"Don't pass out drunk with a stranger, Odysseus. Nobody will carry you upstairs at night."

"Stranger? Where's a stranger? Don't worry, little miss, I'll take good care of your brother."

Ktimene and Eumaeus are suspicious of our new companion, but after some wine, they accept him.

Ipithos is great at drinking and telling stories, and he makes me curious too.

But since he knows me like the other Argonauts, I don't want him to say anything strange in front of my sister. I'm already late with that when he gushes about my nonexistent wife.

"I still can't believe you married a Spartan princess." He drops the bomb. Right at the start. I try my hardest to change the conversation. "If she's as beautiful as her cousin, I'm jealous."

"What are you talking about, you drunkard?" Ktimene laughs, also a bit intoxicated.

I would like to know that too, but I'm glad she won't remember anything.

"Him scoring a wife? What a joke."

"I wouldn't go anywhere near Sparta. Let alone their princesses." I confirm before delving too deep into this strange matter. "We should discuss our findings about the thefts instead."

This fires him up. All the leads run into each other in Messene, and the city is like a disturbed anthill. Something is up, and we need a plan to deal with it.

"Eumaeus recognized some of the missing shepherds in chains." I fill in the newcomer between two drinks. "The odd thing is how the city's guards were with them."

This means we aren't talking about pirates or small raids. It involves Messene as a whole.

And there were those ships from the slave traders too. The volume must be huge.

"I also suspect they stole the mares. I'm not sure. Whether to sell them or use them in their war machine. But my father, Eurytus suspected Heracles, and he started an investigation."

Yet another Argonaut. He must be the most famous Greek Hero of all time, even the Romans remembered him later as Hercules. And he's not someone you want to piss off.

He is the son of Zeus, the strongest man alive, and according to the legends, his mental stability is not great. He might've killed more people in his blind rage than on the battlefield.

"Is he also here?" I ask a bit worried, but he shakes his head.

"No, but he might be on his way now."

"Heracles in the flesh?" Ktimene's eyes light up like a true fan girl. The suspicions are all gone, and now she won't stop asking questions. "You know him? Tell me everything."

At least I don't have to worry about accidental reveals about me and Athena's time machine.

There must be a second time jump, or it's my second time returning. And a wife?

A Spartan one at that. Was he talking about Penelope?

The woman my namesake tried, and failed to court. And he lost his hand in a duel for her.

I'll have to ask about it later.

It's too bad, Athena's owl, Glauca can't speak. It draws a few curious glances in the inn though.

It might be a girl because they grew close with my little sister.

"I don't want to be rude, but I never met you, and don't have a wife either." Once the kids retreat to sleep, I turn the discussion around. By then, I have the pieces about the Argonauts together.

The epic Quest for the Golden Fleece. Iphitos laughs, mighty drunk by now, and doesn't take offense. Instead, he starts another story from his time on the Argo, without me asking.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Of course, we met. Laertes was in all tears, haha." He hollers, and I'm glad the rest of the inn also got noisy. I don't want anyone else to hear about any of this. "My son and his wife, he said."

It's another great legend like the Trojan Wars, and it's no less tragic either. It starts with murder, and a man named Pelias usurping the throne of Iolcos. The rightful heir has to flee.

His name is Jason, returning later to fulfill a prophecy, as your average Greek hero does.

A goddess aids him, but instead of Athena like in my case, his patron is Hera.

"He was all about, oh, Athena took my son, but he's here now, all grown up, and married. And that sly fox, Autolycus said, we would've lost Jason before we set sails if not for you." Iphitos goes.

It doesn't add up to me. What does Athena have to do with the Argonauts?

It was all Hera's doing. Zeus' wife, Queen of Olympos, the goddess of families and tradition.

"I trained with Athena but never had a beard or a wife. I only returned from the Olympos a month ago. And I had nothing to do with the Agro." My explanation fell on deaf ears.

"Look, I don't know the details, but I saw you with my very eyes. And you had a mighty dark beard too, why did you shave it off?" He continues, and I don't have a chance to protest.

"I haven't seen your wife, per se, but you would always say you're in a hurry back to her."

This makes no sense. Okay, so the Golden Fleece. The story includes the usual prophecies.

Pelias can't kill Jason because of his royal guests at Iolcos. Instead, he gives him an impossible quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece beyond the world's end.

Well, the Greek world was much smaller than mine.

So he only meant Crimea, at least, that's what the archeologists think.

"Pelias' plan backfired when so many of us joined Jason's cause. The mission was so impossible, we all wanted the glory of succeeding against the odds." The drunken Iphitos retells the story.

They built a legendary ship, the Argo. Hence the crew went down in history as the Argonauts.

I can't say when this happened thanks to the inconsistencies in Greek mythology.

Some sources put it one to three hundred years before the outbreak of the Trojan Wars, but that's bullshit. My Father, Laertes, my Gramps, Autolycus, and this guy, Iphitus were present.

None looks that old, so my estimate is ten to fifteen years at most. The strange twist is how the three Argonauts I've met so far recognized me and mentioned my beard. And now a wife too.

"So when did I appear?" I ask too late, the man passes out drunk. This fucking mystery will haunt me for a while now. But I have a quest to deal with, the stolen sheep and shepherds.

His suspicions reinforce mine, and Messene must be in this as a whole. It'd be terrible news if I were here alone. It could only mean war because it's more than reigning in some pirates.

But his presence also gives me an opportunity. He's an Argonaut and a prince at that. I'm a prince myself, son of Laertes. He has connections, and better yet, Heracles is on his way here.

He might make an entire city shake in fear, whether they're ready for war. It's a potential alliance of states demanding the stolen goods back, with a hero known for his temper.

"Sleep well, Iphitus. We'll storm the palace tomorrow." I pat the snoring man's back, laying on the table, and retreat to my room to make plans.