"Right, I get the picture. You think we found our Amazons?"
"More like they found us."
"Where's Andre?"
"I don't know."
"Anyone else missing?"
"Only the men back on the boat."
Steiger looked around at the cell. "Lovely accommodations."
"According to the story, they murdered all their men for bringing back concubines from Thrace," said Delaney.
"Is there a point to this or are you just being bright and cheery?"
"Also according to the story, they made the Argonauts quite welcome, if you'll recall."
"That's right," said Steiger, "I'm still not thinking too clearly. They stayed here for a while and enjoyed the company of a lot of horny women and they would have stayed longer if Hercules hadn't kicked their butts back aboard the ship. This part wasn't in the script."
The other Argonauts started to come around. It turned out that several of the hunting parties had been caught in nets as well, others had fallen into pits, the rest were approached by lovely young women and gassed when they allowed them to get close.
"I do not u
nderstand this," Jason said. "Were all of us captured by women?"
"Why have we been chained?" roared Hercules, furiously. Suddenly, there was no trace of a stutter. The deep voice rumbled forth smoothly in ringing, stentorian tones. "Who dares chain the son of Zeus?"
He stood and held his arms out before him, pulling the chains taut. The muscles in his shoulders and chest bunched, standing out in sharp relief, and a moment later, the chains snapped cleanly.
Steiger stared, eyes wide. "Jesus, did you see that?" he whispered.
Delaney tried his own chains. "I saw it, but I don't believe it. These links are almost an inch thick!"
Hercules reached down and snapped the chains holding his feet together, then turned his attention to the chains holding Hylas. One by one, he freed each of the Argonauts and when he was done, he wasn't even breathing hard.
"I must be dreaming," Steiger said softly to Delaney. "Nobody could be that strong!"
"Not even Hercules?" Delaney said.
His fury building, Hercules attacked the door, throwing himself against it repeatedly like a charging rhinocerous, until the heavy wood splintered and the hinges broke, sending both Hercules and the door crashing outward into the corridor beyond.
They ran out after Hercules as he stormed down the corridor, roaring at the top of his lungs. He came to a door at the end of the corridor and launched himself against it without breaking stride, smashing through it and into the room beyond.
It was a large central chamber, brightly lit with torches. There were rich tapestries hanging on the walls and thick carpets on the stone floor. There were long, low tables and couches placed around the perimeter of the room and there was a large group of about thirty young women facing them. They were all dressed in short chitons and sandals laced up to their knees. Their hair was worn long and pulled back, fastened by clasps at the nape of the neck. Each of them held a bow drawn back with an arrow nocked and ready to fly. Confronted with this sight, even Hercules was brought up short.
"Is this how you greet all your visitors?" demanded Jason, slowly coming forward with his hands held at his sides. "What have we done to be so rudely treated? Who are you? Why have our weapons been taken? And where are all your men?"
"Our men are gone," said a young woman, coming out from behind the others. She alone carried no weapons. "I am Hypsipyle, Queen of Lemnos. Our men have all gone off to war and women left alone are vulnerable. We feared an attack by our enemies or by pirates, so we made preparations to protect ourselves. We did not know of your intentions. Which of you is Jason?"
"I am Jason, King of Iolchos."
"I ask you to forgive us, Jason," said Queen Hypsipyle. "It appears we acted hastily and misjudged you and your friends." She turned to the other women. "Put down your bows and make these strangers welcome."
"Where is Atalanta?" Delaney said.
"It is she who has convinced me that you came in peace," said Hypsipyle. "If you will follow me, I will take you to her."