—and that the youth in question was no boy at all.
"C-Calm down, Iskios...! It's me, me!!! Atalanta!!!"
"Huh...?"
Atalanta shouted, identifying herself, and Iskios froze in surprise. Releasing her hold, he stepped back, letting out a relieved sigh as he gave her space.
"Wh-what... it was you?"
"No, it's fine."
"I'm sorry. I thought it was another man out to prey on me and accidentally let my killer instinct loose..."
Atalanta waved it off calmly and accepted his apology. But even setting aside that few Greek men would apologize like that, she was genuinely taken aback.
Not only had he quickly seized her from behind, but the moment she saw his face, he'd reacted instantly. That alone told her how much he'd suffered at Apollo's hands—she could feel it in her bones.
"But please be careful next time. It's not just that I'm sensitive to being watched—I don't want anyone seeing my face. It draws unwanted attention."
"Right, I'll be more careful next time."
Still wearing his mask, Iskios asked Atalanta to watch her steps. She nodded in agreement, promising to be careful.
Atalanta said no more—everyone knew that Iskios's face drew the gods' attention.
Even three years ago, she knew how Apollo had chased Iskios—she, who had lived in the forest, had heard the tale. That was why he wore a mask to hide his face.
After his face was exposed, Iskios straightened the disheveled clothes hidden beneath his cloak, let out a sigh, and fled the forest alone.
"Whew... lucky it wasn't someone else..."
Climbing from tree to tree, Iskios felt relieved that it wasn't some other man who'd seen his face. He'd already felt how most people reacted when they glimpsed him.
Some would propose marriage. Others would attempt to rape. Some would make lewd advances. Others would use food or trinkets to seduce me. With me, Apollo encompassed all of that.
"Still... you didn't react at all when you saw my face?"
When Atalanta saw his face, Iskios felt a different kind of gaze than before. If he'd felt lust or affection, he would have flinched or tensed.
But Iskios sensed none of that from Atalanta. Then, recalling her personality and background, he went "Ah!" in realization.
"Or maybe you just don't care at all? Ah, so that means you're a wild woman?"
Today, Iskios learned something new and nodded to himself in understanding. With that thought, he turned and headed back toward the Argo.