"Son of Zeus is still being oppressed? Are you kidding us? It would be good if Son of Zeus didn't oppress others."
Upon hearing Ares's sophistry, all the gods present thought to themselves.
But they did not dare to refute him, because among those present, only Aphrodite and Ares were barely able to maintain equal status. As for Heavenly Queen Hera, after she arrived, this woman, who held the highest power within the three realms, had been standing by, watching the debate between her son and the gods, and had not spoken.
Moreover, while Ares and the gods were fiercely debating, large dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky again, with muffled thunder rolling within them. Clearly, Zeus, who had been off somewhere, noticed this debate and had also focused his attention.
Although Zeus's attitude was ambiguous and he did not state his position, Heracles was, after all, his biological son. Compared to the gods present, his heart's balance would certainly tip more towards Heracles.
Furthermore, Ares's words now had clearly hitched Zeus's prestige to his own chariot. If the gods insisted on opposing, it would be disrespecting Zeus. All the gods could imagine what the King of Gods would think then.
Aphrodite also understood this. Among the gods present, the only deity who could contend with Zeus, oppose his opinions, and disrespect him was Heavenly Queen Hera alone. Therefore, facing Ares's incessant questioning, Aphrodite could only turn her pleading gaze towards the Heavenly Queen.
"Esteemed Mrs. Hera."
Aphrodite pitifully pleaded with Hera:
"Your son is so unreasonable, do you have no opinion on this matter?"
"My opinion?"
Heavenly Queen Hera looked at Ares, then at Heracles, and then asked strangely:
"Why would I have an opinion?"
"Huh?"
The gods were stunned, and Aphrodite asked blankly:
"Aren't you here to stop Heracles from boarding the ship?"
"Ha, why would I stop Heracles from boarding the ship? I am not only Jason's guardian deity but also Heracles's guardian deity. I am happy to see them work together and overcome difficulties."
Hera said with a smile:
"I just came to visit these two children. As for you, I'm also curious why you followed me as soon as you heard Athena speak. You have a problem."
"Did you hear that? Hera is on my side!"
Ares suddenly charged out from the side, blocking the space between Aphrodite and Hera. Then, he looked up at the sky and shouted:
"Zeus, don't worry about the thoughts of these gods! You are the King of Gods, and they should obey your judgment. Come, speak your truest thoughts!"
Crack!
As Ares's voice fell, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, landing on the deck of the Argo.
The lightning transformed into Zeus, the white-bearded and white-haired King of Gods. This divine king leaned on a staff, standing between the gods and the humans. Then, he raised his hand and announced:
"Heracles is so sincere; he can board the Argo this time."
"Did you hear that?" Ares showed a sarcastic smile to Aphrodite, then greeted Heracles: "Why are you standing there stunned? Hurry and get on the ship!"
"I'm not finished!" Zeus gave his "foolish son" an annoyed glance, then tapped his staff and continued: "Heracles can board the ship, but there must be a Hero on the Argo who is comparable to him who disembarks."
"Zeus, are you kidding me? Where on this ship is there a Hero comparable to Heracles who can disembark?" Ares said with his hands on his hips: "The one who can bear that title, isn't it the hound my dear sister Athena raised? He already disembarked."
"Then I'll name names."
Zeus extended his staff and named three people:
"Atalanta, Peleus, Theseus, if Heracles is to board the ship, one of you three must disembark."
Those whose names were called felt a bit "overwhelmed with favor," but upon hearing Zeus's demand, their faces also fell.
Having come this far, only a step away from their destination, Colchis Island, none of the three wanted to give up halfway.
Jason also looked at the three with hesitation. For him, it was certainly more advantageous for Heracles to join, but Atalanta, Peleus, and Theseus were also companions who had shared hardships with him, and their strength was not weak. As the captain, he could not bring himself to say it.
The Heroes looked at each other, and finally, Atalanta stepped forward. She looked up at the tall Heracles and said to him:
"Heracles, I will exchange with you. As a crew member, you will certainly be more useful than I."
"Sister Atalanta!"
Medea called out to Atalanta with great reluctance. As only one of the three females on the Argo, Medea and Atalanta had already formed a very good friendship. Polydeuces was also like this; when Medea called out, she also looked at Atalanta with great reluctance.
Many of the other Heroes also spoke out to keep Atalanta, after all, she herself was a beautiful maiden. As a flower among the green leaves, Atalanta's popularity among the Argo crew members was not low.
Facing these pleas, Atalanta merely shook her head. She took out a letter with a feather tucked inside from her person and said:
"Actually, when I just returned, I had already received a letter from Arcadia. This letter was written to me by my father. He heard about my time on the Argo and the Calydon, so he wanted me to return to Arcadia to acknowledge me. Even if I don't leave now, I estimate I will leave the Argo once the ship reaches Colchis Island. You don't need to be sad, and you don't need to try to keep me. I will eventually leave, and I have also enjoyed my time with you. I will cherish this time."
Seeing that Atalanta had said so, the Heroes on the Argo no longer tried to keep her. Led by Jason, they boarded the ship one after another, and the gods, Zeus, and Hera also made way for them.
The Argo quickly set sail. After watching the ship disappear into the distance, the gods, Zeus, and Hera also returned to the Mount Olympus. At the port of Calydon, only the solitary Atalanta remained, along with a certain Ares who was not attending to his duties.
Atalanta gazed for a long time at the sea where the Argo had disappeared, then heard a voice beside her:
"What are you still looking at? The ship has already gone far. If you stand here any longer, I estimate you'll have to stay at this port tonight."
Hearing this voice, Atalanta turned her head strangely and saw that Ares had not left, but was standing beside her, gazing at the sea with her.
"Lord Ares, you haven't returned to the Mount Olympus?"
Atalanta asked in surprise.
"Didn't I say? I'm going to look after you on behalf of Artemis this time." Ares stretched lazily, then said: "Given Zeus's personality, he wouldn't propose such strange exchange conditions. This is most likely my sister's plan… I estimate you won't have peace when you return to Arcadia this time. Let's go, I'll go back to Arcadia with you this time."