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The Golden Fleece
Seeing this angered King Aeetes greatly, ‘ How could he possibly have passed the test?" the king thought. Still, the king had promised to give Jason the fleece if he passed the test. When Jason came over to him, the king spoke cheerfully:
‘ Truly you are a great hero. Let us celebrate your victory with a great party! Tomorrow I will give you the fleece’ In his mind, the king planned to get Jason drunk on wine and kill him while he slept. He asked Medea to help him entertain Jason and the Argonauts at the party, and he told her his plan.
When Medea heard her father's idea, she told Jason about it in secret, "You must get the fleece and. escape tonight," she said. "I will take you to get it after tonight's party.” During the party, Medea tricked her father by serving Jason and the Argonauts grape juice instead. of wine. They did not get drunk and sleepy as King Aeetes had hoped.
After the party, Jason ordered the Argonauts to guard the ship. He and Medea went to get the Golden Fleece. When they approached the tree where the fleece was hung, the great dragon guarding it awoke and stood in their way. Medea knew about the dragon and had prepared a special magic medicine. When the dragon smelled the medicine, it fell asleep instantly. Quickly, Jason climbed the tree and put the Golden Fleece in his bag- He and Medea then returned to the Argo and escaped Colchis together.
Early the next morning, the Argo sailed away before King Aeetes realized that either Medea or the fleece was gone. The trip home was easy, and the Argonauts did not face the dangers they had on the way to Colchis. When he returned to his home, Jason became king and married Medea. Jason's story became famous across the kingdom and the Argonauts all became famous as well.
However, the great happiness of Jason and Medea grew less over the years, Jason grew tired of Medea and married a younger and more beautiful princess. Medea was so angry and hurt that she studied more magic and used it to win the love of many great kings. Many kingdoms were destroyed by her evil powers. But these are all stories for another time.