“…Please, grant your counsel.”
Up to now, Heracles had completed eight of his labors.
The monsters he had slain were too many to count, and his na had spread all across Greece.
Wasn’t that enough to beco a god?
Then why couldn’t he still ascend? What was he lacking?
Triton, who watched Heracles bowing his head slightly, lost in complex thoughts,
paused in surprise before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“Ah… Ahahaha! A mortal seeking advice on how to beco a god! Ahahaha! You are truly amusing, Heracles!”
“…?”
“A regular mortal would struggle to even beco a hero or a king, let alone a god. Keh-heh!”
As a look of confusion crossed Heracles’ face, Triton’s laughter grew louder.
“…Isn’t it natural to look upward?”
“Hahahaha! Right, it seems you’ve already surpassed the usual scope of a hero.”
Triton, who had been laughing for a long ti, suddenly stopped and looked at him.
“Are you curious about the difference between gods and mortals, why you haven’t beco a god?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Here’s Antaeus, the giant serpent Python who was slain by the sun god, and Isnios, the dragon son of the god of war.”
Nas rolled off the lips of the god who ruled the waves.
“Do you know what these figures have in common?”
“…Despite having gods as parents, they are not divine beings?”
“Correct. Divinity isn’t that simple.”
Heracles listened to him with more focus than ever.
Sohow, the tone felt dizzying, as if secrets of divinity were being revealed. He couldn’t afford to miss a single word!
“Lesser gods who have little impact on the world can be appointed by the great gods. But… you are a bit different.”
“Different? In what way?”
The god spoke.
Waves swirled in his eyes, shaking Heracles’ mind.
Was that his voice? It was like a sound piercing directly into his mind and resonating there.
It didn’t reach him through his ears but seed to sink into his heart.
Because you, even with a mortal body, can rival gods.
Because you’ve achieved multiple feats that would make anyone a great hero for accomplishing even one.
Because your endurance surpasses that of others.
Because you…
Still need sothing. Sothing more…
If you don’t realize it yourself, you will never beco a god.
“Ah…”
“Perhaps, you need to mingle more with humans. There’s a mortal nad Jason who’s assembling an expedition… Why don’t you join them once this task is over?”
Jason’s expedition…
* * *
Jason (Iason).
The son of Aeson, the forr king of Iolcos, who had been ousted by his half-brother Pelias.
Wandering the world, he arrived at a hero’s training Academy in Thebes.
There, he was taught by the wise centaur Chiron, alongside Heracles, Asclepius, and others, and returned to the mortal realm.
He planned to head to the city ruled by Pelias to demand his throne back.
But on his way to Iolcos…
He encountered an old, shabby woman and carried her across a river, losing one of his leather sandals in the process.
“Wait… Look, that man has only one sandal on?”
“If the prophecy is true, that man will claim the throne…”
“Oh, co on. Would King Pelias hand over the throne so easily?”
At that ti in Iolcos, Hera’s oracle foretold that a young man wearing only one sandal would seize the throne.
Because of this, Jason was whispered about as he made his way to the palace.
“Hmm. So, you’re the son of Aeson?”
“Yes. I am Jason, prince of Iolcos. I have co to claim the rights that belong to !”
“Hmm…”
Of course, Pelias did not want to give the throne to Jason.
But Hera’s oracle hung over him, and if he killed Jason, he feared the judgnt he would face in the underworld.
Moreover, there were rumors lately that even his half-siblings, Poseidon’s other children, were becoming strangely kind…
‘Hera’s oracle, the watchful gaze of Pluto in the underworld, the strange behavior of my father Poseidon’s other children…’
Pelias thought it might be wiser to simply hand over the throne,
but his desire for power was too strong to relinquish, so he ca up with a sche.
As long as he didn’t kill Jason himself, he’d be in the clear, right?
“Jason. I can give you the throne, but don’t you think you need to prove yourself worthy of ruling this land?”
“Prove myself…?”
“I’ve heard that in the distant land of Colchis, there is a treasure called the Golden Fleece. That Golden Fleece is said to possess the power to restore a nation… Bring it back, and I will gladly pass the throne to you.”
Jason thought that even if he claid the throne, the people wouldn’t follow him imdiately.
As Pelias suggested, he was rely a young man who had proven nothing.
Thus, he agreed willingly to retrieve the Golden Fleece and, stepping out of the palace, cleared his throat.
Jason’s voice echoed in the open square, calling the people to him.
“I am Jason, rightful heir to Iolcos! I seek heroes to accompany to Colchis in pursuit of the Golden Fleece. Applications will be open until the next Thanatos Day!”
“The Golden Fleece of Colchis? That priceless treasure?”
“If he brings that back, he might truly beco king.”
“But I’ve heard a fierce dragon guards it.”
