Heroes of Olympus

by Philip Freeman

  They asked Aphrodite to send her son Cupid to Colchis. They wanted Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes, to fall hopelessly in love with Jason. Medea was a powerful young witch and could use her magic to help the Argonauts. Aphrodite offered her son a golden ball that threw a flaming trail through the air like a comet. Cupid accepted the bribe and flew to Colchis to find Medea.

  Meanwhile, the Argonauts had left the Argo and were making their way to the palace of Aeetes. Hera helped the men by covering them in a mist so that they could approach the king’s city unseen. When they arrived at the gates of the palace, Hera blew the mist away and revealed a marvelous city built by the god Hephaestus himself. Medea looked out her window and saw Jason. Cupid let his arrow fly and she fell in love instantly with the handsome visitor from Greece.

  Aeetes laughed at Jason and the Argonauts when they said they meant him no harm and politely asked for the Golden Fleece. The king told Jason he could have it if he could pass a small test of bravery. Jason had to yoke a pair of fire-breathing oxen. Then he had to use them to plow a field and sow it with dragon’s teeth left over from the beast Cadmus had killed at Thebes. Armed warriors would spring from these teeth. Jason would have to kill them or be slain himself. When he had accomplished all this, Jason could try to take the fleece from the dragon.

  Jason sat in an empty corner of the palace weeping and cursing the day he had ever left his home on Mount Pelion. Medea found him and swore that she would help him. Jason was overcome with gratitude and promised to love the princess forever. Medea then gave him a magic ointment to protect him from the oxen’s fiery breath.

  The next day Jason and his men found the field where Aeetes had placed the bronze yoke—wood would burn away in an instant—and fixed his spear in the ground. He hung his helmet, full of dragon’s teeth, from its point. Then, with only his shield, he came to the dark cave where the oxen lived. The oxen stormed out bellowing fire, but Jason trusted in Medea’s ointment and was not harmed. He waited until the oxen stopped to take a breath, and then, quick as lightning, wrestled one ox to the ground. He kicked the other hard on its leg and brought it to its knees. With the help of Castor and Pollux, he lifted the heavy bronze yoke onto the necks of the oxen and led the animals to the field.

  As the oxen broke the sod, Jason sowed the dragon’s teeth. When he finished, he let the oxen go and put on his armor. Men were slowly rising from the earth. Medea had told Jason what to do next. He threw a large boulder into the middle of the field. The warriors turned toward the stone. Some began fighting with each other, but most were unable to move. Jason rushed into the field and began hacking at the warriors. Soon they were all dead, with only Jason left alive to glory in his victory.

  Aeetes spent the whole night plotting the death of Jason and his men. He knew that Medea’s magic was behind Jason’s success. Medea snuck out of the palace dragging her little brother Apsyrtus behind her. The sleepy child trusted his sister completely.

  Medea made her way barefoot through the empty streets until she was at the banks of the river. She climbed onto the Argo and fell to her knees, begging Jason to take her to Greece. She would help him get the Golden Fleece, but they had to act quickly. Jason gladly agreed. Medea put her brother to bed on board and led Jason to the sacred grove of Ares.

  The Golden Fleece hung on a huge oak tree, but the largest snake anyone could imagine was curled up around it. The serpent’s hiss sent shivers down Jason’s spine. Medea ran to the giant snake, fixing it with her eyes. Medea knew she could not hold its attention for long. She dipped a juniper branch into a powerful potion and then sprinkled it on the serpent’s head while she chanted spells. Even this magic had its limits, so she told Jason to hurry. He grabbed the fleece and backed away while Medea continued to work her magic on the snake. The beast slowly raised its head and bared its fangs, but the spell was too strong and it collapsed.

  Jason and Medea ran like the wind. He cut the ship’s ropes and ordered the crew to cast off.

  The Argonauts manned the oars and pulled with all their might down the Phasis into the sea. They knew that Aeetes would show no mercy to the foreigners who had stolen his most valued possession.

