Nobody's Prize (3 page)

“I am not!” I took his light teasing to heart. “The things I’ve wanted
didn’t
all come easily. I had to fight to learn how to use a warrior’s weapons. I had to work to convince Atalanta to teach me how to ride a horse.”

“Then fight for this, too,” Milo said. “I’ll help, if you’ll let me. Tell me again about our dead masters.”

We went over our story several times before we split up to seek other crewmen from the
Argo.
We agreed to meet in the alley when the sun was directly overhead. “Talk to the men still down by the ship,” I told Milo. “I’ll try my luck closer to the palace.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Milo looked doubtful. “Your brothers might be up there, if they aren’t here by the water.”

“It’s time I started to practice dodging them. If I can’t do that now, what hope do I have of doing it once we’ve sailed? And don’t forget, they know your face just as well as mine. What
are
you going to say if you meet them?”

Milo nibbled the corner of his lip in thought, then brightened and declared, “I decided that it was no use having my freedom if I didn’t use it, so I left you in Delphi and struck out on my own. And don’t worry, I know the rest.” We parted, he for the waterside, I for the palace within the citadel atop the heights of Iolkos.

The sun was beating straight down on the dirt streets when we met back in that alleyway, tired and hungry. Even the rats had taken shelter from Apollo’s burning arrows. Our faces told the whole story before either of us could speak: No one wanted to hire a weapons bearer for the
Argo
’s voyage.

“That was a waste of sandal leather,” I said, wiping sweat from my brow as I leaned against the barely shaded side of the alley. “I lost count of how many men I spoke to. Every one of them turned me down. The
Argo
’s crammed with heroes, but they’re all determined to look after themselves.”

“Same here.” Milo tilted his head back and took a long drink from the water-skin slung over his shoulder. I had one as well, but it had been empty since the morning. I’d been so impatient to find us a place on the
Argo
that I’d neglected to fill it. “It’s funny,” Milo went on. “The more men I questioned, the more their reasons for not hiring us sounded…false. False and forced, as if they were repeating words they didn’t want to say.”

My brows drew together. Milo’s words made sense, but they buzzed strangely in my ears. His face looked odd as well, dark as a dried fig, his eyes two smears of wet clay that began to trickle down his cheeks as I watched. What was wrong? I closed my eyes and shook my head vigorously, fighting to banish the illusion.

“I agree.” I spoke loudly, as if noise would scare off the weird vision. “There’s a secret at work among the
Argo
’s crew, but finding it out can wait until we’ve had some food and drink. I’m so famished my head’s spinning.” I pulled a fistful of ornaments from the pouch at my belt. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find a tavern in a city like this.” I started back toward the water, jingling my riches boldly in my hand.

Milo grabbed me and hauled me back so fast I almost scattered the gold bits like grains of barley. “Are you crazy?” he demanded. “What do you think you’re doing, showing off that kind of wealth?”

“I
think
I’m about to get us a decent meal,” I snapped. I wanted him to be quiet. His voice had taken on a thunderous echo that made my head throb. I was sure he was doing it on purpose, to annoy me. I squirmed out of his arms and chinked my gold under his nose. “Am I the only one who’s hungry and thirsty?”

His hand closed over mine, muffling the high, sweet ringing sound. “If you go into any wineshop and put even one of these on the table, it’ll be the same as slitting our throats,” Milo hissed. “We’re supposed to be servants. Servants don’t have gold, especially not a pair of boys.”

“You worry too much,” I told him, tossing my head. “Any tavern keeper will be happy to take this as payment, no questions asked. Let me
go.
”

I jerked my hand away so hard that I lost my grip. The ornaments made a golden rainbow that arced out of the alley and across the path of a pair of thickset men. The smaller of the pair dropped to his knees and began scooping up handfuls of dust and dirt, rubbing them through his fingers to sieve out the gold. His companion turned his attention to Milo and me.

“This yours, lads?” he drawled, gesturing at my fallen fortune.

Milo said “No” and I said “Yes” loudly, quickly, and at exactly the same instant. That made him laugh.

