I grabbed the statue of the goddess Hera lying next to Jason's corpse and held it out in front of me."You have to listen... this is the will of Hera!"
"You still haven't dropped the act?"
"Go to hell! How can you still joke around at a time like this?"
"You idiot… pull yourself together and get back to your seat."
"Oh come on, again? You moron."
"Silence!!!" I bellowed.
The Argonauts stopped insulting me. Everyone was startled by my sudden outburst. Once the silence returned, I spoke again.
"This is real… it's truly Hera's will. If you don't believe me, look here!"
I unwrapped a small corner of the cloth concealing the golden needle. A soft golden aura spread out and enveloped the statue. The radiant glow made the sculpture appear even more divine, as if Hera herself was revealing her power through it.
"If you all continue to be stubborn… then you'll die just like Jason and Tiphys!" I threatened.
Their expressions and demeanor changed instantly. I silently prayed someone—anyone—would fall for my desperate charade. Please... someone…
And my prayers were answered. One of the crew members began to tremble in fear. His face turned pale, his body shook—he was the same man who earlier muttered, "Hera… truly cursed us."
Hera? Everyone else looked stunned as well.
"Well, now that you know… shouldn't you be kneeling already?" I commanded.
Those already fearful of Hera dropped to their knees without me needing to say another word. Some of the Argonauts hesitated, unsure whether to believe me or not. But once enough of the crew knelt, the rest fell into the wave of mass hysteria and followed suit. My plan worked on the fearful and the uncertain. But of course, there were still those who didn't believe me.
Right now, Hercules, Theseus, Achilles, Atalanta, and the healer Asclepius were still unmoved by my performance. And that… was a big problem.
Please… just believe me. I'm running out of time
Amid the rising tension, Asclepius still wore his usual calm smile. He looked at me and let out a small chuckle before slowly kneeling down.
"Forgive me for my ignorance… O mighty Hera."
Asclepius knelt without hesitation. I could tell he was helping me—pretending to believe this was truly Hera's command.
"You… you believe that guy?" Atalanta asked, eyes wide.
Asclepius smiled at her before replying,
"Then tell me, Atalanta… do you believe in what I just did?"
Atalanta fell silent. I could see the conflict in her eyes. She clearly didn't believe this was really Hera's will, but in the end, her faith in Asclepius outweighed her doubt. Slowly, she knelt down beside him.
"Everyone, please believe us—this truly is the will of the goddess Hera," Asclepius added, reinforcing the illusion.
The remaining heroes, though still skeptical, looked at Asclepius—someone they deeply respected—and began to doubt their own doubts. If even he acknowledged it, then maybe… just maybe…
One by one, they all finally fell to their knees.
And just like that, I had every person aboard the Argo bowing before me.
That's all it took. So dramatic, this bunch.
My time was running out. I quickly gave the order to set sail. Everyone followed my instructions without hesitation this time. The anchor was hauled up from the sea, and the rowers took their positions, ready to depart. Freed from its restraints, the Argo surged forward like a lover reunited after long separation.
The prow turned left—just as I had commanded. Then I directed the rowers to zigzag the ship's course like the teeth of a saw. We finally passed the deadly rocks that had nearly ended our journey. I kept guiding them, navigating the route ahead.
At last, I saw the mouth of the Hellespont Strait. It appeared like a path toward salvation, a light we had waited for so long to reach—even if the skies above were still cloaked in darkness