Jason looked at Medea and Artemis with some surprise, finding both women exceptionally captivating... one petite and adorable, the other sensual and passionate, each a treasure of the mortal world.
And yet, this man, whom he didn't know but who seemed close to Heracles, had both of them by his side!
Jason's heart brimmed with envy, though he didn't let jealousy show. Instead, he smiled. "With two such beautiful ladies by your side, you're a fortunate man, Morpheus."
"I believe you'll have a fortunate future too, and I think it'll come soon," Morpheus replied with a grin.
"Soon?" Jason paused, not quite understanding Morpheus's response. As a man of the Age of Gods of ancient Greece, he quickly formed his own guess. "Are you a priest of the sun god? Do you have the gift of prophecy?!"
"Something like that… but I'm not exactly Apollo's priest."
"Not a priest of the sun god?" Jason was puzzled. Apollo was the most renowned god associated with prophecy, though other gods could grant their followers glimpses of insight.
Jason pondered this briefly but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he asked excitedly, "So, can you see if my future holds me becoming a great king?!"
Unlike the Jason of myth, this man was different. In Morpheus's knowledge, the mythological Jason agreed to retrieve the Golden Fleece partly out of greed for it.
But the man before him, while consumed by numerous desires, seemed to have condensed them all into a single obsession: "I must become king."
If Jason were to become someone like Gilgamesh, he'd probably be overjoyed.
Yet, Jason's path was doomed to failure. His willingness to use any means to achieve his goals, driven by unchecked desire, would ultimately lead to his destruction.
"He's a decent guy, aside from being obsessed with becoming king," Heracles said to Morpheus and the others with a laugh. "Don't mind it. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. He's got a good temper."
"Heracles, I really want to know what kind of king I'll be!" Jason retorted, playfully arguing with his friend. But then he shook his head. "Never mind. I'm definitely going to be a great king... it's fated!"
His conviction about becoming king was almost fanatical, as if under a spell, without a trace of doubt.
But then Jason circled back. "You said my fortunate future would come soon. Were you talking about becoming king?"
Morpheus responded, "Two things. First, you'll meet a beautiful woman, which is a kind of fortune."
"Love? Well, that's nice, but the throne is what matters most!"
"Second, you'll have a chance to become a king. Whether you take it is up to you," Morpheus said with a smile. "It's unrelated to the Golden Fleece, but it's a genuine opportunity to be a king. The choice is yours, and not even the gods can interfere."
At Morpheus's final words, Jason burst into laughter, but Heracles and the others turned their attention to Morpheus.
Perhaps the most significant part was that last statement, but clearly, Jason hadn't taken it to heart.
"Come on, let's go! I'll introduce you to everyone here. They're all descendants of gods... no ordinary people... and most are my old classmates from Chiron's teachings!"
With that, Jason led them forward, brimming with enthusiasm.
"This is Theseus, a relative of Heracles. A brave and kind man, and the son of King of Athens Aegeus!"
Jason pointed to a young man with light golden hair, somewhat shy but muscular. Theseus immediately greeted Morpheus politely. Morpheus knew this man would later slay the infamous Minotaur.
Strictly speaking, Theseus wasn't part of the Argonauts' adventure in some versions of the myth, but in the Nasuverse, it seemed to follow Pseudo-Apollodorus's Bibliotheca, which included him.
Recalling Theseus's lore, Morpheus returned the polite greeting.
"These two are the Dioscuri, children of Zeus!" Jason continued, introducing his crew. At the name, Morpheus raised an eyebrow.
"The brother is Castor, and the sister is Pollux. They're great gods!"
Castor, the taller and leaner of the two, smirked mockingly. "A nobody like you dares to join this adventure? Haha! Aren't you afraid of dying?!"
"Brother, be polite!" The petite girl scolded, silencing him instantly.
Morpheus's eye twitched as he forced a professional smile, one honed from dealing with difficult situations in the Toaruverse.
"Greetings, Castor and Pollux, esteemed children of Zeus!"
Internally, though, he was screaming.
What in the world?! The Gemini twins are a man and a woman now?! Could this get any crazier? And it's obvious there's some romantic vibe between them... what is this, a soap opera?!
Cough, calm down. This is the Nasuverse. Multiple versions of the same face are normal. I need to stay calm.
As a fan of the classic anime Saint Seiya, seeing the Gemini constellation reimagined like this was hard to stomach.