“Well, one of you’s lying. You, boy.” He nodded at me. “How’d a little donkey-turd like you get your hands on such riches?”

“The same way I got my hands on this,” I replied, drawing my sword. My words came out slurred. The buzzing in my head was growing louder, and my sight painted four ugly men where there were only two.

Our confrontation began to draw attention along the busy waterfront. Faces and bodies blurred into a murmuring cloud of people just outside the mouth of the alley. The stench of sweat and rotten fish stabbed up my nose so painfully that I had to grit my teeth or scream. My ankles wobbled, but I forced myself to stand fast.

“You!” I jabbed my sword in the direction of the man who was still harvesting the fallen gold bits. “Give back what’s mine and I’ll let you keep a couple of pieces for your trouble.”

The two men exchanged looks of disbelief. The one still standing laughed, though it sounded more like a bull’s bellow. “You hear that? The prince has spoken! Obey him and he’ll let you keep your own gold. Sounds like that outlander Jason’s not the only one to come swaggering into Iolkos, laying claim to honest men’s property!” He glanced down at my feet and sneered. “Hunh. Two sandals. I was expecting only one. Seems like that’s the fashion for all great liars, these days.”

The crowd laughed at that. Why? It sounded like nonsense to me, but it won them over. Some of them shouted insults at me, calling me thief, liar, fraud. Only one voice was raised in my defense.

“Who do you think you are, calling my friend a liar?” Milo yelled. “And Prince Jason, too? Say that to
his
face, you coward!”

The man ground his teeth together. “Think I wouldn’t? It’s only because Lord Pelias is such a pious man that he didn’t have that so-called
Prince
Jason put to death as soon as he claimed to be our king’s nephew. Everyone knows the
real
Jason’s dead. The boy’s own mother said so!”

A shrill, cracked voice rose from the back of the crowd. “The boy’s own mother lied to save her child, and you know it!” The people stood aside to let a gray-haired old woman come forward, bent double by the weight of a basket on her shoulder. “And
I
know
you,
you good-for-nothing ruffian! Take your worthless crony and leave the boy alone.” She glowered.

For an answer, the bully knocked the old woman’s basket away with one blow of his fist. Fish scattered in the dirt. “Mind your own business, hag,” he snarled. “Next time I won’t hit the basket.”

“Next time you’ll hit
nothing.
” I darted forward and brought the flat of my blade down on the man’s forearm, making him yelp. “Pick up what you spilled.”

“Or what? You’ll cut my throat in front of all these people?” His mouth stretched out in a rotten-toothed leer. He rubbed the arm I’d smacked and added: “Curse it, that hurts. Where’d you steal that sword, you lousy little—? Ow!” A rock flew through the air and bounced off the side of the man’s skull. It was too small to do damage, but it got his attention. He whirled around, cursing, just as a second rock whizzed past his ear.

“Pick up my fish, you ox!” the old woman yelled, shaking her fist. It already held a third rock, ready to fly. “Pick them up or I’ll lay you out on top of them; see if I won’t!”

He growled and charged. The old woman stood her ground, but her courage wasn’t going to shield her skinny limbs from a bad bruising, or worse. I couldn’t let that happen. I leaped onto his back, grabbed his filthy hair in my free hand, and yanked it hard. Furious, he reached back, seizing my shoulders and flinging me forward, over his head. It happened so fast that I couldn’t even think about using my sword. I went sailing straight for the thickest part of the crowd. Men and women scattered left and right, but I bowled into one slow-footed fellow. The pair of us tumbled heels over head, churning up a small dust cloud, until we stopped halfway to the water.

“Get off me!” The man shoved me away and clambered to his feet, grumbling. “A fine thing, when every tadpole fresh from the egg’s got a sword.”

“A bad thing,” my opponent said, suddenly behind me. “Give it here, boy, before you hurt yourself.” He bent over and tried to take my blade.