  By dawn the Argonauts were well along the coast, but Aeetes had gathered his ships. The Colchians closed the gap between the ships and overtook the Argo. It was now that Medea brought her little brother onto the deck in view of their father. Aeetes may have been ready to kill his daughter, but he would never harm Apsyrtus. Medea plunged her dagger into her brother’s heart while both the Argonauts and the king watched in horror. She then cut Apsyrtus into little pieces, casting one of his arms into the sea. Aeetes screamed in anguish and ordered his ship to slow so that he could pick up the limb floating on the waves. Medea repeated this until little chunks of Apsyrtus were all over the sea. Aeetes fell farther and farther behind as he collected the pieces. The Greek sailors were grateful to Medea for saving them, but wondered what sort of woman they had taken on board.

  Jason knew that the Colchians would follow him to the Bosporus straits, so he made instead for the mouth of the Danube River on the western coast. The king suspected he might take this route, so he sent a warship to the Danube, commanded by one of his sons. After a long voyage across the sea, the Argonauts entered the mouth of the Danube only to find that the Colchians had arrived first. Medea told Jason she could get them through if he had the courage to act without mercy. At this point, Jason was more afraid of the young witch than he was of her father’s men, so he agreed.

  Medea sent a messenger to her older brother to come alone to an island to discuss terms for the return of the fleece. When the brother arrived, Jason cut him down with his sword. Medea told Jason to cut off her brother’s fingers and toes and suck the blood from each three times, spitting it onto the ground. This magic would keep the ghost from pursuing them. With the bloody deed done, the pair returned to the Argo and Jason ordered his men to row up the Danube deep into the unknown wilderness.

  Stories say the voyage took the Argonauts through the dark forests and snow-covered mountains of Europe, far up the Danube to the foot of the Alps and beyond. Some say they sailed as far as the land of the Celts and through Gaul until they came to the Mediterranean coast of Liguria. From there they held to the Italian shore past the land of the Etruscans and the future site of Rome. Then they arrived at the island of Aeaea, home of the dreaded witch Circe.

  Circe was sitting on the beach washing her head with seawater. She had never had such horrible dreams as she had the night before. She came down to the shore that morning followed by the wild creatures she had created from the strangers who came to her island.

  When she saw Jason and Medea approaching, she signaled them to follow her. They fell down before Circe with hands over their faces like those seeking to wash away the sin of murder. Out of respect for Zeus, Circe began to purify them. She bathed their hands in the blood of a suckling pig. Next she prayed to Zeus and then burned cakes to soothe the Furies who follow after those who kill their own relatives.

  When Circe finished, she asked her guests to tell of their terrible crime. She was especially eager to learn who Medea was, for she saw in her the fire of someone descended from the sun god Helios, her own father. Medea told Circe that she was indeed the granddaughter of Helios and daughter of Aeetes, and therefore Circe’s niece. She told of the voyage of the Argonauts from Greece in search of the Golden Fleece and how she had helped them. Medea did not mention the murders, but Circe could see into her heart: “You foolish girl, truly you have embarked on a voyage of shame. How could you slay your own brothers and expect to escape the wrath of your father? I have unknowingly purged you of this crime and cannot punish you, but your life will be full of misery. Get off my island and take this wretched fellow with you!”

  Jason took Medea by the hand and led her back to the ship. Medea pulled her robe over her eyes and wept. She had murdered her own kin and lost her home and family forever, all for the love of a stranger.

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bsp; Hera sent a fair wind, and the Argo sailed south along the Italian coast. The bard Orpheus sang loudly as they approached the island of the Sirens. He drowned out the sweet songs that lured men to their death. The ship then passed between the monster Scylla and the giant whirlpool, Charybdis, with the help of the goddess Thetis. They also avoided the Wandering Rocks that crushed vessels off Sicily.

  Warships sent by King Aeetes caught up with the Argonauts after they entered the harbor of the kindly Phaeacians. The Phaeacian queen, Arete, was very proper. She promised her husband would not turn the Argonauts over to the Colchians if Jason and Medea married. That night the couple were wed, and the Phaeacian king, Alcinous, agreed to protect them. The Colchians didn’t dare challenge such a powerful ruler, but they were afraid to return home empty-handed. Alcinous granted them land for a colony nearby so they would not have to face Aeetes. The Phaeacians then sent the Argo on its way with gifts and fresh provisions.

