Inside the royal palace of Arcadia, King Iasos of Arcadia was quietly awaiting his daughter's return.
He had never imagined that the infant girl he had abandoned in the mountains more than ten years ago would now grow into a powerful female Hero under the protection of the goddess Artemis, and her beauty was entirely worthy of the title "Princess of Arcadia."
Iasos only recently learned that his daughter was still alive. After Atalanta was chosen as an Argo Hero, participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, and achieved great military feats, he received an oracle from the priests in the temple, which informed him about his daughter.
Following the oracle's instructions, Iasos successfully recognized Atalanta and brought her back to Arcadia, announcing her status as a princess to the world. However, even with Atalanta's accomplishments, Iasos's deeply ingrained patriarchal views remained unchanged. After Atalanta's return, he did not think of properly training this princess, teaching her various knowledge of governance and management, and making her an heir to become the Queen of Arcadia. Instead, he simply wanted to use Atalanta as a reproductive tool, to marry an equally powerful husband, and to bear a true male heir for Arcadia.
In fact, when Iasos spoke to Atalanta about this matter, he felt a bit nervous. According to the oracle, his daughter was one of the most powerful archers in the Greek World. Not to mention hitting a target a hundred paces away, if Atalanta got angry and wanted to shoot Iasos in the palace, Iasos would have nowhere to hide.
Fortunately, although Atalanta grew up in the wilderness and possessed a wild nature, she also acquired a relatively noble character, which was considered high in the Greek World. She would not violate filial piety towards her parents. Therefore, when Iasos proposed his desire for her to marry, the maiden calmly stated that she wished to go to the temple to pray to the gods and then return with her answer.
Iasos waited for half a day in his palace, and then his subordinates informed him that Atalanta had returned from the temple. The King of Arcadia immediately went to Princess Atalanta, who had just returned to her residence, and asked her:
"Daughter, what have you decided?"
"Father, the gods say this is our freedom, so I can agree to your terms and marry a man," Atalanta said quietly upon hearing this. But before Iasos could rejoice, she added:
"However, the gods say that I must find a man worthy of me. He must at least be stronger than me in some aspect. I don't think you want me to casually marry a mediocre man and then bear mediocre offspring for Arcadia, do you?"
Iasos thought Atalanta made sense, so he nodded and asked:
"Then what do you suggest?"
"How about this, Father? We set up a race, and those men who wish to marry me will race against me."
Atalanta thought for a moment and then said:
"I'm quite confident in this aspect. If a man can win against me in a race, then even if he's not strong in any other aspect, he will still be famous as a Hero in the Greek World. Such a man would be worthy of marrying me. What do you think?"
"Reasonable!"
Iasos nodded, then waved his hand and said:
"Then I will immediately go prepare the racecourse and release this news."
"Father, one more thing."
Atalanta called out to Iasos, who was excitedly preparing to leave, and then pulled a young and adorable boy from an adjacent room, saying to him:
"I want a attendant. Let him be it, alright?"
Iasos glanced at the boy, whose origin was unknown, and found him handsome and cute, feeling a slight displeasure.
However, considering that the heir of Arcadia needed Atalanta's approval, Iasos did not object, merely saying:
"It's fine, but you need to be careful. You are about to be married. No matter what, your chastity must be reserved for your future husband. Playing around with such a attendant is fine, but don't go too far."
Unexpectedly, Atalanta did not get angry after hearing Iasos's words. Instead, she looked at the boy with some fear, and the boy merely showed an expression of ecstatic joy on his face, saying nothing more.
It wasn't until Iasos had left that Atalanta breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly said to her "attendant":
"Lord Ares, the kings of Greece are all like this. He meant no disrespect to you."
"I know. A attendant is just a plaything for the upper class anyway. I've attended banquets held by Zeus and Apollo before," Ares said without any displeasure. He looked up at Atalanta and said:
"I've even transformed into beggars and slaves before, so a attendant is nothing. But Atalanta, we must play the part completely. From now on, truly treat me as your attendant. Feel free to order me around, and even beating or scolding me is fine, because there are definitely people watching you here."
After speaking, Ares pointed his finger upwards.
Atalanta also showed a serious expression, then solemnly nodded to Ares.
...
After Iasos left, he quickly set up the racecourse and arranged for his subordinates to spread the news throughout all of Greece.
Whoever could win against his daughter Atalanta in a race could marry her and become the next King of Arcadia.
As soon as this news spread, it immediately attracted the attention of all unmarried young men in Greece. After all, before this, Atalanta's name, as one of the few female Heroes on the Argo, had already resounded throughout the land of Greece.
Everyone knew that it was she who shot the first arrow that wounded the Calydonian Boar, and they also knew how valiant and beautiful this Princess of Arcadia was, so much so that even the Prince of Calydon, the Hero Meleager, could not forget her.
And if one could become the husband of such a strong and beautiful person, whether one sought strength, power, fame, love, or simply a desire for conquest, all could be satisfied in Atalanta.
So, soon, a large number of young men from all directions gathered in the Arcadia Kingdom to participate in this race. They were so numerous that they even filled the city-state of Arcadia, forcing King Iasos to move the racecourse outside the city and build a new city-state outside the existing one.
In the end, the news of Atalanta's impending marriage even spread to the Argo, which was still sailing on the sea. Upon hearing this news, a group of Heroes felt somewhat dejected, and many male Heroes even disembarked at the next port and rushed to Arcadia, wanting to participate in this grand event.
"Alas, I didn't expect Sister Atalanta to encounter such a thing after disembarking. How unfortunate," Medea sighed from the bow of the ship, watching the eager men disembark and leave.
"She truly sacrificed a lot for this ship."
"But if someone can truly win against her in a race, then it wouldn't be a bad thing for Atalanta to marry such a man, would it?" Jason muttered upon hearing this.
"I think anyone who can outrun her is already worthy of being on our ship."
"That's true, but isn't the only man in all of Greece who can outrun her right here?" Medea said, reaching out and patting Heracles's arm. "Besides my martial nephew, who else in the world can outrun her now?"
"Martial nephew..." Heracles's expression was very subtle. After all, being called that by a girl who was not even up to his waist felt very strange to him too.
"How do you know that only Heracles can outrun her in the whole world?" Jason retorted after hearing Medea's words.
"Of course I don't know, but this news was told to me by my martial brother. What, do you have an objection?" Medea raised an eyebrow, righteously retorting.
"No objection, no objection." As soon as he heard that Ares had said it, Jason immediately waved his hand in surrender.
"So, if someone actually wins against her, they must have used some dishonorable means," Medea said. "Sister Atalanta might very likely be forced to marry a man she doesn't like... Although princesses are almost certain to encounter such things, that's because princesses enjoy the glory and wealth brought by their families since birth, so sacrificing themselves for the family is natural. But Sister Atalanta's father threw her into the mountains since she was little, never taking any fatherly responsibility, and now he demands Sister Atalanta to make sacrifices for the family and country. It's truly unfair."
"Indeed." Heracles nodded, whispering, "But I believe Teacher will certainly not stand idly by in such matters. Although he is ruthless and dark-hearted, he is quite righteous in this regard."