That was a mistake. I got my feet under me in a crouch and deliberately stood up fast, shooting the top of my head against the bottom of his jaw. The impact was jarring. His teeth slammed together and I ran a few steps clear of him. I whirled around just in time to see him stagger backward and collapse right on top of his companion, still grubbing in the dust.

“You should’ve picked up those fish,” I cried gleefully. I pointed my blade at the pair of would-be bullies and added, “Now empty your hands and get out of my sight!”

The crouching man stood, letting the gold drop back into the dirt, then slung his partner’s arm over one shoulder and helped him away. The crowd cheered and clapped their hands. Now that I’d given them a good show, they were all on my side.

I turned to the one person among them who’d first stood up for me. “I’ll get your fish for you,” I told her, going after the basket.

“Poseidon grant they’re still worth trading,” she said, folding her arms over her bony chest.

“You won’t know until you—” I began. Suddenly I froze. The fallen basket lay a hand-span from my reaching fingertips, but as I looked at it, it began to swell like a water bubble, a weird red light crackling around its wavering edges. I only had a moment to think,
Gods help me, what’s this?
before the bubble burst and flooded my head with darkness.

         
2
         

MASTERS, SERVANTS, AND SLAVES

I opened my eyes to see a man’s tanned face backed by a soot-stained wall. I knew those eyes, but my head was still twirling, and when I attempted to remember where I’d seen this person before, my thoughts danced away, windblown wisps of smoke.

“Who—who are you?” I asked. “Where are we? Where’s Milo? Where’s the ship?” My voice came out raw and sandy. Wherever I was, it was dark and smelled like fish seasoned with a little sour wine and rancid oil. When I tried to sit up, the world tilted sharply and I fell backward.

“Ah, careful there!” The man thrust his arm behind my back and braced me. “If you fall over, you might hit your head. Then what will I tell your brothers?”

“My…brothers? How—” I took my first real look at him. My spine stiffened, moving me away from his steadying arm. When I spoke his name, it was a gasp: “Iolaus.”

“That’s me.” He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. We were both on the floor, he on the bare, beaten earth, I on a woolen cloak thrown over a thin pile of barley straw. “I was worried that you’d forgotten me. Memory loss is a bad sign when you’ve been sunstruck. I don’t flatter myself to think I’m worthy of your royal notice, Lady Hel—”

I lurched forward without thinking and clapped my fingertips to his lips. “I’m
Glaucus,
” I whispered fiercely as the room spun. “Please.”

He was very gentle as he clasped my wrist, lowering my hand. “My mistake,” he murmured. “Your slave told me that, but it slipped my mind.”

“Milo’s not my slave,” I said sharply. I looked around the room, which had steadied. It was bare except for some baskets, a few clay pots, one plain wooden storage box, and a tiny hearth well away from the straw where I lay. Light and air came in through the smoke-hole in the roof. The reek of fish and the sea clung to everything. “Where is he? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine. You’re both safe and there’s no one near to overhear me call you by your true name. The old woman went off on her own business after insisting I bring you here. This is her home.”

“The fishwife?” I asked.

“She told me her name’s Melitta.” He took a damp scrap of cloth from a shallow bowl on the floor and dabbed it softly across my brow. It felt good. Iolaus was a warrior, the nephew of the great hero Herakles himself, yet he had a light touch and a kind heart.

“How did you find me?” I asked him.

“I was coming down from the palace to have another look at the
Argo
when I saw the crowd you’d attracted. There were too many people to see what was going on, but I had a fine view of things when you collapsed. I thank almighty Zeus that I recognized you, because you were the last person I’d expect to find in Iolkos, in the middle of a brawl. I almost had to get into one myself with that slave of yours. He was ready to fight me to the death when I tried to pick you up and get you out of the sun.”

“
Stop
calling Milo my ‘slave.’ He’s my friend, and he’s as free as you are!” I spat out the words with so much force that Iolaus raised his hands to ward off my anger.

“Lady—Glaucus—what can I say? I only remember him from King Oeneus’s palace in Calydon, where there’s no denying he
was
a slave. And he certainly is your friend. He let me carry you away only after I whispered your true name.”

