Peleus slumped in a corner of the Argo's deck, watching Medea, who was not far away being praised by Polydeuces and Atalanta, and felt that he had been tricked.
You boxers, if you want to be a boxer, just honestly admit that you are a boxer. How can you be like this? Are staves just decorations for you?
Medea appeared delicate and weak, but in reality, her body had been trained since childhood, and her physique was not bad to begin with. After being strengthened by her own magic, she had reached a level of strength capable of contending with demigods in a short period of time.
Coupled with her sharp boxing technique, which she seemed to have learned from who knows where, Peleus, caught off guard at their first encounter, took over a hundred jabs from her. Now he was covered in ointment and bandaged like a mummy.
If not for Asclepius, the son of the Sun God, being the ship doctor on this vessel, Peleus felt that his expedition would likely have been called off.
A beautiful melody drifted over, slightly easing the depression in Peleus's heart. He turned his head and saw Orpheus, another child of the Sun God Apollo, sitting on his other side, holding a lyre and playing a melodious tune.
He was the child born to Apollo and Calliope, one of the nine Muses. Although he had little combat ability, he was one of the most nobly born beings among all the Heroes present. He could not even be considered a demigod, but rather a pure-blooded deity.
Noticing Peleus's gaze, the handsome young god also turned his head, looked at him, and then smiled, saying:
"Peleus, does that make you feel better?"
"Ah, I suppose so."
Peleus sighed:
"Fortunately, I have you and Asclepius, the two sons of Apollo; one can heal my body, and the other can heal my mind. Otherwise, I might have jumped off this ship myself."
"Don't underestimate yourself; you are also a very powerful Hero."
Orpheus comforted him:
"Atalanta is an apostle chosen by my aunt Artemis, so her strength is unquestionable. As for Medea, her teacher is Hecate, the great goddess whom even Zeus dares not easily provoke. It's no shame to lose to them."
"Lost is lost, there's no shame in it," Peleus said, rubbing his head. "It's not that I can't accept losing, it's just... sigh, I was just a little scared by that Medea."
"To be honest, I was scared too. I didn't expect such terrifying power to erupt from such a tiny body," Orpheus exclaimed. "It felt like watching my father... no, it felt like watching Ares himself participate in this boxing match."
While Orpheus was praising, on the other side, Polydeuces and Atalanta were also praising Medea's recent fighting technique. Atalanta curiously asked Medea:
"Is the goddess of magic Hecate also proficient in this kind of skill? That's truly terrifying, no wonder she could become Hades's agent."
Of course she wouldn't, she even struggles with flipping a spatula.
Medea grumbled inwardly.
It wasn't that she thought her teacher was incompetent, but Hecate's fighting skills were definitely not as good as hers. The goddess of magic's physical abilities had always been quite poor, and the key was that she herself was lazy. Medea remembered that her senior brother had tried more than once to get teacher Hecate to "exercise," but Hecate had always declined with various excuses.
However, in contrast was Hecate's unfathomable level of magic. The deeper Medea delved into the path of magic, the more she felt her teacher was unfathomable. Even her aunt Circe, who held the title of goddess of sorcery, admitted that her magical level was far inferior to Hecate's, and to this day, no one knew who could force Hecate to reveal her true magical power.
Of course, in front of Atalanta and Polydeuces, Medea couldn't diminish her teacher's prestige, so she boasted:
"Of course, from the time I became Hecate's disciple until I completed my training, I never managed to comprehend even one-thousandth of the mysteries Hecate possessed."
"Achoo!"
In the Underworld, in Hecate's Garden, Hecate, who was resting in the courtyard, suddenly let out a small sneeze.
She sniffed, then rubbed her nose, and frowned:
"Someone is talking about me behind my back?"
Ares, standing nearby, did not reply, but continued to focus his attention on his two avatars on the Argo.
Upon hearing Medea's words, a hint of fantasy appeared on Atalanta's face, while Polydeuces on the other side showed an expression of extreme longing.
As an original deity who was later persecuted by the Olympian court, Polydeuces greatly admired Hecate, a powerful goddess who could still live freely under the tyranny of Olympus. Hecate's lifestyle was something she deeply yearned for.
"Speaking of which, I'm also quite good at boxing."
Loving the house and its master, Polydeuces's admiration for Hecate also made her want to build a good relationship with Medea, her disciple. She eagerly invited Medea:
"Shall we have a match too?"
"Good, good."
Upon hearing Polydeuces's words, Medea had not yet replied, but the surrounding Heroes had already agreed for her. Regardless, both Medea and Polydeuces were absolute beauties, and currently both still had the "tiny budding lotus" appearance that best suited the Greeks' loli-con aesthetic. With two beautiful girls having a boxing match, this group naturally became excited.
The Heroes of Greece, like their gods, were all old lechers.
"In that case, why don't we all join in?"
Upon hearing Medea's words, these Greek Heroes had no time to get excited, but saw her suddenly turn her head and look to the side, then point to a corner and say:
"Actually, isn't the strongest person on our ship over there? Since we're trying to liven things up, why don't we ask him to try?"
The Heroes followed the direction of her finger and then saw Heracles, sitting silently in the corner, quietly watching them, having not said a word since boarding the ship.
For a moment, a tense silence fell over the Argo. No one dared to agree, but fearing Heracles's wrath, no one dared to object either. The entire ship fell into an eerie atmosphere.
At a crucial moment, Jason, as the captain, stepped forward. He cleared his throat, then gently said to the Heroes:
"Alright everyone, don't be nervous. As captain, I think activities like this, which promote strength and friendship, are very necessary..."
"Right, so..."
"But!" Jason ignored Medea's words and continued, "Safety first! Our expedition is about to begin, and we can't afford any unnecessary casualties before we even set off. So, let's change the rules. No boxing. Let's just do it the simplest way: arm wrestling."