“Isn’t that why he’s gathering heroes for an expedition? Like Orion did in the past.”
“They say the expedition to Mount Athos was a half-failure. Will this one succeed?”
Rumors about Jason’s expedition for the Golden Fleece spread across Greece.
Defeating monsters and retrieving treasures to achieve fa was in a hero’s nature.
Soon, many gathered in Iolcos, each harboring their own ambitions.
* * *
This is Iolcos.
The news that Jason was assembling an expedition drew in a massive crowd, though not everyone could join.
“Attention, everyone! We can’t all board the Argo! So, we’ll be selecting mbers!”
“The Argo? Is that the na of the ship?”
“I heard a rumor that the goddess Athena herself designed it, and the craftsman Argos built it.”
“But with hundreds of people here, how will he pick the crew?”
“Won’t Jason select them himself? The heroes from Thebes are known to be exceptional, so he’ll probably choose them first.”
At Jason’s call, the crowd buzzed with excitent.
Clearing his throat, Jason began scanning the crowd, selecting crew mbers one by one.
“I’m from Sparta, and I’m Tri—”
“Rejected. Rumor has it you’ve been going around killing people.”
“Jason, it’s been a while.”
“Oh, Peleus! Co on over. I heard you’ve been busy hunting lately.”
“Orpheus? You’re here too? It wouldn’t hurt to have soone play music on the ship…”
“They say the sirens’ songs are sweet beyond asure. I’m curious if it surpasses my lyre.”
“Hah! Anyone who’s heard your lyre would naturally hold it in higher regard.”
Slowly, Jason’s expedition crew began to take shape.
Among them were Atalanta, renowned as the best archer in Greece despite being a woman, and leager, fad as the best spear-thrower.
Various demigods and distinguished heroes were chosen, including the twin brothers, the Dioscuri, sons of Zeus.
“It’s been a long ti. I think the last ti we saw each other was in Thebes.”
“Jason, I never imagined you’d be assembling an expedition.”
“Tell about it. He’s always been popular, but leading an expedition…”
After selecting the mbers based on Jason’s criteria, it turned out that they were all people who had trained in Thebes.
Whether it was due to their connections from Thebes or mories from their ti in the underworld, everyone seed to know one another.
Just as they were about to offer sacrifices to the gods for a smooth voyage and set sail, the dense crowd split in two, clearing a path.
Step, step.
“Wait… that person is…”
“He looks just like the rumors. Look at that build. They say he once beat the Nean lion with his bare hands…”
“This expedition is as good as guaranteed to succeed now.”
A lion’s hide draped over his head, a golden sword at his waist, a club slung across his back.
But most striking of all was his imnse, muscular fra.
There wasn’t a soul in Greece who didn’t know his na.
The great hero performing Hera’s tasks—Heracles.
“Oh, Heracles! We’re lucky to have you. I thought you’d be busy with Lady Hera’s labors!”
“Jason. Long ti no see.”
The arrival of Greece’s most famous hero brought so joy, so relief, and, for those worried about being outshone, a touch of envy.
“I hadn’t planned to co, but Lord Triton advised to.”
“Triton, who calls forth the waves? You t the sea god’s son?”
“He said joining this expedition would help achieve my goal.”
Everyone here knew Heracles’ goal was to ascend to the heavens as a god.
It was sothing he’d often ntioned during their ti training in the underworld.
“Are you okay with this? My participation might overshadow your accomplishnts.”
A comnt that might sound provocative to so.
But when it’s Heracles saying it, it takes on a different aning. He was simply speaking the truth.
Jason’s expedition could risk being overshadowed by Heracles’ reputation.
Yet Jason, with a broad smile, clapped Heracles on the back.
“Hahaha! You’re worried about ? We’re each on our own paths, so it’s fine!”
“Different paths?”
“Yeah, your goal is to beco a god. Mine is to beco the king of Iolcos.”
Even in the underworld… Jason had always been the sa.
His ambition wasn’t to beco a hero, but to reclaim the throne of Iolcos.
“Is that so? For what it’s worth, I don’t plan to stand out. I wouldn’t want to steal all the glory from you all.”
“Oh, that’s news that’ll make the other heroes happy! Haha!”
Heracles looked at the man before him, whose confidence bordered on
recklessness.
How this journey would end, he didn’t know, but eting an old friend was a pleasure.
“Hahaha! Heracles, let’s spar again soti!”
“Before I ascend to Olympus, I’ll give you a taste of my strength here on earth, so prepare yourself!”
“Enough with the grandstanding! Get on board already!”
“Hey, Heracles! Gained so glory, and now you’re brimming with dignity, huh? Hehe!”
One by one, the other heroes welcod Heracles, who, with a faint smile, boarded the Argo.
The Argonauts. Set sail.
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