And sow the teeth of a serpent, teeth that grew into an army of earthborn men.

Pelias laughs. How did that army not kill you?

Jason looks again at Medea. I bathed in the river and dug a pit, away from all others. I sacrificed a ewe on a pyre and poured honey to Hekate, and when I walked away I didn’t turn back, even when I heard the hellhounds.

Sensible, Pelias says.

At dawn, I steeped a charm from Medea in water, and anointed my body and my weapons.

And no spear from the earthborn men was able to pierce you?

I cast a stone in their midst when they rose up. They fought over that stone, slaying each other.

How did you know to do that?

Medea told me.

Well, Medea has been useful.

Yes, Jason says.

And what about the dragon guarding the golden fleece?

Medea put it to sleep.

Pelias laughs and keeps laughing, loud in this chamber.

Well, he finally says. We should have taken the fleece long ago. Great Aeetes apparently was willing to give it to anyone.

I betrayed my father for this fleece, Medea says.

Yes, I know. And butchered your brother. You’ve been very useful. If only you could have been here to prevent our tragedies.

What tragedies are those? Jason asks.

You were gone so long we thought the Argo was lost. We thought you had sunk, and your father Aeson was so distraught he drank poison.

Spear points of the guards already at Jason’s chest, holding him back.

My brother was weak, Pelias says. Always weak. He was buried somewhere below, where there is no light, and fed very little, and his wife gone and one of his sons gone, but still if he wanted to be king, he should have acted like a king.

What about my brother Promachus? Where is he?

Your little brother drank poison too. I didn’t see it, but that’s what I’m told.

I’ll kill you.

That’s what I’ve been warned. One sandal. Flimsy for a prophecy, but there it is. Pelias sits forward on the edge of his throne, leans closer to Jason. They told me you were stillborn. Did you know that? Your mother had women gather all around and weep because you were dead at birth. And it turns out this is true. You were stillborn.

Where is my mother?

Fucking some centaur, last I heard. Chiron, who raised you. If I believed in centaurs, though, I’d be in trouble, wouldn’t I? I might even believe a sheepskin could have some strange power. So what was it like to be raised by a centaur? Do you run differently?

Jason’s head low.

I’d like to see you run, to see whether you leap like a horse, to see whether you have hooves.

Pelias’ men press forward with their spears, make Jason back away.

Run, Pelias says.