He briefly fantasized about unleashing a "Galactic Explosion" To vent his frustration.
Morpheus even considered crafting a spell called "Galactic Explosion," but after realizing the complexity, he reluctantly shelved the idea.
Then he noticed something else. Castor, the brother, lacked divinity in his body, while Pollux clearly possessed it. Yet the two were bound by a shared fate, inseparable.
As Morpheus pondered this, the twins' expressions shifted to shock. Following their gazes, he saw they were staring at the graceful figure behind him.
Artemis!
As children of Zeus and gods themselves, they had met Artemis before. Seeing the moon goddess now left them momentarily stunned.
Before they could react, Artemis spoke first. "Hello, I'm Diana. Nice to meet you!"
She emphasized "nice to meet you," and the twins immediately caught on.
The moon goddess, notorious in the Olympus for her playful antics, was clearly here for fun.
Sensing the unspoken threat of "spill my secret and you're done," The twins chose discretion, pretending it was their first meeting.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Diana."
"Hello, Lady Diana!"
Jason glanced at Castor, puzzled. Wasn't this guy usually the rudest? Why so polite all of a sudden?
But he brushed it off and continued introducing his crew.
Artemis happily looped her arm through Morpheus's, with Medea on his other side, as they walked forward together.
The Dioscuri stared, dumbfounded, as if witnessing something unbelievable, unable to process it even after the group moved on.
"Come, come! Can you smell the herbs all around? The master of this place is incredible and vital to our journey... Asclepius!"
Jason's introduction revealed a man cloaked in black robes, a white snake coiled around his arm. Silver-gray hair peeked from under his hood.
"The great son of Apollo! If we face any diseases on this journey, he's the one to save us!"
Jason's introductions were almost theatrical, but Asclepius merely glanced at him, then at Morpheus and the others, lingering briefly on Medea before saying softly, "Hello."
His greeting was curt and his tone cold.
Jason waved it off. "He's a bit odd, don't mind him. Just know he's a great physician. People in his line of work always have good hearts... at least he does. I, Jason, can vouch for that!"
Clearly, Jason trusted his old classmate deeply.
Just then, a woman with a bow approached, carrying a wild boar, evidently fresh from a hunt.
Seeing the green-haired girl, Jason waved eagerly. "Hey! Atalanta, come here! Let me introduce the newcomers!"
The girl, named Atalanta, looked annoyed but set her prey aside and walked over.
"See her? That cat-like woman is Atalanta. Swore she'd never marry because she's devoted her life to the moon goddess. Loves kids, though, but her fierce expression scares them off."
Jason rambled on as Atalanta approached, only for her to raise her bow and aim at him upon hearing his words. Jason immediately surrendered.
"No, don't aim that bow at me! I was joking, really! You're adorable and kids will love you!"
As she drew closer, they saw her hair was green at the tips but mostly golden, like a meadow transitioning from spring to autumn.
Morpheus glanced at Artemis, who remained utterly composed, as if she didn't know Atalanta at all. He could only marvel at her acting skills.
Atalanta, daughter of Iasus, was a princess by birth. But Iasus wanted a son, not a daughter, and abandoned the infant Atalanta in the forest. Artemis sent a she-bear to raise her, turning her into a formidable wild woman.
Later, a group found Atalanta and taught her human knowledge, shaping her into a powerful hunter.
Atalanta worshipped Artemis, but the goddess's statues differed slightly from her true appearance, and with her current disguise, Atalanta, though suspicious, didn't recognize her despite a few extra glances.
After all, who would imagine their revered goddess joining a mortal adventure?
Ignoring Jason, she greeted Morpheus and the others.
"Hello. If you have any questions, ask me. You won't get useful answers from him."
With a glance at Jason, she walked away.
Jason, reeling from the verbal jab, shouted, "I have the ability to bring out everyone's strengths, making you all shine in your roles! That's my talent... the talent of a king!
"Explaining things? That's for someone else, not my problem!"
Halfway through, he caught Atalanta's threatening glare and surrendered again. "Sorry, I'll shut up. Explaining is all yours, Atalanta!"
Watching this, Morpheus shook his head inwardly. Jason wasn't entirely wrong... he did have a knack for getting others to do their jobs while he stood there, unburdened by overthinking.
Truly, it was the perfect talent for a king.
***
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