After forcibly taking Medea's purity, I allowed her to rest for a while before discreetly sending her back to her room. It was imperative that no one knew she had visited me tonight. The invaluable information Medea provided about defeating the Dragon was crucial, and her unwavering loyalty was now mine. She had swiftly chosen to follow me, showing no concern for her father, the King.
Her sole desire was to be with me, and she had fallen head over heels in a remarkably short span of time.
Medea's devotion was profound; I was confident she would never betray me. Instead, her loyalty was so intense that she would willingly kill anyone for my sake.
The next morning, I awoke to find Semiramis already up. Her restless demeanor suggested a poor night's sleep.
"Lord Commander... may I ask something?" she inquired hesitantly.
"You may," I replied, slipping into my clothes.
"How... how did you get the Princess... hum..."
"In my bed and how I took her? If you wanted details, you should have stayed and watched," I replied, my tone dismissive.
"It's not that! I just can't believe it! If the King learns about this..."
"By the time he finds out, it will already be too late. We will be far away," I assured her, my voice filled with contempt. The King should already be grateful that I am wasting my precious time on his ridiculous challenge or whatever nonsense it is.
As we stepped out, we were immediately met by a group of knights.
"The King ordered us to take you to the Golden Fleece," one of them announced.
We followed them, soon meeting the other four. They were heavily armed, clearly apprehensive about the threat guarding the Golden Fleece. They appeared well-prepared for the upcoming confrontation.
Heracles looked at me with a stern expression. "I tried to arrange a deal, and you refused. You can only blame yourself for what is about to happen."
"I will take both the Golden Fleece and Medea, and you will be left with nothing but tears," Jason added, his eyes filled with determination.
I observed them for a moment before turning away, dismissing them entirely. I was disappointed. Were these the great heroes of Greek myths I had heard so much about on Earth? Of course, myths often exaggerated their characters for the sake of the story and to increase their fame, but I had still expected more.
We walked for about half an hour until we reached a cliff, protected by imposing gates.
"We cannot accompany you beyond this point," the soldiers declared before turning back, leaving us at the cliff's edge.
"Now, it's getting exciting," Jason grinned, gripping his sword tightly.
"Let's be careful," Heracles cautioned, his voice steady.
"Cover me!" Heracles shouted, cracking his knuckles before leaping high toward the dragon.
BADOOOM!
With a single punch, Heracles sent the dragon crashing against the wall. But as he landed, he groaned in pain, his right fist heavily bruised and red.
"The scales are incredibly strong. If even Heracles' fists can't penetrate them, how can we defeat it?" Orpheus remarked, concern evident in his voice.
"With swords, of course!" Jason laughed, kicking off the ground with inhuman speed. He reached the dragon and brought his sword down with a mighty swing. The shockwave reverberated through the cave, powerful enough to blast away even the strongest opponents.
Following Jason's attack, a rain of arrows shot toward the dragon's face. Atalanta, with her bow, fired arrow after arrow at a frightening speed, each one striking the dragon's body powerfully.
Yet...
"Graaaah!" The dragon roared even more ferociously, swinging its massive tail toward Jason.
"Shit!" Jason brought his sword up to shield himself, but it shattered upon impact, and he was sent crashing to the ground.
"Jason!" Orpheus rushed to his side, likely to heal him.
"Heracles!"
"I know!" Heracles clenched his fists, and the ground rumbled beneath him. His fists glowed bright red, and the very air around them trembled.
"Fists of the Goddess!" Heracles shouted, swinging his fists with immense power.
BADOOOOOM!
The dragon was knocked back, roaring in pain. Some of its scales showed faint cracks, but the damage was minimal.
"How is that possible?" Heracles was shocked.
He wasn't the only one.
His fists indeed strong enough to destroy even mountains but it barely scratched the dragon.
"Because you are weak," I replied, stepping forward.
It was time to end this embarrassing display.