The Joy of Walking the Cat 1/2

On the deck, Samael breathed a sigh of relief and lazily lay on the side of the ship, basking in the sun.

The adult Witch, who was somewhat confused and bewildered at the moment, was led to her room by Atalanta, whose expression had softened, where she was given a bath and comforted.

Seeing that someone had overcome the difficulty so easily, the group exchanged information listlessly, made a simple summary, and then dispersed.

After his daily prayers and sacrifices to the gods, Jason, who was about to start gathering information from within Colchis, glanced nervously at the wisps of smoke rising from the altar. He stopped and leaned close to Samael, whispering something to himself.

"Speaking of which, I've been feeling rather uneasy lately. How about I offer another sacrifice to Her Hera alone, to pray for peace?"

Samael glanced at his friend and couldn't help but complain.

"She's not your biological mother, how can she protect you every moment? Besides, she even abandoned her own son, who do you think you are?"

"I've heard that there's a temple to Hecate, Goddess of the Dark Moon, in Colchis. Shall I go and pay my respects?"

"If you want to die, I won't stop you."

Samael glanced wistfully at the room where Atalanta and Medea were, flicked his fingertips—the very fingertip that had just severed the Aphrodite's Authority —with a meaningful look.

"Is it really that serious? I have a bad feeling about it. Maybe I should do what you did and pray to Athena?"

Samael, whose arm was being held tightly by Jason, looked somewhat helpless.

Why are you begging her? I'm here to protect you, isn't that enough?

Despite my inner turmoil, I was destined not to voice it.

Seeing the man's alert expression, like a startled bird, the serpent knew that if Jason didn't offer some comfort, he probably wouldn't want to disembark today, so it snorted irritably.

"Why don't you ask for the better ones and instead seek out gods who are more and more difficult to please? Aren't you asking for a beating?"

"Is it easy to use?"

"Hmm, and since she's on our ship, the Golden Fleece matter might depend on her attitude."

"On the ship? Who?"

Jason raised his voice, a hint of surprise and anticipation appearing in his eyes.

Samael, dragging his friend along, arrived at a bedroom and knocked on the door with a sinister smile.

"Get up! The sun's already high in the sky!"

"No, no... I want to sleep a little longer..."

"Say one more word and I'll drag you out and roast you! You idiot!"

The sudden pause in the sound instantly dispelled the sleepiness of the lazybones, like a cold current. Amidst a series of clattering noises, Circe hurriedly opened the door.

"You... you were looking for me?"

Having witnessed the true nature of this great Witch's brutal beating of the Evil of This World, the witch shrank her neck, swallowed hard, and asked cautiously.

"I heard you spent the whole day shopping with the boss yesterday, you seemed pretty free?"

Samael crossed his arms and sneered, his tone carrying a hint of rebuke.

"No... no, they're working hard too..."

Circe's eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

The only things she couldn't miss were the journey and the food; as for the men in Argo's pointless pursuits, that was none of her business.

"Alright, stop making excuses. I'll give you something to do today."

"What?"

"Go to the King of Colchis and subtly probe your brother's intentions. What conditions would he be willing to accept to hand over the Golden Fleece?"

"Oh, you mean Aeetes? So that's why you came to me. That's easy."

Upon hearing that the monster's purpose was so simple, Circe straightened his back and beamed with delight.

Samael glanced at the paw resting on his shoulder and gave a curt reminder.

"Hand..."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong!"

Realizing she had become somewhat carried away, the Witch of the Eagles hurriedly withdrew her claws, like a sick chicken caught by a fox, drooping her head and straightening her posture.

"Stop rambling and get to work today. Pay attention, and don't forget we're carrying the will of the gods. You don't want your brother to die because of this, do you?"

Samael was too lazy to argue with this silly bird and patiently offered his advice.

"Yes, I will..."

Circe scratched his head and accepted the assigned task.

To be honest, she didn't have much contact with her older brother, let alone any deep feelings for him. On the contrary, she had a good relationship with her niece Medea because of her faith in Hecate.

Come to think of it, when that little girl was going to study Magecraft at the temple of the Moon Goddess Hecate, it was I who was bored on the island and taught her many lessons through dreams. In a sense, I was Medea's senior sister.

It's been so many years since we last met, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to see how my little niece is doing.

As for my brother's affair, it was just a side note. Witch are used to being free and easy, and they don't have that many constraints.

As Circe, carrying his staff, disembarked from the Argo and disappeared into the harbor, Jason was stunned for a long time before he suddenly came to his senses and murmured a question.

"She just mentioned 'Aeetes,' right?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Isn't that King of Colchis? And they're siblings?!"

"Otherwise, why would Mount of Ares have asked me to bring this silly bird along?"

"Praise be to Athena! Your wisdom is unparalleled!"

When Jason heard that the Argo had such a trump card, more powerful than any god, he was so excited that he rubbed his hands together and began to flatter the Goddess of Wisdom, as if he could see the Golden Fleece beckoning to him.

"Don't be too happy yet. Didn't you see that she preferred to slack off and go shopping yesterday rather than visit her King brother?"

In Greece these days, even brothers can't be trusted. Siblings you haven't seen in decades are nothing! At most, I'll lower the bar a bit and help you make a connection.

Samael mercilessly poured cold water on Jason's hopes, completely extinguishing his wishful thinking.

The captain hung his head in sullen disappointment, feeling utterly defeated.

After yesterday's visit, the more King of Colchis learned, the clearer he became about the difficulty of obtaining the Golden Fleece.

"Alright, go to the sacred grove of Ares in the name of sacrifice, pay homage to the Golden Fleece, and get a feel for the place. You might find this experience useful later."

As the ancient serpent casually offered his suggestion, Jason's eyes flickered, and he nodded, his gaze becoming solemn and stammering.

After a brief pause, the rather cowardly and fearful captain, along with several of his most powerful companions, including Heracles, Peleus, Telamon, and the Spartan Twins, set off for the Sacred Forest.

Clearly, Jason also vaguely suspected that if he couldn't obtain the Golden Fleece, he would probably have to resort to stealing it.

They really need to make two plans; it's necessary to visit the Sacred Grove of Ares, just in case.

Once the crew members had gradually disembarked and begun their work, Samael stretched and walked contentedly to Atalanta's door.

That's good now. That silly bird has been thrown out to do his business, and no one is disturbing his and the boss's private world.

Furthermore, separating Jason, Circe, and Medea in front of the Argo Heroes, thus preserving the young girl's identity and preventing her from getting involved, can be considered a form of protection.

So, after exhausting a lot of brain cells, surely no one will stop him from slacking off and walking the cat now?

Feline Saigo. jpg