The Argo Expedition! It's the Argo Expedition!
As that proud, unified cry rose from Icarus Harbor and rolled across all of Athens, the gathered people in the streets, alleys, on the walls, and out in the open fields felt it strike their minds like thunder.
One gaze after another locked onto the figures before them, matching the heroes they had heard of since childhood from the Argonautica with the enduring legends attached to them.
Captain Jason, the mighty Heracles, the Queen of Witchcraft Medea, the God of Medicine Asclepius, the peerless archer Atalanta, the twin swordsmen Castor and Pollux...
That's right. They were all back!
The expressions on the faces of the Athenians shifted from disbelief, to joy at one new surprise after another, until at last they tipped fully into the heat and frenzy of fans seeing their idols descend before their very eyes.
The [Calydonian Hunt], where they rid the people of evil...
The [Voyage for the Golden Fleece] to the kingdom of Colchis...
The [Wandering of the Underworld], in search of the Pure Land of Bliss...
The [Breakthrough of the Absolute Sea], which sealed off the final seas of Oceanus...
The [Day the Gods Fell], atop the interstellar mountain-city Olympus...
They had left behind one magnificent legend after another. They had created miracle after miracle.
As mortals, they had reached heights equal to the gods!
This force of fewer than a hundred before their eyes was the finest flower of the Age of Heroes, the Argo Expedition that had saved all the Greeks, and even the Olympian gods themselves, during that apocalyptic catastrophe of the war against the giants!
And now, these legendary heroes, one by one, had bowed in submission to Athens's Holy King, His Majesty Theseus, offering their loyalty and their oath. That sight tugged wildly at the Athenians' vanity and pride.
As the years turned, Athens would once again become the savior of Greece.
Heroes are born for honor, and die for glory!
They had answered the summons, just as they always had!
It was beneath the banner raised high by His Majesty King Theseus that the Amazons of Rome, the Valkyrie corps of the Norse, Odysseus, Greece's long-vanished great strategist, along with his Deep Sea Fleet, and the Argo Expedition, who had retired to the Pure Land of Bliss, had all answered the call and gathered here without hesitation. One epic army after another.
"The wind is perfect!"
"The wind speed is perfect!"
"All hands aboard! The Argo is ready to sail!"
Just as always, each hero, making full use of their natural talents, stood at the post best suited to them, and as the hatch closed, signals came back one after another from all across the ship.
"Weigh anchor. Set sail!"
Standing at the bow, Jason looked down at the finest ship in the world beneath his feet, then glanced back at the finest crew in all of Greece behind him. At last, he solemnly drew the bronze sword at his waist and cut it forward with grave resolve. At the same time, a shout rose from his chest, tinged with trembling emotion yet filled with encouragement.
"By the Three Goddesses above, glory shall belong to the Argo Expedition!"
"All units, depart!"
At the same time, the three goddesses who ruled sky and sea, earth and abyss, and order itself heard the call from the mortal world. White clouds scattered apart, and fierce winds blew from the side, rolling up the blue waves and swelling the great sails, shoving the mighty Argo out of the harbor so that it took the lead across the vast sea.
The Deep Sea Fleet, the Athenian navy, and the Viking longships merged into one, forming an unstoppable torrent upon the sea. Each vessel took aboard the great mass of troops gathered at the harbor, and together they surged toward Thermopylae.
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
And as the great dark battle fleet began to leave the harbor, the Athenians, their fervor and excitement completely ignited, ran through the streets shouting at the top of their lungs, chasing after the fleet and cheering themselves hoarse.
At that moment, the Athenians fully believed that this Third Greco-Persian War was the final opportunity to bring an end to a century of turmoil.
They would create a new myth!
The cheers gradually faded into the distance, and the horizon slowly sank beneath the churning waves.
"Why am I stuck in a group with you little brats?! And on top of that, I have to look after you? Rigged! This is absolutely rigged!"
Aboard a black Deep Sea warship carrying the Amazon warriors, Tamamo-no-Mae looked at the three childlike teammates lined up in front of her from shortest to tallest, one meter thirty, one meter forty, and one meter fifty, and could not help exploding in protest. Her tails lashed behind her, every hair standing on end with fury.
"Who wants to be grouped with you? This should be my personal solo stage! Hmph. A savage beast that can punch a cow to death with one blow, and yet always loves to act pitiful and put on the appearance of some frail, virtuous beauty to win sympathy. So soon and you've already shown your true colors. How ridiculous!"
Hearing Tamamo-no-Mae's complaint, Nero, standing in the middle, had the golden ahoge atop her head twitch. Planting her hands on her hips, she stepped forward and lifted her chin, ready to deliver her contempt from above.
But because of the height difference, even rising on tiptoe again and again, Her Majesty the Roman Emperor could only crane her head upward and direct her gaze straight at the disgracefully oversized lumps of flesh on Tamamo-no-Mae's chest.
Faced with such a humiliating display of overwhelming breast superiority, Nero's face darkened. Grim and displeased, she crooked a finger.
"Hey, shallow woman. I permit you to lower yourself and behold true beauty. Bend down a little."
"Where?"
"Obviously in Rome! In the Emperor of Roses! In me!"
"You smug little brat, where does all that confidence come from?"
"Hmph. Face reality. Beauty is not some contrived performance. It is the natural radiance of one's essence."
"Forget it. You're not even as tall as three blocks of tofu. With a figure that flat, hugging you at night would hurt one's hands, and if you built her into a city wall, the bricks would fit without the slightest gap. Just wait a few more years and finish growing. Don't worry. As your temporary guardian, I'll teach you what real charm actually is!"
Tamamo-no-Mae folded her arms and gave Nero a slow once-over, then fully unleashed her venomous tongue in a barrage of mockery.
"You dare look down on me? I'll be an adult very soon! And what's all this nonsense about charm? You've already been dumped!"
"Aren't you the same? Unwanted by man and dog alike, and tossed in here with the rest!"
"Damn fox!"
"Stupid brat!"
The one large and one small figure went straight for one another's sore spots, pressing their foreheads together, unable to stand the sight of each other. Both rolled up their sleeves, looking ready to fight on the spot.
"Tch, boring. What's the point of arguing over what counts as beauty? Isn't that dull?"
Penthesilea rolled her eyes and cut in, her expression full of arrogant disdain.
"If you ask me, instead of wasting time on that, you should come train your muscles with me. A woman doesn't need beauty to please men, nor does she need their judgment."
"Friendly reminder. Overtrain and you might end up with no one wanting you..."
Still tangled up with Nero, Tamamo-no-Mae looked back at the new participant in the debate, glanced at the knotted muscles on her body, and could not help twitching at the corner of her mouth before muttering the aside.
The tiger girl paid no attention. Slowly clenching her fists until the joints cracked, she declared in a fierce tone,
"So what? Once you get strong enough, if there's a type of man you like for breeding, you just grab him and pin him to the bed!"
For a moment, Tamamo-no-Mae and Nero, who had been in the middle of fighting, both froze. After turning it over in their heads and exchanging glances, they found themselves speechless.