  Jason and the Argonauts were almost home. As they rounded the tip of the Peloponnesus, a fierce storm blew them all the way across the Mediterranean to Africa. One enormous wave carried the ship many miles into the desert, leaving it far from the sea. The men were so depressed that they lay down in the sand to die.

  Jason had gone away from the others to face his end alone when suddenly he thought he saw three beautiful nymphs. They smiled and said they were the divine guardians of that land. They advised him not to worry: “Get up and rouse your comrades, Jason! As soon as Amphitrite unyokes the horses of Poseidon, then you and your companions must pay back your mother who has carried you so long. You may yet return to Greece!”

  Then they vanished. Jason thought he was losing his mind, but he told the Argonauts what the nymphs said. The men were doubtful until a magnificent horse ran toward them and galloped into the distance. Peleus said this was the horse of Poseidon, and that the mother the nymphs spoke of must be the Argo. They should put the ship on their shoulders and carry her until they came to water.

  Anything seemed better than dying in the desert. The men picked up the ship and set out through the wilderness. After nine days they came to an oasis. It was the Garden of the Hesperides, the very place Hercules had visited to gather the famous golden apples. The nymphs of the garden told them they had just missed the hero.

  The sailors picked up the ship again and carried it until they came to inland Lake Tritonis and paddled around for days. Eventually the god Triton, Poseidon’s son, took pity on them and carried the ship to the Mediterranean where they set sail for Greece. Along the way, they tried to take on fresh water in Crete, but were attacked by the bronze giant Talus who threw boulders at anyone who came near. Zeus had given Talus to Europa as a gift to protect her. The girl was long dead, but the mechanical monster still took his job seriously. The Argonauts were desperately thirsty. Medea once again came to their rescue and cast a spell. Talus struck his heel on a rock and the magic fluid that gave him life drained from his body. The men pulled to shore and refilled their water jars for the end of the voyage. They sailed north through the Aegean for several days until they came at last to Thessaly and Jason’s own city of Iolcus beneath Mount Pelion, where they had set out from so long ago.

  There are many different stories about what happened next, but most say that Jason gave the Golden Fleece to his uncle Pelias to fulfill his vow. The Argonauts then delivered their faithful ship to Corinth and dedicated it to Poseidon before going their separate ways. Jason and Medea returned to Iolcus. Jason’s father, Aeson, was still alive, and at Jason’s request, Medea rejuvenated him with her magical powers. This so impressed the daughters of King Pelias that they asked her to restore the youth of their own aged father. Medea was glad to help.

  She took an old ram and cut it into pieces, then threw the parts into a large pot full of magical herbs. Moments later the witch reached in and pulled out a spring lamb. The daughters were thrilled and agreed she should do the same to their father. They entered his bedroom with swords and gathered around him while he slept. Before he could wake, they cut him into little pieces, then hurried to Medea. She placed the pieces in the cauldron, sprinkled herbs, and chanted spells above the boiling brew. The daughters looked into the pot, but all they saw was a bubbling stew. Medea explained that sometimes the magic didn’t work. She then ran back to Jason to tell him the throne was his.

  The sons of Pelias had other ideas and chased Jason and Medea out of Iolcus. Jason had lost his home in Hera’s elaborate plan to punish Pelias, but Medea urged him to seek out another city. Corinth seemed like a good choice, since the king of that town—named Creon like the king of Thebes—admired Jason. So the couple made their way south to the Peloponnesian peninsula with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Medea took comfort in the fact that Jason’s love for her would never fail.

  Jason and Medea lived together in Corinth for ten happy years. Their lives were humble, but they found joy in their two sons. On days when their work allowed, they would take the boys down to the shore to show them the Argo and tell them stories of their great adventure.