“Where is he now?” I asked, placated by Iolaus’s explanation. “You never told me.”

“I sent him for more water.”

“Oh.” A fresh thought came to my mind. “Iolaus, you spoke of my brothers. You can’t tell them I’m here. Please.”

He looked puzzled. “I thought you came to Iolkos to find them. I’ll tell you the truth, I’ve been sitting here wondering what could’ve happened to make a girl like you risk the journey here. When your brothers showed up in Prince Jason’s company, they told me how you’d all traveled together as far as Delphi, where they’d left you safe, yet now…here you are.”

I told Iolaus the whole story behind my decision to come to Iolkos and how I’d accomplished it. While I was talking, Milo returned. He was carrying a deep bowl filled with water. I took it from his hands with thanks and drank greedily. I’d never tasted anything so delicious!

“Slowly,” Iolaus cautioned me. “Gulping cold water can tie your guts in a knot.”

I set the bowl aside reluctantly. “I guess sometimes I need to be protected from myself.” I looked at him steadily. “But who’s going to protect me from you?”

He reacted as if I’d slapped him. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“Forgive me, that came out badly. You helped me today, and you were a good friend to my brothers and me when the boar hunt ended in disaster.”

“All I did was bring you terrible news,” he said. “Your cousin’s death, and then how his mother died by…” He sighed deeply, turning away from the memory of my aunt’s suicide.

I shook my head so that my sunstruck vision reeled. I’d have toppled sideways if both Milo and Iolaus hadn’t grabbed me at the same time. My friend shot a poisonous look at Iolaus, who let go of me and edged away from us, even though he could have shattered Milo’s wrist with one hand.

“Milo,
no,
” I said, shaking my head more cautiously this time. “I don’t need anyone to protect me
from
Iolaus. Since he’s recognized me, I need
him
to protect my secret.”

“What are you talking about?” A deep crease showed between Iolaus’s brows.

“When we sail on the
Argo—
” I began.

“‘We’?” He cut me off at once. “No. Out of the question. It’s too dangerous.”

“Why?” I asked. I spoke softly, but my pulse was racing. “This will let me join Prince Jason’s quest safely.” I gestured at my boy’s clothing. “The only reason you discovered me was because you know me and got a close look. Trust me, I won’t give Castor and Polydeuces that chance.”

“That’s not the danger I mean,” he said. “If I don’t stop you now and some dreadful fate befalls you on this voyage—the gods forbid it!—I couldn’t bear the guilt.”

I took a deep breath and tried a different tactic. “Iolaus, do you hate my brothers?”

“‘Hate’ them?” he echoed, puzzled.

“If you tell them I’m here, they’ll want to get me home. Whether they hire armed men to escort me to Sparta or take me back themselves and abandon the quest for the Fleece, it will draw attention. I’m not ashamed if people gossip about what I’ve done, but
they
will be.”

“I doubt you cared this much about their feelings when you chose this path,” Iolaus said. He didn’t raise his voice. The truth doesn’t need to be shouted.

“Maybe not,” I answered, looking him in the eyes. “But I had to choose it.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“No more ridiculous than why
you’re
ready to sail into the unknown. The only person who
needs
to chase after the Golden Fleece is Prince Jason, yet you and all the others are joining him for the sake of pure adventure. You hunger for it! Why can’t I?”

“Enough.” Iolaus raised his hand. “You win, for your brothers’ sake and because I’ve got the feeling you’d find a way to sneak aboard no matter how much they or I try to stop you. I wish some of the men I know had half your boldness. It’s strange to see it in a girl. Perhaps you’re really Atalanta’s daughter.”

My smile answered his. “My nurse, Ione, said I was Zeus’s child.”

“My uncle Herakles is supposed to be Zeus’s son. You two must be related. He’s a great one for following his heart first and thinking about the consequences afterward. Or never.” His teeth flashed in the shadows of the old fishwife’s home. “I’ll keep your secret.”

