Atalanta and Iskios step back without listening to what Jason is saying. Atalanta, watching Iskios walk away at his own pace, calls out to him.
"Iskios, are you okay with just leaving Jason like that? Even with his personality, weren't you and Heracles long-time friends with him from your days studying under Chiron?"
"Huh?"
Through Jason's words, the [Argo] expedition—Atalanta included—had proudly claimed that Iskios, [Heracles], and Jason had been close since their days training in [Chiron]'s stables.
Of course, that was Jason's one-sided memory, but Iskios recalled his time under [Chiron]'s tutelage. He had tried so hard to hide his strengths, and Jason saw right through it. After [Chiron], Jason was the first to realize Iskios was concealing his gifts.
From then on, Jason kept scouting for him to join his inner circle, insisting he would be king one day. His tone would always earn him a punch, but [Heracles] would stop him each time. Not all their memories together were bad.
"You might be asking if I worry about Jason. Rest assured, I have no concerns about him."
"What?"
"I trust in his abilities."
Atalanta tilted her head at Iskios's confident reply. She felt assurance in his certainty. Iskios hadn't spent years with Jason for nothing. He knew Jason's flaws well, yes, but he also recognized the rare strengths that shone because of those flaws.
If Jason's character was the worst of any man Iskios had met, he'd rank alongside Orion—famed in Greece as a greater womanizer even than [Zeus]. Orion's tangled affairs with [Artemis] led to [Apollo]'s machinations and his death.
Still, Iskios thought Jason far preferable to any centaur. Jason's character might be trash, but he would never cross the line. More importantly, he treated [Heracles]—whom others both envied and revered—as an equal. A rival in a card game once said:
"Even the depths have a bottom!"
Yes, Jason's personality was terrible, but he still had a bottom—his lowest point. That alone told Iskios all he needed to know.
"Jason's the one who shines brightest under pressure. Remember who took charge of us when we were caught in that storm?"
"Jason did."
"And who overcame the predicament in the end?"
"It was Jason..."
Because Iskios had known Jason for so long, he understood the few but immense virtues Jason possessed. That knowledge banished any anxiety he might have felt. Instead, he nodded as though Jason's success was a given.
"Even if he's throwing a tantrum now, he'll soon find the answer. Want to make a bet?"
"...No, I'm good."
"What a great friendship, Iskios. I'm moved!"
Atalanta needed no further confirmation. But they weren't the only ones listening.
Perched in a nearby tree, white-haired [Orpheus] cradled his lyre and played, wearing a gentle, sweet smile.
"O-Orpheus...! Were you listening?!"
"Yes. Your words gave me such inspiration~! It was well worth eavesdropping~!"
"Don't use my life as material!!!"
***
A few days later, the day of Jason's trial finally arrived, and many had gathered to witness it. I was among them.
It was still early, and I had slipped away to wash my face in solitude. Despite my precautions, I removed my mask—and came face-to-face with someone across from me.
"Goddamn it..."
It was the Colchis prince, [Absyrtus], staring blankly at me. His gaze felt strangely dazed, though not yet alarming.
No doubt inheriting his sister [Medea]'s beauty, his eyes flickered as he looked at me. At that moment, gooseflesh crawled over me.
I quickly donned my mask and fled. What the hell just happened...? I was sure I'd been careful. There hadn't been any look directed at me... Could it have been an accident?
These days, it sometimes happened that my face was exposed. I'd grown to hate revealing my face because it drove these horny men crazy. So whenever a man glimpsed my face, I got especially pissed.
"You're late, Iskios. Not like you. Everything okay?"
"Nothing at all."
I sat with the rest of the [Argo] expedition, waiting to watch Jason's trial. [Heracles] asked why I was late, but I brushed it off as nothing.
As I sat down, the trial began. The fire-breathing bull exhaled flames from its mouth and nostrils. Without hesitation, Jason approached and yoked the bull to the plow. Even under flame, he showed no sign of burns.
King [Aietes]'s brow twitched at the sight, but the heroes watching cheered when Jason drove the plow.
Jason withstood the bull's flames thanks, no doubt, to some magic [Medea] had provided. Whatever it was, it protected him from the fire.
While we watched, Jason succeeded in plowing the entire field with the fire-breathing bull. Next came sowing the dragon's teeth and fighting the soldiers that sprouted from the earth.
"We're finally halfway through..."
"Aye... the real challenge starts now."
Most of the expedition watched in solemn silence. Gone were the smiles and jokes—these end-of-days Greek men were deadly serious.
Jason's feat with the bull demanded stamina, and the next bout against the dragon's teeth soldiers would test him even more.
Jason sowed the dragon's teeth and quickly withdrew from the field. Moments later, the earth cracked as skeletal hands of the dragon's teeth warriors burst free—like a scene from a zombie film.
As the warriors armed themselves and charged, King [Aietes] watched with a grotesque grin. No, sire—control yourself.
But Jason, as if paying back Aietes's smugness, picked up a fist-sized stone and hurled it among the warriors. The stone flew through them, and they began murdering each other.
Only one warrior remained. Jason crushed it with his club. It was too beaten to fight back, and Jason annihilated the rest without needless effort.
"WOOOOOOOOOO!!! Jason has done it!!!"
With the last warrior crushed, Jason raised his club in triumph. The watching heroes erupted in cheers. Aietes's face, once smug, contorted into rage.
Though Jason's victory ruined the king's expression, Medea clasped her hands in delight. Beside her sat Prince Absyrtus...
He was watching me. When our eyes met, his face flushed and he looked away. The moment I saw that, I swore under my breath.
"Shit..."
"What's wrong, Iskios?"
"...Nothing, Heracles."
The trial was over. I wanted to retrieve the Golden Fleece and leave this place. After a year, I was longing for the cabin we'd built in the woods.