Wrapping up the negotiations with the Messenian king is smooth sailing.

"I promise to return your brood mares with all their mules, Iphitus, son of Eurytus." Polycaon starts, defeated. It's like confessing his misdeeds, but he has no choice.

For telling him the secret ingredients to heal the sheep I get to pick any ship from his docks.

It's simple garlic and vinegar to help the poor animals with the bloating.

His servants know this trick already, but won't give us away.

That's the kind of servant you get if you are greedy.

But my Eumaeus did wonders with the instructions I gave him.

"Please, Odysseus, tell the Spartan delegation we solved the slave issue." He almost begs me, giving me their price in gold talents. It's lucky he does because there are no Spartans here.

They're my sailors dressed up by Eumaeus. He will get much of that gold as his reward, he worked hard for it. Mixing our half-truths with his deception did the job.

While the stolen goods won't return to Ithaca, the shepherds are free and our fleet grew with another ship. And as a nice bonus, I made an excellent friend.

"You are the real deal, Odysseus. I didn't believe this could work, but your idea was so entertaining, I had to see you follow through." Iphitus pats my back later in the inn.

"I can't forgive you for leaving me out of all the fun." Ktimene slept through most of these events and now she's back to being hostile. She steals my drinks as a consolation prize.

"Look at her go." Eumaeus celebrates too, and he has every right to do it. He is still not as wild as Ktimene in the drinking game. "But don't give wine to that poor owl, sister."

It's fine, I don't want him to get drunk anyway, and I won't celebrate this success either.

First, we should leave the city before the king realizes our tricks.

The second reason is that even the original Odysseus succeeded here.

I don't know how he did it, but this is only the start. Iphitus won't hold back though, and won't go back on his word either. He promised a magnificent gift in case my ambitious plan worked.

"I want you to take my father's bow." He offers the legendary weapon. And when I say legendary, Greek mythology has a separate entry of this bow, that's how famous it is.

"Our friendship is more valuable." I try to decline it, almost scared of such a valuable item, but he is adamant. I must have made quite an impression on him.

"And that is why I want to give this to you. Since it might be the strongest bow in all Hellas, it will be the perfect symbol of our friendship." The Argonaut hands it over the table.

He's not kidding, I know that before touching it. I read about it, and it looks and even feels strong. It's a complex compound bow with a crazy curve, foreign to these lands.

"For something so valuable, I can't give you a gift worthy back. Take my spear and sword as well, I don't want you to go unarmed." I offer the gifts from Autolycus in return.

I sucked with them anyway, and a bow is one step closer to a gun. But this one is special, even touching it makes my fingers tingle. It must be worth more than the ship I won today.

"Don't let it bother you, Odysseus. But I want to see you string it." He rubs his hands together after our exchange, and I know why he's so curious. This is a recurve bow.

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The curve is so huge, that the weapon rests in a C shape backward. If someone, who had never seen this type before wanted to use it, they wouldn't understand.

They would try threading the string over it as is and wonder why it wouldn't work. Before my staff officer training began, I did some archery. Not much, but enough to understand the type.

You'd need tremendous force to curve it back and brace it with your leg. Well, that won't happen with this one, because it's still sensitive after that boar incident.

I need Eumaeus' help, and even the two of us struggle. But seeing that we do it the right way already amuses Ipithus. When the string is finally on the weapon, he claps for us.

"That's Odysseus for you. Nobody I showed that thing before understood how it worked at first glance. That includes me. But you are something else. Want to give it a shot?"

I sure do. I had an itch to shoot something since the Tachyon Lance sent me back 3000 years.

If I can't have a gun a bow will have to do. But boy, this is the heaviest one I've ever shot.

I tried a replica English longbow with a draw weight of 150 pounds. That was the heaviest until then, but this one is much worse. It's no wonder that this is a legendary weapon.

Gathering all my strength, I aim for a tree trunk, and the arrow sinks 8 inches into the solid wood.

I must take a break after a single shot, but Iphitus is ecstatic.

"You won't stop surprising me, brother. I'm glad I gave it to you, you are worthy of Eurytus' bow." He pats my back again, almost breaking it. These Argonauts can't control their strength.

But if I practice with this weapon, I'll have a back stronger than iron.

He decides to stay and wait for Heracles here, but we load up our ships to sail off as soon as possible.

"What will you call this new one?" Ktimene asks, inspecting the other price.

I'm not an expert in judging penteconters, but I choose the longest and narrowest one in the port.

"I have a good name in mind, that will remind me of how I earned it, and my friendship with Iphitos." I smile, walking over the narrow deck. "I will call it the Messenian Gamble."

"Gamble. It sure was one. But it worked."

Iphitus has one last laugh before sending us off.

While the winds aren't favorable, we leave Messene before dusk.

"Take care, Odysseus."

"You too, friend. Let's pray that our paths cross again." I wave to him until we leave the harbor.

The sailors are busy, we split the crew, and even the shepherds have to oar, but it's worth it.

Ktimene and Eumaeus sail with the old ship and all the freed slaves, while I choose the new one, heading home. Of course, the greedy Polycaon couldn't let us go without one last surprise.

The Gamble is leaking, slowing us down even further, adding on top of our fewer oarsmen.

It's nothing we can't fix once we dock somewhere less hostile, but I don't want to hold the others back.

"Head forward, and let the shepherds return home. Tell our Father what happened here and on the Parnassus, and I'll follow you in a few days."

I yell over the other penteconter and have another goodbye.

We have to drain the water all night and the next day until we reach the bustling port of Pylos.