Carrying the secret he'd learned from the bartender, and a stomach full of unanswered questions, Jason left the tavern.
What he didn't know was that, after his departure, the bartender began clearing the table they had used. Suddenly, the man shivered violently, his expression turning dazed.
"I… just took a nap? What was I doing just now? Why can't I remember anything? Did I fall asleep?"
As if waking from a long, hazy dream, the bartender rubbed his face. Then he suddenly pulled out the gold piece Jason had given him as a tip.
"This… where did this come from? Did I steal it? Or…"
Unable to make sense of it, he quickly stuffed the gold back into his clothes and hurried away, clearly on guard.
No one noticed that, after he left, a handsome man clad in ornate mage robes appeared out of thin air, a staff in his hand.
A moment later, he vanished again in a swirl of warped space, leaving only a knowing, satisfied smile behind.
Jason never realized one simple truth: how could a mere bartender possibly know so many secrets about mages?
...
After that, Jason had no mood to wander the city any longer.
The information from the bartender had made one thing clear: behind this island, this kingdom, and these mages lay a massive hidden conspiracy.
And that realization filled him with unease about his goal of obtaining the Golden Fleece.
Even if King Aeetes could not command the mages directly, his own background alone was enough to make Jason wary.
He was clearly not someone easily dealt with.
But since they had already reached Colchis Island, turning back without trying would make no sense.
No matter how powerful the forces behind Aeetes were, the Argonauts could not abandon their quest halfway.
Otherwise, they would be betraying all those who had followed Jason here, and all the companions who had fallen along the journey.
With that thought in mind, Jason and the six others changed back into their original Greek garments and, holding the scepter of peace, made their way to the gates of the Colchian palace.
Led by palace servants, they entered the royal complex.
Compared to the outer city, the palace was an entirely different sight.
Thick palace walls, towering gates, majestic columns, an outer ring of protruding stone fortifications surrounded the structure.
Passing through the front courtyard gate, they saw trellises covered in climbing grapevines and four fountains that flowed without end.
Strangely, one fountain poured milk, one wine, one fragrant oil, and the last water that was warm in winter and cool in summer.
Next was the inner courtyard, filled with double doors and lavish chambers.
The colonnades on both sides were intricately carved, with tall buildings rising at either end where the columns met.
The palace scenery, though far more splendid than the city outside, felt oddly familiar to them.
Because this palace was unmistakably Greek in style, utterly unlike the unheard-of European medieval architecture of the surrounding city.
Clearly, this was because Aeetes was the son of a god.
The palace design must have been created entirely by one side of his divine lineage, untouched by the magical pantheon's influence.
They moved from the front yard into the central courtyard. Columns lined both sides, splitting into paths that led toward various chambers and shaded walkways.
As Jason and the others walked, they saw several independent palace buildings.
King Aeetes and his children lived within these.
When the palace maid reported that the four brothers of Argus had arrived with three foreign guests, King Aeetes and Queen Idyia immediately came forward to greet their four grandsons and the outsiders.
During their journey, the Argus brothers had once warned the Argonauts that their grandfather was a cruel man, of course, that had been nothing more than a tactic to intimidate them.
In truth, Aeetes was warm and kind. After the Golden Fleece and the Golden Ram brought Phrixus to Colchis, Aeetes did not just take him in, he even married his eldest daughter Chalciope to the noble-born demigod hero.
Learning that Jason and his companions had rescued his four grandsons on the island of Aretia, and that Jason was also the cousins of the Argus brothers, King Aeetes invited Jason, Augeas, and Telamon to the banquet hall. Servants brought out lavish food and fine wine for their distinguished guests.
Near the end of the feast, the four Argus brothers recounted their experiences to King Aeetes and revealed the Argonauts' intentions.
"I don't want to hide the truth from you, Grandfather."
Argus spoke quietly before Aeetes.
"King Pelias seized the throne that rightfully belonged to our cousin Jason. Now Jason must retrieve the Golden Fleece before King Pelias will return the throne to him."
Hearing this, Aeetes let out a cold, incredulous laugh.
As a king, he immediately understood Pelias' true motive.
Pelias wanted Jason to seek the Golden Fleece for one reason only: to have him die during the quest, eliminating any threat to his rule.
Aeetes looked at Jason with a frosty gaze, unable to resist a mocking tone.
"Young hero! Are you truly so naive and foolish? Let me tell you plainly, even if I allowed you to take the Golden Fleece, King Pelias would never return the throne to you.
If you were a real hero, you would defeat King Pelias openly and reclaim your throne just as Pelias once seized it from your father Aeson.
I once received an oracle, the oracle said that my life and the Golden Fleece are bound together.
If I lose the Golden Fleece, I will lose my life. Therefore, I will never hand it over to you."
Perhaps Jason was not foolish.
Perhaps he possessed the ambition and courage befitting a hero.
But in matters of politics, he was still painfully naive, that was why he believed that retrieving the Golden Fleece would persuade Pelias to return the throne.
Yet even after Aeetes' firm refusal, Jason stood up, neither humbled nor shaken.
"King Aeetes! I am neither naïve nor foolish.
Pelias is my uncle.
Unlike you, I believe he is a man of his word…
Even if he bears ill intent, as long as I return with the Golden Fleece and show him that I am a powerful young hero, he may still change his mind and give the throne back to me."
"Jason! For the sake of that tiny, pitiful possibility you cling to, you expect me to give up the Golden Fleece and lose my own life?"
King Aeetes' voice thundered with fury.
"Do you understand who stands before you? I am the son of Helios, the former sun god!
You would take the Golden Fleece and end my life just to reclaim the throne of Thessaly, that is a declaration of war. Jason, I will not kill you today.
Tomorrow, gather all the Argonauts and face me in battle! If you can defeat me, kill me, you may take the Golden Fleece as you step over my corpse."
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