Under Ares's coercion, Jason and the others each picked out the Noble Phantasm they fancied from the pile of treasures next to them, and then they were ushered out by Ares's taciturn and somewhat fearsome adjutant, who led them to the outskirts of the Gods' military camp.
A moment later, their Argo was also lifted by the silent God's divine power, flying out of the camp and landing beside them.
"Please wait a moment," Death said to the Heroes in a mechanical voice, "Heracles will come out after he finishes speaking with the Lord."
Jason and the others naturally dared not object to Death's words. Upon hearing his command, Jason ordered everyone to board the ship first, organize the Noble Phantasm they had just received, and wait for Heracles.
Meanwhile, inside Ares's tent, Heracles only spoke after confirming that Jason and the others had left. "Teacher, is there something you need me for?"
Ares's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table. He asked,
"How many trials do you have left?"
"There should be three more," Heracles replied, "but it's not impossible for Eurystheus to make things difficult for me again."
"Alright, keep this item. You must keep it close to you."
Ares said, handing him a necklace made of crystal, and instructed,
"My magic is inscribed on it. If you encounter danger, crush it, and it will save your life."
"Danger?"
Heracles asked, somewhat puzzled,
"Are you saying I might die in future trials?"
"Not the trials. Those trials are certain Death for ordinary people, but for you, they are merely a form of tempering."
Ares glanced at Heracles:
"The danger you need to be careful of comes from a Spartan. If you ever encounter a pale Spartan with red tattoos, do not fight him. If he tries to kill you, do not hesitate, and directly crush the crystal I gave you."
Heracles was puzzled; he didn't know why a Spartan, who was a loyal follower of Ares, would want to kill him. However, he clutched the crystal in his hand and replied,
"I understand."
"Also, in the upcoming trials, you might encounter the creator of humanity, the Titan God Prometheus."
Ares thought for a moment, then reminded,
"Don't think about saving him, and don't listen to anything he says. Just pretend you didn't see him."
Is there something wrong with Prometheus?
Heracles inwardly posed this question, and of course, he nodded and agreed, "Okay."
"Alright, then, you will return with Jason and the others to complete your trials."
Ares said,
"I will help you secretly. Once you complete all your trials, I will summon you. At that time, I will need your help to deal with these Snake-Footed Giants and the Gods."
Heracles nodded in agreement. Ares then casually packed all the remaining Noble Phantasm that the Argo Heroes had picked through and gave them to him, then personally escorted him out of the Gods' military camp.
When the two arrived in front of the Argo, the Heroes on the Argo also noticed their arrival. Death bowed slightly to Ares, while Jason quickly led a group of Heroes to disembark in a rush, forming a line in front of Ares and performing a full prostration.
"Alright, get up. Why are you kneeling? Can you fight like that?"
Ares glanced at the Heroes on the ground, then looked at Heracles and said,
"Everything I needed to tell you has been said. From now on, be more careful and vigilant."
Heracles bowed his head in agreement. Ares then said to Jason,
"Jason, I have nothing else to say, but remember, your guardian deity is my mother, Heavenly Queen Hera. She is the guardian of marriage. I know you have some cleverness, but it's best not to use it on women. Being fickle will only harm you in the end."
Jason naturally agreed wholeheartedly, but whether he truly agreed or merely pretended to agree, only he himself knew.
"And then there are the Dioscuri. Don't look at me like that, or I'll hit you." After instructing Heracles and Jason, Ares looked at the Gemini pair. He said to the displeased older brother and the smiling, yet genuinely insincere, younger sister, "I know you resent the Olympus Pantheon, but don't confuse me with that woman Athena. I'm just kindly reminding you, Castor, you'd best rein in that nonchalant pride of yours, or else, you'll have a hard time in the future."
Castor snorted, clearly not listening, while his younger sister, Polydeuces, politely thanked Ares, though it was unclear if she had taken his words to heart.
Having said all that needed to be said, Ares didn't bother with them further. Next, he went on to instruct each of the Heroes one by one, giving them pointers about their future. He spoke to everyone whose name he could recall. After he finished, he waved his hand and said to this group of Greece Heroes,
"Alright, alright, the words have been spoken. You all leave quickly. This ship will take you back to Colchis Island. Aeetes is my follower, and he won't make things difficult for you. However, how you proceed from there is your own problem."
After speaking, Ares herded the Argo Heroes onto the Argo and used his divine power to send them back to Colchis Island.
After doing all this, Ares, accompanied by Death, one of his adjutants, returned to the central military tent and slowly closed his eyes.
At the same time, on the Pallene Peninsula, the Greek traitor named Ephialtes slowly opened his eyes.
He had now become a honored guest of the Snake-Footed Giants. The Giants had prepared a suitable small house for him, and every night they would share with him the fresh meat of the fantastical creatures they had hunted.
For safety, the house the Giants prepared for Ephialtes was placed on the low table in the home of their leader, "Strongman" Alcyoneus. Alcyoneus had even specially installed a long staircase for Ephialtes to go up and down beside the table.
When Ephialtes walked out of his house, descended the long staircase to the ground, and then spent some time reaching the open space outside, he happened to see thirteen of the most powerful Snake-Footed Giants training in the use and manipulation of their weapons, following the methods Ephialtes had taught them.
Ephialtes stood by and watched for a while, then gathered all his strength and shouted for a long time before he managed to call over Alcyoneus, the leader of the Giants.
"Seven more days."
He held up a'seven' gesture to Alcyoneus.
"In seven more days, the Pallene Peninsula will fully emerge into the real world and connect with the outside world. Ares, the God of War among the Gods, has already led a large army and set up heavy defenses outside. None of you should go out then; only let the Snake-Footed Giants under your command attack."