"What do you mean?"
Perseus asked somewhat annoyed,
"I only spoke two truths, and your Queen won't even let me enter the city gate? Get it straight, I am Athena's Goddess Warrior, here with her glory. You women of Lemnos Island, don't forget who helped you break Aphrodite's curse. If it weren't for our Goddess, you would still be living in stench like a sewer!"
That was indeed the truth. Perhaps it was out of sympathy for the Lemnos Islanders who, despite being women, couldn't achieve leadership, or perhaps it was an early setup for the Argo expedition. In any case, the stench of the women on Lemnos Island was indeed resolved by Athena.
Of course, she didn't directly ask Aphrodite to lift the curse she placed on Lemnos Island, as this didn't fit Athena's persona as the Goddess of Wisdom. After the rebellion on Lemnos Island, Athena herself once came here. Enduring the stench at the time, the Goddess of Wisdom taught the women on Lemnos Island how to extract special spices from the island's plants and animals to cover their own scent, which relieved the situation on Lemnos Island.
Hearing Perseus's words, the gatekeeping female warriors slightly retreated a few steps. When it came to matters concerning the Goddess, they couldn't make decisions.
However, at this moment, Queen Hypsipyle suddenly appeared near the city gate. She held the long staff symbolizing royal authority, her eyes coldly fixed on Perseus, and said,
"We certainly have no intention of harming the Goddess's glory; we are simply targeting you. You claim to be a warrior under the Goddess, but in our opinion, your character is not worthy of the Goddess at all. Later, we on Lemnos Island will naturally hold a sacrifice to Athena to appease her wrath. As for you, I apologize, but Lemnos Island does not welcome men like you."
Although Perseus, played by Ares, was a character who had been secretly doing bad things for her, he was also someone who couldn't stand being provoked. After all, he was the one who had directly confronted Poseidon, the God of the Sea, with Heracles in Athenas Temple back then.
Since Queen Hypsipyle had already said so, Perseus naturally wouldn't stay there any longer. He was secretly pleased, then snorted coldly, turned, and left without another word.
"Hey, Perseus, don't you secretly run off!"
Jason appeared beside Queen Hypsipyle, shouting at the retreating back of Perseus.
Perseus did not respond, and his figure gradually disappeared from the Heroes' sight. Someone in the crowd asked worriedly,
"Will this guy secretly steal our ship?"
"Don't worry, he won't, as long as he still wants to work for Athena."
Jason turned back to comfort the Heroes, then looked at the beautiful and voluptuous Queen Hypsipyle beside him, who returned a meaningful smile.
Then, as if they had already arranged it, Hypsipyle moved closer to the handsome Jason, and Jason reached out to touch the Queen's slender and sexy waist.
…
Perseus pretended to be indignant and returned to the Argo on the beach. He circled the vicinity, his senses meticulously sweeping over the surrounding area. Only after confirming that there were no divine overseers nearby did he slightly relax.
It seems that the gaze of most of the Gods has been drawn to the city-state. Although a very passionate romantic drama should be playing out there now, there's no helping it; the Gods of Greece really enjoy such things.
But for some reason, even Athena and Artemis were watching over there. He could understand Artemis, after all, that girl had recently been in a platonic spiritual relationship with Orion, so it was normal for her to be interested in this. But Athena had always had grand ambitions, and even Zeus doing such things was viewed by her as animal mating. Could it be that this Goddess was still watching the grand drama of the Argo Heroes and the women of Lemnos Island as if it were a nature documentary?
Regardless, this crisis was temporarily averted. The unpleasantness between him and Queen Hypsipyle was such that even Athena couldn't order Perseus to go into Lemnos Island to "verify his identity." Athena was not like Ares; she still cared about her reputation in front of the Gods.
Having settled down for the moment, Perseus had time to fine-tune his plans for the future. He built a fire on the beach next to the Argo, caught two sea fish, and then sat on the sand, holding a wooden stick, contemplating in solitude.
However, Perseus hadn't been calculating for long when Medea's voice called out from behind him:
"Senior Brother, what delicious food are you making again? Get me some too."
Perseus turned his head and saw that not only Medea, but also a group of Heroes had returned with her. Among them were Heracles, who should have been actively guarding the ship here, as well as the two maidens Atalanta and Polydeuces, Polydeuces's sister-loving brother Castor, and the two brothers Orpheus and Asclepius.
"What are you doing back?"
Seeing them return, Perseus asked curiously,
"Isn't it more comfortable in the city than enduring the cold wind on this beach?"
"Because those Heroes started messing around with the women in Lemnos Island,"
Medea said, gathering her skirt and sitting down next to Perseus.
"Sister Atalanta, Sister Polydeuces, and I are all girls. Are we supposed to stay there and watch them act so recklessly? Since we can't stop them, it's better to come back."
Perseus carefully observed Medea's expression and found that she looked normal. Aside from some disdain for those companions who enjoyed group activities, she showed no displeasure.
It should be noted that Jason should now be with Queen Hypsipyle, yet Medea had no opinion on it. It seems that without the interference of Aphrodite and her son, she truly disliked this blond man.
"I can understand you three coming back, and I can somewhat understand Castor's reason. But what's going on with you three, Heracles, Asclepius, and Orpheus?"
Perseus turned his head and asked.
"I came back to watch the ship." Heracles's eyelids were lowered, and he seemed a bit down, likely still feeling guilty about breaking the oar earlier.
Orpheus also showed a melancholic, reminiscent look. He strummed his lyre and said with a bitter smile,
"Actually, I have a wife, and I don't want to betray her."
Orpheus can be considered a beacon of Greek masculinity; he only loved one woman in his life, the water nymph Eurydice, and even descended into the Underworld to beg Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, for mercy on behalf of his deceased wife.
After hearing his words, Atalanta, Medea, and Polydeuces, who were present, clearly thought a bit more highly of him, and Perseus also praised him as a "good man."
As he spoke, Perseus's gaze fell on Asclepius, his questioning intent evident.
Noticing his gaze, Orpheus's expression of helplessness grew stronger. He somewhat awkwardly answered for his brother: "Actually, someone just invited Asclepius to spend the night at their house, but not long after he went in, he was very angrily kicked out."