“Thank you. You won’t have to do it for very long. You said I didn’t care about my brothers’ feelings when I decided to join this quest. You were right. I’ve only been thinking about what
I
want.” I took a deep breath. What I was about to say tore at my heart, but I couldn’t escape it. “I’ll go back to Delphi. It’s one thing to take a chance with my own life, but not with so many others’.”

“Oh, I agree,” Iolaus said. “Which is why I intend to take very good care of my new weapons bearers.”

It was sunset when Iolaus left us. He waited until Melitta returned to ask if we could stay with her for one more night. “These boys work for me,” he told her. “We were separated on the road. I’d bring them up to the palace, but I get the feeling that Lord Pelias wouldn’t welcome the surprise of two more mouths to feed.”

The old woman snorted. “You don’t have to tell me about Lord Pelias. His fingers clench around every crumb. They won’t uncurl until he dies.”

“The lads won’t be a burden to you, Mother. I’ll bring you plenty of extra food and wine for them.”

“Keep it.” She nodded at me. “They’re welcome under my roof.”

“Spoken like someone who’s never seen them eat.” Iolaus chuckled. Then his voice turned serious. “Can I trust you to keep their presence here a secret?”

Melitta’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Unless Iolkos is the only city where no one gossips, word could reach those men, the ones who scuffled with Glaucus. They might decide to stir up trouble.”

“Hunh! Not likely, the cowards,” she said.

“Cowards don’t pick fair fights,” I pointed out. “They might do something nasty and sly if they find out we’re here, something like…like—”

“Like starting a fire,” Milo piped up.

“That sounds like just what they
would
do,” the fishwife agreed, and promised to let no one know we were her guests.

That night she fed us flatbread and fat anchovies she’d broiled on a rock in the house’s fire pit. “Here, boys,” she said, holding out portions to Milo and me. “I’ll cook more soon enough. There’s plenty, thanks to that good master of yours. He’s no Lord Pelias, that’s for sure. Our false king wouldn’t give a bone to a starving dog unless he was planning to take its pelt to market and boil its bones for soup. Eat, eat!”

“Why do you call him ‘false’?” I asked, taking a bite of my bread.

“Because he’s got no more right to rule this land than I do, since Prince Jason returned. Child, surely you know the whole story behind that great ship, the one that waits for you and your master?”

“I know that Prince Jason ordered it built and manned it with heroes to bring the Golden Fleece back to Iolkos,” I replied.

“Zeus bless you, is that what you believe?” Melitta clucked her tongue as she arranged a fresh row of silvery fishes on the hot, flat stone. “Prince Jason’s father was our king. They say the shock of Lord Pelias’s treachery killed him. His widow claimed that the infant prince had died as well. Truth was, she sent him to safety far from here.”

“Why didn’t she go with him?” I asked. “How could she stand to lose her husband and her child, too?”

“She stayed in Iolkos so Lord Pelias would believe the lie that saved her baby’s life.” The old woman looked grim. “I wish the gods had let that brave woman live to see her son return. And what a return, on the heels of the Pythia’s prophecy!”

My ears perked up when she mentioned my friend Eunike. “What prophecy?”

“Last year Lord Pelias sent a rich gift to Delphi and asked about the future of his reign. The god replied that Lord Pelias should fear nothing but this: a man who’d come to Iolkos wearing only one sandal, but who’d have the protection of Hera.” Melitta turned the fish with a charred wooden spoon. “Exactly how Prince Jason arrived, half shod, but bold as if the queen of the gods held him in the palm of her hand.”

Now the bully’s comment about liars wearing only one sandal made sense. “If the Pythia’s prophecy told Lord Pelias to fear a man wearing one sandal, I’m surprised he didn’t have Prince Jason killed.”

“Oh, he would have, if he’d dared. But Prince Jason first made sure that plenty of powerful folk knew who he was. Many of our nobles don’t care for Lord Pelias and stand ready to welcome
any
change. Prince Jason’s got their protection against
direct
attacks.” She gave the anchovies one more turn with the spoon and slid them onto her own piece of flatbread.

Milo was bewildered. “If Prince Jason came to claim his throne, why is he sailing off to Colchis?”