"All right... have you packed everything you need?"
"Ah... y-yes...!"
The day after risking my life to negotiate with Hera, Callisto and I were packing up what we could carry and readying to depart.
Originally, Callisto had been hiding in the cave to avoid Hera's wrath, but thanks to me taking the blame, she received a reprieve while I'm still alive. Facing Hera's fiercest jealousy, I think I managed pretty well...
Sincerely, I can't die now. But that doesn't matter. Once this journey is over, I'll return to Iolcos, wrap things up, and then retire to the forest without looking back. To get back to Iolcos quickly, though, we need a ship.
"Hmm... the nearest city with a port around here is..."
First, we have to reach a city. Although we've been living in the forest, Arcas is growing up, so we need supplies—and I need to know what happened in the world while I was gone.
"Are you all right on your own? If you like, I can carry Arcas for a while."
"No... I'm fine. He's my son..."
Even now, I'm moved by her. Tears almost came to my eyes. Even at the end of the world, such a beautiful feeling can bloom like a flower.
Matching Callisto's pace, I retraced the path I took before meeting her. We walked, paused to rest, and walked again, repeating the cycle as we traveled.
Without beasts of burden, we had to walk on our own two feet. That wasn't a problem—but there was another issue: bandits. As proof that this was truly the apocalypse, the bandits and their leader were all Mohicans. They might have looked different, but they were unmistakably shambling end-of-the-world thugs.
Well, after the trouble I went through protecting my own body from men, eluding Apollo for two years, and stealing the Golden Fleece from a watchful dragon, these Mohicans were as weak as fodder mobs in an RPG prologue. I only had to toy with their shadows a little before they lost the will to fight, sobbing like women and cursing their luck as they collapsed in despair.
"From now on, live honestly, all right?"
"N-no...!"
"I can't believe I'm a eunuch now! I—aghhhh...!"
Ignoring their whining, Callisto and I resumed our journey. Before dusk, we reached a city. It seemed people were wrapping up their work and getting ready to head home.
Honestly, the bandit detour had only wasted time. But since we were already late, there was nothing to do. Besides, in post-apocalyptic Greece, locals tend to shun outsiders—people from beyond Greek lands—and there were no convenient inns.
We'd have to sleep rough, but in a large city like this, information is bound to circulate. I decided to question the round-faced man who looked every bit the traveling merchant.
"Excuse me, do you know where we are?"
"Where, you say... Aren't you locals?"
"No, we came from Iolcos."
Iolcos is a bona fide Greek city. The merchant eyed Callisto and me warily, then suddenly lit up in surprise.
"I-Iolcos...? No way—you're Iskios!?"
"That's right. How did you know?"
"Well... anyone wearing that mask coming from Iolcos must be you... everybody knows about you!"
He rattled off how I became famous: the two-year cat-and-mouse game with Apollo, the Argo expedition, the coup with Jason, my rise in Iolcos, the Calydon boar hunt...
Though I had intended to live an ordinary life, circumstances kept pulling me into every crisis. If I hadn't noticed, at this point I was a figure of interest across all of Greece.
They even ranked me alongside Heracles and Theseus among the three great heroes of the era. Perhaps pleased to meet me, the merchant fired questions at me in a rapid stream. Once he'd said everything, I asked him where we were.
"Ah, this is Arcadia."
"Arcadia...?"
I'd heard that Arcadia was the most forested region in Greece, with nature preserved as if the mountain gods themselves tended it.
A true utopia of the wild. If this was Arcadia's capital, the sea lay less than a day's travel away. If we could secure a ship... hmm, we'd need to negotiate with the king, offering something in exchange for a vessel... wait a minute.
"Arcadia...? Oh, hold on..."
"You were part of the Calydon boar hunt six months ago, right? You met Princess Atalanta there, didn't you?"
"Yes, we met."
Yes. In the Calydon boar hunt, Jason and I crossed paths with Nestor and Peleus met Atalanta. Actually, we'd even met during the Argo expedition earlier.
Some looked down on her, others lusted after her. As the only woman on the Argo, she drew attention in every sense.
