I’d been gripping my phone so hard my palm had become sweaty, and pieces of the already-fractured screen flaked off on my palm. Medea wasn’t just a woman in an old portrait. She wasn’t just a character in a bunch of old stories. She was a person who came from a place called Colchis, who was immune to poison, who had a brother named Absyrtus.

“ ‘Jason, commander of the Argo, sought Medea out and devised a plan to deceive her. Jason told her Absyrtus and her father plotted against her, intending to marry her off to a man of their choosing. Medea was devastated. Jason professed his undying love for Medea and told her that he would protect her from Absyrtus and her father, but that in order to do so, he needed to find the fabled Golden Fleece, which would allow him to become king.

“ ‘Medea agreed to help him find it, and after abandoning her home and her family, they sailed the world in search of the Golden Fleece. But after many years and the births of their three children, they had turned up nothing and Jason grew weary.’ ”

Alec paused again. “Do you know the story of Medea?”

“I read it,” I said. “But the version I read isn’t like this.”

Alec shook his head. “Not at all. But if the language is what we’re going by, this document has to predate what is considered the original.” He let out a little laugh. “It’s impossible but the familiarity and informality of it reminds me of the kinds of documents we see that came out of the time period when people began writing their family histories down instead of passing them down orally.” He leaned in and read the next part.

“ ‘Unbeknownst to Medea, Absyrtus had been searching for her. When he found her, he told Medea the truth. There had never been any plan to marry her off. Jason had lied to her. He tricked her into helping him attain the Golden Fleece. When confronted, Jason and his men took their children and Absyrtus as captives and threatened to kill them if Medea didn’t find the fleece and turn it over to Jason.

“ ‘Medea sought the help of the goddess and was told the fleece was in the sacred grove of Ares, guarded by a never-sleeping dragon. Medea poisoned the dragon, procured the fleece, and then, understanding that she would never be free from him, decided to kill Jason. She concocted the deadliest poison she could, distilled it into a goblet of wine, and had it served to him. Medea watched in horror as Jason made his children taste his food and drink before him. The children fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Jason seized Medea, took the fleece for his own, and executed Absyrtus by cutting his body into six pieces.

“ ‘Medea, in her bottomless sorrow, called to the goddess for help. Hecate appeared with a . . .’ ”