“What are you thinking?” asked Heracles, his eyes sparkling with intrigue.
“If the men were fully submerged in the sea, it would mask their scent and keep them hidden. My sister and I once played this trick...” She could feel Jason’s eyes boring into her, but she continued, “we hid on the beach under water, breathing through hollow reeds to hide from our mother. What if we were able to draw all the Earthborn down to the isthmus? Our fighters could hide in the water on either side of the sand—where it’s deepest by the rocks—and ambush the creatures once they’re on it. Then you’d be rid of them once and for all.”
“It’s a brave idea,” said Cyzicus. “But there are so many of them, we couldn’t draw them all onto the isthmus.”
“You wouldn’t need to. Atalanta and anyone else who can use a bow could hide aboard theArgoand take out the ones left on the beach. Heracles—” she glanced at the hero “—could lure them down from their nest and entice them to follow him onto the isthmus. He’s the strongest by far, and his lion hide would protect him from stray arrows.”
“A seer and a strategist.” The edge in Jason’s voice could have cut bronze. “There is no end to your talents, Daeira.” He turned to Cyzicus. “Do you have a supply of reeds lying about this cave?”
Cyzicus shook his head.
Jason shot Danae a hollow smile. “Why don’t you help Cleite with the children and let the warriors plan the battle.”
In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to conjure a wind and slam Jason into the rocks.
“The pipes!” Hylas jumped to his feet. “Sorry...” His cheeks flushed as everyone stared at him. “It’s just, when we left Lemnos—” he glanced nervously at Jason “—I took the dart pipes. I thought they might be useful. They should just give us enough depth to breathe through them under water.”
“How many?” said Atalanta.
“Twenty.”
“You clever bastard.” Telamon slapped the younger man on the back.
“Looks like Daeira’s plan might work after all,” said Heracles, his mouth quirking into a smile.
The sight of it sent a flutter through Danae’s stomach.
“How will you get the beasts to follow you?” asked Jason, petulantly.
“Leave that to me,” said Heracles. The hero rose to his full, towering height. He was still slimmer than he had been when Danae first saw him in Corinth, but standing before her now he looked like a god.
“Doliones,” his voice boomed across the cave. “I know you have suffered. But you need fear no longer. We are the scourges of evil. Where men fear the fires of Tartarus, monsters fear us.” The Argonauts began to stamp their feet and bash their weapons against the rocks. “We will turn the sea red with the blood of the Earthborn, and never again will they darken your shores!”
The Argonauts roared. Many of the Doliones joined them, thrusting their fists into the air. Danae noticed a man holding a small baby. A sudden pain struck her chest. She pictured Arius in the child’s chubby cheeks. The boy’s father was weeping silently, staring at Heracles as though he was salvation incarnate.
The crew had belief on their side, and although they didn’t know it, they had her power. Perhaps the omenswerein their favor. Perhaps the vision had been a symbol of the six-handed Earthborns’ destruction.
Perhaps, against the odds, they might just win.
32
Into the Mist
The viewing platform creaked as Danae flexed her legs. She stretched her eyelids, blinked, then returned her face to the crack in the rock.
The gritty beach sparkled as dawn swelled over the horizon, a gentle breeze wafting through the gap in the stone. It was calm. Too calm. As if the sea was bracing itself for what was to come.
Atalanta and the Argonaut bowmen had boarded theArgounder the cover of night. To a man, the Dolionian soldiers had pledged to fight. Most of them submerged themselves with the remaining Argonauts on either side of the isthmus, breathing through the dart pipes. Dolos had insisted on testing the pipes first, to make sure there were no residual smears of phármakoninside the barrels. The last thing they needed was for half their force to pass out underwater.
Heracles had left just before first light, and Danae had watched him scale the shallow cliff with dread in her heart. She didn’t know why she was so worried. If anyone could look after themselves in a fight, it was Heracles.
The platform wobbled, and she turned to see Hylas heaving himself onto the decking.
“I’ve been ordered to stay behind with the second wave.”
“Jason’s orders?”
Hylas shot her a weary look.