Raised in the wild, possessing animal instincts and an untamed spirit, she faced me unflinchingly even when she saw my real face. Honestly, I was impressed.
"Do you know what Atalanta is doing now?"
"You... didn't hear?"
"Well, I've been hiding in the woods for half a year..."
"...There's a rumor about the princess that's all over Arcadia."
The merchant looked at me gravely as he spoke. Apparently, the king of Arcadia—who has no son—ordered Atalanta to marry.
In response, she declared, "I will only wed the man who beats me in a footrace. Losers shall be put to death." Countless suitors tried and failed—and then became Charon's passengers.
"Charon? The ferryman of the underworld?"
"Exactly. They raced her and ended up on the other side. And that's normal. In a pure race, no one can outrun Atalanta."
Unless I unleashed my full speed... even then, I doubt even Master Chiron could catch her.
"All right... with that decided... let's go to the palace. Come on, Callisto, let's head to the royal court."
"Ah, y-yes!"
Networking has always been crucial. It opens doors and swings situations in your favor.
Our destination was the Arcadian royal palace. Being in Atalanta's home territory, her connections might at least get us a small boat. Then we could swiftly return to Iolcos and secure a stable life for Callisto.
In any case, I had no intention of marrying Atalanta through a race. Even in my past life, many preferred personal freedom over marriage. Some joked that marriage is the grave of life...
—Should I choose marriage, or preserve personal freedom and hobbies?—
It didn't take long to reach the palace. I wore my mask and told the guards I was Iskios and requested an audience with the king and Princess Atalanta.
One guard ran inside, and shortly after, Callisto and I were ushered into the audience chamber. There, after half a year, I finally saw Atalanta again—and on the throne next to her sat the king, one leg crossed over the other.
I'll be honest... I don't think highly of Atalanta's father. He abandoned her in the mountains because he had no son, and now he orders her to marry? Atalanta refrains from killing him only because murdering one's family is a grave sin in Greece.
"Welcome, Hero Iskios! I've heard of your deeds for some time!"
"...Thank you."
I felt the king's gaze—cold, appraising, as if he were sizing up merchandise. I can't judge his abilities as a ruler, but one thing is clear: as a human being, he's no better than the Mohican scum roaming these lands.
Intent on returning to Iolcos quickly, I stated my request. The king paused, deep in thought. ...What on earth is he considering? Capturing me yields no benefit.
"Oh, if you don't mind, would you be willing to race my daughter?"
"─You're asking me to die?"
I cut him off. At that moment, I understood why the bastard king asked me to race Atalanta.
He said he'd heard many stories about me. In other words, he knew I'd spent two years dodging Apollo, guarding my body, hiding in caves. He believed my speed could outrun Atalanta.
He wants to wed me to his daughter... for obvious reasons. With no son, he plans to marry off his only child and make their offspring the next king. But I have no interest in the throne. Being in the spotlight is plenty; I despise more attention.
"I'm afraid I have little interest in marriage. And... I detest males. Is that clear?"
"W-what about the woman and child at your side...?"
"─She's a victim of Zeus's assault, and the child is hers. I can't leave them alone, so I'm escorting them to Iolcos."
I said my piece and fell silent. The king sank back into his throne, sullen. He was too worked up over this.
Atalanta stood by the throne expressionless, but her eyes were full of contempt. Yes... in end-of-the-world Greece, women are treated like dirt.
Lose your virginity and you're scorned worse than vermin, and if you're merely beautiful, gods like Zeus will ravage you—just like Callisto. But judging from cases like hers and other women's, maybe Zeus prefers gentle maidens after all.
"Then at least stay for a few days. It'll take time to secure a ship!"
He still wouldn't give up. At this point, I'd rather not even look at him. Yet he is the king, so I couldn't treat him lightly.
As king, I would afford him basic courtesy. And it seems he genuinely intends to arrange a ship. Fine. I'll play along and wait quietly.
And so, having said all I needed to the king, Callisto and I left the audience chamber escorted by the guards.