“I am sure of it.” Jason’s face shone with unbridled hunger as he turned back to gaze at the Trojan ships. “One day, I will stand at the prow of my own fleet, my crest imprinted on the sails. Who knows—gods willing—in time Iolcos might not be the only kingdom under my command.”
As he spoke, Danae thought how dangerous it would be if a man like Jason wielded a power like hers.
After sighting Troy, theArgoleft the waters of the Aegean, and sailed toward the inland sea of the Propontis through a passage known as the Hellespont. Danae stood on the stern platform, staring at the rocky dunes and rearing hills rippling past to her left. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she squinted for any dwellings or glints of metal. To her right, Jason did the same. After their encounter on Lemnos, they had become a wary vessel, and the Hellespont was the perfect location to ambush an unsuspecting ship.
But as the hours trickled by and theArgosliced through the channel unhindered, the knot of tension between Danae’s shoulders began to melt. The rugged banks and beaches appeared completely deserted.
“How long ’til we clear the channel?” Jason asked Tiphys.
“A few hours yet, Captain.”
Jason tracked the movement of the sun across the bleached sky. “We’ll drop anchor as soon as we reach the Propontis. We don’t have much daylight left.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Look there, a ship!” Orpheus had abandoned his oar and was pointing ahead.
Heading toward theArgowas a single-mast sailboat about two-thirds the size of their penteconter. No shields flanked her sides, and the oiled hull bore no markings save the wear of the sea’s tongue.
“They look like fishermen!” called Ancaeus.
The bearskin warrior was right. As the vessel drew nearer, Danae could see nets trailing from the side of the ship. The five men aboard waved their sea-weathered arms, grinning at the Argonauts.
“Might be worth seeing if they’ve got stock to trade, Captain,” said Tiphys.
“An excellent idea,” Jason replied. “Argonauts, haul in the oars!”
The captain bounded down to the mid-deck, and Danae followed him, already salivating at the prospect of fresh fish. As they drew closer, she could see an array of crates and nets strewn in the belly of the tub.
She stopped and as calmly as her now thundering heart would allow sidled over to Hylas.
“They aren’t fishermen,” she murmured.
A string of confusion hitched his brow.
“The nets, look at them, all tangled together. Trust me, no fisherman would ever keep his netting that way.”
He held her gaze for a moment, then gave an almost imperceptible nod. Their faces masking into smiles, Danae and Hylas moved along the boat, whispering to Atalanta, Telamon, Peleus and the others. Jason was leaning over the side of theArgo, beckoning to the fishermen to steer toward them. When Danae reached Heracles, the hero’s lips twitched into a smirk.
“At last, some entertainment.”
“Do you have fish to trade?” Jason yelled across the narrowing stretch of water between their ships.
“We have a lot of fish!” A bearded man in a worn brown tunic nodded enthusiastically.
Danae’s chest bubbled with anger. She thought of how carefully her father tended his nets, the hours he spent weaving, darning and folding them. The fishermen of Naxos cared about their craft, they respected the sea and the creatures that dwelt in her depths.
She forced herself to grin at the imposters while moving closer to Jason. “They’re not fishermen,” she whispered.
The captain’s face fell. “What?”
The ship was so close now, Danae could see the whites of the strangers’ eyes. She continued to smile through aching cheeks. “Keep them talking, but we should be ready—”
It was at that moment the five supposed fishermen heaved over the crates on their deck to reveal another half dozen men all armed to the teeth.
“They’re fucking pirates!” shouted Atalanta with glee.
The pirate who’d been conversing with Jason caught a curved sword, thrown to him by another man, and pointed it at theArgo. “Kill them!”
