GOLDEN FLEECE QUEST:OVERTHROWING KING PELIAS

The return voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, was finally over.

The sight of the Argo with her torn sail, hadn’t exactly gone unnoticed.

Many people came to the shore to watch the ship come in. Very few had expected her to return, yet there she was.

The guards outside the courtyard gates were astonished.

“I can’t believe my eyes,” said the right-hand one.

“It’s Jason and the Argonauts,” the left-hand one said.

“I’ll inform the king.”

The guard went inside the palace to tell Pelias the news.

Pelias and Acastus were in the throne room with a group of guests, when the guard burst in.

“What is it?” Pelias asked.

“Jason and the Argonauts have returned, my lord,” the guard replied fearfully.

Silence fell in the throne room.

Neither Pelias, nor Acastus could believe what they had just heard.

“Are you serious?” the king asked.

“Yes, my lord. The Argo is coming in as we speak.”

“We should take action,” Acastus said.

“Too right we should,” said Pelias.

The king faced the guards by the door.

“Round up all the men and wait in the courtyard for Jason and the Argonauts. When they arrive, kill them.”

“Yes, my lord,” the guards said in unison.

They left hastily to carry out the king’s orders.

“You lot had better leave too,” Pelias said to the guests.

The visitors left at once.

“You, get back to your post,” Pelias said to the guard from outside the courtyard. “And don’t hesitate to let Jason and the Argonauts in.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

The guard exited the throne room, leaving Pelias and Acastus to be alone with their thoughts. There was only one thing, which put them on edge.

“The trouble is, Heracles might be with them,” said Acastus.

“That thought had occurred to me.”

“If he is, then our men may not stand a chance.”

“Let us hope it won’t come to that.”

Shortly, Jason and the Argonauts left the beach and headed straight for the palace. They were all armed and ready for the coming battle. Even Helios, who had

never taken part in a battle, was ready to do his share.

Jason suspected that Pelias had got wind of their arrival and that his men were waiting in the courtyard. So did Heracles and Atalanta and the rest of the Argonauts too. After all, the beach was in plain view of the palace.

When they reached the palace, Heracles confronted the terrified guards by the gates.

“We have come to see Pelias,” he growled.

“The king demands that we admit you all at once,” said the right-hand guard.

Heracles growled again.

“Undoubtedly his men are waiting for us inside the courtyard.”

The guards didn’t know what to say.

“We’ll take these two first,” said Atalanta.

“Please don’t kill us,” the right-hand guard said in panic.

“We only do what the king tells us,” the left-hand one said more fearfully.

It was no good.

“Castor, Pollux, deal with them,” said Heracles.

Castor and Pollux defeated the guards easily.

“Well done,” Jason said.

“Now let’s get this over and done with,” said Heracles. “On the count of three, we push those gates open. One – two – three – charge.”

Hercules forced open the gates and charged through into the courtyard, followed by everyone else.

Waiting for them, were six dozen soldiers, all ready to fight.

And come the fight did.

It was sword against sword, shield against shield.

The king’s men tried to gain the upper hand, but it was no good. With Heracles present, they stood no chance.

One by one they fell, until they were all dead.

Neither Jason, nor any of the Argonauts had fallen. Most of them were wounded, but nothing too serious.

Helios was proud of himself. Amazed he was that he had survived.

“To the throne room,” Heracles said.

He strode swiftly into the palace, followed by the others.

When Pelias and Acastus heard the coming warriors, they became afraid.

The approaching footsteps, did not sound like those of their men.

“I fear that our men have failed,” said Acastus.

“I fear it too.”

“Let us hope that Jason has the Fleece.”

“That, is all I want.”

“The thing is, you may have to hand the kingdom back to Aeson and Medea. After all, we won’t be in a position to prevent it, not if all our men are dead.”

Before Pelias could say anything further, the throne room doors burst open.

Jason and the Argonauts entered the throne room with Heracles in the lead.

The reality of the situation dawned on Pelias and Acastus, both of whom had realized their worst fears.

“So, Jason, you have returned,” the king said in a voice with an edge of panic to it.

“I bet you half expected never to see me again, Uncle,” scoffed Jason. “Yet here I am.”

“Did you and the Argonauts sail to Colchis?” Acastus asked.

“We did.”

“Where’s the Golden Fleece?” asked Acastus.

“Yes, where is the Fleece?”

“Somewhere where no living mortal will ever lay hands on it,” replied Jason.

“Tell us where it is,” Acastus said.

“It’s at the bottom of the sea,” Jason replied humorously.

Neither Pelias, nor Acastus could believe what they had just heard. They were not the least bit happy about it.

“You’re having us on – right?” Acastus asked curiously.

“No, I am not. I cast the Fleece into the sea myself.”

“And why may I ask?” Pelias asked angrily.

“Because no living mortal has the right to own the Fleece. It never should have been stolen from the last of the golden sheep of Colchis. King Cyzicus said as much and he would have done the same as what I did.”

There was a moments silence.

Jason and the Argonauts expected Pelias to explode with rage, but he didn’t. Instead, he started shaking his head and laughing.

“You’re a very cunning man, Jason.”

“What are you going to do, Father?” asked Acastus, who was stunned by Jason’s revelation.

“There’s nothing I can do.”

“Oh yes there is,” Heracles snarled.

Pelias and Acastus jumped out of their skins. The pair of them were so taken aback by Jason’s revelation, that they had forgotten that Heracles was present.

“And what is that?” Pelias asked as bravely as he could.

“You can hand the kingdom back to Aeson and Medea,” Heracles snarled more angrily.

He strode forwards, raised his club and pointed it inches from the Pelias’ face.

The king was too afraid to speak. He saw the hopelessness of the situation. His men were dead, a band of armed warriors was in the throne room and a huge club was being pointed at him, by an eight-foot-tall man. There was no way out of it.

“You’d better do as Heracles says, Father,” Acastus said fearfully.

Like the king, he knew that there was no way out of the situation.

Pelias gave a genuine sigh of resignation.

“Very well. I admit defeat.”

The king got off the throne reluctantly. He then removed the crown and placed it hard on the throne.

“What is to become of me now, Heracles?” the king

asked with panic in his voice. “And what is to become of Acastus?”

“That decision, is for Jason and his parents to make,” Heracles growled.

“I agree,” said Jason, who couldn’t be more pleased. “Castor, Pollux, Orpheus, go and see to it that my parents are released and all the other prisoners too. Acastus will take you to the cells.”

“With great pleasure,” Castor said.

He, along with Pollux and Orpheus, went for Acastus, who didn’t dare to make a break for it.

“Come on you little wretch,” Pollux said.

“Take us to the cells,” said Orpheus.

The three Argonauts drew their swords and forced Acastus through one of the side doors.

Pelias could do nothing.

A short while later, a group of twenty-five men and women of all ages, came through the right-hand doors.

They were all thin and pale and most untidy-looking. Their clothes and footwear were all faded and torn. Worst of all, they looked almost completely starved.

The sight of those zombie-like people walking slowly out of the throne room, filled Jason with mixed feelings of sadness and rage. He had the strong urge to draw his sword and plunge it right through the king’s foul, black heart.

At the same time, he felt relieved because those people now had the chance to return to their homes, friends and families.

When the parade of one-time prisoners had left, Pollux, Castor and Orpheus, returned with two more unfortunate prisoners. One was a man, the other a woman. They looked just as ghoulish as the rest of the freed people, yet Jason recognized them a little. So did Heracles and Atalanta.

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