They had originally intended to taste the porridge Circe had offered them.
But before their eyes, their companion, Telamon, who had just taken a sip, began to shrink rapidly.
His limbs grew stubby and short, his ears enlarged, his nose thickened and lengthened, and a thin little tail sprouted from behind.
In a blink, the once-tall Telamon had turned into a plump little piglet.
The piglet blinked in confusion at first, but soon began to panic, scurrying about between the feet of his three companions.
Clearly, he could not accept what had just happened to him.
"What… what's going on?"
The three men were utterly bewildered by this sudden transformation.
But after a moment's thought, their suspicion naturally turned toward Circe.
After all, Telamon had changed only after drinking her porridge.
That woman must be some kind of witch.
Meleager even drew his weapon, glaring at her warily.
Yet Circe showed no panic at their hostility. Instead, she gave a smug, charming laugh.
"Why, yes, I'm a witch. This is what happens when someone offends the Witch of the Eagle.
A mere mortal dares to speak to me like that? Naturally, his only fate is to become a pig."
"Damn it! This woman, !" Meleager ground his teeth, already regretting having spoken up for her moments ago.
Orpheus, however, stayed calm. He turned to the black-robed, white-haired man beside him.
"Asclepius, it's up to you now."
The dark-haired man's eyes lit up with interest.
"To turn a human into a pig… now that's a technique I've never seen before. I'm starting to get curious about what exactly went into that porridge. Well, I'll give it a try anyway."
He crouched down, examining the piglet carefully.
Perhaps out of complete trust in Asclepius's ability, the transformed Telamon stopped his futile struggling and lay obediently on the ground, letting the man inspect him.
Alaric, however, had already figured out who these four were, and what they were doing here.
Each of them was a renowned hero of ancient Greece.
Telamon, for instance, was the close friend of Heracles.
Together they had once led an expedition against Troy, not the famous Trojan War, but an earlier one.
Even his wife, Hesione, had been a captive gifted to him by Heracles himself.
(Incidentally, Telamon's son was Ajax the Great, who did take part in the later Trojan War.)
The second man, Meleager, was also well known, the prince of Calydon and the initiator of the Calydonian Boar Hunt, one of its key slayers.
He was also famously infatuated with the huntress Atalanta.
The third, Orpheus, was the son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. With such a lineage, he was born with exceptional artistic talent and even inherited Apollo's sacred lyre.
A disciple of Chiron, his music was so enchanting that even the Sirens of the sea would fall under its spell.
The fourth, Asclepius, was likewise a son of Apollo and a disciple of Chiron, but unlike Orpheus, he learned medicine and herbal lore from his father and teacher.
Known throughout Greece as the God of Healing, he eventually created a potion that could bring back the dead. For that, Zeus struck him down with his thunderbolt.
(Incidentally, the key ingredient of that resurrection potion had been the blood of a Gorgon, gifted by Athena, who, Alaric thought, might have been just a bit toxic herself.)
Now, with heroes from all over Greece gathered in Iolcus, these four had also come at the king's invitation.
Yet even the god of medicine himself, who could concoct an elixir of resurrection, was left utterly helpless after examining the transformed Telamon.
"No good. The mechanism behind this transformation is far from simple. Beyond the physical changes, there's an unusual force sustaining it.
I can't undo that. But judging from its nature… it's magical energy, isn't it?"
With that, he turned to Circe, his calm eyes now shining with intensity.
Exposed so bluntly, Circe's own gaze turned intrigued.
"Heh. Sharp eyes, aren't they? For a mere mortal healer, you've done well to see this much. I'll grant you that.
But even so, I won't turn him back. Let him spend the rest of his life wallowing as a happy little pig."
But before she could finish, Alaric lightly tapped her on the head.
"Alright, that's enough. You've had your fun."
Alaric's voice carried an exasperated calm.
"Eh? Aww, come on. I was finally starting to enjoy myself… Fine, fine. I'll change him back. Honestly, you men are so rough, it's no wonder women don't like you."
Under Alaric's not-so-subtle threat, Circe pouted but reluctantly fed Telamon the antidote.
Its effect was instant. The round little piglet soon expanded and reshaped, turning back into the tall, broad-shouldered Telamon once more.
But as soon as he regained human form and saw Circe's smiling face, he recoiled in fright.
Telamon no longer dared to provoke her.
That experience, trapped in a pig's body while his human mind screamed inside, had left a deep psychological scar.
The helplessness and humiliation of it was something he never wanted to relive.
Watching the shaken Telamon and the wary expressions of the others, Alaric sighed and shook his head.
This wouldn't do. They had finally met the people who could introduce them into the heroes' circle, offending them now would make the next step of his plan much harder.
So he offered a polite nod and said, "My apologies. This child was spoiled by her elders. She's talented, but reckless. I'm sorry for the trouble she's caused."
Then he turned to the girl.
"Circe, apologize to these gentlemen."
Circe shot Alaric a sharp glare but obediently stood up, preparing to bow in apology.
The four heroes, however, jumped at the sight of her fierce expression.
How could they dare let this little witch actually apologize? What if she got angry again and turned them all into pigs?
They hurriedly waved their hands, insisting it was everyone's fault, that they had been too hasty, and so on.
Taking advantage of their awkward goodwill, Alaric smoothly invited them to share a meal.
At first, they wanted nothing more than to decline. After all, the image of Telamon turning into a pig was still fresh, and terrifying.
But the fact that Circe, troublesome as she was, listened so obediently to Alaric… meant that this man must be even more formidable, a magician beyond her level.
If they offended someone like that, who knew what fate might befall them?
And so, in the end, the four heroes accepted the invitation, albeit with great unease.
.
.
.
Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.
✌patreon.com/bobthewriter✌
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.