  Jason longed for the life of royalty and missed the days when men looked up to him. In Corinth, the people laughed at him behind his back because he had taken a foreign witch for a wife. By Greek law his sons could not even be citizens. There had to be some way he could set things right.

  One day Jason came home and announced to Medea that he was going to marry Glauce, the daughter of King Creon of Corinth. He said that their own marriage didn’t count because she was a foreigner. The king and his daughter were eager to make a match with the hero who had brought back the Golden Fleece. His new bride understandably didn’t want Medea and her children around the city, so she would have to leave Corinth.

  Medea exploded in outrage. She was the one who had gotten the fleece and brought Jason safely back to Greece through many dangers. She had given up her life for him. How dare he think he was going to get away with this!

  Jason claimed that she should be grateful. He had gotten her away from that backward kingdom of her father and brought her to the glorious land of Greece. He then ran back to the palace and hid.

  Medea was furious. She was being cast aside after all she had done for Jason. She knew that both she and her boys would wander the roads of Greece, starving. There was only one way to have her revenge.

  She sent a message to Jason saying she had spoken out of anger. She knew he had her best interests at heart, so she wanted to make things right. She even had a wedding gift for the bride, a robe of the finest cloth.

  Jason was glad to see that Medea had come to her senses. He carried the gift to Glauce himself. When she put on the robe, she started foaming at the mouth. The cloth burned her skin and the girl screamed and screamed. The king tried to help, but his own flesh began to melt. Both father and daughter died while Jason and the rest of the family looked on in horror.

  Jason rushed to the home he had shared with Medea. He found her with a bloody sword in her hand. He felt a chill run down his spine and asked where their sons were. Medea calmly told him that they were dead. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, she confessed, but she could not leave them to suffer without a proper father.

  Jason fell to the floor and cried in anguish. He hardly noticed that Medea had disappeared—some say on a chariot drawn by dragons sent by the sun god. Now Jason had truly lost everything.

  As the weeks and months passed, Jason was scorned by all as a man cursed by the gods. He took to sitting beneath the rotting remains of the Argo on the beach at Corinth. He tried to remember the old days full of adventure and romance. At last one day the heavy oak prow from the grove of Zeus, now long silent, fell to the ground and crushed him. Jason’s life was over.

  Troy

  It all began with an apple.

  Zeus gave his mortal grandson Peleus, who had sailed on the Argo, the hand of the sea goddess Thetis in marriage. The only problem was that Zeus had failed to ask Thetis.

  To help Peleus win over his
bride, the gods told him of a secret place where she danced with sea nymphs in the moonlight. Peleus hid himself among the rocks. When Thetis and the nymphs lay down to sleep, Peleus crept up on the goddess and claimed her as his wife. She used her powers to change into terrifying shapes, but Peleus hung on until the goddess agreed to marry him.

  They had a splendid wedding on the slopes of Mount Pelion. The fifty sisters of Thetis sang, the Muses danced, and Ganymede, the cupbearer, poured wine for all into golden goblets. Everyone was there—except for one goddess. Zeus had kept Strife, born at the dawn of the world, off the guest list. In revenge she snuck up to the wedding and rolled a golden apple across the floor. On it were written the words, “For the fairest.”

  Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite fought over the apple. Zeus stopped them with his voice of thunder and declared that the matter must be decided by someone who had an eye for beautiful women. As judge, he chose a young Trojan prince named Paris.

  Troy had struggled for many years to rebuild after it was destroyed by Hercules. Priam, the one surviving member of the royal family, married many wives and rebuilt his city to its former glory on the shores of the Hellespont. One of his wives was Hecuba, who gave him a fine son named Hector. A soothsayer told her that her second son would cause the downfall of Troy. So Priam and Hecuba gave the newborn infant, named Paris, to a shepherd to abandon on Mount Ida above the city.

  The shepherd could not bring himself to kill the innocent baby. He raised Paris as his own, teaching him to watch over flocks and drive off wild animals. Paris was a beautiful child and popular with the local girls. He was also skilled with animals. A pet bull he raised became known throughout the region.