Chapter 15 Tales of the Argonauts-15

All night, King Aeetes and the nobles discussed in the palace how to defeat the Argonauts, because he knew that what happened during the day was achieved with the help of his daughter.The goddess Hera, seeing the danger Jason faced, filled Medea with doubts and fears.Medea had a presentiment that her father knew of her aid, and feared that the handmaidens knew the truth too.After much deliberation, she decided to run away. "Farewell, dear mother," Medea said to herself, weeping, "farewell, sister Calciope, farewell, father's palace! O stranger, if there were no You, if you were buried in the sea before you came to Colchis, how good it would be!"

She left her family in a hurry like a fugitive.She chanted the spell, and the gate of the palace opened automatically.She walked through the narrow streets with bare feet, she held the veil with her left hand to cover her face, and held the robe that was dragging on the floor with her right hand so as not to be affected when she walked.The guards at the gate did not recognize her.After a while, she came to the outside of the city and walked to the temple from the path.Now she was walking towards the shore again, and at last she saw the bonfire that the Argonauts had burned all night in celebration of Jason's victory.When she was near the ship on the bank, she called aloud the name of her sister's youngest son, Frontis.At the third cry he recognized Medea's voice.The heroes startled first, then rolled the boat to the shore.Before the boat docked, Jason jumped onto the shore in one step.Frontis and Argos also followed. "Help me!" cried the girl eagerly, "everything is exposed, and it is impossible to think now. Let us escape by boat, before my father comes after him on a swift horse! Oh, I Then help you get the Golden Fleece. I decided to use hypnotism to send the dragon to sleep. You can take the opportunity to take the Golden Fleece. But you, outsider, you have to swear to the gods in front of the heroes, when I When I arrive alone in your distant country, you promise to uphold my dignity!"

Jason felt joy in his heart, gently lifted the girl up from the ground, hugged her, and said, "My dear, let Zeus and Hera who rule marriages testify, I am willing to take you back as my legal wife." Home!" He swore and put his hand in hers.So, Medea ordered the heroes to move all night, and roll the boat to the sacred forest to get the golden fleece.Jason and Medea came to the sacred grove by another path through the steppe.They saw the golden fleece hanging on the tall oak tree shining in the night, and the sleepless dragon on the opposite side watched tirelessly.When it saw people, it stretched out its neck and swam towards them, uttering terrible shrill roars, which echoed dull and mournful from the bank and in the woods.Medea went forward without fear, and with a sweet voice, she begged Slav, the most magical sleep god among the gods, to call the dragon to sleep for her.At the same time, he asked the great goddess of hell to bless her and help her realize her plan.Jason looked at all this and was very frightened.But at this time, the poisonous dragon was drowsy in Medea's magical hypnotic song, its arched back hung down, and its hovering body slowly stretched out.Only the ugly head was still standing upright, and it opened its huge mouth, as if to devour the two people who approached step by step.Medea jumped up and sprinkled the liquid in the dragon's eyes with a juniper branch.A strange fragrance hit the dragon's nose and stunned it.Now, with its mouth shut and its body stretched out, it lay in the woods, sound asleep.

According to Medea's instructions, Jason hurriedly took the golden fleece from the oak tree while she was anointing the dragon's forehead with magic oil.The two quickly fled the Ares forest.Jason carried the Fleece on his shoulders, and it hung from his neck to his heels, and it shone with gold, and lit up the path at night.Then he quickly put down the golden fleece and rolled it up, because he was afraid that the wicked or the gods would take it away if they saw the treasure. It was just after daybreak that they boarded the boat.The companions gathered around the two to ask questions, and they all wanted to touch the golden fleece with their hands.Ahmad refused, and covered it with a new cloak.Then he made Medea a comfortable bed in the back cabin, and said to his friends:

"Dear friends, let us return to our hometown now! Thanks to the help of this girl, we have finally completed our mission and made great achievements. I will take her back to my hometown and marry her as my legal wife. You should help me take good care of her along the way. I believe that the matter is not over yet. Aeetes will lead people to catch up and block our way back. So let half of us paddle and the other half hold spears and shields, ready Meet the enemy and repel his attack." After speaking, he swung his sword and cut the cable, and then stood beside Medea and the helmsman Anchoos with the weapon in hand.The big ship sailed towards the river's mouth like an arrow.